Gardnar Mulloy

Gardnar Mulloy

Full name	Gardnar Putnam Mulloy
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1913-11-22)November 22, 1913 Washington, D.C., United States
Died	November 14, 2016(2016-11-14) (aged 102) Miami, Florida, United States
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Turned pro	1934 (amateur tour)
Retired	1969
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
College	University of Miami
Int. Tennis HoF	1972 (member page)
Singles
Career record	918-310 (74.7%) [1]
Career titles	60 [2]
Highest ranking	No. 6 (1947, Harry Hopman)[3]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	SF (1947)
French Open	QF (1952, 1953, 1954)
Wimbledon	SF (1948)
US Open	F (1952)
Doubles
Career record	0–7
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open	F (1951, 1952)
Wimbledon	W (1957)
US Open	W (1942, 1945, 1946, 1950)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon	F (1956)
US Open	F (1955)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1946, 1948, 1949)

Gardnar Putnam "Gar" Mulloy (November 22, 1913 – November 14, 2016) was a U.S. No. 1 tennis player primarily known for playing in doubles matches with partner Billy Talbert. He was born in Washington, D.C. and turned 100 in November 2013.^[4] During his career he won five Grand Slam doubles tournaments and was a member of the winning Davis Cup team on three occasions.

Tennis career

While he was the tennis coach at the University of Miami, Mulloy recruited Pancho Segura for the tennis team. Segura won three straight NCAA singles titles in 1943, 1944, and 1945. Segura went on to enjoy a successful professional tennis career, competing against the top touring professional players from 1947 until his retirement in 1962.

Mulloy was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1967 as part of its inaugural class of inductees.^[5]

Mulloy reached the U.S. Championships men's singles final in 1952, losing to second-seeded Frank Sedgman in three straight sets. He reached the U.S. No. 1 ranking the same year and was ranked World No. 6 by Harry Hopman in 1947 and World No. 7 by American Lawn Tennis Magazine in 1949.^[3][6][7]

The pair of Mulloy and Talbert won the U.S. men's doubles title in 1942, 1945, 1946, and 1948. He also won the Wimbledon doubles with Budge Patty in 1957, at age 43.

Mulloy was a Davis Cup team member in 1946, 1948–50, 1952–53 and 1957, winning the Cup on three occasions against Australia. His Davis Cup record stands at 11 wins and 3 losses.^[8] Mulloy, who served as the commanding officer of LST 32 during World War II in the Mediterranean Theater, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1972.

In 2015 Mulloy was awarded a French Legion of Honor knighthood for his service in the US Navy in relation to operations in Italy and Provence. As such he became the oldest first time recipient of the order ever since it was created by Napoleon.

Mulloy was a 1936 graduate of the University of Miami, and tennis coach at the school. He also was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. He recruited to Miami and played doubles with George Toley, who went on to win 10 NCAA team titles at the University of Southern California. Probably Mulloy's greatest contribution to tennis was advancing the popularity of senior tennis. He played the senior circuit around the world into his nineties, and established the Mulloy Cup for international competition between men tennis players 80 years of age and over. He won over 127 national championships and 25 international titles in 75 years of playing competitive tennis.

As of 2006, Mulloy was still participating in and winning senior matches.

Personal life

In 1938, Mulloy married Madeline L. Cheney (1917–1993), with whom he had two daughters, Diane Mulloy Mazzone and Janice Mulloy Poindexter.^[9] He married his second wife, Jacqueline Mayer, in 2008, when he was 95 years old.^[10]

Mulloy died in Miami on November 14, 2016 from stroke complications, aged 102, survived by his second wife, his daughters, four grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.^[10][11]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1952	US National Championships	Grass	Frank Sedgman	1–6, 2–6, 3–6

Doubles (5 titles, 9 runners-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1940	US National Championships	Grass	Wayne Sabin	Jack Kramer Ted Schroeder	7–6, 4–6, 2–6
Runner-up	1941	US National Championships	Grass	Henry Prussoff	Jack Kramer Ted Schroeder	4–6, 6–8, 7–9
Winner	1942	US National Championships	Grass	Bill Talbert	Ted Schroeder Sidney Wood	9–7, 7–5, 6–1
Winner	1945	US National Championships	Grass	Bill Talbert	Bob Falkenburg Jack Tuero	12–10, 8–10, 12–10, 6–2
Winner	1946	US National Championships	Grass	Bill Talbert	Don McNeill Frank Guernsey	3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–3, 20–18
Runner-up	1948	Wimbledon	Grass	Tom Brown	John Bromwich Frank Sedgman	7–5 5–7, 5–7, 7–9
Winner	1948	US National Championships	Grass	Bill Talbert	Frank Parker Ted Schroeder	1–6, 9–7, 6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Runner-up	1949	Wimbledon	Grass	Ted Schroeder	Pancho Gonzales Frank Parker	4–6, 4–6, 2–6
Runner-up	1950	French Championships	Clay	Dick Savitt	Ken McGregor Frank Sedgman	2–6, 6–2, 7–9, 5–7
Runner-up	1950	US National Championships	Grass	Bill Talbert	John Bromwich Frank Sedgman	5–7, 6–8, 6–3, 1–6
Runner-up	1951	French Championships	Clay	Dick Savitt	Ken McGregor Frank Sedgman	3–6, 4–6, 4–6
Runner-up	1953	US National Championships	Grass	Bill Talbert	Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose	4–6, 6–4, 4–6, 2–6
Winner	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Budge Patty	Neale Fraser Lew Hoad	8–10, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Runner-up	1957	US National Championships	Grass	Budge Patty	Ashley Cooper Neale Fraser	6–4, 3–6, 7–9, 3–6

Mixed doubles (2 runner-ups)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1955	US National Championships	Grass	Shirley Fry	Doris Hart Vic Seixas	5–7, 7–5, 2–6
Runner-up	1956	Wimbledon	Grass	Althea Gibson	Shirley Fry Vic Seixas	6–2, 2–6, 5–7

Book

Mulloy wrote an autobiography, The Will To Win, that was published in 1960. In 2009, he released an update to his autobiography, titled As It Was, with an introduction by Billie Jean King. According to the book, Mulloy is enshrined in a record nine Halls of Fame.^[12][13][10]

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Gardnar Mulloy at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Gardnar Mulloy at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Gardnar Mulloy at the International Tennis Federation
• Gardnar Mulloy at the Davis Cup
• Boston Globe article, Aug 31, 2003