Andrés Hammersley Núñez (17 October 1919[1] — 10 January 2002) was a Chilean tennis player.[2] He is considered one of the main referents of the tennis of his country in the 1940s and 1950s. Hammersley was nicknamed «the Huaso».[3]

Hammersley in 1942.

Biography

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He was son of the athlete Rodolfo Hammersley and Lucía Núñez, and brother of the skier Arturo Hammersley. Simultaneously to his tennis career, he studied contactology in Germany, being one of the first Chilean specialists in this area.[3]

He had three marriages, one of them with Carla Timmerman. He spoke Spanish, English, French and German.[3]

Sport career

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In 1941, he won his first Tennis Chilean championship, which repeated consecutively until 1946.[3] Also he was runner-up in the Argentinian championship in 1945, and won the South American championship in 1943 and 1946.[2][4]

He was the first Chilean to participate in the international tournament of Forest Hills —current US Open— in 1945, and the following year he was invited to the Wimbledon Championship, where after being defeated by Dinny Pails, he suffered a mental confusion that dropped him out of tracks until 1948.[2][3][5] He returned to Wimbledon in 1954, participating in all the versions of the tournament until 1958.[6]

He was part of the Chilean team of Davis Cup between 1954 and 1957, being nominated in eight opportunities, and he played in the semifinal of the 1955 European zone against Sweden. He won 10 Davis Cup matches and lost 13.[7]

Grand Slam performance timeline

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament 1945 1946 ... 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 W–L
Australian Championships Absent 0–0
French Championships A 3R 2R 1R 2R 3R A 3–5
Wimbledon A 1R 2R 1R 1R 2R 1R 2–6
U.S. Championships 2R 3R 3R 1R A A A 2–4

References

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  1. ^ Diccionario Biográfico de Chile, 9a Edición, 1953, p. 569.
  2. ^ a b c "Falleció Hammersley". Diario.elmercurio.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Cavalla, Mario (2006). Entre la depresión y la guerra. 1929-1949 (in Spanish). Ocho Libros Editores. pp. 47–69. ISBN 9789568018269. Retrieved 2016-05-30. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "The Fourth: Until always, Andrés [01/13/2002]". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  5. ^ "El tenis bajó de los cerros". Diario.elmercurio.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-05-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Copa Davis - Perfil de jugador - Andres HAMMERSLEY (CHI)". Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2016-05-30.