Reginald Doherty

{{Infobox tennis biography

|name = Reginald Doherty

|image = R.F.Doherty by Voigt.jpg

|caption =

|fullname = Reginald Frank Doherty

|country = {{GBR}}

|residence =

|birth_date = {{birth date |df=yes|1872|10|14}}

|birth_place = Wimbledon, Surrey, England

|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1910|12|29|1872|10|14}}

|death_place = Kensington, London, England

|height = {{convert|1.85|m|abbr=on}}

|college =

|turnedpro = 1891 (amateur)

|retired = 1910

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

|careerprizemoney =

|tennishofyear = 1980

|tennishofid = reggie-doherty

|website =

|singlesrecord ={{tennis record|won=211|lost=96}}{{cite web |title=Players:Doherty, Reginald |url=https://thetennisbase.com/players/search/d|website=The Tennis Base |publisher=Tennismem SL |access-date=4 June 2023 |location=Madrid|url-access=subscription}}

|singlestitles = 36

|highestsinglesranking = No. 1 (1897, ITHF){{cite web|title=Hall of Famers – Reggie Doherty|url=http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/reggie-doherty|publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame|access-date=4 April 2012}}

|currentsinglesranking =

|AustralianOpenresult =

|FrenchOpenresult =

|Wimbledonresult = W (1897, 1898, 1899, 1900)

|USOpenresult = F (1902^Ch)

|Othertournaments =

|MastersCupresult =

|WTAChampionshipsresult =

|Olympicsresult =

|doublesrecord =

|doublestitles =

|highestdoublesranking =

|currentdoublesranking =

|AustralianOpenDoublesresult =

|FrenchOpenDoublesresult =

|WimbledonDoublesresult = W (1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1903, 1904, 1905)

|USOpenDoublesresult = W (1902, 1903)

|OthertournamentsDoubles =

|OlympicsDoublesresult =

|Mixed =

|mixedrecord =

|mixedtitles =

|AustralianOpenMixedresult =

|FrenchOpenMixedresult =

|WimbledonMixedresult =

|USOpenMixedresult =

|Team = yes

|DavisCupresult = W (1903, 1904, 1905, 1906)

|OthertournamentsMixedDoubles =

|OlympicMixedDoublesresult =

| medaltemplates-expand = yes

| medaltemplates =

}}

Reginald "Reggie" or "R. F." Frank Doherty (14 October 1872 – 29 December 1910) was a British tennis player and the older brother of tennis player Laurence Doherty. He was known in the tennis world as "R.F." rather than "Reggie".[https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50F14F7385417738DDDA90B94DA415B808DF1D3 "Famous Tennis Player Dead: R.F. Doherty, Once American Champion, Passes Away in London"], The New York Times, 30 December 1910 He was a four-time Wimbledon singles champion and a triple Olympic Gold medalist in doubles and mixed doubles.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/89 |title=Reginald Doherty |work=Olympedia |access-date=31 December 2020}}

Early life

Doherty was born on 14 October 1872 at Beulah Villa in Wimbledon, the oldest son of William Doherty, a printer, and his wife Catherine Ann Davis.{{cite web|title=Doherty, (Hugh) Laurence [Laurie] (1875–1919), tennis player|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/printable/32851|publisher=Oxford University Press|author=Wray Vamplew}} Doherty began tennis early in life and as a boy at Westminster School showed great promise. At age 14, he won the boys' singles title at an open championship in Llandudno. Doherty was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he played for the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club.{{acad|id=DHRY894RF|name=Doherty, Reginald Frank}} In 1895 and 1895, he was part of the Cambridge team that beat Oxford and won the Scottish and Essex championships.

Career

Grand Slam tournaments

Doherty played in his first Wimbledon Championships in 1894 and lost in the first round to Clement Cazalet in four sets. In 1897 Doherty won his first singles Wimbledon title after beating reigning champion Harold Mahony in three straight sets (6–4, 6–4, 6–3). He successfully defended his title for the next three years (1898, 1899, 1900). In 1898 he did so by beating his brother in the Challenge Round in five sets (6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1). In 1901 he finally lost his Wimbledon crown when he was defeated in the Challenge Round by Arthur Gore in four sets (6–4, 5–7, 4–6, 4–6). He was also a runner-up at the US Championships in 1902 where he was beaten by the defending American champion William Larned in four sets (6–4, 2–6, 4–6, 6–8). Together with his brother Laurie he won eight Wimbledon Championships doubles titles and two US Championship doubles titles.

