Sven Davidson

Sven Viktor Davidson (13 July 1928 – 28 May 2008) was a Swedish tennis player who became the first Swede to win a Grand Slam title when he won the French Championships in 1957, beating Ashley Cooper and Herbert Flam.

Career Davidson also reached the French championships final in the two previous years. In 1955, he lost to Tony Trabert. In 1956, he lost to Lew Hoad. At the 1957 U.S. Championships, Davidson lost in five sets in the semifinals to Mal Anderson. In 1958, Davidson partnered with Ulf Schmidt to win the doubles title at the Wimbledon Championships, defeating the Australian pair Ashley Cooper and Neale Fraser. He played his last Grand Slam event at Wimbledon in 1959.

Davidson reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 2.

Davidson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007. He died in Arcadia on 28 May 2008 as a result of pneumonia.

Grand Slam finals Singles (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Doubles (1 title) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1958 Wimbledon Grass Ulf Schmidt Ashley Cooper Neale Fraser 6–4, 6–4, 8–6

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Singles