Doris Hart facts for kids
Hart in 1953
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| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1925 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | May 29, 2015 (aged 89) Coral Gables, Florida, U.S. |
| Retired | 1955 (but played at the 1968 Wimbledon Championships and the 1969 US Open) |
| College | University of Miami |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1969 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1951) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1949) |
| French Open | W (1950, 1952) |
| Wimbledon | W (1951) |
| US Open | W (1954, 1955) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1950) |
| French Open | W (1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953) |
| Wimbledon | W (1947, 1951, 1952, 1953) |
| US Open | W (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1949, 1950) |
| French Open | W (1951, 1952, 1953) |
| Wimbledon | W (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955) |
| US Open | W (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955) |
Doris Hart (born June 20, 1925 – died May 29, 2015) was an amazing American tennis player. She played tennis in the 1940s and early 1950s. In 1951, she was ranked the world's number one female tennis player!
Doris was the fourth player ever, and only the second woman, to win a Career Grand Slam in singles. This means she won all four major tennis tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open at least once in her career.
Even more incredibly, she was the first of only three players (all women) to achieve a "Boxed Set" of Grand Slam titles. This special achievement means winning at least one title in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slam events. Only Doris Hart and Margaret Court achieved this during the amateur era of tennis.
Doris also played college tennis for the Miami Hurricanes team at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
Doris Hart's Tennis Journey
Doris Hart reached 67 Grand Slam finals in her career. She won an incredible 35 titles! This puts her among the top players of all time. She won six titles in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 15 in mixed doubles.
When she was a child, Doris had a health condition called osteomyelitis. This affected her right leg for life. Despite this, she started playing tennis at age 10. Her brother, Bud, really encouraged her.
Doris worked hard and kept trying. She lost seven Grand Slam finals between 1942 and 1946. But she didn't give up! She won her first Grand Slam title in 1947 at Wimbledon. This was in women's doubles. At that time, she was still a student at the University of Miami.
Her first Grand Slam singles title came in 1949 at the Australian National Championships. She was the only non-Australian player in the competition! She also won singles titles at the French Championships in 1950 and 1952. She won Wimbledon in 1951, beating her doubles partner Shirley Fry in the final. She also won the U.S. National Championships in 1954 and 1955. The 1955 U.S. singles final was her last Grand Slam singles match.
Doris achieved a special "triple crown" at the 1951 Wimbledon Championships. This means she won the singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles titles all in the same year! She played the finals of all three events on the same day (July 7, 1951). She also won the "triple crown" at the 1952 French Championships and the 1954 U.S. National Championships.
Doris played for her country in the Wightman Cup from 1946 to 1955. She had an amazing record, winning all 14 of her singles matches and 8 out of 9 doubles matches.
From 1951 to 1954, Doris did not lose a single Grand Slam women's doubles match. That's 43 matches in a row! She also didn't lose a mixed doubles match at 13 Grand Slam tournaments from 1951 to 1955.
Tennis experts John Olliff and Lance Tingay ranked Doris in the world's top 10 from 1946 to 1955. She reached her highest ranking of world No. 1 in 1951. The United States Tennis Association also ranked her among the top 10 U.S. players from 1942 to 1955. She was the top-ranked U.S. player in 1954 and 1955.
Doris retired from playing tennis professionally in late 1955. She then became a tennis teaching professional, helping others learn the sport. Her book about her life in tennis, Tennis with Hart, was published that same year.
In 1967, she was honored by being included in the first group of people inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. In 1969, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Doris Hart passed away on May 29, 2015, at her home in Coral Gables, Florida. She was 89 years old.
Images for kids
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Doris Hart in 1953
See also
- Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final
