View source for Alex Olmedo

{{Short description|Peruvian tennis player (1936–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{family name hatnote|Olmedo|Rodríguez|lang=Spanish}}  
{{Infobox tennis biography
| name                              = Alex Olmedo
| image                             = Tenniskampioenschappen in Noordwijk, Alex Olmedo (Amerika), Bestanddeelnr 916-7880.jpg
| caption                           = Alex Olmedo in Noordwijk (the Netherlands), 1964
| fullname                          = Alejandro Olmedo Rodríguez
| country                           = {{PER}}<br/>{{USA}}
| residence                         = 
| birth_date                        = {{Birth date|1936|03|24|mf=yes}}
| birth_place                       = [[Arequipa]], Peru
| death_date                        = {{death date and age|2020|12|09|1936|03|24|mf=yes}}
| death_place                       = [[Los Angeles, California]], US
| height                            = {{height|ft=5|in=10}} 
| college                           = 
| turnedpro                         = 1960
| retired                           = 1977
| plays                             = Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
| careerprizemoney                  = 
| tennishofyear                     = 1987
| tennishofid                       = alex-olmedo
| website                           = 
| singlesrecord                     = 477–420 (53.1%)<ref name="Alex Olmedo: Career match record">{{cite web|title=Alex Olmedo: Career match record|url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player_input_enc=OLMEDO%2C+ALEX&player_input=OLMEDO%2C+ALEX&sub=2#aSubmenu|website=thetennisbase.com|publisher=Tennismem SL}}</ref>
| singlestitles                     = 21<ref name="Alex Olmedo: Career match record">{{cite web|title=Alex Olmedo: Career match record|url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player_input_enc=OLMEDO%2C+ALEX&player_input=OLMEDO%2C+ALEX&sub=2#aSubmenu|website=thetennisbase.com|publisher=Tennismem SL}}</ref>
| highestsinglesranking             = No. 2 (1959<small>, [[Lance Tingay]]</small>)<ref name="USLTAEncyclopedia">United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). ''Official Encyclopedia of Tennis'' (First Edition), p. 427.</ref>
| AustralianOpenresult              = '''W''' ([[1959 Australian Championships – Men's singles|1959]])
| FrenchOpenresult                  = 1R ([[1969 French Open – Men's singles|1969]], [[1972 French Open – Men's singles|1972]])
| Wimbledonresult                   = '''W''' ([[1959 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1959]])
| USOpenresult                      = F ([[1959 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|1959]])
| Othertournaments                  = 
| Promajors              = yes
| USProresult            = '''W''' ([[U.S. Pro Tennis Championships#1960|1960]])
| WembleyProresult       = SF ([[Wembley Championship#1960|1960]], [[Wembley Championship#1963|1963]])
| FrenchProresult        = QF ([[French Pro Championship#1962|1962]], [[French Pro Championship#1964|1964]])
| TOCresult              = 
| doublesrecord                     =
| doublestitles                     =
| highestdoublesranking             =
| AustralianOpenDoublesresult       =
| FrenchOpenDoublesresult           =
| WimbledonDoublesresult            = 
| USOpenDoublesresult               = '''W''' (1958)
| OthertournamentsDoubles           = 
| OlympicsDoublesresult             =
| Mixed                             = yes
| mixedtitles                       =
| mixedrecord                       =
| AustralianOpenMixedresult         =
| FrenchOpenMixedresult             =
| WimbledonMixedresult              =
| USOpenMixedresult                 = F (1958)
| Team = yes
| DavisCupresult = '''W''' ([[1958 Davis Cup|1958]])
}}
'''Alejandro''' "'''Alex'''" '''Olmedo Rodríguez''' (March 24, 1936{{spnd}}December 9, 2020) was a [[tennis]] player from Peru with American citizenship. He was listed by the USTA as a "foreign" player for 1958, but as a U.S. player for 1959.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/usta-history/national/u-s--top-10s---men.html|title=U.S. Top 10s - Men|website=usta.com}}</ref> He helped win the [[Davis Cup]] for the United States in 1958 and was the No. 2 ranked amateur in 1959. Olmedo won two [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Majors]] in 1959 (Australia and Wimbledon) and the [[U.S. Pro Championships]] in 1960, and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

== Biography ==
Although born and raised in Peru, Olmedo moved to [[Southern California]] and was mentored by [[Perry T. Jones]], president of the Southern California Tennis Association<ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Famers – Perry Jones|url=http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/perry-jones|publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame|access-date=July 6, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721031450/http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/perry-jones|archive-date=July 21, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  at the [[Los Angeles Tennis Club|Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC)]]. [[George Toley]] recruited him to play for the [[University of Southern California|University of Southern California (USC)]]. Olmedo graduated with a business degree from USC. While there, he won the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) Singles and Doubles Championships in 1956 and 1958.<ref name=si>{{cite web|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1013916/index.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102055405/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1013916/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |title=Alex Olmedo, Tennis Champion |work=Sports illustrated |date=September 7, 1998 |access-date=July 28, 2009 }}</ref> (In 1957, USC was excluded from NCAA competition due to a financial contribution violation involving the football program which also suspended the tennis team.)

