D-Day 75th anniversary: To heal from war, Art Larsen turned to tennis

Today marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. On June 6, 1944, the world bore witness to the power of unity and selflessness when more than 150,000 Allied troops coalesced to stage the largest maritime invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France. This mission proved to be a chief turning point in World War II, as this heroic ploy forced Nazi soldiers to retreat, opening the western front.

One of those Allied soldiers was the imaginative tennis player Art Larsen. Before future greats Rod Laver, John McEnroe and Rafael Nadal carried the mantle for left-handers, Larsen was the archetypal southpaw. He possessed exceptional feel at the net, a tremendous court sense and outmaneuvered opponents with his finesse and understanding of angles in place of power.

Before Larsen realized his greatest tennis achievements, he served his country in the U.S. Army. He was in combat for the Normandy landings at Omaha Beach, saw friends perish every direction he turned, and continued marching forward. The trauma he witnessed and survived acted as a catalyst for the quirks Larsen would later be known for.

“Suddenly out of nowhere, a fleet of bombers began strafing and bombing us," Larsen was quoted saying in a 2012 Tennis Magazine tribute. “Our own Air Force had mistaken us for Nazis. Half the troops were killed, ambulances were lined up for miles. I came through unscratched. Then and there I developed the complexes I’m still trying to shake."

Known as “Tappy” for his need to tap everything he contacted, from the net and umpire chair to his opponents, it was tennis that provided Larsen the therapy he needed to defeat the demons of a harrowing war. After leading the University of San Francisco to the 1949 NCAA title, Larsen became the first lefty to win the U.S. National Championships in 20 years, and first since the end of World War II, when he battled past No. 3 seed Herbie Flam, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 for the 1950 crown. Larsen would also reach the final at the 1954 French Championships, and he made history as the first man to win the American amateur championship on grass, clay, hard and indoors.

A captivating, charismatic character who was ostentatious on the court, as much as he was off it, Larsen packed cigarettes in his short pockets and basked being the life of the party. He was obsessed with birds, deeming soaring eagles to be his lucky charm on court. Tappy was simply predictably unpredictable in his nature.

“He was a very amusing sort of guy,” Gardnar Mulloy shared with the *New York Times* in his former doubles partner’s obituary. “It was easy to play jokes on him because he’d believe everything. Just point out some beautiful woman and say she said she’s frantically in love with him: ‘Just go up to her and ask her if she wants to make out.’ A couple of times he got slapped.”

Larsen’s career was sadly cut short by a motorcycle accident in November of 1956. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame in 1969 and lived to be 87, before passing away on December 7, 2012. Larsen was awarded four campaign stars and was bestowed with a military burial service in San Leandro, Calif.