View source for Anthony Wilding

{{Short description|New Zealand tennis player}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
| name                  = Anthony Wilding
| fullname              = Anthony Frederick Wilding 
| image                 = [[file:Anthony wilding, ca 1912.jpg|frameless|upright=.8]]
| caption               = Anthony Wilding, {{circa|1912}}
| country               = New Zealand
| residence             =
| birth_date            = {{Birth date|1883|10|31|df=y}}
| birth_place           = [[Christchurch]], New Zealand
| death_date            = {{Death date and age|1915|5|9|1883|10|31|df=y}}
| death_place           = [[Battle of Aubers|Aubers Ridge]], Neuve-Chapelle, France
| height                = {{convert|1.87|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| turnedpro             = 
| retired               = 
| plays                 = Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
| careerprizemoney      = 
| singlesrecord         = 636–57 (91.7%)<ref name="tennisbase">{{cite web|title=Anthony Wilding: Career match record|url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player_input_enc=WILDING%2C+TONY&player_input=WILDING%2C+TONY&sub=2#aSubmenu|website=thetennisbase.com|publisher=Tennis Base|url-access=subscription|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-date=4 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104131545/https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player_input_enc=WILDING%2C%20TONY&player_input=WILDING%2C%20TONY&sub=2#aSubmenu|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| singlestitles         = 123<ref name="tennisbase"/>
| highestsinglesranking = [[World number 1 ranked male tennis players|No. '''1''']] (1911<small>, [[International Tennis Hall of Fame|ITHF]]</small>)
| tennishofyear         = 1978
| tennishofid           = anthony-wilding
| AustralianOpenresult  = '''W''' ([[1906 Australasian Championships – Singles|1906]], [[1909 Australasian Championships – Singles|1909]])
| FrenchOpenresult      = 
| Wimbledonresult       = '''W''' ([[1910 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1910]], [[1911 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1911]], [[1912 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1912]], [[1913 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1913]]{{efn|Between 1913 and 1923 Wimbledon was also known as the World Grass Court Championships sanctioned by the [[ILTF]]}})
| USOpenresult          = 
| Othertournaments      = yes
| WHCCresult            = '''W''' ([[World Hard Court Championships|1913]], [[World Hard Court Championships|1914]])
| WCCCresult            = '''W''' ([[World Covered Court Championships|1913]])
| doublesrecord         = 
| doublestitles         = 
| highestdoublesranking = 
| AustralianOpenDoublesresult       = '''W''' (1906)
| FrenchOpenDoublesresult           = 
| WimbledonDoublesresult            = '''W''' (1907, 1908, 1910, 1914)
| USOpenDoublesresult               = 
| AustralianOpenMixedresult         = 
| FrenchOpenMixedresult             = 
| WimbledonMixedresult              = F (1914)
| USOpenMixedresult                 = 
| Team                              = yes
| DavisCupresult                    = '''W''' ([[1907 Davis Cup|1907]], [[1908 Davis Cup|1908]], [[1909 Davis Cup|1909]], [[1914 Davis Cup|1914]])
| medaltemplates-expand = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | [[Tennis]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{ANZ}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Tennis at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalBronze| [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Stockholm]] | [[Tennis at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's indoor singles|Indoor singles]] }}
}}

'''Anthony Frederick Wilding''' (31 October 1883 – 9 May 1915), also known as '''Tony Wilding''', was a New Zealand [[world number 1 ranked male tennis players|world No. 1 tennis player]] and soldier who was killed in action during World War I.<ref name="WWI">{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi?id=65 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417055433/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi?id=65 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War |access-date=3 August 2015 |work=Sports Reference}}</ref> Considered the world's first tennis superstar,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/2013/06/its-time-remember-tony-wilding-first-tennis-superstar|title=It's time to remember Tony Wilding, the first tennis superstar|website=The New Statesman|first=Sunder|last=Katwala|date=24 June 2013|language=en|access-date=28 March 2019}}</ref> Wilding was the son of wealthy English immigrants to [[Christchurch]], [[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]], New Zealand and enjoyed the use of private tennis courts at their home. Wilding obtained a legal education at [[Trinity College, Cambridge]] and briefly joined his father's law firm. Wilding was a [[first-class cricket]]er and a keen [[motorcycle]] enthusiast. His tennis career started with him winning the [[Canterbury Championships]] aged 17.

Wilding developed into a leading tennis player in the world during 1909–1914 and is considered to be a former [[World number 1 male tennis player rankings|world No. 1]]. He won 11 [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] tournament titles, six in singles and five in doubles, and is the first and to date the only player from New Zealand to have won a Grand Slam singles title.{{efn|name=newzealandrecords|Wilding is also the first player from New Zealand to win a Grand Slam doubles title and also the first player from New Zealand to win a Grand Slam title.}} In addition to Wimbledon, he also won three other [[International Lawn Tennis Federation|ILTF World Championships]] (period 1912–1923): In singles, two [[World Hard Court Championships]] (WHCC) (1913–14) and one [[World Covered Court Championships]] (WCCC) (1913). With his eleven Grand Slam tournaments, two WHCC and one WCCC titles, he has a total of fourteen Major tournament titles (nine singles, five doubles). His sweep of the three ILTF World Championships in 1913 was accomplished on three different surfaces (grass, clay and wood) being the first time this has been achieved in Major tournaments.<ref>{{Cite web|title=International Tennis Hall of Fame|url=https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-farmers/inductees/anthony-wilding|access-date=2021-09-27|website=www.tennisfame.com}}</ref>

Wilding won the [[Davis Cup]] four times playing for [[Australasia Davis Cup team|Australasia]], and won a [[bronze medal]] at the [[Tennis at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's indoor singles|indoor singles tennis event]] of the [[Tennis at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympics]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/80451 |title=Anthony Wilding |work=Olympedia |access-date=9 June 2021}}</ref> which made him the first and to date only singles player from New Zealand to win a medal in a tennis event in the Summer Olympics and the only New Zealand player to win a medal in any Olympic tennis event until [[Marcus Daniell]] and [[Michael Venus (tennis)|Michael Venus]] won the bronze medal in the [[Tennis at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's doubles|men's doubles competition]] at the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in [[Tokyo]] in July, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-30|title=Mektic and Pavic win all-Croatian final to take doubles gold|url=https://sportsdesk.com.mt/2021/07/30/mektic-and-pavic-win-all-croatian-final-to-take-doubles-gold/|access-date=2021-07-31|website=SportsDesk|language=en-US}}</ref> He still holds several [[Overall tennis records – Men's singles|all time singles tennis records]], namely 23 titles won in a single season (1906) and 114 career outdoor titles (shared with [[Rod Laver]]).  In his ranking list of greatest tennis players compiled in 1950, [[Norman Brookes]], winner of three Majors and president of the [[Tennis Australia|Lawn Tennis Association of Australia]], put Wilding in fourth place. Shortly after the outbreak of World War I he enlisted and was killed on 9 May 1915 during the [[Battle of Aubers Ridge]] at [[Neuve-Chapelle]], France. In 1978 Wilding was inducted into the [[International Tennis Hall of Fame]].

==Early life==
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| caption = Wilding at four years old
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Wilding was the second of five children of [[Frederick Wilding]] and Julia Anthony and was named after both parents.{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=7|ps=}} [[Cora Wilding]] was a younger sister.<ref name="Cora Wilding">{{DNZB|Sargison |Patricia A. |4w17|Wilding, Cora Hilda Blanche|20 February 2013}}</ref> Wilding's parents emigrated from Herefordshire, England to [[Christchurch]], New Zealand, after their marriage in 1879. His father was a well-to-do lawyer in Christchurch who also played tennis and won several doubles championships of New Zealand. His mother was the daughter of [[Alderman]] Charles Anthony, mayor of [[Hereford]].{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=7|ps=}} Wilding was born in the suburb of [[Opawa]] on 31 October 1883.<ref>{{DNZB|title=Wilding, Anthony Frederick|first=Helen |last=Walter |id=3w15|accessdate=20 October 2024}}</ref>

At their farmlet, situated on the banks of the [[Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River]] to the south of the town in Opawa, they had two tennis courts; one asphalt court for use in the winter and one grass court for summer play.<ref name=onthecourtandoff>{{cite book|last=Wilding|first=Anthony F.|title=On The Court And Off|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.153859|year=1912|publisher=Doubleday, Page & Co|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.153859/page/n14 88]}}</ref>{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=18|ps=}} Wilding started playing tennis in 1889, at age six, after receiving a racquet from manufacturer [[Slazenger|Ralph Slazenger]].{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=24|ps=}} He was first educated at William Wilson's private school for boys in [[Cranmer Square]], where he was captain of the school football team at age 12.{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=37|ps=}}{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=24|ps=}} Wilding passed his [[matriculation]] in 1901 after failing at his first attempt in 1900.{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=45|ps=}}{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=32–33|ps=}} He attended a term at the [[Canterbury University College]] for six months prior to departing on his seven-week sea voyage to England in July 1902 where he first stayed at a [[Cramming (education)|cramming school]] at [[Hunstanton]] before passing his entrance examination for [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], to study law.{{sfnp|Wilding|1913|p=97|ps=}}{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=39–41|ps=}} There he developed his tennis game as a member of the [[Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club]]. In March 1904, during his second year, he became honorary secretary of the club and managed to popularize the game.{{sfnp|Wilding|1913|pp=100–101|ps=}}{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=73|ps=}} He visited the [[1903 Wimbledon Championships]] to see former champion [[Harold Mahony]] play.{{sfnp|Wilding|1913|p=109|ps=}} Although Wilding did not excel academically he passed the law examination and graduated [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in June 1905 after which he returned to New Zealand to join his father's law practice.<ref name=teara>{{cite web |title=Biographies – Wilding, Anthony Frederick |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3w15/1 |publisher=The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> Finishing his education, he was called to the [[English Bar]] at the [[Inner Temple]] in June 1906.<ref name=teara/>

==Tennis career==

===British tournaments and Wimbledon debut===
In October 1901 at the age of 17 Wilding won his first singles title at the Canterbury Championships.<ref name=press181001>{{cite news |title=Lawn tennis – Canterbury Championships |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=CHP19011018.2.46&srpos=69 |work=[[The Press]] |volume= LVIII |issue= 11099 |date=18 October 1901 |page=5 |via=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref>{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=43|ps=}}{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=29|ps=}} In July 1903, during his first summer vacation at Trinity College, Wilding entered his first English public tournament at Sheffield and Hallamshire. He reached the semifinal of the singles event, defeating English top-10 player [[Frederick William Payn|F.W. Payn]] in the second round, before losing to G.C. Allen.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=61–62|ps=}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Lawn Tennis – Sheffield and Hallamshire Club|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000763/19030703/208/0010|work=The Sheffield Daily Independent|publisher=[[British Newspaper Archive]]|date=3 July 1903|page=10|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lawn Tennis – Sheffield and Hallamshire Club|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000763/19030704/191/0010|work=The Sheffield Daily Independent|publisher=[[British Newspaper Archive]]|date=4 July 1903|page=10|url-access=subscription }}</ref> At the 1903 Brighton tournament he won the mixed doubles partnering [[Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers|Dorothea Douglass]], the reigning Wimbledon ladies champion.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=64|ps=}} Wilding worked diligently on improving his backhand during the winter of 1903–04.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=70|ps=}}

He made his first appearance at the [[Wimbledon Championships]] in June 1904, defeating [[Albert Prebble]] in the first round of the [[1904 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|singles event]] before losing to [[Harold Mahony]] in four sets.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19040727.2.72.8 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |volume=XLI |issue=12618 |date=27 July 1904 |page=7 |via=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref> He was pleased to take a set from the 1896 champion: "To my great delight I captured a set and made Mahony talk to himself a great deal".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2018-11-12/2018-11-13_remembering_anthony_wilding.html|title=Remembering Anthony Wilding: Wimbledon.com looks back at the career of Anthony Wilding, who lost his life in the First World War.|website=Wimbledon.com|access-date=23 November 2018}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, at the Welsh Championships, he reached his first singles final which he lost in straight sets to [[Sydney Howard Smith|S.H. Smith]].{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=78–79|ps=}} He won his first title in England at the Championships of Shropshire followed by a win at the Thompson Challenge Cup in Redhill; both relatively new and minor events on the tennis circuit.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=79|ps=}} In August 1904 Wilding won the [[Scottish Championships (tennis)|Scottish Championships]] in [[Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway|Moffat]], defeating C.J. Glenny in the final.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lawn Tennis|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19041001.2.145|work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |date=1 October 1904 |author=Huka |page=14 |via=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref> At his [[1905 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|second Wimbledon appearance]] he came back from two-sets down to defeat [[William Clothier (tennis)|William Clothier]] in the fourth round but lost in the quarterfinal against the experienced [[Arthur Gore (tennis)|Arthur Gore]].{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=97–98|ps=}}

===Davis Cup debut and first European tour===
In July 1905 he made his first [[Davis Cup]] appearance as part of the [[Australasia Davis Cup team|Australasia team]]{{efn|name=australasia|Between 1905 and 1914 Australia and New Zealand entered the Davis Cup competition as a combined Australasia team. During this period Wilding was the only New Zealander to play for the team.}} in the semifinal against [[Austria Davis Cup team|Austria]], played at the [[Queen's Club]], London. Australasia won 5–0 and Wilding won both his singles matches but in the final they were defeated 5–0 by the [[United States Davis Cup team|United States]] and Wilding admitted to have been outclassed in his straight-sets defeats by [[William Larned]] and [[Beals Wright]].{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=100|ps=}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis – International Contest |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19050906.2.17 |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |date=6 September 1905 |volume= LXX |issue= 58 |author=Huka |page=3 |via=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref> After two tournament victories at minor events in [[New Barnet]] and [[Redhill, Surrey|Redhill]] Wilding went on his first tour of the European circuit which brought him into contact with the European upper class and aristocracy who frequented these tournaments.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=AS19050823.2.88 |work=[[Auckland Star]] |volume= XXXVI |issue= 201 |date=23 August 1905 |page=9 |via=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Redhill|magazine=Lawn Tennis and Badminton|date=26 July 1905|volume=X|issue=261|pages=247, 248}}</ref> In August he won the Pöseldorf Cup in [[Hamburg]] followed by a title win at the Championship of Europe in [[Bad Homburg vor der Höhe|Homburg]] which were both, as almost all tournaments on the European mainland, played on clay.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19051021.2.93 |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |volume= LXX |issue= 97 |date=21 October 1905 |author=Huka |page=14 |via=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lawn Tennis|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS19051025.2.3|work=[[The Star (Christchurch)|The Star]] |date=25 October 1905 |page=1 |via=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref>{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=108|ps=}}

===Riviera circuit and Wimbledon semifinal===
Starting in February 1906 Wilding toured during almost the entire year across continental Europe and England, sometimes travelling by train but most often on his beloved motorcycle. For the first time he played the [[French Riviera circuit]] and won tournaments in cities throughout Europe including Cannes, Paris, Lyon, Barcelona, Wiesbaden, Reading, Prague, Bad Homburg and Vienna. At some of the tournaments in England and Europe he was accompanied by his father with whom he played in various doubles competitions.{{efn|name=father|Anthony and his father entered the doubles competitions in Prague, [[Franzensbad]], Carlsbad, Baden-Baden and Sheffield.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|p=123|ps=}}}} Together they won the doubles title at the Sheffield and Hallamshire tournament in June 1906. Wilding's run at the [[1906 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1906 Wimbledon Championships]] ended, as it had done the previous year, with a straight-sets defeat against the veteran Arthur Gore, this time in the semifinal.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=125–126|ps=}} After winning the singles title at the London Covered Courts Championships in October, beating [[George Caridia]] in the final,<ref name=ep19061117>{{cite news|title=Lawn Tennis|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19061117.2.83|work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |date=17 November 1906|page=14 |volume= LXXII |issue= 120}}</ref> he travelled by boat to New Zealand{{efn|name=brookes|Wilding made a stopover in Melbourne on invitation of [[Norman Brookes]] in order to practice with his prospective 1907 Davis Cup doubles partner and play the [[Victorian Championships]]. Wilding lost the Victorian singles final in straight sets to Brookes but together they won the doubles title against Dunlop and Heath.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=129–132|ps=}}}} and in late December in his native [[Christchurch]] won the singles title at the  [[1906 Australasian Championships (tennis)|Australasian Championships]], defeating [[Francis Fisher]] in the final, and doubles title, partnering compatriot [[Rodney Heath]].<ref name=ep19061231>{{cite news|title=The Tennis Tournament|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19061231.2.13&srpos=703|work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |date=31 December 1906|page=2}}</ref> A week later he also won the New Zealand Championship against [[Harry Parker (tennis)|Harry Parker]] in the final.<ref name=ep19070102>{{cite news|title=The Finals|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19070102.2.19&srpos=10|work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |date=2 January 1907|page=3}}</ref> At the [[1907 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1907 Wimbledon Championships]] Wilding had the misfortune to be drawn in the same section{{efn|name=seeding|During Wilding's career the draws at Wimbledon did not have seeded players which meant that the strongest players could be drawn against each other in the early rounds. A simplified system of seeding was introduced during the [[1924 Wimbledon Championships]] when up to four players from a country were drawn in the four different quarters of the draw. The current merit–based seeding based on rankings was introduced in 1927.<ref name=compendium2013>{{cite book|last=Little|first=Alan|title=2013 Wimbledon Compendium|edition=23rd|date=2013|publisher=The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club|location=London|pages=163, 164, 200|isbn=978-1-899039-40-1}}</ref>}} as tournament favourite and eventual champion Norman Brookes who defeated him in their second-round match in five sets.{{efn|name=england_plate|Wilding won the [[All England Plate]], a Wimbledon competition for players who were defeated in the first or second round of the singles event at the Wimbledon Championships.}}{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=151–152|ps=}} Reluctant to return to New Zealand to practise law, as he originally intended, Wilding instead decided to play a circuit of European tournaments. During the 1907–08 winter, when tennis activity was at a low, he generated income as an English teacher and tennis trainer for aristocratic families in [[Bohemia]] and Hungary. In March 1908 he partnered [[Major Ritchie]] to win the doubles title at the South of France tournament against multiple Wimbledon champions [[Laurence Doherty|Lawrence]] and [[Reginald Doherty]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132492464 |title=Lawn Tennis. |work=[[The Border Mail|The Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times (Albury, NSW : 1903–1920)]] |location=Albury, NSW |date=19 March 1908  |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Wilding won the 1908 Victorian Championships singles title after defeating [[Fred Alexander]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis – Victorian Singles Championship |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19081124.2.55&srpos=82 |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |volume= LXXVI |issue= 124 |date=24 November 1908 |page=7}}</ref> 
[[File:Anthony Wilding.jpg|thumb|220px|Wilding dressed in tennis attire, {{circa|1912}}]]
Between 1907 and 1909 he helped the Australasian team win three consecutive Davis Cups, the first against the [[Great Britain Davis Cup team|British Isles]] at Wimbledon and the last two against the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis – Spirited Contest for Davis Cup |url= http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19091230-1.2.5.aspx |work=[[The Straits Times]] |issue=23,155 |date=30 December 1909 |page=3}}</ref> He won his second Australasian Championships in 1909, with his remorseless drives proving too much for [[Ernie Parker]] to handle in the final.<ref name="collins2016">{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Bud|author-link=Bud Collins|title=The Bud Collins History of Tennis|year=2016|publisher=New Chapter Press|location=New York|isbn=978-1-937559-38-0|pages=382, 756|edition=3rd}}</ref>   The same year he qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor at the [[Supreme Court of New Zealand]]. Focusing on his tennis game, he won the [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] singles title for four straight years between 1910 and 1913. He was the last player to win four successive championships until 1979; when [[Björn Borg|Bjorn Borg]] won his fourth successive championship.<ref name=":0" /> He attained the first of three No. 1 rankings in 1911.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/anthony-wilding | title=Tennis Hall of Fame | access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref> In 1910 and 1912 he defeated [[Arthur Gore (tennis)|Arthur Gore]] in the final, both times in four sets. In 1911 his opponent [[Herbert Roper Barrett]] retired in the final at two sets all. In 1913 at Wimbledon tennis player and author [[A. Wallis Myers]] says that he played "the best game of his life", beating American [[Maurice McLoughlin]], the 1912 U.S. National Championships winner, in three straight sets.<ref>{{cite book|title=Captain Anthony Wilding|year=1916|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |location=London|url= https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala|author=A. Wallis Myers|page=[https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala/page/161 161]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last = Wallis Myers |first=Arthur |title=Twenty Years of Lawn Tennis – Some Personal Memories |year=1921 |publisher=Methuen & Co. Ltd |location=London |url= https://archive.org/details/twentyyearsoflaw00myerrich |author-link=A. Wallis Myers |pages=[https://archive.org/details/twentyyearsoflaw00myerrich/page/26 26], 27}}</ref> In 1914 he narrowly missed winning his fifth title in a row, losing in the final to [[Norman Brookes]]. In addition, he won four men's doubles titles at Wimbledon, in 1907 and 1914 with Norman Brookes and in 1908 and 1910 partnering with [[Major Ritchie]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis – Success of Wilding and Ritchie |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19100817.2.99 |access-date=8 July 2012 |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |date=17 August 1910 |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Collins |first=Bud |title=The Bud Collins History of Tennis |year=2010 |publisher=New Chapter Press |location=[New York] |isbn=978-0-942257-70-0 |edition=2nd |pages=417, 435, 436, 660, 661}}</ref>

He missed the [[Australasia at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908 Olympics]] in London because of an administrative error in which the Australasia Olympic committee forgot to officially nominate any tennis players, but at the [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympics]] in Stockholm won a bronze medal in the [[Tennis at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's indoor singles|men's indoor singles]] for [[Australasia at the 1912 Summer Olympics|Australasia]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Anglo-Colonial Tennis |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19080720.2.66&srpos=26 |work=[[Auckland Star]] |volume= XXXIX |issue= 172 |date=20 July 1908 |page=6}}</ref><ref name="sports-reference">{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/tony-wilding-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418051711/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/tony-wilding-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Tony Wilding Olympic Results |access-date=15 May 2013 |work=sports-reference.com}}</ref>

During the 1911 Riviera season Wilding defeated [[Max Decugis]] in the final of three tournaments in Monte Carlo, Menton and Nice.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lawn Tennis |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19110318.2.120 |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]] |volume= LXXXI |issue= 65 |date=18 March 1911 |author=Huka |page=14}}</ref>

===Triple World Champion===
Wilding won a unique World Championships triple in 1913:<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawn Tennis |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=PBH19131118.2.52 |work=Poverty Bay Herald |date=18 November 1913 |volume= XL |issue= 13235 |page=5}}</ref>
*[[World Hard Court Championships|The World Hard Court Championship]] (Paris, clay)
*[[World Grass Court Championships]] (Wimbledon, London, grass)
*[[World Covered Court Championships|The World Covered Court Championship]] (Stockholm, indoor wood)
 
Tony Wilding won all three events in 1913. In a sense, this was the equivalent of achieving what would later become known as the Grand Slam of Tennis because all three of the major tournaments sanctioned by the world governing body were won by one player and all in one calendar year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bensen |first1=Clark |title=The World Championships of 1913 to 1923: the Forgotten Majors |url=http://www.tenniscollectors.org/journal/number30/tca30_text_p467.pdf |website=tenniscollectors.org |publisher=Journal of The Tennis Collectors of America |access-date=27 August 2018 |location=Newport, RI, United States |page=470 |date=2013–2014 |quote=Number 30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620074140/http://www.tenniscollectors.org/journal/number30/tca30_text_p467.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The End of the Early World Clay Court Championships |url=http://bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr/tennis/apres14/E-apres02.html |publisher=Histoire du Tennis |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=16 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816215903/http://bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr/tennis/apres14/E-apres02.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{efn|name=major|The current four majors were only made officially so from 1924/1925}} In 1914 Wilding retained his World Hard Court Championship title in Paris without losing a single set, defeating [[Ludwig von Salm-Hoogstraeten]] in the final.<ref>{{cite web |title=1912–1914 The first World Clay Court Championships |url=http://bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr/tennis/avant14/E-champ.html |publisher=Histoire du Tennis |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=16 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816200430/http://bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr/tennis/avant14/E-champ.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1914, after a five-year absence, he returned to Davis Cup play, and with Norman Brookes, lead the Australasian team to another championship, defeating the United States team in the Challenge round before a home crowd at the [[West Side Tennis Club]] in Forest Hills, New York.<ref>{{cite web|title=Davis Cup – Results 1914 Challenge Round|url=http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=10000718|publisher=ITF|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> This turned out to be his final tournament. Wilding had entered the [[1914 U.S. National Championships (tennis)|1914 U.S. Championships]] which followed later in August but withdrew due to the outbreak of World War I and returned to England.<ref>{{cite news |title=In National Lawn Tennis Tourney at Newport – Wilding Defaults |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sBBVAAAAIBAJ&dq=wilding%20tennis%20newport&pg=2150%2C627235 |work=The Paterson Press |date=25 August 1914}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Talbert |first=Bill |title=Tennis Observed – The USLTA Men's Singles Champions, 1881–1966 |year=1967 |oclc=172306 |publisher=Barre Publishers |location=Barre |page=92}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Tennis Cracks in Championship|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/08/23/104635989.pdf|work=The New York Times|date=23 August 1914}}</ref>

Wilding was a leading tennis player in the world during 1909–1914 and is considered a former world No. 1. [[Norman Brookes]] in 1950 compiled a ranking list of greatest tennis players and put Wilding fourth behind [[Bill Tilden]] and the Dohertys, and ahead of [[Don Budge|Budge]], [[Jack Kramer|Kramer]], [[René Lacoste|Lacoste]] and [[Fred Perry|Perry]].<ref name="anthonywilding.com">{{cite web| url= http://www.anthonywilding.com |title=Anthony Wilding: Wimbledon Champion 1910–1914| publisher=Wilding family |year= 2001 |access-date= 14 February 2010}}</ref> Over his career, he was popular among fans and players alike, being honest and professional, advising players to "[b]e moderate in all things, especially in eating, smoking and drinking."<ref name=":0" /> His style was to play powershots from the baseline.<ref name=":0" />

==Other sports==
[[File:Anthony Frederick Wilding on a motorcycle.jpg|thumb|Wilding on a [[Bat Motor Manufacturing Co.|BAT]] motorcycle off to [[Land's End to John o' Groats|John o' Groats from Land's End]] in 1908]]
He also played for the [[Canterbury cricket team]] in the early 1900s where he participated in two [[first-class match]]es as a lower middle-order batsman and medium-pace change bowler.<ref>{{cite web |title=Players – Anthony Wilding |url= https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/23/23105/23105.html |publisher=Cricket Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Player profile – Tony Wilding|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/player/38843.html|work=ESPN}}</ref> During his first summer at Cambridge in 1903 he focused almost exclusively on cricket before switching to tennis.{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=50|ps=}} Wilding also played [[rugby union|rugby]] at Trinity College, mainly to keep fit during the winter months, and was part of the Trinity team that competed against [[Racing Club de France (rugby)|Racing Club de France]].{{sfnp|Wilding|1913|p=106|ps=}}{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=59|ps=}} He considered  that "play must be combined with various other exercises. The prizefighter does not limit his training to sparring" and in doing so advanced the physical requirements for competitive tennis.<ref name=":0" /> He was a keen motorcycle (with sidecar) rider with many long trips in Europe, New Zealand and America. In July 1908 he won a gold medal in a {{convert|1437|km}} [[reliability trial]] from [[Land's End to John o' Groats#Motoring|Land's End to John o' Groats]] on his [[Bat Motor Manufacturing Co.|BAT]]-[[J. A. Prestwich Industries|JAP]] motorcycle.{{sfnp|Richardson|Richardson|2005|pp=176–177|ps=}} Several "mighty rides" (Myers) in Europe in 1910 included London to [[Lake Geneva]] and back, some {{convert|4800|km}}, including {{convert|560|km}} from [[Évian-les-Bains]] to Paris in one day. He ventured into places with poor roads like Hungary and Serbia. Wilding frequently used a motorcycle to travel between tennis tournaments on the European continent.<ref>{{cite book |title=Captain Anthony Wilding |year=1916 |publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |location=London |url= https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala |pages=[https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala/page/133 133], 134 |access-date=4 August 2013}}</ref>

==Major finals==
{{Main|Anthony Wilding career statistics}}

===Grand Slam singles===

{|class="sortable wikitable" 
!Result
!Year
!style="width:220px"|Championship
!Surface
!style="width:160px"|Opponent
!style="width:150px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || [[1906 Australasian Championships – Singles|1906]] || style="background:#ffffcc;"|[[Australasian Championships]]|| Grass || {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Frank Fisher (tennis)|Francis Fisher]] || 6–0, 6–4, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || [[1909 Australasian Championships – Singles|1909]] || style="background:#ffffcc;"|Australasian Championships|| Grass || {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ernie Parker]] || 6–1, 7–5, 6–2
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win  || [[1910 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1910]] || style="background:#cfc;"|[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] || Grass || {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Arthur Gore (tennis)|Arthur Gore]] || 6–4, 7–5, 4–6, 6–2
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || [[1911 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1911]] || style="background:#cfc;"|Wimbledon || Grass || {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Herbert Roper Barrett]] || 6–4, 4–6, 2–6, 6–2 ret.
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || [[1912 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1912]] || style="background:#cfc;"|Wimbledon || Grass || {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Arthur Gore (tennis)|Arthur Gore]] || 6–4, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || [[1913 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1913]] || style="background:#cfc;"|Wimbledon{{efn|Between 1913 and 1923 Wimbledon was known as the World Grass Court Championships sanctioned by the [[ILTF]]}}|| Grass || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Maurice McLoughlin]]  || 8–6, 6–3, 10–8
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss || [[1914 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1914]] || style="background:#cfc;"|Wimbledon{{efn|Between 1913 and 1923 Wimbledon was known as the World Grass Court Championships sanctioned by the [[ILTF]]}}|| Grass || {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Norman Brookes]] || 4–6, 4–6, 5–7
|}

===World Championships singles===

{|class="sortable wikitable" 
!Result
!Year
!style="width:220px"|Championship
!Surface
!style="width:220px"|Opponent
!style="width:140px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || [[1913 World Hard Court Championships – Men's singles|1913]] || style="background:#ebc2af;"|[[World Hard Court Championships]]|| Clay || {{flagicon|FRA}} [[André Gobert]] || 6–3, 6–3, 1–6, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win  || 1913|| style="background:#ffc;"|[[World Covered Court Championships]] || Wood || {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Maurice Germot]] || 5–7, 6–2, 6–3, 6–1
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win || [[1914 World Hard Court Championships – Men's singles|1914]] || style="background:#ebc2af;"|World Hard Court Championships|| Clay || {{flagicon|Austria-Hungary}} [[Ludwig von Salm-Hoogstraeten]]  || 6–0, 6–2, 6–4
|}

==Performance timeline==
{{Performance key|short=yes|active=no}}
<small>Events with a challenge round: (W<sub>C</sub>) won; (CR) lost the challenge round; (F<sub>A</sub>) all comers' finalist</small>
{|class=wikitable style=font-size:100%;text-align:center
|-
!style=width:85px| !!1904!!1905!!1906!!1907!!1908!!1909!!1910!!1911!!1912!!1913!!1914
!style=width:45px|SR
!style=width:45px|{{Tooltip|W–L|Win–loss}}
!style=width:45px|Win %
|-
!style=text-align:left colspan=12|[[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam tournaments]]!!{{nowrap|6 / 12}}!!{{nowrap|30–6}}!!{{nowrap|83.3}}
|-
|style=text-align:left bgcolor=efefef|[[French Open|French]]
|colspan=11|not held
|bgcolor=efefef|0 / 0
|bgcolor=efefef|0–0
|bgcolor=efefef|–
|-
|style=text-align:left bgcolor=efefef|[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1904 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=ffebcd|[[1905 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|QF]]
|bgcolor=yellow|[[1906 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|SF]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1904 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=ffebcd|[[1908 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|QF]]
|A
|bgcolor=lime|'''[[1910 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|W<sub>C</sub>]]'''
|bgcolor=lime|'''[[1911 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|W<sub>C</sub>]]'''
|bgcolor=lime|'''[[1912 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|W<sub>C</sub>]]'''
|bgcolor=lime|'''[[1913 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|W<sub>C</sub>]]'''
|bgcolor=thistle|[[1914 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|CR]]
|bgcolor=efefef|4 / 10
|bgcolor=efefef|23–6
|bgcolor=efefef|79.3
|-
|style=text-align:left bgcolor=efefef|[[US Open (tennis)|U.S.]]
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|bgcolor=efefef|0 / 0
|bgcolor=efefef|0–0
|bgcolor=efefef|–
|-
|style=text-align:left bgcolor=efefef|[[Australian Open|Australian]]
|NH
|A
|bgcolor=lime|'''[[1906 Australasian Championships – Singles|W]]'''
|A
|A
|bgcolor=lime|'''[[1909 Australasian Championships – Singles|W]]'''
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|bgcolor=efefef|2 / 2
|bgcolor=efefef|7–0
|bgcolor=efefef|100.0
|-style=background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|'''Win–loss'''
|1–1||3–1||7–1||1–1||3–1||4–0||8–0||1–0||1–0||1–0||0–1||colspan=3|
|}

==Military service and death==
[[File:Anthony Wilding at Paris, January 1915, in his armoured car.jpg|thumb|Wilding in his armoured car in Paris in January 1915]]
Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, Wilding joined the [[Royal Marines]] on advice of [[Winston Churchill]] who was then [[Lord of the Admiralty|First Lord of the Admiralty]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lieut. Anthony Wilding – From Tennis to the Royal Marines |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=FS19141005.2.11.2 |work=Feilding Star |date=5 October 1914 |page=2 |volume=XI |issue=2464}}</ref> He was gazetted a second lieutenant in early October 1914.<ref name=captain>{{cite book|title=Captain Anthony Wilding|year=1916|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala|author=A. Wallis Myers|pages=[https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala/page/260 260]–267}}</ref> Wilding remained in the Marines for just a few days and was then attached to the Intelligence Corps due to his intimate knowledge of the continent and his skills as a motorist.<ref name=captain/><ref>{{cite news |title=Anthony Wilding Appointed Lieutenant |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WDT19141005.2.23.12&srpos=481 |work=Wairarapa Daily Times |volume=LXVI |issue= 12098 |date=5 October 1914 |page=5}}</ref> At the end of October he joined the [[Royal Naval Armoured Car Division]] in the battlefields of northern France where he had thirty men, three guns and armoured cars under his command. After a week's leave in London in February 1915 he returned to France on 16 March 1915 and was posted to a new squadron made up of armoured Rolls-Royce cars under the command of the [[Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster|Duke of Westminster]].<ref name=captain/> He was ranked a lieutenant. Before long the squadron was moved near the front and on 2 May Wilding received notice of his promotion to captain. In his last letter dated 8 May he wrote "''For really the first time in seven and a half months I have a job on hand which is likely to end in gun, I, and the whole outfit being blown to hell. However if we succeed we will help our infantry no end.''"<ref>{{cite book |title=Captain Anthony Wilding |year=1916 |publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |location=London |url= https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala |page=[https://archive.org/details/captainanthonywi00myeriala/page/286 286]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Wilding's Heroic Death |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=PBH19150731.2.10.2&srpos=45 |work=Poverty Bay Herald |volume= XLII | issue =13750 |date=31 July 1915 |page=3}}</ref>  The next day, 9 May, he was killed in action at 4:45 in the afternoon during the [[Battle of Aubers Ridge]] at [[Neuve-Chapelle]], France when a shell exploded on the roof of the dug-out he was sheltering in.<ref name=teara/><ref name="anthonywilding.com"/><ref>{{cite news |url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1543665 |title=Wilding Foresaw Death. |work=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=31 July 1915 |page=17 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Wilding was buried the next day at the front but was later re-interred at the Rue-des-Berceaux Military Cemetery in [[Richebourg-l'Avoué]], Pas-de-Calais, France.<ref>{{cite web|title=Casualty Details – Wilding, Anthony Frederick |url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/570775/WILDING,%20ANTHONY%20FREDERICK |website=www.cwgc.org |publisher=Commonwealth War Graves Commission}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Online Cenotaph – Anthony Frederick Wilding |url=https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C37079 |website=www.aucklandmuseum.com |publisher=Auckland War Memorial Museum}}</ref> He had been dating, and was rumored to be about to marry, Broadway star [[Maxine Elliott]], 15 years his senior.<ref>{{cite news | title=Maxine Elliot hourly faces death | date=14 September 1915 | agency=Salt Lake Telegram | author=Phillips, HJ | pages=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/sports/tennis/researching-a-tennis-legacy-and-uncovering-a-potential-injustice.html | title=Researching a tennis legacy | work=The New York Times | date=22 June 2013 | access-date=12 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OFnCwAAQBAJ&q=anthony+wilding+%22maxine+elliot%22&pg=PT230 | title=Britain Goes to War: How the First World War Began to Reshape the Nation | publisher=Pen and Sword Military | year=2015| isbn=9781473878365 }}</ref>

Wilding is remembered on the Waltham Park memorial gates in Christchurch, opened in 1922 to commemorate 43 men from the local [[Waltham, New Zealand|Waltham]], [[St Martins, New Zealand|St Martins]], and Opawa communities who died in service during World War I.<ref>{{cite web |title=Waltham memorial gates |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/memorial/waltham-memorial-gates |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]] |access-date=25 April 2025 |date=29 May 2024}}</ref>

==Legacy and honours==
In 1978, he was inducted into the [[International Tennis Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Net Inductees|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oR1NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4753%2C1509618|work=Rome News-Tribune|date=12 July 1978}}</ref> [[Wilding Park]], the principal venue for tennis in Christchurch, New Zealand, was named after his father, Frederick, but in the public perception became associated with him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tennis – The development of tennis, 1870s to 1910s |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/tennis/1|publisher=Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |author=Joseph Romanos}}</ref> He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |title=Anthony Wilding (1883–1915) |url=http://www.nzhalloffame.co.nz/Inductees/W/Anthony-Wilding|website=www.nzhalloffame.co.nz|publisher=New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame}}</ref> The [[New Zealand Post]] issued a stamp of Anthony Wilding in 1992 as part of the Health Stamps series to support children with emotional and behavioural problems.<ref>{{cite web |title=Health |url= http://stamps.nzpost.co.nz/new-zealand/1992/health |publisher=[[New Zealand Post]]}}</ref> Shortly after Wilding's death the sculptor [[Paolo Troubetzkoy]] made a bronze [[statuette]] based on him titled ''Physical Energy''.{{sfnp|Wallis Myers|1916|p=244|ps=}}<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dacier|first1=Émile|title=Sculpteurs Contemporains – Paolo Troubetzkoy|journal=La Revue de l'Art Ancien et Moderne|date=January 1921|volume=XXXIX|issue=222|page=71|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k432544h/f78|publisher=[[Gallica]]}}</ref>

