Vic Seixas

Elias Victor Seixas Jr. (/ˈseɪʃəs/; pronounced SAY-shus;[3] born August 30, 1923)[4] is an American former tennis player.

Vic Seixas

Seixas in 1954
Full name	Elias Victor Seixas Jr.
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1923-08-30) August 30, 1923 Philadelphia, United States
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro	1940
Retired	1970
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1971 (member page)
Singles
Career record	801–236 (77.2%) [1]
Career titles	49 [1]
Highest ranking	No. 3 (ITHF)[2]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	SF (1953)
French Open	F (1953)
Wimbledon	W (1953)
US Open	W (1954)
Doubles
Career record	4–9
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1955)
French Open	W (1954, 1955)
Wimbledon	F (1952, 1954)
US Open	W (1952, 1954)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French Open	W (1953)
Wimbledon	W (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956)
US Open	W (1953, 1954, 1955)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1954)

Thirteen times he was ranked in the Top Ten in the US between 1942 and 1956. In 1951 Seixas was ranked No. 4 in the world, two spots below Dick Savitt, while he was No. 1 in the U.S. ranking, one spot ahead of Savitt. In 1953, Seixas was ranked No. 3 in the world by Lance Tingay, and was also cited as being the World No. 1 in the Reading Eagle newspaper the same year.

In his career he won 15 Major championships. He won both Wimbledon and the US Open in singles. He also won the Australian Open, French Open (twice), and US Open (twice) in doubles, and the French Open, Wimbledon (four times), and US Open (three times) in Mixed Doubles.

Seixas was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and the Southern Conference Hall of Fame.

Early life

Seixas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Anna Victoria (Moon), who was of Irish descent, and Elias Victor Seixas Sr., who was born in Brazil, of Portuguese Sephardi Jewish ancestry and, while Vic is often described as being Jewish[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], he was actually brought up Presbyterian and married in a Presbyterian church.[13] He attended and graduated from the William Penn Charter School, where he was a tennis star.[14][15][16][17]

He served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps in World War II for three years, which interrupted his tennis career.[18][3][19]

He then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he was a member of Alpha Sigma of the Chi Psi fraternity.[18][3][19] He was 63-3 at UNC, won the Southern Conference singles championship in 1948 and the doubles championship in 1949, and was an All American.[3][18] He graduated in 1949, the same year that UNC awarded him the Patterson Medal, the school's top medal in athletics.[20]

Tennis career

During the course of his lengthy career, Seixas won scores of singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles. He entered the US Championships men's singles a record 28 times between 1940 and 1969.[21]

He was ranked in the Top Ten in the US thirteen times between 1942 and 1956.[22] In 1951 Seixas was ranked No. 4 in the world, two spots below Dick Savitt, while he was No. 1 in the US ranking (a ranking he also held in 1954 and 1957), one spot ahead of Savitt.[23][24][25] In 1953, Seixas was ranked No. 3 in the world by Lance Tingay, and was also cited as being the World No. 1 in the Reading Eagle newspaper the same year.[26]

His major singles wins include Wimbledon in 1953 over Kurt Nielsen, (where his 'cash' winnings was a £25 certificate to spend at a shop in Piccadilly Circus[27]) and the US National (U.S. Open) in 1954 over Rex Hartwig.[18]

He was also a successful doubles and mixed doubles player. In 1952 he won the US National doubles with Mervyn Rose. In the mid-fifties he formed a successful partnership with Tony Trabert, winning the 1954 French and US Championships, as well as the 1955 Australian and French Championships. Additionally they won the decisive third point in the 1954 Davis Cup win over Australia. Seixas won four consecutive mixed doubles crowns at Wimbledon from 1953–56, the first three with Doris Hart and the fourth with Shirley Fry; the US National mixed doubles from 1953–55, all with Doris Hart; and the French Championships mixed doubles in 1953, with Doris Hart.[18]

In 1966 at 42 years of age, he played 94 games over four hours to defeat 22-year old Australian Bill Bowrey, 32-34, 6-4, 10-8, at the 1966 Philadelphia Grass Championship.[18]

That same year, Seixas was rated as the Senior Squash Champion of America.

Davis Cup

Seixas and Trabert won the Davis Cup in 1954, against Australia. Seixas is rated fifth in the category of most Davis Cup Singles matches (24), just behind Bill Tilden (25) and Arthur Ashe (27). He served three times as Captain of the US Davis Cup team. He was 38–17 lifetime in Davis Cup matches.[28]

Halls of Fame

Seixas was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.[29] He was also inducted into the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Hall of Fame.[30]

Seixas was inducted into Class II of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. He was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame in 2011.[3]

After tennis retirement

Seixas was a stockbroker from the late 1950s until the early 1970s.[31] Afterwards, he worked as a tennis director for the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and at a Hilton Hotel in New Orleans.[32][33] He moved to California in 1989, where he lived in Mill Valley[3] and established a tennis program at the Harbor Point Racquet and Beach Club in Mill Valley (Marin County), now known as The Club at Harbor Point. In 1998, unable to play tennis any longer due to his knees, he chose to become a bartender at Harbor Point.[34][31][4] After several years bartending and helping with the Club's front desk duties, Vic retired.

