Titanic Survivor Who Became a Champion

Roger Federer may be the first Swiss to win a grand slam tournament in the open era, but a player born in Geneva did manage to win one of tennis's major trophies - and by a far more hazardous route.

Richard Norris Williams was born in January 1891 and after an education in France and Switzerland - and as a decent tennis player - he was offered a place at Harvard. Thus the young man and his father Charles boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg in April 1912 and headed for the United States, where Richard planned to play a few tournaments before starting his studies.

Travelling first class - tickets cost £61 7s 7d - the Williamses were obviously accustomed to the better things in life, but like most on board they were soon swimming for their lives. His father did not survive but Richard reached a half-submerged life raft and clung to it until he was picked up by a lifeboat and then by the liner Carpathia. Only 11 out of about 30 on the raft were alive when help arrived and the Carpathia's doctor wanted to amputate Williams's cold-damaged legs.

He refused and returned to Europe, aboard the France, in the May to exercise daily and convalesce. However, he soon returned to the US, took up his place at Harvard and, incredibly, managed to win the US Open mixed doubles that year with Mary Browne.

In 1913 he was the beaten finalist in the singles, by which time he was a naturalised American playing in the Davis Cup team, which he captained to seven wins in a 13-year career. He went one better in 1914 and 1916 when he won the US Open singles, the latter on the grass at Forest Hills. After the first world war he won the men's doubles in 1920 at Wimbledon, where he was also a finalist in 1924, the same year he took Olympic gold.