Between the wars
Great Britain · born Beverley, Yorkshire, 1903 · died 1959 · Australian champion in 1929 and Chairman of the All England Club
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1929
Australian singles champion, at Memorial Drive, Adelaide
8
His Wimbledon seeding in 1929, the first Englishman seeded in the gentlemen's singles
2
Wimbledon singles quarter-finals, 1926 and 1930
48
His age when he won a Davis Cup doubles in 1952, Britain's oldest Davis Cup player
1955
Became Chairman of the All England Club
John Colin Gregory was born in Beverley, Yorkshire, on 28 July 1903, the son of Dr William Herbert Gregory and his wife Constance, and like his father became a doctor. He also played cricket, golf, rugby and squash. He played Davis Cup for Britain from 1926 to 1930, reached the Wimbledon singles quarter-finals in 1926 and 1930 and the French quarter-finals in 1930.
In January 1929 he won the Australian Championships at Memorial Drive, Adelaide, as fourth seed, beating Richard Schlesinger 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in the final. That summer he was seeded eighth at Wimbledon, the first Englishman seeded in the gentlemen's singles, and lost in the fourth round; with the Scot Ian Collins he reached the doubles final. He also won the Scottish Championships that year, beating Collins in the final, and in 1931 the Kent Championships at Beckenham.
From 1934 he practised medicine in Hemel Hempstead. He captained the British Davis Cup team from 1949 to 1952, and in 1952, at 48, came in as an injury replacement to win a doubles rubber against Yugoslavia with Tony Mottram. He became vice-chairman of the All England Club in 1953 and its Chairman in 1955, and also chaired the All England Lawn Tennis Ground Company. He died at the club on 10 January 1959, aged 55, collapsing in the changing rooms after a match.
| 1929 Australian final | Beat Richard Schlesinger 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, as fourth seed; the top two seeds, Jack Crawford and Bunny Austin, went out in the quarter-finals |
|---|---|
| 1929 Wimbledon doubles final | With Ian Collins, seeded fourth, lost to the unseeded Americans Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 10-12, 6-4 |
| Scottish Championships | 1929 champion at Craiglockhart, beating Ian Collins 6-2, 6-3, 9-7 in the final; in 1930 he and Jack Crawford divided the title |
| Kent Championships, Beckenham | 1931 champion, beating John Olliff 3-6, 6-3, 7-9, 6-3, 6-0 in the final |
| Davis Cup, 1952 | Returned 22 years after his last tie and, with Tony Mottram, won the doubles against Yugoslavia 6-4, 1-6, 9-11, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Australian Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Men's singles | |
| Scottish Championships | ||
| 1929 | Men's singles | |
| Kent Championships (Beckenham) | ||
| 1931 | 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
The person behind the player.
Beverley
According to the Yorkshire Post, his mother was the first winner of the Yorkshire ladies' singles title, he was thought to be playing by the age of eight, and he became Yorkshire champion at 19.
Source: Yorkshire Post (Whitby Gazette)Wimbledon, 1929
When he was seeded eighth in 1929 he became the first Englishman to be seeded in the gentlemen's singles. He went out in the fourth round to one of the rising French players.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025Hemel Hempstead, from 1934
Born in Yorkshire, he spent his working life as a doctor in Hemel Hempstead, practising on Alexandra Road from 1934 and later joining West Herts Hospital. The Dacorum Heritage Trust counts him as one of the town's adopted sons.
Source: Dacorum Heritage TrustWimbledon, 1947
When the club first invited junior champions to Wimbledon in 1947, the girls' event on the hard courts was won by Genevieve Domken of Belgium. Her prize was donated by Dr Colin Gregory.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025Davis Cup, 1952
When Geoffrey Paish was hurt in an accident before the 1952 tie against Yugoslavia, the captain stepped in himself. He partnered Tony Mottram and won the doubles in five sets, 22 years after his previous Davis Cup match, and the LTA still lists him as the oldest player to represent Great Britain in the competition.
Source: LTA; WikipediaWimbledon, January 1959
Four years into his term as Chairman, he collapsed and died in the changing rooms at the All England Club after playing a match. He was 55.
Source: Wikipedia, citing The Times, 12 January 1959Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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