On the 12 August 1904, the English tennis player, William Charles Renshaw (1861-1904), died of epileptic convulsions in Swanage, Dorset, aged 43.
Born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, A right-hander, he was renowned for his power and technical ability. In 1881 Renshaw was ranked world No. 1, sharing the title with Karoly Mazak. Renshaw won 12 major titles during his career. Sharing the all-time male record of 7 Wimbledon singles titles with American Pete Sampras until 2017, when Roger Federer won his 8th singles title. Renshaw’s 6 consecutive singles titles from 1881 to 1886, remains an all-time record. He was unable to defend his title in 1887 because of tennis elbow, and during his absence took up golf.
Renshaw also won the doubles title 5 times alongside his twin brother Ernest. The pair dominated the sport for many years in a time when the only other Grand Slam was the US Championships, and customarily at the time players did not travel that far. The rise in popularity of the game of tennis at that time became known as the ‘Renshaw Rush’.
In 1888 William Renshaw became the first president of the British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), and in 1983 was elected posthumously into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, together with his brother Ernest.
12 August, 2019