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| Johnston was the ] player in 1919 and in 1922 respectively along with ] and ]. He won the ] in 1915 and 1919, as well as the ] (Clay) and ] in 1923.<ref>{{cite news|title=Johnston is Again Supreme in Tennis|url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50F1EFA35581B7A93C3AB1789D95F4D8185F9|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 21, 1919|format=PDF}}</ref> | Johnston was the ] player in 1919 and in 1922 respectively along with ] and ]. He won the ] in 1915 and 1919, as well as the ] (Clay) and ] in 1923.<ref>{{cite news|title=Johnston is Again Supreme in Tennis|url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50F1EFA35581B7A93C3AB1789D95F4D8185F9|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 21, 1919|format=PDF}}</ref> | ||
| Until ] began to defeat him regularly in 1920, Johnston had been the best American player for a number of years and was ranked No.1 by the ] in 1915 and 1919.<ref>{{cite news|title=Johnston Officially Rated Best Tennis Star|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1915/VOL_66_NO_15/SL6615022.pdf|newspaper=Sporting Life, Volume 66 Number 15|date= |
Until ] began to defeat him regularly in 1920, Johnston had been the best American player for a number of years and was ranked No.1 by the ] in 1915 and 1919.<ref>{{cite news|title=Johnston Officially Rated Best Tennis Star|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1915/VOL_66_NO_15/SL6615022.pdf|newspaper=Sporting Life, Volume 66 Number 15|date=December 11, 1915|page=22|format=PDF}}</ref> Johnston had beaten Tilden in three straight sets in the final of the 1919 US Championships, before Tilden overtook him in 1920. Johnston remained competitive with Tilden for the next seven or eight years, but was never able to beat Tilden in an important match again, for instance, in 1922 Johnston defeated Tilden three times out of four occasions but Tilden beat Johnston in the final of the U.S. Championships in five sets.<ref>{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Bud|title=The Bud Collins History of Tennis|year=2010|publisher=New Chapter Press|location=|isbn=978-0942257700|edition=2nd ed.|pages=457, 458}}</ref> In 1923, despite Johnston winning both the ] and Wimbledon, he again failed to beat Tilden at the US Championships, losing in three one-sided sets. Johnston again threatened to get closer to beating Tilden on the big stage in following years, but memorably lost the 1925 US Championships final in five sets to Tilden. Together, Johnston and Tilden won seven consecutive ] trophies, from 1920 to 1926, a record that still stands.<ref>{{cite web|title=Davis Cup Player Profile – Bill Johnston|url=http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10003725|publisher=ITF|accessdate=June 14, 2012}}</ref> | ||
| Johnston was renowned for the power and deadliness of his ] drive,{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} which he hit shoulder-high with a Western grip, and which was universally considered the best forehand of all time{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} until the advent of ] and his two-handed forehand in the late 1940s. Johnston died of tuberculosis in 1946 at the age of 51.<ref name=obit>{{cite news|title=Bill Johnston Dies; Long A Tennis Star|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IS0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KyUEAAAAIBAJ&dq=clarence%20griffin%20tennis%20obituary&pg=1849%2C649045|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=May 2, 1946}}</ref> | Johnston was renowned for the power and deadliness of his ] drive,{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} which he hit shoulder-high with a Western grip, and which was universally considered the best forehand of all time{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} until the advent of ] and his two-handed forehand in the late 1940s. Johnston died of tuberculosis in 1946 at the age of 51.<ref name=obit>{{cite news|title=Bill Johnston Dies; Long A Tennis Star|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IS0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KyUEAAAAIBAJ&dq=clarence%20griffin%20tennis%20obituary&pg=1849%2C649045|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=May 2, 1946}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 12:21, 28 October 2013
 Vincent Richards, Bill Tilden and Bill Johnston at the 1922 Davis Cup. | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | (1894-11-02)November 2, 1894 San Francisco, CA, USA |
| Died | May 1, 1946(1946-05-01) (aged 51) San Francisco, CA, USA |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Turned pro | 1913 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1928 |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1958 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1919, A. Wallis Myers) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1923) |
| US Open | W (1915, 1919) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WHCC | W (1923) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| US Open | W (1915, 1916, 1920) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | W (1921) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926) |
William "Little Bill" Johnston (November 2, 1894 in San Francisco, California – May 1, 1946 in San Francisco, California) was a former World No. 1 American tennis champion.
Biography
Bill Johnston was born November 2, 1894, in San Francisco, the son of Robert Johnston, an electrical plant mechanic and Margaret Burns, of Irish origin. Bill started to play tennis in early 1906, aged eleven, on the public asphalt courts in Golden Gate Park. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake the schools were closed and he spent much of his spare time practicing on the tennis courts. He achieved his first tournament victory at the 1910 Bay Counties junior singles competition.
