Neale Fraser

Neale Fraser

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 (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 only 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	Ashley Cooper	3–6, 11–9, 4–6, 2–6
Runner-up	1958	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Ashley Cooper	6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 11–13
Runner-up	1959	Australian Championships	Grass	Alex Olmedo	1–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6
Winner	1959	US Championships	Grass	Alex Olmedo	6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
Runner-up	1960	Australian Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–8, 6–8
Winner	1960	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5
Winner	1960	US Championships	Grass	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	Clive Wilderspin	Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose	3–6, 4–6, 2–6
Runner-up	1954	Wimbledon	Grass	Ken Rosewall	Rex Hartwig Lew Hoad	5–7, 4–6, 3–6
Winner	1957	Australian Championships	Grass	Lew Hoad	Mal Anderson Ashley Cooper	6–3, 8–6, 6–4
Runner-up	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Lew Hoad	Budge Patty Gardnar Mulloy	10–8, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Winner	1957	U.S. Championships	Grass	Ashley Cooper	Gardnar Mulloy Budge Patty	4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–3
Winner	1958	Australian Championships	Grass	Ashley Cooper	Roy Emerson Bob Mark	7–5, 6–8, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
Runner-up	1958	Wimbledon	Grass	Ashley Cooper	Sven Davidson Ulf Schmidt	4–6, 4–6, 6–8
Winner	1958	French Championships	Clay	Ashley Cooper	Robert Howe Abe Segal	3–6, 8–6, 6–3, 7–5
Runner-up	1959	French Championships	Clay	Roy Emerson	Nicola Pietrangeli Orlando Sirola	3–6, 2–6, 12–14
Winner	1959	Wimbledon	Grass	Roy Emerson	Rod Laver Bob Mark	8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7
Winner	1959	U.S. Championships	Grass	Roy Emerson	Earl Buchholz Alex Olmedo	3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5
Runner-up	1960	Australian Championships	Grass	Roy Emerson	Rod Laver Bob Mark	6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Winner	1960	French Championships	Clay	Roy Emerson	Jose-Luis Arilla Andrés Gimeno	6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4
Winner	1960	U.S. Championships	Grass	Roy Emerson	Rod Laver Bob Mark	9–7, 6–2, 6–4
Winner	1961	Wimbledon	Grass	Roy Emerson	Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle	6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6
Winner	1962	Australian Championships	Grass	Roy Emerson	Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle	4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9
Winner	1962	French Championships	Clay	Roy Emerson	Wilhelm Bungert Christian Kuhnke	6–3, 6–4, 7–5
Runner-up	1973	Wimbledon	Grass	John Cooper	Jimmy Connors 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	Beryl Penrose	Mary Bevis Hawton Roy Emerson	6–2, 6–4
Runner-up	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Althea Gibson	Darlene Hard Mervyn Rose	4–6, 5–7
Winner	1958	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Maria Bueno Alex Olmedo	6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Runner-up	1959	Wimbledon	Grass	Maria Bueno	Darlene Hard Rod Laver	4–6, 3–6
Winner	1959	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Janet Hopps Bob Mark	7–5, 13–15, 6–2
Winner	1960	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Maria Bueno Antonio Palafox	6–3, 6–2
Winner	1962	Wimbledon	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Ann Haydon-Jones Dennis Ralston	2–6, 6–3, 13–11

Performance timeline

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

External links

• 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
• Sport Australia Hall of Fame
• Historic images and video of Neale Fraser talking about his career on Culture Victoria