IT is a strange quirk of sporting history that Great Britain has already faced Belgium in a Davis Cup final, with a pair of brothers combining in the doubles rubber to take the title. This was way back in 1904, the first year that Belgium and France were invited to enter a competition which was originally envisaged as a Ryder Cup-style Trans-Atlantic challenge match. In fact, that year, it was the Americans who didn't make it. Despite a commitment that the US would challenge Britain for the trophy, they failed to follow through, and instead it was Belgium and France who played off at Worple Road, the old site of the All England Club championships, for the right to face Britain in the final.
The brothers in question, in whoes shoes Andy and Jamie Murray are attempting to follow this weekend, are Reggie and Laurie Doherty. Okay, so Wimbledon was decided by a championships round (a play-off) in those days, but older brother Reggie took the title for four succssive years between 1897 and 1900. Laurie went one better, winning the Wimbledon singles crown in successive years between 1902 and 1906, and also claiming the US National championships (the forerunner of the Open) in 1903. He also went undefeated in four years of Davis Cup play and won the singles at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. Rather than Dunblane Primary, both of these men were were products of Westminster School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Despite being originally persuaded to play the sport for its health properties, neither man lived into their forties, although both now reside in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In some ways the 1904 final was a one-sided and rather strange affair, the first singles rubber on the final day, albeit a dead rubber, won by the Brits on walkover when William Lemaire de Warzee failed to show up. The tie was done by then after the Dohertys took the doubles against Lemaire de Warzee and Paul de Borman 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, after Frank Risley had got the ball rolling with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win against Lemaire de Warzee and Laurie Doherty had defeated De Borman.
The Dohertys played together for Britain in finals between 1902 and 1906 but even more strangely they are not the last band of brothers to grace a final for Britain in this competition. John and David Lloyd, both future Davis Cup captains, played in the same team against the USA as Britain went down 4-1 in their last final appearance back in 1978.
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