Erik Jean-Louis Worm (April 26, 1900 – October 17, 1962) or simply Louis was a Danish
tennis player. He was a three-time Danish national singles and mixed doubles champion (1922, 1923, 1924) and a two times doubles champion (1922, 1925)
Apart from being a Danish champion he was the Austrian champion as well.
In club level competitions he represented the
Boldklubben af 1893.
He was a runner-up for the Monaco tournament (now known as the
Monte-Carlo Masters) in both singles and doubles.
Early life
Erik Worm was born on April 26, 1900 in
Copenhagen to Wilhelm Worm.
Tennis career
;1920-1930
Worm entered the last edition of the
World Hard Court Championships in 1923 and advanced in the third round losing to count
Manuel de Gomar.
Between 1922 and 1925 he held the Danish Championships on numerous occasions collecting 8 titles altogether.
In 1926 in his first oversees final in the
Buffalo tennis and squash club invitational tournament he partnered with two-time singles champion
Manuel Alonso for the doubles event, eventually falling to the home favorites Arnald Jones and
George Lott.
In February 1927 he reached the finals of the New Courts of Cannes mixed contest with
Elizabeth Ryan.
Next week at the Gallia L.T.C. of Cannes tournament came short in both doubles championship matches; in mixed with Ryan to
Henri Cochet and
Eileen Bennett
Eileen Bennett (born 8 July 1920) is a British retired film actress who was active in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was born in London, United Kingdom. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and started out as a model.
She made her ...
and the men's with
René Gallèpe
René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus.
René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminin ...
to Cochet-
Charles Aeschlimann
Charles Frederick Aeschlimann (; 28 February 1897 – 4 May 1952), also spelled as ''Charles Aeschliman'', was a Swiss tennis player who represented Switzerland in the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games.
Tennis career
He competed in the singl ...
.
In June at the inaugural of the newly built
Margaret Island courts of
Budapest the
Hungary Davis Cup team hosted an international meeting with
Denmark with the latter team victorious.
The score was 3-2, Worm beat
Imre Takáts in four sets.
In March 1928 at the
Menton Cup he paired with
Phyllis Satterthwaite and marched to the semifinal match against Cochet-Bennett with the latter team advancing to the final round.
He took revenge on Cochet and his partner Salm in the doubles final where he and Kehrling won in straights
The two of them went to the final of the singles where the Hungarian doubles partner beat him in a fierce fight.
In April 1928 he found success in several tournaments throughout Europe, the Beausite mixed trophy with Ryan from Cochet and Satterthwaite (Worm also was a contender for the men's doubles),
the Beaulieu tournament against
George Lyttleton-Rogers and the
Pforzheim mixed doubles event in July again alongside Ryan.
Next year he defended his Menton doubles title with Kehrling against the Italian duo of
Giorgio de Stefani and
Alberto del Bono
Count Alberto Maria "Tito" del Bono was an Italian tennis player.
Del Bono was a two-time national champion in doubles. In 1929 he was the singles champion in Munich, which was the first edition of the modern day BMW Open. He played Davis Cup ...
.
Although the defending champions split for the mixed and faced each other at the final with Kehrling making a good decision by choosing
Cilly Aussem, while Worm and Satterthwaite finished second.
In the April edition of the Monte-Carlo tournament Worm clinched the title by beating Junior Monaco champ
Wilbur Coen
Wilbur Franklyn Coen Jr (known also as Junior Coen, 23 December 1911 – 5 February 1998) was an American tennis player. In 1928, at age , he became the youngest tennis player to ever represent the United States in the Davis Cup, and the youngest ...
.
In mixed O'Connell and Elizabeth Ryan overcame Worm and Satterthwaite.
In May
George Lyttleton-Rogers had a clean victory over Worm in the singles last four of the L.T.C. Beaulieu tournament.
