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{{Short description|Italian tennis player}}
[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09981, Mailand, Vorschlussrunde zum Davis-Cup.jpg|thumb|350px|Giorgio de Stefani (back) against [[Harry Hopman]] (front) during the [[1930 International Lawn Tennis Challenge]] semifinals]]
{{Distinguish|Giorgio De Stefano}}
'''Giorgio de Stefani''' (born February 24, 1904, [[Verona]], [[Italy]] &ndash; died October 22, 1992, [[Rome]], [[Italy]]) was a left-handed tennis player competing for [[Italy]]. The top Italian player five times from 1933 to 1936 and in 1938,<ref name=Federazione>{{cite web|work=federtennis.it|title=i più grandi - Giorgio De Stefani | url =http://www.federtennis.it/IPiuGrandiScheda.asp?scheda=5| accessdate =2009-07-03}}</ref> De Stefani finished runner-up to [[Henri Cochet]] in the singles final of the Amateur [[French Open|French Championships]] of [[Stade Roland Garros|Roland-Garros]] in [[1932 French Championships (tennis)|1932]].<ref name=RG1932>{{cite web|work=fft.fr|title=Roland-Garros 1932 (Grand Slam) - Men's singles| url =http://www.fft.fr/rolandgarros/pdfpalmares/hommes1932_en.pdf| accessdate =2009-07-03}}</ref>
{{Infobox tennis biography
|name = Giorgio de Stefani
|fullname =
|image = Giorgio de Stefani and Wilmer Allison.jpg
|caption = Giorgio de Stefani (left) and [[Wilmer Allison]] (right) during the [[1930 International Lawn Tennis Challenge]] Inter-Zonal Zone final. They hold the record for the most match points saved in a match.
|country = {{ITA}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1904|2|24}}
|birth_place = [[Verona]], [[Italy]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1992|10|22|1904|02|24}}
|death_place = [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|height =
|plays = Ambidextrous (forehand both sides)
|turnedpro = 1920 <small>(amateur tour)</small><ref name="LA84" />
|retired =
|tennishofyear =
|tennishofid =
|highestsinglesranking = No. 6 (1934<small>, [[Literary Digest]]</small>)<ref name="LiteraryDigest">{{cite journal|author=J. Brooks Fenno, Jr.|page=36|journal=[[The Literary Digest]]|date=October 20, 1934|title=Ten at the Top in Tennis|location=New York}}</ref>
|AustralianOpenresult = QF ([[1935 Australian Championships – Men's singles|1935]])
|FrenchOpenresult = F ([[1932 French Championships – Men's singles|1932]])
|Wimbledonresult = 4R ([[1933 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1933]])
|USOpenresult =
|Othertournaments =
|Olympicsresult =
|doublesrecord =
|singlestitles = 85<ref name="LA84-3" />
|doublestitles = 54<ref name="LA84-3" />
|highestdoublesranking =
|currentdoublesranking =
|AustralianOpenDoublesresult = QF ([[1935 Australian Championships#Men's Doubles|1935]])
|FrenchOpenDoublesresult = QF ([[1934 French Championships (tennis)|1934]])<ref name="The Advertiser2" />
|WimbledonDoublesresult = 3R ([[1935 Wimbledon Championships#Men's Doubles|1935]],<ref name="canberratimes">{{cite news
| date = 3 July 1935
| title = Crawford to Meet Perry in Semi Final at Wimbledon
| editor = Arthur Shakespeare
| newspaper =[[The Canberra Times]]
| page = 1
| location = [[Canberra]], [[Australia]]
| publisher = Federal Capital Press of Australia
| editor-link = Arthur Shakespeare
| volume = 9
| issue = 2,435
| access-date = October 8, 2012
| url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2393923
}}</ref> [[1937 Wimbledon Championships#Men's Doubles|1937]])
|USOpenDoublesresult =
|OthertournamentsDoubles =
|WHCCDoublesresult =
|OlympicsDoublesresult =
|Mixed = yes
|mixedrecord =
|mixedtitles =
|AustralianOpenMixedresult = 2R ([[1935 Australian Championships (tennis)|1935]])
|FrenchOpenMixedresult = 3R ([[1932 French Championships (tennis)|1932]])
|WimbledonMixedresult =
|WHCCresult =
|USOpenMixedresult =
|OthertournamentsMixedDoubles =
|OlympicMixedDoublesresult =
}}


'''Giorgio de Stefani''' ({{IPA|it|ˈdʒordʒo de ˈsteːfani}}; 24 February 1904 – 22 October 1992) was an [[ambidextrous]] [[tennis]] player competing for [[Italy]]. In 1934, he was ranked the no. 6 amateur in the world by [[The Literary Digest]] and no. 9 by [[A Wallis Myers]].<ref name="LiteraryDigest"/><ref name="Eveningpost2">{{cite news |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19340914.2.80&srpos=53&e=--1932---1937--10--51--|volume=108|page=9|newspaper=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|The Evening Post]]|issue=65|date=September 14, 1934|title=First tennis ten|location=[[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]]|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> In 1932 he was the second best Italian player, and after the retirement of [[Umberto de Morpurgo]] he was the top Italian player from 1933 to 1936 and in 1938. He was active before [[World War II]], winning 85 singles titles. Apart from being Italian champion, he was the Argentine, Dutch, Libyan and Swiss champion as well. After his tennis career he was elected to the [[International Olympic Committee]] and was also the head of the Italian and the [[International Tennis Federation]] on several occasions.
De Stefani later became a sports official, getting elected in 1951 on the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC), where he campaigned to reintroduce [[tennis at the Summer Olympics]]. He served as chairman of the [[International Tennis Federation|International Lawn Tennis Federation]] (ILTF) in 1956 and 1956, 1962 and 1963, and from 1967 to 1969, and also as president of the Italian Tennis Federation, where he stayed from 1958 to 1969.<ref name=Federazione/>

==Early life==
Giorgio de Stefani was born in Verona in 1904, son of a Minister of Government.<ref name="ubitennis2" /> He learned tennis from his mother on the courts of their family house at [[Lake Garda]].<ref name="LA84-3">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1990/ore268/ore268s.pdf|date=February 1990|title=Giorgio or Olympic loyalty|publisher=[[LA84 Foundation]]|magazine=Olympic Review|author=Donato Martucci|pages=86–87|issue=268|access-date=October 4, 2012|location=[[Los Angeles]], [[United States]]}}</ref> He started his amateur career by competing in and winning the [[Montreux]] tournament in 1920 at the age of 15.<ref name="LA84-3" /> During his student years he won the world university championships in [[Darmstadt]] where he defeated [[Fritz Kuhlmann]] without losing a set.<ref name="tennis&golf20" /> Although he and [[Emanuelle Sertorio]] lost the doubles final to the German student team of Kuhlmann-H. Uthmoller in five sets.<ref name="tennis&golf20">{{cite magazine |editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla Von Kehrling|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00031/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1930_2_016.pdf|volume=II|issue=16|pages=309, 322|magazine=Tennisz és Golf|date=August 30, 1930|title=tennis and golf |location=[[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]|language=hu|access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref> Next year he drafted into the inter-college tennis challenge of [[Villa d'Este]] in 1931 featuring the joint [[Harvard University|Harvard]]-[[Yale University|Yale]] team against the Italian student players where he won one singles match against Robert Ryan and lost one singles against [[Bill Breese]] and two doubles.<ref name="tennis&golf5" /> The Americans defeated the Italians nine rubbers to five.<ref name="tennis&golf5">{{cite magazine |editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla Von Kehrling|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00051/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1931_3_018_19.pdf|volume=18–19|series=III|pages=3–9 |title=Magyarország tenniszbajnokságai|trans-title=Hungarian Championships|magazine=Tennisz és Golf|date=October 1, 1931 |location=[[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]|language=hu|access-date=January 25, 2012}}</ref> At the age of 22 he debuted in the [[Davis Cup]] as a reserve player.<ref name="LA84-3" />