Olmedo was ranked as the world No. 2 in 1959 by Lance Tingay of ''The Daily Telegraph''.<ref name="USLTAEncyclopedia"/>

Perry T. Jones was Davis Cup captain in 1958 and recruited Olmedo from Modesto Junior College to play on the team. He represented the U.S. in [[Davis Cup]] competition in 1958 and 1959, winning in both singles and doubles – achieving all three of the three points required to win the Cup in 1958 (two singles and one doubles). His teammates were [[Ham Richardson]] and [[Barry MacKay (tennis)|Barry MacKay]], when they won the Cup in 1958.<ref name=time>{{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937085,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201082915/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937085,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 1, 2011 |title=Hail to the Chief |publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=January 12, 1959 |access-date=July 28, 2009}}</ref> Although he was not a U.S. citizen, he was technically eligible to represent the U.S. in Davis Cup because he had lived in the country for at least three years (since February 1954) and because Peru, his country of citizenship, did not have a Davis Cup team in those particular years. However, his participation was very controversial. Sports columnist Arthur Dailey at ''The New York Times'' wrote "This would seem to be the saddest day in the history of American tennis. A few more such rousing victories and the prestige of this country in tennis will sink to a new low." At the time, Olmedo, who held a student visa, refused to file for U.S. citizenship, said he was content to remain a Peruvian citizen, and denied he was refusing to apply for U.S. citizenship to avoid being drafted into the military. Still, many Americans "took a dim view of the largest nation in the competition stooping to borrow a little player from Peru to win the Cup".<ref name=Ledger>"While Critics Cry, He Wins", ''Lakeland Ledger'', August 23, 1959, page 19.</ref> Olmedo eventually became a U.S. citizen many years later.<ref name=NYT/>

Olmedo won the [[Australian Open|Australian Championships]] and the [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] singles titles in 1959 and was the runner-up at the 1959 [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Championships]], losing to [[Neale Fraser]], whom he defeated in the Australian Championships earlier that year. At 1959 Wimbledon, he defeated [[Rod Laver]] in 71 minutes 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. Olmedo turned professional in 1960, and that year, won the [[U.S. Pro Tennis Championships|US Pro]] title by beating [[Tony Trabert]] in the final.

Olmedo was inducted into the [[International Tennis Hall of Fame]] in 1987.<ref name=hof>{{cite web |url=http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/alex-olmedo|title=Alejandro Olmedo |publisher=[[International Tennis Hall of Fame]]|access-date=November 17, 2010}}</ref> He spent over 40 years teaching tennis at [[the Beverly Hills Hotel]] in California. His clients included [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Robert Duvall]], and [[Jon Lovitz]].<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Richard |title=Alex Olmedo, 84, Dies; Tennis Star Known for a Remarkable Year |work=The New York Times |date=December 13, 2020 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/sports/tennis/alex-olmedo-dead.html |access-date=19 December 2020}}</ref>

Olmedo's marriage to Ann Olmedo ended in divorce. He had a son Alejandro Jr., two daughters Amy and Angela, and four grand children.<ref name =NYT/> Olmedo died on December 9, 2020, at the age of 84 from cancer in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Joel Drucker |title=Remembering Alex Olmedo, 1936–2020: star player, teacher to the stars |url=https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2020/12/remembering-alex-olmedo-1936-2020-star-player-teacher-stars/92102/ |website=Tennis.com |date=December 10, 2020 |access-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210155129/https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2020/12/remembering-alex-olmedo-1936-2020-star-player-teacher-stars/92102/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=James Buddell |title=Alex Olmedo, 1936-2020 |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/alex-olmedo-december-2020-obituary |publisher=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) |date=December 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Richard|date=2020-12-13|title=Alex Olmedo, 84, Dies; Tennis Star Known for a Remarkable Year|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/sports/tennis/alex-olmedo-dead.html|access-date=2021-12-26|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Grand Slam finals ==
===Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)===
{| class='sortable wikitable' 
!style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:40px"|Year
!style="width:160px"|Championship
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:170px"|Opponent
!style="width:160px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-style="background:#ffc;"
|style="background:#98fb98;"|Winner || 1959 || [[Australian Open|Australian Championships]] || Grass ||  {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Neale Fraser]] ||6–1, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
|-style="background:#cfc;"
|style="background:#98fb98;"|Winner || 1959 || [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] || Grass || {{flagicon|AUS}}  [[Rod Laver]] ||6–4, 6–3, 6–4
|-style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss || 1959 || [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Championships]] || Grass || {{flagicon|AUS}}  [[Neale Fraser]] || 3–6, 7–5, 2–6, 4–6
|}

