Wilfred Baddeley

Wilfred Baddeley

Country (sports)	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Born	11 January 1872 Bromley, England
Died	24 January 1929 (aged 57) Menton, France
Turned pro	1887 (amateur tour)
Retired	1903
Plays	Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	2013 (member page)
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1891, Karoly Mazak)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon	W (1891, 1892, 1895)
Other tournaments
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Wimbledon	W (1891, 1894, 1895, 1896)

Wilfred Baddeley (11 January 1872, Bromley, England – 24 January 1929, Menton, France) was a former World No. 1 British male tennis player and the elder of the Baddeley twins. His brother Herbert died on 20 July 1931 in Cannes, France.

Career

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.^[2] 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.^[3] He was also runner-up in 1893, 1894 and 1896. With Herbert, he won four doubles championships at Wimbledon in 1891, 1894 – 1896.^[2] 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.^[4]

Baddeley was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.^[5]

Professional life

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

Singles

Wins (3)

Year	Championship	Opponent	Score
1891	Wimbledon	Joshua Pim	6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–0
1892	Wimbledon	Joshua Pim	4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2
1895	Wimbledon	W. V. Eaves	4–6, 2–6, 8–6, 6–2, 6–3

Runners-up (3)

Year	Championship	Opponent	Score
1893	Wimbledon	Joshua Pim	3–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–2
1894	Wimbledon	Joshua Pim	10–8, 6–2, 8–6
1896	Wimbledon	Harold Mahony	6–2, 6–8, 5–7, 8–6, 6–3

Doubles

Wins (4)

Year	Championship	Partner	Opponents	Score
1891	Wimbledon	Herbert Baddeley	Joshua Pim Frank Stoker	6–1, 6–3, 1–6, 6–2
1894	Wimbledon	Herbert Baddeley	Harold Barlow Charles Martin	5–7, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6
1895	Wimbledon	Herbert Baddeley	Ernest Lewis Herbert Wilberforce	8–6, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3
1896	Wimbledon	Herbert Baddeley	Reginald Doherty Harold Nisbet	1–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1

Runners-up (2);

Year	Championship	Partner	Opponents	Score
1892	Wimbledon	Herbert Baddeley	Ernest Lewis Harold Barlow	6–4, 2–6, 6–8, 4–6
1897	Wimbledon	Herbert Baddeley	Reginald Doherty Laurence Doherty	4–6, 6–4, 6–8, 4–6

References

1. Mazak, Karoly (2010). The Concise History of Tennis, p. 19.
2. Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 415, 435. ISBN 978-0942257700.
3. "Wimbledon Top 10: Youngest Champions". AELTC.
4. "Wimbledon players archive – Wilfred Baddeley". AELTC.
5. "Hall of Famers – Wilfred Baddeley". International Tennis Hall of Fame.

External links

• Wilfred Baddeley at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Profile Tennisarchive.com