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An advertising poster for the first World Clay Court Championships in 1912. (Click on image to enlarge) |
The first World Clay Court Championships
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| It was an American patron
of tennis called Duane Williams that first had the idea to sponsor a World
Clay Court Championship in France. Duane travelled extensively and was
a passionate follower of the game. He saw that Wimbledon was the only tournament
that was recognised internationally. This gave a great advantage to those
players who normally played on grass, in other words the British and Americans
from the East Coast. The European climate lent itself far more to courts
on hard ground. Hard or clay courts had therefore become predominant on
the Continent.
In 1911, Duane approached the UFSPA in France (l’Union des Sociétés Française de Sports Athlétiques), a business federation acting as governing body for all athletic sports, including tennis. His offer of sponsorship was enthusiastically received and the Stade Français opened the doors of its renowned sporting facility to the new championship at Saint Cloud, just cmose to Paris. |
A postcard dating from the pre-war era showing Miss Broquedis as the first Women’s Singles World Clay Court Champion. |
| The first championship
took place in the first week of June 1912 and was a great success with
both players and spectators, achieving an immediate attendance of over
5,000 people.
Sadly, Duane Williams was not there to witness the great success that he had instigated. He tragically went down with the Titanic when it sank crossing the Atlantic in April 1912. His son R.N.Williams was one of the few survivors of this tragedy and, on a more happy note, went on to become a great tennis player in his own right. He was US Singles Champion in 1914 and 1916 and represented the United States, also at singles, in the Davis Cup of 1914. After the first World War he was doubles partner to Vincent Richards. |
The German Froitzheim and New Zealander Wilding at a men’s doubles final at Saint-Cloud. |
| It was the German number one Froitzheim who won the first World Clay Court Championship at Saint Cloud. Froitzheim’s doubles partner at the event was none other than Anthony Wilding, the then world number one and unbeaten Wimbledon Champion from 1910 through to 1913. Anthony Wilding captured the Clay Court Championship himself the following year, 1913, and retained the title again in 1914 when he competed without even losing a single set. His success in 1913 can be construed as a very first grand slam since he was simultaneously world champion on both clay and grass. It is also of interest to note that the championship at Saint Cloud did not follow the same structure as Wimbledon, where a challenge round continued to proceed the final with the previous year’s victor. Champions from preceding years had to play the entire championship from start to finish and win their way through to a place in the final. |
Suzanne Lenglen in the 1914 World Clay Court Championship Women’s Final. |
In June 1914,
Suzanne Lenglen took the Women’s World Singles Title by beating Miss Golding
of the UK. She then had the tender age of only fourteen and a half. Suzanne
was to become an exceptional champion. Her modern style of play was truly
spectacular and a revelation to the game. She was well ahead of her time.
After a break in proceedings for the first World War, she came back to
Saint-Cloud in 1920 to regain the title. She retained it until the event
closed with the last trophy being played out in 1923.
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| We have not unfortunately been able to obtain a lot of detailed photographic records of the initial World Clay Championships that were held at Saint Cloud. These championships were, arguably, of equal prestige to Wimbledon at that time and were the direct equivalent of Roland-Garros today. They have however largely been passed over by tennis historians. A brief resume of that material that was uncovered is given below. |
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Mixed doubles: A Clay Court Final at the "La Faisanderie" Stadium in Saint-Cloud, pre-1914. |
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Dernière mise à jour : 30
Avril 2001
Copyright BLANCHE NET communications.
Avril 2001.
