General Ladislav
Hecht
Male
Czechoslovakia
1910-08-31
Zsolna (Zilina), Hungary
2004-05-27
New York, United States of America


About

Ladislav Hecht was a Jewish professional tennis player, well known for representing Czechoslovakia in the Davis Cup during the 1930s where he compiled an 18 victories 19 losses record. Despite being of Jewish origin he was also invited to the Germany Davis Cup team but chose not to accept it.

He was born in Zsolna, Upper Hungary (now Zilina, Slovakia) in 1909, and developed a successful tennis career, some considering him to be the best tennis player in Europe immediately before the Second World War. He then fled to the United States three days before Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, working in a munitions factory during World War II. Before that he moved to Budapest, capital of Hungary in 1936 then sought livelihood in Australia three month prior the German occupation.
In 1934 he won the Butler Trophy of Monte Carlo alongside Roderich Menzel defeating Jacques Brugnon and Jean Lesueur in the final. In singles he was victorious at the Hungarian International Tennis Championships having upset Henner Henkel in the semifinal and Ignacy Tłoczyński in the final. He reached the doubles finals as well partnering Josef Caska.

In late 1935 and early 1936 Hecht and Roderich Menzel toured the Far East and as a result they traveled to Japan to participate in the Japanese National Championships, where Menzel fell in the final and despite their united effort they lost in the doubles final as well both times to title defender Jiro Yamagishi.From there they sailed to India where they were the finalists at the East of India Championships. Arriving home he was defeated in the Czechoslovakian International Championship match by eventual world number one Fred Perry. He was a second straight time finalist in Budapest.

After the war he continued his tennis career, becoming a #1 ranked player in the eastern United States. In 1941 he was a runner-up for the Brooklyn tennis tournament his volleying yet came short behind Pancho Segura passing shots and thus lost the final. In 1947 he finally clinched the Brooklyn tennis tournament by beating Peruvian Enrique Buse in straight sets. He added the Eatern Clay Court Championships to his accolades the same year by eliminating Dick Savitt in the final.

He continued on starting toy and paintbrush businesses, and later in life was honored by the city of Bratislava, having a new multisport stadium named after him in 1966.

He had two children Timothy and Andrew both of whom settled in Aspen.



Media


Archive statistics 1929 - 1955
21
336
218


Tournament wins 1947 - Brooklyn (Amateur)
1947 - Eastern Clay Court Championships (Open)
1940 - New England Championships (Open)
1937 - Robetin Cup (Amateur)
1936 - Robetin Cup (Amateur)
1936 - Slovakian International Championships (Amateur)
1936 - Karlsbad Championships (Amateur)
1936 - Lahore (Amateur)
1935 - East India (Amateur)
1935 - Hungarian International Championships (Open)
1935 - Bled (Amateur)
1935 - Association Championships (Amateur)
1934 - San Martino di Castrozza (Amateur)
1934 - Hungarian International Championships (Open)
1934 - Opatija (Amateur)
1933 - Banska Bystrica championships (Amateur)
1933 - Polish International Championships (Amateur)
1932 - Association Championships (Amateur)
1931 - Katowice (Amateur)
1931 - Championships of Luhacovice ()
1931 - Robetin Cup (Amateur)


Tournaments Monte Carlo - 1955 Roland Garros - 1954 US Open - 1953 US Open - 1952 US Open - 1951 US Open Qualifying - 1950 US Open - 1949 US Open - 1948 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1948 New York State Clay Courts - 1948 US Open - 1947 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1947 US International Indoor Championships - 1947 Brooklyn - 1947 US International Indoor Championships - 1946 US Open - 1945 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1945 New York State Championships - 1944 US Open - 1943 US Open - 1942 New Jersey State Championships - 1942 Kings County Championships - 1942 US Open - 1941 Eastern Grass Court Championships - 1941 Seabright Invitational - 1941 Pacific Southwest Championships - 1941 New Jersey State Championships - 1941 Brooklyn - 1941 Southampton Invitation (Long Island) - 1941 Orange Invitation - 1941 New York State Championships - 1941 US Open - 1940 Nassau Bowl - 1940 New England Championships - 1940 Seabright Invitational - 1940 Spring Lake Invitation Tournament - 1940 Sugar Bowl - 1940 Maryland State Championships - 1940 New Jersey State Championships - 1940 Orange Invitation - 1940 Kings County Championships - 1940 Monte Carlo - 1939 US Open - 1939 Beaulieu - 1939 Eastern Grass Court Championships - 1939 Seabright Invitational - 1939 Spring Lake Invitation Tournament - 1939 US Clay Courts - 1939 South of France Championships - 1939 Southampton Invitation (Long Island) - 1939 Orange Invitation - 1939 Bergen County - 1939 Eastern Slope - 1939 Wimbledon - 1938 Monte Carlo - 1938 Roland Garros - 1938 Beaulieu - 1938 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1938 Wimbledon - 1937 Monte Carlo - 1937 Beaulieu - 1937 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1937 Robetin Cup - 1937 Wimbledon - 1936 Queens Club Tournament - 1936 All India Championships - 1936 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1936 Western India Championships - 1936 King's Cup - Second Round b - 1936 Karlsbad Cup - 1936 Slovakian International Championships - 1936 United Provinces Tournament - 1936 Karlsbad Championships - 1936 Lahore - 1936 Robetin Cup - 1936 Wimbledon - 1935 Roland Garros - 1935 Japan International Championships - 1935 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1935 Hungarian International Championships - 1935 East India - 1935 Viareggio - 1935 Montecatini - 1935 Association Championships - 1935 Bled - 1935 Wimbledon - 1934 Roland Garros - 1934 Beaulieu - 1934 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1934 Hungarian International Championships - 1934 Pörtschach Championships - 1934 Livorno - 1934 Opatija - 1934 Karlsbad Championships - 1934 German Championships of Bohemia - 1934 San Martino di Castrozza - 1934 Wimbledon - 1933 Roland Garros - 1933 Championships of Merano - 1933 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1933 Polish International Championships - 1933 Maccabiah Games - 1933 Opatija - 1933 Banska Bystrica championships - 1933 Championships of the Bohemian Spa Towns - 1933 Wimbledon - 1932 Roland Garros - 1932 Beaulieu - 1932 Queens Club Tournament - 1932 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1932 German Championships of Bohemia - 1932 Robetin Cup - 1932 Association Championships - 1932 Wimbledon - 1931 Swiss International Championships - 1931 Austrian International Championships - 1931 Beaulieu - 1931 Cannes Carlton - 1931 Venezia (Venice International Tournament) - 1931 South of France Championships - 1931 German International Championships - 1931 Championships of Berlin - 1931 Cannes Gallia - 1931 Czechoslovakian International Championships - 1931 Cannes New Courts Club - 1931 Katowice - 1931 Championships of the Slovakian Tatra - 1931 Slovakian International Championships - 1931 Robetin Cup - 1931 Championships of Eastern Slovakia - 1931 Championships of Luhacovice - 1931 Swiss International Championships - 1930 German International Championships - 1930 Championships of Merano - 1930 Hungarian International Championships - 1930 Hungarian International Championships - 1929 Hainz memorial - 1929

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