Mal Anderson

Last updated

Mal Anderson
MBE
Mal Anderson (1972).jpg
Mal Anderson (1972)
Country (sports)Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Born (1935-03-03) 3 March 1935 (age 89)
Theodore, Queensland
Turned pro1958 (amateur from 1952)
Retired1977
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF 2000 (member page)
Singles
Career record646-446 (59.1%) [1]
Career titles17 [1]
Highest rankingNo. 2 (1957, Adrian Quist ) [2]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open F (1958, 1972)
French Open 2R (1957)
Wimbledon QF (1956, 1958)
US Open W (1957)
Other tournaments
Professional majors
US Pro QF (1959, 1965, 1966)
Wembley Pro W (1959)
French Pro SF (1962, 1965)
Other pro events
TOC SF (1959 AUS)
Doubles
Career record53–28
Career titles4

Malcolm James Anderson MBE (born 3 March 1935) is an Australian former tennis player who was active from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. He won the singles title at the 1957 U.S. National Championships and achieved his highest amateur ranking of No. 2 in 1957. He became a professional after the 1958 season and won the Wembley World Professional Tennis Championships in the 1959 season. In the Open Era, he was runner-up at the 1972 Australian Open.

Contents

Background

A right-hander, Anderson started playing tennis when he was eight and became serious about the sport at 16.

Anderson is the brother-in-law of fellow Australian tennis star Roy Emerson.

Playing career

Amateur

Anderson's two best seasons were 1957 and 1958 when, as an amateur, he twice achieved a ranking of world No. 2. [2] [3]

In 1957, Anderson won the US Championships as an unseeded player. Earlier that year, he had reached the semifinals of the Australian Championships and won the French Championship doubles, partnering with Ashley Cooper, the man he went on to defeat in the final of the 1957 US Championships.

In 1958, Anderson was a finalist at both the Australian Championships and US Championships, losing both times to Cooper.

Professional

Anderson turned professional in late 1958. He finished fourth in the 4-man 1959 World Championship tour behind Gonzales, Hoad, and Cooper, although he won five matches against Hoad. [4] In the 1959 Ampol world series of tournaments, Anderson finished tied for sixth place with Segura. At the Forest Hills Tournament of Champions, part of the Ampol series, Anderson lost a close quarterfinal to Hoad. Later in the Ampol series, Anderson won the Wembley Championships, defeating defending champion Frank Sedgman in the quarterfinal, and with close five-set victories over Ken Rosewall in the semifinal and Pancho Segura in the final. [5] [6] Anderson saved match point against Segura before winning. [7] Following the win, Anderson stated that he would retire from pro tennis as soon as he had saved enough money to buy a farm in Australia. [6] At the Sydney White City Tournament of Champions in December, also part of the Ampol series, Anderson reached the semifinal where he lost to Hoad. [8]

Anderson announced his retirement from the pro tour following the 1963 Wembley tournament, citing eyesight problems. [9]

Anderson appeared in another major final in 1972, when at age 36, he was a finalist at the Australian Open, defeating Newcombe in a long five set quarterfinal, and Metreveli in the semifinal, before losing the final to Ken Rosewall. In that same season, he won the Hong Kong Hardcourt title defeating Geoff Masters in the semifinal and Pancho Gonzales in the final. In 1973, he captured the Australian Open doubles title along with John Newcombe. Anderson's last important tournament win was the 1973 New South Wales Championships at Sydney White City (billed as Sydney International), where he defeated in succession Hans Plotz, Phil Dent in five long sets, Colin Dibley in five sets, Newcombe in a close four set semifinal, and Rosewall in the final in three close sets.

Anderson played on four Australian Davis Cup teams, in 1957, 1958, 1972 and 1973, the team winning twice (1957 and 1973).

