Background
Gottfried von Cramm was born in Hanover on 7 July 1909.
Gottfried von Cramm was born in Hanover on 7 July 1909.
One of the aristocrats of the sport, always perfectly flannelled - von Cramm never wore shorts - and with impeccable court manners, he first emerged in 1932 as a player of world calibre when representing Germany in the Davis Cup. Together with his country's top player, Daniel Prenn (q.v.), von Cramm helped Germany to a surprise fourth round victory over Britain and a week later defeated the top Italian players in a 5-0 German victory in the European zone final. In the Davis Cup final of 1932 Germany lost 2-3 to America but von Cramm defeated the great server Frank Shields, displaying an impressive variety of shots and remarkable mobile defence. After Prenn was forbidden by the Nazis to play Davis Cup tennis for Germany, von Cramm emerged as the nation s leading representative and in 1934 was the first German to win the French men’s singles’ championships in Paris, with a glorious display of tennis. Seeded third at Wimbledon he lost in the fourth round and, in spite of winning both his singles against France in the Davis Cup, was on the losing side.
In 1935 von Cramm’s dynamic game was only bettered by that of Britain’s Fred Perry, who defeated him in four sets in the French final and again in the Wimbledon final where von Cramm had been seeded second. Almost single-handedly the Baron took Germany to the inter-zone final of the Davis Cup in the same year. In 1936 von Cramm gained his revenge on Perry in the French final which he won in five sets, but at Wimbledon he pulled a thigh muscle in the second game of the men’s singles’ final and lost to Perry in straight sets. In 1937 the splendid but unlucky German star reached his third successive Wimbledon final, but lost to his close friend, the brilliant Californian, Donald Budge. In the inter-zone final of the Davis Cup, von Cramm rose to superlative heights and was unlucky to be defeated by Budge in the fifth set of the deciding rubber by 8-6. He also lost the American final to Budge in five sets.
These narrow defeats sealed von Cramm’s fate, for had he brought the Davis Cup to Germany not even Hitler would have dared to imprison so popular a sports hero. As it was, von Cramm was imprisoned by the Gestapo on his return from Australia in 1938, after the court had been instructed to convict him. Occasional news of the Baron's fate trickled through and it was rumoured that he had tried to commit suicide and that his aged mother had personally appealed to Hitler. Released in 1939 his entry was refused at Wimbledon. During World War II von Cramm survived three Nazi interrogations. After 1945 he returned to first-class tennis and won the German singles’ title in 1949 at the age of forty. In 1951 he reappeared at Wimbledon and, in spite of the absence of twelve years from grass, played brilliantly though losing to Jaroslav Drobnv in the first round.
Following his retirement from the game, von Cramm became a successful businessman and continued to be active in the administration of tennis in Germany, being appointed President of the Rot-Weiss LTC and an honorary member of the committee of the German Lawn Tennis Association.
He had never pretended to be a Nazi sympathizer.
Physical Characteristics: A lithe, superlatively fit and hard-working strokemaker with a menacing serve whose classic style was developed on German courts, the tall, blond sportsman was one of his country’s best ambassadors abroad, his dress, demeanour and good looks earning him the epithet ‘Beau Brummell of Tennis’.