Herbert Lawford was a tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 player from Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 who won the men's singles championship at Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...

 in 1887, and was runner-up five times.

In the 1887 final, the native of Bayswater

Bayswater

Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...

 defeated Ernest Renshaw

Ernest Renshaw

Ernest Renshaw was an English tennis player.Together with his twin brother William Renshaw, Ernest won the men's doubles at Wimbledon five times. He also won the singles championship at Wimbledon once, in 1888 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983...

 (also of Great Britain) in five sets: 1–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. He reached the finals of Wimbledon in 1880, 1884-86, and 1888.

Lawford is said to be the first person to introduce "topspin" to the game of tennis. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

International Tennis Hall of Fame

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...

 in 2006.

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1887	Wimbledon Championships The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...	Ernest Renshaw Ernest Renshaw Ernest Renshaw was an English tennis player.Together with his twin brother William Renshaw, Ernest won the men's doubles at Wimbledon five times. He also won the singles championship at Wimbledon once, in 1888 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983...	1–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4

Runner-up (5)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1880	Wimbledon Championships	John Hartley John Hartley (tennis player) John Thorneycroft Hartley was a tennis player from England, and the only clergyman to win Wimbledon.Born in Tong, Shropshire, as the winner of the All Comer's Final, Hartley won the 1879 Gentlemans Singles title by default, after the 1878 Champion, Frank Hadow failed to defend his title...	6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 6–3
1884	Wimbledon Championships	William Renshaw William Renshaw William "Willie" Charles Renshaw is one of the greatest British male tennis players of all time, and a candidate for the greatest tennis player of all time...	6–0, 6–4, 9–7
1885	Wimbledon Championships	William Renshaw	7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 7–5
1886	Wimbledon Championships	William Renshaw	6–0, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4
1888	Wimbledon Championships	Ernest Renshaw	6–3, 7–5, 6–0

External links

• International Tennis Hall of Fame