Heinrich Kleinschroth (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪnʁɪç ˈklaɪnʃʁoːt]; 15 March 1890 – 10 January 1979) was an amateur German tennis player who found success in the early 20th century, mainly in doubles competitions.

Heinrich Kleinschroth
Country (sports)Germany
Born(1890-03-15)15 March 1890
Kitzingen, German Empire
Died10 January 1979(1979-01-10) (aged 88)
Munich, West Germany
Turned pro1906 (amateur tour)
Retired1938
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 9 (1914, A. Wallis Myers)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
French Open4R (1930)
Wimbledon3R (1927, 1932)
US OpenQ1 (1912)
US Open SeniorF (1937)[2]
Other tournaments
WHCCQF (1912, 1913)
WCCCQF (1913)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (1938)[3]
French OpenQF (1929)
WimbledonF (1913)[4]
Other doubles tournaments
WHCCF (1913)[4]
WCCCF (1910)[5]
Mixed doubles
WHCCF (1912)[6]
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1929)

Tennis career

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At the age of 20 he became the Catalan champion by winning both the singles and doubles with his brother in the Barcelona tournament (He repeated his doubles feat again in 1914).[7] The same year he won the Homburg Cup by defeating the three-times defending champion and Germany's top player Otto Froitzheim.[8] He also became Austrian Champion after claiming the Austrian International Championships in Vienna.[9] In September 1910 he won the singles title at the Montreux Tournament after defeating R. Norris Williams in the final in five sets.[10]

In 1911 he won several French Riviera mixed doubles titles pairing Hedwig Neresheimer.[11] He also retained his Austrian title.[9] In the South of France Championships he and Max Decugis lost the doubles final to Tony Wilding and Josiah Ritchie.[12] In the Menton tournament he was defeated again by the former team in the doubles championships match partnering his brother Robert.[13]

In 1913 he won the South of France Championships doubles (also the mixed doubles) and the Monte Carlo Cup alongside Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe who later became his partner for the 1913 Wimbledon Championships doubles final which they subsequently lost.[4][14][15][16]

In major tournaments, Kleinschroth reached the quarter-finals of the World Covered Court Championships in 1913 and the quarter-finals of the World Hard Court Championships in both 1912 and 1913.[17] He was on the Germany Davis Cup team several times, including Germany's World Group semi-final and Inter-Zonal final showings in 1913 and 1929 respectively.

A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph ranked Kleinschroth as World No. 9 in 1914.[1]

During World War I he fought in the Western Front and fell into captivity in France.[18]

He was the manager/coach of Gottfried von Cramm and Henner Henkel and the Germany Davis Cup team in the 1930s.[19]

Heinrich's brother, Robert Kleinschroth,[20][21] also competed on the amateur tour, reaching the semi-finals of the World Hard Court Championships in 1912.[17]

He was a Juris Doctor, a degree he earned at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and used that title later on and registered as such for tournaments.[22]

In his post-retirement years in the 60s he worked for the International Tennis Federation management committee and also was a part of a subcommittee dedicated to work on the possible merging of amateur and professional tennis scene, a project that came to life just a year after.[23]

Grand Slam finals

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Doubles (1 runner-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1913 Wimbledon Championships Grass   Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe   Charles P. Dixon
  Herbert Roper Barrett
2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 2–6

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Lawn Tennis". Auckland Star. XLVI (91). Auckland, New Zealand: 15. April 17, 1915. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  2. ^ "US national tennis championships". The New Yorker. New York, United States: F-R Publishing Company. September 18, 1937. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  3. ^ "Heinrich Kleinschroth". australianopen.com. Melbourne, Australia: Tennis Australia.
  4. ^ a b c R.R. Bowker Co. (1914). The American library annual. New York City, United States: Kay Printing House. p. 148.
  5. ^ "Tennis". The Mercury. XCIV (12, 659). Hobart, Australia: Davies Brothers Ltd.: 5 October 19, 1910. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  6. ^ J. Funke, ed. (June 11, 1912). "Lawntennis" (PDF). Het Nieuws van den Dag (in Dutch) (13, 035). Amsterdam, Netherlands: C. Easton: 11. Retrieved February 17, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Lawntennis" (pdf). Esport Catalá (in Spanish) (71). Barcelona, Spain: Antoni Vilà i Bisa: 2. August 9, 1929. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  8. ^ "Lawn tennis gossip" (PDF). The Sun. New York City, United States: Sun Printing and Publishing Association: 8. September 18, 1910. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Austrian Open Kitzbühel" (PDF). Vienna, Austria: Champ Events GmbH. 2010. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  10. ^ L. C. (9 October 1910). "Le Tournoi de Montreux". Tennis, Issue 23. pp. 177–179.
  11. ^ Jahial Parmly Paret (1912). H. P. Burchell (ed.). Spalding's Official Lawn Tennis annual. New York City, United States: American Sports Publishing Company. p. 168.
  12. ^ "Personal notes from London". The Dominion. 4 (1122). Wellington, New Zealand: Wellington Publishing Company Limited: 9. May 9, 1911. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  13. ^ "Lawn tennis". The Advertiser. LIII (16, 351). Adelaide, Australia: The Herald and Weekly Times: 7. March 14, 1911. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  14. ^ Jahial Parmly Paret (1915). H. P. Burchell (ed.). Spalding's Official Lawn Tennis annual. New York City, United States: American Sports Publishing Company. p. 72.
  15. ^ "Tennis". Wanganui Chronicle. XLVI (12881). Wanganui, New Zealand: Gilbert Carson: 2. April 16, 1913. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  16. ^ "Lawn Tennis". Otago Daily Times. XLVI (15736). Dunedin, New Zealand: 10. April 12, 1913. ISSN 0114-426X. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Championnats du monde sur terre battue (1912-1923) Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine, WHCC results archive. (in French)
  18. ^ "Lawn Tennis". Auckland Star. XLVI (280). Auckland, New Zealand: 16. December 4, 1915. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  19. ^ "Arrival of German Tennis Players: Von Cramm and Henkel in Brisbane", The Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton, 15th December 1937, p. 10.
  20. ^ Homburg: Tournament Profile, Tennis Archives.
  21. ^ Fisher, Marshall Jon (2012). "A Terrible Splendor; Three Extraordinary Men, a World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played"[permanent dead link], Crown Publishing Group.
  22. ^ Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1913). Personalstand Der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München [Employees of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich] (PDF) (in German). Munich, Germany: Dr.C. Wolf & Sohn. p. 112.
  23. ^ "Shamateur tennis is going strong" (PDF). The Tuscaloosa News. 149 (71). Tuscaloosa, United States: Public Welfare Foundation: 7. March 12, 1967. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
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