Davis Cup

Doherty represented the British Isles in the prestigious Davis Cup contest from 1902 to 1906. In 1902 he won the doubles match with his brother but lost the final and decisive singles match against American Malcolm Whitman in straight sets (1–6, 5–7, 4–6). In 1903 he contributed significantly to his team's first Davis Cup title against the United States by winning the doubles match and the decisive singles match against Robert Wrenn. Doherty won the Davis Cup trophy a further three times (1904, 1905, 1906) although in these years he only competed, and won, in the doubles matches.{{cite web|title=Davis Cup Player Profile|url=http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10003389|publisher=ITF|access-date=4 April 2012}}

Olympics

Doherty won the doubles title (gold medals were not given at the 1900 Games) at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris with his brother.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/do/reggie-doherty-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417193106/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/do/reggie-doherty-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Reginald Doherty Olympic Results |access-date=2014-01-26 |work=sports-reference.com}} He also competed in the singles tournament and reached the semifinal, where he was scheduled to play against his brother. Reggie withdrew, since the brothers refused to play each other before the final.{{cite book|last=Grasso|first=John|title=Historical dictionary of tennis|date=16 September 2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=9780810872370|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W39oSS7c2xAC&pg=PA86|access-date=4 April 2012|page=86}} He also won the mixed doubles title with five-time Wimbledon champion Charlotte Cooper. Doherty did not compete in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. In the 1908 Olympics in London, Reggie again won the doubles title, this time with compatriot George Hillyard.{{cite web|title=All the Medallists since 1896|url=http://www.olympic.org/medallists-results?athletename=reginald%20frank%20doherty&category=1&games=&sport=31718&event=&mengender=false&womengender=false&mixedgender=false&teamclassification=false&individualclassification=false&continent=1&country=&goldmedal=true&silvermedal=false&bronzemedal=true&worldrecord=false&olympicrecord=false&targetresults=true|publisher=Olympic Movement|access-date=4 April 2012}}

R.F. Doherty was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980 together with his brother.

Death

Doherty died of heart failure and neurasthenia on 29 December 1910 at age 38 at his home in Kensington, a day after returning from a convalescence stay in a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland.{{cite news|title=Late Mr. Doherty|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NA19110214.2.8&e=-------10--1----0--|newspaper=Northern Advocate (New Zealand)|date=14 February 1911|location=Northland|page=3}}

According to his obituary in The New York Times, Doherty had "been in ill health for some time". The article further stated he "held at various times every important championship the world of tennis has for a man to win. He was not beaten until he began to fail in health". Both brothers apparently had respiratory problems throughout their lives.[http://bmarcore.club.fr/tennis/champions/doherty/E-laurie.html Hugh Laurence Doherty (UK) ] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121209075113/http://bmarcore.club.fr/tennis/champions/doherty/E-laurie.html |date=9 December 2012 }}

R.F. and his brother had been urged to take up lawn tennis by their father, reportedly for health reasons.

Grand Slam finals

File:R.F.Doherty Beginning of Low Backhand Drive.jpg

File:Doherty Brothers.jpg

=Singles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runners-up)=

class="sortable wikitable" !style="width:45px"\|Result !style="width:50px"\|Date !style="width:180px"\|Tournament !style="width:50px"\|Surface !style="width:170px"\|Opponent !style="width:160px" class="unsortable"\|Score !style="width:15px" class="unsortable"\|
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1897	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Harold Mahony	6–4, 6–4, 6–3	{{Cite web\|url = http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/roll_of_honour/gentlemenssingles.html\|title = Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Singles\|access-date = 2015-10-16\|website = Wimbledon official tournament website}}
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1898	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1899	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Arthur Gore	1–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1900	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Sydney Smith	6–8, 6–3, 6–1, 5–7, 11–9
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1901	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Arthur Gore	6–4, 5–7, 4–6, 4–6
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1902	U.S. National Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|USA}} William Larned	6–4, 2–6, 4–6, 6–8	{{Cite web\|url = http://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/history/mschamps.html\|title = US Open Past Champions / Men's Singles\|access-date = 2015-10-16\|website = US Open official website\|url-status = dead\|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090222190523/http://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/history/mschamps.html\|archive-date = 22 February 2009}}

