Vic Seixas facts for kids
![]() Seixas in 1954
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Full name | Elias Victor Seixas Jr. |
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Country (sports) | ![]() |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
August 30, 1923
Died | July 5, 2024 | (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.
Contents
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 |
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Loss | 1951 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
6–4, 6–1, 6–1 |
Loss | 1953 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() |
6–3, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2 |
Win | 1953 | Wimbledon | Grass | ![]() |
9–7, 6–3, 6–4 |
Loss | 1953 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
6–3, 6–2, 6–3 |
Win | 1954 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 7–5, 6–4 |
Win | 1952 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 10–8, 10–8, 6–8, 8–6 |
Win | 1954 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 6–2, 6–1 |
Loss | 1954 | Wimbledon | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
Win | 1954 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 6–4, 8–6, 6–3 |
Win | 1955 | Australian Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
Win | 1955 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
Loss | 1956 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 6–4, 6–0 |
Win | 1953 | Wimbledon | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
9–7, 7–5 |
Win | 1953 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–2, 4–6, 6–4 |
Win | 1954 | Wimbledon | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
5–7, 6–4, 6–3 |
Win | 1954 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 6–1, 6–1 |
Win | 1955 | Wimbledon | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
8–6, 2–6, 6–3 |
Win | 1955 | U.S. Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
9–7, 6–1 |
Win | 1956 | Wimbledon | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
2–6, 6–2, 7–5 |
Grand Slam Performance Timeline
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | SR | W–L | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | QF | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 7–3 | 70.0 |
French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | F | QF | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 4 | 16–4 | 80.0 |
Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | QF | W | QF | 2R | SF | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | 1R | 1 / 9 | 31–8 | 79.5 |
US Open | 3R | 3R | 2R | A | 2R | A | 3R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 3R | F | 4R | F | W | SF | SF | QF | QF | 4R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1 / 28 | 75–27 | 73.5 |
Win–loss | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 11–3 | 6–1 | 7–2 | 22–3 | 16–3 | 10–4 | 10–2 | 8–2 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2 / 44 | 129–42 | 75.4 |
See also
In Spanish: Vic Seixas para niños
- List of select Jewish tennis players