Tennis Hall of Famer and former world No. 1 player Tony Trabert has died at age 90.
Trabert, a native of Cincinnati, reportedly died at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on Wednesday night. The University of Cincinnati, where he played tennis and basketball, announced his death on Thursday.
“Athletics has lost one of its all-time greats,” athletic director John Cunningham said in a statement. “Tony Trabert’s path from UC to top of the tennis world and beyond demonstrates the ability of college athletics to propel a student-athlete to go out and change the world. Through it all, he represented the Bearcats with class, honor and dignity. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Trabert won five Grand Slam titles in singles and another five in doubles during his standout professional career.
Trabert won two U.S. Open (1953, 1955) and two French Open (1954, 1955) titles in singles. He also won Wimbledon in 1955.
In fact, he missed out on completing a sweep of the Grand Slam events in 1955 due to a semifinal loss to Ken Rosewall in the Australian Open.
Trabert’s 1955 season is considered one of the most dominating in tennis history as he won 18 tournaments and compiled a 106-7 match record.
In doubles, Trabert won the French Open in 1950, 1954 and 1955. He also won the U.S. Open (1954) and Australian Open (1955).
Trabert also was on the United States team that defeated Australian in the 1954 Davis Cup final.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970.
Before his success on the professional tennis tour, Trabert was the 1951 NCAA singles champion at Cincinnati and also was a starter on the basketball team for the 1950-51 season.
“Today we mourn and remember one of the very best athletes to represent the University of Cincinnati in any sport, Mr. Tony Trabert,” Bearcats tennis coach Eric Toth said in a statement. “Mr. Trabert’s accomplishments and contributions to the sport of tennis are immeasurable. He made his mark on our sport in a big way and put the city of Cincinnati on the international tennis map. Tony was a most humble and genuine man who I know will be missed by his family and friends.”
After retiring as a tennis player, Trabert was a tennis and golf analyst for CBS from 1971-2004.
(Field Level Media)
