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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000191

First Jewish Grand Slam Singles Champion

Record holder

Dick SavittPerson

Record value

January 30, 1951

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Melbourne, Australia, United StatesAchievement date: 30 January 1951Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Dick Savitt at a tennis event in Noordwijk in 1952.

Dick Savitt in Noordwijk, 1952; this later portrait does not depict his 1951 Grand Slam victories.Joop van Bilsen / Anefo / Nationaal Archief / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

Official record definition

The earliest Jewish tennis player to win a singles title at one of the four tournaments now recognized as tennis Grand Slam championships.

Measurement methodology

Chronological review of Jewish singles champions across the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. championships, anchored to the dated 1951 Australian Championships men's singles final.

Measurement point: Men’s singles final of the 1951 Australian Championships in Melbourne on 30 January 1951, when Dick Savitt defeated Ken McGregor 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 6–1.

Record story

In 1951, American tennis player Dick Savitt became the first Jewish Grand Slam singles champion. The record was established with his victory in the men’s singles at the 1951 Australian Championships in Melbourne. The Australian Open's official honour roll documents Savitt as champion for that year.

Savitt also won Wimbledon later in the same season. Jewish Telegraphic Agency reporting identified him as the first Jewish athlete to win either the Australian Championships or Wimbledon. Because the Australian tournament occurred earlier in 1951, it marks his first Grand Slam singles title.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Australian Championships men's singles final was played on 30 January 1951, when Dick Savitt defeated Ken McGregor 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 6–1 to win the title.

Superiority evidence

Contemporary and retrospective Jewish reporting identifies Savitt as the first Jewish player to win the Australian Championships or Wimbledon; the Australian title occurred first in the season.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Dick Savitt, Jewish tennis legend who won Wimbledon and Australian Open, dies at 95 — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Men's Singles Honour Roll — Australian Open
  • Dick Savitt in Noordwijk, 1952 — Wikimedia Commons / Nationaal Archief

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Dick Savitt — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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