Do You Remember Toomas Leius?

[Moz]

I pLayed a tournament in Estonia this week and in the post match drinks got talking to a guy called Toomas Leius.

Apparently he was Wimbledon junior champion in about 1959 and also won the mens at Queens. He was talking to me about playing Laver and Emerson. He either beat Laver in 5 once or lost in 5 - the vodka and foreign language got too much...

If you remember him I now have a few stories and he has very forthright opinions about tennis.

Apparently heäs worthy of a salute in Estonia, bit of a legend...

 

[Katlion]

Never heard of him.

 

[Moz]

http://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toomas_Leius

 

[AndrewD]

Moz,

I don't remember the name but a quick look on the ITF site did turn up his results. He did have a lot more losses than wins in his overall career, especially singles, but some of those losses are pretty damn respectable.

SINGLES:
1968 lost QF of Queens to Rod Laver 21-19, 6-2 (beat Pasarell in the Rd16 6-3 16-14 and we remember what he did at Wimbledon the following year).
1969 lost QF of Hobart to Fred Stolle 6-2 6-2 0-6 3-6 3-6
1969 lost QF of Melbourne to Stan Smith 2-6 4-6 6-8
1969 Rd16 at Australian Open - losing to Ray Ruffels 2-6 1-6 3-6
1969 lost QF of Auckland to Rod Laver 3-6 6-4 6-4 3-6 5-7
1969 Rd16 Italian Open - lost to Marty Mulligan

DOUBLES:
1969 R16 Australian Open - lost to Rosewall/ Stolle 4-6 2-6 0-6
1969 Final Auckland (with Mal Anderson) lost to Ray Moore/Roger Taylor 15-13 3-6 6-8 6-8
1969 R16 French Open (with Alex Metraveli) - lost to Emerson/Laver 1-6 2-6 2-6


MIXED DOUBLES:
1969: R16 French Open
1971: FINAL French Open (with Winnie Shaw GB) lost to Barclay/Francoise Durr 2-6 4-6

Those seem to be the highlights but here's the link if you'd like a look:
http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/activity.asp?player=10002783

No mention of him winning Queens but remember that the ITF results (as with any ATP) only start in 1968 and he would have been competing since 1959/1960. Urban, one of the posters on this message board, seems to have access to a lot of pre-Open results so he might be able to help you out. Regardless, Leius certainly did lose to Laver in 5 sets and played quite a few of the very biggest names in our sport.

Congrats on your results.

 

[Moz]

Thanks for that Andrew - I was too stupid and too drunk to check the ITF site last night!

I'm glad to hear he was legit and it wasn't the vodka talking!

He grew up practising against the wall for hours and it was quite a while before he actually got on a court. He says that when he did everything he hit went in.

He was basically self taught and learnt alot from still photos of the pros strokes at the time. He could never hit with any power, because he was never taught how to. He was a pure serve and volleyer and chip / charged on everything. Although he wasn't fast he claimed that he could read everything at the net so it was his anticipation that enabled him to win.

Interestingly he said that the increased use of the double handed backhand meant the end for him because it was so much harder to read. He also ended up in prison at some point, although I couldn't work out why.

He says give him 4 top juniors to coach for 3 months and he could get them in the top 100 - if they survived!

He also told us his secret - "I never, ever, missed".

 

[AndrewD]

Moz,

Mal Anderson lives in my neck of the woods and we occasionally see him at tournaments (along with Ashley Cooper). If I can remember, next time I see him, I'll ask what he though of Leius, given that they did play doubles together.

I'm surprised he mentioned the double-handed backhand as a factor because his ITF record ends in 1972, which I would have thought to be a few years before the two-hander became wildly popular on the men's tour. That said, since coming back to the game 3 years ago (after a 12 year absence) I've found that poly is an absolute nightmare for a serve-volleyer as it's so bloody hard to read the ball off the strings. Shots that you leave because they look like they're going long (based on their height, trajectory and not being hit with enough rotation to bring them down) drop in at the last minute because there's no more 'pop' on the ball. You end up either being afraid to leave any ball so have to hit a lot of awkward volleys or you just stop coming to the net.

 

[Rosebud]

I should have liked to have watched him play in his heyday. From what I read, he was a natural and graceful player. But he actually did make it to the finals at Queens, this was in 1964, losing to Emerson 12-10 6-4, after having beaten Rafael Osuna in the semis. On his time spent in prison: I believe he killed his wife in a crime of passion? Poor soul. So is he now still somehow involved in Estonian tennis? I think some years ago he was captain of the Estonian Fed Cup team? Well moz, you are probably not likely to return to Estonia in near future, but if you should ever meet him again, then maybe he would like to tell you more of his views on our modern game? I was wondering: does anyone know what happened at Roland Garros in 1965 (the w/o to Drysdale in the quarters after wins over Sangster & Pilic)?

 

[Moz]

Thanks for the information rosebud. I'm glad I didn't pry about the prison time.

He owns a tennis centre over there, but I didn't get to see it. He was playing the over 65 mens doubles at this tournament. His mobility is quite bad now because he has cancer apparently, but he can still stick his volleys. I get the impression he doesn't particularly get on with the Estonian tennis association and isn't asked to coach any of the promising juniors. He's confident he could do the job and he seems a bit puzzled / upset that they don't get him involved more. There was more to the story but I couldn't work out what it was.

