Laurence Doherty

Laurence ‘ Laurie’ Doherty was an English tennis player known for being the first foreigner to take the US singles cup. He is also the younger of fellow tennis player Reggie Doherty. Among the two, Laurence Doherty was considered the better tennis player. He is also referred to as ‘Little Do’ because of his height in comparison to his brother Reggie.

Born Hugh Laurence Doherty in October 08, 1975 in Wimbledon, UK, Doherty was a Gold Medalist in the 1900 Summer Olympics held in Paris. That year he won two medals - one for a singles title and another for doubles. The Doherty brothers were introduced by their father into tennis and other sports. He is said to have done this because the two boys suffered from ill health – most like respiratory problems.

Doherty won Wimbledon 5 times in the singles and 7 times – he paired up with his brother for the doubles match. The year 1903 marked Doherty’s US Open win against William Larned. This gave him the title of being the first foreigner to ever win the US Open. Around 1906, Doherty decided to retire from tennis and focus on golf instead. He also excelled in that sport.

In his Tennis Career, Doherty has had 6 Grand Slam singles win – five during Wimbledon and 1 during the US Open. He has also won several doubles matches with his brother. He was a member of the British Davis Cup team from 1902 t0 1906.

In 1903, Doherty and his brother Reggie co-wrote the book ‘R.F. and H.L. Doherty on Lawn Tennis’. When World War I came along, Doherty served in the Royal Navy Reserve’s Anti-Aircraft branch. He was later on released due to his poor health. Doherty and his brother entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame together in 1980