Tom Brown

Thomas P. Brown Jr. (September 26, 1922 – October 27, 2011) was one of the top amateur tennis players in the world in the 1940s and a consistent winner in veterans' and seniors' competitions. He was the son of Thomas P. Brown, a newspaper correspondent, later public relations director for a railroad, and Hilda Jane Fisher, who became a schoolteacher when Tom was a boy. Though born in Washington, D.C., Tom was considered a San Franciscan all his life, having been brought west by his parents (both Californians) at the age of two.

Biography Tom Brown Jr. got his start playing tennis at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park where on weekends his parents played, and Tom tagged along. He quickly became intrigued with the sport, was soon beating his parents and winning citywide children's championships. He was captain of the tennis teams at both Lowell High School and the University of California-Berkeley.

For one for whom tennis was never the main event in life, he had a successful record in the sport, before devoting himself to a law practice and raising a family. At his best he had wins over top players of his era. As Private First Class Brown won the singles title of the prestigious Pacific Coast Championships in October 1945, the second oldest tennis tournament in the U.S. Brown won it four times, twice in singles, twice in doubles. Then, fresh out of the Army after World War II, he reached the 1946 Wimbledon semifinals, in which he led that year's eventual champion, France's Yvon Petra, by two sets before losing.

In demand as a doubles partner among the world's best, both men and women, Brown, with Jack Kramer, won the 1946 Wimbledon doubles against Australia's Geoff Brown and Dinny Pails. He also won its mixed doubles, teamed with Louise Brough, against Dorothy (Dodo) Bundy and Geoff Brown. The same year, at the French, he played the mixed finals with "Dodo" and reached the semis of the singles (losing to Jaroslav Drobny). At the U.S. Nationals, he reached the singles finals by defeating Fred Kovaleski, Tom Falkenburg, Bitsy Grant, Herbie Flam, Frank Parker and Gardnar Mulloy, then he was defeated by Kramer. In the Wimbledon singles in 1947, Brown beat defending champion Petra and future champion Budge Patty, then lost easily to Kramer in the final. At the French (held after Wimbledon for the last time), he lost in the semifinals to eventual winner Jozsef Asboth, and he was in the doubles finals with Billy Sidwell of Australia. He was ranked World No. 7 for 1946 by Pierre Gillou and for 1947 by both John Olliff and Harry Hopman.

At ages 47 and 48, Brown won the National Men's 45-and-over hard court singles. He also took the U.S. National doubles 45-and-over three times, once with Art Larsen and twice with Tony Trabert. Upon retirement from his law practice, he fully embraced senior tennis, and at the age of 65 in 1987, won the USTA National Grand Slam in the 65-and-over singles, triumphing on hard, clay, grass and indoor surfaces, an almost unique accomplishment in the annals of U.S. veterans’ tennis. In 1988, the International Tennis Federation named him Outstanding Veterans Player in the world.

Brown won numerous national titles as a senior player: 24 singles and 11 doubles, pairing with Bobby Riggs three times and Fred Kovaleski eight times. Brown's last national title was in 1998. In 2007 he published his memoirs titled "As Tom Goes By".

Tom Brown died in Castro Valley, California on October 27, 2011, aged 89.

Grand Slam finals Singles (2 runners-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1946 US National Championships Grass Jack Kramer 7–9, 3–6, 0–6Loss 1947 Wimbledon Grass Jack Kramer 1–6, 3–6, 2–6

Doubles (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Mixed doubles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)