The amateur years
Great Britain · born Northampton, 1935 · died 2026 · left-handed · Wimbledon boys' champion 1953
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1953
Wimbledon boys' singles champion, aged 17
1954
Australian junior champion, beat Roy Emerson
4
Wimbledon fourth rounds, 1957 to 1964
47
Senior singles titles
1959
French mixed doubles champion
William Arthur Knight was born in Northampton in 1935 and took up tennis at 11. A left-hander with heavy groundstrokes, he won the Wimbledon boys' title in 1953 and the Australian junior title in 1954, then became that rare thing, a British clay-court specialist. He won 47 singles titles, among them the German Championships in Hamburg in 1959 and the British Hard Court Championships at Bournemouth three times. In 1959 he reached the French Championships quarter-finals and won the mixed doubles there with Yola RamÃrez of Mexico. He played Davis Cup for Britain from 1955 to 1964 and was in the squad that reached the inter-zone stage in 1963. He retired from singles in 1971, ran the family business, coached, and later captained the British Davis Cup team. He died in April 2026.
| Major singles titles | 2: Australian (1954); Wimbledon (1953) |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon boys' final | 1953: beat Ramanathan Krishnan of India 7-5, 6-4 |
| Australian junior final | 1954: beat Roy Emerson 6-3, 6-1 |
| Wimbledon singles | Fourth round in 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1964 |
| Australian mixed doubles | 1957: runner-up with Jill Langley, lost to Mal Anderson and Fay Muller |
| Forest Hills | US Championships fourth round in 1958 and 1962 |
| Scottish Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"A tough and motivational leader and popular, too, because no one cared more about the players and British tennis in general."
The person behind the player.
Northampton 1951
Before tennis took over he was a table tennis player, and by 16, still a pupil at Northampton Grammar School, he was British junior table tennis champion. His father had introduced him to lawn tennis at 11. At school he also read the history of Hinduism, Greek philosophy and Javanese art.
Source: The Guardian, via inklWimbledon 1953 and Australia 1954
At 17 he won the Wimbledon boys' final against Ramanathan Krishnan of India, 7-5, 6-4. A year later in Australia he took the junior title with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Roy Emerson, who went on to win 12 major singles titles.
Source: WikipediaMelbourne
After a voyage to Australia, Mike Davies was dressing at 5am when Knight knocked on his cabin door. Davies assumed they were going sightseeing. "No sightseeing!" Knight told him. "I have entered you in a tournament starting today and you have a match this morning!" They lost, Davies still unsteady from the sea.
Source: The Guardian, via inklMilan · Davis Cup
In a Europe zone semi-final he faced Fausto Gardini, known as the Spider of Milan, in fierce heat. Knight lost the first set 6-1, took the second 8-6, then lost the next two 6-3, 6-1. Richard Evans remembered him as fiercely loyal to his country and to his fellow players.
Source: The Guardian, via inklHamburg 1959
The grass champion of 1953 became one of the few British clay-court specialists of his day. In 1959 he won the German title in Hamburg, beating Ian Vermaak of South Africa, reached the French quarter-finals and won the French mixed doubles with Yola RamÃrez, beating Rod Laver and Renée Schuurman 6-4, 6-4.
Source: WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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