Don Budge participated in sports as a youngster but was not particularly fond of tennis. However, in his debut event, Budge won the California state boys' singles championship. He represented the United States four times in international Davis Cup competition, winning 25 of 29 matches. He won the singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1937 and 1938, respectively. In the United States tournament in Forest Hills he won four titles: two singles and two men's doubles.
Budge would probably have won more Grand Slams if he hadn't gone professional in late 1938; at the time, the tournaments were solely open to amateurs. He became a dominant professional player, but a shoulder injury sustained during military training in the early 1940s limited his ability. Budge, a tough and relentless player, was most known for his backhand, which he used offensively rather than defensively. He was inducted into the National Lawn Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1964.
