23 Facts About Dan Maskell

Daniel Maskell was an English tennis professional who later became a radio and television commentator on the game.

Dan Maskell was described as the BBC's "voice of tennis", and the "voice of Wimbledon".

Dan Maskell's father was an engineer, and Dan was the seventh of his eight children.

Dan Maskell captained the school football team, and was a ballboy at Queen's Club during the school holidays.

Dan Maskell became a junior teaching professional at Queen's in 1924, aged 16, and was given a five-year contract in 1926, teaching real tennis, rackets, and squash in addition to lawn tennis.

Dan Maskell arranged the first World Professional Championships, played at Queen's Club in October 1927, which he won by defeating Charles Read.

Dan Maskell became British professional champion in 1928, and won the title another 15 times until 1951.

Dan Maskell was coach of the winning British Davis Cup team of 1933.

Dan Maskell served in the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.

Dan Maskell became a rehabilitation officer in 1940, assisting wounded aircrew to recover their fitness in Torquay and then Loughborough.

Dan Maskell was promoted to the rank of squadron leader, and appointed OBE in 1945 for his wartime service.

Dan Maskell coached members of the British Royal Family, including Princess Alexandra, Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew.

Dan Maskell was chairman of the Professional Tennis Coaches Association, and became the first professional to be admitted as an honorary member of the All England Club in 1953.

Dan Maskell retired as a tennis professional in 1955, but was then employed by the Lawn Tennis Association as its training manager until 1973.

Dan Maskell was appointed CBE in 1982 for services to tennis.

Dan Maskell began commentating on the Wimbledon Championships in 1949 as an expert summariser for BBC Radio alongside Max Robertson, before switching to television in 1951 with Freddie Grisewood.

Dan Maskell remained the BBC's main tennis commentator until his retirement in 1991.

Dan Maskell was the BBC commentator when tennis resumed as an Olympic sport, first as a demonstration sport in Los Angeles in 1984, and then as a full-medal sport in Seoul in 1988.

At Wimbledon in 1992, Dan Maskell was presented with a silver salver by the Duke of Kent.

Dan Maskell claimed to have attended every day of play at Wimbledon from 1929 onwards, and that he had first attended Wimbledon in 1924 when he saw the women's singles final.

Dan Maskell's wife drowned while swimming at Antigua in 1979.

Dan Maskell published an autobiography, From Where I Sit, in 1988.

Dan Maskell was posthumously inducted as a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996.