Darlene Hard

Darlene Hard
	Hard (left) congratulates Althea Gibson at the 1957 Wimbledon Singles Championships.
Full name	Darlene Ruth Hard
Country (sports)	United States
Born	January 6, 1936; Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	December 2, 2021 (aged 85); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Turned pro	1965
Plays	Right-handed
Int. Tennis HoF	1973 (member page)
Singles
Career record	498-156 (76.1%)
Career titles	43
Highest ranking	No. 2 (1957)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	QF (1962)
French Open	W (1960)
Wimbledon	F (1957, 1959)
US Open	W (1960, 1961)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	F (1962)
French Open	W (1955, 1957, 1960)
Wimbledon	W (1957, 1959, 1960, 1963)
US Open	W (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	F (1962)
French Open	W (1955, 1961)
Wimbledon	W (1957, 1959, 1960)
US Open	F (1956, 1957, 1961)
Team competitions
Wightman Cup	W (1957, 1959, 1962, 1963)
Medal record
Pan American Games

Darlene Ruth Hard (January 6, 1936 – December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Championships in 1960 and 1961.

With eight different partners, she won a total of 13 women's doubles titles in Grand Slam tournaments, and was the finest doubles player of her generation.[1] Her last doubles title, at the age of 33 at the 1969 US Open, came six years after she had retired from serious competition to become a tennis instructor. She also played the US Open singles tournament in 1969, losing in the second round to Françoise Dürr.

Career

Queen Elizabeth II presents the Wimbledon championship trophy to Althea Gibson as Darlene Hard, at left, looks on (July 6, 1957).

According to Lance Tingay, Hard was ranked among the top 10 in the world from 1957 through 1963, reaching a career high of No. 2 in those rankings in 1957, 1960, and 1961.[2] The Miami Herald ranked her No. 1 for the 1961 season.[3] In 1957, she made her first Wimbledon finals appearance, losing to Althea Gibson.[4]

Hard was included in the year-end top-10 rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1954 through 1963. Charles Friedman wrote in The New York Times that year that "as a doubles player, she has no peer."[5] She was the top-ranked U.S. player from 1960 through 1963.[6] With her younger doubles partner Billie Jean King, she helped the US team to victory in the 1963 Federation Cup.

Hard graduated from Pomona College in 1961,[7] and became the first woman inducted into the college's athletic hall of fame in 1974.[8]

She was part of the American Wightman Cup team that won the trophy against Great Britain in 1957, 1959, 1962 and 1963.[9][4]

In 1964, Hard won the singles title at the South African Championships, defeating Ann Haydon-Jones in the final in straight sets, and soon afterwards turned professional when she became a teaching pro.[9] She later owned two tennis stores.[10]

Hard was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1973.[11]

According to a 2007 published report, she had been working for the University of Southern California since 1981 in the Publications Dept.[10]

Personal life

In later life, Hard lived in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. She worked at the University of Southern California in the Publications Dept. for four decades, aiding in the design and fact-checking of the University Yearbook.[1]

Hard died at the age of 85 on December 2, 2021, from complications after a fall.[1][11][12]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Althea Gibson	3–6, 2–6
Loss	1958	U.S. Championships	Grass	Althea Gibson	6–3, 1–6, 2–6
Loss	1959	Wimbledon	Grass	Maria Bueno	4–6, 3–6
Win	1960	French Championships	Clay	Yola Ramírez	6–3, 6–4
Win	1960	U.S. Championships	Grass	Maria Bueno	6–4, 10–12, 6–4
Win	1961	U.S. Championships	Grass	Ann Haydon	6–3, 6–4
Loss	1962	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Smith	7–9, 4–6

