Neale Fraser

Neale Fraser

Fraser in 1956
Full name	Neale Andrew Fraser
Country (sports)	Australia
Residence	Australia
Born	(1933-10-03)3 October 1933 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	2 December 2024(2024-12-02) (aged 91) Australia
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Retired	1977
Plays	Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1984 (member page)
Singles
Career record	697–227 (75.2%) [1]
Career titles	37 [1]
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1959, Lance Tingay) [2]
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)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962)

Neale Andrew Fraser, AO MBE (3 October 1933 – 2 December 2024) was an Australian champion tennis player. Fraser is the most recent 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 did in 1959 and 1960 at the U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open). He won the 1960 Wimbledon championships. Fraser was ranked world No. 1 amateur tennis player in 1959 and 1960 by Lance Tingay ^[3] and Ned Potter. ^[4]

After his playing days were over, he was the non-playing captain of Australia's Davis Cup team for a record 24 years. ^[5]

Biography

Fraser at the 1972 Dutch Open

Neale Fraser was the son of barrister and politician Archibald Fraser. ^[6]

The young Fraser was taught by coach Bryan Slattery, and later won the Wimbledon singles in 1960 and the U.S. Championships singles in 1959 and 1960. He 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, he took three Australian (1957, 1958, and 1962), French (1958, 1960, and 1962) and US (1957, 1959, and 1960) titles, and two Wimbledons (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 Championships in 1956 with Beryl Penrose, Wimbledon in 1962, and the U.S. Championships from 1958 to 1960 with Margaret Osborne duPont. He holds the distinction of having won the U.S. 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. ^[2]

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 Philippe Chatrier Award for outstanding achievements in tennis.

Fraser was also the centenary ambassador for the Davis Cup, and was the first recipient of the ITF and International Hall of Fame's Davis Cup Award of Excellence.

Neale Fraser was married with children and grandchildren. He was voted Victorian Father of the Year in 1974. ^[7]

Fraser died on 2 December 2024, at the age of 91. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

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

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

DNQ

A

NH

(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.

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

See also

• Davis Cup winning players

References

1. Garcia, Gabriel. "Neale Fraser: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
2. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
3. (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. ISBN 978-1-9375-5938-0.
4. Potter, Edward C. (November 1960). "The World's First Tens of 1960". World Tennis. Vol. 8, no. 6. New York. p. 35.
5. "Neale Fraser: A Davis Cup devotee like no other". WLM Tennis. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
6. "Archibald McDonald Fraser". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
7. "Past winners". Father’s Day Council of Victoria. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
8. McGowan, Greg Baum, Marc (3 December 2024). "'The spirit of the Davis Cup': Australian tennis legend Neale Fraser dies aged 91". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
9. "Neale Fraser, Australian 19-time tennis major winner, dies aged 91". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 2 December 2024.
10. "Farewell Neale Fraser, 3-time major champion & Australian Davis Cup hero | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 3 December 2024.

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