Robert Bédard (tennis)

Robert Bédard (born 13 September 1931) is a Canadian former tennis player. Bédard was the top-ranked Canadian singles player for most of the 1950s and early 1960s.

Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Bédard began playing tennis at the relatively late age of 15.

Bédard is the most recent Canadian to win the Canadian Open singles championship, triumphing in 1955, 1957, and 1958. He was runner-up in 1954. He won the doubles title three times, in 1955, 1957, and 1959 with compatriot Don Fontana. He won the mixed doubles title in 1959 partnering Mariette Laframboise. He won the Montreal Cup at age 20. He was singles champion of the Nova Scotia Open in 1952, 1955, and 1957.

Bédard competed in (the main draw at) the French Championships twice, Wimbledon four times, and the U.S. Nationals eleven times. His best showing at a grand slam event was reaching the round of 32, which he did once at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, both in 1954, and four times at Forest Hills, in 1955, '56, '59, and in 1961.

As the no. 1 seed Lew Hoad disposed of Bédard in the third round at the French in three close sets. A month later at Wimbledon, Hoad, the No. 2 seed eliminated Bédard in the same round in four sets. After a first round exit in 1954, Bédard reached the third round at Forest Hills for the first in an eventual four the following year, but again it was Hoad that he came up short against, this time the No. 4 seed won the encounter in three straight sets. In 1956 he duplicated the feat, this time bowing out to unseeded American Hugh Stewart in four sets. After going out early in the next two U.S. Nationals, he once again reached the third round in 1959, when he lost to No. 6 seed Luis Ayala. He reached the same round once last time two years later, just shy of his 30th birthday. He came closest to advancing in this, his sixth attempt, going up two sets on fellow unseeded player Crawford Henry before succumbing, 7–5, 13–11, 1–6, 4–6, 2–6.

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