James Willard

{{for|the member of the Pennsylvania State Senate|James E. Willard}}

{{Infobox tennis biography

| name = James Willard

| fullname = Arthur James Willard

| image = TT3215 Jim Willard.png

| caption = 1929 portrait by Reynolds

| country = Australia

| birth_date = {{birth date|1893|4|22|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Tambaroora, New South Wales

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1968|6|10|1893|4|22|df=yes}}

| death_place =

| height={{height|m=1.68}}

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

| AustralianOpenresult = F (1926)

| FrenchOpenresult = 3R (1930)

| Wimbledonresult = 2R (1924)

| USOpenresult =

| Othertournaments = yes

| Olympicsresult = 3R (1924)

| AustralianOpenDoublesresult = F (1928)

| FrenchOpenDoublesresult = F (1930)

| WimbledonDoublesresult = QF (1930)

| OthertournamentsDoubles =

| OlympicsDoublesresult = 2R (1924)

| Mixed = yes

| AustralianOpenMixedresult = W (1924, 1925)

| WimbledonMixedresult = 3R (1930)

}}

Arthur James Willard (22 April 1893 – 10 June 1968), better known as Jim Willard, was an Australian tennis player.

Tennis career

Willard won two mixed doubles titles alongside Daphne Akhurst at the Australasian Championships, the future Australian Open, in 1924 and 1925. Willard also finished singles runner-up to John Hawkes in 1926 and reached the semifinals in 1927 and 1930. He was the mixed doubles runner-up in Australia in 1926 and 1927, and doubles runner-up at the Australian Championships in 1928 and at the French Championships in 1930. He participated in the 1924 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the second round of the singles event. He returned at the 1930 Championships where he lost in the first round of the singles event, reached the quarterfinal of the doubles with Harry Hopman and made it to the third round of the mixed doubles partnering Lolette Payot.{{cite web|title=Wimbledon players archive – James Willard|url=http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/archive/1930/MX/r3s1.html|publisher=AELTC}}

Willard competed in the singles and doubles event at the 1924 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/640 |title=James Willard |work=Olympedia |access-date=21 November 2021}} In the singles he made it to the third round before being defeated by Sydney Jacob. In the doubles event he teamed up with James Bayley and reached the second round in which they lost to eventual Olympic champions Vincent Richards and Frank Hunter.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/jim-willard-1.html |title=Jim Willard |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105171722/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/jim-willard-1.html |archivedate=5 November 2012}}{{cite web|title=Anthony Willard – Olympic Results|url=http://corporate.olympics.com.au/6F51C21D-182D-4B43-82557C4CDD567162|publisher=Australian Olympic Committee}}

Willard won the Sydney metropolitan championships in October 1929 after a victory in the final against Jack Crawford.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94097895 |title=Tennis. |newspaper=The Northern Star |date=28 October 1929 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}

He became a professional player in February 1933.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228910348 |title=Tennis Pro. |newspaper=The Sun|location=Sydney |issue=7217 |date=15 February 1933 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}}

From 1933 to 1941, Willard had an endorsement deal with the Alexander Patent Racket Company in Launceston, Tasmania, to produce a range of 'Jim Willard' tennis racquets.{{Cite book|last=Green|first=Christopher|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/733310743|title=What a racket! : the illustrated story of the Alexander Patent Racket Co. Ltd., Launceston, Tasmania, Australia 1925-1961|date=2011|publisher=Bokprint Pty. Ltd|isbn=978-0-9871085-0-0|location=Launceston, Tas.|oclc=733310743}}{{Cite news|date=6 April 1933|title=Advertising|work=Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article135550050|access-date=11 November 2021}}

Grand Slam finals

=Singles (1 runner-up)=

class="sortable wikitable"

!style="width:40px"|Result

!style="width:30px"|Year

!style="width:170px"|Championship

!style="width:50px"|Surface

!style="width:170px"|Opponent

!style="width:140px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#ffffcc;"

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

1926

Australasian Championships

Grass

{{flagicon|AUS}} John Hawkes

6–1, 6–3, 6–1

=Doubles (2 runners-up)=

class="sortable wikitable"

!style="width:40px"|Result

!style="width:30px"|Year

!style="width:170px"|Championship

!style="width:50px"|Surface

!style="width:170px"|Partner

!style="width:170px"|Opponents

!style="width:140px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#ffffcc;"

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

1928

Australian Championships

Grass

{{flagicon|AUS}} Edgar Moon

{{flagicon|FRA}} Jean Borotra
{{flagicon|FRA}} Jacques Brugnon

2–6, 6–4, 4–6, 4–6

style="background:#ebc2af;"

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

1930

French Championships

Clay

{{flagicon|AUS}} Harry Hopman

{{flagicon|FRA}} Henri Cochet
{{flagicon|FRA}} Jacques Brugnon

3–6, 7–9, 3–6

=Mixed doubles (2 titles, 2 runners-up)=

class="sortable wikitable" !style="width:40px"\|Result !style="width:30px"\|Year !style="width:170px"\|Championship !style="width:50px"\|Surface !style="width:170px"\|Partner !style="width:170px"\|Opponents !style="width:140px" class="unsortable"\|Score
style="background:#ffffcc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1924	Australasian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Daphne Akhurst	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Esna Boyd Robertson {{flagicon\|AUS}} Gar Hone	6–3, 6–4
style="background:#ffffcc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1925	Australasian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Daphne Akhurst	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Sylvia Lance Harper {{flagicon\|AUS}} Robert Schlesinger	6–4, 6–4
style="background:#ffffcc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1926	Australasian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Daphne Akhurst	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Esna Boyd Robertson {{flagicon\|AUS}} John Hawkes	2–6, 4–6
style="background:#ffffcc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1927	Australian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Youtha Anthony	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Esna Boyd Robertson {{flagicon\|AUS}} John Hawkes	1–6, 3–6

References

External links

{{ATP}}
{{ITF}}
{{Davis Cup player}}

Category:Australasian Championships (tennis) champions

Category:Australian male tennis players

Category:1893 births

Category:1968 deaths

Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles

Category:Olympic tennis players for Australia

Category:Tennis players at the 1924 Summer Olympics

Category:Professional tennis players before the Open Era

Category:Tennis players from New South Wales

Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales

Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen