Trabert was a six-time winner of the tri-state tennis tournament now known as the Western & Southern Open. His 1951 singles title went hand in hand with a final win against friend, idol, mentor and Cincinnatian Bill Talbert. In 1953 Trabert also won the single title with four double titles (1949, 51, 53, 55).
In the majors, Trabert was 10-1 in the final and won five singles and five doubles. At the age of 19 he won his first major by winning doubles in the French championship with Talbert in 1950. In 1953, he won his first major in singles, just months after finishing a business trip to the Navy Reserves at the US Championship without dropping a sentence.
Trabert’s 1955 campaign is still considered to be one of the greatest seasons in tennis history. A loss in the Australian Championship semi-finals in January was his only flaw at the Grand Slams, as he was only the second player to win three of the majors in a single season at the time. His Wimbledon and US championship titles were won without dropping a set.
In 23 tournaments in 1955 Trabert won 18 individual titles and set a record of 106-7. He won more than a dozen double titles that season. In August of that year, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Trabert was a member of five Davis Cup teams as a player and won singles and doubles in 1954 to help the United States recapture the Cup. From 1976 to 1980 he was then team captain and led a team with the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors to a title pair.
After his active career, Trabert worked as a tennis and golf commentator for CBS for more than three decades.
Trabert was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970 and later served as President of that institution for 12 years.
Trabert is survived by his 30-year-old wife Vicki, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
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