He was full of praise for Emerson as an athlete - his fitness and speed. Also, he says Harry Hopman used to absolutely work his players arses off.

I didn't get a chance to ask him about the modern game. As you say, next time!

 

[panic]

He is still in scene coaching anyone who wants, I have taken lessons from him. He is old, but you can clearly see he's good, hitting clean all the time and so on. He got 8 years of prison (don't exactly know how much he did spend there) for strangling his wife. Rumours say he built a court in prison.
He's quite a nice guy, talks much and is friendly, he's often on the next court to me.

 

[Rosebud]

Moz, by chance I stumbled on that 5 set loss to Laver. In the "BP Book of World Tennis 1970" it is mentioned that they met during the quarterfinals of the New Zealand Open in 1969, with Laver winning 63 46 46 63 75.

For a while Leius was regarded the top Soviet player until Metreveli took over that spot over, and according to the "Who's Who in World Tennis" section in the same publication he achieved the first Soviet win in an important tournament by winning the Kent doubles championships in 1963. Other notable wins: over Pilic in the Italian championships and Pietrangeli in Davis Cup.

Roy McKelvie's "The Queen's Club Story" briefly mentions the 1964 final. Then reigning US champ Osuna had apparantly twisted an ankle at the start of the final set in his semi vs Leius, though in true style of those days he did not use it as an excuse for his loss. Still, they were already 1 set all when the mishap occurred (score in the end was 63 36 61), and in the final Toomas "played Emerson almost even for 90 min. before losing" according to a Time Magazine report, which also touts him as first "russian ever to reach the finals of a major tennis tournament". However I think this honor should go to Count Soumarokoff who won the South of France championships thrice in 1920, 1921 and 1922. (or is it Sumarokov?)

 

[Moz]

Thanks rosebud - that's interesting.

 

[tennisdad65]

He grew up practising against the wall for hours and it was quite a while before he actually got on a court. He says that when he did everything he hit went in.

very interesting. I remember that McEnroe also spent a great deal of time on the wall. Seems like the wall helps volleyers a lot more.

 

[Idzznew]

Soumarokoff

You're right Rosebud.

This is what I have in the database for M. Soumarokoff at ww.tennisarchives.com

Stats
Matches in database: 7
Victories in database: 6
Tournaments won in database: 2
Results

1920 South of France championships
Quarterfinals Soumarokoff, M. d. Barclay, H.S.L. (Lewis) (6-3 7-5)
Semifinals Soumarokoff, M. d. Ritchie, M. Joshia George (3-6 6-4 6-4)
Final Soumarokoff, M. d. Gerbault, Alain J. (7-5 6-2 2-6 3-6 6-1)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1921 Nice
Round 2 Soumarokoff, M. d. Thole, J. (6-0 6-1)
Quarterfinals Soumarokoff, M. d. Boyd, R.A. (6-1 6-0)
Semifinals Lowe, Francis Gordon d. Soumarokoff, M. (3-6 10-8 3-6 7-5 3-0 ret.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1921 South of France championships
Final Soumarokoff, M. d. Balbi de Robecco, Mino (6-1 6-1 6-0)

 

[Borgforever]

Great find Idzznew! I never even heard of M. Soumarokoff before and he nailed Nice twice with one final to boot. His first name? Mikhail?

We should know his first name...

 

[Idzznew]

Sumarokov

Here's more complete info;

Name: Mikhail Nikolayevich
Family name: Sumarokov-Elston
Nationality: Russia

Gender:
Had: 77 years
Date of birth: January 2, 1893
Place of birth: Jalta, Russia
Date of death: July 3, 1970
Place of death: London, Great-Britain


Stats
Matches in database: 12
Victories in database: 11
Tournaments won in database: 4
Results

1920 South of France championships
Quarterfinals Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Barclay, H.S.L. (Lewis) (6-3 7-5)
Semifinals Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Ritchie, M. Joshia George (3-6 6-4 6-4)
Final Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Gerbault, Alain J. (7-5 6-2 2-6 3-6 6-1)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1921 Nice
Round 2 Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Thole, J. (6-0 6-1)
Quarterfinals Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Boyd, R.A. (6-1 6-0)
Semifinals Lowe, Francis Gordon d. Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich (3-6 10-8 3-6 7-5 3-0 ret.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1921 South of France championships
Final Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Balbi de Robecco, Mino (6-1 6-1 6-0)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1922 Nice
Quarterfinals Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Hillyard, Jack M. (6-2 6-4)
Semifinals Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Rocksavage, Lord (6-3 6-2)
Final Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Morier, C. (6-1 6-1 6-0)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1922 South of France championships
Semifinals Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Aeschliman, Charles F. (6-4 6-4)
Final Sumarokov-Elston, Mikhail Nikolayevich d. Cochet, Henri Jean (6-0 6-2 7-5)



Accordingly, Russia's national championships were held in St. Petersburg as it had been the birthplace of tennis. Mikail Sumarokov dominated the men's singles with five consecutive titles up until 1914, only to be halted by World War One military service.

He competed at the Olympics 1912 too.

 

[Idzznew]

Sumarokov

If I find more results I will publish them on:
www.tennisarchives.com

 

[Idzznew]

Count Sumarokov

To add just a little extra to the info found on count Sumarokov.
A contact of mine led me to a site with a picture of him.

Look at www.tennisarchives.com