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.

Tennis career

While still an undergraduate at Cambridge University he reached the semi-finals of the men's doubles at Wimbledon in 1926. By the 1930s he was ranked in the world's top ten players. In his first Wimbledon men's singles final in 1932 he was beaten by Ellsworth Vines of the United States in three sets.

Related Topics:
Cambridge University - Wimbledon - 1926 - 1930s - 1932 - Ellsworth Vines - United States

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In 1933 he decided that the traditional tennis attire, cricket flannels, weighed him down too much. Instead he asked his tailor to create some prototype shorts. The same year he and Fred Perry helped win the Davis Cup for Britain.

Related Topics:
1933 - Fred Perry - Davis Cup

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In his Wimbledon career Austin reached the quarter-finals or better ten times. In 1938 he played Don Budge in the final, but won only four games. The next year he was seeded first but lost in an early round. It was the last time he played at Wimbledon.

Related Topics:
1938 - Don Budge

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