John Newcombe
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| Country | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | |
| Residence | - | |
| Date of birth | May 23, 1944 | |
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | |
| Height | - | |
| Weight | - | |
| Turned Pro | 1968 | |
| Retired | 1981 | |
| Plays | Right-handed | |
| Career Prize Money | US$1,062,408 | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record: | 429 - 136 | |
| Career titles: | 68 including 32 in the open era listed in the ATP Webside | |
| Highest ranking: | 1 (3-Jun-74) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| Australian Open | W (1973, 1975) | |
| French Open | QF (1969) | |
| Wimbledon | W (1970, 1971) | |
| U.S. Open | W (1973) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record: | 332 - 113 | |
| Career titles: | 33 | |
| Highest ranking: | 1 | |
|
Infobox last updated on: January 22, 2007. | ||
John David Newcombe AO OBE (born May 23, 1944 in Sydney, Australia) is a former World No. 1 tennis champion.
A natural athlete, as a boy Newcombe played several sports until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962 and 1963 and became a member of Australia's Davis Cup winning team in 1964. He won his first Grand Slam major in 1965 by taking the Australian Championships doubles title with fellow Australian Tony Roche. That same year, the duo won the Wimbledon doubles title. They would team up to win the Australian doubles championship three more times, Wimbledon another four times and the US Championships in 1967, the French Championships in 1967 and 1969. Together, Newcombe and Roche won 12 Grand Slam titles, more than any other men's team in tennis history.
Newcombe's powerful serve and volley was the backbone of his attacking game. To the delight of fans, and the surprise of his opponent, he frequently came up with a second-serve ace. His play made him the No. 1 amateur in the world in 1967 according to Lance Tingay (Rex Bellamy ranked him No. 2 amateur behind Roy Emerson) (and the true No. 1 in the world was Rod Laver, a professional player). As a pro, Newcombe was the joint world number one player in 1970 and 1971. In singles play, he was a two time winner of the Australian Open, a three time winner of Wimbledon, and the US Open twice.
As member of Lamar Hunt's, "World Championship Tennis" professional tour group, and part of the players union, he was banned by the International Tennis Federation from competing in the 1972 Wimbledon championships and he boycotted the event in 1973. Very popular with the fans, Newcombe's absence resulted in urgent negotiations that ultimately resolved the issues. He served as President of the Association of Tennis Professionals in 1977 and 1978.
Newcombe and Rod Laver are the only players to ever win both the US Open and Wimbledon men's singles titles as an amateur and as a professional. The grass surfaces favored his game and the French Open's clay surface was the only major singles championship he never won. However, he did take the French doubles title on three occasions. Overall, he won 25 Grand Slam major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
John Newcombe was the last of the Australians who dominated tennis in the 1950s and 1960s. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Newcombe in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time,[1] and also considered Newcombe to have the best second serve in tennis history. In 1986, his achievements were recognized with his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Still active in tennis, he was made captain of Australia's Davis Cup team in 1995.
Notoriously, he was revealed to be President George W. Bush's drinking companion on the night when he was charged with driving under the influence. This controversy surfaced during the 2000 US Presidential Election[1].
He is an Australian Living Treasure.
Contents |
[edit] Grand Slam singles finals
[edit] Wins (7)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1967 | Wimbledon | Image:Flag of Germany.svg Wilhelm Bungert | 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 |
| 1967 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Clark Graebner | 6-4, 6-4, 8-6 |
| 1970 | Wimbledon (2) | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Ken Rosewall | 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 |
| 1971 | Wimbledon (3) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Stan Smith | 6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1973 | Australian Open | Image:Flag of New Zealand.svg Onny Parun | 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 |
| 1973 | U.S. Open (2) | Image:Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg Jan Kodeš | 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
| 1975 | Australian Open (2) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors | 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 |
[edit] Runner-ups (3)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1966 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Fred Stolle | 4-6, 12-10, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1969 | Wimbledon | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Rod Laver | 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1976 | Australian Open | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Mark Edmondson | 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1 |
[edit] Grand Slam men's doubles finals
[edit] Wins (17)
