The early years
Australia · born Melbourne, 1884 · died 1936 · right-handed · the first Australasian champion, in 1905, and champion again in 1910
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2
Australasian singles titles, 1905 and 1910
2
Australasian doubles titles: 1906 with Tony Wilding, 1911 with Randolph Lycett
17
Players in the field when he won the first Australasian Championships
1911
Davis Cup winner with Australasia, beating William Larned
1919
Wimbledon doubles finalist, with Lycett
Rodney Heath was born in Melbourne on 15 June 1884, the second son of F. W. Heath, official timekeeper of the Victorian Racing Club. In November 1905 he won the first Australasian Championships, played on grass at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne, beating Curtis 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the final. A year later he won the doubles with Tony Wilding at Hagley Park in Christchurch.
He won the New South Wales title in 1908 and 1909, and in 1910 won his second Australasian singles at Adelaide Oval, beating Horace Rice 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, along with the South Australian title. In 1911 he won the Australasian doubles with Randolph Lycett and reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals, and in January 1912, in the 1911 Davis Cup Challenge Round at Christchurch, he beat William Larned as Australasia beat the United States. He won the Victorian title in 1913.
In June 1915 he left for England to join the Royal Flying Corps, and was injured in 1916 when he crash-landed in a snowstorm on a flight from England to France; he rose to the rank of major. In 1919 he and Lycett reached the final of the Wimbledon doubles. He played the French Championships in 1925. He died in Melbourne on 26 October 1936, aged 52.
| Australasian singles finals | 1905, Warehouseman's Cricket Ground, Melbourne: beat Curtis 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. 1910, Adelaide Oval: beat Horace Rice 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 |
|---|---|
| Australasian doubles finals | 1906 with Tony Wilding: beat Cecil Cox and Harry Parker 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. 1910 with James O'Dea: lost to Ashley Campbell and Rice 3-6, 3-6, 2-6. 1911 with Randolph Lycett: beat John Addison and Norman Brookes 6-2, 7-5, 6-0. 1914 with Arthur O'Hara Wood: lost to Campbell and Gerald Patterson 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6 |
| Wimbledon 1919 | With Lycett lost the All-Comers final to Ronald Thomas and Pat O'Hara Wood 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 2-6; the holders did not defend, so Thomas and O'Hara Wood took the title |
| Davis Cup 1911 | Challenge Round at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, 1 to 3 January 1912: beat William Larned 2-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 to put Australasia 2-0 up; Beals Wright later defaulted their reverse singles, and Australasia kept the Cup |
| Wimbledon singles | Quarter-finalist 1911 |
| Australian Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1905 | Men's singles Australasian Championships | |
| 1906 | Men's doubles Australasian Championships | with Anthony Wilding |
| 1910 | Men's singles Australasian Championships | |
| 1911 | Men's doubles Australasian Championships | with Randolph Lycett |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1908 | Men's singles | |
| 1909 | Men's singles | |
| South Australian Championships | ||
| 1910 | Men's singles | |
| Victorian Championships | ||
| 1913 | 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.
Melbourne, 1880s to 1900s
His father, F. W. Heath, was the official timekeeper at the Victorian Racing Club and the Victorian Amateur Turf Club. His elder brother C. V. Heath also played, and won the South Australian singles in 1902.
Source: Wikipedia, citing The Argus, 27 October 1936Melbourne, November 1905
The first Australasian Championships had a men's singles and a men's doubles only, and a singles field of 17. Heath came back from a set down to win the final.
Source: WikipediaChristchurch, 1906
At the second Australasian Championships, held at Hagley Park in Christchurch, he partnered the local hero Tony Wilding to the doubles title, beating Cecil Cox and Harry Parker 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Source: WikipediaChristchurch, January 1912
Tony Wilding was away in Europe, so Heath played second singles behind Norman Brookes in the first Davis Cup tie staged in New Zealand. Rain delayed the start until 1 January 1912; Heath lost the first set to William Larned, then took the next three.
Source: Wikipedia, citing The New York Times, 2 January 1912England, 1915 to 1917
He sailed for England in June 1915 to join the Royal Flying Corps. In 1916 he was injured when he crash-landed after flying into a snowstorm on the way from England to France. He was promoted to major in 1917.
Source: Wikipedia, citing The Argus, 23 June 1915, and The Farmer and Settler, 20 April 1916Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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