Born:

June 16, 1858

Died:

October 29, 1950

Place of Birth:

Drottninigholm, Sweden

Citizenship:

Sweden

Induction Category:

Contributor

Year of Induction:

1980

In 1878, years before he became King of Sweden, Gustav learned to play tennis on a trip to Great Britain when he was Crown Prince. Upon his return, he founded Sweden’s first tennis club and did everything in his power to spread the word about this new and exciting sport that he believed was the best that life had to offer. A respectable player himself, he donated the Kings Cup as a special competition among European nations beginning in 1936. King Gustav V was the first royal inductee at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Contributions

• Founder of Sweden's first tennis club
• Founded the King's Club (Men's indoor team competition) 1936
• Donor of the King's Cup
• King of Sweden 1907-50