Country (sports) | United States |
---|---|
Born | New York City, United States | November 7, 1928
Died | November 25, 1980 | (aged 52)
Turned pro | 1945 (amateur tour) |
Retired | 1963 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Singles | |
Career record | 382-131 |
Career titles | 20 |
Highest ranking | No. 4 (1957, Lance Tingay) [1] |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | SF ( 1956) |
French Open | F ( 1957) |
Wimbledon | SF ( 1951, 1952) |
US Open | F ( 1950) |
Team competitions | |
Davis Cup | W ( 1956, 1957) |
Herbert Flam (November 7, 1928 – November 25, 1980) was an American tennis player who was ranked by Lance Tingay as the World No. 4 amateur (and World No. 5 by Adrian Quist) in 1957. [1] [2]
Flam was born in New York City, and he was Jewish. [3] [4] [5] He reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. championships in 1950, beating Bill Talbert and Gardnar Mulloy and then losing to Art Larsen. [6] That year, he was ranked number 2 in the United States. [7]
In 1951, he won the Ojai Tennis Tournament in men's singles. [8] At Wimbledon in 1951, Flam beat Frank Sedgman and the lost to Dick Savitt in the semifinals. [9] That year, he was ranked number 4 in the U.S. [7]
In 1952 at Wimbledon, Flam beat Mulloy and Vic Seixas and then lost in the semifinals to Jaroslav Drobny. [9] That year, he was ranked number 5 in the U.S. [7] In the 1956 Australian Championships, Flam beat Ashley Cooper and then lost in the semifinals to Ken Rosewall. [10] [11] In September 1956 Flam won the singles title at the Pacific Southwest Championships, defeating Rosewall in the final in five sets. [12] That year, he was ranked number 2 in the U.S. [7]
At the 1957 French championships Flam beat Mervyn Rose in a five-set semifinal and then lost in straight sets to Sven Davidson in the final. [13] At the U. S. championships, Flam beat Seixas and then lost to Cooper in the semifinals. [13] That year, he was ranked number 2 in the U.S., behind Seixas. [7]
Flam was inducted into the International Tennis Association Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, [14] into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, [15] into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, and into the University of California at Los Angeles Hall of Fame in 2006. [16] In 2017, he was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame. [17]
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1957 | French Championships | Clay | Sven Davidson | 3–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 1950 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Art Larsen | 3–6, 6–4, 7–5, 4–6, 3–6 |