John Newcombe facts for kids
Newcombe in 1974
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| Full name | John David Newcombe |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  |
| Residence | Sydney, Australia |
| Born | 23 May 1944 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,062,408 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1986 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1072–401 (72.78%) |
| 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 (74.33%) |
| 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 is an Australian former professional tennis player. He was born on May 23, 1944. John is one of the few male players to be ranked number one in the world for both singles and doubles tennis.
He won many big tournaments called Grand Slams. He earned seven singles titles, a record 17 men's doubles titles, and two mixed doubles titles. John also helped Australia win the Davis Cup five times. The Davis Cup was a very important team event back then. Tennis magazine even named him the 10th best male player from 1965 to 2005.
Contents
John Newcombe's Amazing Career
John Newcombe played many sports when he was a boy. He later decided to focus on tennis. His powerful serve and volley style of play was key to his success. He was known for hitting a second-serve ace, which is a very difficult shot.
Early Wins and Doubles Success
John was the Australian junior champion from 1961 to 1963. He joined Australia's Davis Cup winning team in 1964. In 1965, he won his first Grand Slam title. This was the Australian Championships doubles title with his friend Tony Roche.
That same year, John and Tony also won the Wimbledon doubles title. They became a very successful 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, John and Tony 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 the top amateur tennis player in the world. He was the first player to receive the Martini and Rossi award that year. As a professional, he was ranked world number one in 1970 and 1971 by many experts. In 1973, he was again ranked world number one.
In singles, John won the Australian Open twice. He won Wimbledon three times. He also won the US Open twice.
Joining Professional Tennis
In 1968, John Newcombe became a professional player. He joined Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis (WCT) group. He was part of the "Handsome Eight," which were the first eight WCT players. John was guaranteed a lot of money each year, more than top baseball players at the time.
John won the WCT championship in 1974. He beat famous players like Okker, Smith, and Björn Borg in the final.
His Last Major Win
John's last major win was the 1975 Australian Open. He won some very tough matches that went to five sets. In the final, he played against Jimmy Connors. Many people say this was one of his best performances ever.
John Newcombe was one of the last great Australian players. Australians had dominated tennis in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
Honors and Recognition
In 1979, Jack Kramer, a famous tennis player and promoter, listed John Newcombe as one of the 21 greatest players of all time.
John was also the captain of the Australian Davis Cup team from 1995 to 2000.
He was honored in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1986, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Winning Big Tournaments
Singles Finals: 10 (7 Wins, 3 Runner-ups)
John Newcombe played in 10 Grand Slam singles finals. He won 7 of them and was the runner-up in 3.
| 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 |
Special Achievements and Honors
- John Newcombe was the chairman of the International Tennis Players Association, a group for tennis players. He also served as president of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
- In total, he won 26 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
- He received two special awards from the British and Australian governments. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1978 for his services to sport. In 1989, he became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for helping the community, especially young people and those with disabilities.
- John 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 best. He never won the French Open singles title, which is played on clay. However, he did win the French Open doubles title three times!
- He is considered an Australian Living Treasure.
- The Newcombe Medal, an award 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. This is a place where people can learn and play tennis.
- He also works with Cliff Drysdale to create the John Newcombe Estate & Country Club in New Braunfels, Texas.
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
