Laird Watt

Major Accomplishments

Canada’s top-ranked player in 1938 and 1939.
Davis Cup player in 1934, 1938 and 1946.
Teamed up with father, Robert N. Watt, and won the United States father-and-son doubles championship three times 1933, 1934 and 1937.

Biography

Laird and Robert Watt competed together in the father-and-son doubles championship and won the USLTA title three times (1933, 1934 and 1937). Robert is also in the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame.

Laird Watt competed at several tournaments at home and overseas. He reached the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open men’s singles twice, the first time in 1937 and the second time a year later. He was runner-up twice in the men’s doubles (1937 and 1938) with partner Bob Murray and won the mixed doubles crown in 1937 partnering E. Dearman.

He competed in both the US Open and Wimbledon several times in the 1930s. He lost in the first round of the US Open in 1933 to George Lott in four sets. He competed again in the 1934 US Open and reached the second round, but fell to Vernon Kirby. The following year, in 1935, he reached even further as he competed in the third round, but lost in straight sets to Roderich Menzel 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Watt also competed at Wimbledon in 1935 and 1936.

Watt was on the Davis Cup team for three years (1934, 1935 and 1946) and in 1946 he was playing captain. However, Canada did not enter a team in 1936-38 nor was Davis Cup played during the war years. He came back in 1947, only this time as the non-playing captain, but the Canadian team fell to Australia.

Watt was the top ranked Canadian player in 1938 and 1939 and was in the top 10 national rankings in four other years between 1932 and 1937.

After he retired from tennis, he followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming the President of the Canadian Lawn Tennis Association from 1962 to 1963.