Tennis Hall of Famer Tony Trabert Dies at 90; 10-Time Grand Slam Champion

Tony Trabert, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion and five-time Grand Slam doubles champion, died on Wednesday evening, per Steven Wine of the Associated Press. He was 90.

"He was not only a terrific example to us all on how to be a great champion," International Tennis Hall of Fame president Stan Smith said, "but also as a wise coach and mentor, a fair and effective leader, someone who gave back to the sport and an all-around terrific ambassador for tennis."

Tributes for Trabert came pouring in on Thursday:

Trabert ascended to the No. 1 ranking in men's singles in both the 1953 and 1955 seasons. Four of his doubles titles came with partner Vic Seixas. He also served as the captain for the United States Davis Cup team, winning the competition as a player in 1954 and as the captain in 1978 and 1979.

His excellent run between the 1953 and 1955 seasons included 38 singles titles and four singles Grand Slam titles. In 1955 alone, he went 104-5 and won three Grand Slam singles titles, one of the most dominant seasons ever in the history of the sport. 

Trabert told Mark Preston of USTA.com later in his life that the game of tennis had been very good to him:

"It may sound cliche, but I don't know where I'd be without having played tennis. I'd like to think that I'd have figured something out, but I can't imagine anything that would have taken me where I've been.

"The game's been good to me. I haven't made a fortune out of it, but I made a decent living, traveled the world and met all kinds of people. I've gotten an education that you don't get out of books. I've played, by my best count, in 57 countries. For a guy from a lower middle class family on a dead end street in Cincinnati, Ohio, it's been a pretty amazing ride."

After his playing career, he served as a tennis broadcaster for 30 years. He also was the International Tennis Hall of Fame president for 11 years starting in 2001.