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- 1908
- Early 20th Century - J.C. Parke
- 1920's Harry Maunsell
- 1930's George McVeagh
- 1940's - Cyril Kemp
- 1950's - J.D. Hackett
- 1960's - Alf Walsh
- 1970's - Mavis Hogg
- 1980's - Matt Doyle and Sean Sorenson
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1980's - Matt Doyle and Sean Sorenson
In the early 1980s, crack duo Matt Doyle and Sean Sorensen led the Davis Cup team to unprecedented success and gave the game a badly needed injection of excitement. Recent decades had seen great activity at club level but it had been a long time since Irish tennis players had held the interest of the country.
One of the most memorable events in the sport’s Irish history came in 1983 when Ireland played the USA in the RDS. The American team then included Arthur Ashe and John McEnroe, household names who assisted in drawing crowds on a scale never seen before. Davis Cup matches were normally held at Fitzwilliam but it was wisely decided in advance that the club did not have a fraction of the capacity required for such an event. For three nights in a row, the arena at the RDS held 6,000 excited spectators.
Doyle beat Teltscher in straight sets on day one, adding further delight to the occasion, and although Sorensen lost to McEnroe as expected, his ability to hold his own on the court against one of the world’s greatest players demonstrated that the Irish were once more a tennis force to be reckoned with.
One of the most memorable events in the sport’s Irish history came in 1983 when Ireland played the USA in the RDS. The American team then included Arthur Ashe and John McEnroe, household names who assisted in drawing crowds on a scale never seen before. Davis Cup matches were normally held at Fitzwilliam but it was wisely decided in advance that the club did not have a fraction of the capacity required for such an event. For three nights in a row, the arena at the RDS held 6,000 excited spectators.
Doyle beat Teltscher in straight sets on day one, adding further delight to the occasion, and although Sorensen lost to McEnroe as expected, his ability to hold his own on the court against one of the world’s greatest players demonstrated that the Irish were once more a tennis force to be reckoned with.
