British tennis player Fred Perry became the first tennis player to win all four Grand Slams when he attained the feat in back in 1935. (Getty Images)
Fred Perry was a former British World No.1 who won eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams single titles
A former World No. 1, even Fred Perry would not have thought that he would one day go on to become a huge sensation.
Perry was a British tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams single titles, as well as six Major doubles titles.
Born in 1909 in a working-class family in Stockport, his father was a cotton spinner turned Labour MP. However, he fought against all odds to become one of the most revered tennis players in not just Britain but also the whole world.
Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships from 1934 to 1936 and was the World Amateur No.1 tennis player during those three years. His success on the Wimbledon turf went unmatched by a British man for a remarkable 77 years, ahead of Andy Murray’s triumph in 2013.
Perry was the last British player to win the men’s Wimbledon Championship, in 1936, and also the last British player to win a men’s singles Grand Slam title until Andy Murray won the 2012 US Open.
Despite his unparalleled contribution to British tennis, Perry was not accepted until later in his life due to his sharp contrast to the privileged class, who dominated the sport in those years.
In 1984, a statue of Perry was unveiled at Wimbledon on the year of his 75th birthday as a tribute to one of Britain’s top-ever talents.
Perry also won the other three majors in his career. He won the Australian Open and the French Open once while nabbing the US Open thrice.
In terms of professional majors during that time, Perry won the US Pro major twice in his career.
Despite his on-court heroics, he became popular due to the Fred Perry clothing brand. The company was formed when he casually agreed to help market a new sweatband, an innovative idea after World War Two.
However, it surprisingly became a huge sensation, which prompted the company to produce trademark polo shirts, with the business then going from strength to strength.
The brand did not just go onto to become a popular sportswear brand but also a part of the British subculture since the 1950s.
The brand’s logo is a laurel wreath and was based on the original symbol for Wimbledon. The Fred Perry clothing brand was initially run by the Perry family, majorly his son David, until it was bought by a Japanese company Hit Union in 1995.
The brand was also the clothing sponsor of British tennis player Andy Murray from the start of his career until 2009.
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