Renée Richards
| Country (sports) | United States |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 19, 1934 New York City, USA |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Turned pro | 1977 |
| Retired | 1981 |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 0 WTA |
| Highest ranking | No. 20 (February 1979) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| US Open | 3R (1979) |
| Doubles | |
| Career titles | 0 WTA |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| US Open | F (1977) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| US Open | SF (1979) |
| Last updated on: 6 December 2016. | |
Renée Richards (born August 19, 1934) is an American ophthalmologist and former tennis player who had some success on the professional circuit in the 1970s. In 1975 Richards underwent male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. She was then denied entry into the 1976 US Open by the United States Tennis Association, which began that year requiring genetic screening for female players. She disputed this policy, and the New York Supreme Court ruled in her favor in 1977 in a decision in favor of transsexual rights. As one of the first professional athletes to identify as such, she became a spokesperson for the transgender community.
Richards was born Richard Raskind on August 19, 1934, in New York City, and was raised, as she put it, as "a nice Jewish boy" in Forest Hills, Queens. Her father David Raskind was an orthopedic surgeon, and her mother was one of the first female psychiatrists in the United States, in addition to being a professor at Columbia University.
Richards attended Horace Mann School and excelled as the wide receiver for the football team, the pitcher for the baseball team, and on the tennis and swim teams. Richards's baseball skills even led to an invitation to join the New York Yankees, but Richards decided to focus on tennis. After high school Richards attended Yale University and was captain of the men's tennis team, and was considered by some to be one of the best college tennis players in the country. After graduating from Yale, she went to the University of Rochester Medical Center and specialized in ophthalmology, graduating in 1959 and serving a two-year internship at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. After an internship, Richards served two years of residency at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York. Richards played competitive tennis for a while and during the time and was ranked sixth out of the top 20 males over 35. After an internship and residency, Richards joined the United States Navy to continue medical training and played tennis in the Navy. While serving in the Navy, Richards won both the singles and doubles at the All Navy Championship, with a very effective left-hand serve. During this time Richards was ranked as high as fourth in the region.
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