In 1916 Johnston won the Cincinnati Open (now Cincinnati Masters) after Clarence Griffin defaulted in the Challenge Round. Johnston won the Longwood Challenge Cup, played on the Longwood Courts at Chestnut Hill, MA in 1913, 1916, 1919, 1920 and 1921.
Johnston was the co-World No. 1 player in 1919 and in 1922 respectively along with Gerald Patterson and Bill Tilden. He won the US Championships in 1915 and 1919, as well as the World Hard Court Championships (Clay) and Wimbledon in 1923.
Until "Big Bill" Tilden began to defeat him regularly in 1920, Johnston had been the best American player for a number of years and was ranked No.1 by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1915 and 1919. Johnston had beaten Tilden in three straight sets in the final of the 1919 US Championships, before Tilden overtook him in 1920. Johnston remained competitive with Tilden for the next seven or eight years, but was never able to beat Tilden in an important match again, for instance, in 1922 Johnston defeated Tilden three times out of four occasions but Tilden beat Johnston in the final of the U.S. Championships in five sets. In 1923, despite Johnston winning both the World Hard Court Championships and Wimbledon, he again failed to beat Tilden at the US Championships, losing in three one-sided sets. Johnston again threatened to get closer to beating Tilden on the big stage in following years, but memorably lost the 1925 US Championships final in five sets to Tilden. Together, Johnston and Tilden won seven consecutive Davis Cup trophies, from 1920 to 1926, a record that still stands.
Johnston was renowned for the power and deadliness of his forehand drive, which he hit shoulder-high with a Western grip, and which was universally considered the best forehand of all time until the advent of Pancho Segura and his two-handed forehand in the late 1940s. Johnston died of tuberculosis in 1946 at the age of 51.
Bill Johnston was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1958.
Grand Slam finals
Singles
Titles (3)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score |
| 1915 | U.S. Championships |  Maurice McLoughlin |
1–6, 6–0, 7–5, 10–8 |
| 1919 | U.S. Championships | Bill Tilden |
6–4, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 1923 | Wimbledon | Frank Hunter |
6–0, 6–3, 6–1 |
Runner-ups (6)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score |
| 1916 | U.S. Championships |  R. Norris Williams |
6–4, 4–6, 6–0, 2–6, 4–6 |
| 1920 | U.S. Championships | Bill Tilden |
1–6, 6–1, 5–7, 7–5, 3–6 |
| 1922 | U.S. Championships | Bill Tilden |
6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 3–6, 4–6 |
| 1923 | U.S. Championships | Bill Tilden |
4–6, 1–6, 4–6 |
| 1924 | U.S. Championships | Bill Tilden |
1–6, 7–9, 2–6 |
| 1925 | U.S. Championships | Bill Tilden |
6–4, 9–11, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6 |
Doubles
Titles (3)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| 1915 | U.S. Championships | Clarence Griffin |
Maurice E. McLoughlin Tom Bundy |
2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 1916 | U.S. Championships | Clarence Griffin |
Maurice E. McLoughlin Ward Dawson |
6–4, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 |
| 1920 | U.S. Championships | Clarence Griffin |
Roland Roberts Willis E. Davis |
6–2, 6–2, 6–3 |
Mixed doubles
Titles (1)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| 1921 | U.S. Championships | Mary Browne |
Molla Bjurstedt Mallory Bill Tilden |
3–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
References
- United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 422.
- Ohnsorg, Roger W. Robert Lindley Murray: The Reluctant U.S. Tennis Champion; includes "The First Forty Years of American Tennis". Victoria, BC: Trafford On Demand Pub. pp. 39, 40, 295–298. ISBN 9781426945144.
- Irving C. Wright, ed. (1921). 1921 Wright & Ditson Official Lawn Tennis Guide. Wright & Ditson. pp. 39, 40.
- "Johnston is Again Supreme in Tennis" (PDF). The New York Times. December 21, 1919.
- "Johnston Officially Rated Best Tennis Star" (PDF). Sporting Life, Volume 66 Number 15. December 11, 1915. p. 22.
- Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed. ed.). : New Chapter Press. pp. 457, 458. ISBN 978-0942257700.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help) - "Davis Cup Player Profile – Bill Johnston". ITF. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- "Bill Johnston Dies; Long A Tennis Star". The Milwaukee Journal. May 2, 1946.
External links
Categories:- American male tennis players
- Deaths from tuberculosis
- Infectious disease deaths in California
- Sportspeople from San Francisco, California
- International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees
- Tennis people from California
- United States National champions (tennis)
- Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era)
- 1894 births
- 1946 deaths
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles