Рафаэль Осуна: Мексиканың теңнис жұлдызы

Mexican tennis player

Rafael Osuna Herrera (15 September 1938 – 4 June 1969), nicknamed "El Pelón" (The Bald), was a former world No. 1 tennis player, the most successful player in the history of Mexico and an Olympian. He was born in Mexico City, and is best remembered for his singles victory at the U. S. Open Championships in 1963, winning the 1960 and 1963 Wimbledon Doubles championships, the 1962 U. S. Open Championships doubles, and for leading Mexico to its only Davis Cup Final round appearance in 1962. He is the only Mexican to date to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in 1979.

His first successes as an athlete occurred before he was ten years old, when he competed in the open category of the Mexican National Table Tennis Championships. In the course of the tournament, he upset the Mexico City Table Tennis Champion in singles, a feat remarkable both for Osuna's young age and the fact that it was his first tournament. Osuna also won the Doubles Championship, with Alfredo Ramos Uriarte as his partner. From age 10 to 14 he was ranked in the top 10 in Mexico's Open singles in table tennis. He was awarded a full scholarship to attend the University of Southern California (USC) in the US, by Head Coach George Toley, who quickly identified Osuna as a major talent. Toley had to literally reteach Osuna how to play tennis because of his poor technique but, in Toley's own words ¨he moves on the tennis court like a God¨. Osuna participated in the 1960 Wimbledon championships, competing only in the doubles category with Dennis Ralston (soon to be his roommate at school). The two unknown youngsters soon made history, as the first unseeded pair to win the men's doubles at Wimbledon. This victory marked the beginning of Osuna's career and fame. Described as an "agile and cerebral player" who "moves on the tennis court with the grace of a panther" (Tony Mottram), his subsequent achievements include:

He is the only Mexican tennis player ever ranked World No. 1, in 1963, by the International Tennis Federation. He is the only Mexican tennis player ever to win a Grand Slam event singles title, the United States Tennis Association National Championships US Open Singles (1963). He is one of only three Latin Americans to win the US Championships, along with Guillermo Vilas and Juan Martín del Potro. Osuna and Palafox are the only Mexican tennis players ever to win the US Open doubles title, in 1962. In 1962, as the leader of the Mexican Davis Cup Team, Osuna led the team to its only Davis Cup Final to date, and the first ever final reached by a Latin American country. His last victory (two weeks before his death in a plane crash) was an almost single handed defeat of Australia in Davis Cup competition; Osuna won both his singles matches and the doubles. At that time Australia had won the Davis Cup 17 times, and the defeat was considered a major upset. USTA National Hard Courts singles and doubles champion 1962 and doubles champion 1969. Osuna was NCAA singles champion in 1962, doubles champion from 1961 to 1963, and team champion in 1962–63. His U. S. Open victory came against big server Frank Froehling, a dangerous unseeded opponent who had upset top seeded Roy Emerson in the semifinals. Collins describes Osuna's victory as a triumph of tactical play:

He is also remembered by his bold strategy against Bill Bowrey on the 4th match of the Mexico vs Australia Davis Cup tie in 1969. Coming back after the obligatory break after three sets (Osuna leading 2 sets to one), after holding serve on the first game, Osuna hits out, going for the lineas and keeping the ball away from Bowrey on each of all his service returns. While the knowledgeable public interprets this actions as trying to get loose, as the match progresses the public is baffled by Osuna continuing to do so after holding serve. Then, after holding serve and going up 4–3, Osuna changes his manner of play drastically by chipping in his return low to his opponents feet. At this precise moment Bowrey, in the entire 4th set and coming out of the rest period, has not hit one volley after his service motion due to the ¨hitting out¨strategy that Osuna implemented on this set. Bowrey is startled by the change of strategy on the first point. Osuna plays a superb second point to go up 0 30. Being love – 30 gets Bowrey extremely tight and gets broken. Osuna closes the match on his next service game.

Osuna was one of 79 people killed in the crash of Mexicana de Aviación Flight 704 on 4 June 1969 near Monterrey, Nuevo León, "Pico del Fraile", Tres Cerros. He was 30 years old.

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreWin 1963 U. S. National Championships Grass Frank Froehling 7–5, 6–4, 6–2

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1960 Wimbledon Grass Dennis Ralston Mike Davies Bobby Wilson 7–5, 6–3, 10–8Loss 1961 U. S. National Championships Grass Antonio Palafox Chuck McKinley Dennis Ralston 3–6, 4–6, 6–2, 11–13Win 1962 U. S. National Championships Grass Antonio Palafox Chuck McKinley Dennis Ralston 6–4, 10–12, 1–6, 9–7, 6–3Win 1963 Wimbledon Grass Antonio Palafox Jean Claude Barclay Pierre Darmon 4–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–2Loss 1963 U. S. National Championships Grass Antonio Palafox Chuck McKinley Dennis Ralston 7–9, 6–4, 7–5, 3–6, 9–11

Tournament 195819591960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967Australian ChampionshipsAA A A A A A A A A 0 / 0French ChampionshipsAA A A A A4R3R A A 0 / 2WimbledonQ2A3R AQF3RQFQF A2R 0 / 6U. S. National ChampionshipsAA3RSFSFWSFSF3R4R 1 / 8Strike rate0 / 00 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 1 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 2 1 / 16