Art Larsen
Arthur David "Art" or "Tappy" Larsen (April 17, 1925 – December 7, 2012) was a U.S. tennis player in the 1940s and 1950s.
Larsen in 1951 | |||||||||
| Full name | Arthur David Larsen | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) | United States | ||||||||
| Born | April 17, 1925 Hayward, California, United States | ||||||||
| Died | December 7, 2012 (aged 87) San Leandro, California, United States | ||||||||
| Turned pro | 1948 (amateur tour) | ||||||||
| Retired | 1956 | ||||||||
| Plays | Left-handed (1-handed backhand) | ||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1969 (member page) | ||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||
| Career record | 497-156 | ||||||||
| Career titles | 47 | ||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1950, John Olliff) | ||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||
| Australian Open | SF (1951) | ||||||||
| French Open | F (1954) | ||||||||
| Wimbledon | QF (1950, 1951, 1953) | ||||||||
| US Open | W (1950) | ||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||
He was the world No. 3 tennis player in the rankings by John Olliff and Pierre Gillou for 1950 and the U.S. No. 1 male tennis player in the USLTA rankings for 1950. He won the "Times" national sports award for the outstanding tennis player of 1950.
Larsen was ranked among the world top ten male tennis players in expert rankings for 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954.
Larsen was the first player to win all of the USLTA (USTA) national tennis titles, the U.S. Open (grass), the U.S. Clay Court (clay), the U.S. Hardcourt (cement), and the U.S. National Indoor (indoor). Larsen was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969.
He is most remembered for his victory at the U.S. Championships in 1950 and for his personal eccentricities.