Jack Kramer

At 88 years old, Jack Kramer has this physical status:

John Albert "Jack" Kramer (August 1, 1921 – September 12, 2009) was an American tennis player of the 1940s and 1950s.

A World No. 1 player for a number of years, and one of the most important people in the establishment of modern men's "Open"-era tennis, he was the leading promoter of professional tennis tours in the 1950s and 1960s.

He was a relentless advocate for the establishment of Open Tennis between amateur and professional players.

An International Tennis Federation (ITF) proposal to introduce Open tennis lost by five votes in 1960, but became a reality in 1968.

In 1970, he created the Men's Grand Prix points system.

In 1972, he helped found the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) with Donald Dell and Cliff Drysdale, and was the first Executive Director.

He was unpaid at his request.

In that role, he was the leader of an ATP boycott of Wimbledon in 1973, for the banning of Nikola Pilic from the tournament. Tall and slim, he was the first world-class player to play "the Big Game", a consistent serve-and-volley game, in which he came to the net behind all of his serves, including the second serve.

He was particularly known for his powerful serve and forehand, as well as his ability to play "percentage tennis", which he learned from Cliff Roche, a retired railroad engineer, at the Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC).

This strategy maximized his efforts on certain points and in certain games during the course of a match to increase his chances of winning.

The key was to hold serve at all costs, which was one of many things that made Kramer one of the greatest players of all time.

Early and personal life

Kramer was the son of a blue-collar railroad worker for the Union Pacific railroad. As a boy he was a fine all-round athlete, particularly in basketball and tennis. When he was 13, the family moved to San Bernardino, California, and after seeing Ellsworth Vines, then the world's best player, play a match, Kramer decided to concentrate on tennis.

In 1944, he married Gloria, and they had five sons: Bob, David, John, Michael and Ron. They lived in Bel Air, California. He invested in the Professional Tennis Tour, the Jack Kramer Tennis Club in Palos Verdes, CA., two Golf courses at the Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, California, and racehorses. Starting in 1948, the Jack Kramer Autograph tennis racket from Wilson Sporting Goods became the most popular selling racket of all time for over 35 years (Wilson Sporting Goods-1984).

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Tennis career

Kramer began his tennis career by learning from Dick Skeen, a well-known teaching specialist. He was playing junior tournaments within a year. With George Richards, he competed on the Montebello High School tennis team. He came under Perry T. Jones' leadership because of his obvious talent and his family's lack of funds. (LATC) at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. Jones was the President of the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA). Kramer used to travel for many hours each day from Montebello, California, to play tennis at the LATC and the Beverly Hills Tennis Club. He was able to compete with Ellsworth Vines, Bobby Riggs, and Bill Tilden. In 1936, he was the National Boys' Champion and the 1938 National Juniors Interscholastics champion. He appeared in men's tournaments on grass courts in the East every so often. He has won games against nationally ranked guys, such as Elwood Cooke. George Richards, a high school teammate who later was nationally ranked, also played for the national team.

From 1938 to 1947, Kramer competed at the United States National Championships seven times. In straight sets, he lost his first match in 1938 in straight sets, winning only two games. Joe Hunt, a 1939 U.S. Championships competitor, was defeated in the second round by 11th-seeded and fellow Californian Joe Hunt. In 1940, Kramer defeated fourth-seeded Frank Parker in a five-set semifinal, but lost to second-seeded and eventual champion Don McNeill in the semifinal. He was seeded for the first time at the 1941 Championships, placing him at No. 2. Frank Kovacs, the third-seeded, was too strong in the quarterfinals for the 11th time. In 1942, Kramer captured the Ojai Tennis Tournament in the men's singles. Kramer retired from his Coast Guard service to compete in the 1943 Championships. Despite being weak from food poisoning, he made it to the final but lost in four sets to Joe Hunt. He continued to win awards in the United States throughout WWII, however, he did not participate in the United States Championships in 1944 and 1945.

Kramer's first Grand Slam tournament since the war was the 1946 Wimbledon Championships, where he was seeded second but lost in a five-set fourth round match to Jaroslav Drobn. He was seeded third in the 1946 U.S. Championships but came to his first Major singles title against Tom Brown in the final, losing just one set in the tournament. He was ranked No. 1 in the World No. 1 class. Pierre Gillou, Harry Hopman, and Ned Potter created 1 amateur in 1946.

