Bob Falkenburg facts for kids
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| Full name | Robert Falkenburg |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States Brazil |
| Born | January 29, 1926 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 2022 (aged 95) Santa Ynez, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Turned pro | 1942 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1955 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1974 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (1948, John Olliff) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 4R (1954) |
| Wimbledon | W (1948) |
| US Open | SF (1946) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1947) |
| US Open | W (1944) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1947) |
| US Open | F (1945) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | SFAm (1955) |
Robert Falkenburg (born January 29, 1926 – died January 6, 2022) was an amazing American tennis player and a smart businessman. He is most famous for winning the Men's Singles title at the 1948 Wimbledon Championships. He also brought soft ice cream and American fast food to Brazil in 1952. He even started a popular fast food chain there called Bob's.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Bob Falkenburg was born in New York City on January 29, 1926. He grew up in Los Angeles, California. His family loved tennis! Both his parents, Eugene and Marguerite, played tennis as amateurs. His mom, Mickey, even won a state tennis championship in Brazil. She was also the first person to suggest the idea of a team-tennis league to famous tennis champion Jack Kramer.
Bob's sister, Jinx Falkenburg, was a well-known film star and model. She also played tennis. His brother, Tom, had a successful tennis career too. Bob started playing tennis when he was 10 years old in 1936. He often played at the Los Angeles Tennis Club near his home. He also won a junior tournament at the Bel-Air Country Club in 1937.
Rising Tennis Star
While attending Fairfax High School, Bob won national tennis titles. In 1942 and 1943, he won the National Interscholastic singles title. He also won the national doubles title with his brother, Tom. In 1943, he became the Los Angeles city singles champion.
The next year, in 1944, he won the United States doubles championship with Don McNeill. Bob was one of the youngest players to be ranked in the U.S. Top 10 amateur tennis players. He stayed in the top 10 for five years. A sports journalist named John Olliff even ranked him as World No. 7.
During World War II, from 1944 to 1945, Bob served in the military as an air cadet. Even while serving, he still played tennis sometimes. In 1946, while studying at the University of Southern California, he won the NCAA singles and doubles titles. He won the doubles again with his brother, Tom. At 20 years old, people said Bob had "the fastest serve in tennis."
Winning Wimbledon
In 1947, Bob teamed up with Jack Kramer. They won the Wimbledon doubles title together. A year later, in 1948, Bob reached the highest point of his tennis career. He won the Wimbledon singles championship! This was a huge win against Australian player John Bromwich.
The match was very exciting. Bromwich had a chance to win at 5–3 in the final set. But Bob saved three match points and kept fighting! He ended up winning the set 7–5. It took 71 years for someone to repeat such a comeback at Wimbledon. In 2019, Novak Djokovic also saved championship points to win. Bob won Wimbledon not just because he was strong, but because he was a smart player. Fellow tennis player Tom Brown said Bob would "review the situation, figure out what was likely, and take chances."
After marrying Lourdes Mayrink Veiga Machado from Brazil in 1947, Bob moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1950. He later played for the Brazilian Davis Cup teams in 1954 and 1955.
Honored in Halls of Fame
Bob Falkenburg was recognized for his amazing tennis career many times. He was inducted into several Halls of Fame:
- The International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1974.
- The Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.
- The Fairfax High School Hall of Fame in 1999.
- The U.S.C. Hall of Fame in 2009.
- The Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2010.
From Tennis to Fast Food: Bob's Restaurants
Bob Falkenburg was offered a professional tennis contract worth a lot of money. But he decided to do something different! He turned down the offer and instead opened an ice cream and fast food business in Brazil.
In 1952, he opened his first ice cream shop near the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. It was a big hit! Bob's soft ice cream was the first of its kind in Brazil. A year later, his ice cream shop became a full fast food restaurant. He named it Bob's. It was the very first fast food restaurant in South America!
Bob's menu had classic American foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, milkshakes, and sundaes. People loved the new tastes and modern style of Bob's. It became very popular with famous and stylish people in Brazil. This made Bob's a very successful food business. By 2011, Bob's had grown to over 600 locations in Brazil and three other countries. Bob Falkenburg no longer owned the chain by then.
A Champion in Golf Too
Bob Falkenburg was not only a great tennis player, but he was also a talented amateur golfer! He played in many international golf championships. He won the Brazilian amateur championship three times.
He took part in famous golf tournaments like the Bob Hope Desert Classic, which his team won in 1967. He also played several times at the Bing Crosby Pro-Am in California. Bob played for Brazil in the Eisenhower Cup in Rome (1964), Mexico City (1966), and Melbourne (1968). He even played in the British Amateur Golf Championship in the United Kingdom. He had a hole-in-one at Carnoustie during that tournament! He also played in many European golf championships.
Later Life
In 1970, Bob and his wife moved back to Southern California. In 1974, when he was 48, he sold the Bob's restaurant chain. It had 12 stores at that time. He sold it to Libby of Brazil, which was later bought by Nestlé.
After retiring, Bob spent a lot of time playing golf at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. He often played with his friend, former Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Jerry West. Bob even became the president of the club. Bob and his wife lived in Santa Ynez, California. He passed away in Santa Ynez on January 6, 2022, at the age of 95.
See also
- In Spanish: Robert Falkenburg para niños
