Budge Patty facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Budge Patty

Patty in 1958
Full name	Edward John Patty
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1924-02-11)February 11, 1924 Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	October 4, 2021(2021-10-04) (aged 97) Lausanne, Switzerland
Turned pro	1940 (amateur tour)
Retired	1960
Plays	Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1977 (member page)
Singles
Career record	777–182 (81.02%)
Career titles	73
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1950, John Olliff)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open	W (1950)
Wimbledon	W (1950)
US Open	QF (1951, 1953, 1957)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon	W (1957)
US Open	F (1957)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	W (1946)
Wimbledon	SF (1946)

Budge Patty (born Edward John Patty on February 11, 1924, died October 4, 2021) was a famous American tennis player. He was ranked the world's number one player in 1950.

Budge Patty had a great career that lasted for 15 years after World War II. He won two major tennis tournaments, called Grand Slam singles titles, in 1950. He was also one of only three American men to win the "Channel Slam." This means he won both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

Early Life and Start in Tennis

Edward John Patty was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on February 11, 1924. His family later moved to Los Angeles, where he went to Los Angeles High School. His brother gave him the nickname "Budge" because he thought Edward was sometimes slow to move, like he wouldn't "budge."

Budge started playing tennis when he was a child. He practiced with another famous player, Pauline Betz, every Saturday. When he was 13, he won the Los Angeles novice championships. Pauline encouraged him to take lessons with Bill Weissbuch at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club.

At the club, famous actors Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor noticed his talent. They helped him pay for trips to national junior championships. Budge won the national under-15 championships in 1939. Two years later, he won both the singles and doubles titles at the under-18 tournament. He won the singles title again in 1942.

Budge planned to go to the University of Southern California. However, he was called to join the US Army just a few days after signing up. He was released from the army in January 1946.

Tennis Career Highlights

After serving in the military, Budge Patty returned to tennis. In 1946, he teamed up with Pauline Betz to win the mixed doubles title at the French Championships.

Three years later, in 1949, he reached the singles final at the French Championships. He lost that match to another American player, Frank Parker.

His big year was 1950. He won his first major singles title at the French Championships. He had to win three tough matches in five sets, including the final against Jaroslav Drobný. Just a few weeks later, he won the 1950 Wimbledon Championships by beating Frank Sedgman in four sets.

Winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year is a rare achievement called the "Channel Slam." Budge Patty was only the second American man to do this, after Don Budge in 1938. Since then, only Tony Trabert has achieved this among American male players. At the end of 1950, Budge Patty was ranked the world's number one amateur player.

In 1953, Budge Patty played a very long match against Jaroslav Drobný at Wimbledon. The match lasted over four hours. Even though Budge had six chances to win, he eventually lost. He later said he was so tired he could barely see by the end of it.

In 1957, Budge Patty and Gardnar Mulloy won the Wimbledon men's doubles title. They beat the top-ranked team of Lew Hoad and Neale Fraser. Budge was 33 and Mulloy was 43, making them the oldest team to win Wimbledon after World War I. They also reached the final of the U.S. National Championships that same year but lost.

Budge Patty played his last tournament at the 1960 Wimbledon Championships. He remained an amateur player throughout his career. He won 46 singles titles in total. These included the German International Championship in 1953 and 1954, and the Italian Championship in 1954. He was ranked among the top 10 players in the world for seven years between 1947 and 1957. In 1977, he was honored by being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Grand Slams Finals

Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1949	French Championships	Clay	Frank Parker	3–6, 6–1, 1–6, 4–6
Win	1950	French Championships	Clay	Jaroslav Drobný	6–1, 6–2, 2–6, 5–7, 7–5
Win	1950	Wimbledon	Grass	Frank Sedgman	6–1, 8–10, 6–2, 6–3

Doubles (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Neale Fraser Lew Hoad	8–10, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Loss	1957	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Ashley Cooper Neale Fraser	6–4, 3–6, 7–9, 3–6

Mixed Doubles (1 title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1946	French Championships	Clay	Pauline Betz	Dorothy Bundy Tom Brown	7–5, 9–7

Performance Timeline

Later Life

After World War II, Budge Patty moved to Paris, France. He became very good at speaking French. In the late 1950s, he worked for a travel agency when he wasn't playing tennis. He also had small roles in movies and worked in real estate. He lived in Europe for more than 70 years.

Budge Patty married Maria Marcina Sfezzo in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1961. They stayed married until he passed away. They had two daughters, Christine and Elaine.

Budge Patty died on October 4, 2021, in a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. He was 97 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Budge Patty para niños