Thomas Pettitt “Tom”
Born: December 19, 1859
Died: October 17, 1946
Hometown: Beckenham Kent, United Kingdom
Citizenship: United Kingdom
Inducted: 1982
Contributions
Boston’s Tennis and Racquet Club Teaching Professional
World Court Tennis Singles 1885
As youngster, 17, English-born Tom Pettitt emigrated to Boston. He became a wizard at racket sports, and was immensely popular as teaching professional of court tennis at Boston’s Tennis & Racquet Club, and that game as well as lawn tennis at the Newport (RI) Casino, where he was a familiar walrus-mustachioed figure for 65 years until his death in 1946. He was one of the very first lawn tennis players and instructors, having learned the game in 1876, shortly after its inception. He stopped teaching in 1929, remaining at the Casino as its supervisor. A nimble 5-foot-9, 176-pounder, he could beat any of the members at either lawn or court tennis in his heyday. An old pal, Jimmy Van Alen, liked to tell about Tom using a taped champagne bottle as a bat and winning friendly lawn tennis games. Tom entered the Hall of Fame in 1982 on the basis of his world championship court tennis prowess.
He won the title in a successful 1885 challenge to George Lambert, 7-sets-to-5, at King Henry VIII’s old playpen, Hampton Court, outside of London. In an 1890 defense he turned back Charles Saunders, 7-5, at St. Stephens Green, Ireland, resigning the title later unbeaten. In the earliest pro lawn tennis tour, he and Irish pro champ George Kerr played a series of three well-attended matches in New England in 1889. Kerr, won at Boston, Springfield (MA), and Newport. Pettitt was born December 19, 1859, in Beckenham, England, and died October 17, 1946, in Newport, RI.
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