==Tennis career==
;1926–1931
It took him several years to repeat his first feat when in 1926 he won the tournament [[Parc des Eaux Vives]] in [[Geneva]] against Swiss champion [[Charles Aeschlimann]].<ref name="Genève">{{cite news |title=Tennis: Les championnats de Genève |url=https://www.letempsarchives.ch/page/JDG_1926_08_30/4|page=4|work=[[Journal de Genève]]|issue=237|date=1926-08-30|language=fr-CH|access-date=2024-07-14 |via=[[Le Temps Archives]]}}</ref> In 1929 he was a finalist at L.T.C. [[Beaulieu-sur-Mer|Beaulieu]] losing to Italian [[Uberto De Morpurgo]] in four sets.<ref name="PetitNiçois">{{cite journal|title=Tennis sur la Cote D'Azur|trans-title=Tennis at the Cote D'Azur|url=http://www.basesdocumentaires-cg06.fr/archives/ImageZoomViewerPA.php?WDIDDOC=2006043121137261836000&WDVOLUMEID=VOL293&j=24&m=02&a=1929&journal=1|volume=50|issue=55|page=3|journal=Le Petit Niçois|date=February 24, 1929|publisher=City of Nice|location=Nice, France|language=fr|access-date=October 7, 2012}}</ref> At [[Cannes]] he beat [[Benny Berthet]] of France for his first riviera title.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news
|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]
|title = Italian Tennis Champion Beat Berthet In Final, 12-10, 9-7, 2-6, 6-0.
|url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40E16F9395A127A93C2AB178AD85F4D8285F9
|access-date = October 8, 2012
|date = January 1929
}}</ref> He also won the [[Bordighera]] championships against [[Béla von Kehrling]] but the Hungarian took revenge in the doubles final.<ref name="Stampa">{{cite news |editor=Andrea Torre|title=De Stefani vittorioso a Bordighera|trans-title=De Stefani victorious in Bordighera|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,0001/articleid,1154_01_1929_0066_0001_16784603/|volume=63|issue=66|page=4|newspaper=[[La Stampa]]|date=March 17, 1929 |location=[[Turin]], [[Italy]]|language=it|access-date=October 7, 2012}}</ref> In 1930 he faced and lost to [[Bill Tilden]] several times most notably in the [[Nice]] final.<ref name="NYT2">{{cite news
|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]
|title = Tilden Gains Final at Nice, Beats De Stefani, 6-0, 6-4, 6-2
|url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0E10FF3A5D157A93C7A81788D85F448385F9
|access-date = October 8, 2012
|year = 1930
}}</ref> and in the earlier rounds of the [[Italian Open (tennis)|Italian Internationals]].<ref name="NYT3">{{cite news
|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]
|title = Tilden Beats De Stefani; Advances in Italian Championship --Brugnon Conquers Coen.
|url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0711F93C5C157A93C0A9178ED85F448385F9
|access-date = October 8, 2012
|date = May 1930
}}</ref> They also met in the semifinals of the Italian doubles championships Tilden played with [[Wilbur Coen|Coen]], while Stefani chose Count [[Ludwig von Salm-Hoogstraeten]] but Tilden's team prevailed in the end.<ref name="saltlake">{{cite news
|title = Winners in Milan play
|newspaper = [[The Salt Lake Tribune]]
|url = https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune/1930-05-04/page-16/
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|date = May 4, 1930
|page = 16
|issn = 0746-3502
}}</ref> In [[Cannes]] they faced each other two times in a row and Tilden prevailed both times for the Lawn Tennis Club Cannes and New Courts de Cannes titles<ref name="tennis&golf5a">{{cite magazine |editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla von Kehrling|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00019/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1930_2_004.pdf|volume=II|issue=4|magazine=Tennisz és Golf|date=February 22, 1930 |location=Budapest, Hungar]|language=hu|access-date=October 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name="eveningindependent">{{cite news
|title = Tilden wins two Cannes
|newspaper = [[Evening Independent]]
|location = St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
|url = https://newspaperarchive.com/evening-independent/1930-03-24/page-12/
|access-date = October 21, 2012
|date = March 24, 1930
|page = 12
}}</ref> At his third consecutive Cannes final de Stefani beat [[Hermann Artens|Hermann von Artens]] for the Carlton L. T. C title.<ref name="tennis&golf5a" /> In 1931 he became Libyan Champion by beating fellow countryman [[Alberto Del Bono]] in the [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] final and won the doubles title partnering with him. They'd also won the [[Tennis Napoli Cup|Campionato Partenopeo]] doubles title.<ref name="tennis&golf2">{{cite journal|editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla von Kehrling|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00045/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1931_3_010.pdf|issue=10|volume=III|pages=22–23|journal=Tennisz és Golf|date=May 15, 1931 |location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=February 7, 2012}}</ref> In September he claimed his second Montreux trophy.<ref name="tennis&golf3">{{cite magazine |editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla von Kehrling|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00052/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1931_3_020.pdf|volume=20|series=III|pages=16–17|magazine=Tennisz és Golf|date=November 1, 1931 |location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=February 10, 2012}}</ref>
;1932–1937
In 1932 he reached the semifinals of the [[Los Angeles Open (tennis)|Pacific Southwest Tournament]] as the honorary member of the [[Italy at the 1932 Summer Olympics|Italian Olympic team]].<ref name="LA84" /> In doubles he and [[Ellsworth Vines]] fell to [[Gene Mako]] and [[Takeo Kubawara]] in the final.<ref name="BrisbaneCourier">{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1689863|volume=87|page=6|newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail|The Brisbane Courier]]|issue=23,288|date=19 September 1932|title=Play at Los Angeles|location=Brisbane, Australia|access-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> The same year he won the doubles title at the [[Italian Open (tennis)|Italian Internationals]] partnering [[Pat Hughes (tennis)|Pat Hughes]].<ref name="vanguard">{{cite news
| date = May 3, 1932
| title = Tenis
| trans-title=Tennis
| newspaper =[[La Vanguardia]]
| page = 16
| location = Barcelona, Spain
| language = es
| access-date = February 16, 2012
| url = http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1932/05/03/pagina-16/33192531/pdf.html
}}</ref> and also won the Cannes L.T.C. doubles title.<ref name="tennis&golf" /> He was a contender for the [[Cannes]] singles title as well but the match against [[Ignacy Tłoczyński]] remained unplayed, although their follow up match for the cup of the Nizza L.T.C was finished with De Stefani victorious.<ref name="tennis&golf" /> All these achievements earned him the second spot on the top Italian tennis players' list.<ref name="tennis&golf">{{cite magazine |editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla von Kehrling|title=Tennisz és Golf|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00057/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1932_4_003.pdf|volume=3|series=IV|page=41|magazine=Tennisz és Golf|year=1932|location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=24 January 2012}}</ref> In 1933 he was a challenger for another Montreux title but finished second against [[Gottfried von Cramm]] but <ref name="Nieuwsblad">{{cite news|editor=J. Von Straten |url=https://www.hetutrechtsarchief.nl/collectie/kranten/un/1933/0926 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121114134503/http://www.hetutrechtsarchief.nl/collectie/kranten/un/1933/0926 |volume=41 |archive-date=November 14, 2012 |newspaper=[[Utrechts Nieuwsblad]] |issue=126 |date=September 26, 1933 |title=Utrechts Nieuwsblad dinsdag 26 september 1933 |location=Utrecht, Netherlands |language=nl |access-date=October 15, 2012 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> did win the doubles trophy against the German duo Cramm-Lund.<ref name="Handelsblad2">{{cite news|editor=Alexander Heldring|url=http://resources3.kb.nl/010660000/pdf/DDD_010663652.pdf|volume=106|page=16|newspaper=[[Algemeen Handelsblad]]|issue=34,708|date=September 25, 1933|title=Toernooi te Territet|trans-title=Territet tournament|location=Amsterdam, Netherlands|language=nl|access-date=October 15, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The following years he clinched and defended successfully the upcoming Dutch Championships four consecutive times, first in 1933,<ref name="Handelsblad" /> then in 1934,<ref name="Handelsblad">{{cite news|editor=Alexander Heldring|url=http://resources3.kb.nl/010660000/pdf/DDD_010662001.pdf|volume=107|page=2|newspaper=[[Algemeen Handelsblad]]|issue=34996|date=July 15, 1934|title=Artens en De Stefani in den eindstrijd|trans-title=Artens and De Stefani in the final|location=Amsterdam, Netherlands|language=nl|access-date=October 4, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 1935<ref name="Courier-Mail">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36744277?searchTerm=%22Noordwijk%22&searchLimits=|page=14|newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]]|issue=586|date=July 16, 1935|title=Dutch Championships|location=Brisbane, Australia|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> and 1936.<ref name="Straits">{{cite news |agency=[[Reuters]] |url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19360713.2.81.aspx|page=14|newspaper=[[The Straits Times]]|date=July 13, 1936|title=Kho Sin Kie Beaten in Dutch final|location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> In 1934 he was the finalist for both singles and doubles at the [[Italian Open (tennis)|Italian Internationals]] losing both times to Davis Cup teammate [[Giovanni Palmieri (tennis)|Giovanni Palmieri]].<ref name="Vaderland">{{cite news |editor=De Lang|url=http://resources2.kb.nl/010015000/pdf/DDD_010015356.pdf|newspaper=Het Vaderland|date= May 15, 1934|location=Beetsterzwaag, Netherlands|language=nl|access-date=October 8, 2012}}{{dead link|date=July 2019}}</ref> and he also reached the same result in the [[Monte-Carlo Masters|Monte Carlo Championships]].<ref name="tennisitaliano">{{cite web|author=Filippo Melzi d'Eril|work=tennisitaliano.it|url=http://www.tennisitaliano.it/1934-de-stefani-sfida-perry|date=May 10, 1937|title=1934 - De Stefani sfida Perry|trans-title=1934 - De Stefani challenges Perry|publisher=Edisport|location=Pero, Lombardy, Italy|language=it|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> In 1935 he was crowned Argentine champion after clinching the International tournament in [[Buenos Aires]].<ref name="Stammers">{{cite magazine
|author = Kay Stammers
|author2=WM. Lyon Phelps |author3=Paul Kearney
|title = Tennis - Ambassador of sports
|magazine=The Rotarian
|location = Evanston, Illinois
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=e0EEAAAAMBAJ
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|date = May 1939
|issn = 0035-838X
|page = 13
|volume =54
|issue = 5
}}</ref> In 1937 he was a runner-up for the Cairo International Championships only losing to [[Henner Henkel]] in straight sets.<ref name="Eveningpost">{{cite news |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19370323.2.198&cl=search&srpos=15&e=--1932---1937--10--11--|volume=123|page=22|newspaper=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|The Evening Post]]|issue=69|date=23 March 1937|title=Cairo tennis finals|location=Wellington, New Zealand|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref>
;Overall
He represented his country in the [[Italy Davis Cup team]] in 1927 and kept being drafted until the outbreak of [[World War II]]. In the Cup he compiled a 44/22 (66%) winning record. His most successful year was in the [[1930 International Lawn Tennis Challenge]], where they reached the Inter-Zonal Zone round of the tournament.<ref name="LA84-3" /> In that final match against the [[United States Davis Cup team]] he and [[Wilmer Allison]] set and still hold the record for the most match points saved in a match with De Stefani losing after failing to convert 18 match balls.<ref name="espn">{{cite web|work=espn.co.uk|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/onthisday/sport/story/215.html|title=On this day|publisher=[[ESPN Inc.|ESPN EMEA Ltd]]|location=Bristol, Connecticut, United States|access-date=October 6, 2012}}</ref>

