Richard Savitt was an American self taught tennis player known for being one of only four American men, and the first Jewish player to win the Australian and Wimbledon Grand Slam tournaments in 1951. Following his winnings he was declared world No. 1 by The New York Times. Savitt was inducted into the the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1976. Savitt was born in Bayonne, New Jersey and at 14, he taught himself how to play tennis, without taking a single tennis lesson in his life. He became ... moreRichard Savitt was an American self taught tennis player known for being one of only four American men, and the first Jewish player to win the Australian and Wimbledon Grand Slam tournaments in 1951. Following his winnings he was declared world No. 1 by The New York Times. Savitt was inducted into the the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1976. Savitt was born in Bayonne, New Jersey and at 14, he taught himself how to play tennis, without taking a single tennis lesson in his life. He became good at playing tennis so much so that he made it to the finals of the New Jersey Boys Championship and National Boys Tennis Tournament. In 1946 he attended attended Cornell University, where he majored in economics and also played tennis for the University team. He was made the captain of the team winning numerous tournaments. After graduating in 1950, Savitt played tennis for about a year and a half winning tournaments before retiring in 1952 at age 25 to pursue a career in oil business and Wall Street.
