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Giorgio de Stefani

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Giorgio de Stefani
Giorgio de Stefani (back) against Harry Hopman (front) during the 1930 International Lawn Tennis Challenge semifinals
Country (sports) Italy
BornFebruary 24, 1904,
Verona, Italy
DiedOctober 22, 1992(1992-10-22) (aged 88)
Rome, Italy
Turned pro1920 (amateur tour)[1]
Playsambidextrous
Singles
Career titles85 [2]
Highest rankingN°9 (1934)(A Wallis Myers)[3]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1935)
French OpenF (1932)
Wimbledon4R (1933)
Doubles
Career titles54 [2]
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1935)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open2R (1935)
French Open3R (1932)
Last updated on: October 1, 2012.

Giorgio de Stefani (born February 24, 1904, Verona, Italy – died October 22, 1992, Rome, Italy) was a ambidextrous tennis player competing for Italy. The top Italian player five times from 1933 to 1936 and in 1938,[4] De Stefani finished runner-up to Henri Cochet in the singles final of the Amateur French Championships of Roland-Garros in 1932.[5]

Tennis Career

Giorgio De Stefani 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]. He won his first championship on the courts of Parc des Eaux Vives in Genève in August 1926 against Swiss champion Charles Aeschlimann[6]. In 1931 he became Lybian 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.[7]. In September he claimed his second Montreux trophy[8]. In 1932 he reached the semifinals of the Los Angeles Tennis Club tournament as the honorary member of the Italian Olympic team[1]. The same year he won the Cannes L.T.C. doubles and was a contender for the 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, which earned him the second spot on the top Italian tennis players' list[9]. The following years he clinched and defended successfully the upcoming Dutch Championships four consecutive times, first in 1933[10], then in 1934[10], 1935[11] and 1936[12]. In 1934 he was the finalist for both the Italian Internationals and the Monte Carlo Championships[13]. In 1937 he was a runner-up for the Cairo International Championships only losing to Henner Henkel in straight sets[14].

He represented his country in the Italy Davis Cup team where he debuted in 1926 as a reserve player, and kept being drafted until the outbreak of World War II. There 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[15].

Hiatus during the second World War

After the outbreak of the war tennis tournaments and sport in general were neglected. As an attempt to reorganize the Italian sport life count Alberto Bonacossa offered him the position of Commissioner of Tennis, however as Italy's war involvement escalated, it prevented him to take the job[1]. 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 taken to a hospital[1].

Sports diplomat career

De Stefani later became a sports official, was invited and elected in August 1951 on the International Olympic Committee (IOC)[4][1]. In 1966 he initiated the reintroduction of tennis at the Summer Olympics at the IOC meeting in Melbourne and eventually succeded 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[16]. The next year 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[17]He served as chairman of the 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.[4]

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[18]. As a result he didn't have a backhand stroke[2]. It was very difficult to predict and even players failed to recognize the trick for multiple sets. He could also benefit from this ability in serves when he was able to change the serve direction[18]. He asked for a permission to use two racquets in his matches, until it was officially banned in 1931 by the ILTF[19].

Personal life

Apart from playing amateur tennis he was a devoted mountain-climber[1]. His uncle was the politician Alberto De Stefani, who was the Ministre of Finance, but was removed by Benito Mussolini due to their ideological differences[1]. He was awarded the title Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy for his sports achievements[20]. He graduated at the University of Rome earning a doctorate in law[20]. In 1956 he married Maria Carolina di Marchesi Spinola[21]. He was awarded the "Atleti Azzuri" Trophy for his sports merits[2].

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (0-1)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1932 French Championships Clay (Red) France Henri Cochet 6–0, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Donato Martucci (September–October 1990). "Giorgio De Stefani, the guardian" (PDF). Olympic Review (275–276). Los Angeles, United States: LA84 Foundation: 450–452. Retrieved 2012-10-04.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Donato Martucci (February 1990). "Giorgio or Olympic loyalty" (PDF). Olympic Review (268). Los Angeles, United States: LA84 Foundation: 86–87. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
  3. ^ "First tennis ten". The Evening Post. 108 (65). Wellington, New Zealand: Blundell Bros Limited: 9. 14 September 1934. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
  4. ^ a b c "i più grandi - Giorgio De Stefani". federtennis.it. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  5. ^ "Roland-Garros 1932 (Grand Slam) - Men's singles" (PDF). fft.fr. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  6. ^ "Tennis" (png). Journal de Genève (in French). 97 (237). Genève, Switzerland: Le Temps: 4. 30 August 1926. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  7. ^ Béla Kehrling, ed. (15 May 1931). "Külföldi hírek" (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. III (in Hungarian). 10. Budapest, Hungary: Egyesült Kő-, Könyvnyomda. Könyv- és Lapkiadó Rt.: 22–23. Retrieved 7 February 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Béla Kehrling, ed. (1 November 1931). "Külföldi hírek" (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. III (in Hungarian). 20. Budapest, Hungary: Egyesült Kő-, Könyvnyomda. Könyv- és Lapkiadó Rt.: 16–17. Retrieved 10 February 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Béla Kehrling, ed. (1932). Tennisz és Golf. IV (in Hungarian). 3. Budapest, Hungary: Kő-, Könyvnyomda, Könyv- és Lapkiadó Rt: 41 http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00057/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1932_4_003.pdf. Retrieved 24 January 2012. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ a b Alexander Heldring, ed. (15 July 1934). "Artens en De Stefani in den eindstrijd" (pdf). Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 107 (34996). Genève, Switzerland: Daniel Johannes von Balluseck: 2. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Dutch Championships". The Courier-Mail (586). Brisbane, Australia: The Herald and Weekly Times: 14. 16 July 1935. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
  12. ^ Reuter (13 July 1936). "Kho Sin Kie Beaten in Dutch final". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 14. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
  13. ^ Filippo Melzi d'Eril (10 May 1937). "1934 - De Stefani sfida Perry". tennisitaliano.it (in Italian). Pero, Italy: Edisport. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Cairo tennis finals". The Evening Post. 123 (69). Wellington, New Zealand: Blundell Bros Limited: 22. 23 March 1937. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
  15. ^ "On this day". espn.co.uk. Bristol, Connecticut, United States: ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  16. ^ Gianni Clerici (16 July 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)". book by Gianni Clerici (in Italian). Bologna, Italy: Monrif Net. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ AP (6 October 1967). "British group plan gamble in Wimbledon". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 82 (14). Spokane, Washington, United States: Cowles Publishing Company: 54. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Red" McDonald (24 July 1937). "Just between us". St. Petersburg Times. 53 (364). St. Petersburg, Florida, United States: Paul Poynter: 6. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  19. ^ 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, United States: Potomac Books. ISBN 9781612340456. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  20. ^ a b "De Stefani And Menzel In Adelaide". The Advertiser. 77 (23, 773). Adelaide, Australia: The Herald and Weekly Times: 5. 18 December 1934. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  21. ^ "The Olympic Family" (PDF). Bulletin du Comité International Olympique (Olympic Review) (56). Los Angeles, United States: LA84 Foundation: 50. October 1956. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
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