Frank Parker

Frank Parker

Full name	Frank Andrew Parker
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1916-01-31)January 31, 1916 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Died	July 24, 1997(1997-07-24) (aged 81) San Diego, California, United States
Turned pro	1949 (oct) (amateur tour from 1930)
Retired	1971 (Hampton last tournament)
Plays	Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1966 (member page)
Singles
Career record	38–9
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1948, John Olliff)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
French Open	W (1948, 1949)
Wimbledon	SF (1937)
US Open	W (1944, 1945)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open	W (1949)
Wimbledon	W (1949)
US Open	W (1943)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1937, 1948 )

Frank "Frankie" Andrew Parker, born as Franciszek Andrzej Pajkowski (January 31, 1916 – July 24, 1997), was a former World No. 1 American male tennis player of Polish immigrant parents who was active in the 1930s and 1940s. He won four Grand Slam singles titles as well as three doubles titles. He was coached by Mercer Beasley.

Early life

Parker was born on January 31, 1916 in Milwaukee as Franciszek Andrzej Pajkowski and had three brothers and a sister.^[2] He learnt to play tennis at age 10, hitting discarded tennis balls at the Milwaukee Town Club.^[3] There he was discovered by the club coach Mercer Beasley who noticed his quickness and accuracy.^[4] Aged 12 he won his first national title, the boys' indoor championship played at the Seventh Regiment Armory in New York.^[2] At age 15 Paikowski become the national boys' champion in singles, defeating Gene Mako in the final, and a year later, aged 16, he won the national junior singles title as well as the singles title at the Canadian National Championships.^[5][6] In 1933, when he was 17 he won the singles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, defeating Gene Mako in the final in straight sets.^[7][8]

Career

Parker is one of the few Americans to win both the French Championships (1948, 1949) and the U.S. Championships (1944, 1945).^{[lower-alpha 1][9]}

Parker became the singles champion at Cincinnati, then called the Tri–State Tennis Tournament in 1941 and was a four-time singles finalist (1932, 1933, 1938, 1939). He won the Canadian title in 1938. He was ranked World No. 1 in 1948 by John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph.^[1]

Writing about Parker in his 1949 autobiography, Bobby Riggs, who had played Parker many times, says "Parker is a tough man to get past. Equipped with a wonderful all-court game, he plays intently and with classic form. His footwork is marvelous. You never see Frankie hitting the ball from an awkward position." ^[10] Jack Kramer, however, writing in his own autobiography, says "...even as a boy [Parker] had this wonderful slightly overspin forehand drive. Clean and hard. Then for some reason, Frankie's coach, Mercer Beasley, decided to change this stroke into a chop. It was obscene." It also impaired his game, particularly in preventing him from getting to the net, and Parker dropped in the rankings. A few years later, however, he worked hard to regain his original forehand and, according to Kramer, did indeed greatly improve his stroke. But it was never again as good as it had once been.^[11]

Parker took part in the 1968 US Open at the age of 52, becoming the oldest player to compete in the US Open.^[12]

Between 1937 and 1948 Parker took part in seven Davis Cup ties with the US team and won the Davis Cup in 1937 and 1948.^[13] He compiled a Davis Cup record of 12 wins and two losses.^[14]

In October 1949 Parker signed a one-year contract with Bobby Riggs to become a professional tennis player.^[15]

Parker was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1960.

Parker was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1966 and into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.^[16]

Personal life

On March 17, 1938 Parker married Audrey Beasley who had previously divorced Parker's coach Mercer Beasley.^[3][17] She became his adviser and tailored his tennis wardrobe.^[3] His wife died in 1971 and in 1979 Parker retired from his position of salesman for a corrugated box company.^[2][3]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1942	U.S. Championships	Grass	Ted Schroeder	6–8, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 2–6
Winner	1944	U.S. Championships	Grass	William Talbert	6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
Winner	1945	U.S. Championships	Grass	William Talbert	14–12, 6–1, 6–2
Runner-up	1947	U.S. Championships	Grass	Jack Kramer	6–4, 6–2, 1–6, 0–6, 3–6
Winner	1948	French Championships	Clay	Jaroslav Drobný	6–4, 7–5, 5–7, 8–6
Winner	1949	French Championships	Clay	Budge Patty	6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 6–4

Doubles (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1933	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Shields	George Lott Lester Stoefen	13–11, 7–9, 7–9, 3–6
Winner	1943	U.S. Championships	Grass	Jack Kramer	Bill Talbert David Freeman	7–5, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1
Runner-up	1948	U.S. Championships	Grass	Ted Schroeder	Gardnar Mulloy Bill Talbert	6–1, 7–9, 3–6, 6–3, 7–9
Winner	1949	French Championships	Clay	Pancho Gonzales	Eustace Fannin Eric Sturgess	6–3, 8–6, 5–7, 6–3
Winner	1949	Wimbledon	Grass	Pancho Gonzales	Gardnar Mulloy Ted Schroeder	6–4, 6–4, 6–2

Notes

References

Sources

• Tennis Is My Racket, by Bobby Riggs, New York, 1949
• The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis, Jack Kramer with Frank Deford, New York, 1979
• How to Play Tennis, by Mercer Beasley, 1935

External links

• Frank Parker at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Frank Parker at the Davis Cup
• Frank Parker at the International Tennis Federation