Dennis Ralston

Dennis Ralston
Full name Richard Dennis Ralston
Country (sports)  United States
Born (1942-07-27) July 27, 1942
Bakersfield, California
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Turned pro 1967 (amateur tour from 1958)
Retired 1977
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF 1987 (member page)
Singles
Career record 576-251 (69.6%) [1]
Career titles 41 [2]
Highest ranking No. 5 (1966, Lance Tingay)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open SF (1970)
French Open 4R (1966)
Wimbledon F (1966)
US Open SF (1960)
Professional majors
US Pro SF (1968)
Wembley Pro QF (1967, 1968)
French Pro 2R (1968)
Doubles
Career record 125–87
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open SF (1971)
French Open W (1966)
Wimbledon W (1960)
US Open W (1961, 1962, 1963)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon F (1962, 1966)
US Open F (1969)

Richard Dennis Ralston (born July 27, 1942) is an American former professional tennis player whose active career spanned the 1960s and 1970s..

As a young player he was coached by tennis pro Pancho Gonzales. He attended the University of Southern California (USC) and won NCAA championships under their coach George Toley. He and partner Bill Bond captured the NCAA doubles title in 1964.[3] He was the highest-ranked American player at the end of three consecutive years in the 1960s; Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph ranked him as high as world no. 5 in 1966 (Ralston was also ranked world no. 3 by the magazine Reading Eagle in 1963).[4]

His best result at a Grand Slam singles event came in 1966 when he was seeded sixth and reached the final of the Wimbledon Championships which he lost to fourth-seeded Manuel Santana in straight sets.[5][6] At the end of that year he turned professional.[7]

Ralston was a member of the Handsome Eight, the initial group of players signed to the professional World Championship Tennis tour.[8][9] He won 27 national doubles and singles titles, including five grand-slam doubles crowns.[10]

Ralston, Davis Cup winner with the US Davis Cup team in 1963, continued to serve in the team as a coach in from 1968 to 1971 and as a captain from 1972 to 1975, winning with it the trophy in 1972 over Romania.[11]

Dennis Ralston Wimbledon circa 1987

Ralston was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.[12]

Grand Slam finals, 13 (5 titles, 9 runners-up)

Singles, 1 final (1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-Up1966Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassSpain Manuel Santana4–6, 9–11, 4–6

Doubles, 9 finals (5 titles, 4 runners-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner1960Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassMexico Rafael OsunaUnited Kingdom Mike Davies
United Kingdom Bobby Wilson		7–5, 6–3, 10–8
Winner1961US ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Chuck McKinleyMexico Rafael Osuna
Mexico Antonio Palafox		6–3, 6–4, 2–6, 13–11
Runner-Up1962US ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Chuck McKinleyMexico Rafael Osuna
Mexico Antonio Palafox		4–6, 12–10, 6–1, 7–9, 3–6
Winner1963US Championships (2)GrassUnited States Chuck McKinleyMexico Rafael Osuna
Mexico Antonio Palafox		9–7, 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 11–9
Winner1964US Championships (3)GrassUnited States Chuck McKinleyUnited Kingdom Mike Sangster
United Kingdom Graham Stilwell		6–3, 6–2, 6–4
Winner1966French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Clark GraebnerRomania Ilie Năstase
Romania Ion Ţiriac		6–3, 6–3, 6–0
Runner-Up1966US Championships (2)GrassUnited States Clark GraebnerAustralia Roy Emerson
Australia Fred Stolle		4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Runner-Up1969US Open (3)GrassUnited States Charlie PasarellAustralia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		6–2, 5–7, 11–13, 3–6
Runner-Up1971Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Arthur AsheAustralia Roy Emerson
Australia Rod Laver		6–4, 7–9, 8–6, 4–6, 4–6

Mixed Doubles, 4 finals (4 runners-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-Up1961US ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Darlene HardAustralia Margaret Smith
Australia Bob Mark		default
Runner-Up1962Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassUnited Kingdom Ann Haydon-JonesUnited States Margaret Osborne duPont
Australia Neale Fraser		6–2, 3–6, 11–13
Runner-Up1966Wimbledon Championships (2)GrassUnited States Billie Jean KingAustralia Margaret Court
Australia Ken Fletcher		6–4, 3–6, 3–6
Runner-Up1969US OpenGrassFrance Françoise DürrAustralia Margaret Court
United States Marty Riessen		4–6, 5–7

References

  1. ↑ Garcia, Gabriel. "Dennis Ralston: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Garcia, Gabriel. "Dennis Ralston: Career tournament results". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Norcross, Dan (August 22, 2013). "Famous La Jolla tennis player dies". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Emerson, Ralston Win Net Tests", Reading Eagle, 2 September 1963.
  5. ↑ Harman, Neil (June 23, 2008). "'I see Rafa playing tennis I do not believe'". The Times. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Santana Defeats Dennis Ralston In Wimbledon Finals". Reading Eagle. AP. Jul 1, 1966.
  7. ↑ "Ralston Turns Tennis Pro". The Tuscaloosa News. AP. Dec 27, 1966.
  8. ↑ Atkin, Ronald (March 5, 2000). "Britain turn to passion of the handsome one". The Independent. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  9. ↑ Wind, Herbert Warren (1979). Game, Set, and Match : The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s (1. ed.). New York: Dutton. pp. 65–70. ISBN 0525111409.
  10. ↑ Porter, Ross. "Dennis Ralston". Real Sport Heroes. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  11. ↑ Dennis Ralston at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
  12. ↑ "Hall of Famers – Dennis Ralston". www.tennisfame.com. International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010.
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