Elias Victor Seixas Jr, was known as Vic for short. He was born on August 30, 1923 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vic was known for being one of the extraordinary amateur players who did not join the pro tour.
Vic attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated in 1949 and was awarded the Patterson Medal in Athletics. Vic had many highlights in his career as an amateur. He played in the US Championships at Forest Hills for a record of 28 times between 1940 and 1969. He won the US Championships singles in 1954 over Rex Hartwig. He was also one of the few players who played more Davis Cup matches than any other American until he was followed by John McEnroe. He won 38 out of the 55 singles and doubles matches he encountered in the seven years that he was included in the team. He ranked in the US Top Ten thirteen times between the years 1942 and 1966. In so doing, he set an American longevity record which was later on equaled by Pancho Gonzalez. His highest point in the US Rankings was when he won the Wimbledon singles over Kurt Nielsen and led the US to the finals of the Davis Cup.
Born | 30 Aug 1923 |
Nationality | United States |
Nickname | Vic |
Yet another one of Vic’s career highlights was during the Pennsylvania Grass Championships held at Philadelphia in 1966. Vic was 42 years old when he beat 22 year old Australian Davis Cup player, Bill Bowrey. It was considered the fifth longest singles match in tennis history with the match taking up nearly four hours.
Vic garnered 15 major titles in singles, doubles and mixed and set a Wimbledon record when he won the mixed tournament in four successive years (1953-1956). He also has a record of 13 US titles.
Throughout the prime of his career, Vic stayed as an amateur player and never joined the pro tour. He won 56 singles titles when he was an amateur. At the age of 50, Vic finally decided to become pro in order to compete on the Grand Masters circuit. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.