Alex Olmedo, 84, Dies; Tennis Star Known for a Remarkable Year - 1 minute read


Alex Olmedo, the Peruvian who dominated the world of international tennis in 1959 when he won the Australian and Wimbledon men’s single championships and reached the final of the United States Nationals at Forest Hills, died on Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 84.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., said the cause was brain cancer. Olmedo was inducted into the hall in 1987.

Olmedo took his first steps toward tennis acclaim at the club in Arequipa, Peru, where his father, Salvador, who oversaw the courts, gave him pointers. He was also guided by Stanley Singer, an American tennis coach working in Peru. He made his major championship debut in 1951 when he was 15, losing in a preliminary round at Forest Hills.

After settling in the Los Angeles area, he was coached at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. Playing for the University of Southern California, he won the N.C.A.A. singles and doubles championships in 1956 and 1958.

Source: New York Times

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