Darlene Hard

{{Short description|American tennis player (1936–2021)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Infobox tennis biography

|name = Darlene Hard

|fullname = Darlene Ruth Hard

|image = Althea-Gibson-Darlene-Hard-Wimbledon-1957.jpg

|caption = Hard (left) congratulates Althea Gibson at the 1957 Wimbledon Singles Championships.

|country = {{USA}}

|residence =

|birth_date = {{birth date|1936|1|6|mf=yes}}

|birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|death_date = {{death date and age|2021|12|2|1936|1|6}}

|death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|turnedpro = 1964 (amateur from 1953)

|retired = 1970

|plays = Right-handed

|tennishofyear = 1973

|tennishofid = darlene-hard

|singlesrecord = 498-156 (76.1%)

|singlestitles = 43

|highestsinglesranking = No. 2 (1957)

|AustralianOpenresult = QF (1962)

|FrenchOpenresult = W (1960)

|Wimbledonresult = F (1957, 1959)

|USOpenresult = W (1960, 1961)

|doublesrecord =

|doublestitles =

|highestdoublesranking =

|AustralianOpenDoublesresult = F (1962)

|FrenchOpenDoublesresult = W (1955, 1957, 1960)

|WimbledonDoublesresult = W (1957, 1959, 1960, 1963)

|USOpenDoublesresult = W (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969)

|mixedrecord =

|mixedtitles =

|AustralianOpenMixedresult = F (1962)

|FrenchOpenMixedresult = W (1955, 1961)

|WimbledonMixedresult = W (1957, 1959, 1960)

|USOpenMixedresult = F (1956, 1957, 1961)

|Team = yes

|WightmanCupresult = W (1957, 1959, 1962, 1963)

| medaltemplates-expand = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{medalCompetition|Pan American Games}}

{{MedalGold|1963 São Paulo|Doubles}}

{{MedalBronze|1963 São Paulo|Singles}}

}}

Darlene Ruth Hard (January 6, 1936 – December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Championships in 1960 and 1961. With eight different partners, she won a total of 13 women's doubles titles in Grand Slam tournaments, and was the finest doubles player of her generation.{{cite news |first=Harrison |last=Smith |title=Darlene Hard, Tennis Hall of Famer and 'best doubles player of her generation,' dies at 85 |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2021-12-08 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2021/12/08/darlene-hard-dead/}} Her last doubles title, at the age of 33 at the 1969 US Open, came six years after she had retired from serious competition to become a tennis instructor. She also played the US Open singles tournament in 1969, losing in the second round to Françoise Dürr.

File:Althea-Gibson-Queen-Elizabeth-Wimbledon-1957.jpg presents the Wimbledon championship trophy to Althea Gibson as Darlene Hard, at left, looks on (July 6, 1957).]]

According to Lance Tingay, Hard was ranked among the top 10 in the world from 1957 through 1963, reaching a career high of No. 2 in those rankings in 1957, 1960, and 1961.{{cite book |author=Collins, Bud |title=The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book |publisher=New Chapter Press |location=New York, N.Y |year=2008 |pages=695, 703 |isbn=978-0-942257-41-0 }} The Miami Herald ranked her No. 1 for the 1961 season.{{Cite news|date=1961-12-28|title=Fullmer, Tittle, Sellers Star, But None Measure Up to Maris|work=The Miami Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/620308954/}} In 1957, she made her first Wimbledon finals appearance, losing to Althea Gibson.{{Cite web|title=International Tennis Hall of Fame|url=https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/darlene-hard|access-date=2021-12-05|website=www.tennisfame.com}}

Hard was included in the year-end top-10 rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1954 through 1963. Charles Friedman wrote in The New York Times that year that "as a doubles player, she has no peer."{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Friedman |title=Darlene Hard Heads U.S. Women's Tennis Rankings Fourth Year in Row; Two California Women Top Lawn Tennis Rankings |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1963-12-30 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/12/30/archives/darlene-hard-heads-us-womens-tennis-rankings-fourth-year-in-row-two.html}} She was the top-ranked U.S. player from 1960 through 1963.{{cite book |author=United States Tennis Association |title=1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook |publisher=H. O. Zimman, Inc. |location=Lynn, Massachusetts |year=1988 |pages=261}} With her younger doubles partner Billie Jean King, she helped the US team to victory in the 1963 Federation Cup. Hard was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1973.{{Cite web|date=2021-12-04|title=Three-time tennis major winner Hard dies at 85|url=https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32782510/darlene-hard-hall-famer-3-major-tennis-champion-dies-85|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-04|website=ESPN|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204045414/https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32782510/darlene-hard-hall-famer-3-major-tennis-champion-dies-85 |archive-date=2021-12-04 }}