Английская Википедия:Dragutin Mitić
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Infobox tennis biography
Dragutin Mitić (Шаблон:Lang-sh-Cyrl, Шаблон:IPA-sh;[1][2] 16 September 1917 – 27 August 1986) was a tennis player from Yugoslavia. He defected to the West in 1952 and afterwards lived in the United States.
Early life and family
Dragutin Mitić was born in Zagreb on 16 September 1917.Шаблон:Sfn He was nicknamed Dragec.Шаблон:Sfn His first tennis performance was an instant success. In 1932 he played at the national junior championships and won. At eighteen, he competed in Bled and upset Czechoslovakian Josef Caska with a 13:11, 6:1 score, and brought home the mixed doubles with Hella Kovač. He made his Davis Cup debut in 1936. That same year he traveled to South Africa and, although he didn't return with any major result, gained international experience.Шаблон:Sfn
Tennis career
Mitić played tennis for Zagreb clubs Akademski teniski klub ATK, between 1935 and 1940,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Slavija in 1946,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Dinamo in 1947–48,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Naprijed in 1949,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn and ZTK in 1951.Шаблон:Sfn He played for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Davis Cup team, first at the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, and later the Davis Cup, from 1936 to 1951.Шаблон:Sfn
Mitić's breakthrough year was in 1938 with back-to-back victories over well-established names such as Czechoslovakian Roderich Menzel, French Christian Boussus, and Ignacy Tłoczyński in matches in Alexandria, Cairo, and Beaulieu, respectively. In Nice, he lost to Kho Sin-Kie. He also did well in two big tournaments. At the 1938 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles he dropped out of the Australian Mervyn Weston in four sets, then Argentine Alejo Russell in five, and Brazilian Alcides Procopio in three, losing in the fourth round to Max Ellmer. In the Roland Garros he advanced one more round into the quarterfinals, but there won only one game against Menzel. He booked his first and only Grand Slam title (as it was called in the Open era) in the mixed doubles, where he and Simonne Mathieu rebounded from a one-set disadvantage against Nancye Wynne Bolton and Boussus to achieve their biggest feat.Шаблон:Sfn
In 1939 Mitić made a name for himself on the French Riviera tennis circuit. In Monaco he beat Adam Baworowski, and in Bordighera, the home favorite Giorgio de Stefani, claiming the title in both tournaments. In Cairo he won the mixed doubles with his partner, Billie Yorke.Шаблон:Sfn After World War II he won the first post-war tournament in Budapest, the Hungarian Tennis Championships, from József Asbóth, along with the doubles with partner Josip Pallada, and the mixed doubles.Шаблон:Sfn He also won five consecutive singles titles in the Yugoslavian Nationals from 1946 to 1950.Шаблон:Sfn
In 1947 Mitić repeated his Hungarian success and became a two-time singles champion.Шаблон:Sfn In 1948 he won the Czechoslovakia International doubles tournament with Palada.Шаблон:Sfn In 1950 he was crowned Indian champion in the mixed doubles category, teaming with Patricia Canning Todd.Шаблон:Sfn
Mitić defected to the West together with Milan Branović while competing at the 1952 Italian International Championships.[3]
After his defection in 1952, he lived in New York City, where he opened a tennis center.Шаблон:Sfn
Playing style
According to tennis expert Predrag Briksi: "Mitić had a world-class backhand, sharp and accurate, coherent and well coordinated. He had a very good service and refined volley, strong smash, and the only weak point in his refined game was his above-average forehand shot. The Mitić forehand was slightly weaker because it was regularly struck with the weight of the body on the 'wrong foot'. His on-court reach showed vulnerability when it came to movement. He covered a great range from right to the left side, but he was a little slower relative to his front-back reach. He was excellent at baseline, and just as good at the net when he went volleying".Шаблон:Sfn
Grand Slam finals
Mixed doubles: 1 (1 title)
| Result | Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1938 | French Championships | Шаблон:Flagicon Simonne Mathieu | Шаблон:Flagicon Nancye Wynne Шаблон:Flagicon Christian Boussus |
2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Footnotes
Sources
External links
Шаблон:French Open mixed doubles champions
- Английская Википедия
- 1917 births
- 1986 deaths
- Croatian male tennis players
- French Championships (tennis) champions
- Tennis players from Zagreb
- Yugoslav defectors
- Yugoslav male tennis players
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
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