Anthony Wilding
Full name | Anthony Frederick Wilding |
---|---|
Country (sports) | New Zealand |
Born | Christchurch | 31 October 1883
Died | 9 May 1915 Neuve-Chapelle | (aged 31)
Singles | |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | W (1906, 1909) |
Wimbledon | W (1910, 1911, 1912, 1913) |
Doubles | |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (1906) |
Wimbledon | W (1907, 1908, 1909, 1914) |
|- ! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#eeeeee;color:inherit;" class="adr" | Representing Australasia
|- ! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#eeeeee;color:inherit;" | Men's Tennis
|- | style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;color:inherit;" | || style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | 1912 Stockholm || style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | Indoor singles |}
Anthony "Tony" Frederick Wilding (31 October 1883 – 9 May 1915) was a champion tennis player from Christchurch, New Zealand and a soldier killed in action during World War I near Neuve-Chapelle, Pas-de-Calais, France.
He was a leading tennis player in the world during 1909-1914. Brookes in 1950 compiled a ranking list of greatest tennis players and put Wilding fourth behind Bill Tilden and the Dohertys, and ahead of Budge, Kramer, Lacoste and Perry.[1]
Early life
Wilding was the son of Frederick and Julia Wilding. His father was a well-to-do lawyer in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was educated there at Mr Wilson's School in Cramner Square, then attended the Canterbury University College for six months before going to England in 1902 to enter Cambridge University, where he developed his tennis game as a member of the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club.
Sports career
In 1905, Wilding made his first Davis Cup appearance as part of the Australasian team and the following year won the Australasian Championship singles and doubles championships. Finishing his education, he was called to the English Bar in 1906.
Between 1907 and 1909 he helped the Australasian team win the Davis Cup, and he won his second Australian Open in 1909, the same year he qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor at the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Focusing on his tennis game, he then won the Wimbledon singles title for four straight years between 1910 and 1913. In 1913 at Wimbledon Myers says that he played "the best game of his life", beating Maurice McLoughlin in three sets. In 1914 he narrowly missed winning his fifth in a row, losing in the 1914 finals to Norman Brookes. In addition, he won four doubles titles at Wimbledon. In 1914, he returned to Davis Cup play, leading the Australasian team to another championship.
He missed the 1908 Olympics in London because of administrative bungling, but at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm won a bronze medal in the men's indoor singles for Australasia.
He won a unique triple in 1913:
- The World Hard Court Championship (Paris, clay)
- The World Lawn Tennis Championship (Wimbledon, London, grass)
- The World Covered Court Championship (Stockholm, indoor wood)
These were all three of the official World Championships events (Major tennis titles) as designated by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF), at the time.[2] (Note: The current 4 majors were only made officially so from 1924/1925). In 1914 Wilding retained his World Hard Court Championship title in Paris without losing a single set.[3]
Military service and death
At the outbreak of World War I, Tony Wilding joined the Royal Marines, serving as a Captain with the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division in the battlefields of France. He was killed in action on 9 May 1915 during the Battle of Aubers Ridge at Neuve-Chapelle, France. He had been dating and was about to marry Broadway star Maxine Elliott, a woman fifteen years his senior.[4]
Captain Tony Wilding was buried in the Rue-des-Berceaux Military Cemetery in Richebourg-L'Avoue, Pas-de-Calais, France. In 1978, he was named to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wilding Park, the principal venue for tennis in Christchurch, New Zealand, is named in his honour.
He also played for the Canterbury cricket team in the early 1900s where he played two first-class matches. He was a keen motorcycle (with sidecar) rider with many long trips in Europe, New Zealand and America. In 1908 he won a gold medal in a reliability trial from Land's End to John o' Groats. Several "mighty rides" (Myers) in Europe in 1910 included London to Lake Geneva and back, some 3000 miles (4800 km), including 350 miles (560 km) from Evian to Paris in one day. He ventured into poorly roaded places like Hungary and Serbia.