He was the top Italian player five times from 1933 to 1936 and in 1938.<ref name="fit2">{{cite web
|url = http://www.federtennis.it/IPiuGrandiScheda.asp?scheda=5
|title = i più grandi - Giorgio de Stefani
|publisher = Federazione Italiana Tennis (Italian Tennis Federation)
|language = it
|trans-title = The greatest - Giorgio de Stefani
|location = Rome, Italy
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110722033448/http://www.federtennis.it/IPiuGrandiScheda.asp?scheda=5
|archive-date = July 22, 2011
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> He was No. 8 in Europe in 1931 according to the ''Züricher Sport'' newspaper<ref>{{cite magazine |editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla von Kehrling|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00051/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1931_3_018_19.pdf|volume=18–19|series=III|page=377|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|magazine=Tennisz és Golf|date=October 1, 1931 |location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=January 25, 2012}}</ref> and reached the same rank in 1935 on the list of [[Heinrich Kleinschroth]], a former German champion and Davis Cup player.<ref name="Nieuwsblad2">{{cite news |url=http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010743383:mpeg21:a0062|page=3|newspaper=[[Leeuwarder Nieuwsblad]]|issue=8,259|date=November 14, 1935|title=Een Europeesche ranglijst|trans-title=A European ranking list|location=Leeuwarden, Netherlands|language=nl|access-date=March 22, 2017}}</ref>

De Stefani finished runner-up to [[Henri Cochet]] in the singles final of the Amateur [[French Open|French Championships]] of [[Stade Roland Garros|Roland-Garros]] in [[1932 French Championships (tennis)|1932]].<ref name=RG1932>{{cite web|work=fft.fr|title=Roland-Garros 1932 (Grand Slam) - Men's singles|url=http://ww2.fft.fr/rolandgarros/pdfpalmares/hommes1932_en.pdf|access-date=2009-07-03|archive-date=2013-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801111256/http://ww2.fft.fr/rolandgarros/pdfpalmares/hommes1932_en.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During his 30-year career he won 150 tournaments including the Italian national championships in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.<ref name="medagliedoro">{{cite web|url=http://www.medagliedoro.org/atleta/giorgio-de-stefani|work=medagliedoro.org|title=Giorgio de 'Stefani|publisher=[[CONI|AMOVA.org]]|location=Rome, Italy|language=it|access-date=October 7, 2012}}</ref>