Kramer was seeded first and defended it by winning the championship after another straight-set victory over Brown in a final that lasted just 48 minutes. Kramer, the top seed in the United States Championships in 1947, met Frank Parker in the final. Parker won the first two sets as Kramer struggled to find form. Kramer "transitioned from a stumbling novice to a raging perfectionist" in five sets and went on to win in five sets to maintain his title. Kramer was ranked No. 1 in the world No. 1. In 1947, John Olliff, Pierre Gillou, and Ned Potter introduced 1 amateur.

In 1939, Kramer made his US Davis Cup debut against Australia in the World Group final. They lost the doubles match against John Bromwich and Adrian Quist together with Joe Hunt. He was a member of the winning US team in 1946 and 1947, defeating Australia in both finals and winning all four singles titles. He was ineligible to participate in the Davis Cup after 1947, due to his status as a professional player. He had seven victories and two losses in his Davis Cup match record.

Kramer converted pro to professional in November 1947 when he signed a $50,000 per year deal with promoter Jack Harris, the highest pro-contract ever made to that level in tennis history. On December 26, 1947, he made his pro debut against Bobby Riggs at Madison Square Garden. 15,114 people attended the game in one of the worst snow storms in New York history to watch Riggs win.

On January 16, Kramer trailed Riggs by an 8-to-6 edge, but Kramer had already begun to win more often by adopting a net-rushing style of play. The two players were tied at 14 to 14, but Kramer took over when Riggs faded, winning the tour against Riggs 69 to 20. In the final of the US Professional Championships at Forest Hills N.Y. in June 1948, Kramer defeated Riggs in four sets. Riggs "blew a 5-3 lead in the first set of all-telling, and after that he was licked, showing obvious exhaustion even though he did win the third set." Kramer received $1,450 for winning the singles and $412 for winning the doubles. In 1948, Kramer appeared on South America and Australasia tours. Kramer was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. by the end of the year. The USPLTA has a 1 pro in the United States for 1948. No. 19 is the USPLTA No. 1. Rather than a World No. 1, a 1 professional rankings was deemed "in the United States" as the best individual performer "in the United States." According to a ranked number one in the world's top 100. The PTPA's professional rankings were based on major tournament play in the United States. According to those rankings, the world pro tours were unquestionable, but they were usually limited to a small group of often two players. Kramer is considered the World No. 1 by some leading tennis journalists. One for the 1948 period with the observation that "in those days ranking methods were less well organized and credible than today's computer-driven ones." After the tour with Riggs ended, Kramer was described as the world professional tennis champion.

Kramer won the Wembley Professional Championships in London, England, defeating Riggs in the final in early June 1949. "Riggs slowed in the first set but seemed to burn himself out in the early stages of the game." Kramer did not defend his United States citizenship. Riggs beat Budge in the final at Forest Hills, New York, where they earned their Pro Championships title. However, Kramer won the Slazenger Pro at Scarborough, England, defeating Segura in the semifinal and Budge in the final in July 1949. Kramer was dubbed "the world champion" in 1949 in early 1950. Kramer was not ranked by the USPLTA for 1949 due to insufficient play in the United States. Kramer did not play at Forest Hills or at the Philadelphia Indoor Arena. Kramer has been ranked as the World No. 1 by several leading tennis journalists. 1 for the 1949-19 period.

Kramer defeated Pancho Gonzales 94 matches to 29 in the World Series in 1949-50. In the final of the United States, Kramer lost the championship. Pro Indoor is a sport that takes place in Philadelphia, Mexico. Gonzales is the product of Pro Indoor. At the United States, the United States has a unique characteristic. Kramer, a pro in June 1950, was playing on clay in Cleveland, but he lost in a close five-set semifinal to Segura. Kramer was ranked No. 1 in the United States. Segura is a professional supported by a two-man team created by the USPLTA in 1950. Kramer is considered the World No. 1 by some leading tennis writers. 1 for the 1950s. Kramer was dubbed "the world champion" in 1950.

