Rupert Ferdinands (born 23 April 1936)[1] is a former tennis player from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

Rupert Ferdinands
Full nameRupert William Ferdinands
Country (sports) Ceylon
Born23 April 1936
Ceylon
Singles
Career titles8

Career

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Ferdinands was born in 1936 and educated at St. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia.[1] He graduated with a BsC from University of Ceylon.[1] He then joined the Ceylon Brewery Nuwara Eliya.[1] Aged 17 he was part of Ceylon's first Davis Cup squad to play Holland in 1953 (though was not selected to play his first match until 1956).[1] He played some tournaments in England in 1953 and received coaching from Fred Perry.[1] In 1957 he won his first singles title at the Ceylon Championships[1] over Bernard Pinto. He won his second title in 1963 beating Bernard Pinto in five sets.[2] In 1969 he was 2 sets to 1 down in the final against Shambunath Misra, but then "slowed down the tempo of the game" and won in five sets.[3] In 1970 he won the title for the fourth and last time, beating S. N. Misra in the final in four sets.[4] Ferdinands emigrated to Australia in 1972, where he became a project manager at Standards Australia and was also a tennis coach and umpire.[1] He has a wife and three children.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Victor Melder Sri Lankan Library: Some notable Burgher Personalities". Victor Melder Sri Lanka Library. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Ferdinands Wins". The Indian Express. 21 April 1963. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Misra loses to Ferdinands". The Indian Express. 15 August 1969. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Results". World Tennis. June 1970. Retrieved 15 November 2024.