===Rivalry with Fred Perry===
British [[Fred Perry]] and De Stefani met several times in their careers. Their first meeting was in the [[1931 French Championships – Men's singles|1931 French Championships fourth round]], where Stefani overcame Perry in four sets.<ref name="francetennis">{{cite web|url=http://ww2.fft.fr/rolandgarros/pdfpalmares/hommes1931_en.pdf|year=2006|title=Roland-Garros 1931 (Grand Slam) - Men singles|publisher=[[Fédération Française de Tennis]]|work=fft.fr|access-date=October 8, 2012|location=Paris, France|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014740/http://ww2.fft.fr/rolandgarros/pdfpalmares/hommes1931_en.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In their [[Los Angeles Open (tennis)|1932 Pacific Southwest Tournament semifinals]] rematch Perry equalized their tally and went on to face [[Jiro Sato]] for the title.<ref name="sanmateo">{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/san-mateo-times/1932-09-24/page-8/|page=8|newspaper=[[San Mateo County Times#San Mateo Times|San Mateo Times]]|date=September 24, 1932|title=Satoh vs Perry For Coast Title |location=San Mateo County, California |access-date=October 8, 2012}}</ref> In their third encounter in the [[1933 International Lawn Tennis Challenge]] where [[Great Britain Davis Cup team|Great Britain]] defeated Italy with Stefani winning the only rubber of that quarterfinal.<ref name="daviscup">{{cite web
| url = http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=10003628
| website= Daviscup.com
| author-link = Davis Cup
| title = Tie Details
| publisher = [[International Tennis Federation]]
| location = London, Great Britain
| access-date = October 8, 2012
}}</ref> Their most controversial match came in the [[1934 French Championships – Men's singles|1934 French Championships quarterfinal]]
where Stefani led two sets to one with Perry leading in the fourth to force a deciding set, when the Briton fell awkwardly while running to the net and hurt his ankle.<ref name="The Advertiser2">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47562249|volume=76|page=10|newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]]|issue=23,601|date=May 31, 1934|title=Perry beaten |location=Adelaide, Australia|access-date=October 8, 2012}}</ref> Subsequently Perry tried fix the match with Stefani. He wanted to lose as a noble thus offering his Italian opponent "an honourable victory" if they avoid long, wide rallies that would damage his ankle more.<ref name="independent" /> According to Perry it was Stefani who rushed to help him up when this happened. Subsequently Stefani turned and took the fourth and final set,<ref name="independent">{{cite news |editor=Charles Wilson|editor-link=Charles Wilson (journalist)|author=John Roberts|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries--fred-perry-1571294.html|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=3 February 1995|title=obituaries : Fred Perry |location=London, United Kingdom|access-date=October 8, 2012}}</ref> but Perry recalled it as a gentleman affair, where Stefani stuck to their plan all the time.<ref name="Sydneymh2">{{cite news
| date = December 14, 1935
| title = De Stefani ; gentleman player
| author = F. J. Perry
| newspaper =[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]
| author-link = Fred Perry
| page = 10
| volume = 104
| issue = 30,249
| access-date = October 8, 2012
| url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17110296
}}</ref> Right after the match Perry collapsed and had to be carried to the dressing room where the doctors diagnosed him with a sprained ankle.<ref name="The Advertiser2" /> Although Perry swore to take revenge on him the next time they play again.<ref name="independent" /><ref name="scrippsnews">{{cite news|author=John Lindsay|url=http://scrippsnews.com/node/24788|work=[[ScrippsNews]]|date=June 28, 2007|title=On-court decorum to return|agency=Scripps Howard News Service|location=Cincinnati, Ohio, United States|access-date=October 14, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Thus in return, on their next match-up in the [[1935 Australian Championships – Men's singles|quarterfinal of the Australian Championships]] in Melbourne Perry crushed the Italian, ruining his best oversees result and giving him the biggest loss of his life with a score of 6–0, 6–0, 6–0.<ref name="independent" /><ref name="scrippsnews" /> He also stopped him in the doubles contest quarterfinals as well with a straight sets victory.<ref name="austennis">{{cite web|url=http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/history/draws/1935_MD_Q.html|title=1935 Men's Doubles|publisher=[[Tennis Australia]] |access-date=October 8, 2012|location=Melbourne, Australia}}</ref> Perry stated later that "That determination was part of my character".<ref name="independent" /> Three years later [[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Glasgow Herald]] described their relationship as Stefani being the [[Hoodoo (folk magic)|hoodoo]] to Perry's career.<ref name="GlasgowHerald">{{cite news|editor=Robert Bruce|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19380510&id=-UFAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3979,1600152|volume=156|page=17|newspaper= [[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Glasgow Herald]]|issue=111|date= May 10, 1938|title=Lawn tennis world |location=Glasgow, United Kingdom|access-date=October 18, 2012}}</ref> Perry eventually went on to become the 1934 world amateur number one. Perry turned pro after the 1936 season, while de Stefani got more and more involved in sports diplomacy.

==Hiatus during the second World War==
After the outbreak of the war tennis tournaments and sport in general were neglected.<ref name="LA84" /> As an attempt to reorganize the Italian sports life count [[Alberto Bonacossa]]<ref name="LA84" /> offered him the position of Regent of the Presidential Committee of tennis, which Stefani accepted and held in 1943, however as Italy's war involvement escalated, it forced him to leave his office.<ref name="ficr">{{cite web|url=http://ficr.it/?1209|title=La storia della FIT|trans-title=History of the Italian Tennis Federation|publisher=Federazione Italiana Cronometristi|location=[[Rome]], [[Italy]]|language=it|work=ficr.it|access-date=October 10, 2012}}</ref> He fled from [[Rome]] and joined the [[Italian resistance movement]] of [[Breuil-Cervinia]].<ref name="LA84" /> He surrendered to General [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Harold Alexander]] with the aid of the partisans, who helped him to make contact with the English forces.<ref name="LA84" /> He was transferred to the [[Montreux]] internment camp thereafter.<ref name="LA84" /> Fortunately the Mayor of Montreux heard news about his presence and pleaded for him to be released to a hospital.<ref name="LA84">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1990/ore275/ore275w.pdf |date=September–October 1990|title=Giorgio de Stefani, the guardian|publisher=[[LA84 Foundation]]|magazine=Olympic Review|author=Donato Martucci|issue=275–276|pages=450–452|access-date=October 4, 2012|location=[[Los Angeles]], [[United States]]}}</ref>

==Sports diplomat career==
{{Infobox officeholder
| name =
| image =
| imagesize =
| smallimage =
| office = 8th President of the Federazione Italiana Tennis.<ref name="fit">{{cite web
|url = http://www.federtennis.it/IlTennisInItaliaPresidenti.asp
|title = I presidenti
|publisher = Federazione Italiana Tennis (Italian Tennis Federation)
|language = it
|trans-title = Presidents
|location = [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170220171321/http://www.federtennis.it/IlTennisInItaliaPresidenti.asp
|archive-date = February 20, 2017
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>
| term_start = 1958
| term_end = 1969
| predecessor = Aldo Tolusso
| successor = Luigi Orsini
| office2 = President of the [[International Tennis Federation]].<ref name="mtf">{{cite web
|url = http://www.maltatennisfederation.com/downloads/itf_m&a.pdf
|title = Presidents
|publisher = Malta Tennis Federation
|pages = 78–79
|location = [[Valletta]], [[Malta]]
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141222070437/http://www.maltatennisfederation.com/downloads/itf_m%26a.pdf
|archive-date = December 22, 2014
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>
| term_start2 = 1955
| term_end2 = 1956
| predecessor2 = Russell Kingman
| successor2 = Roy Youdale
| term_start3 = 1962
| term_end3 = 1963
| predecessor3 = Roy Youdale
| successor3 = Eaton Griffith
| term_start4 = 1967
| term_end4 = 1969
| predecessor4 = Paulo da Silva Costa
| successor4 = B A Barnett
| relations = [[Alberto De Stefani]] (uncle)
| spouse = Maria Carolina di Marchesi Spinola
| children = Emanuele de Stefani (22 December 1958).<ref name="geneall">{{cite web|url=http://www.geneall.net/I/per_page.php?id=164468|title=Giorgio de Stefani|publisher=geneall.net|access-date=October 10, 2012}}</ref>
| alma_mater = [[Sapienza University of Rome|University of Rome]]
| profession = [[Lawyer]]
| signature = Giorgio de Stefani signature.jpg
}}
De Stefani later became a sports official, was invited and elected in August 1951 on the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC).<ref name="LA84" /><ref name=Federazione>{{cite web| work =federtennis.it| title =i più grandi - Giorgio de Stefani| url =http://www.federtennis.it/IPiuGrandiScheda.asp?scheda=5| access-date =July 3, 2009| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110722033448/http://www.federtennis.it/IPiuGrandiScheda.asp?scheda=5| archive-date =July 22, 2011| url-status =dead}}</ref> In 1966 he initiated the reintroduction of [[tennis at the Summer Olympics]] at the IOC meeting in [[Melbourne]] and eventually succeeded when eleven votes had been discarded. The President of the IOC, oppositional [[Avery Brundage]] protested to the outcome and demanded a new voting process due to fabricated technical errors made in the previous one. In the end the initiative was rejected and tennis was only readmitted to the Olympics in 1988.<ref name="ubitennis">{{cite web
| url = http://www.ubitennis.com/sport/tennis/2012/07/16/744793-wimbledon_sull_erba_roger_stavolta_gioca_medaglia_clerici_errani_regina_palermo_quarto_torneo_martucci_errani_vince_palermo_centra_poker_storico_giorni.shtml
| title = Wimbledon, sull'erba di Roger stavolta si gioca per una medaglia (Clerici), Errani regina di Palermo. E' il quarto torneo (Martucci), La Errani vince a Palermo e centra un poker storico (Giorni)
| author = Gianni Clerici
|author2=Vincent Martucci |author3=Alberto Giorno
| date = July 16, 2012
| publisher = Monrif Net
| language = it
|trans-title=Wimbledon is played on grass, it's Roger's time for a medal, Errani queen of Palermo, her fourth tournament, Errani wins in Palermo and hits a poker history
| location = Bologna, Italy
| access-date = October 4, 2012
}}</ref> In 1967 when he was the president of the [[International Tennis Federation|International Lawn Tennis Federation]] (ILTF) in the debate on the status of Open tennis tournaments, especially accepting Wimbledon as an official Open Grand Slam he sided with the ban of the said tournament threatening the [[Lawn Tennis Association]] of getting expelled from the Federation and having its championships cancelled.<ref name="Spokane">{{cite news|agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19671006&id=9GZYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2vcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6675,1811197|volume=82|page=54|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review|Spokane Daily Chronicle]]|issue=14|date=October 6, 1967|title=British group plan gamble in Wimbledon |location=[[Spokane, Washington]] |access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> The next year he opposed to allow professionals to enter into the [[Davis Cup]] competitions.<ref name="TheAge">{{cite news |author=Tony Kennedy|editor=Graham Perkin|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19680627&id=XBdVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fJMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2596,5066644|volume=114|page=17|newspaper=[[The Age]]|date=June 27, 1967|title=Feeling against pros. for cup |location=[[Melbourne]], [[Australia]]|issn=0312-6307|access-date=October 13, 2012}}</ref> Allegedly he even convinced Italian number one [[Nicola Pietrangeli]] with financial means to devote himself exclusively to amateur tennis and never turn professional.<ref name="Fein">{{cite book
|author = Paul Fein
|title = Tennis Confidential: Today's Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies
|publisher = Potomac Books
|location = [[Dulles, Virginia]]
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4x3fQ920EUMC
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|year = 2003
|isbn = 9781574885262
|page = 236
}}</ref> He was also an abolitionist for the challenge round in [[Davis Cup]] and the choice of field by the finalists but failed to succeed in these issues.<ref name="ubitennis2">{{cite web
| url = http://www.ubitennis.com/sport/tennis/2012/07/19/647822-tennista_gentiluomo.shtml
| title = Tennista e gentiluomo
| author = Enos Mantoani
| author2=Mario Pescante
| date = July 19, 2012
| publisher = Monrif Net
| language = it
|trans-title=Tennis player and a Gentleman
| location = Bologna, Italy
| access-date = October 10, 2012
}} (review of "Giorgio de' Stefani: il gentleman con la racchetta" by Francesca Paoletti, {{ISBN|8890170719}})</ref>