===Doubles (1 title, 1 runner-up)===
{|class="sortable wikitable" 
!style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:40px"|Year
!style="width:160px"|Championship
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:170px"|Partner
!style="width:170px"|Opponents
!style="width:160px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || 1958 || [[US Open (tennis)|U.S. Championships]] || Grass || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Ham Richardson]] || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Giammalva]] <br>{{flagicon|USA}} [[Barry MacKay (tennis)|Barry MacKay]] || 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 
|-style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss || 1959 || [[US Open (tennis)|U.S. Championships]] || Grass || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Butch Buchholz]] || {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Roy Emerson]] <br> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Neale Fraser]] || 6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 4–6, 5–7 
|}

===Mixed doubles (1 runner-up)===
{|class="sortable wikitable" 
!style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:40px"|Year
!style="width:160px"|Championship 
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:185px"|Partner
!style="width:185px"|Opponents
!style="width:180px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss || 1958 || [[US Open (tennis)|U.S. Championships]] || Grass || {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Maria Bueno]] || {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Neale Fraser]] <br>{{flagicon|USA}} [[Margaret Osborne duPont]] || 3–6, 6–3, 7–9 
|}

==Grand Slam tournament performance timeline==
{{performance key|short=yes|active=no}}

===Singles===
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center;font-size:95%
!Tournament !!1951 !!1952 !!1953 !!1954 !!1955 !!1956 !!1957 !!1958 !!1959 !!1960 !!1961 !!1962 !!1963 !!1964 !!1965 !!1966 !!1967 !!1968 !!1969 !![[1970 Grand Prix (tennis)|1970]] !![[1971 Grand Prix (tennis)|1971]] !![[1972 Grand Prix (tennis)|1972]]!!{{Tooltip| SR | Strike rate}}
|-
| align=left bgcolor=#efefef|[[Australian Open]]
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| bgcolor=lime|[[1959 Australian Championships – Men's singles|'''W''']]
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| bgcolor=#efefef| 1 / 1
|-
| align=left bgcolor=#efefef|[[French Open]]
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1969 French Open – Men's singles|1R]]
| A
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1972 French Open – Men's singles|1R]]
| bgcolor=#efefef| 0 / 2
|-
| align=left bgcolor=#efefef|[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]]
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1957 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1R]]
| A
| bgcolor=lime|[[1959 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|'''W''']]
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1968 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|3R]]
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1969 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1R]]
| A
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1972 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|2R]]
| bgcolor=#efefef| 1 / 5
|-
| align=left bgcolor=#efefef|[[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1951 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|1R]]
| A
| A
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1955 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|2R]]
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1956 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|4R]]
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1957 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|1R]]
| bgcolor=ffebcd|[[1958 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|QF]]
| bgcolor=thistle|[[1959 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|F]]
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1968 US Open – Men's singles|3R]]
| A
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1970 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1971 US Open – Men's singles|1R]]
| bgcolor=afeeee|[[1972 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
| bgcolor=#efefef| 0 / 10
|- style="font-weight:bold; background:#efefef;"
| style=text-align:left|Strike rate
| 0 / 1
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 1
| 0 / 1
| 0 / 2
| 0 / 1
| 2 / 3
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 0
| 0 / 2
| 0 / 2
| 0 / 1
| 0 / 1
| 0 / 3
| {{nowrap|2 / 18}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Tennis Hall of Fame}}
* {{ATP}}
* {{ITF}}
* {{Davis Cup player}}
* {{Wimbledon}}

{{Men's tennis players who won two or more Grand Slam singles titles in one calendar year}}
{{Australian Open men's singles champions}}
{{Wimbledon men's singles champions}}
{{U.S. National Championships Men's doubles champions}}
{{International Tennis Hall of Fame members}}
{{NCAA Division I tennis men's singles champions}}
{{NCAA Division I tennis men's doubles champions}}
<!-- stray text (U.S. Davis Cup Finals Winner 1958) -->

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olmedo, Alex}}
[[Category:American male tennis players]] <!--represented USA without being Amer. citizen-->
[[Category:Australian Championships (tennis) champions]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Arequipa]]
[[Category:Peruvian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Peruvian male tennis players]]
[[Category:International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Tennis players from California]]
[[Category:United States National champions (tennis)]]
[[Category:USC Trojans men's tennis players]]
[[Category:Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era)]]
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles]]
[[Category:Professional tennis players before the Open Era]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century Peruvian sportsmen]]