Charles P. Dixon

Charles Percy Dixon (7 February 1873 – 29 April 1939) was a male tennis player from Great Britain. He was a four-time Olympic medallist and led a successful British team to victory in the Davis Cup.

Charles P. Dixon

Full name	Charles Percy Dixon
Country (sports)	United Kingdom
Born	7 February 1873 Grantham, England
Died	7 April 1939 (aged 66) London, England
Singles
Career record	32–19
Highest ranking	No. 6 (1913, A. Wallis Myers)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	QF (1912)
Wimbledon	F (1901^AC, 1911^AC)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1912)
Wimbledon	W (1912, 1913)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1912)
Medal record Olympic Games 1912 Stockholm Indoor mixed doubles 1912 Stockholm Indoor singles 1908 London Doubles 1912 Stockholm Indoor doubles

Charles Dixon vs. Bill Larned on 9 September 1911 at The Championships, Wimbledon

Biography

Dixon was born on 7 February 1873 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London he won a bronze medal in the men's doubles event. In the 1912 Summer Olympics he won three medals in the indoor tennis events: gold in the mixed doubles, silver in men's singles and bronze in men's doubles.[2][3]

From 1929 to 1932 he represented the International Club of Great Britain against France at Queens and at Auteuil in 1932 and 1933. After retiring from tournaments, he coached juniors and umpired at Wimbledon, becoming President of the Umpire's Association. He died on 29 April 1939.[2]

Tennis tournaments

Dixon was born in 1873, the year that Major Walter Clopton Wingfield defined the first rules for lawn tennis. Dixon reached his first all comers final at Wimbledon in 1901, beating Harold Mahony before losing to Arthur Gore.[4] A decade later, in 1911, Dixon reached the all comers final again, beating Major Ritchie and Max Decugis before losing to Herbert Roper Barrett.[4] He won the doubles with Roper Barrett in 1912 and 1913. His career included victories in international tournaments overseas:

• 1905 Ostend International tournament - won
• 1908 Doubles at the Championship of Dieppe (Championnat de Diepper) - won partnering with M.J.G. Ritchie [5]
• 1911 Surrey Championship, defeating Anthony Wilding in four sets.[6]

Dixon was better known at the time for his many successes when representing Britain in the Davis Cup: starting in the 1909 Cup in Philadelphia, he led the British team to victory in the 1912 Cup in Australia.[2] He was also a member of the English Drive Club team in South Africa in 1910–1911.

He won the 1913 Doubles title at the Russian Open Tennis Championship, partnering Albert D Prebble, and was runner up in the singles.[7]

Grand Slam finals

Doubles (3 titles, 1 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1912	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Herbert Roper Barrett	Max Decugis André Gobert	3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–5
Win	1912	Australasian Championships	Grass	James Cecil Parke	Alfred Beamish Gordon Lowe	6–4, 6–4, 6–2
Win	1913	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Herbert Roper Barrett	Heinrich Kleinschroth Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe	6–2, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
Loss	1914	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Herbert Roper Barrett	Norman Brookes Anthony Wilding	1–6, 1–6, 7–5, 6–8

Other sports

He represented Haileybury and Cambridge at racquets, winning the silver medal in 1891. He was also a keen prize-winning golfer, and represented Britain in international fencing in Paris.

His brother, J A Dixon, was captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club.

In 1897 he married Louise Robinson, and until his death they lived at Chestnut Road, West Norwood.

He died on 29 April 1939 in West Norwood, London.

After cremation his ashes were buried nearby at the Robinson family plot in West Norwood Cemetery.

References

1. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 422.
2. "Charles P. Dixon, 64, Former Tennis Star. Helped Win Wimbledon Doubles Title for England in 1912". The New York Times. 1 May 1939. Retrieved 17 December 2010. Charles P. Dixon, member of the English Davis Cup team which played against the United States in 1909 in Philadelphia and a member of the Wimbledon doubles championship team, 1912-13, died yesterday at the age of ...
3. "Charles P. Dixon Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
4. "Wimbledon player archive – Charles Dixon". AELTC.
5. Championnat de Diepper, La Presse, p3, 3 August 1908
6. "Lawn Tennis". Evening Post. 29 May 1911. p. 7.
7. The early Russian Lawn Tennis Championships (1907-14) by Mark Ryan

External links

• Charles P. Dixon at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Charles P. Dixon at the International Tennis Federation
• Charles P. Dixon at the Davis Cup
• Charles P. Dixon at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)