[edit] Runner-ups (4)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1963 | Australian Open | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Ken Fletcher | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Bob Hewitt Image:Flag of Australia.svg Fred Stolle | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 1964 | French Open | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Tony Roche | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Roy Emerson Image:Flag of Australia.svg Ken Fletcher | 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 |
| 1966 | Australian Championships (2) | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Tony Roche | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Roy Emerson Image:Flag of Australia.svg Fred Stolle | 7-9, 6-3, 6-8, 14-12, 12-10 |
| 1972 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Owen Davidson | Image:Flag of South Africa 1928-1994.svg Cliff Drysdale Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Roger Taylor | 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 |
[edit] Grand Slam mixed doubles finals
[edit] Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1964 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith Court | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Ed Rubinoff Image:Flag of Australia.svg Judy Tegart Dalton | 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1965 | Australian Open | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith Court | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Owen Davidson Image:Flag of Australia.svg Robbyn Ebbern | Shared championship, final not played |
[edit] Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1965 | French Open | Image:Flag of Brazil (1960-1968).svg Maria Bueno | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Ken Fletcher Image:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith Court | 6-4, 6-4 |
[edit] 68 Singles titles including 32 listed by the ATP Website for the Open Era only
[edit] Runner-ups (16)
[edit] Notes
- ^ In his 1979 autobiography Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either Don Budge (for consistent play) or Ellsworth Vines (at the height of his game). The next four best were, chronologically, Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, and Pancho Gonzales. After these six came the "second echelon" of Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Gottfried von Cramm, Ted Schroeder, Jack Crawford, Pancho Segura, Frank Sedgman, Tony Trabert, John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Björn Borg, and Jimmy Connors. He felt unable to rank Henri Cochet and René Lacoste accurately but felt they were among the very best.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- International Tennis Hall of Fame profile
- Official Wimbledon website profile
- Wikinfo article on John Newcombe
- Enough Rope's John Newcombe interview
- ATP Tour profile for John Newcombe
| Preceded by Ilie Năstase | World No. 1 June 3, 1974 - July 28, 1974 | Succeeded by Jimmy Connors |
World No. 1s in Men's tennis |
|---|
| Ilie Năstase | John Newcombe | Jimmy Connors | Björn Borg | John McEnroe | Ivan Lendl | Mats Wilander | Stefan Edberg | Boris Becker | Jim Courier | Pete Sampras | Andre Agassi | Thomas Muster | Marcelo Ríos | Carlos Moyà | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | Patrick Rafter | Marat Safin | Gustavo Kuerten | Lleyton Hewitt | Juan Carlos Ferrero | Andy Roddick | Roger Federer |
Australian Open men's singles champions* |
|---|
* Open Era • (1969) Rod Laver • (1970) Arthur Ashe • (1971-72) Ken Rosewall • (1973) John Newcombe • (1974) Jimmy Connors • (1975) John Newcombe • (1976) Mark Edmondson • (1977 [Jan]) Roscoe Tanner • (1977 [Dec]) Vitas Gerulaitis • (1978-79) Guillermo Vilas • (1980) Brian Teacher • (1981-82) Johan Kriek • (1983-84) Mats Wilander • (1985) Stefan Edberg • (1986) No competition • (1987) Stefan Edberg • (1988) Mats Wilander • (1989-90) Ivan Lendl • (1991) Boris Becker (1992-93) Jim Courier • (1994) Pete Sampras • (1995) Andre Agassi • (1996) Boris Becker • (1997) Pete Sampras • (1998) Petr Korda • (1999) Yevgeny Kafelnikov • (2000-01) Andre Agassi • (2002) Thomas Johansson • (2003) Andre Agassi • (2004) Roger Federer • (2005) Marat Safin • (2006-07) Roger Federer |
Wimbledon men's singles champions* |
|---|
* Open Era • (1968-69) Rod Laver • (1970–71) John Newcombe • (1972) Stan Smith • (1973) Jan Kodeš • (1974) Jimmy Connors • (1975) Arthur Ashe • (1976–80) Björn Borg • (1981) John McEnroe • (1982) Jimmy Connors • (1983–84) John McEnroe • (1985–86) Boris Becker • (1987) Pat Cash • (1988) Stefan Edberg • (1989) Boris Becker • (1990) Stefan Edberg (1991) Michael Stich • (1992) Andre Agassi • (1993–95) Pete Sampras • (1996) Richard Krajicek • (1997–00) Pete Sampras • (2001) Goran Ivanišević • (2002) Lleyton Hewitt • (2003–07) Roger Federer |
US Open men's singles champions* |
|---|
* Open Era • (1968) Arthur Ashe • (1969) Rod Laver • (1970) Ken Rosewall • (1971) Stan Smith • (1972) Ilie Năstase • (1973) John Newcombe • (1974) Jimmy Connors • (1975) Manuel Orantes • (1976) Jimmy Connors • (1977) Guillermo Vilas • (1978) Jimmy Connors • (1979–81) John McEnroe • (1982–83) Jimmy Connors • (1984) John McEnroe • (1985–87) Ivan Lendl • (1988) Mats Wilander • (1989) Boris Becker • (1990) Pete Sampras • (1991–92) Stefan Edberg • (1993) Pete Sampras • (1994) Andre Agassi • (1995–96) Pete Sampras • (1997–98) Patrick Rafter • (1999) Andre Agassi • (2000) Marat Safin • (2001) Lleyton Hewitt • (2002) Pete Sampras • (2003) Andy Roddick • (2004–07) Roger Federer |
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