James Dwight

James Dwight , born the July 14th 1852 with Paris, France and dead the July 14th 1917, was a player and an American leader of Tennis.

Sometimes called the " Founding Father off American Tennis" (" Founding father of Américain" Tennis;) James Dwight gained the first tournament known in the United States (and probably in the world, before the 1st tournament of Wimbledon) disputed in August 1876 in the property of his uncle, William Appleton, in Nahant, Massachusetts. After having been graduate in Harvard in 1874, it travelled to Europe and discovered the new sport with the mode, tennis and to the return took along with him the equipment necessary. He then persuaded his uncle to draw a court on the grass of the property to play with his cousin, Fred Sears.

This first experiment was disappointing as Dwight wrote it later: " … we voted the whole thing has fraud and could it away." (" … we had the impression to be bernés by this innovation and let us have we it rejetée"). Approximately a month after they started again, history to kill time by one day rainy. This time tennis seemed to them a more interesting pastime even if they carried wellingtons and the impermeable ones. The tournament of 1876 was played between neighbors: " it was played one handicap one has round Robin basis. There were two players one scratch, James Dwight and Fred D Sears Jr., each off whom played against 11 other players until has final between them. Rackets scoring was used… happy Dwight Sears 12-15 15-7 15-13. (" It was a tournament with handicap based on the hen system. Only two players did not have free points, James Dwight and Fred D Sears Jr., each one met 11 other players before clashing finally. A score by points was used… Dwight dominated Sears 12-15 15-7 15-13"). Meanwhile Dwight and Sears had learned this new handset with some people and in particular with another cousin Richard Dudley " Dick" Sears which thereafter gained the first seven championships of the United States into simple.

Dwight was one of the founders of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association (the American Federation of Lawn Tennis) in 1881, and was the president during blackjack years. If it did not gain the championships of the United States into simple it reached despite everything the final in 1883 vis-a-vis Richard Sears with whom it gained five titles in double of 1882 with 1884 and of 1886 with 1887. At the time of a very rare transatlantic voyage for the time, James Dwight disputed the tournament of Wimbledon in 1884.

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