James Zimmermann
James Emil Hubert Zimmermann (1886 – 31 May 1917) was a British tennis player in the years before World War I. His father was German, and Zimmerman was embarrassed by his German name, so he abbreviated his surname to Mann.[3] He reached the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon men's singles in 1912 where he lost in straight sets to Alfred Beamish. He lost in the second round at Wimbledon in 1913 to Percival Davson.[4]
| Full name | James Emil Hubert Zimmermann (James Emil Hubert Mann) |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  |
| Born | 1886 United Kingdom |
| Died | (aged 31) [1] France |
| Retired | 1917 (due to death) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 48–14 (77.4%) [2] |
| Career titles | 4 [2] |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1912) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1912) |
According to his obituary in the Sydney newspaper Referee on 17 October 1917, Zimmermann was "always popular with the crowd, for his garrulity on court, though sometimes disconcerting to his opponents, he had a vein of humour and irresponsibility". In 1915, his habit of sleepwalking led him into danger when he was found wandering on the Brighton railway line near Victoria station (he was sentenced to six months imprisonment, though the sentence was quashed on appeal).[5] In World War I, Zimmermann was a sergeant in the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) and died from wounds sustained in action in 1917.[6]
References
- "James Zimmermann - Historical records and family trees". MyHeritage. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- "James Zimmerman: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- "17 Oct 1917 - English Player Falls". Trove. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- "Draws archive – James Zimmermann". Wimbledon. AELTC.
- "01 Sep 1915 - Lawn Tennis". Trove. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- "Casualty Details: James Emil Hubert Mann". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 22 September 2020.