He served as chairman of the ILTF in 1955 and 1956, 1962 and 1963, and from 1967 to 1969, and also as president of the Italian Tennis Federation, where he stayed from 1958 to 1969.<ref name=Federazione/>

==Playing style==
Giorgio de Stefani was an ambidextrous player, which allowed him to switch his racquet from one hand to another to always return a forehand shot.<ref name="Petersburg" /> As a result, he didn't have a backhand stroke.<ref name="LA84-3" /> He was thus unpredictable and even players failed to recognize this trick sometimes even for multiple sets. He could also benefit from this ability in serving when he was able to easily change the serve direction.<ref name="Petersburg">{{cite news |author="Red" McDonald|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19370724&id=lB5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Qk0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6802,2588338|volume=53|page=6|newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]|issue=364|date=July 24, 1937|title=Just between us |location=[[St. Petersburg, Florida]] |access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> He asked for a permission to use two racquets simultaneously, one in each hand, but it was officially banned in 1931 by the ILTF.<ref name="Conner">{{cite book
|author = Floyd Conner
|title = Tennis's Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Baseline Blunders, Clay Court Wonders, and Lucky Lobs
|publisher = Potomac Books
|location = [[Dulles, Virginia]]
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Szv5Pnl58-QC
|access-date = October 4, 2012
|year = 2002
|isbn = 9781612340456
|chapter = Balls and racquets
}}</ref> Although when playing golf his preferred shot was with his right hand<ref name="Sydneymh" /> as well as while serving.<ref name="Sydneymh2" /> In one of his articles written to ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', [[Fred Perry]] described Stefani as a "freak player" and his style as unorthodox and that he lacks the beauty of shot execution of those as [[Bunny Austin]] and [[Jack Crawford (tennis)|Jack Crawford]].<ref name="Sydneymh">{{cite news
| date = January 14, 1935
| title = Freak players
| author = F. J. Perry
| newspaper =[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]
| location = [[Sydney]], [[Australia]]
| author-link = Fred Perry
| page = 8
| volume = 104
| issue = 30,274
| access-date = October 8, 2012
| url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17127410
}}</ref> He further described his service and his volleying as weak, his physique as medium and his condition well enough to be able to run around the whole match. Thanks to his ambidextrous nature he possessed good passing shot skills. His forehands were solid but they lacked pace although his right hand was somewhat more accurate. Stefani was a hard court specialist accommodated to hot weather.<ref name="Sydneymh2" />

==Personal life==
Apart from playing amateur tennis he was a devoted mountain-climber<ref name="LA84" /> and occasional golfer.<ref name="Sydneymh" /> He served his voluntary military service in 1930.<ref>{{cite magazine |editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla Von Kehrling|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00034/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1930_2_019_20.pdf|volume=19-20|series=II|page=375|magazine=Tennisz és Golf|date=22 October 1930 |location=[[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]|language=hu|access-date=October 7, 2012}}</ref> His uncle was the politician [[Alberto De Stefani]], who was the Minister of Finance, but was removed by [[Benito Mussolini]] due to their ideological differences.<ref name="LA84" /> Giorgio was awarded the title Knight of the [[Order of the Crown of Italy]] for his sports achievements.<ref name="The Advertiser">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article35026515|volume=77|page=5|newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]]|issue=23,773|date=18 December 1934|title=De Stefani And Menzel In Adelaide |location=[[Adelaide]], [[Australia]]|access-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref> He graduated at the [[Sapienza University of Rome|University of Rome]] earning a doctorate in law.<ref name="The Advertiser" /> In 1956 he married Maria Carolina di Marchesi Spinola.<ref name="LA84-2">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1956/BDCE56/BDCE56s.pdf|date=October 1956|title=The Olympic Family|publisher=[[LA84 Foundation]]|magazine=Bulletin du Comité International Olympique (Olympic Review)|issue=56|page=50|access-date=2012-10-04|location=[[Los Angeles]], [[United States]]}}</ref> His first child died.<ref name="Guttmann">{{cite book
|author = Allen Guttmann
|title = The Games Must Go on: Avery Brundage and the Olympic Movement
|publisher = [[Columbia University Press]]
|location = [[Dulles, Virginia]], United States
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nA3g4BDCVrUC
|access-date = October 8, 2012
|year = 1984
|isbn = 9780231054447
|chapter = Apostle of amateurism
|page = 112
}}</ref> In his retirement years he received the "Atleti Azzuri" Trophy for his sports merits.<ref name="LA84-3" />


==Grand Slam finals==
==Grand Slam finals==

===Singles: 1 (0-1)===
===Singles (1 runner-up)===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|width="80"|'''Outcome'''
!style="width:65px"|Outcome
|width="50"|'''Year'''
!style="width:35px"|Year
|width="200"|'''Championship'''
!style="width:200px"|Championship
|width="75"|'''Surface'''
!style="width:50px"|Surface
|width="200"|'''Opponent in the final'''
!style="width:200px"|Opponent
|width="200"|'''Score in the final'''
!style="width:180px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-style="background:#ebc2af;"
|-bgcolor="#EBC2AF"
| bgcolor="FFA07A"|Runner-up || [[1932 French Championships (tennis)|1932]] || [[French Open|French Championships]] || Clay (Red) ||{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Henri Cochet]] || 6&ndash;0, 6&ndash;4, 4&ndash;6, 6&ndash;3
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up || [[1932 French Championships (tennis)|1932]] || [[French Open|French Championships]] || Clay ||{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Henri Cochet]] || 0–6, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6
|}
|}

