Raymond Demorest Little (January 5, 1880 – July 29, 1932) was an American tennis player. He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 eleven times between 1900 and 1912, his highest ranking coming in 1907 when he was ranked No. 4. He played on the United States Davis Cup team, and also won the intercollegiate tennis title for Princeton University in 1900.[1]
 | |
| Full name | Raymond Demorest Little |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | January 5, 1880 |
| Died | July 29, 1932 (aged 52) New York, NY |
| Turned pro | 1897 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1916 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1906) |
| US Open | SF (1901, 1906) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1906) |
| US Open | W (1911) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | W (1901) |
Biography edit
Little was born on January 5, 1880. His father was Joseph J. Little, an English-born Democratic Party member of Congress, publishing executive, and civil war veteran.
He attended Princeton University, where he was the president of Colonial Club.[2] He was also captain for the Princeton Tigers men's ice hockey team in 1901.[3]
At the tournament now known as the Tri-State Championships in Cincinnati, the oldest tournament in the U.S. played in its original city, Little reached 12 finals in eight appearances between 1900 and 1907: four singles finals, six doubles finals and two mixed doubles finals. In those 12 finals appearances, his only loss came in the singles final of 1903, when he was defeated by Kreigh Collins, an outstanding player out of Chicago.
Little's three singles titles came in 1900, 1901 and 1902, his six doubles titles were in 1900, 1901, 1904, 1905, 1906 & 1907, and his mixed doubles titles came in 1901 with Marion Jones Farquhar and 1905 with May Sutton.
Little won the 1900 American intercollegiate singles tennis championship as a student at Princeton University. At the U.S. National Championships he paired with Gus Touchard to win the 1911 doubles title and reach the 1912 doubles final. He also reached the doubles final in 1900, 1904 and 1908. Little reached the semifinals of the singles in 1901 (beating William Clothier before losing to Beals Wright)[4] and 1906 (beating Harold Hackett before losing to Karl Behr).[4]
Grand Slam finals edit
Doubles (1 title, 4 runner-ups) edit
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1900 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Fred Alexander |
Dwight F. Davis Holcombe Ward |
4–6, 7–9, 10–12 |
| Loss | 1904 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Kreigh Collins |
Holcombe Ward Beals Wright |
6–1, 2–6, 6–3, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1908 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Beals Wright |
Fred Alexander Harold Hackett |
1–6, 5–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 1911 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Gustave Touchard |
Fred Alexander Harold Hackett |
7–5, 13–15, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1912 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Gustave Touchard |
Tom Bundy Maurice McLoughlin |
6–3, 2–6, 1–6, 5–7 |
Mixed doubles (1 title, 2 runner-ups) edit
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1901 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Marion Jones |
Myrtle Rastall Clyde Stevens |
6–4, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1908 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Louise Hammond Raymond |
Nathaniel Niles Edith Rotch |
4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1909 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Louise Hammond Raymond |
Wallace F. Johnson Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman |
2–6, 0–6 |
References edit
- ^ "Athletic Executive Committee Meeting", The Daily Princetonian, 8 October 1900.
- ^ Bric a Brac Yearbook, Princeton University, 1901.
- ^ "Men's Hockey Captains". Princeton Tigers. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Talbert, Bill (1967). Tennis Observed. Boston: Barre Publishers. pp. 73, 78. OCLC 172306.
- ^ "Died". Time magazine. August 8, 1932. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
Raymond D. Little, 52, publisher, sportsman, onetime (1906) Davis Cup tennist, with Gustave F. Touchard national doubles champion in 1911; by his own hand (shotgun) in Manhattan.
- ^ "Little, Tennis Star, A Suicide In Home. Former Davis Cup Player, Who Was Socially Prominent, Ends Life With Shot-Gun. Motive Of Act A Mystery. Wife Returns From Walk to Park Av. Apartment to Discover Body. Had Just Phoned His Office". New York Times. July 30, 1932. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
Raymond D. Little, 52 years old socially prominent and former Davis Cup tennis player, whose family for many years has been identified with printing and book manufacturing in this city, committed suicide yesterday afternoon by shooting himself through the mouth with a shotgun in the bathroom of his apartment at 48 Park Avenue.
- ^ "Raymond Little, Former Star in Tennis, Suicide: National Doubles Champion in 1911 Uses Shotgun in Park Avenue Home", New York Herald Tribune, 30 July 1932: 6.
