Neale Fraser

Neale Fraser

Neale Fraser at the 1972 Dutch Open
Full name Neale Andrew Fraser
Country (sports)  Australia
Residence Australia
Born (1933-10-03) 3 October 1933
Melbourne, Victoria
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Retired 1977
Plays Left-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF 1984 (member page)
Singles
Career record 123–48
Highest ranking No. 1 (1959, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open F (1957, 1959, 1960)
French Open SF (1959, 1962)
Wimbledon W (1960)
US Open W (1959, 1960)
Doubles
Career record 20–16
Highest ranking No. 1 (1959)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open W (1957, 1958, 1962)
French Open W (1958, 1960, 1962)
Wimbledon W (1959, 1961)
US Open W (1957, 1959, 1960)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open W (1956)
Wimbledon W (1962)
US Open W (1958, 1959, 1960)

Neale Andrew Fraser AO MBE (born 3 October 1933) is a former number one amateur male tennis-player from Australia, born in Melbourne, Victoria, the son of a Victorian judge. Fraser is the last person to have won the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles in a calendar year at a Grand Slam tournament on two consecutive occasions (US National, now US Open). Since that time, nobody has equalled that feat in a single year, let alone successively.

Biography

He was the son of barrister and politician Archibald Fraser. He began playing tennis at age 11 and attended St Kevin's College, Melbourne (Class of 1950) where he became Captain of Tennis at the school.

Fraser won the Wimbledon singles in 1960 and the US Championships singles in 1959 and 1960. Fraser failed to win the Australian Championships, finishing as runner-up on three occasions (1957, 1959 and 1960) and held a championship point in the 1960 final. Team play – doubles and Davis Cup – proved nearest to Fraser's heart. In doubles, Fraser took three Australian (1957, 1958, and 1962), French (1958, 1960, and 1962) and US (1957, 1959, and 1960) titles, and two Wimbledon (1959, and 1961) with three different partners, Ashley Cooper, Lew Hoad, and Roy Emerson.

Fraser was also successful in the mixed doubles, winning the Australian in 1956 with Beryl Penrose, Wimbledon in 1962, and the US from 1958 to 1960 with Margaret Osborne duPont. He holds the distinction of having won the US National (now Open) singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles in 1959 and then successfully defending those titles a year later. Since that time, no one has equalled that feat in a single year, let alone successively.

Fraser was ranked the World No. 1 amateur in 1959 and 1960 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph, and was in the top ten every year between 1956 and 1962.[1]

Fraser became Davis Cup Captain for the Australian team in 1970, holding the position for a record 24 years and piloting Australia to four wins in 1973, 1977, 1983 and 1986, and recording 55 wins from 75 ties played.

Fraser is one of the twenty men to win all four majors in doubles and in 1984 he was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Fraser was honoured with an MBE in 1974 and an AO in 1988. He was Chairman of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame from 1997 until 2005. In 2008 he received the International Tennis Federation’s highest honour, the Phillippe Chartier Award for outstanding achievements in tennis.

Fraser was also the Centenary Ambassador for Davis Cup, and was the first recipient of the ITF and International Hall of Fame’s Davis Cup Award of Excellence.

Neale Fraser is married with children and grandchildren. He was voted Victorian Father of the Year in 1974.[2]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner–ups)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1957 Australian Championships Grass Australia Ashley Cooper 3–6, 11–9, 4–6, 2–6
Runner-up 1958 Wimbledon Championships Grass Australia Ashley Cooper 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 11–13
Runner-up 1959 Australian Championships Grass United States Alex Olmedo 1–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6
Winner 1959 US Championships Grass United States Alex Olmedo 6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
Runner-up 1960 Australian Championships Grass Australia Rod Laver 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–8, 6–8
Winner 1960 Wimbledon Championships Grass Australia Rod Laver 6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5
Winner 1960 US Championships Grass Australia Rod Laver 6–4, 6–4, 10–8

