Fred Alexander

{{Infobox tennis biography

|name = Fred Alexander

|image = Frederick Beasley Alexander.jpg

|caption = Alexander playing a low forehand volley

|fullname = Frederick Beasley Alexander

|country = {{USA}}

|residence =

|birth_date = {{birth date |1880|8|14}}

|birth_place = Sea Bright, NJ, U.S.

|death_date = {{death date and age|1969|3|3|1880|8|14}}

|death_place = Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.

|height =

|weight =

|college = Princeton University

|turnedpro = 1899 (amateur tour)

|retired = 1920

|plays = Right-handed (one-handed backhand)

|careerprizemoney =

|tennishofyear = 1961

|tennishofid = fred-alexander

|website =

|singlesrecord =

|singlestitles =

|highestsinglesranking = No. 7 (1909, ITHF){{cite web|title=Hall of Famers – Fred Alexander|url=https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/fred-alexander|publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame|access-date=28 October 2016}}

|currentsinglesranking =

|AustralianOpenresult = W (1908)

|FrenchOpenresult =

|Wimbledonresult =

|USOpenresult = F (1908)

|Othertournaments =

|MastersCupresult =

|Olympicsresult =

|doublesrecord =

|doublestitles =

|highestdoublesranking =

|currentdoublesranking =

|grandslamsdoublesresults =

|AustralianOpenDoublesresult = W (1908)

|FrenchOpenDoublesresult =

|WimbledonDoublesresult =

|USOpenDoublesresult = W (1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1917)

|OthertournamentsDoubles =

|MastersCupDoublesresult =

|OlympicsDoublesresult =

|Mixed =

|mixedrecord =

|mixedtitles =

|AustralianOpenMixedresult =

|FrenchOpenMixedresult =

|WimbledonMixedresult =

|USOpenMixedresult = F (1918)

|OthertournamentsMixedDoubles =

|OlympicMixedDoublesresult =

|Team = yes

|DavisCupresult = F (1908^Ch)

}}

Frederick Beasley Alexander (August 14, 1880 – March 3, 1969) was an American tennis player in the early 20th century. He won the singles title at the 1908 Australasian Championships and six double titles at Grand Slam events.

Career

In 1908, Alexander became the first foreigner to win the singles title at the Australasian/Australian Championships, the amateur precursor to the Australian Open. He then teamed with Alfred Dunlop, the man he defeated in the final, to win the doubles.

Alexander attended Princeton University and won the Intercollegiate doubles championship in 1900 and the singles in 1901. Between 1904 and 1918, he was a U.S. top 10 player six times. He was a finalist in doubles at the U.S. Championships, precursor to the US Open, seven straight times beginning in 1905. He and partner Harold Hackett won the U.S. doubles each year from 1907 to 1910. At age 37, Alexander won again in 1917, partnering with Harold Throckmorton. In the singles, Alexander reached the all comers final in 1908, beating William Clothier, then losing to Beals Wright in straight sets.{{cite book|last=Talbert|first=Bill|author-link=Bill Talbert|title=Tennis Observed|year=1967|publisher=Barre Publishers|location=Boston|pages=80, 81|oclc=172306}}

He competed in the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1908, which lost the final against Australia at the Albert Ground. Alexander lost both his singles matches against Norman Brookes and Anthony Wilding as well as the doubles match against these two with his partner Beals Wright.{{cite web|title=Davis Cup – Player Profile Fred Alexander|url=http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player.aspx?id=800169212|publisher=International Tennis Federation (ITF)|access-date=28 October 2016}}

In 1915, he wrote How to Play Lawn Tennis, part of the Spalding's athletic library series.{{cite web|title=How to play lawn tennis|url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7737129W/How_to_play_lawn_tennis|publisher=Open Library}}

Alexander was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1961.

U.S. Indoor Championships

Men's Doubles champion: 1906, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1917

Grand Slam finals

File:Spalding's tennis annual .. (IA spaldingstennisa01pare).jpg

= Singles (1 title)=

class='sortable wikitable'

!style="width:40px"|Result

!style="width:35px"|Year

!style="width:180px"|Championship

!style="width:50px"|Surface

!style="width:160px"|Opponent

!style="width:170px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#ffc;"

| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win

1908

Australasian Championships

Grass

{{flagicon|NZL}} Alfred Dunlop

3–6, 3–6, 6–0, 6–2, 6–3

= Doubles (6 titles, 5 runner-ups) =

class="sortable wikitable" !style="width:40px"\|Result !style="width:35px"\|Year !style="width:180px"\|Championship !style="width:50px"\|Surface !style="width:160px"\|Partner !style="width:160px"\|Opponents !style="width:170px" class="unsortable"\|Score
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1900	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Raymond Little	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Dwight Davis {{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Holcombe Ward	4–6, 7–9, 10–12
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1905	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Harold Hackett	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Holcombe Ward {{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Beals Wright	4–6, 4–6, 1–6
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1906	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Harold Hackett	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Holcombe Ward {{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Beals Wright	3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 3–6
style="background:#ccf;" \|style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1907	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Harold Hackett	{{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Nat Thornton {{flagicon\|USA\|1896}} Bryan M. Grant	6–2, 6–1, 6–1
style="background:#ffc;" \|style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1908	Australasian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Alfred Dunlop	{{flagicon\|AUS}} G. G. Sharp {{flagicon\|NZL}} Anthony Wilding	6–3, 6–2, 6–1
style="background:#ccf;" \|style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1908	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Harold Hackett	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Raymond Little {{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Beals Wright	6–1, 7–5, 6–2
style="background:#ccf;" \|style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1909	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Harold Hackett	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} George Janes {{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Maurice McLoughlin	6–4, 6–4, 6–0
style="background:#ccf;" \|style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1910	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Harold Hackett	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Tom Bundy {{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Trowridge Hendrick	6–1, 8–6, 6–3
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1911	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Harold Hackett	{{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Raymond Little {{flagicon\|USA\|1908}} Gustav Touchard	5–7, 15–13, 2–6, 4–6
style="background:#ccf;" \|style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1917	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1912}} Harold Throckmorton	{{flagicon\|USA\|1912}} Harry Johnson {{flagicon\|USA\|1912}} Irving Wright	11–9, 6–4, 6–4
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1918	U.S. Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA\|1912}} Beals Wright	{{flagicon\|USA\|1912}} Vincent Richards {{flagicon\|USA\|1912}} Bill Tilden	3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 2–6