Willoughby Hamilton (born as James Willoughby Hamilton; 9 December 1864 – 27 September 1943) was a co-world No. 1 Irish male

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, a

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

and international

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

player.

Tennis career

Hamilton played his first tournament at the 1884

Irish Championships Irish Open may refer to: *Irish Open (golf), a golf tournament on the European Tour **Irish Senior Open, a golf tournament on the European Seniors Tour **Ladies Irish Open, a golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour * Irish Open (darts), annual ...

where he reached the quarter finals stage, before losing to Herbert Knox McKay. His significant major title wins include the

Northern Championships Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

(1888, 1889), and the

(1889). In the latter tournament he defeated the six time Wimbledon champion

William Renshaw William Charles Renshaw (3 January 1861 – 12 August 1904) was a British tennis player active during the late 19th century, who was ranked world No. 1. He won twelve Major titles during his career. A right-hander, he was known for his pow ...

in the all-comers final and then went on to defeat his brother

Ernest Renshaw Ernest James Renshaw (3 January 1861 – 2 September 1899) was a British tennis player who was active in the late 19th century. Together with his twin brother William Renshaw, Ernest won the men's doubles at Wimbledon five times. He also won t ...

in the challenge round. This made him one of the favorites for the 1889 Wimbledon title but he suffered a five set defeat in the semifinal against Harry S. Barlow. For the span 1889–90, Hamilton was ranked by many as the best tennis player in the world. Hamilton did not defend his Wimbledon title in the 1891 challenge round. He won the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1890

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

, defeating William Renshaw in five sets, and becoming the first Irish player to win the tournament. The previous year, he had won both the

and the

. His other career singles titles highlights include winning the Fitzwilliam Club Championships five times (1886–1890), the East of Ireland Championships at

Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes ...

four times (1886–1889), the

Welsh Championships The Welsh Championships (Welsh: Pencampwriaethau Cymru) its original name until 1970 was also known as the Championship of Wales (1951), the Welsh Open (Welsh: Cymraeg Agored) (1947–50) the Greenshields Welsh Championships and Greenshields Wel ...

three times (1888–1890), the West of Ireland Championships three times (1885–1886, 1888), the South of Ireland Championships two times (1885–1886), the County Dublin Championships one time (1887). In 1899 Hamilton played his last tournament at the Netherlands International Championships. He was given the nickname "The Ghost" due to his pale complexion.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 title)

Football career

Hamilton was educated at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

and he played association football for both

Dublin University A.F.C. Dublin University Association Football Club is an Irish association football club based at Trinity College Dublin. Founded in 1883, Dublin University A.F.C. is the oldest surviving association football club in the Republic of Ireland. Their seni ...

and for Dublin Association F.C. Hamilton also played for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in an 1885 game against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Among his teammates was his brother William Hamilton.

Personal

Hamilton was born on 9 December 1864 in Monasterevin, County Kildare, to Alfred Hamilton, a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

rector, and Henrietta Cole. Willougby came from a famous sporting playing family. Three brothers all excelled at sports; William Drummond Hamilton represented Ireland at cricket and tennis, Francis Cole Lowry Hamilton played cricket for Ireland and Blayney Hamilton represented Ireland at cricket and badminton. In addition three of his nephews and nieces (Blayney's children) were badminton internationals (

Arthur Hamilton Arthur Hamilton Stern (born October 22, 1926),Stern, Arthur “Art”
''Mar-Ken ...

, Willoughby Hamilton and Mavis Hamilton). He died in Sydenham House, Dundrum, Dublin, on 27 September 1943 at the age of 78.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Willoughby 1864 births 1943 deaths 19th-century Irish people 19th-century male tennis players Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Association footballers from County Kildare Men's association football forwards British male tennis players Dublin University A.F.C. players Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles Irish association footballers (before 1923) Irish male badminton players Irish male tennis players Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers Sportspeople from County Kildare Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) Hamilton family (Ireland) People from Monasterevin