Józef Hebda (7 October 1906 – 23 September 1975) was a Polish

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player in the 1930s and 1940s.

Career

Hebda began playing tennis seriously at quite an advanced age, over 20 years of age. In 1933 Hebda beat Australian protege

Vivian McGrath Vivian Erzerum Bede McGrath (17 February 1916 – 9 April 1978) was a tennis champion from Australia. Along with John Bromwich, he was one of the early great players to use a two-handed backhand. His name was pronounced "McGraw". Biograph ...

at the French championships. McGrath "found in Hebda, the Polish champion, a steady baseliner with fine passing shots, who drew him into the net and then steered the ball safely past him." He lost in the last 32 to Frank Wilde. Hebda won his first Polish international championships title in 1932 beating

Ignacy Tłoczyński Ignacy Tłoczyński (; 14 July 1911 – 25 December 2000) was a Polish tennis player, coach and World War II veteran. Tłoczyński participated in 10 Davis Cup ties for Poland Davis Cup team, Poland from 1930–1939, posting a 23–8 record in ...

in the final due to "Hebda’s infinitely varied game and his ease in adopting the tactics that suit each opponent". He also won the event in 1937 beating Tloczynski in the final and 1939 beating Tloczynski in the final once again.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hebda, Józef 1906 births 1975 deaths Polish male tennis players 20th-century Polish sportsmen