==See also==
*[[Tennis performance timeline comparison (men)|Performance timelines for all male tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{commonscat}}
* {{ATP}}
*{{DavisCupplayerlink|id=10003353}}
* {{ITF}}
* {{Davis Cup player}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:De Stefani, Giorgio}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Stefani, Giorgio}}
[[Category:20th-century Italian people]]
[[Category:20th-century male tennis players]]
[[Category:20th-century sports officials]]
[[Category:Italian male tennis players]]
[[Category:Italian male tennis players]]
[[Category:Italian sports officials]]
[[Category:Italian referees and umpires]]
[[Category:People from Verona]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Verona]]
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:Italian people of World War II]]

[[Category:Italian International Olympic Committee members]]
[[es:Giorgio De Stefani]]
[[Category:Presidents of the International Tennis Federation|Stefani]]
[[fr:Giorgio De Stefani]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian sportsmen]]
[[sv:Giorgio de Stefani]]
[[it:Giorgio De Stefani]]

{{tennisbio-stub}}

Latest revision as of 07:57, 12 November 2024

Giorgio de Stefani
Giorgio de Stefani (left) and Wilmer Allison (right) during the 1930 International Lawn Tennis Challenge Inter-Zonal Zone final. They hold the record for the most match points saved in a match.
Country (sports) Italy
Born(1904-02-24)24 February 1904
Verona, Italy
Died22 October 1992(1992-10-22) (aged 88)
Rome, Italy
Turned pro1920 (amateur tour)[1]
PlaysAmbidextrous (forehand both sides)
Singles
Career titles85[2]
Highest rankingNo. 6 (1934, Literary Digest)[3]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1935)
French OpenF (1932)
Wimbledon4R (1933)
Doubles
Career titles54[2]
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1935)
French OpenQF (1934)[4]
Wimbledon3R (1935,[5] 1937)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open2R (1935)
French Open3R (1932)

Giorgio de Stefani (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒordʒo de ˈsteːfani]; 24 February 1904 – 22 October 1992) was an ambidextrous tennis player competing for Italy. In 1934, he was ranked the no. 6 amateur in the world by The Literary Digest and no. 9 by A Wallis Myers.[3][6] In 1932 he was the second best Italian player, and after the retirement of Umberto de Morpurgo he was the top Italian player from 1933 to 1936 and in 1938. He was active before World War II, winning 85 singles titles. Apart from being Italian champion, he was the Argentine, Dutch, Libyan and Swiss champion as well. After his tennis career he was elected to the International Olympic Committee and was also the head of the Italian and the International Tennis Federation on several occasions.

Early life

[edit]

Giorgio de Stefani was born in Verona in 1904, son of a Minister of Government.[7] He learned tennis from his mother on the courts of their family house at Lake Garda.[2] He started his amateur career by competing in and winning the Montreux tournament in 1920 at the age of 15.[2] During his student years he won the world university championships in Darmstadt where he defeated Fritz Kuhlmann without losing a set.[8] Although he and Emanuelle Sertorio lost the doubles final to the German student team of Kuhlmann-H. Uthmoller in five sets.[8] Next year he drafted into the inter-college tennis challenge of Villa d'Este in 1931 featuring the joint Harvard-Yale team against the Italian student players where he won one singles match against Robert Ryan and lost one singles against Bill Breese and two doubles.[9] The Americans defeated the Italians nine rubbers to five.[9] At the age of 22 he debuted in the Davis Cup as a reserve player.[2]

Tennis career

[edit]
1926–1931

It took him several years to repeat his first feat when in 1926 he won the tournament Parc des Eaux Vives in Geneva against Swiss champion Charles Aeschlimann.[10] In 1929 he was a finalist at L.T.C. Beaulieu losing to Italian Uberto De Morpurgo in four sets.[11] At Cannes he beat Benny Berthet of France for his first riviera title.[12] He also won the Bordighera championships against Béla von Kehrling but the Hungarian took revenge in the doubles final.[13] In 1930 he faced and lost to Bill Tilden several times most notably in the Nice final.[14] and in the earlier rounds of the Italian Internationals.[15] They also met in the semifinals of the Italian doubles championships Tilden played with Coen, while Stefani chose Count Ludwig von Salm-Hoogstraeten but Tilden's team prevailed in the end.[16] In Cannes they faced each other two times in a row and Tilden prevailed both times for the Lawn Tennis Club Cannes and New Courts de Cannes titles[17][18] At his third consecutive Cannes final de Stefani beat Hermann von Artens for the Carlton L. T. C title.[17] In 1931 he became Libyan Champion by beating fellow countryman Alberto Del Bono in the Tripoli final and won the doubles title partnering with him. They'd also won the Campionato Partenopeo doubles title.[19] In September he claimed his second Montreux trophy.[20]

1932–1937

In 1932 he reached the semifinals of the Pacific Southwest Tournament as the honorary member of the Italian Olympic team.[1] In doubles he and Ellsworth Vines fell to Gene Mako and Takeo Kubawara in the final.[21] The same year he won the doubles title at the Italian Internationals partnering Pat Hughes.[22] and also won the Cannes L.T.C. doubles title.[23] He was a contender for the Cannes singles title as well but the match against Ignacy Tłoczyński remained unplayed, although their follow up match for the cup of the Nizza L.T.C was finished with De Stefani victorious.[23] All these achievements earned him the second spot on the top Italian tennis players' list.[23] In 1933 he was a challenger for another Montreux title but finished second against Gottfried von Cramm but [24] did win the doubles trophy against the German duo Cramm-Lund.[25] The following years he clinched and defended successfully the upcoming Dutch Championships four consecutive times, first in 1933,[26] then in 1934,[26] 1935[27] and 1936.[28] In 1934 he was the finalist for both singles and doubles at the Italian Internationals losing both times to Davis Cup teammate Giovanni Palmieri.[29] and he also reached the same result in the Monte Carlo Championships.[30] In 1935 he was crowned Argentine champion after clinching the International tournament in Buenos Aires.[31] In 1937 he was a runner-up for the Cairo International Championships only losing to Henner Henkel in straight sets.[32]

Overall

He represented his country in the Italy Davis Cup team in 1927 and kept being drafted until the outbreak of World War II. In the Cup he compiled a 44/22 (66%) winning record. His most successful year was in the 1930 International Lawn Tennis Challenge, where they reached the Inter-Zonal Zone round of the tournament.[2] In that final match against the United States Davis Cup team he and Wilmer Allison set and still hold the record for the most match points saved in a match with De Stefani losing after failing to convert 18 match balls.[33]

He was the top Italian player five times from 1933 to 1936 and in 1938.[34] He was No. 8 in Europe in 1931 according to the Züricher Sport newspaper[35] and reached the same rank in 1935 on the list of Heinrich Kleinschroth, a former German champion and Davis Cup player.[36]

De Stefani finished runner-up to Henri Cochet in the singles final of the Amateur French Championships of Roland-Garros in 1932.[37]

During his 30-year career he won 150 tournaments including the Italian national championships in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.[38]

Rivalry with Fred Perry

[edit]

British Fred Perry and De Stefani met several times in their careers. Their first meeting was in the 1931 French Championships fourth round, where Stefani overcame Perry in four sets.[39] In their 1932 Pacific Southwest Tournament semifinals rematch Perry equalized their tally and went on to face Jiro Sato for the title.[40] In their third encounter in the 1933 International Lawn Tennis Challenge where Great Britain defeated Italy with Stefani winning the only rubber of that quarterfinal.[41] Their most controversial match came in the 1934 French Championships quarterfinal where Stefani led two sets to one with Perry leading in the fourth to force a deciding set, when the Briton fell awkwardly while running to the net and hurt his ankle.[4] Subsequently Perry tried fix the match with Stefani. He wanted to lose as a noble thus offering his Italian opponent "an honourable victory" if they avoid long, wide rallies that would damage his ankle more.[42] According to Perry it was Stefani who rushed to help him up when this happened. Subsequently Stefani turned and took the fourth and final set,[42] but Perry recalled it as a gentleman affair, where Stefani stuck to their plan all the time.[43] Right after the match Perry collapsed and had to be carried to the dressing room where the doctors diagnosed him with a sprained ankle.[4] Although Perry swore to take revenge on him the next time they play again.[42][44] Thus in return, on their next match-up in the quarterfinal of the Australian Championships in Melbourne Perry crushed the Italian, ruining his best oversees result and giving him the biggest loss of his life with a score of 6–0, 6–0, 6–0.[42][44] He also stopped him in the doubles contest quarterfinals as well with a straight sets victory.[45] Perry stated later that "That determination was part of my character".[42] Three years later The Glasgow Herald described their relationship as Stefani being the hoodoo to Perry's career.[46] Perry eventually went on to become the 1934 world amateur number one. Perry turned pro after the 1936 season, while de Stefani got more and more involved in sports diplomacy.

