 Kingscote in 1914 | |
| Full name | Algernon Robert Fitzhardinge Kingscote |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | 3 December 1888 |
| Died | 21 December 1964(1964-12-21) (aged 76) Woking, Surrey, Great Britain |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 93–23 |
| Career titles | 13[1] |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1920, A. Wallis Myers)[2] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1919) |
| Wimbledon | F (1919(AC)) |
| French Open Senior | 1R (1930) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WHCC | QF (1914) |
| Olympic Games | 4R (1924) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1919)[3] |
| Wimbledon | F (1920) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| WHCC | F (1914) |
| Olympic Games | 1R (1924) |
Algernon Robert Fitzhardinge "Algy"KingscoteMC (3 December 1888 – 21 December 1964) was a Britishtennis player, who won the Men's Singles event at theAustralasian Championships in1919.[4] Kingscote also competed in the1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.[5][6] He was born inBangalore, India, in 1888.[4]
Algernon Kingscote learned playing tennis on the courts of theChâteau-d'Œx Club in Switzerland,[4] where he won numerous championships.[7] In his early years he trained with American teenager playerR. Norris Williams.[8] He was crowned Swiss champion in 1908[4] and champion of Bengal in 1913.[7] He held theKent Championships title for four consecutive years between 1919 and 1922 and in total won the title six times.[9] At Wimbledon 1919, Kingscote beatWilliam Laurentz,Max Decugis andPat O'Hara Wood before losing in the all comers final toGerald Patterson.[10] He won the singles title at the1919 Australasian Championships, along with the firstAnthony Wilding Memorial Medal, beatingEric Pockley ofNew South Wales in the final in straight sets.[3][11] In the1920 Wimbledon Championships he reached the doubles final alongsideJames Cecil Parke but eventually lost to the team ofGarland–Williams.[12] In 1921 Kingscote was a runner-up at theMonte-Carlo Championships losing to fellow countrymanGordon Lowe in four sets.[13] He represented Great Britain in theDavis Cup seven times between 1919 and 1924 compiling a 9–8 win–loss record. In the1922 Wimbledon Championships first round againstLeslie Godfree they established the routine of saluting the Royal Box by bowing in front of it, a tradition that was in effect to 2003.[14] He won theLondon Championships in 1924 beating Gordon Lowe in four sets in the final.[15]
U.S. Championships quarterfinalist AmericanDean Mathey described his style as "well rounded" in 1920 at the time when he was considered the best British outdoors player. He favored volleying and had good ground strokes. His service was fair but his game lacked speed and strength.[16] The next year professional world number one playerBill Tilden agreed with Mathey that his game is well rounded but lacks speed.[8] He described his hitting as well-paced,[17] his service as a fast sliced, well placed, paced, twisted and cleverly disguised[8] and his style as a defensive one relying mostly on his half-volley baseline returns.[18] He dedicated Kingscote's court positioning and good volleying skills as a compensation for Kingscote's rather short appearance.[19] Kingscote adapted to the combination of net attack and baseline game, which Tilden praised as a key factor of successful tennis style.[20] His favorite shot was the cross court forehand shot.[8] His backhand was steady, accurate and deceptive.[8]
Algernon Kingscote was born on 3 December 1888 to Lieutenant-Colonel Howard Kingscote (b. 29 April 1845, d. 17 March 1917) and famous novelist Adeline Wolff known asLucas Cleeve. He had two siblings, Henry Robert Fitzhardinge Kingscote (b. 1 October 1887) and Iris Adeline Harriett Augusta Kingscote (b. 5 August 1886, d. 8 June 1970).[4] Like his father he joined the army in 1910 serving for theRoyal Garrison Artillery.[7] He was a Second Lieutenant when stationing atPlympton,Devon in 1911.[4] He was engaged in World War I where he fought at theFirst Battle of the Aisne[7] earning the rank ofLieutenant-Colonel and the award ofMilitary Cross.[4] After the war he went back competing in tennis tournaments and was appointed the captain of theGreat Britain Davis Cup team, while still serving in the army as a colonel.[7] He married Marjorie Paton Hindley, daughter of Douglas C. P. Hindley, on 9 September 1919, and had two daughters Rachel and Marjorie and later a son David, who died on 5 September 1945 at age 20 at Burma, killed in action.[4] At the age of 52 at the outbreak of World War II he was sent back to action again.[4] He died on 21 December 1964Woking, Surrey, Great Britain.[4]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1919 | Australasian Championships | Grass |  Eric Pockley | 6–4, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1919 | Wimbledon | Grass | Gerald Patterson | 6–2, 6–1, 6–3[21] |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1920 | Wimbledon | Grass |  James Cecil Parke |  Chuck GarlandR. Norris Williams | 6–4, 4–6, 5–7, 2–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1914 | World Hard Court Championships | Clay | Arthur Gore |  Max DecugisMaurice Germot | 6–1, 11–9, 6–8, 6–2 |
