The early years
Great Britain · born Bromley, 1872 · died 1929 · three times Wimbledon champion · four times doubles champion with his twin
All playersBack to the rankings
19
His age at the 1891 Wimbledon title
6
Consecutive Wimbledon singles finals, 1891 to 1896
4
Wimbledon doubles titles with twin Herbert
4
Northern Championships in a row, 1894 to 1897
93-23
Career singles match record
Born in Bromley, Kent, on 11 January 1872, the elder of twins, Baddeley played top-class lawn tennis from 1889 to 1897. He won Wimbledon in 1891 at 19 years and five months, reached six singles finals in a row from 1891 to 1896 and won 29 singles titles in all. He and his brother Herbert qualified as solicitors in February 1895 and joined the family firm in Leadenhall Street, founded by their great-grandfather in 1790. After 1897, aged 25, they gave up regular competition for the law, returning only for the Wimbledon doubles in 1904 and 1905. They stayed partners in the firm until 1919. Baddeley spent his retirement mainly at Dinard and Menton, died in Menton in 1929 and entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.
| Major singles titles | 3: Wimbledon (1891, 1892, 1895) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 3: Wimbledon 1893, Wimbledon 1894, Wimbledon 1896 |
| Other grass singles titles | 9: Eastbourne 4 (1893, 1894, 1895, 1896); Northern Championships 4 (1894, 1895, 1896, 1897); Irish Championships (1896) |
| Major doubles titles | 4 doubles (Wimbledon 4) |
| Other grass doubles titles | 3: Irish Championships 3 (1896, 1897, 1899) |
| Titles kept in a challenge round | 3: Wimbledon (1892); Wimbledon doubles (1895, 1896). Scored as a final won, not a full draw (-8 points). |
| Wimbledon doubles | Champions 1891, 1894, 1895 and 1896 with his twin Herbert; finalists 1892, and 1897, when Reginald and Laurence Doherty beat them |
| Finals to remember | 1891: beat Joshua Pim 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 6-0. 1895: came from two sets down to beat Wilberforce Eaves 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, 6-2, 6-3. 1896: lost his title to Harold Mahony 6-2, 6-8, 5-7, 8-6, 6-3 |
| Sussex Championships, Brighton | Singles 1893, 1894 and 1896 |
| Last Wimbledon singles | Semi-final 1897, lost to Reginald Doherty 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1891 | Men's doubles | with Herbert Baddeley |
| 1891 | Men's singles | |
| 1892 | Men's singles | |
| 1894 | Men's doubles | with Herbert Baddeley |
| 1895 | Men's doubles | with Herbert Baddeley |
| 1895 | Men's singles | |
| 1896 | Men's doubles | with Herbert Baddeley |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1893 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1894 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1895 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1896 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1894 | Men's singles | |
| 1895 | Men's singles | |
| 1896 | Men's singles | |
| 1897 | Men's singles | |
| Irish Championships | ||
| 1896 | Men's doubles†| with Herbert Baddeley |
| 1896 | Men's singles | |
| 1897 | Men's doubles†| with Herbert Baddeley |
| 1899 | Men's doubles†| with Herbert Baddeley |
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 winner may be compared to a cricketer who has played a faultless innings."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1891
He beat Joshua Pim 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 6-0 in the final at 19 years and five months, the youngest men's champion Wimbledon had seen. The magazine Pastime compared him to a cricketer who had played a faultless innings. The record stood until Boris Becker won in 1985.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1891 to 1894
Joshua Pim was his opponent in four straight Wimbledon finals. Baddeley won the first two, in 1891 and 1892, and Pim took the next two, beating him in straight sets in 1894. Pim did not defend in 1895, and Baddeley came from two sets down against Wilberforce Eaves to win his third title.
Source: Tennis ArchivesWimbledon and Eastbourne, 1895 to 1896
The twins rarely played each other in earnest. At Wimbledon in 1895 Herbert gave Wilfred a walkover in the semi-final, and at Eastbourne in 1896 he withdrew from the challenge round, handing his brother a fourth South of England title. At the Northern in 1895 Herbert retired one game into the fourth set.
Source: Tennis ArchivesLondon, 1890s
He had a dark, brooding look and a penetrating stare said to unsettle opponents. Off court he was quieter than he looked. In the early 1890s he wrote a book, Lawn Tennis, full of practical advice for players, described as a reflection of his unpretentious, modest personality.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameLeadenhall Street, 1895
In February 1895 the twins qualified as solicitors and joined the family firm in the City, founded by their great-grandfather in 1790. That summer Wilfred won Wimbledon for the third time. Two years later, at 25, both left serious competition for the law, and they stayed partners in the firm until 1919.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1904 and 1905
Seven years after their last full season the twins came back to Wimbledon for the doubles in 1904 and 1905. In retirement Wilfred lived mainly on the French coast, at Dinard and Menton, where he died in January 1929, aged 57.
Source: Tennis ArchivesFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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