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 at the 1972 Dutch Open | |
| Full name | Neale Andrew Fraser |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
| Residence | Australia |
| Born | 3 October 1933 Melbourne, Victoria |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Retired | 1977 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1984 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 697–227 (75.2%)[1] |
| Career titles | 37[1] |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1959, Lance Tingay)[2] |
| 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) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (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.[3]
Biography
editHe was the son of barrister and politician Archibald Fraser.[4]
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.[5]
Grand Slam finals
editSingles: 7 (3 wins, 4 losses)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1957 | Australian Championships | Grass | 3–6, 11–9, 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 1958 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 11–13 | |
| Loss | 1959 | Australian Championships | Grass | 1–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6 | |
| Win | 1959 | US Championships | Grass | 6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 1960 | Australian Championships | Grass | 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–8, 6–8 | |
| Win | 1960 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | 6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5 | |
| Win | 1960 | US Championships | Grass | 6–4, 6–4, 10–8 |
Doubles: 18 (11 wins, 7 losses)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1954 | Australian Championships | Grass | 3–6, 4–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 1954 | Wimbledon | Grass | 5–7, 4–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 1957 | Australian Championships | Grass | 6–3, 8–6, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | 10–8, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 1957 | U.S. Championships | Grass | 4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 1958 | Australian Championships | Grass | 7–5, 6–8, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 1958 | Wimbledon | Grass | 4–6, 4–6, 6–8 | ||
| Win | 1958 | French Championships | Clay | 3–6, 8–6, 6–3, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 1959 | French Championships | Clay | 3–6, 2–6, 12–14 | ||
| Win | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass | 8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7 | ||
| Win | 1959 | U.S. Championships | Grass | 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 1960 | Australian Championships | Grass | 6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 1960 | French Championships | Clay | 6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 1960 | U.S. Championships | Grass | 9–7, 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 1961 | Wimbledon | Grass | 6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6 | ||
| Win | 1962 | Australian Championships | Grass | 4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9 | ||
| Win | 1962 | French Championships | Clay | 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 1973 | Wimbledon | Grass | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 9–8, 1–6 |
Mixed doubles: 7 (5 titles, 2 runner-ups)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1956 | Australian Championships | Grass | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | 4–6, 5–7 | ||
| Win | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass | 6–3, 3–6, 9–7 | ||
| Loss | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass | 4–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 1959 | U.S. Championships | Grass | 7–5, 13–15, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 1960 | U.S. Championships | Grass | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 1962 | Wimbledon | Grass | 2–6, 6–3, 13–11 |
Grand Slam performance timeline
edit| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
edit| 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 | 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 / 15 | 29–15 | 65.9 |
| 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 / 7 | 20–7 | 74.1 |
| 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 / 14 | 38–13 | 74.5 |
| 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 / 7 | 32–5 | 86.5 |
| 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
edit- ^ a b Garcia, Gabriel. "Neale Fraser: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
- ^ "Neale Fraser: A Davis Cup devotee like no other". WLM Tennis. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Archibald McDonald Fraser". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Past winners". Father’s Day Council of Victoria.
External links
edit- Neale Fraser at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Neale Fraser at the International Tennis Federation
- Neale Fraser at the Davis Cup
- Neale Fraser at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Neale Fraser at Tennis Australia
- Neale Fraser at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- Historic images and video of Neale Fraser talking about his career on Culture Victoria