Joe Hunt

For persons of a similar name, seeJoseph Hunt (disambiguation).

Joe Hunt

Full name	Joseph Raphael Hunt
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1919-02-17)February 17, 1919 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	February 2, 1945(1945-02-02)(aged 25) Daytona Beach, Florida,U.S
Turned pro	1935 (amateur tour)
Retired	1945 (due to death)
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1966(member page)
Singles
Grand Slam singles results
US Open	W(1943)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	F (1939Ch)

Joseph Raphael Hunt(February 17, 1919 – February 2, 1945) was an Americantennisplayer of the late 1930s and early 1940s fromSouthern California.He was the number one ranked American in 1943 and won theUS singles championshipin his final match.He died off the coast ofFloridain an airplane crash during World War II.To date he is the only man to win the U.S. boys' (15 and under), junior (18 and under), collegiate, and men's singles championship.

Tennis career

A graduate ofFairfax High Schoolin Los Angeles,Hunt played college tennis at theUniversity of Southern Californiaas a freshman, and he went undefeated in singles and doubles play while in college during 1938, including theOjai Tennis Tournament.Hunt was very athletic, and he played football for a while. After enlisting, he attended theUnited States Naval Academyand joined theNavy football teamas a running back during the 1940 season.He was given the game ball for the 1940Army–Navy Game.Hunt made the semifinals at the 1939 and 1940United States singles championships.During the 1940 quarterfinals againstFrank Kovacs,he staged a sit-down strike during the match after he complained to the referee about Kovacs' antics and was unhappy with the referee's lack of response.Early in their third set, Kovacs began engaging in prolonged antics with the stadium gallery. When the umpire would not stop Kovacs or quiet the crowd, Hunt sat down on his baseline and did not acknowledge several of Kovacs' serves, allowing them to fly by. Kovacs then sat down on his baseline, and the two players sat for up to five minutes while the crowd alternately jeered and cheered. When order was finally restored, Hunt went on to win the match in straight sets.Hunt represented the United States in the1939 International Lawn Tennis Challenge(nowDavis Cup) challenge round against Australia. He played the doubles match partneringJack Kramerwhich they lost toJohn BromwichandAdrian Quist.

Hunt married Jacque Carolyn Virgil in 1942.

In September 1943, he won the United States singles championship atForest Hillswhile lying on the ground.On match point, Hunt collapsed with legcrampswhile his opponent,Jack Kramer,who due to food poisoning had lost 19 pounds during tournament,hit a return that barely went long. Had it been in, most observers at the time felt that Kramer would have eventually won the match against Hunt. Hunt was unable to obtain leave from the Navy in 1944 in order to defend his title.

He was the U.S. no. 1 in 1943 and world no. 10 in 1939 byGordon Lowe.

Hunt was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Famein 1966.

Pancho Segura,who had lost to Kramer in the semifinals, described Hunt as "a strong guy, big serve and volley, and took to grass, coming from the Southern California concrete".In a 2014 interview Segura added: "He was a very good-looking man with a body likeCharles Atlas.He drew women to his matches. He would have been good for tennis. He was a credit to the game. "

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1943	U.S. National Championships	Grass	Jack Kramer	6–3, 6–8, 10–8, 6–0

Grand Slam tournament 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	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	A	A	A	NH	NH	NH
French Open	A	A	A	A	NH	NH	NH	NH
Wimbledon	A	A	A	A	NH	NH	NH	NH
US Open	3R	QF	QF	SF	SF	A	A	W

Military service and death

Hunt was a graduate from theNaval AcademyatAnnapolis.He became alieutenantin theU.S. Navyduring World War II and served a year on a destroyer in the Pacific and a year in the Atlantic. On February 2, 1945, close to his 26th birthday, Hunt was killed on a routine gunnery training mission offDaytona Beach, Floridawhen the fighter airplane that he was piloting, aGrummanHellcat,went into a spin at an altitude of 10,000 feet from which he failed to recover.

External links

• Joe Huntat theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame
• Joe Huntat theAssociation of Tennis Professionals
• Joe Huntat theInternational Tennis Federation
• Joe Huntat theDavis Cup