Sporting Career
Gandar-Dower became a leading tennis player, competing in a number of tournaments throughout the 1930s, including Wimbledon and the French Championships. He was nicknamed "The undying retriever" for his ability to run large distances during matches.
At the 1932 Queen's Club Championship in London Gandar-Dower had his greatest tennis success when he defeated Harry Hopman in three sets. Newspaper reports stated that he "had Hopman perplexed with his unorthodox game and the number of astonishingly low volleys from apparently impossible positions."
Gandar-Dower also won the British Amateur Squash championships in 1938 and continued to play cricket competitively throughout the 1930s.
Gandar-Dower twice won the principal trophy in Eton Fives - the Kinnaird Cup - in 1929 and 1932, and was in the defeated pair in the 1931 final.
Gandar-Dower caused a reputation for himself in real tennis through his tactic of getting to the net as quickly as possible and volleying everything in sight. This was frowned upon by traditionalists and it was considered that Gandar-Dower "disrupted the game for a while".
Read more about this topic: Kenneth Gandar-Dower
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