Doubles: 18 (13 titles, 5 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1955	French Championships	Clay	Beverly Baker	Shirley Bloomer Pat Ward	7–5, 6–8, 13–11
Loss	1956	French Championships	Clay	Dorothy Head	Angela Buxton Althea Gibson	8–6, 6–8, 1–6
Win	1957	French Championships	Clay	Shirley Bloomer	Yola Ramírez Rosie Reyes	7–5, 4–6, 7–5
Win	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Althea Gibson	Mary Bevis Hawton Thelma Coyne Long	6–1, 6–2
Loss	1957	U.S. Championships	Grass	Althea Gibson	Louise Brough Margaret Osborne	2–6, 5–7
Win	1958	U.S. Championships	Grass	Jeanne Arth	Maria Bueno Althea Gibson	2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win	1959	Wimbledon	Grass	Jeanne Arth	Beverly Baker Christine Truman	2–6, 6–2, 6–3
Win	1959	U.S. Championships	Grass	Jeanne Arth	Maria Bueno Sally Moore	6–2, 6–3
Win	1960	French Championships	Clay	Maria Bueno	Pat Ward Ann Haydon	6–2, 7–5
Win	1960	Wimbledon	Grass	Maria Bueno	Sandra Reynolds Renée Schuurman	6–4, 6–0
Win	1960	U.S. Championships	Grass	Maria Bueno	Ann Haydon Deidre Catt	6–1, 6–1
Loss	1961	French Championships	Clay	Maria Bueno	Sandra Reynolds Renée Schuurman	default
Win	1961	U.S. Championships	Grass	Lesley Turner	Edda Buding Yola Ramírez	6–4, 5–7, 6–0
Loss	1962	Australian Championships	Grass	Mary Carter Reitano	Robyn Ebbern Margaret Smith	4–6, 4–6
Win	1962	U.S. Championships	Grass	Maria Bueno	Karen Hantze Billie Jean Moffit	4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win	1963	Wimbledon	Grass	Maria Bueno	Robyn Ebbern Margaret Smith	8–6, 9–7
Loss	1963	U.S. Championships	Grass	Maria Bueno	Robyn Ebbern Margaret Smith	6–4, 8–10, 3–6
Win	1969	US Open	Grass	Françoise Dürr	Margaret Court Virginia Wade	0–6, 6–3, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 11 (5 titles, 6 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1955	French Championships	Clay	Gordon Forbes	Jenny Staley Luis Ayala	5–7, 6–1, 6–2
Loss	1956	French Championships	Clay	Bob Howe	Thelma Coyne Long Luis Ayala	6–4, 4–6, 1–6
Loss	1956	U.S. Championships	Grass	Lew Hoad	Margaret Osborne Ken Rosewall	7–9, 1–6
Win	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Mervyn Rose	Althea Gibson Neale Fraser	6–4, 7–5
Loss	1957	U.S. Championships	Grass	Bob Howe	Althea Gibson Kurt Nielsen	3–6, 7–9
Win	1959	Wimbledon	Grass	Rod Laver	Maria Bueno Neale Fraser	6–4, 6–3
Win	1960	Wimbledon	Grass	Rod Laver	Maria Bueno Bob Howe	13–11, 3–6, 8–6
Win	1961	French Championships	Clay	Rod Laver	Vera Suková Jirí Javorský	6–0, 2–6, 6–3
Loss	1961	U.S. Championships	Grass	Dennis Ralston	Margaret Smith Bob Mark	default
Loss	1962	Australian Championships	Grass	Roger Taylor	Lesley Turner Fred Stolle	3–6, 7–9
Loss	1963	Wimbledon	Grass	Bob Hewitt	Margaret Smith Ken Fletcher	9–11, 4–6

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

**Key**
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	DNQ	A	NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Tournament	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964 – 1968	1969	1970	Career SR
Australian Championships	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	A	A	A	A	0 / 1
French Championships	A	A	2R	3R	QF	A	A	W	4R	A	2R	A	A	A	1 / 6
Wimbledon	A	A	SF	3R	F	A	F	QF	A	QF	SF	A	A	A	0 / 7
U.S. Championships/US Open	2R	SF	3R	QF	SF	F	SF	W	W	F	QF	A	2R	2R	2 / 13
Strike rate	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 1	0 / 2	2 / 3	1 / 2	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 1	3 / 27

References

Smith, Harrison (2021-12-08). "Darlene Hard, Tennis Hall of Famer and 'best doubles player of her generation,' dies at 85". The Washington Post.
Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 703. ISBN 978-0-942257-41-0.
"Fullmer, Tittle, Sellers Star, But None Measure Up to Maris". The Miami Herald. 1961-12-28.
"International Tennis Hall of Fame". www.tennisfame.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
Friedman, Charles (1963-12-30). "Darlene Hard Heads U.S. Women's Tennis Rankings Fourth Year in Row; Two California Women Top Lawn Tennis Rankings". The New York Times.
United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H. O. Zimman, Inc. p. 261.
"1960". Pomona College Timeline. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
"Darlene R. Hard". ITA Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
"Darlene Hard…Tribute To A Little Known Great Player". WLM Tennis. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
"Hard is fine far from Centre Court". Los Angeles Times. July 3, 2007.
"Three-time tennis major winner Hard dies at 85". ESPN. 2021-12-04. Archived from the original on 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
Harris, Beth (2021-12-04). "Darlene Hard, 3-time major tennis champion, dies at 85". WDIV-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-12-04.

External links

Darlene Hard at the Women's Tennis Association
Darlene Hard at the International Tennis Federation
Darlene Hard at the Billie Jean King Cup
Darlene Hard at the International Tennis Hall of Fame

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[WaPo-1] Smith, Harrison (2021-12-08). "Darlene Hard, Tennis Hall of Famer and 'best doubles player of her generation,' dies at 85". The Washington Post.

[2] Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 703. ISBN 978-0-942257-41-0.

[heraldno1-3] "Fullmer, Tittle, Sellers Star, But None Measure Up to Maris". The Miami Herald. 1961-12-28.

[:1-4] "International Tennis Hall of Fame". www.tennisfame.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.

[5] Friedman, Charles (1963-12-30). "Darlene Hard Heads U.S. Women's Tennis Rankings Fourth Year in Row; Two California Women Top Lawn Tennis Rankings". The New York Times.

[6] United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H. O. Zimman, Inc. p. 261.

[Pomona_timeline-7] "1960". Pomona College Timeline. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2020.

[ITA-8] "Darlene R. Hard". ITA Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 3 August 2020.

[WLM_Tennis-9] "Darlene Hard…Tribute To A Little Known Great Player". WLM Tennis. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.

[latimes-10] "Hard is fine far from Centre Court". Los Angeles Times. July 3, 2007.

[:0-11] "Three-time tennis major winner Hard dies at 85". ESPN. 2021-12-04. Archived from the original on 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2021-12-04.

[12] Harris, Beth (2021-12-04). "Darlene Hard, 3-time major tennis champion, dies at 85". WDIV-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-12-04.