Willoughby Hamilton

Willoughby Hamilton
Full name James Willoughby Hamilton
Country (sports) Ireland
Born (1864-12-09)December 9, 1864
Monasterevin, Kildare, Ireland
Died September 27, 1943(1943-09-27) (aged 78)
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Singles
Career record 79/13, (85.8%) [1]
Career titles 29 [2]
Highest ranking No. 1 (1889, Karoly Mazak)[3]
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon W (1890)

Willoughby Hamilton (born as James Willoughby "Willoby" Hamilton; 9 December 1864 – 27 September 1943) was a co-world No. 1 Irish male tennis player, a footballer and international badminton player.[4]

Personal life

Hamilton was born on 9 December 1864 in Monasterevin, County Kildare, to Alfred Hamilton, a Church of Ireland rector, and Henrietta Cole.[5]

He died in Sydenham House, Dundrum, Dublin, on 27 September 1943 at the age of 78.[6]

Career

Hamilton won the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1890 Wimbledon Championships, defeating William Renshaw in five sets, and becoming the first Irish player to win the tournament. The previous year, he had won both the North England Championships and the Irish Championships. In the latter tournament he defeated the six time Wimbledon champion William Renshaw in the all-comers final and then went on to defeat his brother Ernest Renshaw in the challenge round. This made him one of the favorites for the 1889 Wimbledon title but he suffered a five set defeat in the semifinal against Harry Barlow. For the span 1889-90, Hamilton was ranked by many as the best tennis player in the world. Hamilton did not defend his Wimbledon title in the 1891 challenge round.[7]

Hamilton was educated at Trinity College Dublin and he played association football for both Dublin University A.F.C. and for Dublin Association F.C.. Hamilton also played for Ireland in an 1885 game against Wales. Among his team mates was his brother William Hamilton.[8]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 title)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner1890WimbledonGrassUnited Kingdom William Renshaw6–8, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1, 6–1

References

  1. ↑ "Willoughby James Hamilton: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Willoughby James Hamilton: Stats". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Mazak, Karoly (2010). The Concise History of Tennis, p. 17.
  4. ↑ Willoughby & Drummond Hamilton. NIFG. 8 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "General Registrar's Office". IrishGenealogy.ie. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "General Registrar's Office". IrishGenealogy.ie. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 415. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  8. ↑ "Willoughby Hamilton". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.