Harold Hackett

Born on July 12, 1878 in Hingham Massachusetts, Harold Humphrey Hackett was one-half of one of the most successful teams in doubles from 1907 to 1910. The right-handed Hackett graduated from Yale. He played at the West Side Tennis Club and was a long-time New York resident.

Hackett teamed up with doubles partner, Princeton grad Fred Alexander and from 1905 were finalists at the US Nationals for seven consecutive years, winning tournaments from 1907, 1908, 1909, to 1910. At five foot nine, Hackett was known to be the player with the softer, more deceptive strokes, although partner Alexander was also known for his brilliant playing style and his ability to cover the court with precision. In 1907, he won the title of Lawn tennis champion of the New York state after beating Herbert L. Westfall in straight sets to win with a score of 7-5. Hackett also made a sweep of the surface titles when he, along with partner Walter Hall won the US Clay Court Doubles in 1912. A year later, in 1913, Hackett was named captain of the US Davis Cup Team. Under his leadership the US Davis Cup team ended almost a decade of losses when they defeated the United Kingdom with a score of 3-2 in the finals, after he and Maurice McLaughlin won the go-ahead point over H. Roper Barrett and Charles Dixon to score 6-4. He was also a doubles finalist in 1906 and 1911.

Hackett reached the top ten twice, once in 1902 and the second time in 1906, when he ranked at seven. He died on Nov. 20, 1937, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1961.