Kramer defeated Pancho Segura 64 matches to 28 in the 1950-51 World Series. Kramer received the Philadelphia United States Open Water Prize. In March 1951, a Pro Indoor round robin tournament was held in the final, beating Gonzales.

At the Philadelphia U.S. exposition, the United States is the capital of the United States. Pro Indoor, the service "drives" (not "forehand drives) of a variety of players were electronically measured and compared to Tilden's reported service "drive" speed of 151 mph achieved by stopwatch and film in 1931. The service speeds were recorded on the net, not at the racquet face, as is now normal practice. Gonzales was ranked as the fastest serve at 112.88 mph, followed by Kramer at 107.8, and Van Horn at 104. Kovacs, who had a large serve, appeared in the Philadelphia tournament but did not participate in the service speed measurements. Segura and Riggs took part in the experiment, but no findings were reported.

Kramer did not compete in the Cleveland International Pro (Cleveland, the United States). According to a PTPA, Pro according to a PTPA. At the USPLTA in the United States, the United StatesPLTA United States. After a five-set victory over Parker in 1951, Pro at Forest Hills, N.Y., was in danger with back pain. Kramer did not make it to the US tournament rankings due to insufficient US tournament play (after being banned from the Forest Hills, U.S.) despite being dropped from the Forest Hills U.S. Pro and also being out of the Cleveland United States, were unable to participate. (Pro). Kramer was ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 14 in the United States. The PTPA has a 4 professional for 1951, behind Kovacs, Segura, and Gonzales. Kramer has been ranked as the world number one for the 1951 season, according to several current tennis writers. Throughout 1951, Kramer was dubbed the "world champion" or "the world's greatest professional champion."

Kramer lost both of his matches to Gonzales, the tournament's champions, at the Philadelphia Masters Indoor. Kramer defeated Gonzales at the Roland Garros Round Robin Professional tournament in Paris, but lost to Segura, who claimed the tournament. Kramer lost a close five-set final to Gonzales in 1952 Wembley Professional Championships, which was considered one of the classic all-time matches. Kramer did not appear in the USPLTA or PTPA's 1952 industry lists, neither of which ranked Segura No. 1 in the best-in-the-USA rankings. Gonzales at No. 1 is No. 1 followed by 1, followed by Gonzales at No. 1. 2. Kramer did not compete in the U.S. Pro (billed title Cleveland International Pro), which was won by Segura. Kramer is ranked No. 1 by some current tennis journalists, according to some. One for the 1952 period.

Kramer defeated Frank Sedgman, 54-41, in the 1953 World Series, earning the nickname "world champion" for the second time. In 1953, Kramer did not participate in any of the major tournaments. Kramer was ranked No. 1 in the United States. In June, the Cleveland World Pro's Players' Committee announced the 3rd professional for 1953, right after Gonzales and Segura. Kramer was given a World No. 1. The Sacramento Bee newspaper published a reference to 1 professional tennis player. He was ranked No. 1 in the world No. 1. Frank Sedgman, a professional, founded in October 1953. Kramer was ranked last in the World No. 1 rankings. Sedgman in the full season rankings for 1953 Tennis de France, which also included the results from Europe, which were released by Philippe Chatrier. Kramer is ranked No. 1 by some new tennis writers, according to some commentators. 1 for the 1953 period. Kramer retired from competitive tennis in 1954 due to arthritic back pains, and he went on to promote his Pro Tour.

Kramer appeared on television during a Pancho Gonzales, Frank Sedgman, and Pancho Segura tour in September and October 1954. On the main tour of 1956, Kramer played a few undercard matches against Segura (Gonzales and Trabert were the feature match). Kramer also appeared on a South American tour in late June and early July 1956 with Gonzales, Sedgman, and Trabert. Kramer competed in the Masters at Los Angeles from July to August 1956, losing all of his matches.

