Wilfred Baddeley

Wilfred Baddeley
Country (sports)United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Born(1872-01-11)11 January 1872
Bromley, England
Died24 January 1929(1929-01-24) (aged 57)
Menton, France
Turned pro1887 (amateur tour)
Retired1903
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF2013 (member page)
Singles
Career record93–23 (80.1%)[1]
Career titles29[2]
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1891, ITHF)[3]
Grand Slam singles results
WimbledonW (1891, 1892, 1895)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonW (1891, 1894, 1895, 1896)

Wilfred Baddeley (11 January 1872 – 24 January 1929) was a British male tennis player and the elder of the Baddeley twins.

Career

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The Lawn Tennis Championship at Wimbledon 1891, Messrs Baddeley and Pim competing for the Finals

Wilfred, the better-known competitor, made his debut at Wimbledon in 1889 and he went on to win singles title three times in 1891, 1892 and 1895.[4] His 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–0 win over Joshua Pim in 1891 at the age of 19 years and five months made him, until Boris Becker in 1985, the youngest men's singles champion at Wimbledon.[5] He was also runner-up in 1893, 1894 and 1896. With Herbert, he won four doubles championships at Wimbledon in 1891, 1894 – 1896.[4] The twins retired from competitive lawn tennis after the 1897 Wimbledon Championships to pursue their law careers but made a reappearance in the doubles event at Wimbledon in 1904 and 1905. In total he participated in eight Wimbledon singles tournaments and eleven doubles tournaments between 1889 and 1905.[6]

Baddeley was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.[3]

Professional life

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In February 1895 the brothers qualified in London as solicitors. They joined their uncle and father Thomas and E. P. Baddeley in Leadenhall Street at the family firm, founded by their great-grandfather in 1790. The brothers remained partners in the firm until 1919, when they retired leaving their cousin, Cyril Baddeley, to carry on in the family name.

Grand Slam finals

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Singles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win 1891 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Joshua Pim 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–0
Win 1892 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Joshua Pim 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2
Loss 1893 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Joshua Pim 6–3, 1–6, 3–6, 2–6
Loss 1894 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Joshua Pim 8–10, 2–6, 6–8
Win 1895 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom W. V. Eaves 4–6, 2–6, 8–6, 6–2, 6–3
Loss 1896 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Harold Mahony 2–6, 8–6, 7–5, 6–8, 3–6

Doubles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1891 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Herbert Baddeley United Kingdom Joshua Pim
United Kingdom Frank Stoker
6–1, 6–3, 1–6, 6–2
Loss 1892 Wimbledon Gras United Kingdom Herbert Baddeley United Kingdom Ernest Lewis
United Kingdom Harold Barlow
6–4, 2–6, 6–8, 4–6
Win 1894 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Herbert Baddeley United Kingdom Harold Barlow
United Kingdom Ernest Lewis
5–7, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6
Win 1895 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Herbert Baddeley United Kingdom Ernest Lewis
United Kingdom Herbert Wilberforce
8–6, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Win 1896 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Herbert Baddeley United Kingdom Reginald Doherty
United Kingdom Harold Nisbet
1–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1
Loss 1897 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Herbert Baddeley United Kingdom Reginald Doherty
United Kingdom Laurence Doherty
4–6, 6–4, 6–8, 4–6

References

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  1. ^ "Wilfred Baddeley: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Wilfred Baddeley: Stats". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Hall of Famers – Wilfred Baddeley". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 415, 435. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  5. ^ "Wimbledon Top 10: Youngest Champions". AELTC.
  6. ^ "Wimbledon players archive – Wilfred Baddeley". AELTC.
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