Wilding's singles titles (at least 112)
Sources:
- Source : ANTHONY WILDING, A Sporting Life, Len and Shelley Richardson, Canterbury University Press, 2005
- On the Court and Off by Anthony F. Wilding (1912, Methuen, London)
- Captain Anthony Wilding by A. Wallis Myers (1916, Hodder and Stoughton, London)
No. | Date | Tournament | Surface |
Not counted. | 1901 | Canterbury, New Zealand | |
Not counted. | 1901 | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
Not counted. | 1902 | University of New Zealand, New Zealand | |
Not counted. | 1903 | Cambridge University (Freshmen's), New Zealand | |
1. | 1904 | (Amateur) Championships of Shropshire, Shrewsbury | |
2. | 1904 | Redhill | |
3. | 1904 | (Amateur) Championships of Scotland, Moffat | Grass |
4. | 1904 | Carlisle (North Cumberland) | |
5. | 1905 | Hertfordshire and North Middlesex Championship at Lyonsdown Lawn Tennis Club in New Barnet | |
6. | 1905 | Redhill | |
7. | 1905 | Hamburg (Poseldorf Cup), Germany | |
8. | 1905 | Championship of Europe-Homburg | Clay |
9. | 1905 | Le Touquet, France | |
10. | 1906 | Championship of Cannes-Cannes Beau Site, France | |
11. | 1906 | Championship of the Riviera-Menton, France | |
12. | 1906 | French Covered Court Championship-Paris, France | |
13. | 1906 | Lyon, France | |
14. | 1906 | Reading, Berkshire | |
15. | 1906 | Championships of Spain-Barcelona, Spain | |
16. | 1906 | Wiesbaden, Germany | |
17. | 1906 | Sheffield | |
18. | 1906 | Championship of Austria-Prague, Czechoslovakia | |
19. | 1906 | Prague*, Czechoslovakia | |
20. | 1906 | Epsom | |
21. | 1906 | Shrewsbury, Shropshire | |
Not counted **. | 1906 | Marienbad (Cup) | |
22. | 1906 | Marienbad | |
23. | 1906 | Carlsbad | |
24. | 1906 | Homburg | |
25. | 1906 | Baden-Baden, Germany | |
26. | 1906 | Eastbourne (South of England) | |
27. | 1906 | Queen's (Covered Court) | probably Wood |
28. | 1906 | Australasian Championship-Christchurch, New Zealand | Grass |
29. | 1906 (ended on New Year's Day 1907) | New Zealand Championship-Christchurch | Grass |
30. | 1907 | Nice, France | probably Clay |
31. | 1907 | Paris (Covered Court), France | probably Wood |
32. | 1907 | Lyon, France | |
33. | 1907 | Queen's (Covered Court) | probably Wood |
Not counted **. | 1907 | Wiesbaden (Cup) | |
34. | 1907 | Wiesbaden | |
35. | 1907 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | |
36. | 1907 | Vienna, Austria | |
37. | 1907 | Swiss Championship-Lucerne, Switzerland | |
38. | 1907 | Budapest, Hungary | |
39. | 1907 | Sheffield | |
40. | 1907 | Beckenham, Kent | |
41. | 22 June 1907 | London Championships-Queen's | Grass |
Not counted ***. | 1907 | Wimbledon (All England Plate) | |
42. | 1907 | Marienbad Cup | |
43. | 1907 | Franzenbad | |
44. | 1907 | Carlsbad | |
45. | 1907 September | Baden-Baden | |
46. | 1908 | San Remo, Italy | probably Clay |
47. | 15–22 March 1908 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | probably Clay |
48. | 1908 | Nice, France | probably Clay |
49. | 1908 | Championship of Cannes-Cannes Beau Site, France | probably Clay |
50. | 1908 | Cannes (Métropole), France | probably Clay |
51. | 1908 | Lyon, France | |
Not counted **. | 1908 | Wiesbaden (Cup), Germany | |
52. | 1908 | Wiesbaden, Germany | |
53. | 1908 | Lille, France | |
54. | 1908 | Bordeaux, France | |
55. | 1908 | Sheffield | |
56. | 1908 | Dieppe, France | |
57. | 1908 | Baden-Baden, Germany | |
58. | 1908 | Eastbourne (South of England) | |
59. | 1908 | New Zealand Championship-Nelson | |
60. | 1909 | Taranaki | |
61. | 1909 | Masterton | |
62. | 1909 | Otago | |
63. | 1909 | Simultaneously Championship of Australasia and Western Australia-Perth, Australia | |
64. | 1909 | Championship of Victoria-Melbourne, Australia | |
65. | 1909 | Championship of New Zealand-Auckland | |
66. | 1910 | Championship of South Africa-Johannesburg | |
67. | 1910 | Italian Riviera Championships-San Remo, Italy | |
68. | 1910 | Brussels (Leopold Club), Belgium | |
69. | 1910 | Lille, France | |
70. | 1910 | Brussels (International Singles), Belgium | |
71. | 1910 | London Championships-Queen's | Grass |
72. | 1910 | Wimbledon | Grass |
73. | 1910 | Ostend | |
74. | 1910 | The Hague | |
75. | 1910 | Évian-les-Bains, France | |
76. | 1910 | Paris, France | |
77. | 1910 | Sapicourt | |
78. | 1910 | Queen's (Covered Court) | probably Wood |
79. | 1911 | San Remo, Italy | probably Clay |
80. | 27 February - 5 March 1911 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | probably Clay |
81. | 1911 | Championship of the Riviera-Menton, France | probably Clay |
82. | 1911 | Nice, France | probably Clay |
83. | 1911 | Cannes (Beau Site), France | probably Clay |
84. | 1911 | Lyon, France | |
