Syd Levy

{{Short description|South African tennis player (1922–2015)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Use South African English|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox tennis biography | name = Syd Levy | image =  | image_size = | alt = | caption =  | fullname = Sydney Levy | itf_name =  | country_represented = {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} South Africa | residence = | sportswear_(racquet) = | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1922|10|17}} | birth_place = South Africa | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2015|11|22|1922|10|17}} | death_place = Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. | height =  | college = University of the Witwatersrand | coach =  | turnedpro = | retired = | plays = | careerprizemoney = | tennishofyear =  | tennishofid =  | website =

| singlesrecord =  | singlestitles = | highestsinglesranking =  | currentsinglesranking =  | retirementsinglesranking = | AustralianOpenresult = | FrenchOpenresult = R2 (1949, 1951) | Wimbledonresult = R3 (1949) | USOpenresult = R2 (1951)

| doublesrecord =  | doublestitles = | highestdoublesranking = | currentdoublesranking =  | retirementdoublesranking = | AustralianOpenDoublesresult = | FrenchOpenDoublesresult = | WimbledonDoublesresult = R1 (1949) | USOpenDoublesresult = | AustralianOpenDoublesjuniorresult =  | FrenchOpenDoublesjuniorresult =  | WimbledonDoublesjuniorresult =  | USOpenDoublesjuniorresult =  | AustralianOpenDoublesseniorresult = | FrenchOpenDoublesseniorresult = | WimbledonDoublesseniorresult = | USOpenDoublesseniorresult =

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCompetition|Maccabiah Games}} {{MedalSilver |1953 Israel|Men's Singles}} | medaltemplates-expand = yes | updated =  }}

'''Sydney Levy''' (17 October 1922 – 22 November 2015) was a South African tennis player.<ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42714412 "Tennis Draw in South Africa,"] ''Cairns Post'', 31 March 1952.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=JPOST19570628-01.1.10&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------|title=Israeli Tennis Champions to play in U.S.|author=Jack Leon|work=Jewish Post|date= 28 June 1957 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/sydney-levy/le86/overview|title=Sydney Levy | Overview | Tennis|website=ATP Tour}}</ref><ref>Gordon Forbes (2012). [https://books.google.com/books?id=EjJ6zDryDSYC&dq=syd+%22levy%22+tennis+south+africa&pg=PT45 ''A Handful of Summers'']</ref> He competed at Wimbledon, the French Championships, the U.S. Open, and Davis Cup, and won a silver medal at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

==Biography== Levy attended the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and won the university singles title in tennis in 1942.<ref>Jonty Winch, Bella Forsyth (1989). [https://books.google.com/books?id=JngKAQAAIAAJ&q=syd+%22levy%22+tennis+south+africa ''Wits Sport; An Illustrated History of Sport at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg'']</ref>

Levy competed in singles at the 1949 French Championships in Paris. In Round 1 Levy defeated Belgian Pierre Geelhand de Merxem in straight sets, and in Round 2 he lost to Marcel Bernard of France in four sets.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/sydney-levy/le86/overview|title=Sydney Levy | Player Activity | Tennis|website=ATP Tour}}</ref>

Levy competed in Men Singles Tennis at the 1949 Wimbledon Championships in England.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.todor66.com/tennis/Wimbledon/Men_1949.html|title=Men Singles Tennis Wimbledon Championships 1949 Winner|website=todor66.com}}</ref> In Round 1 he defeated Esmail Sohikish of Iran, in Round 2 he defeated Paul Rémy of France in five sets, and in Round 3 he was beaten by Vladimír Černík of Czechoslovakia.<ref name="auto"/> He also played in Gentlemen's Doubles in the competition, with Nigel Cockburn of South Africa, losing in Round 1 to American Budge Patty and South African Eric Sturgess.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://assets.wimbledon.com/archive/draws/pdfs/draws/1949_MD_A4.pdf|title=The Championships 1949; Gentlemen's Doubles}}</ref>

Levy competed at the 1951 U.S. Open in New York City. In Round 1 Levy defeated American Frank Shields in straight sets, and in Round 2 he lost to American Straight Clark in straight sets.<ref name="auto1"/> He also competed in men's singles in the 1951 Wimbledon Championships, where he was defeated by Jean Claude Molinari of France in five sets.<ref name="auto2">[https://www.itftennis.com/en/players/sydney-levy/800172706/rsa/mt/s/grand-slams/#pprofile-info-tabs "Sydney Levy Men's Singles Grand Slams,"] ITF Tennis.</ref><ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player.cgi?p=SydLevy|title=Syd Levy Match Results, Splits, and Analysis|website=Tennis Abstract}}</ref>

Levy competed as well in men's singles in the 1951 French Championships.<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto3"/> There, in Round 1 he defeated Marcello Del Bello of Italy in straight sets, and in Round 2 he was defeated by Dick Savitt of the United States in five sets.<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto3"/>

At both the 1949 Welsh Championships and the 1949 Bristol Open, Levy lost in the finals to Felicisimo Ampon of the Philippines. At both the 1951 and 1952 South African Open, he lost in the finals to Eric Sturgess of South Africa.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Levy played Davis Cup for South Africa in 1951 against the Netherlands and Italy.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sGo8AQAAIAAJ&dq=syd+%22levy%22+tennis+south+africa&pg=RA53-PA6 ''Israel Digest; A Bi-weekly Summary of News from Israel''], Volumes 6-8, 1955.</ref><ref>[https://www.itftennis.com/en/players/sydney-levy/800172706/rsa/mt/s/activity/#pprofile-info-tabs "Sydney Levy Men's Singles Activity,"] ITF Tennis.</ref>

Levy was Jewish, and competing at the 1953 Maccabiah Games in Israel, he won a silver medal, losing in the finals to American Grant Golden.<ref>Potgieter, D J, Ed-in-Chief (1972). [https://books.google.com/books?id=HkVRAQAAIAAJ&q=syd+%22levy%22+tennis+south+africa ''Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa''], Nasou Limited, Capetown, Volume 6.</ref><ref>Peter S. Horvitz (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=dDyEVDIA3aIC&dq=syd+%22levy%22+tennis+south+africa&pg=PA30 ''The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes; An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars'']</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/09/25/83736926.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0|title=GOLDEN AND LEVY IN TEL AVIV FINAL; American Beats Dr. Geller in Maccabiah Tennis as South African Tops Eisenberg|website=The New York Times|date=24 September 1953}}</ref><ref>[https://www.jewsinsports.org/profile_sport_tennis_ID_61.html "Golden, Grant,"] Jews in Sports.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rMj4tXZSWE8C&q=syd+%22levy%22+tennis+south+africa ''Vigor''], Volumes 11-12, 1957.</ref>

Levy died in Mount Vernon, New York on 22 November 2015, at the age of 93.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sydney Levy |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/mount-vernon-ny/sydney-levy-6685166 |website=Dignity Memorial |access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{ATP}} * {{ITF}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Syd}} Category:1922 births Category:2015 deaths Category:South African male tennis players Category:Jewish South African sportspeople Category:Jewish tennis players Category:Maccabiah Games medalists in tennis Category:Competitors at the 1953 Maccabiah Games Category:Maccabiah Games silver medalists for South Africa Category:South Africa national tennis team players Category:University of the Witwatersrand alumni Category:20th-century South African sportsmen

Syd Levy

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