Introduction
Neale Andrew Fraser AO MBE (born 3 October 1933) is a former number one amateurmale 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 7 (3 wins, 4 losses)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1957 | Australian Championships | Grass | Ashley Cooper | 3–6, 11–9, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1958 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Ashley Cooper | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 11–13 |
| Loss | 1959 | Australian Championships | Grass | Alex Olmedo | 1–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Win | 1959 | US Championships | Grass | Alex Olmedo | 6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1960 | Australian Championships | Grass | Rod Laver | 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–8, 6–8 |
| Win | 1960 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Rod Laver | 6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5 |
| Win | 1960 | US Championships | Grass | Rod Laver | 6–4, 6–4, 10–8 |
Doubles: 18 (11 wins, 7 losses)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1954 | Australian Championships | Grass | Clive Wilderspin | Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose |
3–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1954 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ken Rosewall | Rex Hartwig Lew Hoad |
5–7, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1957 | Australian Championships | Grass | Lew Hoad | Mal Anderson Ashley Cooper |
6–3, 8–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lew Hoad | Budge Patty Gardnar Mulloy |
10–8, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1957 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Ashley Cooper | Gardnar Mulloy Budge Patty |
4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–3 |
| Win | 1958 | Australian Championships | Grass | Ashley Cooper | Roy Emerson Bob Mark |
7–5, 6–8, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1958 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ashley Cooper | Sven Davidson Ulf Schmidt |
4–6, 4–6, 6–8 |
| Win | 1958 | French Championships | Clay | Ashley Cooper | Robert Howe Abe Segal |
3–6, 8–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1959 | French Championships | Clay | Roy Emerson | Nicola Pietrangeli Orlando Sirola |
3–6, 2–6, 12–14 |
| Win | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass | Roy Emerson | Rod Laver Bob Mark |
8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7 |
| Win | 1959 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Roy Emerson | Earl Buchholz Alex Olmedo |
3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1960 | Australian Championships | Grass | Roy Emerson | Rod Laver Bob Mark |
6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1960 | French Championships | Clay | Roy Emerson | Jose-Luis Arilla Andrés Gimeno |
6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 1960 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Roy Emerson | Rod Laver Bob Mark |
9–7, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 1961 | Wimbledon | Grass | Roy Emerson | Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle |
6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6 |
| Win | 1962 | Australian Championships | Grass | Roy Emerson | Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle |
4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9 |
| Win | 1962 | French Championships | Clay | Roy Emerson | Wilhelm Bungert Christian Kuhnke |
6–3, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 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)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1956 | Australian Championships | Grass | Beryl Penrose | Mary Bevis Hawton Roy Emerson |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | Althea Gibson | Darlene Hard Mervyn Rose |
4–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Maria Bueno Alex Olmedo |
6–3, 3–6, 9–7 |
| Loss | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass | Maria Bueno | Darlene Hard Rod Laver |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1959 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Janet Hopps Bob Mark |
7–5, 13–15, 6–2 |
| Win | 1960 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Maria Bueno Antonio Palafox |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 1962 | Wimbledon | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Ann Haydon-Jones Dennis Ralston |
2–6, 6–3, 13–11 |
Grand Slam performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
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 | 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 |