1950's - J.D. Hackett

Beginning at the age of 6 on the family court with his older brother, Joe Hackett has had one of the most impressive tennis careers in Irish history and continued to play regularly and well into his late seventies. Hackett, who has described tennis as “a great passport to life”, showed the first real sign of great promise when he reached the final of the Irish Championships at the age of 16. His game advanced rapidly and he was repeatedly selected for the singles championships at Wimbledon throughout the 1950s and represented Ireland in Davis Cup many times, later serving as Davis Cup captain.

While showing enormous talent on the court, Hackett also demonstrated great skill and strength in an administrative context and was instrumental in facilitating the arrival of Open tennis in Ireland in the 1960s. He has been a life long member of Fitzwilliam, where he had the honour of holding the Centenary Presidency in 1977, and has been an honorary member of the All England LTC since 1966. Joe Hackett’s good nature coupled with his enduring commitment to tennis over many years has ensured that he remains one of Ireland’s best known and admired players.