Erskine was one of the 21 players that took part in the inaugural 1877 Wimbledon Championship singles competition.

In the second round he played against J. Lambert who became the first player in Wimbledon history to retire a match, conceding to Erskine after losing the first two sets.

In the semifinal he won against future Wimbledon champion Herbert Lawford but lost the All-Comers final in straight sets to Frank Hadow who would defeat Spencer Gore in the Challenge round to win the title.

In 1879 he was a finalist at the Grand National Lawn Tennis Tournament at Hendon, the same year was his last Wimbledon appearance when he reached the second round, after a first-round victory over F.W.

[2] This event was a precursor to the Wimbledon men's doubles championship, introduced in 1884, and was played over the best of seven sets ending in a score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–5, 6–2, 3–6, 5–6, 7–5.