American tennis champion and tennis promoter, a star player in the late 1940s who rivaled Bobby Riggs, Pancho Gonzales and Pancho Segura in the men’s singles ranking. With his lean 6′ 1 frame, Kramer intimidated his opponents with a hard, powerful serve. His career ended in the mid-’50s and Kramer turned to the promotion of the sport around the world.
Kramer was the son of a railroad engineer. When he was a kid, his dad saw the boy’s athletic gifts and encouraged him to pursue a career in sports. At 14, Kramer joined the Junior Development program in California. Catching the attention of tennis pros Dick Skeen and Ellsworth Vines, Kramer took lessons from the men and was offered membership in the Los Angeles Tennis Club. At 15, he challenged and won a tennis match against women’s champion Alice Marble. Kramer won the interscholastic singles and doubles titles while attending Montebello High School in California. He entered the prestigious Forest Hills Tournament but was knocked out of competition in the early rounds in 1938.
Kramer enrolled at USC to begin his college education but dropped out in order to pursue tennis full-time. At 19, he became a member of the Davis Cup team and won the country’s National Double Championship with Ted Schroeder. In 1941, Kramer ranked sixth in the U.S. He went to Rollins College in Florida on a tennis scholarship and went on an exhibition tour in South America. On returning to California, Kramer came down with appendicitis. After he recovered in the hospital, Kramer enlisted into the Coast Guard.
In 1942, Kramer was shipped off to the South Pacific theater in World War II. In 1946, he was discharged as a commander after participating in the Pacific invasions. After the war, Kramer concentrated on his tennis career. By 1947, he was able to push into the top ranks of the game. He won the U.S. Open men’s singles championship in 1946 and 1947. In 1947, he turned professional and won the men’s singles Wimbledon championship in England. From 1952 to 1962, Kramer became a tennis promoter and in 1973, he became the director of the Association of Tennis Players, headquartered in London.
Kramer married his wife Gloria in 1942 before he left on his WW II service. In 1946, the couple had one son, Robert. The former tennis champion died of cancer on September 12, 2009 in Los Angeles. He was age 88
Link to Wikipedia biography