Buster Mottram

Christopher "Buster" Mottram (born 25 April 1955 in Kingston upon Thames) is an English former tennis player and UK number 1 who achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 15 in February 1983.

Christopher Mottram
Country (sports) United Kingdom
ResidenceKingston upon Thames, England
Born (1955-04-25) 25 April 1955
Kingston upon Thames, England
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record285–171
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 15 (7 February 1983)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open4R (1977)
Wimbledon4R (1982)
US Open4R (1980)
Doubles
Career record111–118
Career titles5
Highest rankingNo. 164 (3 January 1983)
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon3R (1981, 1983)
US Open3R (1973)

Mottram represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup eight times, scoring 31 wins and 10 losses.

Early life

Mottram is the son of Tony Mottram and Joy Gannon, leading British tennis players in the 1950s.[1]

His sister Linda Mottram is also a successful tennis player.[2]

Career finals

Singles (2 titles, 5 runner-ups)
Result W-L Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Apr 1975 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Netherlands Tom Okker 6–4, 6–2
Win 2–0 Apr 1976 Palma, Majorca Clay Japan Jun Kuki 7–5, 6–3, 6–3
Loss 2–1 Feb 1977 Dayton, U.S. Carpet (i) United States Jeff Borowiak 3–6, 3–6
Loss 2–2 Apr 1977 Murcia, Spain Clay Spain José Higueras 4–6, 0–6, 3–6
Loss 2–3 Dec 1977 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–7(4–7), 3–6, 4–6
Loss 2–4 May 1978 Munich, West Germany Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 1–6, 3–6, 3–6
Loss 2–5 Jul 1982 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay Hungary Balázs Taróczy 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–7(5–7)

Doubles (5 titles, 6 runner-ups)
Result W-L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Apr 1974 Charlotte, U.S. Unknown Mexico Raúl Ramírez Australia Owen Davidson
Australia John Newcombe		 6–3, 1–6, 6–3
Win 2–0 Jul 1977 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay United Kingdom Roger Taylor Switzerland Colin Dowdeswell
Australia Chris Kachel		 7–6, 6–4
Win 3–0 Oct 1977 Basel, Switzerland Carpet United Kingdom Mark Cox United Kingdom John Feaver
Australia John James		 7–5, 6–4, 6–3
Loss 3–1 Oct 1978 Tokyo, Japan Clay Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Željko Franulović Australia Ross Case
Australia Geoff Masters		 2–6, 6–4, 1–6
Loss 3–2 Nov 1979 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard United States Mike Cahill South Africa Bob Hewitt
South Africa Frew McMillan		 6–1, 1–6, 4–6
Loss 3–3 Jul 1980 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay United States Tony Giammalva Netherlands Tom Okker
Hungary Balázs Taróczy		 5–7, 3–6, 6–7
Win 4–3 Mar 1981 Stuttgart, West Germany Carpet United States Nick Saviano United States Craig Edwards
United States Eddie Edwards		 3–6, 6–1, 6–2
Loss 4–4 Apr 1981 Bournemouth, UK Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Argentina Ricardo Cano
Paraguay Víctor Pecci		 4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Loss 4–5 Feb 1982 Genoa, Italy Carpet United Kingdom Mike Cahill Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil
Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd		 7–6, 5–7, 3–6
Win 5–5 Apr 1982 Bournemouth, UK Clay Australia Paul McNamee France Henri Leconte
Romania Ilie Năstase		 3–6, 7–6, 6–3
Loss 5–6 Oct 1982 Amsterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) South Africa Kevin Curren United States Fritz Buehning
Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd		 6–4, 3–6, 0–6

Politics

While Mottram was still playing professionally, he became known for his right-wing views. He expressed support for the National Front, supported the policies of Enoch Powell,[3] and applied unsuccessfully for the Conservative parliamentary candidacy in several constituencies.[3] He subsequently formed a songwriting partnership with the black entertainer Kenny Lynch, writing the song "Average Man".[4]

In November 2008, he was expelled from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after attempting to broker an electoral pact with the British National Party. UKIP leader Nigel Farage called Mottram's offer "astonishing", declaring his party to be non-racist.[5]

References
  1. Kevin Jefferys, British Tennis (EB Partnership, 2019), p. 116
  2. Wendy Cooper, Tom Smith, Human Potential: The Limits and Beyond (1981), p. 86
  3. "Tennis: Whatever happened to Buster Mottram?" The Independent, 18 May 2002
  4. "Kenny Lynch – Half the Day's Gone and We Haven't Earne'd a Penny (1983, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  5. UKIP rejects BNP electoral offer, BBC News, 3 November 2008.
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