Bryan Grant

Bryan ‘Bitsy’ Morel Grant, born on December 25, 1909 in Atlanta, Georgia, carries the unique distinction of being the smallest man in America to win a championship in the International Tennis Circuit. Grant came from a tennis-playing family. His father, Bryan M. Grant Senior also played the sport and was a southern doubles champion for many years.

Grant started to play the sport with his mother Hattie when she began taking lessons herself. After realizing that his hope to play basketball was never come true, the young Morel finally decided to focus his energies on tennis. He won the 1927 Southern championship at the young age of 16 and later won his first US championship in 1930. He would go on to win two more on clay in 1934 and 1935.

Grant achieved great success playing on clay courts, but he was equally formidable on grass. He defeated Don Budge on the grass courts of New York’s Forest Hills before eventually losing to Fred Perry. Grant also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1936 and 1937 before losing to Fred Perry and Bunny Austin. He and Wayne Sabin also ranked third in doubles in 1937.

Morel played in the Davis Cup from 1935 to 1937 and played a major part in the 1937 victory of the US team. He continued to play as a senior in the 50s, wining nineteen singles titles in all court surfaces. It was also during this time that the city of Atlanta erected the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, Atlanta’s largest tennis complex which houses 13 of the country’s finest clay courts. He was inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1972.

Grant died of cancer in 1986.