The early years
Great Britain · born Clifton, Bristol, 1877 · died 1959 · twice Wimbledon doubles champion, three times singles finalist
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3
Wimbledon singles Challenge Rounds, 1903, 1904, 1906, all lost to Laurence Doherty
5
Wimbledon doubles finals in a row with Sydney Smith against the Doherty brothers, 1902 to 1906
2
Wimbledon doubles titles, 1902 and 1906
1
Wimbledon match decided by the toss of a coin, his against Smith in 1904
44
His age when recalled to the Davis Cup team in 1922
Frank Lorymer Riseley was born in Clifton, Bristol, on 6 July 1877, one of three brothers who grew up at Cotham Park and played at Clifton Lawn Tennis Club. He was in the club's senior team at 15, in 1892, and reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1896 and 1897. He won the Waterloo tournament in Liverpool three years running from 1895.
His best years coincided with the Doherty brothers'. He won the All Comers' singles at Wimbledon in 1903, 1904 and 1906 and lost each Challenge Round to Laurence Doherty. In doubles he and his Clifton clubmate Sydney Smith met the Dohertys in five Challenge Rounds in a row from 1902 to 1906 and won two of them. He won the Scottish Championships in 1902 and the Irish and Northern Championships in 1906, and in 1904 played for the British Isles in the Davis Cup final against Belgium, the first Davis Cup tie staged at Wimbledon, winning both his singles. Recalled in 1922 at 44, he won the doubles against Italy with Algernon Kingscote. His last tournament was the West of England Championships in 1925, which he won. He died in Torquay on 6 February 1959.
| Wimbledon Challenge Rounds | All lost to Laurence Doherty: 1903, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0; 1904, 6-1, 7-5, 8-6; 1906, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon All Comers' finals | 1903: beat Major Ritchie 1-6, 6-3, 8-6, 13-11. 1904: beat Ritchie 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. 1906: beat Arthur Gore 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 |
| Doubles against the Dohertys | With Sydney Smith. 1902: won 4-6, 8-6, 6-3, 4-6, 11-9. 1903: lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. 1904: lost 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. 1905: lost 6-2, 6-4, 6-8, 6-3. 1906: won 6-8, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 1900 | Lost the doubles All Comers' final with Smith to Herbert Roper Barrett and Harold Nisbet |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Men's doubles | with Sydney Howard Smith |
| 1906 | Men's doubles | with Sydney Howard Smith |
| Scottish Championships | ||
| 1902 | Men's singles | |
| Irish Championships | ||
| 1906 | Men's singles | |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1906 | 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
"at times the court hardly seemed big enough for them"
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1904
In 1904 Riseley met his doubles partner Sydney Smith in the singles. At two sets all and level at 26 games each, they decided the match on the toss of a coin, worried that a long contest would damage their chances in the doubles. It is the only recorded match at Wimbledon settled that way. Riseley won the toss and went on to the Challenge Round, played before what was thought to be Wimbledon's largest crowd.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Clifton, 1900
Frank often played county matches for Gloucestershire alongside his brother Arthur. Reporting a win over Middlesex in July 1900, Lawn Tennis wrote that "the Riseleys played their usual dashing game" and won without dropping a set.
Source: Clifton Lawn Tennis ClubEquipment
Riseley's name sold racquets: the Riseley Special, made by Slazenger, and the Riseley Hexagon, made by F.A. Davis of London. He used Slazenger in all three of his Wimbledon Challenge Rounds.
Source: Clifton Lawn Tennis Club; Wimbledon Compendium 2025Davis Cup, 1922
Eighteen years after his first Davis Cup tie, Riseley was recalled for the British Isles against Italy in 1922 and won the doubles with Algernon Kingscote. His silver-gilt medal, inscribed "F.L. Riseley, Italy, 1922", was sold at auction in 2014 for £100.
Source: Graham Budd Auctions, 2014All England Club
His elder brother Arthur Henry Riseley, also of Clifton, joined Wimbledon's management in 1946 and was chairman of the All England Club from 1953 to 1955. Lance Tingay credited him with having done as much as anyone to keep the club alive through the Second World War.
Source: Clifton Lawn Tennis Club; Wimbledon Compendium 2025Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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