Harold Solomon
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Born | September 17, 1952 Washington D.C., U.S. |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Turned pro | 1972 (amateur from 1971) |
| Retired | 1986 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,802,769 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 585–339 (63.3%) |
| Career titles | 22 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (September 8, 1980) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | F (1976) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1972, 1974, 1977, 1986) |
| US Open | SF (1977) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (1976) |
| WCT Finals | QF (1975, 1976) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 73–129 (36.1%) |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1976) |
Harold Solomon (born September 17, 1952) is an American former professional tennis player who played during the 1970s and 1980s. He achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 5 in singles in 1980, and of No. 4 in doubles in 1976.[1] Over the course of his career, he won 22 singles titles.
Solomon was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame, the USTA Mid Atlantic Section Hall of Fame, the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Early and personal life
[edit]Solomon is Jewish. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and attended Springbrook High School and later lived in Pompano Beach, Florida.[2][3][4][5][6] He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has a wife named Jan, a daughter named Rachel, and a son named Jesse.[2]
Tennis career
[edit]Solomon began playing tennis when he was five.[7] Ranked as high as second in the United States in his junior career, Solomon won the Clay Court Championship when he was 18.[8] He was named an All-American at Rice University, where he was a political science major and a member of Wiess College.[1][9][2]
He turned professional when he finished university in 1972, and first won pro matches in 1974.[1][8] Among his shots was the moonball—a high and deep shot, normally hit with a lot of spin.[9][10]
At the French Open, Solomon's best showing was when he reached the singles final in 1976. He "pumped his two-fisted backhand like a cane-cutter", but lost to Adriano Panatta in four sets. Panatta said of Solomon that "his tennis is bizarre, I suppose, but he fights so hard".[11] He reached the quarterfinals in 1972 and 1975 and made it to the semifinals in 1974 and 1980.[8] At the US Open, he was a semifinalist in 1977.[8][9] He won the tournament now known as the Cincinnati Open twice (in 1977 and 1980) and was a finalist at the 1976 and 1978 United States Pro Championships.
Solomon captured a total of 22 professional singles titles.[12] His lifetime professional win–loss record is 564–315, and he earned over $1.8 million.[1] He was ranked among the top 10 singles players worldwide in 1976, 1978, 1979, and 1980, and was among the top 20 from 1974 to 1980.[1] His best year was in 1980 when his win–loss record was 64–23 and he was ranked No. 5 in the world.[9] He appeared in Playgirl Magazine's list of 10 sexiest men that same year.[8]
Solomon played doubles with Eddie Dibbs. In 1976 they were ranked No. 4 worldwide, and were among the top ten in 1974, 1975, and 1976. They were nicknamed "The Bagel Twins."[1]
Solomon is credited with coining the term 'Bagel', referring to a set in tennis that ends with a score of 6–0. It was then popularized by commentator Bud Collins.[13]
Davis Cup
[edit]Solomon played in the Davis Cup on the American team in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1978.[1] He has a record of nine wins and four losses in this competition.[9] The US team won the Davis Cup final in 1972 (3–2 against Romania) and 1978 (4–1 against Great Britain) although Solomon did not play in either final.[9]
ATP
[edit]Solomon served as president of the Association of Tennis Professionals from 1980 to 1983[1] and later on its board of directors.[8][9]
Halls of Fame
[edit]Solomon was inducted into the USTA Mid Atlantic Section Hall of Fame in 1994[14] and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[1] He was named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame (player) in 2013. He was inducted into the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.[15]
Coaching career
