Before Wimbledon: Bermuda's 1876 Tennis Triumph
Learn more about Gray's 1876 Bermuda Tennis Tournament win; a tennis event that predates the first Wimbledon Championships
Postage Stamp, "Bermuda Centenary of Tennis" (1973) by Bermuda Postal Service International Tennis Hall of Fame
The Bermuda Tournament
The Bermuda Tournament was one of the earliest known women's grass court tennis tournaments, played only once in September 1876. The tournament was held in Hamilton, Bermuda, on September 3rd, 1876, and was won by Mary G. Gray, who defeated Rose Key 2 sets to 0.
The Prize Racquet
Housed in the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s collection Mary G. Gray was given a racquet with an attached, inscribed silver shield as a trophy. The inscription reads: "Ladies’ Prize For Lawn Tennis Won by Miss M. G. Gray Bermuda 1876"
The place and the year of this tournament are crucial. Many people have thought tennis arrived in the United States via Bermuda in 1874, courtesy of Mary Ewing Outerbridge (1852-1886). The story is that Outerbridge saw British soldiers playing the game in Bermuda in 1874 and took a set home to Staten Island, where her brother set up a court at the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club.
Postcard, Tennis in Bermuda by Wells Brothers and The Bermuda Press Limited International Tennis Hall of Fame
Early Tennis Play in Bermuda
While tennis was indeed introduced to the U.S. at several locations in 1874, it’s questionable Outerbridge brought it to Staten Island that year. According to Mary Gray, the first tennis set did not arrive in Bermuda until 1875.
An elderly gentleman had ordered it but, “ horrified at the idea of ladies playing such an undignified game,”
gave it to Gray’s father, Sir Samuel Brownlow Gray. Sir Samuel erected a court at his home, thus beginning his daughter’s long love affair with the game.
Illustration of the first tennis tournament at Wimbledon (1977) by The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum International Tennis Hall of Fame
The First Wimbledon
Disregarding who played tennis first or who was the first to introduce the sport to whatever area or club, tennis was spreading around the globe. A year after Mary Gray won this tournament, the first Wimbledon Championships began in 1877.
A "Genuine Pleasure"
In the interview done in 1924 Mary G. Gray reflected on her career: “I feel morally certain that no one in the world has ever derived more genuine pleasure from their tennis career than I have throughout practically half a century."
She goes on to say "and most warmly do I appreciate the encouragement I have always received, not only from my own country folk but from hundreds of ‘birds of passage,’ many of whom helped me very materially to improve my game.”
American Lawn Tennis, Vol. 18, No. 9, Pages 481-544 International Tennis Hall of Fame
A Global Game Takes Root
Many of the early pioneers of tennis, including Mary Gray, propelled tennis to global success. Her achievements laid the foundation for the sport's enduring popularity in the US and beyond.
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