Sven Viktor Davidson (13 July 1928 – 28 May 2008) was a Swedish tennis player who became the first Swede to win a Grand Slam title when he won the French Championships in 1957, beating Ashley Cooper and Herbert Flam.
Career
Davidson also reached the French championships final in the two previous years. In 1955, he lost to Tony Trabert.[3] In 1956, he lost to Lew Hoad.[3] He also reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 1957, losing to Lew Hoad.[4] At the 1957 U.S. Championships, Davidson lost in five sets in the semifinals to Mal Anderson. In 1958, Davidson partnered with Ulf Schmidt to win the doubles title at the Wimbledon Championships, defeating the Australian pair Ashley Cooper and Neale Fraser. He played his last Grand Slam event at Wimbledon in 1959.
Davidson reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 2.[2]
He played for the Swedish Davis Cup team from 1950 to 1960.[5]
Davidson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.[5]
Personal life
Davidson lived in Arcadia, California since the 1970s. In 1981, at age 52, he suffered a heart attack while playing a tennis match in Los Angeles.[6] He died in Arcadia on 28 May 2008 as a result of pneumonia.[7]
Grand Slam finals
Singles (1 title, 2 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1955 | French Championships | Clay |  Tony Trabert |
6–2, 1–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1956 | French Championships | Clay |  Lew Hoad |
4–6, 6–8, 3–6 |
| Win | 1957 | French Championships | Clay | Herbie Flam |
6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
Doubles (1 title)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1958 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Ulf Schmidt |
Ashley Cooper Neale Fraser |
6–4, 6–4, 8–6 |
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| French Championships | 1R | 4R | 4R | A | 4R | QF | F | F | W | A | A | 1 / 8 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | A | QF | 4R | QF | 2R | SF | QF | 3R | 0 / 9 |
| U.S. National Championships | A | 2R | A | A | QF | 4R | A | A | SF | A | A | 0 / 4 |
| Strike rate | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 22 |
References
- ^ a b “Sven Davidson: Career match record”. thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b Potter, Edward C. (November 1957). “The World’s First Tens”. World Tennis. Vol. 5, no. 6. New York. p. 40.
- ^ a b Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. p. 414. ISBN 978-1-937559-38-0.
- ^ “Wimbledon player profile – Sven Davidson”. AELTC.
- ^ a b “Sven Davidson”. tennisfame.com.
- ^ “Tennis Star Sven Davidson Suffers Heart Attack at 52”. The New York Times. 18 January 1981.
- ^ Richard Goldstein (7 June 2008). “Sven Davidson, 79, Hall of Famer in Tennis, Dies”. The New York Times.
External links
- Sven Davidson at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Sven Davidson at the International Tennis Federation
- Sven Davidson at the Davis Cup (archived)
- Sven Davidson at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
