Ellsworth H. Vines, Jr.

Biography

Vines attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, where he played on the freshman basketball team.[1]

In the amateur ranks Vines won three Grand Slam tournaments, the Wimbledon Championships in 1932 and the U.S. Championships in 1931 and 1932 and he reached the final of Wimbledon in 1933. He played his first professional tennis match on January 10, 1934 and then became undoubtedly the leading pro player until 1938 (and the World No. 1 or No. 2 in the combined amateur-professional rankings). In 1934 and 1935 he won almost all the great pro events: the two big annual tours in 1934 and 1935 and the major pro tournaments such as Wembley Pro in 1934 and 1935 (and perhaps in 1936 but sources are uncertain), Paris Indoor (not to be confused with the French Professional Championship) in 1934, Southport Pro in 1935 and the French Professional Championship in 1935.

After two years as the undisputed pro king Vines didn't need to enter any pro tournament to claim the World pro champion title: he then retained his crown by just playing and winning three other great annual pro tours from 1936 to 1938 (see Tennis male players statistics). In 1939 Vines lost his world pro crown to Don Budge but narrowly: in their first pro tour against each other, Vines trailed Budge only 17-22. The tour proved that at his best Vines was unbeatable, but also that Budge's consistency would prevail a majority of the time, making the latter the best player of the time. On October 22, Vines won his last great tournament, the United States Pro Championship at Beverly Hills Tennis Club. In May 1940 Vines, 28 years 7 months old, played his last tennis competition. His physical problems, his desire to enjoy family life, his loss of the world crown and above all his increasing passion for golf forced him to retire.

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Riverside County Death Certificate Transcription

Name: Henry Ellsworth Vines, Jr.

DOD/Time: 17 Mar 1994 @ 6:00 pm

Deathplace: Residence

Address: 49-016 Coachella Dr., La Quinta

DOB: 28 Sep 1911

Birthplace: California

Age: 82 yrs

Race/Sex: White Male

Residence: 49-016 Coachella Dr., La Quinta

Yrs in County: 40 yrs

Occupation: Professional Tennis Player

Yrs in Profession: 6 yrs

Employer: Self

Industry: Sports

Education: 14 yrs

Soc. Sec.#: 055-14-8039

Marital Status: Married

Spouse: Julia Verle Low

Father: Henry Ellsworth Vines

Birthplace: New York

Mother: Caroline Roos

Birthplace: New York

Cause of Death: Cardiac Arrest

D/T: Renal Failure

D/T: Nephrosclerosis

Other Condition: Arteriosclerosis

Treated-from: 10/06/1993

Last seen alive: 3/17/1994

Physician: Karl A. Schulz, MD

Address: 39-000 Bob Hope Dr., P-12

City/State: Rancho Mirage, CA

Cremated/Residence: 21 Mar 1994

Funeral Director: FitzHenry

Informant: Julia Vines

Relationship: Wife

Address: P.O. Box 821, La Quinta

Date Filed: 3/18/1994

Book #1994-1 Record # 2643

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