Fred Alexander

{{short description|American tennis player}}

{{other people}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{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 (1908Ch)

}}

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

= 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

1908Australasian ChampionshipsGrass{{flagicon|NZL}} Alfred Dunlop3–6, 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

1900U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1905U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1906U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1907U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1908Australasian ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1908U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1909U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1910U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1911U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1917U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

1918U.S. ChampionshipsGrass{{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

References

{{reflist}}