==Records==

===All time===
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!Tournament
!Since
!Record accomplished
!Players matched
|-
|rowspan="8"| [[Overall tennis records – Men's singles|All tournaments]]||align=center|1877||114 career outdoor titles won (1900–1915)<ref name=independent_newspaper>{{cite web|last1=Simons|first1=Asher|title=Sporting Heroes: Anthony Wilding – Wimbledon champ died on Western Front|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/sporting-heroes-anthony-wilding--wimbledon-champ-died-on-western-front-9084382.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/sporting-heroes-anthony-wilding--wimbledon-champ-died-on-western-front-9084382.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=www.independent.co.uk|date=24 January 2014|publisher=The Independent Newspaper UK|access-date=13 July 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>|| [[Rod Laver]]
|-
|align=center|1877||23 titles won in a single season (1906)<ref name=independent_newspaper/>|| '''Stands alone'''
|-
|align=center|1877||19 consecutive titles (1913–1914)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=records&id=YVUDHMAKMG| title=The Tennis Base: Record titles streak | access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref>|| [[Bill Tilden]]
|-
|align=center|1877||91.77% (636–57) career match winning percentage<ref name="WILDING, TONY / ALL TIME RECORDS">{{cite web |last1=Garcia |first1=Gabriel |title=WILDING, TONY / ALL TIME RECORDS |url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player1=WILDING%2C+TONY&sub=11&tipoFiltroRecordPlayer=TB#aSubmenu |website=thetennisbase.com |publisher=Tennismem SAL |access-date=25 July 2018 |location=Madrid, Spain |date=2018}}</ref>|| '''Stands alone'''
|-
|align=center|1877||92.46% (564–46) outdoor match winning percentage<ref name="WILDING, TONY / ALL TIME RECORDS"/>|| '''Stands alone''' 
|-
|align=center|1877||96.01% (313–13) clay court match winning percentage<ref name="wildingtb">{{Cite web |url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player1=WILDING,%20TONY&sub=2#aSubmenu |title=Tennis Base: Tony Wilding career match record}}</ref> || '''Stands alone'''
|-
|align=center|1877||120 consecutive clay court match victories (1910–1914)<ref name="WILDING, TONY / ALL TIME RECORDS"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ilic |first1=Jovica |title=May 9, 1915 – Tennis ace Anthony Wilding loses his life in the World War I |url=https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/ATP_Tennis/43220/may-9-1915-tennis-ace-anthony-wilding-loses-his-life-in-the-world-war-i/ |website=Tennis World USA |date=10 May 2017}}</ref>|| '''Stands alone'''
|-
|align=center|1877||22 consecutive clay court titles (1912–1914)<ref name="WILDING, TONY / ALL TIME RECORDS"/>|| '''Stands alone'''
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[Gore–Wilding rivalry]] 
* [[Tennis male players statistics]]
* [[List of Olympians killed in World War I]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
;Books
* {{cite book|last=Wilding|first=Anthony F. <!-- |author-link=Tony Wilding --> |title=On the Court and Off|date=1913|publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/oncourtoff00wildrich|ol=7144244M}}
* {{cite book|last=Wallis Myers|first=A.|author-link=A. Wallis Myers|title=Captain Anthony Wilding|date=1916|publisher=[[Hodder and Stoughton]]|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924029810664|oclc=1203033|ol=6611035M}}
* {{cite book|last1=Richardson|first1=Len |last2=Richardson |first2=Shelley|title=Anthony Wilding, A Sporting Life|date=2005|publisher=[[Canterbury University Press]]|location=Canterbury|isbn=978-1-877257-01-8}}

;Online biographies
* {{NZOC profile|anthony-wilding}}
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3w15/1 Te Ara — the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]
* [http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/anthony-wilding Christchurch City Libraries]

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|d=Q505788|n=no|b=no|wikt=no|s=no|v=no|voy=no|species=no|m=no|mw=no|q=no|c=Category:Anthony Wilding}}
* {{Tennis Hall of Fame}}
* {{ITF}}
* {{ATP}}
* {{Davis Cup player}}
* {{New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame}}
* {{New Zealand Olympic Committee}}
* {{Australian Olympic Committee}}
* {{Olympics.com}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{navboxes|title=Anthony Wilding in the [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam tournaments]]
| list1=
{{Australian Open men's singles champions}}
{{Wimbledon men's singles champions}}
{{Australian Championships men's doubles champions}}
{{Wimbledon men's doubles champions}}
}}
{{World Hard Court Championships men's singles champions}}
{{World Covered Court Championships men's singles champions}}
{{1912 Australasian Olympic team}}
{{International Tennis Hall of Fame members}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilding, Tony}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1915 deaths]]
[[Category:Australasian Championships (tennis) champions]]
[[Category:Canterbury cricketers]]
[[Category:International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees]]
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[[Category:New Zealand male tennis players]]
[[Category:New Zealand military personnel killed in World War I]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of English descent]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australasia]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in tennis]]
[[Category:Olympic tennis players for Australasia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Christchurch]]
[[Category:Royal Marines personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Tennis players at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era)]]
[[Category:Royal Marines officers]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:World number 1 ranked male tennis players]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Christchurch]]