American tennis player (1936?2021)
Darlene Hard
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Althea-Gibson-Darlene-Hard-Wimbledon-1957.jpg/220px-Althea-Gibson-Darlene-Hard-Wimbledon-1957.jpg) Hard (left) congratulates
Althea Gibson
at the 1957 Wimbledon Singles Championships.
|
Full name
| Darlene Ruth Hard
|
---|
Country (sports)
|
United States
|
---|
Born
| (
1936-01-06
)
January 6, 1936
Los Angeles
, California, U.S.
|
---|
Died
| December 2, 2021
(2021-12-02)
(aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
---|
Turned pro
| 1965
|
---|
Plays
| Right-handed
|
---|
Int. Tennis HoF
| 1973
(
member page
)
|
---|
|
Career record
| 498-156 (76.1%)
|
---|
Career titles
| 43
|
---|
Highest ranking
| No. 2 (1957)
|
---|
|
Australian Open
| QF (
1962
)
|
---|
French Open
| W
(
1960
)
|
---|
Wimbledon
| F (
1957
,
1959
)
|
---|
US Open
| W
(
1960
,
1961
)
|
---|
|
|
Australian Open
| F (1962)
|
---|
French Open
| W
(1955, 1957, 1960)
|
---|
Wimbledon
| W
(1957, 1959, 1960, 1963)
|
---|
US Open
| W
(1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969)
|
---|
|
Australian Open
| F (1962)
|
---|
French Open
| W
(1955, 1961)
|
---|
Wimbledon
| W
(1957, 1959, 1960)
|
---|
US Open
| F (1956, 1957, 1961)
|
---|
|
Wightman Cup
| W
(
1957
,
1959
,
1962
,
1963
)
|
---|
|
Darlene Ruth Hard
(January 6, 1936 ? December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive 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, and was the finest doubles player of her generation.
[1]
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
Francoise Durr
.
Career
[
edit
]
Queen
Elizabeth II
presents the Wimbledon championship trophy to Althea Gibson as Darlene Hard, at left, looks on (July 6, 1957).
According to
Lance Tingay
, Hard was ranked among the top 10 in the world from 1957 through 1963, reaching a career high of No. 2 in those rankings in 1957, 1960, and 1961.
[2]
The Miami Herald
ranked her
No. 1
for the 1961 season.
[3]
In 1957, she made her first
Wimbledon
finals appearance, losing to
Althea Gibson
.
[4]
Hard was included in the year-end top-10 rankings issued by the
United States Lawn Tennis Association
from 1954 through 1963. Charles Friedman wrote in
The New York Times
that year that "as a doubles player, she has no peer."
[5]
She was the top-ranked U.S. player from 1960 through 1963.
[6]
With her younger doubles partner
Billie Jean King
, she helped the US team to victory in the 1963
Federation Cup
.
Hard graduated from
Pomona College
in 1961,
[7]
and became the first woman inducted into the college's athletic hall of fame in 1974.
[8]
She was part of the American
Wightman Cup
team that won the trophy against Great Britain in 1957, 1959, 1962 and 1963.
[9]
[4]
In 1964, Hard won the singles title at the
South African Championships
, defeating
Ann Haydon-Jones
in the final in straight sets, and soon afterwards turned professional when she became a teaching pro.
[9]
She later owned two tennis stores.
[10]
Hard was enshrined in the
International Tennis Hall of Fame
in 1973.
[11]
According to a 2007 published report, she had been working for the University of Southern California since 1981 in the Publications Dept.
[10]
Personal life
[
edit
]
In later life, Hard lived in the
Woodland Hills
section of Los Angeles. She worked at the
University of Southern California
in the Publications Dept. for four decades, aiding in the design and fact-checking of the University Yearbook.
[1]
Hard died at the age of 85 on December 2, 2021, from complications after a fall.
