Bunny Austin

Who was Bunny Austin?

Henry Wilfred "Bunny" Austin was a British tennis player from England.

Austin was, for 74 years, the last Briton to reach the final of the Gentlemen's Singles at Wimbledon, until Andy Murray did so in 2012. He was also a finalist at the 1937 French Championships and a championship winner at Queen's Club. Along with Fred Perry, he was a vital part of the British team that won the Davis Cup in three consecutive years. He is also remembered as the first tennis player to wear shorts.

Austin was brought up in South Norwood, London. The nickname Bunny came from a comic strip, Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. Encouraged by his father, who was determined that he become a sportsman, he joined Norhurst Tennis Club aged six.