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General First nameDavid Leslie (Leslie)
LastnameGaden
GenderMale
CountryAustralia
Date of birth1877-09-23
Place of birthNew South Wales, Australia
Date of death1912-03-10
Place of deathSydney, New South Wales, Australia


About

From The Evening News (Sydney), 11 March 1912

Hard lines – Mr Leslie Gaden’s operation – Succumbs to old complaint

The death of Mr Leslie Gaden, the well-known barrister, of “Gilgarnie,” Nelson Road, Woollahra, and former tennis champion of New South Wales, occurred under peculiarly sad circumstances. It seems that he was recovering from the effects of the injuries received through falling underneath a moving tram in Castlereagh Street, Sydney, on 10 February. The accident necessitated the amputation of his left leg at the knee, which was performed at the Sydney Hospital. His right foot also was severely crushed.

The impression that Mr Gaden collapsed and died from shock following upon his injuries has brought from Dr Corlette a report addressed to the City Coroner, to the effect that Mr Gaden recovered perfectly so far as the wounds and the amputation of the leg were concerned, but, within the last two weeks, he had developed further symptoms of the complaint – peripheral neuritis, from which he had not recovered at the time of the accident.

There was, the doctor says, evidence that he had weakness of power or sensation in his legs, and that he found difficulty in getting down stairs. Evidently the result of his complaint, and it is conceivable, not to say probable, that this was the cause of his fall. The peripheral neuritis assumed a grave form and was the immediate cause of death.
--

From The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 March 1912

Obituary

Lawn Tennis – Death of a famous player

The news of the death of Leslie Gaden was received with universal regret and some surprise, as it was thought that, in spite of the severe injury he sustained in the accident which happened to him last month, his life would be saved. Gaden shared with that other great player, also deceased, Gus Kearney, the deserved reputation of being as fine a sportsman as was ever seen in any branch of athletics. He was a good loser and a good winner; and so reluctant to obtain any advantage over an opponent that he always gave against himself any doubtful point which an umpire could not see.

Gaden made his first appearance for New South Wales against Victoria in May 1896, in which match Norman Brookes first represented Victoria. Had Gaden not retired from active play after the 1904 contest, he might have attained as worldwide a reputation as the great Victorian, for Gaden retired before the value of the American service was fully realised here.It was the acquisition of this service which took Brookes at a bound from the position of a good to that of a great player.

So it might well have been with Gaden. He was physically particularly well equipped to bring out the best that is in this service; and in almost his last practice before retiring essayed it with most promising results. Even without the American service Gaden was one of the best doubles players the world has ever seen; and some of those who recollect his performance with Horace Rice when they beat Alfred Dunlop and Ben Green for the New South Wales championship in 1898, consider his play on that occasion surpassed anything seen in Australia before or since that day.

In addition to representing New South Wales in ten interstate matches, Gaden won the doubles championship of New South Wales with Horace Rice in 1898, 1899 and 1902; the mixed doubles championship of New South Wales with Mrs Phoebe Cater in 1899 and 1900; the southern district singles in 1899, and the southern district doubles in with Gordon Wright in the same year; and the metropolitan doubles with Rice in 1896, 1898 and 1899.

Media


Archive statistics Career1894 - 1900
Tournament wins1
Matches39
Match wins27


Tournament wins 1896 - Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney (Amateur)


Tournaments Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1900 Victorian Championships - 1899 New South Wales Championships - 1899 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1899 New South Wales Championships - 1898 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1898 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1897 New South Wales Championships - 1896 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1896 New South Wales Championships - 1895 Queensland Championships - 1895 New South Wales Championships - 1894 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1894