John Clifton (tennis)

Last updated

John Clifton
Country (sports) Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain
ResidencePlymouth, England.
Born (1946-02-19) 19 February 1946 (age 78)
Leeds, England
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career record5–18
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 243 (3 June 1974)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open 1R (1971)
Wimbledon 2R (1971)
US Open 1R (1971)
Doubles
Career record8–15
Career titles0
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon 3R (1973)
US Open 1R (1971)

John Clifton (born 19 February 1946) is a British former professional tennis player. [1] [2] [3] He was born in England and grew up in Scotland. [4]

Contents

Clifton became the first player to start a match and win a point in the open era of tennis when he played Owen Davidson in the first round of the British Hard Court Championships in Bournemouth played on 22 April 1968. Clifton lost the match in four sets. [5] [6] [7]

With partner John Paish, Clifton was a doubles runner-up at Newport in 1971. [1]

He made the second round of the singles at the 1971 Wimbledon Championships and the third round of the men's doubles at the 1973 Wimbledon Championships (with Stanley Matthews). [1]

Clifton played a tie for the Great Britain Davis Cup team in 1970, against Austria. He took part in singles rubbers against Peter Pokorny and Hans Kary, but was unable to win either. [8]

Grand Prix career finals

Doubles: 1 (0–1)

OutcomeNo.YearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Runner-up1.1971 Newport, Great Britain Grass Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Paish Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Rosewall
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Roger Taylor
5–7, 6–3, 2–6

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Newcombe</span> Australian tennis player

John David Newcombe AO OBE is an Australian former professional tennis player. He is one of the few men to have attained a world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles. At the majors, he won seven singles titles, a former record 17 men's doubles titles, and two mixed doubles titles. He also contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during an age when the Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the majors. Tennis magazine rated him the 10th best male player of the period 1965–2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Rosewall</span> Australian tennis player (born 1934)

Kenneth Robert Rosewall is an Australian former world top-ranking professional tennis player. Rosewall won 147 singles titles, including a record 15 Pro Majors and 8 Grand Slam titles for a total 23 titles at pro and amateur majors. He also won 15 Pro Majors in doubles and 9 Grand Slam doubles titles. Rosewall achieved a Pro Slam in singles in 1963 by winning the three Pro Majors in one year and he completed the Career Grand Slam in doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Emerson</span> Australian tennis player (born 1936)

Roy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. All of his singles Grand Slam victories and 14 of his Grand Slam doubles victories were achieved before the open era began in 1968. He is the only male player to have completed a career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles, and the first of four male players to complete a double career Grand Slam in singles. His 28 major titles are the all-time record for a male player. He was ranked world No. 1 amateur in 1961 by Ned Potter, 1964 by Potter, Lance Tingay and an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 14 experts and 1965 by Tingay, Joseph McCauley, Sport za Rubezhom and an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 16 experts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Jones (tennis)</span> English tennis player

Ann Shirley Jones, is a British former table tennis and lawn tennis champion. She won eight Grand Slam tennis championships in her career: three in singles, three in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. As of 2023, she serves as a vice president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Clark Graebner is a retired American professional tennis player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafael Osuna</span> Mexican tennis player

Rafael Osuna Herrera , nicknamed "El Pelón", was a former world No. 1 tennis player, the most successful player in the history of Mexico and an Olympian. He was born in Mexico City, and is best remembered for his singles victory at the U.S. Open Championships in 1963, winning the 1960 and 1963 Wimbledon Doubles championships, the 1962 U.S. Open Championships doubles, and for leading Mexico to its only Davis Cup Final round appearance in 1962. He is the only Mexican to date to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Françoise Dürr</span> French tennis player

Françoise Dürr is a retired French tennis player. She won 50 singles titles and over 60 doubles titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Heath</span> Australian tennis player

Rodney Wilfred Heath was an Australian tennis player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikola Pilić</span> Croatian tennis coach and former Yugoslavian tennis player

Nikola "Niki" Pilić is a Croatian former professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holcombe Ward</span> American tennis player

Holcombe Ward was an American tennis player who was active during the last years of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th. He won the U.S. National Championships singles title in 1904 and additionally won six doubles titles at the Grand Slam event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John F. Hennessey</span> American tennis player

John Francis Hennessey was a top American tennis player of the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Roper Barrett</span> English tennis player

Herbert Roper Barrett, KC was a tennis player from Great Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Richey</span> American tennis player

George Clifford Richey Jr. is an American former amateur and professional tennis player who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Richey achieved a highest singles ranking of World No. 6 and reached at least the quarterfinal stage of the singles event at all four Grand Slam tournaments.

Wilmer Lawson Allison Jr. was an American amateur tennis champion of the 1930s. Allison was both a fine singles player and, along with his frequent partner, John Van Ryn, a great doubles player. He won the 1935 U.S. Championship in singles and was ranked US No. 1 in 1934 and 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Davidson</span> Australian tennis player (1943–2023)

Owen Keir Davidson was an Australian professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Gregory</span> British tennis player

Doctor John Colin Gregory was an amateur British tennis player, best remembered for winning the Australian Open in 1929.

Brian Fairlie is a New Zealand tennis player. During his career from 1968 to 1979, he won four titles in doubles, all with the Egyptian player Ismail El Shafei, and 10 singles titles in the Open era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Kirby</span> South African tennis player

Vernon Gordon 'Bob' Kirby was a South African tennis player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Powell (tennis)</span> Canadian tennis player

Robert Branks 'Bobby' Powell was a male tennis player from Canada.

Tennis in Scotland was introduced from France in the Middle Ages. During the 20th century it was a minor sport, but has obtained some prominence due to the successes of Andy Murray and other Scots. While tennis courts are not uncommon, the country's oceanic climate has made it historically quite hard for Scottish players to develop. The only tennis inductee into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is Winnie Shaw. However, since 2008, Tennis Scotland's membership has increased from 32,715 to 47,657 - a rise of more than 45 per cent.

References

  1. 1 2 3 ATP World Tour profile
  2. ITF Pro Circuit profile
  3. Tennis Archives: John G. Clifton
  4. Scotsman , "Clifton's tennis love match lingers on despite past agony", 7 April 2006
  5. Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book (2nd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. pp. 144, 145. ISBN   9780942257700.
  6. John Barrett, ed. (1993). The International Tennis Federation  : World of Tennis 1993. London: Collins Willow. p. 7. ISBN   9780002185080.
  7. "The First Open Makes Its Mark". Sports Illustrated . 6 May 1968. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013.
  8. Davis Cup: John Clifton