Tennis Ireland

Tennis Ireland

Sport	Tennis
Founded	1908[1]
Affiliation	Tennis Europe
Regional affiliation	Europe
Headquarters	Building 2, Sport HQ 2, Sport Ireland Campus, Snugborough Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15[2]
President	John Ryan[3]
Chairman	Paul O'Connor[3]
CEO	Kevin Quinn[4]
Secretary	Rosamund Thompson[3]
Official website
www.tennisireland.ie

Tennis Ireland is the governing body for tennis for the island of Ireland, with responsibilities for clubs and competitions. It was founded in 1908 and has almost 180 affiliated clubs and with approximately 80,000 players.^[1] Tennis Ireland is divided into four Branches corresponding to the four provinces of Ireland, with its national headquarters located on the campus of Dublin City University. Tennis Ireland governs the Ireland Davis Cup team and the Ireland Billie Jean King Cup team.

Gottfried von Cramm (Germany) and C.S. Rogers (Ireland) at a Davis Cup match, June, 1932 in Berlin

History

Tennis Ireland was formed in 1908 as the Irish Lawn Tennis Association, a federation of 14 Irish tennis clubs. It became independent of the Lawn Tennis Association following the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922.^[5]

Competitions

• Davis Cup
• Fed Cup

Notable winners of the Irish Championships/Irish Open

Below is a list of Irish Championships/Irish Open winners some of whom were also Grand Slam finalists or former World No. 1 tennis players.

Men's Vere St. Leger Goold – 1879 William Renshaw – 1880, 1881, 1882 Ernest Renshaw – 1883, 1887, 1888 Herbert Lawford – 1884, 1885, 1886 Willoughby Hamilton – 1889 Ernest Lewis – 1890, 1891 Joshua Pim – 1893, 1894, 1895 Wilfred Baddeley – 1896 Reginald Doherty – 1899, 1900, 1901 Laurence Doherty – 1902 James Cecil Parke – 1904, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913 Frank Riseley – 1906 Major Ritchie – 1907 George Lyttleton-Rogers – 1928, 1936, 1937 Sidney Wood – 1932 Dinny Pails – 1946 Tony Mottram – 1947 Eric Sturgess – 1948 Abe Segal – 1951 Budge Patty – 1956 Ashley Cooper – 1957 Neale Fraser – 1958 Mike Davies – 1958 Dennis Ralston – 1960 Rod Laver – 1962 Bobby Wilson – 1963, 1964 Tony Roche – 1965, 1970 Tom Okker – 1968 Bob Hewitt – 1969, 1972 Cliff Drysdale – 1971 Sherwood Stewart – 1974 Bob Carmichael – 1978 Paul Kronk – 1979 Greg Rusedski – 1993, 1994, 1996

Ladies May Langrishe - 1879, 1883, 1886 Maud Watson - 1884, 1885 Lottie Dod - 1887 Louisa Martin - 1889-1892, 1896, 1899-1900, 1902-1903 Blanche Bingley Hillyard - 1888, 1894, 1897 Charlotte Cooper - 1895, 1898 Muriel Robb - 1901 Elizabeth Ryan - 1919-1921, 1923 Jadwiga Jędrzejowska - 1932 Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling - 1934 Helen Wills Moody - 1938 Alice Marble - 1939 Louise Brough - 1946 Maureen Connolly - 1952, 1954 Angela Mortimer - 1953 Ann Haydon Jones - 1961 Billie Jean King - 1963, 1969 Maria Bueno - 1964, 1965 Margaret Court - 1966, 1968, 1971, 1973 Virginia Wade - 1970 Evonne Goolagong Cawley - 1972

Billy Jean Moffitt (later King) at the Irish Open at Fitzwilliam LTC, Dublin in the 1960s

Irish Major Tournament Champions

Below is a list of Irish grand slam, Davis Cup, and Olympic champions. In total an Irish player has won a singles grand slam on eight occasions, a doubles grand slam on five occasions and a mixed doubles grand slam on four occasions. Irish players have won six Olympic medals in tennis. Eight Irish individuals have either won a grand slam event or an Olympic medal in tennis. All of these victories occurred prior to Ireland's secession from the United Kingdom; as such these individuals competed under the flag of the United Kingdom rather than the Flag of Ireland.

List of Irish Grand Slam Men's Singles Champions

Wimbledon

• Willoughby Hamilton – 1890
• Joshua Pim – 1893, 1894
• Harold Mahony – 1896

Australian Open

• James Cecil Parke – 1912

List of Irish Grand Slam Men's Doubles Champions

Wimbledon

• Joshua Pim – 1890, 1893
• Frank Stoker – 1890, 1893
• James Cecil Parke – 1912

List of Irish Grand Slam Women's Singles Champions

Wimbledon

• Lena Rice – 1890

US Open

• Mabel Cahill – 1891, 1892

List of Irish Grand Slam Women's Doubles Champions

US Open

• Mabel Cahill – 1891, 1892

List of Irish Mixed Doubles Champions

Wimbledon

• James Cecil Parke – 1914

US Open

• Mabel Cahill – 1890, 1891, 1892

List of Irish Davis Cup Champions

• James Cecil Parke – 1912*

List of Irish Olympic Medalists

• John Boland – Gold: 1896 Men's Singles*, 1896 Men's Doubles*
• Harold Mahony – Silver: 1900 Men's Singles*, 1900 Mixed doubles*
  Bronze: 1900 Men's Doubles*
• James Cecil Parke – Silver: 1908 Men's Outdoor doubles*

*Participants competed for the British Isles

Irish Champions of Major professional tennis tournaments before the Open Era

Before the advent of the Open era of tennis competitions in April 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in established tournaments, including the four majors. However, many top tennis players turned professional to play legally for prize money in the years before the open era. There were also major pro events, where the world's top professional male players often played. These tournaments held with a certain tradition and longevity. According to Ellsworth Vines, "the Wembley tournament in London..., the U.S. professional championship, and to some extent the tournament in Paris were the major professional tournaments prior to 1968."^[6] Below is a list of Irish Champions at these events.

Men's Doubles Champions

French Pro Championship

• Albert Burke – 1936

Clubs

• Claremont Railway Tennis Club
• Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club

See also

• Irish Open
• Ireland Davis Cup team
• Ireland Billie Jean King Cup team
• Sport in Ireland

References

1. "About Tennis Ireland". Tennis Ireland. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
2. "National Tennis Centre". Tennis Ireland. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
3. "Tennis Ireland Executive". Tennis Ireland. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
4. "Tennis Ireland Staff". Tennis Ireland. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
5. Tennis Ireland website.
6. Tennis Myth and Method (1978), Ellsworth Vines and Gene Vier (ISBN 9780670696659), page 43

External links

• Tennis Ireland 1908-2008
• The Shelbourne Irish Open
• Tennis Ireland
• Tennis Ireland - Ulster Branch
• Fed Cup Current Rankings