József Asbóth (Hungarian: [ˈjoːʒɛf ˈɒʒboːt]; 18 September 1917 – 22 September 1986) was a Hungarian tennis player. Born to a family of railway workers,[2] he is best remembered for being the first Hungarian and first player from Eastern Europe to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the 1947 French Open (where as the fifth seed he beat Yvon Petra, Tom Brown and Eric Sturgess).[3] He remains the only Hungarian male player to win a Grand Slam singles title. Asbóth was a clay court specialist who was good at keeping the ball in play.[4] Asbóth also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1948 (beating Sturgess and Brown, then losing to John Bromwich).[5] 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]
Country (sports) | ![]() |
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Born | (1917-09-18)18 September 1917 Szombathely, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary |
Died | 22 September 1986(1986-09-22) (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) |
His Davis Cup record was 24 wins and 17 losses. He won the Hungarian National Tennis Championships 13 times.[6]
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.[7]
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
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Winner | 1947 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() | 8–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
French Open men's singles champions | |
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Amateur Era (international) |
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Open Era |
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Governing body |
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Grand Slam champion male players |
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Grand Slam champion female players |
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Olympic medalist male players |
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Tournaments |
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Teams |
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Wimbledon French Open US Open Australian Open |
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