- Art Larsen
Arthur David ("Art" or "Tappy") Larsen (born on
April 17 ,1925 inHayward, California ,United States ) was an American maletennis player best remembered for his victory at the U.S. Championships in 1950 and for his eccentricities. Larsen was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame inNewport, Rhode Island in 1969.Jack Kramer, tennis player and long-time promoter, writes in his 1979 autobiography that "Larsen was fascinating to watch. He had concentrated on tennis as mental therapy after serving long stretches in the front lines during (
World War II ). He was called Tappy because he went around touching everything for good luck, ["Strange Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Players" by Christopher Clarey, June 21, 2008 in "The New York Times".] and sometimes he would chat with an imaginary bird that sat on his shoulder. This was good theatre, but it could never have made Larsen a candidate for aprofessional tour." ["The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis" (1979), Jack Kramer with Frank Deford, page 92 ]A member of the
Olympic Club inSan Francisco , he had previously attended theUniversity of San Francisco , where he was a member of the 1949NCAA Men's Tennis Championship team. He was 5 feet 10 inches and 150 pounds and was also known for his partying before, and during, his tournament appearances. It was frequently written that Larsen would arrive for an important match directly from an all-night party with no benefit of sleep.He was the first man to win the American amateur championships on the four court surfaces that existed at the time, grass, clay, hardcourt, and indoor. Since then, only
Tony Trabert has equalled his feat.Larsen's tennis career ended abruptly in November, 1956, after a motor scooter accident in
Castro Valley, California . He was partially paralysed and lost the sight in one eye. He was the Number 8 ranked American amateur at the time.Grand Slam record
U.S. Championships
* "Singles champion" 1950
* "Singles finalist" 1954Notes
ources
* "The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis" (1979), Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (ISBN 0-399-12336-9)
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