Hiatus during the second World War

[edit]

After the outbreak of the war tennis tournaments and sport in general were neglected.[1] As an attempt to reorganize the Italian sports life count Alberto Bonacossa[1] offered him the position of Regent of the Presidential Committee of tennis, which Stefani accepted and held in 1943, however as Italy's war involvement escalated, it forced him to leave his office.[47] He fled from Rome and joined the Italian resistance movement of Breuil-Cervinia.[1] He surrendered to General Harold Alexander with the aid of the partisans, who helped him to make contact with the English forces.[1] He was transferred to the Montreux internment camp thereafter.[1] Fortunately the Mayor of Montreux heard news about his presence and pleaded for him to be released to a hospital.[1]

Sports diplomat career

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Giorgio de Stefani
8th President of the Federazione Italiana Tennis.[48]
In office
1958–1969
Preceded byAldo Tolusso
Succeeded byLuigi Orsini
President of the International Tennis Federation.[49]
In office
1955–1956
Preceded byRussell Kingman
Succeeded byRoy Youdale
In office
1962–1963
Preceded byRoy Youdale
Succeeded byEaton Griffith
In office
1967–1969
Preceded byPaulo da Silva Costa
Succeeded byB A Barnett
Personal details
SpouseMaria Carolina di Marchesi Spinola
RelationsAlberto De Stefani (uncle)
ChildrenEmanuele de Stefani (22 December 1958).[50]
Alma materUniversity of Rome
ProfessionLawyer
Signature

De Stefani later became a sports official, was invited and elected in August 1951 on the International Olympic Committee (IOC).[1][51] In 1966 he initiated the reintroduction of tennis at the Summer Olympics at the IOC meeting in Melbourne and eventually succeeded when eleven votes had been discarded. The President of the IOC, oppositional Avery Brundage protested to the outcome and demanded a new voting process due to fabricated technical errors made in the previous one. In the end the initiative was rejected and tennis was only readmitted to the Olympics in 1988.[52] In 1967 when he was the president of the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) in the debate on the status of Open tennis tournaments, especially accepting Wimbledon as an official Open Grand Slam he sided with the ban of the said tournament threatening the Lawn Tennis Association of getting expelled from the Federation and having its championships cancelled.[53] The next year he opposed to allow professionals to enter into the Davis Cup competitions.[54] Allegedly he even convinced Italian number one Nicola Pietrangeli with financial means to devote himself exclusively to amateur tennis and never turn professional.[55] He was also an abolitionist for the challenge round in Davis Cup and the choice of field by the finalists but failed to succeed in these issues.[7]

He served as chairman of the ILTF in 1955 and 1956, 1962 and 1963, and from 1967 to 1969, and also as president of the Italian Tennis Federation, where he stayed from 1958 to 1969.[51]

Playing style

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Giorgio de Stefani was an ambidextrous player, which allowed him to switch his racquet from one hand to another to always return a forehand shot.[56] As a result, he didn't have a backhand stroke.[2] He was thus unpredictable and even players failed to recognize this trick sometimes even for multiple sets. He could also benefit from this ability in serving when he was able to easily change the serve direction.[56] He asked for a permission to use two racquets simultaneously, one in each hand, but it was officially banned in 1931 by the ILTF.[57] Although when playing golf his preferred shot was with his right hand[58] as well as while serving.[43] In one of his articles written to The Sydney Morning Herald, Fred Perry described Stefani as a "freak player" and his style as unorthodox and that he lacks the beauty of shot execution of those as Bunny Austin and Jack Crawford.[58] He further described his service and his volleying as weak, his physique as medium and his condition well enough to be able to run around the whole match. Thanks to his ambidextrous nature he possessed good passing shot skills. His forehands were solid but they lacked pace although his right hand was somewhat more accurate. Stefani was a hard court specialist accommodated to hot weather.[43]

Personal life

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Apart from playing amateur tennis he was a devoted mountain-climber[1] and occasional golfer.[58] He served his voluntary military service in 1930.[59] His uncle was the politician Alberto De Stefani, who was the Minister of Finance, but was removed by Benito Mussolini due to their ideological differences.[1] Giorgio was awarded the title Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy for his sports achievements.[60] He graduated at the University of Rome earning a doctorate in law.[60] In 1956 he married Maria Carolina di Marchesi Spinola.[61] His first child died.[62] In his retirement years he received the "Atleti Azzuri" Trophy for his sports merits.[2]

Grand Slam finals

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Singles (1 runner-up)

