John Nogrady (May 7, 1914 – May 21, 2007) was an American male

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player and coach who was active in the 1940s and 1950s and twice reached the final of the

U.S. Pro Tennis Championships The U.S. Pro Tennis Championships (for a period from 1951 to 1962 billed as the Cleveland International Pro or Cleveland World Pro Tennis Championships) was the oldest professional tennis tournament played until its final year of 1999 and is consi ...

Biography

In February 1940 Nogrady participated in his first professional tournament at the Southeastern Pro championships, played on clay courts at Flamingo Park, Miami and defeated four-time winner of the

Vinnie Richards Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player. He was active in the early decades of the 20th century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 as an amateur in 1924 b ...

before being beaten by

Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

winner

Don Budge John Donald Budge (June 13, 1915 – January 26, 2000) was an American tennis player. He is most famous as the first tennis player — male or female — to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year and complete the Grand Slam. Budge was ...

. In 1940 Nogrady took part in the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships for the first time. The tournament was held in September at the Chicago Town and Tennis Club and Nogrady reached the semifinal after victories over Richards and

Karel Koželuh Karel Koželuh (; ; 7 March 1895 – 27 April 1950) was a Czech tennis, association football, and ice hockey player of the 1920s and 1930s. Koželuh became a European ice hockey champion in 1925 and was one of the top-ranked players on the prof ...

. In the semifinal he lost in four sets to

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former World number 1 male tennis player rankings, world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors, including eight Grand Slam (tennis), ...

. He lost again to Perry, this time in straight sets, in the quarterfinal of the 1941 edition and to Budge in the quarterfinal of the 1942 tournament. He reached the final of the

in 1943 and 1944. In 1943 he lost the final to Bruce Barnes in five sets and in 1944 Welby Van Horn defeated him in straight sets. After his active playing career had ended Nogrady became a tennis coach for, among others,

Bill Talbert William Franklin Talbert (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 1999) was an American tennis player and administrator. Tennis career He was ranked in the U.S. top 10 from 1941 to 1954, and he was ranked World No. 3 in 1949 by John Olliff of ''The D ...

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and

Dick Savitt Richard Savitt (March 4, 1927 – January 6, 2023) was an American tennis player. In 1951, at the age of 24, he won both the Australian and Wimbledon men's singles championships. Savitt was mostly ranked world No. 2 the same year behind fellow ...

. Additionally he often trained celebrities including

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

and

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

. Nogrady was inducted into the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1993. He was married to Joyce Nogrady and had four sons. He died in New York on May 21, 2007, at the age 93.

Pro Slam tournaments

Singles: 2 (2 runners-up)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nogrady, John 1914 births 2007 deaths American male tennis players Professional tennis players before the Open Era Tennis players from New York (state) 20th-century American sportsmen