[edit]Solomon began coaching in the 1990s, working with Jennifer Capriati, Mary Joe Fernandez, Shahar Pe'er, Justin Gimelstob, Eugenie Bouchard, Allie Kiick, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, Anna Kournikova and others.[16][17][18][19][1][9] Some of his players won Grand Slam events and the Olympic Games.[12] He founded and runs the Harold Solomon Tennis Center, now known as the Florida Tennis SBT Academy, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[9][20]
Grand Slam finals
[edit]Singles: 1 runner-up
[edit]| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1976 | French Open | Clay |  Adriano Panatta | 1–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–7 |
Career finals
[edit]Singles: 38 (22 wins / 16 losses)
[edit]| Category |
|---|
| Grand Slam |
| Grand Prix Masters (1970–89) |
| WCT Finals (1971–89) |
| Grand Prix Series (1970–89), WCT Series (1968–89) |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jul 1974 | Washington D.C., US | Clay |  Guillermo Vilas |
1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Aug 1974 | Bretton Woods, US | Clay |  Rod Laver |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Sep 1974 | Los Angeles, US | Hard |  Jimmy Connors |
3–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 2–2 | Feb 1975 | Toronto Indoor, Canada | Carpet (i) | Stan Smith |
6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 3–2 | Mar 1975 | Memphis, US | Hard (i) |  Jiří Hřebec |
2–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 3–3 | Jul 1975 | Washington D.C., US | Clay | Guillermo Vilas |
1–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 3–4 | Oct 1975 | Melbourne, Australia | Grass | Brian Gottfried |
2–6, 6–7, 1–6 |
| Win | 4–4 | Oct 1975 | Perth, Australia | Hard | Alex Mayer |
6–2, 7–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 5–4 | Nov 1975 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Brian Gottfried |
6–3, 6–2, 5–7, 6–2 |
| Loss | 5–5 | Jan 1976 | Monterrey WCT, Mexico | Carpet | Eddie Dibbs |
6–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 6–5 | Mar 1976 | Washington WCT, US | Carpet (i) |  Onny Parun |
6–3, 6–1 |
| Win | 7–5 | Apr 1976 | Houston WCT, US | Clay | Ken Rosewall |
6–4, 1–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 7–6 | Jun 1976 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Adriano Panatta |
1–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–7(3–7) |
| Win | 8–6 | Aug 1976 | Louisville Open, US | Clay |  Wojciech Fibak |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Loss | 8–7 | Aug 1976 | Boston, US | Clay |  Björn Borg |
7–6, 4–6, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 9–7 | Oct 1976 | Maui, US | Hard | Bob Lutz |
6–3, 5–7, 7–5 |
| Win | 10–7 | Nov 1976 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Brian Gottfried |
6–2, 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 11–7 | Jun 1977 | Brussels, Belgium | Clay |  Karl Meiler |
7–5, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 12–7 | Jul 1977 | Cincinnati Masters, US | Clay |  Mark Cox |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 13–7 | Sep 1977 | WCT ToC, US | Carpet (i) | Ken Rosewall |
6–5(7–5), 6–2, 2–6, 0–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 13–8 | Feb 1978 | Springfield, US | Carpet (i) |  Heinz Günthardt |
3–6, 6–3, 2–6 |
| Win | 14–8 | Apr 1978 | Las Vegas, US | Hard | Corrado Barazzutti |
6–1, 3–0 ret. |
| Win | 15–8 | Jul 1978 | Louisville Open, US | Clay | John Alexander |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 15–9 | Aug 1978 | Boston, US | Clay |  Manuel Orantes |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 15–10 | Dec 1978 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Tim Gullikson |
6–2, 6–7, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 16–10 | Jan 1979 | Baltimore, US | Carpet (i) | Marty Riessen |
7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 16–11 | May 1979 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | José Higueras |
6–3, 1–6, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 16–12 | Jul 1979 | Forest Hills WCT, US | Clay | Eddie Dibbs |
6–7, 1–6 |
| Win | 17–12 | Aug 1979 | North Conway, US | Clay | José Higueras |
5–7, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Loss | 17–13 | Oct 1979 | Bordeaux, France | Clay |  Yannick Noah |
0–6, 7–6, 1–6, 6–1, 4–6 |
| Win | 18–13 | Nov 1979 | Paris Open, France | Hard (i) | Corrado Barazzutti |
6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 18–14 | Nov 1979 | Wembley Championship, UK | Carpet (i) | John McEnroe |
3–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 19–14 | Jan 1980 | Baltimore U.S. | Carpet (i) | Tim Gullikson |
