General F.John
Horne
Male
Ireland
1931-11-06
London, England
2001-00-00
, -


About

From The Irish Times, August 29, 2011:

John Horne, arguably Ireland’s first known professional coach, has died at the age of 69. He enjoyed a huge influence on generations of Irish tennis players from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. Born in London on November 6th, 1931, Horn was an outstanding prospect as a junior player, a fact illustrated by his back-to-back successes at Junior Wimbledon in 1948 and 1949.

Despite winning a plethora of titles at local level, he never quite fulfilled that potential and in the mid-1950s he came to Ireland, foregoing a playing career for that of coaching. He was widely sought after by both clubs and individuals and coached at two of the top tennis schools of that era, Gormanston and Our Lady’s, Rathnew. He coached most of the top of Irish players before the American College scholarships lured a generation.

He was a very personable and easy going character, noted for his constant good humour. He did not completely turn his back on playing: indeed he represented Ireland at veterans’ level and was a formidable doubles player. A younger generation would have recalled his sharp and incisive analysis as part of RTE television’s Wimbledon commentary. His quiet voice a reminder of bygone summers.



Media


Archive statistics 1950 - 1959
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13
6


Tournaments Irish Championships - 1959 Irish Championships - 1958 Irish Championships - 1955 Irish Championships - 1954 Irish Championships - 1953 Irish Championships - 1952 Irish Championships - 1950

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