In the fall of 1957, Kramer made a comeback on a four-man world tour with Hoad, Rosewall, Segura, and Sedgman. For the most part of the tour, Kramer was Hoad before being marginally affected by the new recruits, 16 to 14. Hoad said he had a difficult time learning to read Kramer's service motion, which he found very deceptive. At the Wembley tournament, Kramer defeated Hoad. "Kramer is as accurate as ever," says the Hoad, who was tightened by so much admirable lawn tennis, does not appear to have patience enough to battle his way out of his problems." Kramer lost his next match to Rosewall in the semi finals, but Gonzales defeated Gonzales in the third place match. Gonzales and Hoad will headline Kramer's forthcoming world championship tour in 1958, in which Kramer would substitute for some of the undercard matches in the tour's New Zealand segment. Rosewall had requested that Kramer be included in the 1958 championship tour after his tour loss to Gonzales in 1957, but Rosenwall refused Kramer's offer of an undercard position against Trabert. Kramer failed against Rosewall in the 1957-19th series, and he lost to Rosewall in the quarterfinals of the 1958 French Professional Championships. In 1958, Trabert defeated Kramer in the quarterfinals of the Wembley tournament. At the Wembley tournament in 1959, Kramer lost in the first round to Rosewall.

He was tall and short and was the first world-class player to play "the Big Game," a regular serve-and-volley game in which he came to the net behind all of his serves, including the second serve. He was known for his impeccable serve and forehand, as well as his ability to play "performance tennis" at the Los Angeles Tennis Club, which he learned from Cliff Roche, a retired automobile engineer. During a match, he focused on specific points and in some games to improve his odds of winning. The main thing was to keep serving at all costs, which was one of many things that contributed to Kramer's mature game.

Kramer was regarded by some tennis historians as one of the best players ever.

Don Budge ranked him as one of the top five players of all time in 1975 and named Kramer number two behind Vines. Kramer had the best forehand, according to him.

Ellsworth Vines, a tennis Myth and Method author, ranked him as No. 2 in 1978, behind Budge. Kramer was ranked the 21st best male tennis player of all time in the Tennis Channel series "100 Greatest of All Time" in 2012, just ahead of longtime rival Pancho Gonzales who ranked 22nd, and close behind former pro recruit Lew Hoad at 19th.

Sidney Wood assembled his list of the Best Players of All Time in the early years of the 21st century (later published "The Wimbledon finalists that never existed, as well as other tennis tales from a bygone period"). Wood first appeared at Wimbledon in 1927 and won the title in 1931. "I was privileged to compete against virtually every top player in the world from the start to the late 1970s (doubles only toward the end)." Wood continued to compete against virtually every top player in the world. Wood ranked Kramer number two, behind Budge.

In his autobiography 'Game, Sedge and Match, Frank Sedgman ranked Kramer as one of the best male tennis players of all time on his list.'

Kramer was involved in the 1948 pact between the tour operators and the USPLTA, which represented the teaching professionals and tennis professionals who were not under contract for the pro tours. The deal brought joint effort between the labor consultants and the USPLTA over the USPLTA's holdings. Pro at Forest Hills and the touring pros have agreed to become members of the USPLTA and not to establish a separate contract player's group. The subject would resurface in 1951 when a group of touring pros formed the Professional Tennis Players Association, which sponsored the Cleveland event as the United States' national championships. Pro. The PTPA featured key pros who were no longer active on the major professional tours, such as Kovacs, Segura, and Gonzales, in addition, and there was talk of the PTPA establishing an alternative pro tour. According to reports, the PTPA did not exist before 1952. Kramer would stay on good terms with the USPLTA into the 1960s.

Kramer formed "World Tennis Inc. Tours" in 1952 to manage the major international tours. On the 1953 world tour, Kramer negotiated Frank Sedgman and Ken McGregor, cementing his position as the best promoter in the profession. In 1956, Tony Trabert and Rex Hartwig, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad in 1956, Andrew Cooper, Lew Hoad, Lew Hoad, Margaret Carter, Larry Mathee, and Mervyn Rose in 1957. He then joined amateur players to professional contracts: Lew Hoad, Andrew Cooper, Margaret Robert Haillet, Kurt Nielsen, Butch Buchholz, 1959, and Butch Buchholz in 1961. In 1956, Gonzales defeated Segura and Sedgman in a marathon against Pancho Gonzales, with the exception of Cuba in 1958. Kramer arranged four-man tours for the World Championship title in 1959 and 1960. Gonzales used to berate the financial arrangements, which promised much more to the young pro recruits than to himself. "I never had a problem with Jack Kramer," Hoad said. Kramer never had a signed deal with Pancho Segura, but the Ecuadorian actor entirely operated on a handshake basis. Kramer's squad of players in the late 1950s, when 11 Hall of Fame tennis players were under contract, was named one of the best paid athletes in the sport of professional sports, comparable to the best compensated baseball players. "He was a major figure in tennis," Laver later said. We all need funds, and he helped a lot of players get them.”

