Ron Holmberg
Full nameRonald Edward Holmberg
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceCornwall-on-Hudson, New York
New Orleans, Louisiana
Born (1938-01-27) January 27, 1938
Brooklyn, New York
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Turned pro1968 with WCT
Retired1973
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record699–454
Career titles28
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenQF (1961)
Wimbledon3R (1964, 1966)
US OpenSF (1959)
Professional majors
US ProQF (1969)
Doubles
Career record21–24
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonQF (1960)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US OpenSF (1962) with Jan Lehane
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1957Ch)

Ronald "Ronnie" E. Holmberg (born January 27, 1938) is a former American tennis player who competed during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked World No. 7 in 1959 and was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 for nine years. He is currently one of the USTA's select "Master Professionals" and devotes most of his time coaching, participating and directing charity events and clinics and other tennis related projects. [1] [2]

Summary

College

Holmberg won his first tournament at age 12 and won three out of the four possible U.S. National Boys' titles in 1953. He won the Junior Wimbledon title in 1956. He graduated from Tulane University where he was a three time All-American and won the SEC singles twice and doubles championship three times and the NCAA doubles championship twice.[3][4]

Tennis career

Holmberg won the Junior Wimbledon title in 1956 defeating Rod Laver in the final.

In 1957, he won the Eastern Clay Court Championships defeating Tony Vincent. Holmberg played in several Blue Gray events when it was an individual competition.[5] He won the singles championship in 1959 and captured back-to-back Blue Gray doubles titles in 1957 and 1958.[6][7]

Holmberg reached the 1959 U.S. National Championships (the US Open) Men's Singles semifinals, defeating Dick Savitt in five sets, Butch Buchholz in five sets, and Laver in four sets in the quarterfinals, then lost to Alex Olmedo. He reached the quarterfinals at the 1961 French Open where he lost to Laver.

In December 1962, Holmberg won the Bluebonnet Invitation indoor in Houston, defeating Cliff Richey in the quarterfinals and Frank Froehling in the final. In March 1964, Holmberg won the Altamira International Invitation in Caracas, Venezuela, respecitively defeating Nikola Pilić, Rafael Osuna, Manuel Santana, and then Roy Emerson in the final. In August 1965, Holmberg won the Canadian International Championships, defeating Billy Lenoir in the semifinals and Lester Sack in the final.

Holmberg won the New York International tournament in August 1968, defeating Tom Gorman and Joaquín Loyo-Mayo. The same month, he won the Southampton Invitation tournament on grass in Long Island, New York, defeating Jaime Fillol, Ray Moore, and Gene Scott.

Rankings

Holmberg was ranked No. 4 in the world in 1959 and ranked in the top 10 of U.S. Men's singles for nine years.[8][9]

He was selected to be a playing member of the U.S. Davis Cup Team four times.

He won numerous international doubles titles with many prominent players such as Barry MacKay (in Davis Cup), Pancho Gonzalez, John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Bob Mark and Arthur Ashe. Holmberg and Ashe were ranked No. 3 in the U.S.

Post playing career

After retiring from professional competition in 1971, he became head coach of tennis and squash at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. Holmberg continued to be involved in teaching tennis, and he is widely recognized as one of the game's outstanding coaches. He was a member of Tennis Magazine's Instruction Advisory Board, which consisted of the top playing and teaching pros in the game for its duration of 19 years.

Recognition

He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall-of-Fame,[4] the USTA Eastern Tennis Hall-of-Fame, Louisiana Tennis Hall-of-Fame[10] and the USTA Southern Tennis Hall-of-Fame[11] his eighth Hall of Fame He was a recipient of the USTA “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 1997 for his all-around accomplishment in both playing and teaching and the USTA George Seewagen Award in 1999 for excellence in playing and service to the game.

