Charles Haggett

Charles Haggett was regarded as one of the finest English tennis coaches in the early part of the 20th century, and was one of the few professional coaches in the United States when he was invited to take up a post there in 1913.

Haggett was the son of a sea captain who went on to become the head groundsman at Queens Club. It was at that time, at the age of 13, that the young Haggett switched his sporting allegiance from cricket to lawn tennis. He never won any major tournaments, and was a non-starter in the professional singles event at the 1900 Paris Olympics. However, he studied how the top players perfected the sport in order to develop his own coaching skills. Haggett coached around Europe, including at the Swedish Crown Prince’s Lawn Tennis Club in Stockholm for several years, and in 1912 he was coach to the Swedish Olympic team. He also coached in Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Germany, and other places.

In 1913, while coach at the hard courts in Dulwich, London, Haggett was invited to take up a similar post at the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, New York, when he was also invited to coach the American Davis Cup team. He later worked at the County Tennis Club, at Westchester, New York.