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General First nameRonald Alfred
LastnameShayes
GenderMale
CountryEngland
Date of birth1912-09-12
Place of birthCroydon, Surrey, England
Date of death1940-12-17
Place of deathSalisbury, Rhodesia


About

From The Coventry Evening Telegraph, 18 December 1940:

Tennis Star killed in Air Crash – Davis Cup Player who joined Royal Air Force

Ronald Shayes, the british Davis Cup tennis player, who was a sergeant in the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.), has been killed in an air crash at the Cranbourne Air Station at Salisbury, Rhodesia.

Shayes, who was 28, was married in June 1938 to Miss Queenie Hargreaves, daughter of a well-known Paris dental surgeon, but the wedding was not announced until two months later. A reception was subsequently held in Paris, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were among the guests. A son was born to Mrs Shayes in March last year.

Shayes was a member of an Air Raid Protection (A.R.P.) unit near his home in West Wickham before joining the R.A.F., in which he was a sergeant. He was ranked third in British lawn tennis.

His rise to tennis stardom was almost sensational, and in May last year he volleyed his way to an unexpected victory against Bernard Destremau in the Davis Cup match against France. He also assisted Great Britain to beat New Zealand in the same competition. On both occasions he gave the experts plenty to write about, for, at times, he played like a world-beater, at others like a novice.

Media


Archive statistics Career1933 - 1939
Tournament wins14
Matches103
Match wins52


Tournament wins 1938 - Surrey Hard Court Championships (Open)
1938 - Palace Hotel (Amateur)
1938 - Wiltshire Championships (Amateur)
1937 - Cumberland Hard Courts (Amateur)
1937 - Frinton-on-Sea (Amateur)
1937 - West Twickenham (Amateur)
1937 - London Covered Court Championships (Amateur)
1937 - Palace Hotel (Amateur)
1936 - Paddington (Amateur)
1936 - Hull (Amateur)
1936 - West Twickenham (Amateur)
1936 - Angmering-on-Sea (Amateur)
1935 - Worthing Hard Courts (Amateur)
1935 - Godalming (Amateur)


Tournaments Wimbledon - 1939 Roland Garros - 1939 British Hard Court Championships - 1939 Brighton Hard Courts Tournament - 1939 Great Britain vs. South Africa Test matches - 1939 Herga Club - 1939 New Malden - 1939 Wimbledon - 1938 Roland Garros - 1938 US Open - 1938 Newport Casino - 1938 Pacific Coast Championship - 1938 Eastern Grass Court Championships - 1938 French International Covered Court Championships - 1938 Pacific Southwest Championships - 1938 British Hard Court Championships - 1938 German International Championships - 1938 London vs. Paris - 1938 Queen's Evening Tournament - 1938 Palace Hotel - 1938 Surrey Hard Court Championships - 1938 Coupe Albert Canet - 1938 Wiltshire Championships - 1938 Wimbledon - 1937 Roland Garros - 1937 Queens Club Tournament - 1937 Dulwich - 1937 British Covered Court Championships - 1937 Palace Hotel - 1937 London Covered Court Championships - 1937 Buxton - 1937 Cumberland Hard Courts - 1937 North of England Hardcourts - 1937 Frinton-on-Sea - 1937 Chiswick Hardcourt Clubs - 1937 Felixstowe Autumn Meeting - 1937 Coupe Stade-Racing - 1937 West Twickenham - 1937 Birchington Autumn Meeting - 1937 Wimbledon - 1936 Coupe de Noel - 1936 British Covered Court Championships - 1936 Paddington - 1936 Teignmouth and Shaldon - 1936 Sutton Hard Courts - 1936 Hull - 1936 Southdean-on-Sea - 1936 Chiswick Hardcourt Clubs - 1936 Angmering-on-Sea - 1936 Felixstowe Hard Courts - 1936 Felixstowe Autumn Meeting - 1936 West Twickenham - 1936 Birchington Autumn Meeting - 1936 British Hard Court Championships - 1935 South of England Championships - 1935 Ilkley - 1935 Southdean-on-Sea - 1935 Worthing Hard Courts - 1935 Godalming - 1935 Cheltenham - 1934 Leicester - 1934 New Malden - 1934 Chiswick Hardcourt Clubs - 1933