Hans Redl
| Country (sports) |  Austria |
|---|---|
| Born | January 19, 1914[1] Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 26 May 1976 (aged 62)[citation needed] Vienna, Austria |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1947) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1953) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1947, 1948, 1949, 1956)[2] |
Hans Redl (January 19, 1914 – May 26, 1976) was an Austrian tennis player and administrator who played at the highest level despite the loss of his left arm in World War II. Born in Vienna, he rose to become one of Austria's best tennis players in late 1930s.[3] He made his debut in the Austrian Davis Cup team in 1937, scoring his country's only point in their 3-1 defeat by Germany.[4]
After the annexation of Austria by the German Reich in 1938, Redl was conscripted into the German army and was sent to the Eastern Front. During the Siege of Stalingrad he was badly wounded and had his left arm amputated at the shoulder.[5] After rehabilitating from his injury, he developed an adjusted serving technique to allow him to continue playing; instead of throwing the ball up with his non-racquet hand, he would rest the ball on the racquet face, flipping it in the air before serving as normal.[6] Although this was against the rules,[a] he was given special dispensation because of his handicap.[5][6]
Redl was invited to compete at Wimbledon in 1947, and made ten consecutive appearances at The Championships, winning eight matches in singles.[2] His best result was in his debut year, when he reached the fourth round before being defeated by eighth seed and future champion Bob Falkenburg.[5] In the doubles, he and partner Freddie Huber reached the quarter-finals in 1953, taking a set off eventual champions Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall before the Australians triumphed.[2]
After his retirement, Redl continued to play seniors tennis as late as 1968. He also became an administrator, eventually serving as President of the Austrian Tennis Federation. He died in Vienna in 1976.[3]
Performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| French | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 4R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||
| U.S. | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
- ^ The ITF Rules of Tennis (Rule 16) specify that "The server shall ... release the ball by hand in any direction and hit the ball with the racket before the ball hits the ground."
References
- ^ "Hans Redl – Overview". ATP Tour. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Wimbledon Draws Archive -- player profile: Hans Redl". wimbledon.com. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
- ^ a b "Hans Redl GS performance timeline and stats". DB4Tennis.com. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
- ^ "Germany v Austria". daviscup.com.
- ^ a b c Hilton, Christopher (May 2012). How Hitler Hijacked World Sport. The History Press. p. 206. ISBN 9780752459257.
- ^ a b "A miscellaneous history of Wimbledon". The History Press. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
- ^ "Hans Redl – Player Activity". ITF Tennis. Retrieved October 3, 2022.