Jack Kramer

Jack Kramer, born in 1921, American tennis player and promoter, one of the top United States tennis players of the 20th century.

John Albert Kramer was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1936 he was the national boys' singles champion and two years later won the national interscholastic championship. In 1939 he was named to the first of many U.S. Davis Cup squads. Kramer led the Davis Cup team to victories over Australia in 1946 and 1947. In those same two years Kramer won the prestigious United States singles championship. His sole British (Wimbledon) championship was won in 1947.

Kramer retired in 1954 to become a full-time tennis promoter. A master of the serve-and-volley game, Kramer is considered one of the dominant players of the pre-Open era (before professionals could enter the major tournaments, a policy that changed in the late 1960s).