Born in Stockport, England in 1909, Frederick John ‘Fred’ Perry was the most successful British tennis player ever. Long before a modern world of best mobile casinos and indeed before turning professional in late 1936 – a decision for which he was widely criticised – Perry spent three years as the number one ranked amateur tennis player in the world. In 1934, 1935 and 1936, Perry won eight Grand Slam singles, including three consecutive victories in the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles without losing a set.
His most notable victory came in the French Championships, commonly known as the French Open, in 1935. The tournament was staged, as it is today, on outdoor red clay courts at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. Perry dropped the first set of his second-round match against the unseeded Vladimir Landau but, thereafter, beat Enrique ‘Bubi’ Maier, fifteenth seed Don Turnbull, seventh seed Christian Boussus and third seed Jack Crawford in straight sets en route to the final.
In that final, second-seeded Perry faced reigning champion, and number one seed, Gottfried von Cramm, a tall, blonde Saxon aristocrat and one of the greatest tennis players Germany has ever produced. In any event, Perry defeated his illustrious opponent 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 and, in so doing, became the first player ever to win all four Grand Slam singles titles – completing what is known, nowadays, as a ‘Career Grand Slam’. Perry accomplished the feat at the age of 26 and, decades later, remains the only British tennis player ever to have done so. Perhaps it’s a sign. I have take a moment away from www.cinemacasino.com and pick up a tennis racket!
To watch Fred Perry’s Wimbledon highlights click through