Bunny Austin

Henry Wilfred "Bunny" Austin (August 26, 1906 – August 26, 2000) was a British tennis player. As of 2005 he was the last male British tennis player to reach the final of Wimbledon, achieving that in 1932 and 1938. He was also a finalist at the 1938 French Open. Along with Fred Perry, he was a vital part of the British team that won the Davis Cup three times from 1933-35. He is also remembered as the first tennis player to wear shorts.

Personal

He married actress Phyllis Konstam in 1931, and together they were one of the celebrity couples of the age. Austin played tennis with Charlie Chaplin, was a friend of Daphne du Maurier, and met both Queen Mary and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Related Topics:
Phyllis Konstam - 1931 - Charlie Chaplin - Daphne du Maurier - Queen Mary - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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Austin and his wife worked for the cause of the Oxford Group throughout the 1930s, promoting it in the United States during World War II. According to Austin's friend Peter Ustinov, Austin was "disgracefully ostracised by the All-England Club because he was a conscientious objector". His membership of the club was "lapsed" until being restored in 1984.

Related Topics:
Oxford Group - United States - World War II - Peter Ustinov - Conscientious objector - 1984

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Austin's autobiography, A Mixed Double, was published in 1969.

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After a serious fall in 1995 Austin moved to a nursing home at Coulsdon, Surrey. He died in 2000 on his 94th birthday.

Related Topics:
1995 - Coulsdon - Surrey - 2000

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