Rodrigo Pereira

Rodrigo Pereira was a Portuguese tennis player and equestrian. He was Portuguese singles champion in 1931 and also won the doubles title one time. In 1945 Pereira won the CSIO Equestrian Grand Prix. He was also an experienced bullfighter. Pereira was born into a noble family, was part of the royal court, and was a friend of King Manuel. After the King’s ouster in 1910, Pereira fled to the United States, for fear of reprisals.

Pereira competed at Wimbledon in 1926 and at Roland Garros in 1925-26, losing each time in round one. He never played Davis Cup but represented Portugal in several team matches. He served as the President of the Portuguese Lawn Tennis Federation from 1934-41 and 1950-52. He was also the first President of the Portuguese Equestrian Society in 1947, and in 1957 became President of the Portuguese Equestrian Federation, serving until 1967. Pereira also served on the Portuguese Olympic Committee.

In the United States Pereira was forced to work in a blue-collar job at the Duquesne Works of US Steel. In World War I he served in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), reaching the rank of captain. On his return he became vice-president of Dorey, Inc., a New York exporter. Pereira returned to Portugal in 1921, working for Fassio Ltd, the Portuguese distributor for the American tractor company, Allis-Chalmers.