Bill Talbert

He was ranked in the U.S. top 10 from 1941 to 1954, and he was ranked World No. 3 in 1949 by John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph. He won nine Grand Slam doubles titles, and also reached the men's doubles finals of the U.S. National Championship nine times, mainly with Gardnar Mulloy, his favorite partner. He also was a Davis Cup player and one of the more successful Davis Cup captains in U.S. history.

Talbert was a Type 1 diabetic, one of the few known to be in sports at a highly competitive level, and for many years he was held up as an example of how this disease could be surmounted.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Talbert still holds records at the Cincinnati Masters in his hometown. His records are for most doubles titles (six), most total finals appearances (14), and most singles finals appearances (seven). He won three singles titles (in 1943, 1945 and 1947), and his six doubles titles came in 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1951 and 1954.

Talbert reached the final of the U.S. Championships in 1944 and 1945 (losing both finals to Frank Parker). He also reached the semifinals of the French championships in 1950, losing to Budge Patty 13–11 in the fifth set).

Talbert also won the singles title at the U.S. Clay Court Championships in 1945 defeating Pancho Segura in a five set final, and was a finalist in 1946 and 1943. He won the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1949.

Before starting on the international tour, he played for the University of Cincinnati and won an Ohio State singles title in 1936 while at Cincinnati's Hughes High School.

Talbert was enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967 and was in the first class, along with his former protégé Tony Trabert, enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. After his playing career, he wrote tennis books, including the best seller The Game of Doubles in Tennis with Bruce Old in 1977; served as a tennis commentator for NBC Sports; and was the tournament director of the US Open.

Singles (2 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1944	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Parker	4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 3–6
Loss	1945	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Parker	12–14, 1–6, 2–6

Doubles (5 titles, 5 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1942	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Ted Schroeder   Sidney Wood	9–7, 7–5, 6–1
Loss	1943	U.S. Championships	Grass	David Freeman	Jack Kramer   Frank Parker	2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Loss	1944	U.S. Championships	Grass	Pancho Segura	Don McNeill   Bob Falkenburg	5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 1–6
Win	1945	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Bob Falkenburg   Jack Tuero	12–10, 8–10, 12–10, 6–2
Win	1946	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Don McNeill   Frank Guernsey	3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–3, 20–18
Loss	1947	U.S. Championships	Grass	Bill Sidwell	Jack Kramer   Ted Schroeder	4–6, 5–7, 3–6
Win	1948	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Frank Parker   Ted Schroeder	1–6, 9–7, 6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Win	1950	French Championships	Clay	Tony Trabert	Jaroslav Drobný   Eric Sturgess	6–2, 1–6, 10–8, 6–2
Loss	1950	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	John Bromwich   Frank Sedgman	5–7, 6–8, 6–3, 1–6
Loss	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Rex Hartwig   Mervyn Rose	4–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6

Mixed Doubles (4 titles, 3 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1943	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Pauline Betz   Pancho Segura	10–6, 6–4
Win	1944	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Dorothy Bundy   Don McNeill	6–2, 6–3
Win	1945	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Doris Hart   Bob Falkenberg	6–4, 6–4
Win	1946	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Louise Brough   Robert Kimbrell	6–3, 6–4
Loss	1948	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne duPont	Louise Brough   Tom Brown	4–6, 4–6
Loss	1949	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne duPont	Louise Brough   Eric Sturgess	6–4, 3–6, 5–7
Loss	1950	French Championships	Clay	Patricia Canning Todd	Barbara Scofield   Enrique Morea	w.o.