Seixas is currently the oldest living Grand Slam singles champion in the world, and the oldest living member of the Tennis Hall of Fame.[35][36]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 5 (2 titles, 3 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1951	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Sedgman	6–4, 6–1, 6–1
Loss	1953	French Championships	Clay	Ken Rosewall	6–3, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2
Win	1953	Wimbledon	Grass	Kurt Nielsen	9–7, 6–3, 6–4
Loss	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Tony Trabert	6–3, 6–2, 6–3
Win	1954	U.S. Championships	Grass	Rex Hartwig	3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–4

Doubles: 8 (5 titles, 3 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1952	Wimbledon	Grass	Eric Sturgess	Ken McGregor Frank Sedgman	6–3, 7–5, 6–4
Win	1952	U.S. Championships	Grass	Mervyn Rose	Ken McGregor Frank Sedgman	3–6, 10–8, 10–8, 6–8, 8–6
Win	1954	French Championships	Clay	Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	6–4, 6–2, 6–1
Loss	1954	Wimbledon	Grass	Tony Trabert	Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Win	1954	U.S. Championships	Grass	Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	3–6, 6–4, 8–6, 6–3
Win	1955	Australian Championships	Grass	Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–1
Win	1955	French Championships	Clay	Tony Trabert	Nicola Pietrangeli Orlando Sirola	6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Loss	1956	U.S. Championships	Grass	Ham Richardson	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 8 (8 titles)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1953	French Championships	Clay	Doris Hart	Maureen Connolly Mervyn Rose	4–6, 6–4, 6–0
Win	1953	Wimbledon	Grass	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry Enrique Morea	9–7, 7–5
Win	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Doris Hart	Julia Sampson Rex Hartwig	6–2, 4–6, 6–4
Win	1954	Wimbledon	Grass	Doris Hart	Margaret duPont Ken Rosewall	5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Win	1955	Wimbledon	Grass	Doris Hart	Louise Brough Enrique Morea	8–6, 2–6, 6–3
Win	1956	Wimbledon	Grass	Shirley Fry	Gardnar Mulloy Althea Gibson	2–6, 6–2, 7–5
Win	1954	U.S. Championships	Grass	Doris Hart	Margaret duPont Ken Rosewall	4–6, 6–1, 6–1
Win	1955	U.S. Championships	Grass	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry Gardnar Mulloy	7–5, 5–7, 6–2

Grand Slam 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)

Tournament	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
Australian	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	SF	QF	QF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
French	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	A	A	F	QF	QF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
Wimbledon	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	SF	A	QF	W	QF	2R	SF	QF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	2R	A	1R
U.S.	3R	3R	2R	A	2R	A	3R	4R	4R	1R	3R	F	4R	F	W	SF	SF	QF	QF	4R	4R	3R	4R	3R	4R	4R	2R	2R	2R	1R

See also

• List of select Jewish tennis players

References

1. "Vic Seixas: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
2. "https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/vic-seixas.
3. Gone Pro: North Carolina: Tar Heel Stars Who Became Pros - Tim W.
4. "A Bartender at 76, Seixas Has Trophies, but Little Money," Los Angeles Times.
5. Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Co. 1953.
6. "x". Youngstown Vindicator. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
7. Saul S. Friedman (January 10, 2014). A History of the Middle East. ISBN 9780786451340. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
8. Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. ISBN 9780881259698. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
9. "Everyculture.com: Portuguese-Americans".
10. American Jewish Desk Reference - American Jewish Historical Society
11. A History of the Middle East - Saul S. Friedman
12. The B'nai B'rith International Jewish Monthly
13. Allen Hornblum (October 2, 2019). "1953 Wimbledon champ Vic Seixas, now 96, got his start on the courts of Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
14. "Education's More Than Just A History Lesson At . . . The Penn Charter School". philly.com. July 9, 2007.
15. "Seixas Relishes His Memories Of Aussies' Tumble". Philadelphia Daily News. July 16, 1999. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
16. "x". The Day. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
17. "x". Reading Eagle. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
18. Vic Seixas
19. "A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE; An Informal History of Alpha Sigma of Chi Psi at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"
20. "Patterson Medal Winners" - UNC Tar Heels Athletics
21. "GRAND SLAM TENNIS STATISTICS What are the men's singles Grand Slam records?"
22. Bud Collins' Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis
23. A Century of Philadelphia Sports - Rich Westcott
24. Sporting Gentlemen: Menâ s Tennis from the Age of Honor to the Cult of the ... - E. Digby Baltzell
25. Newsweek
26. "Seixas Tests Shea in Eastern Tennis", Reading Eagle, August 6, 1953.
27. "76 Minutes With Vic Seixas A tour through tennis history with the world’s oldest living Grand Slam champ." - NY Magazine
28. "Victor Seixas". International Tennis Federation.
29. "Elias Victor Seixas, Jr. "Vic" – International Tennis Hall of Fame". Retrieved August 20, 2010.
30. "Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.
31. "Help is on the way for tennis' forgotten champions" - NY Daily News
32. "Arthritis Tackled Seixas at Knees But Ex-Wimbledon Champ Keeps on Playing"
33. "US-Open-Sieger „Vic“ Seixas: Der vergessene Champion der Tennis-Geschichte" - WELT
34. Steve Flink (June 30, 2003). "Seixas the humble champion recalls his 'crowning jewel'". The Independent.
35. "76 Minutes With Vic Seixas A tour through tennis history with the world’s oldest living Grand Slam champ." - NY Magazine
36. "Historical plaque for tennis ace Bill Tilden hits roadblock" - Philly

External links

• Vic Seixas at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Vic Seixas at the International Tennis Federation
• Vic Seixas at the Davis Cup
• Vic Seixas at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Prominent members of Chi Psi