Roper Barrett

Roper Barrett learned his tennis at Merchant Taylor’s School and the Forest Gate Club and was able to devote a great deal of time to the game. He won the Belgian Open singles title for four successive years from 1900, the Austrian title in 1904 and a vast number of tournaments at home. He was most successful in the Suffolk Championships at Saxmundham which he won no less than 17 times between 1898 and 1921. Barrett also reached the final of the All-comers singles at Wimbledon four times, going through to the Challenge Round in 1911 when he was forced to retire against Tony Wilding with the score level at two sets all.

Despite these considerable successes, Roper Barett must, in retrospect, be considered as a better doubles player. With his Olympic partner, Arthur “Wentworth” Gore, they made up one of the more formidable doubles combinations of their era, winning Wimbledon in 1909 and reaching the All-Comers final on three other occasions. They won the Olympic covered court title in 1908 and the following year took the British indoor title.

Barrett and Gore went to Stockholm in 1912 to defend their Olympic indoor crown but after winning the first two sets were beaten by a Swedish pair in the semi-finals. Barrett, however, had the consolation of winning a silver medal in the mixed doubles with Helen Aitchison as his partner. Apart from his win at Wimbledon with Gore in 1909, Barrett was also successful in 1912 and 1913 when he was partnered with Charles Dixon, who, like Barrett, was a solicitor by profession. Additionally, he won the covered court mixed doubles in 1910 with Mrs. O’Neill. Roper Barrett played in the first Davis cup match at Boston in 1900 with his last appearance coming in 1919. Although he did not have a particularly distinguished playing record in Cup matches he did, as non-playing captain, lead the British team to four consecutive victories in the thirties. Barrett served as Chairman of the Lawn Tennis Association in 1924 and was active in civic affairs, being twice Master of the Worshipful Company of Farriers and Chief Commoner of the City of London in 1924. He was also a keen footballer, playing regularly for Corinthians Casuals at Weybridge.