The history 'Newport Athletic Club 1875-1925' records that Lawn Tennis was introduced at Newport Athletic Club within four years of the foundation of the Club. The first court probably being set out in 1879 with the first Tennis Committee in 1881 and being recognised in the name of the Club in 1884 when it became Newport Cricket, Athletic, Football and Tennis Club. In 1897 the organisation of the Welsh Lawn Tennis Championship Tournament was taken over attracting top players of the day. By 1902 no less than 12 courts were in use. 1906 saw a large increase in playing members and Newport chosen for the final of the International Davis Cup Competition between America, who came to the tie with a walk-over of Austria, and Australasia, similarly with a walk-over of France. The history relates "This was an event of great importance in the Tennis world, and it was a great compliment to the Club to have their ground selected."
The American team included Raymond Demorest Little, who was ranked in the U.S. top 10 eleven times between 1900 and 1912, his highest ranking coming in 1907 when he was ranked 4th., who had also won the intercollegiate tennis title for Princeton University in 1900 and New Yorker Holcombe Ward, best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the USA National Championships in 1904 and the London Grass Court Championships (now known as Queen's Club Championships) in 1905.
The Australasian players were Anthony Frederick Wilding from Christchurch, New Zealand who was very much a tennis superstar of his age. Helping Australasia to three consecutive Davis Cups between 1907 and 1909, and again in 1914, at singles he won the Australian Open twice and Wimbledon four times. There were six doubles successes to his name as well. Sadly he was to be killed in action in World War I. The second member of the Australasian team was Leslie Oswald Sheridan Poidevin, who was known principally as an Australian first class cricketer playing for New South Wales and Lancashire, but had won the Queensland men's singles title in 1899 and 1900, the Swiss Open in 1906 and the European Doubles Championship in 1909.