John Olliff

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John Olliff 1936

John Sheldon Olliff (born December 1, 1908 in London , † June 29, 1951 ) was an English tennis player and sports journalist.

Life

Olliff participated in the Wimbledon Championships from 1928 . In the individual he reached the last sixteen several times there until 1939. In doubles, he and Ronnie Shayes reached the semi-finals in 1939, where both Harold Hare and Frank Wilde lost. At the French Championships in 1932 he made it to the round of 16. He took part in the US championships in 1929 and 1930, and reached the quarter-finals last year.

In his career, Olliff was able to win five individual titles. In 1928 he won the Manchester tournament . The following year he defended his title in Manchester and was also successful at the Irish Championships in Dublin . In 1931 he was able to win the tournament at the Queen's Club in London , and finally in 1938 the Surrey lawn tournament . He last appeared in tournaments in 1946. This year he played a game in the first round against France for the British Davis Cup team. Together with Henry Billington , he had to admit defeat to the French doubles, consisting of Marcel Bernard and Bernard Destremau .

After his playing career, he worked as a sports journalist for the Daily Telegraph and became one of the UK's leading tennis columnists after the death of Arthur Wallis Myers . He died on June 29, 1951, aged only 42, when he suffered a heart attack on the way to the Wimbledon tournament . His successor at the Telegraph was Lance Tingay .

Works

  • The Groundwork of Lawn Tennis. Methuen & Co., London 1934.
  • Olliff on tennis. Eyre and Spottiswoode, London 1948.
  • The Romance of Wimbledon. London 1949.
  • Lawn tennis. Pitman & Sons, London 1950.
  • Lawn tennis for beginners. W. & G. Foyle, London 1951.

Single track

No. year competition Final opponent Result
1. 1928 Manchester IrelandIreland Edwin McCrea 6: 2, 3: 6, 6: 4, 6: 4
2. 1929 Manchester United KingdomUnited Kingdom Charles Kingsley 2: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4, 2: 6, 14:12
3. 1929 Irish championships IrelandIreland George Lyttleton-Rogers 4: 6, 6: 3, 1: 6, 6: 2, 6: 4
4th 1931 Queen's Club United KingdomUnited Kingdom Edward Avory 3: 6, 6: 4, 6: 2
5. 1938 Surrey Grass Court Championships United KingdomUnited Kingdom Eric Filby 2: 6, 6: 4, 6: 3

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Milestones, Time Magazine, July 9, 1951 ( online )
personal data
SURNAME Olliff, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Olliff, John Sheldon (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English tennis player and sports journalist
DATE OF BIRTH December 1, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH June 29, 1951
Place of death London