The Open Era
United States · born Hinsdale, Illinois, 1941 · right-handed · Wimbledon mixed doubles champion 1975 with Margaret Court, seven major mixed titles
All playersBack to the rankings
138
Matches played at Wimbledon, 1961 to 1985 (92 won), one of the highest totals in the Championships' history
6
Major mixed titles with Margaret Court, all four majors among them
3
Queen's doubles titles with Tom Okker, 1970, 1971 and 1973
15-13
Final set of the 1971 Wimbledon mixed final, lost with Court in 150 minutes
5
Wimbledon senior invitation doubles titles with Sherwood Stewart, 1984 to 1998
Martin Clare Riessen was born in Hinsdale, Illinois, on 4 December 1941. His father, Clare, started the tennis programme at Hinsdale Township High School and later became head coach at Northwestern University, and Marty grew up practising on the public courts across the street from the family home. He was the first player to win the Illinois high school singles title four years running, then at Northwestern won the Big Ten singles and doubles three years in a row, reached three NCAA singles finals and started at guard for the basketball team.
He played the Davis Cup for the United States from 1963 and reached the Wimbledon singles quarter-finals in 1965. In 1968 he turned professional with Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis, and in the Open Era became one of the leading doubles players of his time: he won the 1971 French Open with Arthur Ashe and the 1976 US Open with the Dutchman Tom Okker, his partner for ten years, and reached No. 3 in the doubles rankings in 1980. In singles he won nine titles and reached No. 11 in 1974.
His greatest success came in mixed doubles with the Australian Margaret Court. Together they won the Australian, French and US titles in 1969, the US title again in 1970 and 1972, and Wimbledon in 1975, completing a set of all four majors as a pair; he won a seventh mixed title at the 1980 US Open with Wendy Turnbull. Later he coached, helping Tracy Austin to her 1981 US Open title, and twice coached the US women's Olympic team.
| Wimbledon mixed | 1971: with Margaret Court, seeded first, lost the final to Owen Davidson and Billie Jean King 3-6, 6-2, 15-13 in 150 minutes. 1975: with Court, seeded first, beat Allan Stone and Betty Stove 6-4, 7-5 on Centre Court |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles final 1969 | With Tom Okker, seeded sixth, lost to the top seeds John Newcombe and Tony Roche 7-5, 11-9, 6-3 |
| US Open mixed | With Court: 1969 beat Françoise Dürr and Dennis Ralston 7-5, 6-3; 1970 beat Judy Tegart Dalton and Frew McMillan 6-4, 6-4; 1972 beat Rosie Casals and Ilie Năstase 6-3, 7-5; 1973 lost the final to Billie Jean King and Owen Davidson |
| Queen's Club doubles | With Okker: 1970 beat Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell 6-4, 6-4; 1971 beat Stan Smith and Erik van Dillen 8-6, 4-6, 10-8; 1973 beat Ray Keldie and Raymond Moore 6-4, 7-5. Runner-up in 1979 with Sherwood Stewart |
| Wimbledon after the main tour | Won the All England Plate in 1977, beating the American G.E. Reid 6-4, 5-7, 9-7 in the final. With Sherwood Stewart won the 35 and over invitation doubles in 1984 and 1986 and the 45 and over event in 1992, 1993 and 1998 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Mixed doubles | with Margaret Court |
| US Championships | ||
| 1969 | Mixed doubles US Open | with Margaret Court |
| 1970 | Mixed doubles US Open | with Margaret Court |
| 1972 | Mixed doubles US Open | with Margaret Court |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1970 | Men's doubles | with Tom Okker |
| 1971 | Men's doubles | with Tom Okker |
| 1973 | Men's doubles | with Tom Okker |
| Pennsylvania Grass Court Championships (Merion) | ||
| 1963 | Men's doubles†| with Clark Graebner |
| 1967 | Men's doubles†| with Clark Graebner |
| Eastern Grass Court Championships (South Orange) | ||
| 1967 | Men's singles | |
| Western Australian Championships | ||
| 1969 | Men's singles | |
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
"Hunt made a huge difference in tennis. Up until he started, there were no professionals."
The person behind the player.
Hinsdale, 1950s
He grew up in the 400 block of West Hickory Street in Hinsdale and practised on the Burns Field courts across the road, which earned him the local nickname "Ace of Burns Field". His father, Clare, started the high school tennis programme. Marty became the first player to win the Illinois state singles title four years in a row, and in his high school career won 49 of 53 sets 6-0.
Source: The HinsdaleanNorthwestern, 1960 to 1964
At Northwestern, where his father had just become head tennis coach, he won the Big Ten singles and doubles three years running, the only player in the school's history to do so, reached three straight NCAA singles finals and started at guard for the basketball team for three seasons. He took a bachelor's and a master's degree and planned a doctorate in school administration before tennis turned professional.
Source: Northwestern Athletics; The HinsdaleanParis, 1971
He won the 1971 French Open doubles with his Davis Cup team-mate Arthur Ashe. "I guess that summer, we were each looking for a partner and we ended up playing together," he recalled. "Arthur wasn't considered a great doubles player. He was better known for his singles."
Source: The HinsdaleanWorld TeamTennis, 1975
In 1975, the year he won Wimbledon with Court, he was voted World TeamTennis Rookie of the Year at the age of 34. Dunlop also brought out a Marty Riessen wooden racquet.
Source: ATP Tour biography; The HinsdaleanWimbledon, 1977
Two years after his mixed title, at 35, he won the All England Plate, the Wimbledon consolation event that ran from 1896 to 1981, beating G.E. Reid 9-7 in the final set. He kept coming back long after that: with Sherwood Stewart he won the 35 and over invitation doubles twice and the 45 and over event three times, the last in 1998.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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