=Doubles: 13 (10 titles, 3 runners-up)=

class="sortable wikitable" !style="width:45px"\|Result !style="width:50px"\|Date !style="width:180px"\|Tournament !style="width:50px"\|Surface !style="width:170px"\|Partner !style="width:170px"\|Opponents !style="width:160px" class="unsortable"\|Score !width=15 class="unsortable"\|
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1896	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Harold Nisbet	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Herbert Baddeley {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Wilfred Baddeley	6–1, 6–3, 4–6, 2–6, 1–6	{{Cite web\|url = https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/draws_archive/champions/gentlemensdoubles.html \|title = Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Doubles \|website = Wimbledon \|publisher = AELTC }}
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1897	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Herbert Baddeley {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Wilfred Baddeley	6–4, 4–6, 8–6, 6–4
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1898	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|USA}} Clarence Hobart {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Harold Nisbet	6–4, 6–4, 6–2
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1899	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|USA}} Clarence Hobart {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Harold Nisbet	7–5, 6–0, 6–2
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1900	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Herbert Roper Barrett {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Harold Nisbet	9–7, 7–5, 4–6, 3–6, 6–3
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1901	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|USA}} Dwight Davis {{flagicon\|USA}} Holcombe Ward	4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 9–7
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1902	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Frank Riseley {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Sydney Smith	6–4, 6–8, 3–6, 6–4, 9–11
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1902	U.S. National Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|USA}} Dwight Davis {{flagicon\|USA}} Holcombe Ward	11–9, 12–10, 6–4	{{Cite web\|url = http://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/history/mdchamps.html\|title = US Open Past Champions / Men's Doubles\|access-date = 2015-10-16\|website = US Open official website\|url-status = dead\|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071025005050/http://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/history/mdchamps.html\|archive-date = 25 October 2007}}
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1903	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Frank Riseley {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Sydney Smith	6–4, 6–4, 6–4
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1903	U.S. National Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|USA}} Kreigh Collins {{flagicon\|USA}} L. Harry Waidner	7–5, 6–3, 6–3
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1904	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Frank Riseley {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Sydney Smith	6–1, 6–2, 6–4
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1905	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Frank Riseley {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Sydney Smith	6–2, 6–4, 6–8, 6–3
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1906	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Laurence Doherty	{{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Frank Riseley {{flagicon\|UKGBI}} Sydney Smith	8–6, 4–6, 7–5, 3–6, 3–6

Career finals (52)

Titles by surface
class=wikitable
Clay (18–4)
Grass (14–12)
Hard (1–0)
Wood (3–0)

=Singles titles (36)=

class="sortable wikitable"

! No.

! Date

! Tournament

! Surface

! Opponent in final

! Score

bgcolor=

| 1.

| 1895

| Essex Championships,{{cite web|title=Late Mr. Doherty|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19110214.2.8|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|publisher=Northern Advocate, 14 February 1911|access-date=6 October 2016}} Colchester, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Herbert Ramon Yglesias

| 6–3, 6–1, 6–0

bgcolor=

| 2.

| 1895

| Scottish Championships,{{cite web|title=A Great Lawn Tennis Player: Death of Mr. R. F. Doherty|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19110211.2.96?query=Scottish%20Championships%20Tennis|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|publisher=The Dominion. 11 February 1911|access-date=2 September 2016}} Moffat, Scotland

| Grass

| {{flagicon|SCO}} Richard Millar Watson

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 3.

| 1895

| Welsh Covered Court Championships,{{cite web|last1=Kinsey|first1=Albert|title=The Craigside Hotel Hydro Band|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/57637057606e40bca27ab8bff156b959|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/|publisher=BBC Radio Times Regional Programme Western, 9 July 1936|access-date=2 September 2016}} Llandudno, Wales

| Wood

| {{flagicon|WAL}} William S. N. Heard

|walkover

bgcolor=

| 4.

| 1895

| Exmouth LTC Tournament, Exmouth, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Harry S. Barlow

| 6–1, 7–5, 6–2

bgcolor=

| 5.

| 1896

| Baden Baden International, Baden-Baden, Germany

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Count Voss

| 6–1, 7–5, 6–2

bgcolor=

| 6.

| 1896

| East of England Championships, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Edward Roy Allen

| 6–4, 8–6

bgcolor=

| 7.

| 1896

| Essex Championships, Colchester, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Laurence Doherty

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 8.

| 1896

| Scottish Championships, Moffat, Scotland

| Grass

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Edward Roy Allen

| 13–11, 6–4 retired.

bgcolor=

| 9.

| 1896

| The Homburg Cup, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GBR}} William M. Cranston

