Abe Segal

{{for|persons of a similar name|Alan Segal (disambiguation){{!}}Alan Segal}}

{{Infobox tennis biography

| name = Abe Segal

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = Alan Abraham Segal

| country = {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} South Africa

| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1930|10|23}}

| birth_place = Johannesburg, South Africa

| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|4|4|1930|10|23|df=y}}

| death_place = Cape Town, South Africa

| height =

| college =

| turnedpro =

| retired =

| plays = Left-handed (one-handed backhand)

| careerprizemoney =

| tennishofyear =

| tennishofid =

| website =

| singlesrecord =

| singlestitles =

| highestsinglesranking =

| AustralianOpenresult = 2R (1954)

| FrenchOpenresult = 3R (1955, 1957, 1961, 1962)

| Wimbledonresult = QF (1964)

| USOpenresult = 4R (1956)

| Othertournaments =

| MastersCupresult =

| doublesrecord =

| doublestitles =

| highestdoublesranking =

| AustralianOpenDoublesresult = QF (1954)

| AustralianOpenDoublesjuniorresult =

| FrenchOpenDoublesresult = F (1958, 1963)

| WimbledonDoublesresult = SF (1963)

| USOpenDoublesresult =

| USOpenDoublesjuniorresult =

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| OthertournamentsDoubles =

| MastersCupDoublesresult =

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| Mixed = yes

| mixedtitles =

| mixedrecord =

| AustralianOpenMixedresult = QF (1964)

| FrenchOpenMixedresult =

| WimbledonMixedresult = QF (1964)

| USOpenMixedresult =

| Team = yes

| DavisCupresult = F^Eu (1965)

}}

Alan Abraham Segal (23 October 1930 – 4 April 2016) was a South African tennis player.

Early life and career

He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was Jewish.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dAq4TGQsWwwC&dq=%22Abe+Segal%22+tennis&pg=PA297|title=Day by Day in Jewish Sports History|first=Bob|last=Wechsler|date=17 May 2008|publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc.|isbn=9780881259698|via=Google Books}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dDyEVDIA3aIC&dq=%22Abe+Segal%22+tennis&pg=PA30|title=The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars|first=Peter S.|last=Horvitz|date=17 April 2007|publisher=SP Books|isbn=9781561719075|via=Google Books}}

During the 1950s and 1960s, he was the doubles partner of Gordon Forbes. Together, they were considered one of the better doubles teams in the world.{{cite book|last=Plimpton|first=George|title=The Norton Book of Sports|year=1992|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-03040-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/nortonbookofspor00plim/page/205 205]|url=https://archive.org/details/nortonbookofspor00plim|url-access=registration|quote=Abe Segal.}}

He was critical of South Africa's policy of apartheid.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rEOXBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Abe+Segal%22+tennis&pg=PA123|title=Arthur Ashe: Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era|first=Eric Allen|last=Hall|date=6 August 2014|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=9781421413952|via=Google Books}} Alex Metreveli and István Gulyás both refused to compete in the 1964 Wimbledon against Segal, a white South African, because of apartheid. In response, black tennis player Arthur Ashe said he would play Segal any time because he did not think politics had a place in sports.{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RcEDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Abe+Segal%22+tennis&pg=PA54|title=South Africans Oust Ashe from Tennis Tourny |magazine=Jet|first=|last=|date=30 July 1964 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|via=Google Books}} Weeks later, Segal played Ashe in Illinois, beating him. This prompted the International Lawn Tennis Federation to pass a resolution prohibiting racial discrimination and withdrawing from a tournament except for "health or bereavement" reasons.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5dHCPTSl7-sC&pg=PA63|title=Blacks at the Net: Black Achievement in the History of Tennis, Volume Two|first=Sundiata A. |last=Djata|date=1 May 2008|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=9780815608981 |page=63 |via=Google Books}}

In 1951, he won the singles title at the Irish Open, defeating Guy Jackson in the final in straight sets.

He played for the South African Davis Cup team in 19 ties in the years 1955, 1957, 1959, and 1961 to 1965, and he compiled a record of 24 wins and 14 losses.

After retiring from tennis, Segal took up painting.{{cite web|last=Bills|first=Peter|title=Abe Segal & Gordon Forbes: 'sport was all fun and now it almost isn't at all' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/peter-bills/abe-segal-amp-gordon-forbes-sport-was-all-fun-and-now-it-almost-isnrsquot-at-all-1653173.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327105024/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/peter-bills/abe-segal-amp-gordon-forbes-sport-was-all-fun-and-now-it-almost-isnrsquot-at-all-1653173.html |archive-date=2009-03-27 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|work=The Independent|access-date=13 June 2010|date=25 March 2009}} In 2008 he published a memoir titled Hey Big Boy!.{{cite book|title=Hey, big boy! : [a legacy of laughs by an ex No. 1]|publisher=Worldcat|oclc=420872286}}{{cite web|title=Tennis KGB Style|url=http://heybigboy.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/tennis1.pdf|publisher=Sports Illustrated|date=August 2008}}

Segal died of cancer on 4 April 2016 at the age of 85.{{cite web|title=Death of SA tennis legend Abe Segal a great loss|url=http://www.tennissa.co.za/news/death-sa-tennis-legend-abe-segal-great-loss|website=tennissa.co.za|publisher=Tennis South Africa|date=5 April 2016|access-date=5 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409204350/http://www.tennissa.co.za/news/death-sa-tennis-legend-abe-segal-great-loss|archive-date=9 April 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Tennis legend Abe Segal dies|url=http://www.supersport.com/tennis/sa-tennis/news/160405/Tennis_legend_Abe_Segal_died|publisher=Supersport|date=5 April 2016}}