William Renshaw

William (left) and Ernest Renshaw (1880)

William ("Willie") Charles Renshaw (born January 3, 1861 in Leamington , England , † August 12, 1904 in Swanage , England) was a British tennis player . He is known as the "father of modern lawn tennis " and won the men's singles at the Lawn Tennis Championships (Wimbledon) seven times . With his twin brother Ernest (1861-1899) he also won the double finals there five times.

Life

William Renshaw and his twin brother (James) Ernest were the sons of flax spinner James Renshaw and his wife Ellen Knight. The father died before the children were born in September 1860, leaving the family with a fortune of around £ 60,000 to £ 70,000. The brothers attended Cheltenham College for two years , which they left in July 1874.

The Renshaw brothers traditionally learned tennis on asphalt courts in a club in their hometown. In 1880 both first took part in the Lawn Tennis Championships , which at that time were held in Maida Vale (formerly Portsdown Rink ). William was eliminated in the second round, while Ernest did not get past the third round. A year later, William reached the final, where he defeated John Hartley in three sets. Then began a winning streak, which should last for the stronger William until 1886. He won the men's singles six times in a row, defeating his brother Ernest in the final in 1882 and 1883. From 1884 to 1886 and from 1888 to 1889, the brothers also won the men's doubles competition together . In addition, he and Ernest won four doubles at the Irish Championships (1881, 1883–1885).

Postcard with the Renshaw brothers (around 1890)

The brothers revolutionized technique and tactics in tennis during their playing days. In contrast to their competitors, they brought the cue ball back before it touched the ground with volleys or balls ("Renshaw smash"). At that time the net was placed higher on the sides than it is today, so that there was less risk of being countered with a passing ball by the excessive number of baseline players when a volley was played from the middle of the court. The Renshaws also changed the style of double play by placing a player directly in front of the net. With their financial reserves, William and Ernest were also able to train over the winter in Cannes, France .

In 1889 William won the Lawn Tennis Championships final for a seventh time in four sets against Ernest. This record was only to be set in 2000 by the American Pete Sampras and trumped in 2017 by the Swiss Roger Federer , who won the individual competition at Wimbledon eight times. In 1890 Renshaw lost another final against Willoughby James Hamilton after a 2-1 lead in five sets. In 1893 the brothers competed for the last time together at the Lawn Tennis Championships - both were supposed to meet in the first round, after which William decided not to start. Overall, he won 22 of 25 games at Wimbledon. Audience numbers fell after the brothers resigned and many complained that tennis had lost its luster.

After his playing career, William Renshaw was appointed President of the British Lawn Tennis Association in 1894 . Both William and Ernest († 1899) remained unmarried. Highly regarded as a gentleman and wealthy, William died in 1904 at the age of 43 after suffering from epileptic febrile seizures. In memory of the brothers, relatives donated the Renshaw Cup to the All England Club , which for a time was given as a trophy to the winners of the men's singles at Wimbledon. In 1983 both were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame .

Grand Slam finals

singles

Victories

year	event	Opponent in the final	result
1881	Wimbledon	John Hartley	6: 0, 6: 1, 6: 1
1882	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	6: 1, 2: 6, 4: 6, 6: 2, 6: 2
1883	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	2: 6, 6: 3, 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 3
1884	Wimbledon	Herbert Lawford	6: 0, 6: 4, 9: 7
1885	Wimbledon	Herbert Lawford	7: 5, 6: 2, 4: 6, 7: 5
1886	Wimbledon	Herbert Lawford	6: 0, 5: 7, 6: 3, 6: 4
1889	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	7: 5, 6: 2, 4: 6, 7: 5

Defeats

year	event	Opponent in the final	result
1890	Wimbledon	Willoughby James Hamilton	8: 6, 2: 6, 6: 3, 1: 6, 1: 6

Double

year	event	partner	Opponent in the final	result
1884	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	Ernest Lewis Teddy Williams	6: 3, 6: 1, 1: 6, 6: 4
1885	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	Claude Farrer Arthur Stanley	6: 3, 6: 3, 10: 8
1886	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	Claude Farrer Arthur Stanley	6: 3, 6: 3, 4: 6, 7: 5
1888	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	Patrick Bowes-Lyon Herbert Wilberforce	2: 6, 1: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4, 6: 3
1889	Wimbledon	Ernest Renshaw	George Hillyard Ernest Lewis	6: 4, 6: 4, 3: 6, 0: 6, 6: 1

See also

• List of winners of the Grand Slam tournaments (men's singles)
• List of winners of the Grand Slam tournaments (men's doubles)

Web links

• William Renshaw in the "International Tennis Hall of Fame" (English; with picture)
• ATP profile of William Renshaw (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Renshaw, William Charles. In: Arlott, John (Ed.): The Oxford companion to sports & games . London: Oxford University Press, 1975 (accessed via WBIS Online ).
2. ^ ^{A b c d} Wray Vamplew: Renshaw, William Charles (1861–1904) . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, 2004 (accessed July 9, 2012 via oxforddnb.com).
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Renshaw (William Charles) . In: British Sports and Sportsmen . London: "British Sports and Sportsmen", 1908–1938? (accessed via WBIS Online).
4. ↑ Renshaw, James Ernest . In: Boase, Frederic: Modern English Biography . Truro: Netherton & Worth, 1892-1921 (accessed via WBIS Online).
5. ^ The Lawn Tennis Association . In: The Times , Feb. 1, 1894, No. 34176, p. 5.