Doubles: 18 (11 titles, 7 runner-ups)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up 1954 Australian Championships Grass Australia Clive Wilderspin Australia Rex Hartwig
Australia Mervyn Rose
3–6, 4–6, 2–6
Runner-up 1954 Wimbledon Grass Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rex Hartwig
Australia Lew Hoad
5–7, 4–6, 3–6
Winner 1957 Australian Championships Grass Australia Lew Hoad Australia Mal Anderson
Australia Ashley Cooper
6–3, 8–6, 6–4
Runner-up 1957 Wimbledon Grass Australia Lew Hoad United States Budge Patty
United States Gardnar Mulloy
10–8, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Winner 1957 U.S. Championships Grass Australia Ashley Cooper United States Gardnar Mulloy
United States Budge Patty
4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–3
Winner 1958 Australian Championships Grass Australia Ashley Cooper Australia Roy Emerson
Australia Bob Mark
7–5, 6–8, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
Runner-up 1958 Wimbledon Grass Australia Ashley Cooper Sweden Sven Davidson
Sweden Ulf Schmidt
4–6, 4–6, 6–8
Winner 1958 French Championships Clay Australia Ashley Cooper Australia Robert Howe
South Africa Abe Segal
3–6, 8–6, 6–3, 7–5
Runner-up 1959 French Championships Clay Australia Roy Emerson Italy Nicola Pietrangeli
Italy Orlando Sirola
3–6, 2–6, 12–14
Winner 1959 Wimbledon Grass Australia Roy Emerson Australia Rod Laver
Australia Bob Mark
8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7
Winner 1959 U.S. Championships Grass Australia Roy Emerson United States Earl Buchholz
United States Alex Olmedo
3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5
Runner-up 1960 Australian Championships Grass Australia Roy Emerson Australia Rod Laver
Australia Bob Mark
6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Winner 1960 French Championships Clay Australia Roy Emerson Spain Jose-Luis Arilla
Spain Andrés Gimeno
6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4
Winner 1960 U.S. Championships Grass Australia Roy Emerson Australia Rod Laver
Australia Bob Mark
9–7, 6–2, 6–4
Winner 1961 Wimbledon Grass Australia Roy Emerson Australia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle
6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6
Winner 1962 Australian Championships Grass Australia Roy Emerson Australia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle
4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9
Winner 1962 French Championships Clay Australia Roy Emerson West Germany Wilhelm Bungert
West Germany Christian Kuhnke
6–3, 6–4, 7–5
Runner-up 1973 Wimbledon Grass Australia John Cooper United States Jimmy Connors
Romania Ilie Năstase
6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 9–8, 1–6

Mixed Doubles: 7 (5 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1956 Australian Championships Grass Australia Beryl Penrose Australia Mary Bevis Hawton
Australia Roy Emerson
6–2, 6–4
Runner-up 1957 Wimbledon Grass United States Althea Gibson United States Darlene Hard
Australia Mervyn Rose
4–6, 5–7
Winner 1958 U.S. Championships Grass United States Margaret Osborne Brazil Maria Bueno
United States Alex Olmedo
6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Runner-up 1959 Wimbledon Grass Brazil Maria Bueno United States Darlene Hard
Australia Rod Laver
4–6, 3–6
Winner 1959 U.S. Championships Grass United States Margaret Osborne United States Janet Hopps
Australia Bob Mark
7–5, 13–15, 6–2
Winner 1960 U.S. Championships Grass United States Margaret Osborne Brazil Maria Bueno
Mexico Antonio Palafox
6–3, 6–2
Winner 1962 Wimbledon Grass United States Margaret Osborne United Kingdom Ann Haydon-Jones
United States Dennis Ralston
2–6, 6–3, 13–11

Grand Slam Performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF R# RR Q# A NH
(W) Won tournament; reached (F) final, (SF) semifinal, (QF) quarterfinal; (R#) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a (RR) round-robin stage; reached a (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; or (NH) tournament not held.

Singles

Tournament 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
Australian 3R 2R 2R 3R SF F SF F F A SF A A A A A 3R A A A 3R 1R 1R 1R
French A A 2R A A QF QF SF QF A SF A A 2R A A A A A A A A A A
Wimbledon A A 2R 1R QF SF F QF W 4R SF A A 3R A A A A A A 1R 1R 2R 1R
US A A 4R 4R SF 3R SF W W A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

References

  1. 1 2 United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
  2. "Past winners". Father’s Day Council of Victoria.
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