The early years
Great Britain · born Stroud, Gloucestershire, 1872 · died 1947 · right-handed · Wimbledon doubles champion 1902 and 1906, famed for his forehand drive
All playersBack to the rankings
2
Wimbledon doubles titles with Frank Riseley, 1902 and 1906, both won against the Doherty brothers
3
Wimbledon All Comers singles finals: 1899, 1900 and 1905
39
Wimbledon singles matches won, against 11 lost
7
Northern Championships singles titles in a row, 1899 to 1905
10
Welsh Championships singles titles, 1896 to 1906
Sydney Howard Smith, often spelt Sidney in the records, was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, in 1872 and died there in 1947. He played the Wimbledon singles in 1893 and then every year from 1897 to 1906, winning 39 of his 50 matches. He lost the All Comers final to Arthur Gore in 1899, beat Gore in it in 1900 and then lost the Challenge Round to Reginald Doherty 6-8, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. In 1905 he took Norman Brookes to 7-5 in the fifth set of the All Comers final.
With his fellow Gloucestershire player Frank Riseley he won the Wimbledon doubles in 1902 and 1906, each time beating the Doherty brothers in the Challenge Round, and lost to them there in 1903, 1904 and 1905. He played for the British Isles in the Davis Cup in 1905 and 1906 and was never beaten in the competition. In 1900 he also became the first All England badminton men's singles champion.
Away from Wimbledon he was the dominant player of the provincial grass circuit, with ten Welsh titles, seven Northern titles in a row and wins at Eastbourne, Edgbaston and Surbiton. His family later gave the All England Club the cup he had won outright at the Northern Championships in 1904; since 1949 it has been the Wimbledon mixed doubles trophy.
| Wimbledon singles | All Comers finals: 1899 lost to Arthur Gore 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; 1900 beat Gore 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; 1905 lost to Norman Brookes 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 7-5. 1900 Challenge Round: lost to Reginald Doherty 6-8, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 |
|---|---|
| Doubles Challenge Rounds against the Dohertys | With Frank Riseley: won 1902 4-6, 8-6, 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 and 1906 6-8, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3; lost 1903 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, 1904 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 and 1905 6-2, 6-4, 6-8, 6-3 |
| Earlier doubles finals | All Comers finals lost in 1897 with Clement Cazalet, 1898 with George Hillyard and 1900 with Riseley |
| Mixed doubles (non-championship event) | Won in 1903 and 1904 with Ethel Thomson, the first All England badminton women's singles champion |
| Davis Cup, 1905 | As Britain's second singles player he beat William Larned with the loss of one set and then beat William Clothier comfortably |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Men's doubles | with Frank Riseley |
| 1906 | Men's doubles | with Frank Riseley |
| Welsh Championships | ||
| 1896 | Men's singles†| |
| 1897 | Men's singles | |
| 1898 | Men's singles | |
| 1899 | Men's singles | |
| 1900 | Men's singles | |
| 1901 | Men's singles | |
| 1902 | Men's singles | |
| 1904 | Men's singles | |
| 1905 | Men's singles | |
| 1906 | Men's singles | |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1899 | Men's singles | |
| 1900 | Men's singles | |
| 1901 | Men's singles | |
| 1902 | Men's singles | |
| 1903 | Men's singles | |
| 1904 | Men's singles | |
| 1905 | Men's singles | |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1898 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1899 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1901 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1902 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1904 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| Surrey Championships (Surbiton) | ||
| 1904 | Men's singles | |
| 1905 | Men's singles | |
| 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
"If you go to the net he passes you like a knife going through butter."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon, 1904
In the fifth round of the singles, Smith and his doubles partner Riseley were level at two sets all, 26 games each, when they agreed to settle the match by the toss of a coin, worried that a long match would harm their doubles chances. It is the only recorded occasion at Wimbledon. Riseley won the toss and reached the Challenge Round.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)The gallery
Vaile wrote of Smith's drive: "when he got his shot in, the gallery said, 'O-oh!' When he did not they smiled audibly."
Source: P. A. Vaile, Great Lawn Tennis Players (1905)London, 1900
Aged 28, he won the first All England badminton men's singles title in 1900, beating W. Oakes 15-12, 11-15, 15-10 in a field of 21. He lost his defence in 1901 to the eventual winner, H.W. Davies, and never entered again.
Source: National Badminton MuseumWimbledon and Edgbaston, 1905
Against Brookes in the 1905 All Comers final, one of Smith's drives landed a ball's breadth over the sideline at a critical point of the fifth set, and he lost it 7-5. A month later, at Edgbaston, Myers watched Smith beat Brookes.
Source: A. Wallis Myers, Twenty Years of Lawn Tennis (1921)Monte Carlo, 1903
On the Riviera sand Laurence Doherty beat him 6-2, 6-2. Myers explained that Smith's footwork was impeded on that surface: "he could not run round his backhand as he could on grass."
Source: A. Wallis Myers, Twenty Years of Lawn Tennis (1921)Wimbledon, 1949 to date
The silver challenge cup that Smith retired by winning the Northern Championships three times in succession, hallmarked 1901 and 17 inches high, was presented by his family to the All England Club. It has been held by the Wimbledon mixed doubles champions since 1949.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
Join freePage updated 4 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
