Ladislav "Laci" Legenstein (born 19 November 1926) is a Croatian–born Austrian former

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player.

Early years

He was born in Čakovec, Croatian (then Kingdom SCS). Both his parents were successful table tennis players and Ladislav also practised this sport in his youth, followed by football and volleyball (OK Mladost Čakovec). He started playing tennis on a court near his school and focused on this sport when he went to study in Zagreb. In 1955 he left Yugoslavia.

Tennis career

His best singles performance at a Grand Slam event was reaching the fourth round at the 1959 French Championships. In the third round he defeated 20-year-old

Rod Laver Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was the world number 1 ranked professional in some sources in 1964, in all sources from 1965 to 1969 and in some sources in 1970, spanning four years befor ...

in five sets but lost in the next round in straight sets to

Ian Vermaak Ian Vermaak (born 28 March 1933) is a former tennis player competing for South Africa. As the No. 4 seed he finished runner-up to Nicola Pietrangeli in the singles final of the Amateur French Championships of Roland-Garros in 1959, after having ...

. Legenstein participated in five Wimbledon Championships but never made it past the first round in the singles event. Together with

Torben Ulrich Torben Ulrich (born 4 October 1928) is a Danish writer, musician, filmmaker and former professional tennis player. He is the father of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. Biography Ulrich was born on 4 October 1928 in Copenhagen, the son of Ulla ...

he reached the semifinal of the

1959 Wimbledon Championships The 1959 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 22 June until Saturday 4 July 1959. It was the 73rd ...

doubles event in which they lost in straight sets to first–seeded and eventual champions

Roy Emerson Roy Stanley Emerson (born 3 November 1936) is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. He is the only male player to have completed a caree ...

and Neale Fraser. In July 1956 Legenstein was the finalist at the singles event of the international tennis tournament in

Travemünde Travemünde () is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Bay of Lübeck, Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, an ...

, West Germany. In the final

Ken Rosewall Kenneth Robert Rosewall (born 2 November 1934) is an Australian former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player. He won a record 23 Majors in singles, including eight Grand Slam singles titles and, before the Open Era, a record ...

proved too strong, defeating him in three sets. In 1957 Legenstein became the singles champion at the inaugural International Dutch Championships, played at 't Melkhuisje in

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilvers ...

. As a stateless player he defeated

Fred Dehnert Alfred E. "Fred" Dehnert (12 May 1928 – 18 August 1983) was a Dutch tennis player. He competed at Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tourn ...

in the final with the loss of only two games. He also won the mixed doubles event with Mrs. Blaise. In 1958 he won the doubles title with Vladimir Petrovic and successfully defended the mixed doubles title with Mrs. Blaise. In 1959 he again reached the singles final but this time lost in straight sets to

Jacques Brichant Jacques "Jacky" Brichant (28 March 1930 – 9 March 2011) was a Belgian tennis player. He was ranked world No. 9 for 1957. Brichant was a clay court specialist and won many clay court tournaments in Europe. Brichant has played the most Davis ...

. In August 1959 he was runner–up at the Austrian Championships, losing in the final in straight sets to Budge Patty. In April 1960 Legenstein gained the Austrian citizenship which was granted due to the ancestry of his father. In September 1960 he won the singles and doubles title at the Canadian Championships. In the singles he defeated

Warren Woodcock Warren W. Woodcock (born 22 September 1936) is an Australian former amateur tennis player who competed in the 1950s and 1960s. He reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Championships in 1957 and the final of a US Pro Championship in 1967, ...

in the final in straight sets and in the doubles he teamed up with

Peter Scholl Peter Scholl (5 October 1934 – 26 January 2019) was a German tennis player. Born in Baden-Württemberg, Scholl was a protege of Gottfried von Cramm, who trained him and a number of other select players in Duisburg. He was a Davis Cup player for ...

and won the final against Woodcock and

Whitney Reed Whitney Reed (August 20, 1932 – January 9, 2015) was a former U.S. No. 1 tennis player from the United States who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. Reed was ranked No. 1 amateur in the United States in 1961 and was ranked in the U.S. amateur ...

in straight sets. Legenstein played in six ties for the Austria Davis Cup team from 1960 through 1962 and reached the second round of the Europe zone during these years. He has a

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

record of nine wins and six losses. From 1964 to 1974 he worked as a tennis coach at the Heidelberger Tennisclub. Legenstein played on the seniors tour and became the singles and doubles champion in the 75+ category at the 2001 ITF Super-Seniors World Individual Championships . He continued to play senior tournaments until 2010 when, aged 83, he participated in the 34th Int. European Tennis Championships for Seniors.

Singles finals (2–3)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Legenstein, Ladislav 1926 births Austrian male tennis players Living people Sportspeople from Čakovec Masters tennis players Yugoslav emigrants to Austria