The Angels –
Álex Olmedo, the Peruvian who won the Wimbledon and Australia titles in 1959 and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, has died. He was 84 years old.
Citing his son, Alejandro Jr., the Hall of Fame reported Thursday that Olmedo passed away from brain cancer on Wednesday.
Alejandro Olmedo was born in Peru in 1936 and moved to the United States when he was a teenager. He studied at the University of Southern California, winning the NCAA singles and doubles championships in 1956 and 1958.
Olmedo contested the Davis Cup with the United States and led the team to win the trophy in 1958, when he also won the United States National Championship in doubles with Ham Richardson. The tournament is now known as the US Open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbJm3X9LeNA
Those titles were followed by the historic 1959 season, in which in addition to beating Rod Laver in the Wimbledon final and capturing the title of the tournament now known as the Australian Open, he played in the final of the United States National Championship.
Back then professional tennis players were not allowed to participate in Grand Slam tournaments. Olmedo turned professional in 1960.
“Alex Olmedo had a humble start, he sacrificed and fought for his dream of a tennis career, in the end he became a champion of majors and a member of the Hall of Fame,” said the president of the Hall of Fame in a statement. Stan Smith. “He was an incredible player and a hero in the Davis Cup. He was a great champion, friend and we will miss him ”.
Olmedo was a tennis instructor for more than 25 years at the Beverly Hills Hotel and had celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, Roberto Duvall and Chevy Chase as students, the Hall of Fame noted.
In addition to Alejandro Jr., he is survived by his daughters Amy and Angela, as well as four grandchildren. He was married to Ann Pierce Olmedo. Details of the burial were not immediately released. (D)
