Tennis legend Richard Russell has passed

It has been announced that Jamaican tennis legend Richard Russell has died.

He was 79-years-old.

Russell died early this morning at the Hospiten Hospital in Montego Bay, three days after being admitted with pneumonia, his son Rayne confirmed to The STAR.

A household name in sports, Russell was the driving force behind the Russell Tennis Academy, which he operated at Campion College and Hillel Academy for the past decade.

In recognition of his significant contributions to the growth of tennis in Jamaica, Russell was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government in 2022.

Russell is the only Jamaican to progress past the first round at all four tennis Grand Slam tournaments - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

He is perhaps known for winning a first-round match in the Australian Open at 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 over Richie Chopra from India in 1966.

He has won more than 12 matches in the Davis Cup.

"The most famous win was against America's Arthur Ashe and Charles Passarel in 1966 in Kingston. The Americans were then the best players in the world, and we started on a Saturday, and over two days, for about four hours we played. We had to come back on Sunday for the fifth set," Russell told JIS News in 2023.

He was 20 years old at the time.

Russell is survived by his five children, four sons and a daughter.

-Janet Silvera

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