Frank Andrew Parker (born Franciszek Andrzej Pajkowski, January 31, 1916 – July 24, 1997) was an amateur & later professional American male tennis player of Polish immigrant parents who was active in the 1930s and 1940s. He won four Grand Slam singles titles as well as three doubles titles.

Early life Parker was born on January 31, 1916, in Milwaukee as Franciszek Andrzej Pajkowski and had three brothers and a sister. Franciszek changed his name to Frank Parker when the sports announcers couldn't pronounce his Polish name. He learnt to play tennis at age 10, hitting discarded tennis balls at the Milwaukee Town Club. There he was discovered by the club coach Mercer Beasley who noticed his quickness and accuracy. Aged 12, he won his first national title, the boys' indoor championship played at the Seventh Regiment Armory in New York. At age 15, Paikowski become the national boys' champion in singles, defeating Gene Mako in the final, and a year later, at age 16, he won the national junior singles title as well as the men's singles title at the Canadian National Championships. In 1933, when he was 17, he won the singles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, defeating Gene Mako in the final in straight sets. Following success in these championships, Frank earned the nickname "Boy Wonder of Tennis."

Career Parker is one of the few Americans to win both the French Championships (1948, 1949) and the U.S. Championships (1944, 1945).

Parker was 26-5 in six appearances at the Cincinnati Open, reaching four men's singles finals (1932, 1933, 1938 & 1939) before winning the singles title in 1941. Each of his four losses in a singles final in Cincinnati came against a fellow future International Tennis Hall of Famer: George Lott in 1932, Bryan Grant in 1933 and 1939, and Bobby Riggs in 1938.

Writing about Parker in his 1949 autobiography, Bobby Riggs, who had played Parker many times, stated "Parker is a tough man to get past. Equipped with a wonderful all-court game, he plays intently and with classic form. His footwork is marvelous. You never see Frankie hitting the ball from an awkward position."Tennis Is My Racket, by Bobby Riggs, New York, 1949, page 58.

In his autobiography, Jack Kramer wrote "even as a boy (Parker) had this wonderful, slightly overspin forehand drive. Clean and hard. Then for some reason, Frankie's coach, Mercer Beasley, decided to change this stroke into a chop. It was obscene." It impaired his game, particularly in preventing him from getting to the net, and Parker dropped in the rankings. A few years later, he worked hard to regain his original forehand, and according to Kramer, greatly improved his stroke, but it never was as good as it had once been.The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis (1979), Jack Kramer with Frank Deford, page 48 Parker was known for having a "deadpan" persona on court.

Parker took part in the 1968 US Open at the age of 52, becoming the oldest player to compete in the US Open men's singles. He also had the longest span in Grand Slam men's singles history (36 years from his first appearance at the U.S. Championships in 1932 to his last appearance in 1968).

He won the Canadian title in 1932 and again in 1938. He won five U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships and four Eastern Clay Court Championships. He was ranked World No. 1 amateur in 1948 by John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph.

Between 1937 and 1948, Parker took part in seven Davis Cup ties with the U.S. team and won the Davis Cup in 1937 and 1948. He compiled a Davis Cup record of 12 wins and two losses.

In October 1949, Parker signed a one-year contract with Bobby Riggs to become a professional tennis player.

Parker was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1960.

Parker was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1966 and into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Personal life On March 17, 1938, Parker married Audrey Beasley who previously divorced Parker's coach Mercer Beasley. She became his adviser and tailored his tennis wardrobe. His wife died in 1971, and in 1979, Parker retired from his position of salesman for a corrugated box company.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1942 U.S. Championships Grass Ted Schroeder 6–8, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 2–6Win 1944 U.S. Championships Grass William Talbert 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3Win 1945 U.S. Championships Grass William Talbert 14–12, 6–1, 6–2Loss 1947 U.S. Championships Grass Jack Kramer 6–4, 6–2, 1–6, 0–6, 3–6Win 1948 French Championships Clay Jaroslav Drobný 6–4, 7–5, 5–7, 8–6Win 1949 French Championships Clay Budge Patty 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 6–4

Doubles (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1933 U.S. Championships Grass Frank Shields George Lott Lester Stoefen 13–11, 7–9, 7–9, 3–6Win 1943 U.S. Championships Grass Jack Kramer Bill Talbert David Freeman 7–5, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1Loss 1948 U.S. Championships Grass Ted Schroeder Gardnar Mulloy Bill Talbert 6–1, 7–9, 3–6, 6–3, 7–9Win 1949 French Championships Clay Pancho Gonzales Eustace Fannin Eric Sturgess 6–3, 8–6, 5–7, 6–3Win 1949 Wimbledon Grass Pancho Gonzales Gardnar Mulloy Ted Schroeder 6–4, 6–4, 6–2

Performance timeline Parker joined the professional tennis circuit in 1949 and as a consequence was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slams until the start of the Open Era.

(A*) 1-set matches in preliminary rounds. 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962–1967 1968 SR Win %Grand Slam tournaments 4 / 24 86–20 81.1Australian Open A A A A A A A A ANot held A A A ANot eligible0 / 00–0–French Open A A A A A A A ANot held A AWWNot eligible A2 / 212–0100Wimbledon A A A A ASF A ANot held A A4RQFNot eligible A0 / 312–380.0US Open3R3RQF4RSFSF4R4RQFQFFQFWWQFFQFSFNot eligible2R2 / 1962–1778.5Pro Slam tournaments 0 / 9 3–13 18.8U.S. Pro A A A A A A A A A A A ANH A A A A AQFQF5th A A A AQFQFQFQFQFQF A* ANH0 / 93–1318.8French Pro ANH A A A A A ANot held ANH A A A A ANH0 / 00–0–Wembley ProNH NH A A NH A NH ANot held A A A A A NH NH A A A A A A A NH0 / 00–0–Win–loss 2–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 4–1 10–2 2–1 3–1 3–1 3–1 5–1 2–1 5–0 5–0 4–1 6–1 12–2 14–2 1–1 1–6 1–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–14 / 3389–3373.0

Notes

References

Sources Tennis Is My Racket, by Bobby Riggs, New York, 1949 The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis, Jack Kramer with Frank Deford, New York, 1979 How to Play Tennis, by Mercer Beasley, 1935 Frank Parker: Champion in the Golden Age of Tennis, by Cynthia Beardsley, 2002

External links