John Newcombe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
John Newcombe
AO OBE

Newcombe in 1968
Full name	John David Newcombe
Country (sports)
Residence	Sydney, Australia
Born	(1944-05-23) 23 May 1944 (age 81) Sydney, Australia
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro	1967 (amateur from 1960)
Retired	1981
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$1,062,408
Int. Tennis HoF	1986 (member page)
Singles
Career record	1072–401 (72.8%)
Career titles	68 (41 open era titles listed by ATP)
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1967, Lance Tingay) No. 1 (3 June 1974, ATP)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1973, 1975)
French Open	QF (1965, 1969)
Wimbledon	W (1967, 1970, 1971)
US Open	W (1967, 1973)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (1973, 1974)
WCT Finals	W (1974)
Professional majors
Doubles
Career record	333–115 (74.3)
Career titles	33
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1965)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1965, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1976)
French Open	W (1967, 1969, 1973)
Wimbledon	W (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974)
US Open	W (1967, 1971, 1973)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	W (1965)
French Open	F (1965)
US Open	W (1964)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1973)

John David Newcombe (born May 23, 1944) is a famous Australian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world's best player in both singles and doubles tennis. Newcombe won an amazing 26 major titles, including seven in singles. He also helped Australia win five Davis Cup titles. Many people consider him one of the greatest male tennis players of his time.

John Newcombe's Early Life and Career

John Newcombe played many different sports when he was a boy. Eventually, he decided to focus all his energy on tennis. His strong serve and volley style of play were key to his attacking game. He was known for often hitting a second-serve ace, which is a very difficult shot.

Newcombe was the Australian junior champion from 1961 to 1963. In 1964, he was part of Australia's team that won the Davis Cup. This was a big achievement early in his career.

Grand Slam Doubles Success

In 1965, Newcombe won his first major title. He teamed up with fellow Australian Tony Roche to win the doubles title at the Australian Open. That same year, they also won the doubles title at Wimbledon.

Newcombe and Roche became a very successful doubles team. They won the Australian doubles championship three more times. They also won Wimbledon four more times. In 1967, they won the US Championships and the French Championships. They won the French Open again in 1969.

Together, Newcombe and Roche won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles. This was a record for a men's doubles team for a long time. It was only broken in 2013 by the Bryan brothers.

Becoming World Number One

In 1967, John Newcombe was considered the top amateur tennis player in the world. He was the first player to win the Martini and Rossi award. This award was given to the player who earned the most points in their system that year.

After becoming a professional player, Newcombe was ranked as the world number one in 1970. He was also ranked number one in 1971. In singles, he won the Australian Open twice, Wimbledon three times, and the US Open twice.

Professional Tennis and Major Wins

In January 1968, Newcombe signed a professional contract with Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis (WCT). He became one of the "Handsome Eight," who were the first eight WCT players. Newcombe was guaranteed a large amount of money each year. This was more than even the highest-paid baseball player at the time.

As a WCT player, Newcombe was not allowed to play in the 1972 Wimbledon Championships. This was due to rules from the International Tennis Federation. In 1973, he joined other players in a boycott of the Wimbledon event.

In 1974, Newcombe won the WCT championship. He defeated strong players like Okker, Smith, and Borg in the final matches.

Newcombe's last major win was the 1975 Australian Open. He won several tough matches that went to five sets. In the final, he played against Jimmy Connors in a classic match. Many people believe this final against Connors was one of his best performances ever.

John Newcombe was one of the last Australian players who were dominant in tennis during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Achievements and Recognition

• Newcombe was the chairman of the International Tennis Players Association, which started in 1969.
• He also served as the president of the Association of Tennis Professionals in 1977 and 1978.
• Overall, he won 26 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
• Newcombe was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1978. He also received the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1989. These awards recognized his contributions to sports and the community.
• Newcombe and Rod Laver are the only players to win both the US Open and Wimbledon men's singles titles as an amateur and as a professional.
• The grass courts at Wimbledon and the US Open suited his playing style very well. The French Open, played on clay, was the only major singles championship he never won. However, he did win the French doubles title three times.
• He is considered an Australian Living Treasure.
• The Newcombe Medal, which is given each year to Australia's best tennis player, is named after him.
• He runs the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch & Tennis Academy in New Braunfels, Texas.
• He works with Cliff Drysdale to develop the John Newcombe Estate & Country Club in New Braunfels, Texas.

Grand Slam Finals: Singles

John Newcombe played in 10 Grand Slam singles finals, winning 7 of them.

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1966	U.S. Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–4, 10–12, 3–6, 4–6
Win	1967	Wimbledon	Grass	Wilhelm Bungert	6–2, 6–1, 6–1
Win	1967	U.S. Championships	Grass	Clark Graebner	6–4, 6–4, 8–6
↓ Open Era ↓
Loss	1969	Wimbledon	Grass	Rod Laver	4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6
Win	1970	Wimbledon	Grass	Ken Rosewall	5–7, 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1
Win	1971	Wimbledon	Grass	Stan Smith	6–3, 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win	1973	Australian Open	Grass	Onny Parun	6–3, 6–7, 7–5, 6–1
Win	1973	US Open	Grass	Jan Kodeš	6–4, 1–6, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3
Win	1975	Australian Open	Grass	Jimmy Connors	7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 7–6
Loss	1976	Australian Open	Grass	Mark Edmondson	7–6, 3–6, 6–7, 1–6

Grand Slam Performance: Singles

This table shows how John Newcombe performed in singles at the four major Grand Slam tournaments throughout his career.

Source: ITF

Images for kids

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  Newcombe in 1968

See also

In Spanish: John Newcombe para niños

• List of Grand Slam men's singles champions
• World number one male tennis player rankings
• Tennis male players statistics