Ronald "Ronnie" Edward Holmberg (born January 27, 1938) is a former American tennis player who competed during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked World No. 7 in 1959 and was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 for nine years. He is currently one of the USTA's select "Master Professionals" and devotes most of his time coaching, participating and directing charity events and clinics and other tennis related projects.
[1][2]
Summary
College
Holmberg won his first tournament at age 12 and won three out of the four possible U.S. National Boys' titles in 1953. He won the Junior Wimbledon title in 1956.
He graduated from Tulane University where he was a three time All-American and won the SEC singles twice and doubles championship three times and the NCAA doubles championship twice.[3][4]
Tennis career
Holmberg won the Junior Wimbledon title in 1956 defeating Rod Laver in the final.
In 1957, he won the Eastern Clay Court Championships defeating Tony Vincent. Holmberg played in several Blue Gray events when it was an individual competition.[5] He won the singles championship in 1959 and captured back-to-back Blue Gray doubles titles in 1957 and 1958.[6][7]
Holmberg reached the 1959 U.S. National Championships (the US Open) Men's Singles semifinals, defeating Dick Savitt in five sets, Butch Buchholz in five sets, and Laver in four sets in the quarterfinals, then lost to Alex Olmedo. He reached the quarterfinals at the 1961 French Open where he lost to Laver.
Holmberg was ranked world No. 8 for 1959 by Ned Potter,[8] No. 4 in the U.S. in 1959 and ranked in the top 10 of U.S. Men's singles for nine years.[9][10]
He was selected to be a playing member of the U.S. Davis Cup Team four times.
After retiring from professional competition in 1971, he became head coach of tennis and squash at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point.
Holmberg continued to be involved in teaching tennis, and he is widely recognized as one of the game's outstanding coaches. He was a member of Tennis Magazine's Instruction Advisory Board, which consisted of the top playing and teaching pros in the game for its duration of 19 years.
Recognition
He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall-of-Fame,[4] the USTA Eastern Tennis Hall-of-Fame, Louisiana Tennis Hall-of-Fame[11] and the USTA Southern Tennis Hall-of-Fame[12] his eighth Hall of Fame
He was a recipient of the USTA “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 1997 for his all-around accomplishment in both playing and teaching and the USTA George Seewagen Award in 1999 for excellence in playing and service to the game.
U.S. National Indoor Doubles Championships, Champion 1961 with Chris Crawford, finalist 1962 with Whitney Reed
Played in several Blue Gray events when it was an individual competition. In 1959, won the singles championship. In 1957 and 1958, captured back-to-back Blue Gray doubles titles.[6][7]
Selected as a playing member to the U.S. Davis Cup Team four times[14]
Ranked in the U.S. "Top Ten" nine times ( 1957 : No 6, 1959 : No 4, 1960 : No 7, 1961 : No 7, 1964 : No 6, 1965 : No 9, 1966 : No 6, 1967 : No 6, 1968 : No 6 )[9][10]
As a member of the “Instruction Advisory Board" of Tennis Magazine for nineteen years he was featured in the "Classic Instruction Series from Tennis Magazine" which included the following three books: "Tennis Strokes & Strategies", "Tennis: How to Play, How to Win", and "Teach Yourself Tennis!"
