Gene Mako
Constantine "Gene" Mako (born January 24, 1916 in Budapest , Hungary , † June 14, 2013 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American tennis player and art dealer.
Life
Constantine Mako was born in Budapest on January 24, 1916. When he was seven years old, he and his family moved from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles.
In the Intercollegiate Championship in 1934 he won the competitions in singles and doubles .
At the American Tennis Championships in 1938 he was in the final against his friend Don Budge , but lost in four sets with 3: 6, 8: 6, 2: 6 and 1: 6. In doubles, the two made it to the final four times and were twice victorious. In 1935 they lost against their compatriots Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn in five sets with 2: 6, 3: 6, 6: 2, 6: 3 and 1: 6. In 1936 they won against their opponents from the previous year in three sets with 6: 4, 6: 2 and 6: 4. Against the Germans Gottfried von Cramm and Henner Henkel , Mako and Budge lost in three sets in 1937 with 4: 6, 5: 7 and 4: 6. When they last played in the finals in 1938, they beat Australians Adrian Quist and John Bromwich in three sets with 6: 3, 6: 2 and 6: 1. Mako won the mixed competition in 1936 together with Alice Marble against Sarah Palfrey and Don Budge in straight sets 6: 3 and 6: 2.
In 1937 he won the Davis Cup with the US national team against the United Kingdom and in 1938 against the national team of Australia.
At the Wimbledon Championships he won twice in doubles with Don Budge. In 1937 they won in four sets with 6: 0, 6: 4, 6: 8 and 6: 1 over the British Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey and in 1938 over the Germans Henner Henkel and Georg von Metaxa in four sets with 6: 4, 3 : 6, 6: 3 and 8: 6.
In 1938 he reached the final of the French tennis championships with Don Budge . They were defeated by the French Bernard Destremau and Yvon Petra in four sets with 6: 3, 3: 6, 7: 9 and 3: 6.
During the Second World War he served in the United States Navy . During this time, Mako continued to play tennis.
In 1973 Mako was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame .
Web links
- ATP profile of Gene Mako (English)
- ITF-profile Gene Mako (English)
- Davis Cup Statistics for Gene Mako (English)
- Gene Mako in the "International Tennis Hall of Fame" (English; with picture)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mako, Gene |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mako, Constantine |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American tennis player and art dealer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 24, 1916 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Budapest , Hungary |
| DATE OF DEATH | 14th of June 2013 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |