 Riggs c. 1947 | |
| Full name | Robert Larimore Riggs |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | February 25, 1918 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 25, 1995 (aged 77) Encinitas, California, U.S.[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Turned pro | 1941 (amateur tour 1933) |
| Retired | 1962 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1967 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 838–326 (71.9%)[2] |
| Career titles | 103[2] |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1939, Gordon Lowe)[3] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | F (1939) |
| Wimbledon | W (1939) |
| US Open | W (1939, 1941) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | W (1946, 1947, 1949) |
| Wembley Pro | F (1949) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | not listed |
| Career titles | not listed |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1942, Ray Bowers) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1939) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1939) |
| US Open | W (1940) |
Robert Larimore Riggs (February 25, 1918 – October 25, 1995)[4] was an American tennis champion who was the world No. 1 amateur in 1939 and world No. 1 professional in 1946 and 1947.[3] He played his first professional tennis match on December 26, 1941.
As a 21-year-old amateur in 1939, Riggs won the singles title at Wimbledon,[5] the U.S. National Championships (now U.S. Open), and was runner-up at the French Championships. He was U.S. champion again in 1941, after a runner-up finish in the previous year. At the 1939 Wimbledon Championships he also won the Men's Doubles and the Mixed Doubles.
After retirement from his pro career, Riggs became well known as a hustler and gambler. He organized numerous exhibition challenges, inviting active and retired tennis pros to participate. In 1973, aged 55, he held two such events, first against the No. 1–ranked woman player Margaret Smith Court, which he won, and another against the then-current women's champion Billie Jean King,[6] which he lost.[7][8] The latter, the primetime "Battle of the Sexes" match, remains one of the most famous tennis events of all time, with a $100,000 ($686,000 today) winner-takes-all prize.
- ^ Bobby Riggs. Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ a b "Bobby Riggs: Career match record". Tennis Base. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First ed.). United States Lawn Tennis Association. 1972. p. 425.
- ^ Finn, Robin (October 26, 1995). "Irrepressible Riggs succumbs". The Dispatch. Lexington, NC. The New York Times. p. 1B.
- ^ "Riggs defeats Cooke to take Wimbledon title". Chicago Daily Tribune. July 8, 1939. p. 13.
- ^ Jares, Joe (September 10, 1973). "Riggs to riches – take two". si.com. p. 24.
- ^ "Billie Jean slam-bangs Riggs to defeat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. September 21, 1973. p. 1, sec. 1.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (October 1, 1973). "There she is, Ms. America". Sports Illustrated. p. 30.