[1]
[11]
[12]
Grand Slam finals
[
edit
]
Singles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runners-up)
[
edit
]
Doubles: 18 (13 titles, 5 runners-up)
[
edit
]
Result
|
Year
|
Championship
|
Surface
|
Partner
|
Opponents
|
Score
|
Win
|
1955
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Beverly Baker
|
Shirley Bloomer
Pat Ward
|
7?5, 6?8, 13?11
|
Loss
|
1956
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Dorothy Head
|
Angela Buxton
Althea Gibson
|
8?6, 6?8, 1?6
|
Win
|
1957
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Shirley Bloomer
|
Yola Ramirez
Rosie Reyes
|
7?5, 4?6, 7?5
|
Win
|
1957
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Althea Gibson
|
Mary Bevis Hawton
Thelma Coyne Long
|
6?1, 6?2
|
Loss
|
1957
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Althea Gibson
|
Louise Brough
Margaret Osborne
|
2?6, 5?7
|
Win
|
1958
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Jeanne Arth
|
Maria Bueno
Althea Gibson
|
2?6, 6?3, 6?4
|
Win
|
1959
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Jeanne Arth
|
Beverly Baker
Christine Truman
|
2?6, 6?2, 6?3
|
Win
|
1959
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Jeanne Arth
|
Maria Bueno
Sally Moore
|
6?2, 6?3
|
Win
|
1960
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Maria Bueno
|
Pat Ward
Ann Haydon
|
6?2, 7?5
|
Win
|
1960
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Maria Bueno
|
Sandra Reynolds
Renee Schuurman
|
6?4, 6?0
|
Win
|
1960
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Maria Bueno
|
Ann Haydon
Deidre Catt
|
6?1, 6?1
|
Loss
|
1961
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Maria Bueno
|
Sandra Reynolds
Renee Schuurman
|
default
|
Win
|
1961
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Lesley Turner
|
Edda Buding
Yola Ramirez
|
6?4, 5?7, 6?0
|
Loss
|
1962
|
Australian Championships
|
Grass
|
Mary Carter Reitano
|
Robyn Ebbern
Margaret Smith
|
4?6, 4?6
|
Win
|
1962
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Maria Bueno
|
Karen Hantze
Billie Jean Moffit
|
4?6, 6?3, 6?2
|
Win
|
1963
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Maria Bueno
|
Robyn Ebbern
Margaret Smith
|
8?6, 9?7
|
Loss
|
1963
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Maria Bueno
|
Robyn Ebbern
Margaret Smith
|
6?4, 8?10, 3?6
|
Win
|
1969
|
US Open
|
Grass
|
Francoise Durr
|
Margaret Court
Virginia Wade
|
0?6, 6?3, 6?4
|
Mixed doubles: 11 (5 titles, 6 runners-up)
[
edit
]
Result
|
Year
|
Championship
|
Surface
|
Partner
|
Opponents
|
Score
|
Win
|
1955
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Gordon Forbes
|
Jenny Staley
Luis Ayala
|
5?7, 6?1, 6?2
|
Loss
|
1956
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Bob Howe
|
Thelma Coyne Long
Luis Ayala
|
6?4, 4?6, 1?6
|
Loss
|
1956
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Lew Hoad
|
Margaret Osborne
Ken Rosewall
|
7?9, 1?6
|
Win
|
1957
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Mervyn Rose
|
Althea Gibson
Neale Fraser
|
6?4, 7?5
|
Loss
|
1957
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Bob Howe
|
Althea Gibson
Kurt Nielsen
|
3?6, 7?9
|
Win
|
1959
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Rod Laver
|
Maria Bueno
Neale Fraser
|
6?4, 6?3
|
Win
|
1960
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Rod Laver
|
Maria Bueno
Bob Howe
|
13?11, 3?6, 8?6
|
Win
|
1961
|
French Championships
|
Clay
|
Rod Laver
|
Vera Sukova
Jiri Javorsky
|
6?0, 2?6, 6?3
|
Loss
|
1961
|
U.S. Championships
|
Grass
|
Dennis Ralston
|
Margaret Smith
Bob Mark
|
default
|
Loss
|
1962
|
Australian Championships
|
Grass
|
Roger Taylor
|
Lesley Turner
Fred Stolle
|
3?6, 7?9
|
Loss
|
1963
|
Wimbledon
|
Grass
|
Bob Hewitt
|
Margaret Smith
Ken Fletcher
|
9?11, 4?6
|
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
[
edit
]
Key
W
|
F
|
SF
|
QF
|
#R
|
RR
|
Q#
|
DNQ
|
A
|
NH
|
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W?L) win?loss record.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Smith, Harrison (2021-12-08).
"Darlene Hard, Tennis Hall of Famer and 'best doubles player of her generation,' dies at 85"
.
The Washington Post
.
- ^
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
978-0-942257-41-0
.
- ^
"Fullmer, Tittle, Sellers Star, But None Measure Up to Maris"
.
The Miami Herald
. 1961-12-28.
- ^
a
b
"International Tennis Hall of Fame"
.
www.tennisfame.com
. Retrieved
2021-12-05
.
- ^
Friedman, Charles (1963-12-30).
"Darlene Hard Heads U.S. Women's Tennis Rankings Fourth Year in Row; Two California Women Top Lawn Tennis Rankings"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
United States Tennis Association (1988).
1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook
. Lynn, Massachusetts: H. O. Zimman, Inc. p. 261.
- ^
"1960"
.
Pomona College Timeline
. 7 November 2014
. Retrieved
3 August
2020
.
- ^
"Darlene R. Hard"
.
ITA Women's Hall of Fame
. Retrieved
3 August
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Darlene Hard…Tribute To A Little Known Great Player"
.
WLM Tennis
. 8 December 2021
. Retrieved
10 December
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Hard is fine far from Centre Court"
.
Los Angeles Times
. July 3, 2007.
- ^
a
b
"Three-time tennis major winner Hard dies at 85"
.
ESPN
. 2021-12-04.
Archived
from the original on 2021-12-04
. Retrieved
2021-12-04
.
- ^
Harris, Beth (2021-12-04).
"Darlene Hard, 3-time major tennis champion, dies at 85"
.
WDIV-TV
. Associated Press
. Retrieved
2021-12-04
.
External links
[
edit
]
Articles and topics related to Darlene Hard
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Men
| Master players
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Players
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Recent players
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Court tennis players
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Women
| Master players
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Players
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Recent players
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Contributors
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