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Algernon Robert Fitzhardinge "Algy" Kingscote (3 December 1888 – 21 December 1964) was a British
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player, who won the Men's Singles event at the
Australasian Championships The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. ...
in
1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
. Kingscote also competed in the
1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...
in Paris. He was born in
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, India, in 1888.


Tennis career

Algernon Kingscote learned playing tennis on the courts of the
Château-d'Œx Château-d'Œx () is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut. History Château-d'Œx is first mentioned in 1115 as ''Oit'', ''Oyz'', ''Oix'' and ''Oyez''. Prehistoric settlements Dur ...
Club in Switzerland, where he won numerous championships. In his early years he trained with American teenager player
R. Norris Williams Richard "Dick" Norris Williams II (January 29, 1891 – June 2, 1968), generally known as R. Norris Williams, was an American tennis player and RMS Titanic, RMS ''Titanic'' survivor. Biography Williams was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the son ...
.Tilden (1921), p. 189 He was crowned Swiss champion in 1908 and champion of Bengal in 1913. He held the
Kent Championships The Kent Championships also known as the Kent All-Comers' Championships was a tennis tournament held in Foxgrove Road, Beckenham, Kent, England between 1886 and 1996 and was held in the first half of June. From 1887 until 1910 the tournament was ...
title for four consecutive years between 1919–1922 and in total won the title six times. At Wimbledon 1919, Kingscote beat
William Laurentz William Laurentz (; 26 Feb 1895 – 7 March 1922) was a French tennis player of the early 20th century whose main achievements were winning the singles title at the World Hard Court Championships and World Covered Court Championships. Career La ...
,
Max Decugis Maxime Omer Mathieu Decugis or Décugis (; 24 September 1882 – 6 September 1978) was a tennis player from France who held the French Open, French Championships record of winning the tournament eight times (a French club members only tournament ...
and
Pat O'Hara Wood Hector "Pat" O'Hara Wood (30 April 1891 – 3 December 1961) was an Australian tennis player. O'Hara Wood was born in St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. He is best known for his two victories at the Australasian Championships (now the ...
before losing in the all comers final to
Gerald Patterson Gerald Leighton Patterson Military Cross, MC (17 December 1895 – 13 June 1967) was an Australian tennis player. Patterson was active in the decade following World War I. During his career he won three Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tourname ...
. He won the singles title at the 1919 Australasian Championships, along with the first
Anthony Wilding Anthony Frederick Wilding (31 October 1883 – 9 May 1915), also known as Tony Wilding, was a New Zealand world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I. Considered the world's first tennis superstar, Wildin ...
Memorial Medal, beating
Eric Pockley Eric Osbaldiston Pockley (18 May 1876 – 11 November 1956) was an Australian tennis player and medical doctor. Pockley finished runner-up to Algernon Kingscote at the singles event of the 1919 Australasian Championships (tennis), 1919 Australa ...
of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
in the final in straight sets. In the 1920 Wimbledon Championships he reached the doubles final alongside
James Cecil Parke James Cecil Parke (26 July 1881 – 27 February 1946) was an Irish rugby union player, tennis player, golfer, solicitor and World War I veteran. He became an Olympic silver medallist, Davis Cup champion, Wimbledon Mixed Doubles winner and Aust ...
but eventually lost to the team of
Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...
Williams. In 1921 Kingscote was a runner-up at the Monte-Carlo Championships losing to fellow countryman
Gordon Lowe Sir Francis Gordon Lowe, 2nd Baronet (21 June 1884 – 17 May 1972) was a British male tennis player. Lowe is best remembered for winning the Australasian Championships in 1915 (where he beat champion Horace Rice in the final). and for winni ...
in four sets. He represented Great Britain in the
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
seven times between 1919 and 1924 compiling a 9–8 win–loss record. In the
1922 Wimbledon Championships The 1922 Wimbledon Championships were the 42nd edition of the prestigious tennis tournament, held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London. The tournament ran from 26 June until 10 July.2010 Wimbledon Compendium, by Al ...
first round against
Leslie Godfree Leslie Allison Godfree (27 April 1885 – 17 November 1971) was a British male tennis player who was especially successful in doubles and mixed doubles. Biography Educated at Brighton College, Godfree played at the Wimbledon Championships fro ...
they established the routine of saluting the Royal Box by bowing in front of it, a tradition that was in effect to 2003. He won the
London Championships London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
in 1924 beating Gordon Lowe in four sets in the final.


Playing style

U.S. Championships quarterfinalist American Dean Mathey described his style as "well rounded" in 1920 at the time when he was considered the best British outdoors player. He favored volleying and had good ground strokes. His service was fair but his game lacked speed and strength. The next year professional world number one player
Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
agreed with Mathey that his game is well rounded but lacks speed. He described his hitting as well-paced,Tilden (1921), p. 14 his service as a fast sliced, well placed, paced, twisted and cleverly disguised and his style as a defensive one relying mostly on his half-volley baseline returns.Tilden (1921), p. 42 He dedicated Kingscote's court positioning and good volleying skills as a compensation for Kingscote's rather short appearance.Tilden (1921), p. 45 Kingscote adapted to the combination of net attack and baseline game, which Tilden praised as a key factor of successful tennis style.Tilden (1921), p. 103-104 His favorite shot was the cross court forehand shot. His backhand was steady, accurate and deceptive.


Personal life

Algernon Kingscote was born on 3 December 1888 to Lieutenant-Colonel Howard Kingscote (b. 29 April 1845, d. 17 March 1917) and famous novelist Adeline Wolff known as Lucas Cleeve. He had two siblings, Henry Robert Fitzhardinge Kingscote (b. 1 October 1887) and Iris Adeline Harriett Augusta Kingscote (b. 5 August 1886, d. 8 June 1970). Like his father he joined the army in 1910 serving for the
Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...
. He was a Second Lieutenant when stationing at
Plympton Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to Plym ...
,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
in 1911. He was engaged in World War I where he fought at the
First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated aft ...
earning the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
and the award of
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...
. After the war he went back competing in tennis tournaments and was appointed the captain of the
Great Britain Davis Cup team The Great Britain Davis Cup team has represented the United Kingdom internationally since 1900 in the Davis Cup. Organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), it is one of the 50 members of International Tennis Federation's European associatio ...
, while still serving in the army as a colonel. He married Marjorie Paton Hindley, daughter of Douglas C. P. Hindley, on 9 September 1919, and had two daughters Rachel and Marjorie and later a son David, who died on 5 September 1945 at age 20 at Burma, killed in action. At the age of 52 at the outbreak of World War II he was sent back to action again. He died on 21 December 1964
Woking, Surrey Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
, Great Britain.


Grand Slam finals


Singles


Doubles


World Hard Court Championships


References


Sources

*
Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
(1921)
The Art of Lawn Tennis
(second ed.). London, United Kingdom: , Methuen & Co. . Retrieved 11 June 2012.


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingscote, Algernon 1888 births 1964 deaths Australasian Championships (tennis) champions British male tennis players British people of German-Jewish descent Racket sportspeople from Bangalore Tennis players at the 1924 Summer Olympics Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles Olympic tennis players of Great Britain Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Garrison Artillery officers