He was more lucky in the doubles where he and
Jack Hillyard
Major Jack Montagu Hillyard (2 January 1891 – 16 February 1983) played cricket for Harrow in Fowler's match in 1910, served in the British Army in the First World War, and became a moderately successful tennis player in the 1920s and 1930s ...
became the Riviera champions after eliminating the Austrian Davis-Cup partners
Hermann Artens and
Ludwig Salm-Hoogstraeten
Count Ludwig von Salm-Hoogstraeten (; hu, Salm Lajos ; 24 February 1885 – 23 July 1944), nicknamed "Ludi", was an Austrian tennis player of the pre-Open Era. He competed in the men's outdoor singles event at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He rea ...
.
And in the follow-up mixed rematch of O'Connell-Ryan and Worm-Satterthwaite the Danish-Briton team equalized the tally.
O'Connell and Worm met again in the mixed final of the
Montreux tournament at
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, where they played with
Muriel Thomas and the returning Cilly Aussem respectively, but the latter team hadn't found his form yet.
Then he toured the
Weimar Republic and brought home several titles including the ones from
Wiesbaden in doubles with
Hector Fisher (also a singles runner-up versus Fisher), the Berlin Blau—Weiss doubles with Fisher (also a singles runner-up versus
Franz-Wilhelm Matejka
Franz-Wilhelm Matejka (born 26 December 1896) was an Austrian tennis player.
Matejka, a left-handed player from Vienna, represented Austria in the Davis Cup from 1927 to 1934. In a 1932 tie against Germany he held a match point against Gottfried ...
).
;1930
In January 1930 at the Monte Carlo Country Club
Bill Tilden and
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the working ...
started off the season with the Monegasque doubles title victory over Worm and
Brame Hillyard
Brame Hillyard (23 August 1876 – 18 June 1959) was a British tennis player. He was a three time quarter finalist at the Wimbledon Championships in singles in 1903 and in doubles in 1900 and 1904. He also competed at the 1923 World Hard Cour ...
.
The same month at the New Courts of
Cannes Worm and
George Lyttleton-Rogers lost to Tilden and Kingsley again.
The next week at Gallia L.T.C. Worm and
Joan Ridley
Joan Cowell O'Meara Ridley (11 July 1903 – 4 October 1983) was a female British tennis player who was active in the 1920s and 1930s. Ridley was a semifinalist at the 1931 Wimbledon Championships where she lost in straight sets to Helen Jacobs ...
had a shot at the mixed title but were stopped again by Tilden and Aussem.
Then in February at the Carlton L.T.C. of Cannes doubles contest
Paul Barrelet de Ricou
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
and Worm met and lost to the two members of the
Four Musketeers Jacques Brugnon and
Henri Cochet.
In the quarterfinals of the mixed draw in an encounter between Satterthwaite-Worm and Aussem-Tilden, chair umpire
A. Wallis Myers
Arthur Wallis Myers (24 July 1878 – 17 June 1939) was an English tennis correspondent, editor, author and player. He was one of the leading tennis journalists of the first half of the 20th century.
Family life
Myers was son of the Rev. John ...
became so upset of Tilden's attitude towards him after he overruled a service that he left the court. Official organizers' efforts to find another remained unsuccessful as the match continued without chair or line umpire. In the end Tilden's team closed the match with a score of 1-6, 6-0, 6-3.
In March in their second Menton title defense attempt Kehrling and Worm lost in the semis to
Tamino Abe
Tamio Abe (29 September 1902 – 30 December 1987) was a Japanese tennis player.
Born in Tokyo, Abe was the eldest son of Japanese baseball pioneer, preacher and parliamentarian Abe Isoo.
Abe, the 1927 All-Japan singles champion, debuted for the ...
and Aeschlimann when the title-holders were already serving for the match.
Hughes and Ryan prevented Worm and Satterthwaite in the mixed to claim their first Menton crown.
In Beaulieu Worm and his recurring mixed partner Satterthwaite was unable to defend their title and ceded it to Pat Hughes and
Violet Owen
Violet Owen (15 February 1902 – 22 October 1998) was a British tennis and field hockey, hockey player. She captained the British Field hockey in England, hockey team, and played at the The Championships, Wimbledon, Wimbledon tennis championship ...
