Neale Fraser

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 man to have completed the triple crown, i.e. having won the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at a Grand Slam tournament, which he managed on two consecutive occasions, in 1959 and 1960 (both times at US National, now known as US Open); no male player has equalled this feat at any Grand Slam tournament since.

Neale Fraser
AO, MBE
Neale Fraser at the 1972 Dutch Open
Full nameNeale Andrew Fraser
Country (sports) Australia
ResidenceAustralia
Born (1933-10-03) 3 October 1933
Melbourne, Victoria
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Retired1977
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1984 (member page)
Singles
Career record697-227 (75.2%)[1]
Career titles37[1]
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1959, Lance Tingay)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenF (1957, 1959, 1960)
French OpenSF (1959, 1962)
WimbledonW (1960)
US OpenW (1959, 1960)
Doubles
Career record20–16
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1959)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1957, 1958, 1962)
French OpenW (1958, 1960, 1962)
WimbledonW (1959, 1961)
US OpenW (1957, 1959, 1960)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenW (1956)
WimbledonW (1962)
US OpenW (1958, 1959, 1960)
Team competitions
Davis CupW (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962)

After his playing days were over, he was non-playing captain of Australia's Davis Cup team for a record 24 years.

Biography

He was the son of barrister and politician Archibald Fraser.[3]

Fraser was taught by coach Bryan Slattery, and later 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 Wimbledons (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 Championships in 1956 with Beryl Penrose, Wimbledon in 1962, and the U.S. Championships from 1958 to 1960 with Margaret Osborne duPont. He holds the distinction of having won the U.S. 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 at a grand slam tournament, 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 10 every year between 1956 and 1962.[2]

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 20 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.[4]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 7 (3 wins, 4 losses)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1957Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley Cooper3–6, 11–9, 4–6, 2–6
Loss1958Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley Cooper6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 11–13
Loss1959Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Alex Olmedo1–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6
Win1959US ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Alex Olmedo6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
Loss1960Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–8, 6–8
Win1960Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5
Win1960US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver6–4, 6–4, 10–8

Doubles: 18 (11 wins, 7 losses)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1954Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Clive WilderspinAustralia Rex Hartwig
Australia Mervyn Rose
3–6, 4–6, 2–6
Loss1954WimbledonGrassAustralia Ken RosewallAustralia Rex Hartwig
Australia Lew Hoad
5–7, 4–6, 3–6
Win1957Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Lew HoadAustralia Mal Anderson
Australia Ashley Cooper
6–3, 8–6, 6–4
Loss1957WimbledonGrassAustralia Lew HoadUnited States Budge Patty
United States Gardnar Mulloy
10–8, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win1957U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley CooperUnited States Gardnar Mulloy
United States Budge Patty
4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–3
Win1958Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley CooperAustralia Roy Emerson
Australia Bob Mark
7–5, 6–8, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
Loss1958WimbledonGrassAustralia Ashley CooperSweden Sven Davidson
Sweden Ulf Schmidt
4–6, 4–6, 6–8
Win1958French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Ashley CooperAustralia Robert Howe
South Africa Abe Segal
3–6, 8–6, 6–3, 7–5
Loss1959French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Roy EmersonItaly Nicola Pietrangeli
Italy Orlando Sirola
3–6, 2–6, 12–14
Win1959WimbledonGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Rod Laver
Australia Bob Mark
8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7
Win1959U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonUnited States Earl Buchholz
United States Alex Olmedo
3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5
Loss1960Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Rod Laver
Australia Bob Mark
6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win1960French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Roy EmersonSpain Jose-Luis Arilla
Spain Andrés Gimeno
6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4
Win1960U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Rod Laver
Australia Bob Mark
9–7, 6–2, 6–4
Win1961WimbledonGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle
6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6
Win1962Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle
4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9
Win1962French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Roy EmersonWest Germany Wilhelm Bungert
West Germany Christian Kuhnke
6–3, 6–4, 7–5
Loss1973WimbledonGrassAustralia John CooperUnited States Jimmy Connors
Romania Ilie Năstase
6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 9–8, 1–6

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

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1956Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Beryl PenroseAustralia Mary Bevis Hawton
Australia Roy Emerson
6–2, 6–4
Loss1957WimbledonGrassUnited States Althea GibsonUnited States Darlene Hard
Australia Mervyn Rose
4–6, 5–7
Win1958U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneBrazil Maria Bueno
United States Alex Olmedo
6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Loss1959WimbledonGrassBrazil Maria BuenoUnited States Darlene Hard
Australia Rod Laver
4–6, 3–6
Win1959U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneUnited States Janet Hopps
Australia Bob Mark
7–5, 13–15, 6–2
Win1960U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneBrazil Maria Bueno
Mexico Antonio Palafox
6–3, 6–2
Win1962WimbledonGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneUnited 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# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Tournament195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975 SR W–L Win %
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 0 / 1529–1565.9
French A A 3R A A QF QF SF QF A SF A A 2R A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 720–774.1
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 1 / 1438–1374.5
U.S. A A 4R 4R SF 3R SF W W A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 2 / 732–586.5
Win–loss 1–1 1–1 7–4 4–3 12–3 14–4 17–4 18–3 21–2 3–1 13–3 3–2 2–1 2–2 0–2 1–2 0–2 3 / 43 119–40 74.8

References

  1. Garcia, Gabriel. "Neale Fraser: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  2. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
  3. "Archibald McDonald Fraser". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. "Past winners". Father’s Day Council of Victoria.
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