| Full name | Alan Ronald Mills |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Great Britain |
| Born | (1935-11-06)6 November 1935 Stretford, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 18 January 2024(2024-01-18) (aged 88) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 324–178 |
| Career titles | 31 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 3R (1959,1962) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1959,1962) |
| US Open | 2R (1963) |
| Professional majors | |
| Wembley Pro | QF (1967) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1966) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1957) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | SFEu (1959,1961,1964) |
Alan Ronald MillsCBE (6 November 1935 – 18 January 2024) was an English tennis player and tournament referee for theWimbledon tennis championships from 1983 to 2005. Although each individual tennis match was controlled by an on-courtumpire, Alan Mills ran the entire tournament. However, perhaps he was most well known because the decision to stop play in the event of rain was that of Mills, and so his face was familiar to millions of television viewers worldwide, in the corner ofCentre Court, clutching his two-way radio and glancing upwards at the sky in search of rainclouds.
Mills was himself an accomplishedtennis player. At the age of 17 he was the senior county champion in his home county ofLancashire, and he reached the last 16 in the men's singles at Wimbledon on two occasions. Partnering compatriotMark Cox he reached the semifinals of the1966 Wimbledon doubles event. Mills was also the first man in the history of theDavis Cup to win a match with the scoreline 6–0, 6–0, 6–0, completing the match against Joseph Offenheim in just 32 minutes.
Mills was the first Englishman to defeatRod Laver in 1961 at theLondon Hard Court Championships when the Australian came to Britain.[1]
In 1965, he won the Dutch Covered Courts Championships, defeatingRoger Taylor in the semifinal andBobby Wilson in the final.
The following year he became a professional tennis coach and played matches on the professional tour.[2]
Mills was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1996 Birthday Honours for services to lawn tennis,[3] and promoted toCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2006 New Year Honours for services to sport.[4]
Mills married English table tennis internationalJill Rook in 1960.[5] He died on 18 January 2024, at the age of 88.[6][7]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
  | This biographical article relating to English tennis is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |