1930s tennis ace Fred Perry – ahead of the game - Sport

1930s tennis ace Fred Perry – ahead of the game

Andy Murray’s Grand Slam win puts a spotlight on 30s ace Fred Perry.

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29th September, 2012

Given that Britain invented tennis and stages an annual tournament that is synonymous with the game, it’s remarkable that Andy Murray has just become the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam tournament. (The last British woman to do so was Virginia Wade, who won Wimbledon in 1977.) Before Murray there was Fred Perry, who won the last of his eight majors in 1936. His story goes some way towards explaining the hiatus. A Northerner, a grammar school boy and the son of a Labour MP, Perry took a professional approach to a rigidly amateur game, training with the Arsenal football team ...

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