Riggs, "Bobby" (Robert L.)
Tennis
b. Feb. 25, 1918, Los Angeles, CA
d. Oct. 25, 1995
The ultimate gamesman, Riggs is now best known for his "Battle of the Sexes" matches against Margaret Court and Billie Jean King, but he was a very fine player in his prime.
The only year he played at Wimbledon, 1939, Riggs won the singles, men's doubles (with Elwood T. Cooke), and mixed doubles (with Alice Marble). Riggs was also the U. S. national singles champion in 1939. After losing in the finals to Don McNeil in 1940, Riggs won the singles title again in 1941. He and Marble were the mixed doubles champions in 1940.
Riggs joined the professional tour in 1942, then entered military service. After World War II ended, he toured with Don Budge, winning 23 of their 44 matches in 1946, and he repeated as professional champion in 1947.
In 1948, Riggs and Jack Kramer reorganized the men's professional tour. Kramer overwhelmed Riggs that year, winning 69 of 89 matches, but Riggs came back to win his third professional championship in 1949 before retiring from serious competition.
The 5-foot-8 Riggs was a very canny player who used accuracy and a variety of spin and chop shots to overcome his lack of power, although he did rush the net at times as a surprise tactic.
Riggs came out of retirement in 1973 and challenged Margaret Court to demonstrate that a fifty-five-year-old man could beat a woman in her prime. He temporarily proved his point by beating her in two sets on Mother's Day. However, he lost three straight sets to Billie Jean King in September at the Houston Astrodome before 30,472 spectators, the largest crowd ever for a tennis match. Millions more watched on prime-time television.
In a less publicized match, Riggs and Vitas Gerulaitas were badly beaten by Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver in August of 1985.