Budge Patty is formally known as John Edward Patty. He was born on February 11, 1924 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States. He is known for being one of the only three American male tennis players to have achieved a French Open and Wimbledon double – with Don Budge in 1938 and Tony Trabert in 1955. Budge Patty was also known for being a ladies’ man and for his smoking and late nights. He was also particularly popular with the French crowds because he lived in France for many years.
His Grand Slam debut was in the year 1914 at the US Open, where he lost in the second round to Ted Schroeder. After serving the army during the war, Patty’s career began to blossom.
| Born | 11 Feb 1924 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Nickname | Budge |
At Wimbledon in 1947, he beat second seed John Bromwich and sixth seed Jaroslav Drobny before losing to Tom Brown. At the French Open in 1948, he lost in the semis to Drobny. In 1949 at the French Open, he beat Pancho Gonzales before losing to Frank Parker. At the end of 1949, Patty began to change his habits; he quit smoking which gave him more stamina and significantly improved his performance.
In 1950, he beat Drobny in the final of the French Open. At Wimbledon in the same year, he beat Frank Sedgman in the final. The years after this short-lived success, Patty started losing one match after another. He retired in 1961 but was in attendance at the Wimbledon Champions Parade in 2000, fifty years after winning his Wimbledon title.
Patty was inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1977. He now lives with his wife Marcina in Laussane, Switzerland.
