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General First nameMarcel
LastnameRainville
GenderMale
CountryCanada
Date of birth1903-06-30
Place of birthBryson, Québec, Canada
Date of death1949-06-21
Place of deathMontréal, Québec, Canada


About

Marcel Rainville was ranked No. 1 in Canada in 1932 and 1934 and No. 2 in 1930, 1931 and 1933. He won the Canadian Open mens singles in 1934 defeating American H. Surface in the final. He captured two Canadian Championships doubles titles with Jack Wright in 1931 and with a top American George Lott in 1932. He was also a member of the Canadian Davis Cup team from 1929-1934. In 1931 he scored one of the most amazing upsets in Canadian tennis when he defeated the American Sydney Wood on a wet clay court 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Wood was the 1931 Wimbledon champion.

When I think of Canadian tennis, my mind scurries back, as it often does, to Wimbledon and the hallowed grass courts of the All England Club. I remember, for instance, at the Wimbledon of my early schooldays a Canadian gentleman named Rainville: Marcel Rainville. He was very much in evidence, at least during the early rounds. I seem to remember him as someone who played with a rakish cap on his head and who threw up the service ball at such a contorted angle that he fell forward in its pursuit, hitting it when he himself was at an angle approaching ninety degrees to the ground,? (Peter Ustinov, Advantage Canada).

Even though Marcel Rainville never attained the later rounds, let alone the final of Wimbledon, his was a stylish presence. He miraculously never committed a foot fault, although most of his body hung in the air well over the service line before the lacerating blow was delivered,? (Peter Ustinov, Advantage Canada).

Marcel Rainville occupies my memories of Canadian tennis in the later 1930s and early 1940s, (Peter Ustinov, Advantage Canada).

As a child, Marcel Rainville was quite a frail boy, so took up lawn tennis to help improve his health. In later life he became a lawyer and also wrote on lawn tennis in English and French, thereby helping to improve the popularity of the sport in Canada.

At the age of 45, Marcel Rainville committed suicide by drowning himself in the Saint Laurent River in Montréal. The coroner judged that he had taken his life during ‘a temporary fit of madness’.

Media


Archive statistics Career1923 - 1937
Tournament wins7
Matches112
Match wins60


Tournament wins 1935 - Seigniory Club Tournament (Amateur)
1934 - Canadian International Championships ()
1934 - Eastern Canadian Championships (Amateur)
1934 - Ontario Championships (Open)
1933 - Eastern Canadian Championships (Amateur)
1930 - Province of Quebec Championships (Open)
1929 - South Atlantic States Tournament (Amateur)


Tournaments Canadian International Championships - 1937 Ontario Championships - 1937 Eastern Canadian Championships - 1937 Province of Quebec Championships - 1937 Mason & Dixon Tournament - 1936 Ontario Championships - 1936 Province of Quebec Championships - 1936 Canadian Covered Courts - 1936 Bahamas International - 1936 Wimbledon - 1935 Roland Garros - 1935 Seigniory Club Tournament - 1935 Wimbledon Plate (Consolation) - 1935 British Colonial - 1935 US Open - 1934 Canadian International Championships - 1934 Miami-Biltmore Tournament - 1934 Cincinnati - 1934 Ontario Championships - 1934 Seigniory Club Tournament - 1934 Eastern Canadian Championships - 1934 Montego Bay - 1934 Canadian Covered Courts - 1934 Kingston International Invitation - 1934 Jamaican International Championships - 1934 Canadian International Championships - 1933 Eastern Canadian Championships - 1933 Province of Quebec Championships - 1933 Canadian Covered Courts - 1933 Canadian International Championships - 1932 Cuban Championships - 1932 Pan American Tournament - 1932 Canadian Covered Courts - 1932 US Open - 1931 Canadian International Championships - 1931 Western States Championships - 1931 Province of Quebec Championships - 1931 Province of Quebec Championships - 1931 Province of Quebec Championships - 1931 Province of Quebec Championships - 1931 Canadian Covered Courts - 1931 Florida East Coast - 1931 Southeastern Championships - 1931 US Open - 1930 Canadian International Championships - 1930 Mason & Dixon Tournament - 1930 Newport Casino - 1930 Seabright Invitational - 1930 United North and South tournament - 1930 Province of Quebec Championships - 1930 Canadian Covered Courts - 1930 South Atlantic States Tournament - 1929 Canadian Covered Courts - 1929 Canadian International Championships - 1928 Canadian Covered Courts - 1928 Ontario Championships - 1927 Monte Carlo - 1925 Riviera Championships - 1925 Juan-Les-Pins - 1925 Canadian Covered Courts - 1925 Province of Quebec Championships - 1923