Career highlights

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1956 Wimbledon Grass Australia Rod Laver 6–1, 6–1

Awards and honors

  • Inducted into the USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1990[10]
  • Inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993[3][4]
  • Recipient of the USTA “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 1997 for his all-around accomplishment in both playing and teaching
  • Received the USTA George Seewagen Award in 1999 for excellence in playing and service to the game
  • Inducted into the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006[17]
  • Chairman of the Louisiana Tennis Patrons Foundation
  • Member of the USTA select "Master Professionals"[18][19]
  • Inducted into the 2007 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Hall of Fame[7]
  • Inducted into the USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011[11][20]
  • Inducted into the Brooklyn Hall of Fame in 2012[21]
  • Inducted into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980[22]
  • Inducted into Who’s Who at Tulane University in 1960
  • Inducted into the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School Hall of Fame in 1991[23]
  • Inducted into Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Sports Hall of Fame

Books and magazines

  • As a member of the “Instruction Advisory Board" of Tennis Magazine for nineteen years he was featured in the "Classic Instruction Series from Tennis Magazine" which included the following three books: "Tennis Strokes & Strategies", "Tennis: How to Play, How to Win", and "Teach Yourself Tennis!"

Articles

  • Life Magazine "A Tennis Future in Kids"[24]
  • New York Magazine "How to Play Tennis with Rod Laver and Other Hot-Shots"[25]
  • Sports Illustrated "Scorecard"[26]
  • Sports Illustrated "An Absence Of Homebreds"[27]
  • Sports Illustrated "...these Faces In The Crowd..."[12]
  • Sports Illustrated "Great Scott! Gene Won Another One"[28]
  • Sports Illustrated "Tennis without Trabert"[29]
  • nola.com "Ron Holmberg selected to Southern Tennis Association Hall of Fame"[20]
  • City Park Tennis Club of New Orleans "2011 Interview with Ron Holmberg"[30]

References

  1. ↑ "USPTA Master Professional". Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ "USPTA World Conference on Tennis". Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "Tulane Men's Tennis All-Time Honor Roll". Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame (1993)". Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  5. ↑ Blue Gray. https://www.bluegraytennis.com/history/
  6. 1 2 "Blue Gray National Tennis Classic / Champions". Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "2010 Blue Gray Hall of Fame Inductees". Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  8. 1 2 "USTA Yearbook - Top 10 U.S. Men's Rankings (1940-1959)". Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  9. 1 2 "USTA Yearbook - Top 10 U.S. Men's Rankings (1960-1979)". Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  10. 1 2 "USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame". Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  11. 1 2 "USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame". Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  12. 1 2 "...these Faces In The Crowd..." Sports Illustrated. July 16, 1956. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  13. ↑ "USTA Yearbook - Davis Cup". Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Rogers Cup (tennis)#Men.27s singles". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. 1 2 3 "Rogers Cup (tennis)". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. ↑ "Farmers Classic / Past Champions". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  17. ↑ "LA Tennis Patrons Foundation". Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  18. ↑ "uspta.com Ron Holmberg Master Professional". Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  19. ↑ "2011 USPTA World Conference on Tennis". Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  20. 1 2 "Ron Holmberg selected to Southern Tennis Association Hall of Fame". nola.com. January 21, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Bayside, Douglaston Residents Inducted Into Brooklyn Diocese Hall of Fame". Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Tulane Athletic Hall Of Fame". Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School". Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  24. ↑ "A Tennis Future in Kids". Life Magazine. September 6, 1954. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  25. ↑ "How to Play Tennis with Rod Laver and Other Hot-Shots". New York Magazine. September 26, 1976. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Scorecard". Sports Illustrated. October 13, 1986. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  27. ↑ "An Absence Of Homebreds". Sports Illustrated. September 21, 1959.
  28. ↑ "Great Scott! Gene Won Another One". Sports Illustrated. October 2, 1967. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Tennis without Trabert". Sports Illustrated. October 17, 1955. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  30. ↑ "City Park Tennis Club of New Orleans "Interview with Ron Holmberg"". City Park Tennis Club of New Orleans. July 24, 2011. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
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