| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 22 July – 15 September |
| Edition | 1st |
| Tournaments | 2 |
| Categories | National (1) Provincial/Regional/State (1) |
| Achievements (singles) | |
| Most tournament titles |  William Henry Darby (1)  W. Peebles (1) |
1877 → | |
The 1876 men's tennis season was the first edition of the pre-open era men's tennis seasons consisting of just 2 tournaments. It began on 22 July in Dublin, Ireland and ended on 15 September in Limerick, Ireland.
Before the birth of Open Era, most tournaments were reserved for amateur athletes. In 1874 the British Major Walter Clopton Wingfield he patent the House of London Crafts the invention of a new game, which consists of a shaped field hourglass, divided in the middle by a net suspended. The game was packaged in a box containing some balls, four paddles, the network and the signs to mark the field. The game was based on the rules of the old real tennis and, at the suggestion of Arthur Balfour, was called lawn-tennis. The official date of birth of the court would be February 23, 1874.
This year the world's first two official tennis tournaments for men are held, one the All Ireland Lawn Tennis Championships organised by the All Ireland Lawn Tennis Club and held at the Champion Ground, Lansdowne, Dublin. [1] The other the South of Ireland Championships in Limerick, County Limerick. The following year the tournament would staged the first Open championships in Ireland took place in August 1877, the same year as the first All-England championships of Wimbledon. The event was not held in Dublin but at the Limerick Lawn Tennis Club, putting Limerick in a premier position on the tennis map predating Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club by two years.
Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921), [2] in some tournaments not all.
Key
| Important. [3] [4] [5] [6] |
| National |
| Provincial/State/Regional |
| County |
| Local |
No events
| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarter finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 July. [7] | All Ireland Lawn Tennis Championships All Ireland Lawn Tennis Club Champion Ground Lansdowne, Dublin, Ireland. Grass Singles | W. Peebles ? | J. Forster | ||
No events
| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarter finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 - 15 September. [8] | South of Ireland Championships Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland Grass Singles | William Henry Darby 11-3 | Mr. W. Bruce | ||
No events
W. Peebles–Dublin–(1) William Henry Darby–Limerick–(1)
The 1877 Wimbledon Championship was a men's tennis tournament held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London. It was the world's first official lawn tennis tournament, and was later recognised as the first Grand Slam tournament or "Major". The AEC & LTC had been founded in July 1868, as the All England Croquet Club. Lawn tennis was introduced in February 1875 to compensate for the waning interest in croquet. In June 1877 the club decided to organise a tennis tournament to pay for the repair of its pony roller, needed to maintain the lawns. A set of rules was drawn up for the tournament, derived from the first standardised rules of tennis issued by the Marylebone Cricket Club in May 1875.
The Irish Open and originally known as the Irish Championships or Irish Lawn Tennis Championships, and for sponsorship reasons also known as Carroll's Irish Open Championships was a men's and women's tennis tournament held at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, Ireland. Before the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913, it was considered by players and historians one of the four most important tennis tournaments to win. the others being Wimbledon, the U.S. National championships and the Northern Championships. The men's event was part of the pre-open era tour from inception until 1967. It was then part of the open era non-aligned independent tour (1968–69). From 1970 to 1974, it was an event on the Grand Prix tennis circuit. The women's event was on the same tours as the men except for when it became part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour from 1971 to 1973. The men's edition was played until 1979, and the women's ended in 1983.
Henry Wallace Doveton Dunlop was a sports promoter, civil servant, engineer and, a former leader of Irish Rugby, founder of Lansdowne Football Club and figure behind the construction of the former Lansdowne Road stadium.
The 1877 men's tennis season was composed of 5 tournaments for the second edition pre-open era lawn tennis season. Before the birth of Open Era (tennis), most tournaments were reserved for amateur athletes. In 1874 British Major Walter Clopton Wingfield patented with the House of London Crafts the invention of a new game, which consisted of a shaped field hourglass, divided in the middle by a suspended net. The game was packaged in a box containing some balls, four paddles, the net components and the signs to mark the field. The game was based on the rules of the old real tennis and, at the suggestion of Arthur Balfour, was called lawn-tennis. The official date of birth of the court would be February 23, 1874. In 1877 all were amateur tournaments, among them was the first 1877 Wimbledon Championship, the inaugural event was held from 9 to 19 July and saw as the inaugural winner Spencer Gore. The tournament would remain for a period of 35 years the sole major tennis tournament in the world until the International Lawn Tennis Federation introduces its three World championship series events in 1913 that continue until 1923, when the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association only agrees to join the ILTF on the basis of two compromises: the title 'World Championships' would be abolished and wording would be 'for ever in the English language'. Wimbledon would still retain its prestigious and historical status, and become one of the four Grand Slam tennis events from 1924.
The 1878 men's tennis season was composed of the third annual pre-open era tour. It now incorporated 15 tournaments staged in Great Britain and Ireland the Wimbledon championships was won by challenger Patrick Francis Hadow defeating the defending champion Spencer Gore.
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The 1880 men's tennis season was the fifth amateur tennis tour held that year. It now incorporated 44 tournaments staged in Australia, Great Britain and Ireland and the United States. The 1880 Wimbledon Championships was won by John Hartley against Herbert Lawford, in the Challenge Round.
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The South of Ireland Open Tennis Championship originally called the South of Ireland Championships first established in 1876 and also known as the Limerick Cup is a grass court tennis tournament that features both men's and women's competitions that is currently an official tour event of Tennis Ireland. It is held at the Limerick Lawn Tennis Club in Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland. The championships is the world's second oldest surviving tennis tournament after Wimbledon but the only event to have been staged continuously for the last 141 years.
The 1885 men's tennis season was the tenth annual tennis tour, consisting of 119 tournaments it began at the beginning of the year on 1 January New York City, United States and ended 11 November in Singapore, British Malaya.
The County Kildare Open Tennis Championship originally known as the County Kildare Tennis Tournament (1879-1880) then County Kildare Championship is grass court tennis tournament held initially at Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland, established on 2 August 1881.
1876 Women's Tennis Season was mainly composed of national and local amateur tournaments. This year two tennis events were staged in Dublin, Ireland and Hamilton, Bermuda between April and December 1876.
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The All Ireland Lawn Tennis Championships. or simply called The Irish Championships was a Victorian period combined men's and women's grass court tennis tournament first staged July 1876. This event was organised by the All Ireland Lawn Tennis Club that was under auspices of the Irish Champion Athletic Club (I.C.A.C.). The tournament was held at Champion Ground, Lansdowne, Dublin, Ireland. The championships ended around 1878.
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