Derek Hardwick

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(30 January 1921 - 28 May 1987) was a former

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 and tennis administrator who was the president of the International Tennis Federation from 1975 to 1977. Hardwick was a former British doubles champion who played in the 1946 Wimbledon mixed doubles with

Doris Hart Doris Hart (June 20, 1925 – May 29, 2015) was an American tennis player from who was active in the 1940s and first half of the 1950s. She was ranked world No. 1 in 1951. She was the fourth player, and second woman, to win a Career Grand Slam in ...

and later became Chairman of the

Lawn Tennis Association The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Founded in 1888, the LTA promotes all levels of lawn tennis. It believes that tennis can provide "physical ...

. Along with

Herman David Herman David (26 June 1905 in Birmingham – 25 February 1974). he was the son of Herman David-Nillet, diamond trader and consular agent, and Marie Léonie Chavin, who both came from Jura, France. He was an English tennis player and later admin ...

, then chairman of the All England Club, Derek Hardwick was a leading advocate for open tennis, involving both amateurs and professionals. The first open tournament in the Open Era was the

British Hard Court Championships The British Hard Court Championships is a defunct Grand Prix tennis and WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1968 to 1983 and 1995 to 1999. The inaugural edition of the tournament was held in 1924 in Torquay, moving to the West Hant ...

was played at Mr. Hardwick's home club, the West Hampshire Club, Bournemouth, in 1968. Hardwick also served as chairman of the

Men's International Professional Tennis Council The Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC), also called the Men's Tennis Council (MTC), was a governing body that administered the men's professional Grand Prix tennis circuit. It was founded in 1974 and was made up of representati ...

between 1974 and 1977 which was the governing body of men's tennis prior to the advent of the ATP Tour. Hardwick was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010.

Personal life

His sister

Mary Hardwick Mary Hardwick (8 September 1913 – 18 December 2001) was a British female tennis player who was active during the 1930s and the 1940s. She was born in London and attended Putney High School and also received education in Paris. She decided to b ...

was also an active tennis player in the 1930s and 1940s.

Death

He died at his home on May 28, 1987, after a short illness. He was 66 years old.

References

English male tennis players International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Bournemouth British male tennis players Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1921 births 1987 deaths History of tennis {{England-tennis-bio-stub