Kurt von Wessely

Kurt von Wessely’s career spanned from 1899 to 1914, which included 19 tournament wins, making him one of the best Austrian tennis players of his time. His first major achievements came in 1904 when he lost the final of the German International Championships in Hamburg to future Olympic gold medalist Josiah Ritchie, but won the tournament in Praha (Prague). One year later he had his debut in the Davis Cup together with Rolf Kinzl in a 5-0 defeat in the semi-final against Australasia on grass courts in London. In 1904 and 1907 he played at Wimbledon. Von Wessely was the first Austrian to win the Austrian International Championships in 1909. Although he was entered at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics, he did not play at either of them. He also used the alias W. Hartmann. Von Wessely was also active in football, field and ice hockey, skiing, and horse riding.

In World War I von Wessely served as a cavalry lieutenant. In 1915 he was shot in the arm at the Bessarabian front and had to be dismissed from military service. The hand remained stiff and the old wound kept reopening. He died just one year later from a thrombosis, an aftereffect of his war wound.