Brian Ivan Cobb Norton (10 October 1899 – 16 July 1956), nicknamed "Babe", was a South African

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. He was born in

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

and died in Santa Clara, California. At Wimbledon 1921, Norton beat Frank Hunter and

Manuel Alonso Areizaga Manuel Alonso de Areizaga (12 November 1895 – 11 October 1984) was a Spanish tennis player. He was the first Spanish tennis player of international stature. Biography Alonso was born at San Sebastián on 12 November 1895. He won the Spanish ...

, before having two championship points in the Challenge Round against

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 ...

but losing in five sets. Norton is one of only two men to hold championship point in a Grand Slam men's singles final and yet not win a title (the other was

Guillermo Coria Guillermo Sebastián Coria (born 13 January 1982), nicknamed ''El Mago'' (''The Magician'' in Spanish), is an Argentine retired professional tennis player. He reached a career-high ATP world No. 3 singles ranking in May 2004. Coria achieved his ...

at the 2004 French Open). Norton won the 1923 U.S. National Championships doubles, alongside Tilden. In the singles that year, Norton beat

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 ...

in a five-set quarterfinal, then lost to Tilden in the semifinals. After Norton, the next South African citizen to reach the gentlemen's singles final at Wimbledon would be Kevin Anderson 97 years later in 2018. Although another South African-born tennis player, Kevin Curren, had reached the Wimbledon final in 1985 against Boris Becker (Germany), Curren played as a U.S. (American) citizen. He competed in the singles and doubles events at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

. Norton was ranked World No. 7 by

A. Wallis Myers Arthur Wallis Myers (24 July 1878 – 17 June 1939) was an English tennis correspondent, editor, author and player. He was one of the leading tennis journalists of the first half of the 20th century. Family life Myers was son of the Rev. John ...

of ''The Daily Telegraph'' in 1921 and 1922."Half World's Best Racqueteers Yankees Says British Expert"
''The Deseret News'', 12 April 1922. In 1921, he won the singles title at the

South of England Championships The South of England Championships, also known as the South of England Open Championships, was an outdoor tennis event held on grass courts at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, United Kingdom from 1881 until 1972. History The ...

after a five-set victory in the final against

Mohammed Sleem Mohammed Sleem (14 January 1892 – around 1980) was a tennis player and lawyer who represented India at the Davis Cup and Olympic Games. He competed in the singles event at the 1924 Summer Olympics, reaching the third round in which he lost to ...

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 runner-up)

Doubles (1 title)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Brian 1899 births 1956 deaths Cape Colony people South African male tennis players Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Tennis players at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic tennis players for South Africa United States National champions (tennis) Professional tennis players before the Open Era South African emigrants to the United States