Clark Graebner
Country (sports) | United States |
---|---|
Residence | New York |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
November 4, 1943
Height | 6'2" (188 cm) |
Turned pro | 1968 (amateur tour from 1960) |
Retired | 1976 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Singles | |
Career record | 181-104 (Open era) |
Career titles | 7 |
Highest ranking | No. 7 (1968, Lance Tingay)[1] |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (1966) |
French Open | 4R (1966, 1972) |
Wimbledon | SF (1968) |
US Open | F (1967) |
Other tournaments | |
Tour Finals | RR (1971) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 141-68 (Open era) |
Career titles | 10 (Open era) |
Clark Graebner (born November 4, 1943, in Cleveland, Ohio), is a retired American professional tennis player.
Contents
Personal life
In 1964 he married rising American tennis player Carole Caldwell. They had two children, a daughter, Cameron, and a son, Clark. The couple separated in 1974 and eventually divorced. In 1975 Graebner married Patti Morgan. Caldwell died in New York City following a brief battle with cancer on November 19, 2008.[2]
Tennis career
He graduated from Northwestern University, where he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. Graebner's deceased wife, Carole, was also a successful touring tennis professional. Graebner was considered to be one of the fastest servers in his time.
Graebner was runner-up to John Newcombe in the 1967 United States Championship, the last time the event, today's U.S. Open, was open only to amateur players. The following year he reached the semi-finals in singles at both Wimbledon and the inaugural U.S. Open.
Graebner and Arthur Ashe led the U.S. Davis Cup team to victory in the 1968 Davis Cup, its first in five years. The Americans went on to win four more titles in as many years.
Graebner was one of the protagonists of John McPhee's book, Levels of the Game, which is about a semifinal match played between himself and Ashe at the 1968 U.S. Open at Forest Hills. Ashe won the match.
Graebner's most significant title was probably the men's doubles title at the 1966 French Championships, where he and Dennis Ralston beat Ion Ţiriac and Ilie Năstase in the final. He also won the 1968 U.S. Men's Clay Court singles Championship in Milwaukee, the 1969 and 1970 U.S. Men's Clay Court doubles Championship (with William Bowrey and Ashe, respectively), and the 1963 doubles title at Cincinnati.
Graebner also reached the singles quarterfinals in Cincinnati in 1970, knocking off Bob McKinley, Barry MacKay, and Ray Ruffels before falling to eventual champ Ken Rosewall.
Graebner still ranks #32 on the list of best career set win/loss records in Grand Slam events, at 108-58, for a 65% record.[3]
Grand Prix and WCT singles finals (11)
Titles (4)
Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 1971 | New York, U.S. | Indoor | Željko Franulović | 2–6, 7–5, 4–6, 5–7 |
Winner | 1. | 1971 | Salisbury, U.S. | Hard (i) | Cliff Richey | 2–6, 7–6, 1–6, 7–6, 6–0 |
Runner-up | 2. | 1971 | Hampton, U.S. | Hard (i) | Ilie Năstase | 5–7, 4–6, 6–7 |
Runner-up | 3. | 1971 | Houston, U.S. | Hard | Cliff Richey | 1–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 2. | 1971 | Merion, U.S. | Hard | Dick Stockton | 6–2, 6–4, 6–7, 7–5 |
Winner | 3. | 1971 | South Orange, U.S. | Hard | Pierre Barthès | 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 4. | 1972 | London Indoor, England | Hard (i) | Cliff Richey | 5–7, 7–6, 5–7, 0–6 |
Runner-up | 5. | 1972 | Jacksonville, U.S. | Hard (i) | Jimmy Connors | 5–7, 4–6 |
Winner | 4. | 1973 | Des Moines, U.S. | Hard (i) | Nicholas Kalogeropoulos | 7–5, 4–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 6. | 1973 | Paramus, U.S. | Hard (i) | Jimmy Connors | 1–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 7. | 1974 | Baltimore, U.S. | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | 2–6, 1–6 |
Grand Prix and WCT doubles finals (21)
Titles (10)
See also
References
- ↑ United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 428.
- ↑ http://www.tennisweek.com
- ↑ Set W/L% - Slams - Career
Further reading
- Clark Graebner, Carole Graebner, Mixed Doubles Tennis (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1973)
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External links
- Clark Graebner at the Association of Tennis Professionals
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- Clark Graebner at the Davis Cup
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- 1943 births
- Living people
- American male tennis players
- French Championships (tennis) champions
- Northwestern Wildcats tennis players
- Sportspeople from Cleveland, Ohio
- People from New York City
- Tennis people from New York
- Tennis people from Ohio
- Wimbledon junior champions
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles