 Lawford, standing, on the right side | |
| Full name | Herbert Fortescue Lawford |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Born | (1851-05-15)15 May 1851 |
| Died | 20 April 1925(1925-04-20) (aged 73) Dess,Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 1878 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1890 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2006(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 17[1] |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (1887,ITHF)[2] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1887) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1884) |
Herbert Fortescue Lawford (15 May 1851 – 20 April 1925) was a formerworld No. 1tennis player fromScotland who won the Men's Singles championship atWimbledon in1887, and was runner-up a record five times (shared withArthur Gore).
In the 1887 final, the native ofBayswater defeatedErnest Renshaw (also of Great Britain) in five sets: 1–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. He reached the finals of Wimbledon in 1880, 1884–86, and 1888.
Lawford won the first major men's doubles tennis tournament, the Oxford University Men's Doubles Championship, in 1879 partneringLestocq Robert Erskine.[3] This event was a precursor to the Wimbledon men's doubles championship, introduced in 1884, and it was played over the best of seven sets ending in a score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–5, 6–2, 3–6, 5–6, 7–5.[a] In 1885 he won the singles title at the inauguralBritish Covered Court Championships.
Lawford is said to be the first person to introduce "topspin" to the game of tennis. His formidable forehand was called 'the Lawford stroke'. Lawford made a more substantial contribution in technically advancing the game. He unveiled the “Lawford forehand,” introducing topspin into the sport with that revolutionary shot. Aggressive and unwavering, he was equipped with power, speed and uncanny accuracy. He was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006.[2]
| Result | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1880 | Wimbledon | Grass | John Hartley | 3–6, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1884 | Wimbledon | Grass | William Renshaw | 0–6, 4–6, 7–9 |
| Loss | 1885 | Wimbledon | Grass | William Renshaw | 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 5–7 |
| Loss | 1886 | Wimbledon | Grass | William Renshaw | 0–6, 7–5, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1887 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ernest Renshaw | 1–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1888 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ernest Renshaw | 3–6, 5–7, 0–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Events with a challenge round: (WC) won; (CR) lost the challenge round; (FA) all comers' finalist
| 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 | 1890 | SR | W–L | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| French | Not held | 0 / 0 | – | – | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | A | SF | 1R | CR | SF | SF | 1R | CR | CR | CR | W | CR | SF | A | 1 / 12 | 33–11 | 75.0 |
| U.S. | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | – | – | |||
| Australian | Not held | 0 / 0 | – | – | |||||||||||||
| Win–loss | 2–1 | 0–1 | 6–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1 / 12 | 33–11 | 75.0 | ||
