Kramer, "Jack" (John A.)
Tennis
b. Aug. 1, 1921, Las Vegas, NV
As a boy, Kramer loved playing sandlot football but, after a variety of injuries, his father suggested he should take up tennis instead. He won the national boys' singles when he was fifteen and in 1940 and 1941 he teamed with Ted Schroeder to win the men's doubles at the U. S. Nationals.
Kramer reached the national singles final in 1943 but came down with ptomaine poisoning and lost. He then served in the Coast Guard during World War II, returning to tennis in 1946, when he won his first national singles title.
He also went to the singles final at Wimbledon that year. Suffering from a blister on his racket hand, he lost to Jaroslav Drobny. When a reporter suggested the blister had caused his defeat, Kramer snapped, "Nonsense. The injury didn't beat me. Drobny did."
In December of 1946, Kramer and Schroeder went to Australia and won the Davis Cup. After he became the singles champion at Wimbledon in 1947, Kramer was offered a chance to turn professional and tour with Bobby Riggs, but he decided he wanted to win one more national singles title first. He reached the final match against Frank Parker, lost the first two sets, then came back to win the last three 6-1, 6-0, 6-3.
His goal accomplished, Kramer signed a contract and thoroughly dominated Riggs, winning 69 of 89 matches. A hard hitter and excellent volleyer with a big serve, Kramer was described by Riggs as "a merciless competitor," and Time magazine said, "He is always boring in, always making the other fellow feel he is doomed unless he does something tremendous."
He continued to dominate the tour for the next five years, winning 96 of 123 matches against Pancho Gonzales in 1949 and 1950, 64 of 92 against Pancho Segura in 1951 and 1952, and 54 of 95 against Frank Sedgman in 1953.
Kramer then retired from competition to become the tour promoter. Australians were dominating tennis and Kramer proceeded to sign several of the best Australian players, including Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, Ashley Cooper, and Malcolm Anderson.
His involvement in tennis went beyond the tour, though. Kramer worked with young players at clinics, helped to coach the country's Davis Cup players, and constantly worked for open tennis, which would allow professionals to compete against amateurs. He finally won that point in 1968, when the U. S. National became the U. S. Open Tournament.