Between the wars
United States · born Los Angeles, 1911 · died 1994 · Wimbledon champion 1932 · twice US champion
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1932
Wimbledon champion on his first visit
30
Aces in the 1932 Wimbledon final
130
Mph, average of ten fastest serves, 1935
13-3
Davis Cup record, 1932 and 1933
Born in Los Angeles on 28 September 1911, Vines went to college on a basketball scholarship and won the US Championships at 19 in 1931, then again in 1932, the year he also won Wimbledon. He lost the 1933 Wimbledon final to Jack Crawford in five sets, played two years of Davis Cup with a 13-3 record, and turned professional in January 1934. He won Wembley three years running from 1934 and the French Pro in 1935, held a 47-26 record against Bill Tilden, and edged Fred Perry on their tours of 1937 and 1938. After losing the 1939 series to Don Budge he retired at 28 and turned to golf, reaching the semi-finals of the 1951 PGA Championship. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1962 and died in 1994.
| Major singles titles | 3: Wimbledon (1932); US (1931, 1932) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 1: Wimbledon 1933 |
| Other grass singles titles | 5: Newport 2 (1931, 1932); Longwood (1931); NSW Championships (1932); Seabright (1931) |
| Major doubles titles | 2 doubles (Australian 1, US 1), 1 mixed (US 1) |
| Finals to remember | Wimbledon 1932: beat Bunny Austin 6-4, 6-2, 6-0, ending on his 30th ace. Wimbledon 1933: lost to Jack Crawford 6-4, 9-11, 2-6, 6-2, 4-6 |
| US Championships finals | 1931: beat George Lott 7-9, 6-3, 9-7, 7-5. 1932: beat Henri Cochet 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Major doubles | US 1932 with Keith Gledhill, beat Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn 10-8, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5; Australian 1933 with Gledhill, beat Crawford and Edgar Moon 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 |
| Mixed doubles | US champion 1933 with Elizabeth Ryan; Australian finalist 1933; Wimbledon semi-finalist 1932 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Men's singles | |
| US Championships | ||
| 1931 | Men's singles | |
| 1932 | Men's doubles | with Keith Gledhill |
| 1932 | Men's singles | |
| 1933 | Mixed doubles | with Elizabeth Ryan |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
| 1931 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| 1932 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| Longwood Bowl | ||
| 1931 | Men's singles | |
| Seabright Invitational | ||
| 1931 | Men's singles | |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1932 | Men's singles‡ | |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1933 | Men's doubles | with Keith Gledhill |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"On his best days, Vines played the best tennis ever."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1932 · final
On his first trip to the All England Club he served 30 aces in the final, the last on match point. Bunny Austin said afterwards he was not sure whether the ball had passed him on the right or the left. Vines's smashes bounced into the royal box, and a London paper headlined the match "Murder on the Centre Court".
Source: Tennis Abstract1930
Before the titles came, a loss to Sidney Wood left him doubting himself: "I guess I'm just a false alarm," he said. The writer John Tunis also questioned his stamina. A year later he was US champion at 19. Tall and thin, about 150 pounds at 6ft 2in, he was described as "whipcord" and walked with an unhurried amble.
Source: Tennis AbstractPhiladelphia 1935
Dr J. F. Strawinski measured his ten fastest serves at an average of 130 mph; another device gave 122 mph. Asked what he would do if an opponent returned his best shot, Vines said: "Well, I would know that I was really up against a helluva player."
Source: Tennis Abstract1932 to 1934
His Wimbledon year put him on the cover of Time magazine in 1932, and in 1934 he became the fourth athlete to appear on a Wheaties box. That January he turned professional and began touring against Bill Tilden, whom he went on to beat 47 times in 73 meetings.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameMadison Square Garden 1939
His match with Fred Perry on 6 January 1939 drew 17,630, then a record crowd for tennis. Perry won that night. Years later the promoter Jack Harris told Jack Kramer that Vines had carried Perry on tour to sell tickets. Whenever Kramer raised it with Vines, he changed the subject.
Source: Tennis AbstractPGA Championship 1951
He left tennis at 28 for golf, turned professional in 1942 and won the Massachusetts Open in 1946 and the Utah Open in 1955. In the 1951 PGA Championship, then match play, he reached the semi-finals and lost to Walter Burkemo at the 37th hole. He also played the Masters with Bobby Jones.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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