During Kramer's tenure as manager, the main professional tours gradually transitioned from the traditional two-man head-to-head marathon race to a more flexible system of tournaments linked by points systems that included all of the contracted employees. The increasing number of key players under contract to Kramer aided in the transition. Kramer organized a year-long series of 15 tournaments in Australia, North America, and Europe, utilizing a points system to determine a ranking of all the 12 professionals under his World Tennis Inc. Tours in 1959, with a major cash award to the number one finisher. Kramer also arranged a tournament points series for 1960, but neither Gonzales and Hoad drew and there were no announced final results. Kramer coached and arranged a five-month tournament series in the United States and Europe in 1964, using a points system to determine the touring pros' rankings. The points of contention and tours in these tournaments paved the way for more recent and popular professional rankings.

During 1955, Kramer planned an important women's professional tour, but it didn't come together due to Connolly's career-ending injury. Connolly was predicted that she would receive $75,000 from her employment. Kramer is said to have appeared at Connolly's jury of damages.

Kramer retired from World Tennis Inc. Tours in early 1960, but remained as promoter and boss of the newly formed International Professional Tennis Players Association, which was funded by the players and assumed responsibility for pro-player contracts.

In 1959, Ramanathan Krishnan turned down a three-year guarantee from Kramer. In 1960, Neale Fraser decided against a $50,000-per-year deal from Kramer. Both Rod Laver and Roy Emerson turned down Kramer's employment in 1961, and Kramer was unable to fly a world tour in 1962, being replaced by Tony Trabert. Kramer continued to serve in the pro tour occasionally thereafter, and in 1964, Kramer arranged an $80,000 bid to Emerson, which Emerson turned down.

Kramer was a persistent promoter of the establishment of Open Tennis between amateur and professional athletes. In 1960, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) bid to include Open Tennis in the United States fell by five votes, but it became a reality in 1968. He invented the Men's Grand Prix points system in 1970. He was the first executive director of the ATP in 1972. He was unpaid at his request. He was a central figure in a ATP protest against Wimbledon in 1973 for Nikola Pili's ban from the tournament.

Helen Wills Moody is the best women's tennis player he ever saw in his 1979 autobiography, The Game: My 40 Years in Tennis. "She was the world champion of the world when I was 15 and competed with her." She won Seven Forest Hills and Eight Wimbledon titles. I beat her, but Helen had a good game."

Kramer was ranked as one of the top tennis shot owners as of 1979: Kramer was ranked among the best possessors of tennis shots.

Kramer's serve and forehand were equal to the best players in the tournament, but he would not comment on his own strokes.

Kramer played for Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and he competed on the tennis team in the 1941 and 1942 seasons. Pauline Betz was there at the same time as Stephen.

Kramer began working for the BBC in 1960 as a commentator on the Wimbledon Championships, a job in which he was particularly popular due to his extensive off-court knowledge of the majority of the participants. In the commentators booth, he was paired with Dan Maskell. However, he was banned by the BBC in 1973 for his part in Wimbledon's ATP boycott, which saw 81 players, including defending champion Stan Smith, withdraw from the tournament. Kramer returned to the BBC to speak out about the 1976 Wimbledon championships and the 1996 Australian Open men's singles final. Kramer was the first host of BBC TV's Wimbledon evening highlights show from 1964 to 1970. He has also worked with NBC from 1954 to 1962, ABC from 1965 to 1973, and CBS from 1968 to 1973.

Kramer, a Thoroughbred horse enthusiast, owned and raced a number of Thoroughbred horses.

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