.
In the South of France Championships the doubles were decided between Irishman Rogers and Worm and their opponents Tilden-Coen with the American visitors leaving with the title.
In June he found a good partner in Tilden and became German Champions after winning the doubles at the Pfings-Turnier of the Rot-Weiss Club in
Berlin.
;Later years
Worm began the
year 1931 with forming a new doubles team with
Charles Aeschlimann
Charles Frederick Aeschlimann (; 28 February 1897 – 4 May 1952), also spelled as ''Charles Aeschliman'', was a Swiss tennis player who represented Switzerland in the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games.
Tennis career
He competed in the singl ...
with whom they were victors at the L.T.C. de
Juan-les-Pins
Juan-les-Pins (; oc, Joan dei Pins) is a town in the commune of Antibes in the Alpes-Maritimes department in Southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera, it is situated between Nice and Cannes, to the southwest of Nice Côte d'Azur Airport ...
and Beausite L.T.C. Cannes. They met at the singles finals of the former championships where the Swiss champion defeated Worm in straights.
Then Worm toured Switzerland, in
Geneve singles final he was beaten by
Antoine Gentien
Antoine Gentien (13 June 1905 – 2 September 1968) was a French tennis player whose career lasted from 1921 to 1951.
He was the son of Antoinette Gillou and the nephew of Kate Gillou. Katie was four times French (closed) singles champion. Anto ...
while in the
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
doubles final he and
Georges Glasser
Georges Glasser (; 24 August 1907 – January 2002) was a French tennis player, corporate executive and president of the Tennis Club de Paris. As a player, he was particularly successful in mixed doubles claiming several titles during his caree ...
were beaten by
John Olliff and
Jean Lesueur
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jean ...
and last in the
Basel international tournament he clinched the mixed title and almost attached the singles to it but lost to
Hector Fisher.
In June in
Germany he was a two-times runner-up in mixed and men's doubles in
Bad Neuenahr
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler () is a spa town in the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate that serves as the capital of the Ahrweiler district. The A61 motorway connects the town with cities like Cologne and Mainz. Formed by the merging of the ...
and a mixed runner-up in
Wiesbaden.
In the
Monaco tournament Beaumont Trophy Worm and Hillyard were forfeited the game to Kehrling and Artens.
In the very first tournament of the year 1932 at the Beaulieu doubles title match
George Lyttleton-Rogers and
Vladimir Landau
Vladimir Maximilianovich Landau ( rus, Владимир Максимилиа́нович Ланда́у, p=vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr məksʲɪmʲɪlʲɪˈanəvʲɪtɕ lɐnˈdaʊ; September 24, 1971) was a Russian-born Monegasque tennis player. In 1931 he ...
was triumphant after a five set meeting with Aeschlimann and Worm.
In March at the Menton mixed doubles finals Worm and Satterthwaite failed for the fourth time and succumbed to the French couple of
André Martin-Legeay
André Martin-Legeay (29 October 1906 – 1940) was a French male tennis player who was active in the 1930s.
In 1933, he was a runner-up in the singles' event at the Italian Championships.
Martin-Legeay reached the fourth round of the single ...
and
Simonne Mathieu
Simonne Mathieu ( Passemard; (Spelled "Simone" in many sources.) 31 January 1908 – 7 January 1980) was a female tennis player from France, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine who was active in the 1930s.
During World War II, she creat ...
.
Personal life
In January 1923 Worm secretly married theatre actress Alice Macy Beers in
New York City daughter of William Hanford Beers.
The couple lived in
Denmark between 1917-1924.
Later they moved to the
United States and until his death in 1962 he lived in New York City.
Notes
* Worm usually used the alias "Louis" when registering for tournaments.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worm, Erik
1900 births
1962 deaths
Danish male tennis players
Sportspeople from Copenhagen
Sportspeople from New York City
20th-century Danish people