Alex Olmedo

Alejandro "Alex" Olmedo Rodríguez (born March 24, 1936) is a former tennis player from Peru with American citizenship. He helped win the Davis Cup for the USA in 1958 and was the No. 2 ranked amateur in 1959. Olmedo won two Majors in 1959 (Australia and Wimbledon) and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Olmedo and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Alex Olmedo
Full nameAlejandro Olmedo Rodríguez
Country (sports) Peru
 United States
Born (1936-03-24) March 24, 1936
Arequipa, Peru
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro1960
Retired1977
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1987 (member page)
Singles
Career record401-358 (52.8%) [1]
Career titles21 [1]
Highest rankingNo. 2 (1959, Lance Tingay)[2]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenW (1959)
French Open2R (1972)
WimbledonW (1959)
US OpenF (1959)
Professional majors
US ProW (1960)
Wembley ProSF (1960, 1963)
French ProQF (1962, 1964)
Doubles
Career record26–35
Grand Slam Doubles results
US OpenW (1958)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
US OpenF (1958)

Biography

Although born and raised in Peru, he moved to Southern California and was mentored by Perry T. Jones, president of the Southern California Tennis Association[3] at the Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC). George Toley recruited him to play for the University of Southern California (USC), as he wrote in his book "The Golden Age of College Tennis, 2009". Olmedo graduated with a business degree from USC. While there, he won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Singles and Doubles Championships in 1956 and 1958.[4] (In 1957, USC was excluded from NCAA competition due to a financial contribution violation involving the football program which also suspended the tennis team.)

Olmedo was ranked Amateur world No. 2 in 1959 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.[2]

Perry T. Jones was Davis Cup captain in 1958 and recruited Olmedo from Modesto Junior College to play on the team. He represented the U.S. in Davis Cup competition in 1958 and 1959, winning in both singles and doubles – achieving all three of the three points required to win the Cup in 1958 (two singles and one doubles). His teammates were Ham Richardson and Barry MacKay, when they won the Cup in 1958.[5] Though he was not a U.S. citizen, he was technically eligible to represent the U.S. in Davis Cup because he had lived in the country for at least three years (since Feb. 1954) and because Peru, his country of citizenship, did not have a Davis Cup team. His participation was very controversial, however. Sports columnist Arthur Dailey at The New York Times wrote "This would seem to be the saddest day in the history of American tennis. A few more such rousing victories and the prestige of this country in tennis will sink to a new low." Olmedo refused to file for U.S. citizenship, said he was content to remain a Peruvian citizen, and denied he was ducking U.S. citizenship to avoid being drafted into the army. Still, many Americans "took a dim view of the largest nation in the competition stooping to borrow a little player from Peru to win the Cup".[6]

Olmedo won the Australian Championships and the Wimbledon singles titles in 1959 and was the runner-up at the 1959 U.S. Championships, losing to Neale Fraser, whom he defeated in the Australian Championships earlier that year. At 1959 Wimbledon, he defeated Rod Laver in 71 minutes 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. Olmedo turned professional in 1960, and that year won the US Pro title by beating Tony Trabert in the final.

Olmedo was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.[7] He spent over 40 years teaching tennis at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner1959Australian ChampionshipsGrass Neale Fraser6–1, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Winner1959WimbledonGrass Rod Laver6–4, 6–3, 6–4
Loss1959U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Neale Fraser3–6, 7–5, 2–6, 4–6

Doubles (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1958U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Ham Richardson Sam Giammalva
Barry MacKay		3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Loss1959U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Butch Buchholz Roy Emerson
Neale Fraser		6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 4–6, 5–7

Mixed doubles (1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1958U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Maria Bueno Neale Fraser
Margaret Osborne duPont		3–6, 6–3, 7–9

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

Singles
Tournament1951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972SR
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A A A A A A W A A A A A A A A A A A A A 1 / 1
French Open A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 1R A A 2R 0 / 2
Wimbledon A A A A A A 1R A W A A A A A A A A 3R 1R A A 2R 1 / 5
US Open 1R A A A 2R 4R 1R QF F A A A A A A A A 3R A 2R 1R 3R 0 / 10
Strike Rate 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 2 / 3 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 2 / 18
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References
  1. Garcia, Gabriel. "Alex Olmedo: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  2. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
  3. "Hall of Famers – Perry Jones". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  4. "Alex Olmedo, Tennis Champion". Sports illustrated. September 7, 1998. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  5. "Hail to the Chief". Time. January 12, 1959. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  6. "While Critics Cry, He Wins", Lakeland Ledger, August 23, 1959, page 19.
  7. "Alejandro Olmedo". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
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