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1957 U.S. Championships Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ashley Cooper 10–8, 7–5, 6–4
Loss1958 Australian Championships Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ashley Cooper5–7, 3–6, 4–6
Loss1958U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ashley Cooper2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–10, 6–8
Loss1972 Australian Open Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Rosewall 6–7(2–7), 3–6, 5–7

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1957 Australian Championships Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ashley Cooper Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lew Hoad
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Neale Fraser 		3–6, 6–8, 4–6
Win1957 French Championships Clay Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ashley Cooper Flag of Australia (converted).svg Don Candy
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mervyn Rose 		6–3, 6–0, 6–3
Win1973 Australian Open Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Newcombe Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Alexander
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil Dent 		6–3, 6–4, 7–6

Mixed doubles: 1 (1 title)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1957 Australian Championships Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fay Muller Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jill Langley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Billy Knight 		7–5, 3–6, 6–1

Pro Slam finals: 1 (1 title)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Win 1959 Wembley Pro Indoor Flag of Ecuador.svg Pancho Segura 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6

Singles performance timeline

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
1954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 SRW–LWin %
Grand Slam tournaments 1 / 2551–2368.9
Australian Open 1R 3R QF SF F AAA 1R AAAAAA 3R 1R 2R F 2R AA 3R A 1R 0 / 1319–1261.3
French Open AAA 2R AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA0 / 11–150.0
Wimbledon A 1R QF 4R QF AAAAAAAAAA 3R AAAAAAAA0 / 513–572.2
US Open A 3R 1R W F AAAAAAAAA 3R AAA 2R AAAAA1 / 618–578.3
Pro Slam tournaments 1 / 1714–1745.2
U.S. Pro AAAAAA QF AAAAA QF QF 1R 0 / 32–433.3
French Pro NHNHANHA QF QF 1R SF QF A SF QF A0 / 77–750.0
Wembley Pro NHNHAAA W 1R 1R 1R QF A QF QF A1 / 75–645.5
Win–loss0–13–36–314–314–35–21–20–22–31–20–03–32–30–11–14–20–01–16–20–10–00–02–10–12 / 4265–4061.9

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

Honours

In the 1972 Birthday Honours, Anderson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for his contribution to lawn tennis". [10] [11]

Anderson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. [12] On 23 August 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his achievements in tennis. [13]

In 2001, Anderson was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame. [12] In 2009 he was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. [14] On 6 January 2016, he was named an Icon of Queensland Tennis, [15] and inducted into the Brisbane Tennis Trail, in December 2017, at Tennis Avenue Park, Ashgrove, by the placement of a bench in Tennis Avenue Park in his honour. [16]

Anderson donated the champion cup he won as the 1957 men's singles champion at the US Open to the tennis club where he commenced his career, the Theodore Tennis Club, as part of the town's centenary celebrations in 2022. [17]

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References

  1. 1 2 Garcia, Gabriel. "Mal Anderson: Career Match Record". thetennisbase.com. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Times Have Changed, Says Adrian Quist" Archived 6 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine , The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 October 1957.
  3. ↑ "Former Champ Martina Honoured", New Straits Times, 27 January 2000.
  4. ↑ McCauley (2000) p. 212
  5. ↑ British Movietone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q_O2VviEq0&t=70s
  6. 1 2 McCauley (2000) p.96
  7. ↑ Little Pancho: The Life of Tennis Legend Pancho Segura: Seebohm, Caroline: 9780803220416, P. 101
  8. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, 11 December 1959.
  9. ↑ McCauley (2000) p.125
  10. ↑ United Kingdom list: "No. 45678". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 May 1972. p. 6275.
  11. ↑ "Mr Malcolm James ANDERSON". PMC. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Malcolm Anderson - Player profiles". Tennis Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "Malcolm James Anderson". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  14. ↑ "Mr Mal Anderson MBE". Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. qsport.org.au. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  15. ↑ https://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2016/01/us-open-champion-honored-as-icon-of-queensland-tennis%5B%5D
  16. ↑ "Brisbane's Tennis Trail | Brisbane City Council". Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  17. ↑ Sheehan, Amy; Jetson, Freya (25 August 2024). "Tennis champion Malcolm Anderson gifts US Open trophy to tiny rural Theodore Tennis Club". ABC News. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
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