Untold story of Salford's Wimbledon hero of 1907

Xenophon Casdagli was a former pupil at Manchester Grammar and reached tournament's semi-finals, writes Paul Britton

- Paul Britton

AS Greater Manchester sporting legends go, Fred Perry tops the list in tennis.

Britain's greatest-ever player, Stockport-born Perry was a former world No 1 who won 10 majors including eight grand slam tournaments and three consecutive Wimbledon championships from 1934 to 1936.

But years before him, the Salford-born son of a shipping merchant graced the courts of SW19 and the Olympic Games with great success, although his story hasn't been told before.

As the world watches the Wimbledon finals this weekend, archivists at Manchester Grammar School have revealed the fascinating life of one of the school's former pupils, the brilliantly named Xenophon Casdagli.

His journey to the hallowed lawn of Wimbledon's centre court in 1907 involves the Greek island of Rhodes, the sprawling textile mills of Industrial Revolution Manchester - and dozens of tennis titles in the north west and Lancashire.

Casdagli was born in Salford in 1880, the son of a Greek shipping merchant from Rhodes who had set up business in Manchester to take advantage of the city's burgeoning cotton trade.