Dictionary of National Biography, 1927 supplement/Doherty, Hugh Lawrence
DOHERTY, HUGH LAWRENCE (1875-1919), lawn-tennis player, the third son of William Doherty, of Oakfield, Clapham Park, was born 8 October 1875. Like his elder brother, Reginald F. Doherty (1872-1911), with whom he was intimately associated in his lawn-tennis triumphs, he began the game young in life, and at the age of fifteen won the most important junior event of that time, the Renshaw singles cup, at Scarborough. He was educated at Westminster School, where he showed himself to be a good runner, and at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. It was here that he and his brother made their name at lawn-tennis. Before they went down from Cambridge they were in the forefront of the game, and no two players have had a more triumphant career both in singles and doubles play. R. F. Doherty won the All England singles championship at Wimbledon in 1897, 1898, 1899, and 1900. Lawrence Doherty won in 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, and then resigned the title. The brothers, playing together, were eight times double champions between 1897 and 1905, being only once defeated (1902) by S. H. Smith and F. L. Riseley. In the Davis international cup contests, their record, and particularly that of the younger Doherty, was very fine. The latter’s appearances in these matches cover the years from 1902 to 1906, and, although he was once on the losing side, he himself never lost a match, and he met all the best American players of the time. Up to the present time he is the only Englishman who has ever won the American national championship; that distinction fell to him in 1903.
After 1906, H. L. Doherty retired from competition lawn-tennis and took up golf. In a short time he became very proficient at the game, and he played in the amateur championship on several occasions. On the outbreak of the European War he joined the anti-aircraft branch of the Royal Naval Reserve, and it is possible that his hard work in the service hastened the breakdown of a constitution that had always been delicate. He died 11 August 1919, after a long illness.
The Dohertys will be remembered as two of the greatest players of lawn-tennis, and perhaps as the two greatest artists at the game that have yet appeared. If the brothers Renshaw were the pioneers, the Dohertys brought the game to the highest pitch of perfection. In size they were a contrast. Reginald Doherty was tall, very thin, and yet very graceful in all his movements. He had supreme control over the ball, a fine service, and every kind of stroke. His anticipation was wonderful, and he seemed to cover the court with no difficulty. As a master of the game he was possibly greater than his younger brother, and his style came near to perfection. Lawrence was below medium height, but well knit though lightly built. He, too, had command of every stroke. He was a better match player than his brother, and thought out the game more thoroughly. In doubles they were an ideal pair, and so good that they could play with success from unorthodox positions. They were as expert on covered courts—as at Queen’s Club, Kensington, where some of their best games were played—as they were on grass. Indeed, it may be said that every gift for the game of lawn-tennis was theirs, except good health. Had they been more robust and had they continued to compete, their supremacy might have lasted over a longer period; for at the time that he retired from the championship, H. L. Doherty was only thirty years of age. Wherever they went, and they travelled much, to play lawn-tennis, the brothers Doherty were as popular figures as they were successful exponents of the game.
[R. F. and H. L. Doherty, On Lawn-Tennis, 1903.]