Vic Seixas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Vic Seixas

Seixas in 1954
Full name	Elias Victor Seixas Jr.
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1923-08-30)August 30, 1923 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 5, 2024(2024-07-05) (aged 100)
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Retired	1970
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1971 (member page)
Singles
Career record	801–236 (77.2%)
Career titles	49
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1954, Harry Hopman)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (1953)
French Open	F (1953)
Wimbledon	W (1953)
US Open	W (1954)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1955)
French Open	W (1954, 1955)
Wimbledon	F (1952, 1954)
US Open	W (1952, 1954)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	W (1953)
Wimbledon	W (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956)
US Open	W (1953, 1954, 1955)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1954)

Elias Victor Seixas Jr. (pronounced SAY-shus; born August 30, 1923 – died July 5, 2024) was a famous American tennis player. He was known for his long and successful career.

Vic Seixas was one of the top ten tennis players in the U.S. for 13 years, from 1942 to 1956. In 1954, he was even ranked as the number one amateur player in the world.

He won an amazing 15 major championships during his career. This includes winning the singles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open. He also won many doubles and mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open.

Seixas was honored for his achievements by being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He is also in several other sports halls of fame.

Early Life and Education

Vic Seixas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Anna Victoria Moon, was of Irish descent. His father, Elias Victor Seixas, was from the Dominican Republic.

He went to the William Penn Charter School and was a tennis star there. His tennis career was paused for three years when he served as a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.

After the war, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was an excellent college tennis player, winning 63 matches and losing only 3. He won the Southern Conference singles championship in 1948. In 1949, he won the doubles championship and was named an All-American. He graduated in 1949.

Tennis Career Highlights

Vic Seixas had a very long and successful tennis career. He played in the US Championships men's singles a record 28 times! This shows how dedicated he was to the sport.

He was ranked among the top ten players in the U.S. many times. In 1951, he was ranked No. 4 in the world. By 1954, he was considered the No. 1 amateur player in the U.S.

Major Singles Wins

Seixas won two major singles titles:

• Wimbledon in 1953: He beat Kurt Nielsen in the final.
• US National (U.S. Open) in 1954: He defeated Rex Hartwig to win this title.

Doubles and Mixed Doubles Success

Vic Seixas was also a fantastic doubles and mixed doubles player.

• In 1952, he won the US National doubles with Mervyn Rose.
• He teamed up with Tony Trabert in the mid-1950s. They won the French and US Championships in 1954. They also won the Australian and French Championships in 1955.
• Seixas won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon four years in a row, from 1953 to 1956. He won the first three with Doris Hart and the last one with Shirley Fry.
• He also won the US National mixed doubles from 1953 to 1955, all with Doris Hart.
• In 1953, he won the French Championships mixed doubles with Doris Hart.

In 1966, at 42 years old, Seixas played a very long match. He defeated 22-year-old Australian Bill Bowrey in a four-hour game. Seixas also became the Senior Squash Champion of America in the same year.

Davis Cup Achievements

Seixas and his partner Tony Trabert helped the U.S. win the Davis Cup in 1954 against Australia. The Davis Cup is a major international team competition in men's tennis.

Vic Seixas played many Davis Cup singles matches, ranking fifth all-time for the U.S. He also served as the captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team three times. Overall, he won 38 out of 55 Davis Cup matches.

Tennis Hall of Fame

Vic Seixas was recognized for his amazing career. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971. He is also a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and the Southern Conference Hall of Fame.

Life After Professional Tennis

After retiring from professional tennis, Seixas worked as a stockbroker from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Later, he became a tennis director at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia and at a Hilton Hotel in New Orleans.

In 1989, he moved to California. There, he started a tennis program at a club in Mill Valley. By 1998, he could no longer play tennis due to knee issues. He then worked as a bartender and helped at the club's front desk before fully retiring.

Vic Seixas was the oldest living Grand Slam singles champion and the oldest living member of the Tennis Hall of Fame. He turned 100 years old on August 30, 2023. He passed away on July 5, 2024, at the age of 100.

Grand Slam Finals

Vic Seixas competed in many Grand Slam finals throughout his career.

Singles: 5 (2 wins, 3 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1951	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Sedgman	6–4, 6–1, 6–1
Loss	1953	French Championships	Clay	Ken Rosewall	6–3, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2
Win	1953	Wimbledon	Grass	Kurt Nielsen	9–7, 6–3, 6–4
Loss	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Tony Trabert	6–3, 6–2, 6–3
Win	1954	U.S. Championships	Grass	Rex Hartwig	3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–4

Doubles: 8 (5 wins, 3 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1952	Wimbledon	Grass	Eric Sturgess	Ken McGregor Frank Sedgman	6–3, 7–5, 6–4
Win	1952	U.S. Championships	Grass	Mervyn Rose	Ken McGregor Frank Sedgman	3–6, 10–8, 10–8, 6–8, 8–6
Win	1954	French Championships	Clay	Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	6–4, 6–2, 6–1
Loss	1954	Wimbledon	Grass	Tony Trabert	Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Win	1954	U.S. Championships	Grass	Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	3–6, 6–4, 8–6, 6–3
Win	1955	Australian Championships	Grass	Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–1
Win	1955	French Championships	Clay	Tony Trabert	Nicola Pietrangeli Orlando Sirola	6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Loss	1956	U.S. Championships	Grass	Ham Richardson	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4

Mixed Doubles: 8 (8 wins)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1953	French Championships	Clay	Doris Hart	Maureen Connolly Mervyn Rose	4–6, 6–4, 6–0
Win	1953	Wimbledon	Grass	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry Enrique Morea	9–7, 7–5
Win	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Doris Hart	Julia Sampson Rex Hartwig	6–2, 4–6, 6–4
Win	1954	Wimbledon	Grass	Doris Hart	Margaret duPont Ken Rosewall	5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Win	1954	U.S. Championships	Grass	Doris Hart	Margaret duPont Ken Rosewall	4–6, 6–1, 6–1
Win	1955	Wimbledon	Grass	Doris Hart	Louise Brough Enrique Morea	8–6, 2–6, 6–3
Win	1955	U.S. Championships	Grass	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry Lew Hoad	9–7, 6–1
Win	1956	Wimbledon	Grass	Shirley Fry	Gardnar Mulloy Althea Gibson	2–6, 6–2, 7–5

Grand Slam Performance Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Vic Seixas para niños

• List of select Jewish tennis players