Mike Davies obituary

One of Britain’s leading tennis players in the late 1950s who went on to become an influential administrator in the sport

Mike Davies, who has died aged 79, became the No 1 tennis player in Britain in 1957, and, in 1960, the only Welshman to reach a Wimbledon final. He and Bobby Wilson played in the men’s doubles, and were beaten by Rafael Osuna and Dennis Ralston. Davies was the first postwar British player to turn professional and he went on to establish himself as one of the most influential administrators and promoters in the game.

Davies proved that, in his era at least, a limited education was no hindrance for someone with drive, passion and a bright mind. Tapping almost every political faction in a divided sport, he became the chief executive of World Championship Tennis (WCT) and then headed up the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He was also marketing director for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in London and, in the US, tournament director of an ATP event in New Haven, Connecticut.