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 Olliff in 1936 | |
| Full name | John Sheldon Olliff |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | (1908-12-01)1 December 1908 London, England |
| Died | 29 June 1951(1951-06-29) (aged 42) Chiswick, London, England |
| Turned pro | 1928 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1949 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 24 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 3R (1932) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1929,1931,1932,1938,1939) |
| US Open | 4R (1930,1932) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1939) |
| US Open | QF (1930) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1934) |
| US Open | 2R (1932) |
John Sheldon Olliff (1 December 1908 – 29 June 1951) was an Englishtennis player, author and sports journalist.
Olliff took part in theWimbledon Championships from 1928. In singles, he advanced to the fourth round several times until 1939. In doubles, he reached the semifinals with his partnerRonnie Shayes where they lost toHarold Hare andFrank Wilde. At theFrench Championships, Olliff reached the fourth round in 1932. He also played at theUS Championships in 1929 and 1930, advancing to the quarterfinals in the last year.
Olliff won 24 tournaments in his career as a tennis player such as: theNorthern Lawn Tennis Championships (1928, 1929, 1931), theIrish Championships (1930), theQueen's Club Championships (1931) and theSurrey Grass Court Championships (1938). In addition he won single titles at theWestgate-on-Sea Tournament (1938) on hard asphalt. After the Second World War, he played a match for the British Davis Cup team in the first round against France in 1946. WithHenry Billington, he lost againstMarcel Bernard andBernard Destremau.
After his active career, he took a job as a sportsjournalist at theDaily Telegraph and succeededA. Wallis Myers as tennis correspondent. He died of aheart attack on the way to a match at Wimbledon on 29 June 1951.[1] His successor at theTelegraph becameLance Tingay.
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