Hughes had been the only British man to reach the singles final at the Italian championships, capturing the title in 1931 and runner-up the following year, until Andy Murray won the tournament in 2016. Hughes captured the doubles title in both those years too, when the tournament, in its infancy, was played in Milan.
He was the editor of the Dunlop Lawn Tennis Annual and Almanack from the late 1940s to the late 1950s.
He worked for years in London as the Vice President of Dunlop Sporting Goods World Wide.