Sidney Wood
Encyclopedia
Sidney Wood was an American
tennis player.
Wood was born in Black Rock
, Connecticut
. He won the Arizona State Men’s Tournament on his 14th birthday, which qualified him for the French Championship and led to him earning a spot at Wimbledon He attended The Hill School
in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where he created the tradition of "J-ball." In the 1927 Wimbledon Championships
, Wood became the youngest competitor in the Men's Singles
at 15 years 231 days and the Men's Doubles at 15 years 234 days. He was the third youngest winner of the Wimbledon Championships, which he won in 1931 at the age of 19 after Frank Shields
retired with an ankle injury; he is the only uncontested winner of a Wimbledon final. He also reached the finals of the Mixed Doubles of the French Championships in 1932
, the Davis Cup
in 1934, and the U.S. National Championships Men's Singles in 1935
. He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1964. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living Hall of Famer.
was a Davis Cup
team member. He credited his uncle with introducing him to tennis.
Wood was the father of David, Colin, Sidney III and W. Godfrey Wood. Sidney Wood III, a Yale
tennis player, died at the age of 22 in an early morning car accident in a car driven by a tennis teammate on a North Carolina highway in 1961;
Wood is survived by his other three sons. Colin Wood is the subject in Diane Arbus
' famous 1962 photograph Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park
.
David Wood lives in New York and works for a law firm.
W. Godfrey Wood lives in Maine and still holds the collegiate season record for lowest goals against average (1.21 GAA, in 1962), as a goalie for Harvard's hockey team. His save percentage of .945 ranks second in all time NCAA standings (only .001 behind .946). He also started the Hartford Whalers
and the Portland Pirates
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tennis player.
Wood was born in Black Rock
Black Rock, Connecticut
Black Rock is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was part of the Town of Fairfield before the State of Connecticut granted the land to Bridgeport...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. He won the Arizona State Men’s Tournament on his 14th birthday, which qualified him for the French Championship and led to him earning a spot at Wimbledon He attended The Hill School
The Hill School
The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....
in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where he created the tradition of "J-ball." In the 1927 Wimbledon Championships
1927 Wimbledon Championships
-Men's Singles: Henri Cochet defeated Jean Borotra 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-5-Women's Singles: Helen Wills Moody defeated Lili de Alvarez 6-2, 6-4...
, Wood became the youngest competitor in the Men's Singles
1927 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles
Henri Cochet defeated Jean Borotra 4–6 4–6 6–3 6–4 7–5 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1927 Wimbledon Championships. Couchet's record of coming back from 2 sets down to win the Championship stands to this day....
at 15 years 231 days and the Men's Doubles at 15 years 234 days. He was the third youngest winner of the Wimbledon Championships, which he won in 1931 at the age of 19 after Frank Shields
Frank Shields
Francis Xavier Alexander Shields, Sr. was an amateur American tennis player of the 1920s and 1930s.-Tennis career:Between 1928 and 1945 he was ranked eight times in the U.S...
retired with an ankle injury; he is the only uncontested winner of a Wimbledon final. He also reached the finals of the Mixed Doubles of the French Championships in 1932
1932 French Championships (tennis)
List of Champions of the 1932 French Championships :Henri Cochet and Helen Wills Moody won their final French Championships. For Cochet, it was his fifth win, for Moody, her fourth.-Men's Singles:...
, the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
in 1934, and the U.S. National Championships Men's Singles in 1935
1935 U.S. National Championships - Men's Singles
Wilmer Allison defeated Sidney Wood 6-2 6-2 6-3 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1935 U.S. National Championships.See also:-Seeds:...
. He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1964. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living Hall of Famer.
Family
Wood's uncle Watson WashburnWatson Washburn
Watson Washburn was an American tennis player who was in the top 10 in the US seven times between 1914 and 1922...
was a Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
team member. He credited his uncle with introducing him to tennis.
Wood was the father of David, Colin, Sidney III and W. Godfrey Wood. Sidney Wood III, a Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
tennis player, died at the age of 22 in an early morning car accident in a car driven by a tennis teammate on a North Carolina highway in 1961;
Wood is survived by his other three sons. Colin Wood is the subject in Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal." A friend said that Arbus said that she was "afraid.....
' famous 1962 photograph Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park
Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park
Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City, USA is a famous photograph by Diane Arbus.The photo shows a boy, with the left strap of his jumper awkwardly hanging off his shoulder, tensely holding his long, thin arms by his side. Clenched in his right hand is a toy grenade, and his...
.
David Wood lives in New York and works for a law firm.
W. Godfrey Wood lives in Maine and still holds the collegiate season record for lowest goals against average (1.21 GAA, in 1962), as a goalie for Harvard's hockey team. His save percentage of .945 ranks second in all time NCAA standings (only .001 behind .946). He also started the Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
and the Portland Pirates
Portland Pirates
The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...
.