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 10.

| 1896

| Welsh Covered Court Championships, Llandudno, Wales

| Wood

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Laurence Doherty

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 11.

| 1897

| Baden Baden International, Baden-Baden, Germany

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Laurence Doherty

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 12.

| 1897

| Wimbledon Championships, London, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Wilberforce Eaves

| 6–3, 7–5, 2–0 ret

bgcolor=

| 13.

| 1897

| South of France Championships, Nice, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Count Voss

| 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1

bgcolor=

| 14.

| 1897

| The Homburg Cup, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GBR}} George Hillyard

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 15.

| 1897

| Monte-Carlo Cup,{{cite book|last1=Schneiderman|first1=E. Digby Baltzell; with a new introduction by Howard G.|title=Sporting gentlemen : men's tennis from the age of honor to the cult of the superstar|date=2013|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=Somerset, NJ|isbn=9781412851800|page=73}} Monte Carlo, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Conway W. Blackwood Price

| 6–2, 6–1, 6–2

bgcolor=

| 16.

| 1897

| Scottish Championships,{{cite web|title=Games and Players:Notable Tennis Record|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19510418&id=vWFAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5744,3949582|work=The Glasgow Herald|date=18 April 1951}} Moffat, Scotland

| Grass

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Laurence Doherty

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 17.

| 1897

| Cannes Championships, Cannes, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|FRA}} M.G. Gongoltz

| 6–2, 6–4, 6–3

bgcolor=

| 18.

| 1897

| Welsh Covered Court Championships, Llandudno, Wales

| Wood

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Laurence Doherty

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 19.

| 1898

| Wimbledon Championships, London, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Laurence Doherty

| 6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1

bgcolor=

| 20.

| 1898

| The Homburg Cup, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany

| Clay

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Laurence Doherty

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 21.

| 1898

| Monte-Carlo Cup, Monte Carlo, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Count Voss

| 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–0 Retired.

bgcolor=

| 22.

| 1899

| Irish Championships Dublin, Ireland

| Grass

| {{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} Harold Mahony

| 6–3, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4

bgcolor=

| 23.

| 1899

| Wimbledon Championships London, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Arthur Gore

| 1–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3

bgcolor=

| 24.

| 1899

| Monte-Carlo Cup, Monte Carlo, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Count Voss

| 6–2 Ret.

bgcolor=

| 25.

| 1899

| Heiligendammer Cup, Heiligendammer, Germany

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Georg Wantzelius

| 6–2, 6–1, 6–2

bgcolor=

| 26.

| 1899

| The Homburg Cup, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany

| Clay

| {{flagicon|United States|1896}} Clarence Hobart

| 3–6, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–4

bgcolor=

| 27.

| 1899

| South of France Championships, Nice, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Count Voss

| 6–0, 6–0 6–0

bgcolor=

| 28.

| 1900

| Irish Championships Dublin, Ireland

| Grass

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Arthur Gore

| 6–4, 7–5, 7–9, 7–9, 6–3

bgcolor=

| 29.

| 1900

| Wimbledon Championships London, England

| Grass

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Sydney Howard Smith

| 6–8, 6–3, 6–1, 6–2

bgcolor=

| 30.

| 1901

| Irish Championships Dublin, Ireland

| Grass

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Laurence Doherty

| 6–4, 4–6 ret.

bgcolor=

| 31.

| 1902

| Monte-Carlo Cup, Monte Carlo, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GBR}} George Hillyard

| 6–1, 6–4, 6–3

bgcolor=

| 32.

| 1902

| Paris International Championships, Paris, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|FRA}} Paul Lebreton

| walkover

bgcolor=

| 33.

| 1903

| Monte-Carlo Cup, Monte Carlo, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Frank Riseley

| 6–1, 14–16 Ret.

bgcolor=

| 34.

| 1903

| Paris International Championships, Paris, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|FRA}} Max Decugis

| 6–4, 6–3, 8–6

bgcolor=

| 35.

| 1904

| Monte-Carlo Cup, Monte Carlo, France

| Clay

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Josiah Ritchie

| 6–1, 7–5, 3–6, 7–5

bgcolor=

| 36.

| 1909

| South African Championships,{{cite web|title=Reggie Doherty-Biography|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/do/reggie-doherty-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417193106/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/do/reggie-doherty-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=sports-reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=5 October 2016}} Johannesburg, South Africa

| Hard

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Lionel Escombe

| 6–3, 6–1, 6–1