85. | 1911 | Beckenham (Kent) | |
86. | 1911 | Queen's | Grass |
87. | 1911 | Wimbledon (Challenge Round)**** | Grass |
88. | 12–18 February 1912 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | probably Clay |
89. | 1912 | Beckenham (Kent) | Grass |
90. | 1912 | Queen's | Grass |
91. | 1912 | Wimbledon (Challenge Round)**** | Grass |
92. | 1912 | Deauville, France | probably Clay |
93. | 24 February - 3 March 1913 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | probably Clay |
94. | 1913 | Menton (Riviera), France | probably Clay |
95. | 1913 | Menton (Forme-Becharat Cup), France | probably Clay |
96. | 1913 | Hard ***** Court Championship of the World-Paris, France | Clay |
97. | 1913 | Grass Court Championship of the World-Wimbledon (Challenge Round)**** | Grass |
98. | 1913 | Deauville, France | probably Clay |
99. | 8 September 1913 | Le Touquet, France | probably Clay |
100. | 15 September 1913 | Montreux Autumn Meeting, Switzerland | probably Clay |
101. | 22 September 1913 | Montreux Palace Autumn Meeting, Switzerland | probably Clay |
102. | 18 October 1913 | Covered Court Championship of the World-Stockholm | probably Wood |
103. | 1914 | Cannes (Beau Site) 1st meeting, France | probably Clay |
104. | 1914 | Cannes (Carlton) 1st meeting, France | probably Clay |
105. | 1914 | Bordighera, Italy ?? | probably Clay |
106. | 1914 | Beaulieu, France | probably Clay |
107. | 23 February - 3 March 1914 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | probably Clay |
108. | 1914 | Riviera Championship-Menton, France | probably Clay |
109. | 1914 | Nice, France | probably Clay |
110. | 1914 | Championships of Cannes-Cannes (Beau Site), France | probably Clay |
111. | 1914 | Cannes (Carlton) 2nd meeting, France | probably Clay |
112. | 1914 | Hard ***** Court Championship of the World-Paris, France | Clay |
- * It seems to be a different tournament from the previous one held in the same city
- ** It is not clear if it was a different tournament from the following one in the list
- *** The All England Plate was a tournament played by the losers of the first two rounds of the Wimbledon Men's Singles tournament (in 1907 Wilding lost in five sets in the 2nd round to the future winner Norman Everard Brookes)
- **** Up until 1921, the winners of the previous year's competition (except in the Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles) were automatically granted byes into the final round (then known as the challenge round). This led to many winners retaining their titles for successive years, as they were able to rest while their opponent competed from the start of the competition. From 1922, the title holders played through from the start of the championships. In 1912 at Wimbledon he had offered to "play through" instead of standing out to meet the All Comers' winner, though his offer was not accepted.
- ***** "Hard Court" in the Commonwealth countries (UK, Australia, ...) means "Clay Court"
Grand Slam titles
- Singles:
- Australian Open: 1906, 1909
- Wimbledon: 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913
- Doubles:
- Australian Open: 1906
- Wimbledon: 1907, 1908, 1910, 1914
other Major titles
- Singles:
- World Hard Court Championships (Clay): 1913, 1914
- Championship of Europe (Clay): 1905
- World Covered Court Championships (Indoor Wood): 1913
Davis Cup
- Winning team: 1907, 1908, 1909, 1914
Notes
- ^ Anthony Wilding: Wimbledon Champion 1910-1914, Wilding family, 2001. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ http://bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr/tennis/apres14/E-apres02.html | End of the World Clay Court Championships
- ^ http://bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr/tennis/avant14/E-champ.html | 1912-1914 The first World Clay Court Championships
- ^ Anthony Wilding: Wimbledon Champion 1910-1914, Wilding family, 2001. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
See also
External links
- Use dmy dates from October 2011
- 1883 births
- 1915 deaths
- Australasian Championships (tennis) champions
- British military personnel killed in World War I
- Canterbury cricketers
- International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees
- New Zealand cricketers
- New Zealand lawyers
- New Zealand male tennis players
- New Zealand military personnel killed in World War I
- New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame inductees
- Olympic bronze medalists for Australasia
- Olympic medalists in tennis
- Olympic tennis players of Australasia
- People from Christchurch
- Royal Marines personnel of World War I
- Tennis players at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era)