William Laurentz

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laurentz, 1911

William Laurentz (born February 26, 1895 in Paris , † March 7, 1922 there ) was a French tennis player .

Career

Laurentz celebrated his first success at the age of 16 when he defeated multiple Wimbledon champion Anthony Wilding in the final of the French Indoor Championships in 1911 . At the same tournament he was also successful in doubles with André Gobert . In 1912 and 1913 he won the mixed competition at the French national championships on the side of Daisy Sperenza .

After the First World War , Laurentz also competed at the Wimbledon tournament, but he could never prevail there. While he was eliminated in the first round in 1919 and 1921, he advanced to the third round in 1920; against his compatriot Jacques Brugnon he had to admit defeat there in four sets.

His greatest successes were winning the hard court world championships in Paris in 1920 and the indoor world championships in Copenhagen the following year. In doubles he was also successful with Gobert in 1920 and 1921 at the hard court world championships. In 1919 and 1920 he was considered one of the ten best tennis players in the world, and in 1921 as the best French tennis player. In Davis Cup Laurentz approached in 1912, he was operating out of seven games, a single and two double win.

Laurentz died unexpectedly in Paris in March 1922 at the age of only 28 years of blood poisoning after a flu.

Bill Tilden described Laurentz in his book from 1920 as an excellent player who in particular has a varied serve. His volleys and overhead strokes are sometimes very good, but he often makes simple mistakes. Laurentz is an instinctive tennis player who approaches his games without a sophisticated match plan and for whom a lot depends on his daily form; one day he could beat the best player and the next he could lose to the worst.

Tournament victories

singles

No. year competition Final opponent Result
1. 1920 Hard Court World Championships FranceFrance André Gobert 9: 7, 6: 2, 3: 6, 6: 2
1. 1921 Indoor world championships United KingdomUnited Kingdom Alfred Beamish 6: 2, 6: 4, 6: 2

Double

No. year competition partner Final opponent Result
1. 1920 Hard Court World Championships FranceFrance André Gobert RomaniaRomania Nicolae Mișu Cecil Blackbeard
South Africa 1912South African Union  		6: 4, 6: 2, 6: 1
2. 1921 Hard Court World Championships FranceFrance André Gobert FranceFrance Alain Gerbault Pierre Albaran
FranceFrance  		6: 4, 6: 2, 6: 8, 6: 2

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lawn Tennis. Covered Court Championship. Laurentz Beats Wilding. Kalgoorlie Miner (Western Australia), April 19, 1911 ( online )
  2. ↑ a b c Noted Tennis Star Dies. New York Times, March 8, 1922 ( online (PDF ))
  3. ↑ The French championships, now the French Open , were only available to members of French tennis clubs until 1925.
  4. ^ Bud Collins: History of Tennis. 2nd Edition. New Chapter Press, New York 2010, p. 716. ISBN 978-0-942257-70-0 .
  5. ^ Bill Tilden: The Art of Lawn Tennis. Methuen & Co., London 1920 ( online (PDF; 10.8 MB) )
personal data
SURNAME Laurentz, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Laurentz, William Hector Auguste Edmond (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH February 26, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH March 7, 1922
Place of death Paris