7–6, 6–0 |
| Loss | 19–15 | Apr 1980 | Las Vegas, US | Hard | Björn Borg |
3–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 20–15 | May 1980 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | Guillermo Vilas |
6–7, 6–2, 6–4, 2–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 21–15 | Aug 1980 | Cincinnati, US | Hard |  Francisco González |
7–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 22–15 | Oct 1980 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Hard |  Shlomo Glickstein |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Loss | 22–16 | Apr 1981 | Las Vegas, US | Hard | Ivan Lendl |
4–6, 2–6 |
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
[edit]| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | Career W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | 0–0 |
| French Open | QF | 3R | SF | QF | F | 4R | 3R | 4R | SF | 1R | 2R | A | 3R | A | A | 36–12 |
| Wimbledon | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 0–4 |
| US Open | 2R | 1R | A | 4R | 1R | SF | 4R | 4R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 1R | A | A | A | 22–11 |
| Win–loss | 4–3 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 7–2 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 5–2 | 6–2 | 8–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 58–27 |
Doubles: 3 (1 win, 2 losses)
[edit]| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Feb 1976 | Fort Worth WCT, US | Carpet | Eddie Dibbs |
Vitas Gerulaitis Sandy Mayer |
4–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1–1 | Mar 1976 | Washington WCT, US | Carpet | Eddie Dibbs |
Mark Cox  Cliff Drysdale |
6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Jul 1976 | Cincinnati, US | Clay | Eddie Dibbs |
Stan Smith Erik van Dillen |
1–6, 1–6 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Harold Solomon". International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Harold Solomon | Bio | Tennis". ATP Tour.
- ↑ Slater, Robert (2000). Great Jews in Sports. J. David Publishers. ISBN 9780824604332 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Horvitz, Peter S. (2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SP Books. ISBN 9781561719075 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Goldman, David J. (2013). Jewish Sports Stars (2nd Revised Edition): Athletic Heroes Past and Present. Kar-Ben. ISBN 9781467716499 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Lorge, Barry (June 6, 1980). "Tennis, Life Are Growing On Solomon" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ↑ Goldman, David J. (2013). Jewish Sports Stars (2nd Revised Edition): Athletic Heroes Past and Present. Kar-Ben. ISBN 9781467716499 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Solomon, Harold". Jews in Sports. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Grasso, John (September 16, 2011). Historical Dictionary of Tennis. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810872370 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Campbell, Shep (1981). Quick Tips from the CBS Tennis Spot. Golf Digest/Tennis, Incorporated. ISBN 9780914178453 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Panatta tops Solomon in tennis". The Morning Record. June 14, 1976. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
- 1 2 "Meet The Staff". Harold Solomon Tennis Institute. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ↑ Bodo, Peter. "Bagel, Anyone?". Tennis.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ↑ "USTA Mid Atlantic Section – Hall of Fame". USTA Mid Atlantic Section. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ↑ "Washington, D.C. Sports Hall Inducts Class of 2016". Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". www.jewishsports.net. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ↑ "TN Q & A: Harold Solomon - Tennis Now". www.tennisnow.com.
- ↑ "Harold Solomon leaves Team Genie Bouchard" - Tennis.life Archived May 4, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Christopher, Matt (2007). On the Court with ... Jennifer Capriati. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780316030793 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Academy, Florida Tennis SBT. "Florida Tennis SBT Academy Names Rob Castorri GM and Director of Tennis". www.prnewswire.com (Press release).
External links
[edit]- Harold Solomon at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Harold Solomon at World Tennis
- Harold Solomon at the Davis Cup (archived)
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