Frank Kovacs

Frank Kovacs
Full nameFrancis Louis Kovacs II [1]
Country (sports) United States
Born(1919-12-04)December 4, 1919
Oakland, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 1990 (aged 70)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Turned pro1941 (amateur from 1936)
Retired1957
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career titles42
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1945, WPTA)
Grand Slam singles results
US OpenF (1941)
Professional majors
US ProW (1951)
Wembley ProSF (1951)

Frank Kovacs (December 4, 1919 – February 1990) was an American amateur and professional tennis player in the mid-20th century. He won the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships singles title in 1941. He won the World Professional Championships tournament in 1945 in San Francisco. Kovacs was successful on clay and won the Great Lakes Professional Clay Court Championships near Chicago in 1946, defeating Riggs in the final, and five U.S. Professional Clay Court Championships from 1948 to 1953. Kovacs won U.S. Professional Championships or International Professional Championships at Cleveland in 1951. He also won the U.S. Professional Challenge Tour in 1947 against Bobby Riggs.

Kovacs was ranked the world No. 1 professional tennis player in two different years, by the WPTA (World Professional Tennis Association) for 1945 and by the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) for 1951.

  1. ^ Harry Grayson (July 8, 1941). "Frank Kovacs, tennis' best showman, has chance to annex national title". The Palm Beach Post. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.