Darlene Hard | Personal information |
| Date of birth | January 6, 1936 (1936-01-06) (age 73) |
| Place of birth |   Los Angeles, CA |
Darlene Hard (born January 6, 1936 in Los Angeles, California, United States) was a tennis player known for her volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Championships in 1960 and 1961.
With eight different partners, she won a total of 13 women's doubles titles in Grand Slam tournaments. Her last doubles title, at the age of 33 at the 1969 US Open, came six years after she had retired from serious competition to become a tennis instructor. She also played the US Open singles tournament in 1969, losing in the second round to Françoise Durr 6–3, 6–3.
According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Hard was ranked in the world top ten from 1957 through 1963, reaching a career high of World No. 2 in those rankings in 1957, 1960, and 1961.[1] Hard was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1954 through 1963. She was the top ranked U.S. player from 1960 through 1963.[2]
Hard was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1973.
Hard once said, "I was the last of the amateurs. In our day, I won Forest Hills and got my airfare from New York to Los Angeles. Whoopee." But, she added, "I was happy. I loved it. I loved tennis."[citation needed]
She has worked for the University of Southern California since 1981.[3]
[edit] Grand Slam record
- French Championships
- Singles champion: 1960
- Women's Doubles champion: 1955, 1957, 1960
- Women's Doubles runner-up: 1956, 1961
- Mixed Doubles champion: 1955, 1961
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1956
- Wimbledon
- Singles runner-up: 1957, 1959
- Women's Doubles champion: 1957, 1959, 1960, 1963
- Mixed Doubles champion: 1957, 1959, 1960
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1963
- U.S. Championships/Open
- Singles champion: 1960, 1961
- Singles runner-up: 1958, 1962
- Women's Doubles champion: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969
- Women's Doubles runner-up: 1957, 1963
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1956, 1957, 1961
[edit] Grand Slam singles finals
[edit] Wins (3)
[edit] Runner-ups (4)
[edit] Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| Tournament | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 - 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | Career SR |
| Australian Championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| French Championships | A | A | 2R | 3R | QF | A | A | W | 4R | A | 2R | A | A | A | 1 / 6 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | SF | 3R | F | A | F | QF | A | QF | SF | A | A | A | 0 / 7 |
| United States | 2R | SF | 3R | QF | SF | F | SF | W | W | F | QF | A | 2R | 2R | 2 / 13 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 2 / 3 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 3 / 27 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 703. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
- ^ United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc.. pp. 261.
- ^ LA Times
[edit] External links
