SUNDAY, SEPT. 13 – Former world Wimbledon and US champion Jack Kramer died this morning at the age of 88 after a long illness in Los Angeles. Widely considered the godfather of pro tennis, Kramer is credited with pushing the idea of Open tennis years before it was approached in 1968. He was the first executive director of the ATP Tour, headed the boycott of Wimbledon in 1973 and turned the LA men’s tournament into a must-see attraction for Southern Californians. Kramer was vintage serve and volleyer who advocated percentage tennis. He won Wimbledon and the US Championships in 1946 and 1947 and won the US crown again the next year before turning pro.
“Kramer was not only a great player, but a pioneer of the modern game and a true innovator in bringing the modern pro game to tennis,” USTA Executive Director Gordon Smith said. “He is American tennis personified. When it time for Jack to go how appropriate it was to go on finals Sunday at US Open. We would not have the US Open as we know it today if Kramer hadn’t set the groundwork for it.”
MORE LATER