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Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1932 French Championships Clay France Henri Cochet 0–6, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Donato Martucci (September–October 1990). "Giorgio de Stefani, the guardian" (PDF). Olympic Review. No. 275–276. Los Angeles, United States: LA84 Foundation. pp. 450–452. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Donato Martucci (February 1990). "Giorgio or Olympic loyalty" (PDF). Olympic Review. No. 268. Los Angeles, United States: LA84 Foundation. pp. 86–87. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  3. ^ a b J. Brooks Fenno, Jr. (October 20, 1934). "Ten at the Top in Tennis". The Literary Digest. New York: 36.
  4. ^ a b c "Perry beaten". The Advertiser. Vol. 76, no. 23, 601. Adelaide, Australia. May 31, 1934. p. 10. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Arthur Shakespeare, ed. (3 July 1935). "Crawford to Meet Perry in Semi Final at Wimbledon". The Canberra Times. Vol. 9, no. 2, 435. Canberra, Australia: Federal Capital Press of Australia. p. 1. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  6. ^ "First tennis ten". The Evening Post. Vol. 108, no. 65. Wellington, New Zealand. September 14, 1934. p. 9. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Enos Mantoani; Mario Pescante (July 19, 2012). "Tennista e gentiluomo" [Tennis player and a Gentleman] (in Italian). Bologna, Italy: Monrif Net. Retrieved October 10, 2012. (review of "Giorgio de' Stefani: il gentleman con la racchetta" by Francesca Paoletti, ISBN 8890170719)
  8. ^ a b Béla Kehrling, ed. (August 30, 1930). "tennis and golf" (PDF). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). Vol. II, no. 16. Budapest, Hungary. pp. 309, 322. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Béla Kehrling, ed. (October 1, 1931). "Magyarország tenniszbajnokságai" [Hungarian Championships] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. III (in Hungarian). Vol. 18–19. Budapest, Hungary. pp. 3–9. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  10. ^ "Tennis: Les championnats de Genève". Journal de Genève (in Swiss French). No. 237. 1926-08-30. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-07-14 – via Le Temps Archives.
  11. ^ "Tennis sur la Cote D'Azur" [Tennis at the Cote D'Azur]. Le Petit Niçois (in French). 50 (55). Nice, France: City of Nice: 3. February 24, 1929. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  12. ^ "Italian Tennis Champion Beat Berthet In Final, 12-10, 9-7, 2-6, 6-0". The New York Times. January 1929. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  13. ^ Andrea Torre, ed. (March 17, 1929). "De Stefani vittorioso a Bordighera" [De Stefani victorious in Bordighera]. La Stampa (in Italian). Vol. 63, no. 66. Turin, Italy. p. 4. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  14. ^ "Tilden Gains Final at Nice, Beats De Stefani, 6-0, 6-4, 6-2". The New York Times. 1930. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  15. ^ "Tilden Beats De Stefani; Advances in Italian Championship --Brugnon Conquers Coen". The New York Times. May 1930. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  16. ^ "Winners in Milan play". The Salt Lake Tribune. May 4, 1930. p. 16. ISSN 0746-3502. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  17. ^ a b Béla Kehrling, ed. (February 22, 1930). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). Vol. II, no. 4. Budapest, Hungar]. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  18. ^ "Tilden wins two Cannes". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. March 24, 1930. p. 12. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  19. ^ Béla Kehrling, ed. (May 15, 1931). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). III (10). Budapest, Hungary: 22–23. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  20. ^ Béla Kehrling, ed. (November 1, 1931). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. III (in Hungarian). Vol. 20. Budapest, Hungary. pp. 16–17. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  21. ^ "Play at Los Angeles". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. 87, no. 23, 288. Brisbane, Australia. 19 September 1932. p. 6. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  22. ^ "Tenis" [Tennis]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain. May 3, 1932. p. 16. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  23. ^ a b c Béla Kehrling, ed. (1932). "Tennisz és Golf" (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. IV (in Hungarian). Vol. 3. Budapest, Hungary. p. 41. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  24. ^ J. Von Straten, ed. (September 26, 1933). "Utrechts Nieuwsblad dinsdag 26 september 1933". Utrechts Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Vol. 41, no. 126. Utrecht, Netherlands. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ^ Alexander Heldring, ed. (September 25, 1933). "Toernooi te Territet" [Territet tournament] (PDF). Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). Vol. 106, no. 34, 708. Amsterdam, Netherlands. p. 16. Retrieved October 15, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  26. ^ a b Alexander Heldring, ed. (July 15, 1934). "Artens en De Stefani in den eindstrijd" [Artens and De Stefani in the final] (PDF). Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). Vol. 107, no. 34996. Amsterdam, Netherlands. p. 2. Retrieved October 4, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "Dutch Championships". The Courier-Mail. No. 586. Brisbane, Australia. July 16, 1935. p. 14. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  28. ^ "Kho Sin Kie Beaten in Dutch final". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements. Reuters. July 13, 1936. p. 14. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  29. ^ De Lang, ed. (May 15, 1934). Het Vaderland (in Dutch). Beetsterzwaag, Netherlands http://resources2.kb.nl/010015000/pdf/DDD_010015356.pdf. Retrieved October 8, 2012. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link]
  30. ^ Filippo Melzi d'Eril (May 10, 1937). "1934 - De Stefani sfida Perry" [1934 - De Stefani challenges Perry]. tennisitaliano.it (in Italian). Pero, Lombardy, Italy: Edisport. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  31. ^ Kay Stammers; WM. Lyon Phelps; Paul Kearney (May 1939). "Tennis - Ambassador of sports". The Rotarian. Vol. 54, no. 5. Evanston, Illinois. p. 13. ISSN 0035-838X. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  32. ^ "Cairo tennis finals". The Evening Post. Vol. 123, no. 69. Wellington, New Zealand. 23 March 1937. p. 22. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  33. ^ "On this day". espn.co.uk. Bristol, Connecticut, United States: ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  34. ^ "i più grandi - Giorgio de Stefani" [The greatest - Giorgio de Stefani] (in Italian). Rome, Italy: Federazione Italiana Tennis (Italian Tennis Federation). Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  35. ^ Béla Kehrling, ed. (October 1, 1931). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. III (in Hungarian). Vol. 18–19. Budapest, Hungary. p. 377. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  36. ^ "Een Europeesche ranglijst" [A European ranking list]. Leeuwarder Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). No. 8, 259. Leeuwarden, Netherlands. November 14, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  37. ^ "Roland-Garros 1932 (Grand Slam) - Men's singles" (PDF). fft.fr. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  38. ^ "Giorgio de 'Stefani". medagliedoro.org (in Italian). Rome, Italy: AMOVA.org. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  39. ^ "Roland-Garros 1931 (Grand Slam) - Men singles" (PDF). fft.fr. Paris, France: Fédération Française de Tennis. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  40. ^ "Satoh vs Perry For Coast Title". San Mateo Times. San Mateo County, California. September 24, 1932. p. 8. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  41. ^ "Tie Details". Daviscup.com. London, Great Britain: International Tennis Federation. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  42. ^ a b c d e John Roberts (3 February 1995). Charles Wilson (ed.). "obituaries : Fred Perry". The Independent. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  43. ^ a b c F. J. Perry (December 14, 1935). "De Stefani ; gentleman player". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vol. 104, no. 30, 249. p. 10. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  44. ^ a b John Lindsay (June 28, 2007). "On-court decorum to return". ScrippsNews. Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved October 14, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  45. ^ "1935 Men's Doubles". Melbourne, Australia: Tennis Australia. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  46. ^ Robert Bruce, ed. (May 10, 1938). "Lawn tennis world". The Glasgow Herald. Vol. 156, no. 111. Glasgow, United Kingdom. p. 17. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  47. ^ "La storia della FIT" [History of the Italian Tennis Federation]. ficr.it (in Italian). Rome, Italy: Federazione Italiana Cronometristi. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  48. ^ "I presidenti" [Presidents] (in Italian). Rome, Italy: Federazione Italiana Tennis (Italian Tennis Federation). Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  49. ^ "Presidents" (PDF). Valletta, Malta: Malta Tennis Federation. pp. 78–79. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  50. ^ "Giorgio de Stefani". geneall.net. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  51. ^ a b "i più grandi - Giorgio de Stefani". federtennis.it. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  52. ^ Gianni Clerici; Vincent Martucci; Alberto Giorno (July 16, 2012). "Wimbledon, sull'erba di Roger stavolta si gioca per una medaglia (Clerici), Errani regina di Palermo. E' il quarto torneo (Martucci), La Errani vince a Palermo e centra un poker storico (Giorni)" [Wimbledon is played on grass, it's Roger's time for a medal, Errani queen of Palermo, her fourth tournament, Errani wins in Palermo and hits a poker history] (in Italian). Bologna, Italy: Monrif Net. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  53. ^ "British group plan gamble in Wimbledon". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Vol. 82, no. 14. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 6, 1967. p. 54. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  54. ^ Tony Kennedy (June 27, 1967). Graham Perkin (ed.). "Feeling against pros. for cup". The Age. Vol. 114. Melbourne, Australia. p. 17. ISSN 0312-6307. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  55. ^ Paul Fein (2003). Tennis Confidential: Today's Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books. p. 236. ISBN 9781574885262. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  56. ^ a b "Red" McDonald (July 24, 1937). "Just between us". St. Petersburg Times. Vol. 53, no. 364. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. 6. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  57. ^ Floyd Conner (2002). "Balls and racquets". Tennis's Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Baseline Blunders, Clay Court Wonders, and Lucky Lobs. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books. ISBN 9781612340456. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  58. ^ a b c F. J. Perry (January 14, 1935). "Freak players". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vol. 104, no. 30, 274. Sydney, Australia. p. 8. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  59. ^ Béla Kehrling, ed. (22 October 1930). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. II (in Hungarian). Vol. 19–20. Budapest, Hungary. p. 375. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  60. ^ a b "De Stefani And Menzel In Adelaide". The Advertiser. Vol. 77, no. 23, 773. Adelaide, Australia. 18 December 1934. p. 5. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  61. ^ "The Olympic Family" (PDF). Bulletin du Comité International Olympique (Olympic Review). No. 56. Los Angeles, United States: LA84 Foundation. October 1956. p. 50. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
  62. ^ Allen Guttmann (1984). "Apostle of amateurism". The Games Must Go on: Avery Brundage and the Olympic Movement. Dulles, Virginia, United States: Columbia University Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780231054447. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
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