Jan Koželuh was a Czech tennis player of the 1920s, not to be confused with his older brother Karel Koželuh

Karel Koželuh

Karel Koželuh was a top Czech tennis, soccer, and ice hockey player of the 1920s and 1930s. Koželuh never played in the major tournaments of amateur tennis but was an all-around athlete at the very highest level....

 (1895–1950), a player of the same era. Although Karel was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

International Tennis Hall of Fame

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...

 in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

, in 2006, Jan is almost totally forgotten today outside his native Czechoslovakia.

Biography

Jan Koželuh was the son of Josef and Maria Koželuh, one of 7 brothers and two sisters. All six brothers and one sister were active in sports, a new phenomenon of that era. Karel, the most notable of the Koželuh family, achieved his fame as one of the first professional players in tennis, soccer, and field and ice hockey.

Jan, said by some to be the most talented of them all, remained an amateur throughout his career. He was the Czech national singles

Singles (tennis)

Traditionally, tennis is played between two people in a singles match, or two pairs in a doubles match.-Standard types of match:Singles involves two players competing against each other, usually two men or two women, although games between a man and a woman may be played on an informal...

 and doubles champion 1925-1928 as well as a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...

 in 1926 and 1927. He played many matches for the Czech Davis Cup

Davis Cup

The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...

team 1924-1930. His highest world ranking was number 10 in 1927. Although Karel continued to play at a top level on the professional tennis circuit until he was in his forties, Jan ended his amateur career at 26, which many considered a mistake. Afterwards, he lived in Florida, where he gave tennis lessons until his death.