The early years
United States · born Boston, 1861 · died 1943 · seven times US champion
All playersBack to the rankings
7
US singles titles in a row, 1881 to 1887
6
US doubles titles, 1882 to 1887
18
US Championships matches won without defeat
19
His age at the first title, 1881
Richard Dudley Sears was born in Boston in 1861 and took up the game in 1879. A 19-year-old Harvard student, he won the first US National Championship at the Newport Casino in 1881 and kept the title for the next six years, unbeaten in 18 matches. He also won the US doubles six years running from 1882, five times with James Dwight. When national rankings began in 1885 he was the first American No. 1, and he held the place until 1887. He served as president of the national association in 1887 and 1888, and an injury ended his lawn tennis career after the 1887 championships. In 1892 he won the first US court tennis singles title. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1955 and died in Boston in 1943.
| Major singles titles | 7: US (1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887) |
|---|---|
| Major doubles titles | 6 doubles (US 6) |
| Titles kept in a challenge round | 4: US (1884, 1885, 1886, 1887). Scored as a final won, not a full draw (-16 points). |
| US doubles partners | 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887 with James Dwight; 1885 with Joseph Clark |
| Finals to remember | 1881: beat William Glyn 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 without dropping a set in the event. 1887: beat Henry Slocum 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in his last championship |
| US Championships record | Unbeaten in singles from his first match in 1881 to his last in 1887; no set lost in his first three championships |
| US Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1881 | Men's singles | |
| 1882 | Men's doubles | with James Dwight |
| 1882 | Men's singles | |
| 1883 | Men's doubles | with James Dwight |
| 1883 | Men's singles | |
| 1884 | Men's doubles | with James Dwight |
| 1884 | Men's singles | |
| 1885 | Men's doubles | with Joseph Sill Clark Sr. |
| 1885 | Men's singles | |
| 1886 | Men's doubles | with James Dwight |
| 1886 | Men's singles | |
| 1887 | Men's doubles | with James Dwight |
| 1887 | Men's singles | |
| Longwood Bowl | ||
| 1885 | 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
"This method just suited me, as I had taken up a mild form of volleying in practice."
The person behind the player.
Newport 1881
At the first championship he played in the colours of the Longwood Cricket Club of Boston: a black and white striped jacket and cap, a tie and long white flannel trousers. Slim, with a moustache and pince-nez, he was said to look more like a college professor than a champion.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameNewport 1881 · Final
His opponent in the first final was William Glyn, an Englishman on holiday in Newport who had entered on a whim. Sears won 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 and took home a medal. The Bud Collins account notes that nobody heard from Glyn again. Twenty-five players had entered, all from clubs in the north-east.
Source: Bud Collins TennisNewport 1881
The first championship was played on the grass courts of the Newport Casino, with a string quartet performing while the matches went on. Only clubs that belonged to the new national association could send players, a rule applied that year and never again.
Source: Newport BuzzNewport, 1880s
In one match he chased a ball out through a gate in the backstop fence and still returned it into his opponent's court. When rivals learned to counter his rushes to the net, he answered with the lob.
Source: Christian Science MonitorEngland 1884
In 1884 he played the British circuit. He lost to Herbert Lawford in the quarter-finals of the Irish Championships in Dublin, withdrew at Bath with a foot injury, and lost the Cheltenham final to Donald Stewart. Back home that year he won his fourth US title, beating Howard Taylor in four sets.
Source: WikipediaAfter lawn tennis
Injury ended his lawn tennis career after the 1887 championships, but he did not leave sport. In 1892, four years after retiring, he won the first US men's singles championship at court tennis. His seven lawn tennis titles in a row were never equalled by another amateur.
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