József Asbóth
| Country (sports) |
 Hungary |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 September 1917 Szombathely, Austria-Hungary |
| Died |
22 September 1986 (aged 69) München, West Germany |
| Turned pro | 1939 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1957 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (1948, John Olliff)[1] |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | W (1947) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1948) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| French Open | SF (1947) |
József Asbóth (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈjoːʒɛf ɒʃboːt]; Hungarian: Asbóth József; 18 September 1917 – 22 September 1986) was a Hungarian male tennis player. Born in a family of railway workers,[2] he is best remembered for being the first Hungarian tennis and the first player from Eastern Europe to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the 1947 French Open (where he was seeded fifth).[3] As of today, he is still the only Hungarian male player who won a Grand Slam title in singles. Asbóth also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1948.[4] Hungary's Communist government had let him leave the country only after the personal warrant of the Swedish King Gustaf V that Asbóth would return to his homeland and wasn't going to emigrate.[2] In 1941, he was a member of the Hungarian team that won the Central European Cup. Asbóth was ranked World No. 8 by John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph in 1948 (and No. 9 in 1947).[1]
His Davis Cup record was 24 wins and 17 losses and he won the Hungarian National Tennis Championships 13 times.[5]
After his career, he became responsible for the next generation of tennis players at the Belgian Tennis Federation. He later became a trainer in Munich.
In 1993 a street was named after Asbóth in Szombathely, the city where he was born.[6]
Grand Slam finals
Singles (1 title)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1947 | French Championships | Clay | .svg.png){kind=small} Eric Sturgess | 8–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
References
- 1 2 United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 426.
- 1 2 Lass, Gábor (2011-06-29). "A magyar tenisz végvára" [Last resort of Hungarian tennis]. demokrata.hu (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Magyar Demokrata. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ↑ "Men's Grand Slam Title Winners". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ↑ "Asbóth József" (in Hungarian). Hungarian Biographical Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ↑ Árvay, Sándor (2009-01-05). "Bajnokaink" [Our champions] (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Magyar Tenisz Szövetség [Hungarian Tennis Association]. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ↑ "Asbóth József" (in Hungarian). Webpage of the city of Szombathely, Hungary. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
External links
- József Asbóth at the International Tennis Federation
- József Asbóth at the Davis Cup