Frank Wilde

{{Infobox tennis biography

| name = Frank Wilde

| image = StateLibQld 2 294187 Englishman Frank Wilde hits a forehand against an Australian opponent at Milton, 1933.jpg

| caption = Wilde in 1933

| fullname = Frank Herbert David Wilde

| country_represented = {{GRB}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|3|1|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Wimbledon, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|1982|2|6|1911|3|1|df=yes}}

| death_place = Eastergate, England

| plays =

| singlesrecord =

| singlestitles =

| highestsinglesranking =

| currentsinglesranking =

| AustralianOpenresult = 3R (1934)

| FrenchOpenresult = 4R (1933)

| Wimbledonresult = 3R (1932)

| USOpenresult = 3R (1933, 1934)

| doublesrecord =

| doublestitles =

| highestdoublesranking =

| currentdoublesranking =

| AustralianOpenDoublesresult =

| FrenchOpenDoublesresult =

| WimbledonDoublesresult = F (1936, 1939)

| USOpenDoublesresult =

| Mixed =

| mixedrecord =

| mixedtitles =

| AustralianOpenMixedresult =

| FrenchOpenMixedresult =

| WimbledonMixedresult = F (1939)

| USOpenMixedresult =

}}

Frank Herbert David Wilde (1 March 1911 – 6 February 1982) was a British tennis and table tennis player who played in the Davis Cup. He reached the final of the Wimbledon Championships on three occasions, twice in the men's doubles and once in mixed doubles.

Biography

Wilde was born in Wimbledon, London on 1 March 1911.

Tennis career

A right-handed player, Wilde represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup from 1937 to 1939. He featured mostly in doubles rubbers, of which he won two out of six. One of the four losses was in the final of the 1937 tournament, against the United States in London, partnering Raymond Tuckey. The British, who had won the last four titles, lost the tie 1-4.{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/onthisday/sport/story/224.html|title=On This Day|date=27 July 2010|publisher=ESPN.co.uk|accessdate=11 December 2015}}

The first of his Wimbledon finals was in 1936 when he and partner Charles Hare lost a five set final.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2293&dat=19360705&id=CRsnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZgMGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2164,131873&hl=en|title=Miss Helen Jacobs' Victory Thrilling to 20,000 Spectators|date=5 July 1936|work=The Sunday Morning Star|page=23|accessdate=11 December 2015}} At the 1939 Wimbledon Championships he again finished runner up with Hare and also lost the mixed doubles final, with Nina Brown.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2472061 |title=Wimbledon Tennis. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |location=ACT |date=10 July 1939 |accessdate=11 December 2015 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11262278 |title=California's Wimbledon. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne, Vic. |date=11 July 1939 |accessdate=11 December 2015 |page=15 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

As a singles player his best Grand Slam performance was a fourth round appearance at the 1933 French Championships.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16958828 |title=French Tennis. |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |location=NSW |date=2 June 1933 |accessdate=11 December 2015 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} He won the All England Plate in 1933.

His career was interrupted by World War II, after his success at Wimbledon in 1939 he didn't reappear at the tournament until 1946.

=Grand Slam finals=

==Doubles (2 runner-ups)==

class="sortable wikitable"

!style="width:40px"|Result

!style="width:35px"|Year

!style="width:140px"|Championship

!style="width:50px"|Surface

!style="width:150px"|Partner

!style="width:150px"|Opponents

!style="width:180px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#cfc;"

| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss

|1936

|Wimbledon

|Grass

|{{flagicon|GBR}} Charles Hare

|{{flagicon|GBR}} Pat Hughes
{{flagicon|GBR}} Raymond Tuckey

|4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 1–6, 4–6

style="background:#cfc;"

| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss

|1939

|Wimbledon

|Grass

|{{flagicon|GBR}} Charles Hare

|{{flagicon|USA}} Elwood Cooke
{{flagicon|USA}} Bobby Riggs

|3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–9

==Mixed doubles (1 runner-up)==

class="sortable wikitable"

!style="width:40px"|Result

!style="width:35px"|Year

!style="width:140px"|Championship

!style="width:50px"|Surface

!style="width:150px"|Partner

!style="width:150px"|Opponents

!style="width:180px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#cfc;"

| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss

|1939

|Wimbledon

|Grass

|{{flagicon|GBR}} Nina Brown

|{{flagicon|USA}} Bobby Riggs
{{flagicon|USA}} Alice Marble

|7–9, 1–6

Table tennis career

Wilde was part of the England team that won a bronze medal in the men's team event at the 1929 World Table Tennis Championships.{{cite web|url=https://tabletennis.guide/profile.php?name=frank-wilde-125712|title=Profile|publisher=Table Tennis Guide}}{{cite web|url=http://sports123.com/tte/index.html|title=Table Tennis World Championship medal winners|publisher=Sports123}} The team included Fred Perry.