Roy Emerson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Roy Emerson
AC

Full name	Roy Stanley Emerson
Country (sports)	Australia
Residence	Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Born	(1936-11-03) 3 November 1936 (age 88) Blackbutt, Queensland, Australia
Turned pro	1968 (amateur tour from 1951)
Retired	1983
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1982 (member page)
Singles
Career record	1397-416 (77.0%)
Career titles	110 (6 open era titles listed by ATP)
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1961, Ned Potter)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967)
French Open	W (1963, 1967)
Wimbledon	W (1964, 1965)
US Open	W (1961, 1964)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1962, 1966, 1969)
French Open	W (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)
Wimbledon	W (1959, 1961, 1971)
US Open	W (1959, 1960, 1965, 1966)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967)

Roy Stanley Emerson (born 3 November 1936) is a famous Australian tennis player. He won a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. This includes 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles. Most of these wins happened before 1968, when the "Open Era" of tennis began.

Roy Emerson is the only male player to have won a Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles. This means he won all four major tennis tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) in both categories. He was also the first of only four male players to win a double Career Grand Slam in singles. His 28 major titles are a record for male players. He was ranked the world's number one amateur player several times in the 1960s.

Emerson was the first male player to win 12 major singles titles. He held this record for 30 years. He also held the record for six Australian Open men's singles titles until 2019. He won five of these Australian titles in a row (1963–1967), which is still a record! He was also part of eight Davis Cup-winning teams for Australia.

Roy Emerson: A Tennis Legend

Early Life and Training

Roy Emerson was born on a farm in Blackbutt, Queensland, Australia. His family later moved to Brisbane. There, he got better tennis coaching. He went to Brisbane Grammar School and Ipswich Grammar School.

He played his first singles tournament in 1951. In 1953, he won his first singles title.

Grand Slam Success

Emerson won his first Grand Slam doubles title in 1959 at Wimbledon. He played with his partner, Neale Fraser.

In 1961, he won his first Grand Slam singles title. This was at the Australian Championships. He beat his fellow Australian, Rod Laver, in the final. Later that year, Emerson won his second major singles title. He beat Laver again at the US Championships.

His Playing Style

On the tennis tour, Roy Emerson was known as "Emmo." He was a right-handed player, about six feet tall. He trained very hard and was always in great shape. This helped him play in tough matches. He usually played a "serve-and-volley" style. This means he would serve and then quickly run to the net. He was also good at playing on slow courts. This allowed him to win on all types of tennis surfaces.

Roy Emerson at the 1963 Dutch International Tennis Championships in Hilversum.

From 1963 to 1967, Emerson won five Australian Championships singles titles in a row. His record of six Australian men's singles titles was broken in 2019 by Novak Djokovic.

In 1963, Emerson also won his first French Championships singles title. He beat Pierre Darmon in the final.

Emerson won his first Wimbledon singles title in 1964. He defeated Fred Stolle in the final. In 1964, Emerson won 55 matches in a row. He won three of the four Grand Slam events that year. He only missed winning the French Open.

Roy Emerson chose to remain an amateur player for most of his career. He did not become a professional player until 1968.

He was the world's number one amateur player in 1964 and 1965. In 1965, he won the Australian and Wimbledon singles titles again. In 1966, he hurt his shoulder during a Wimbledon match. He still finished the match but could not win.

Emerson's last major singles title was at the French Championships in 1967. This was just before the Open Era began. His record of 12 major singles titles stood until 2000. That's when Pete Sampras won more.

Emerson won 10 Grand Slam tournament finals in a row when he reached them. This is a record that still stands.

Doubles Dominance

Roy Emerson won his last Grand Slam doubles title in 1971 at Wimbledon. He played with Rod Laver. He won his 16 Grand Slam doubles titles with five different partners. From 1960 to 1965, he won six French Open men's doubles titles in a row.

Many tennis experts praised Emerson's doubles skills. Jack Kramer, a famous tennis promoter, called Emerson the best doubles player of his time. He said Emerson was very quick and could cover the court well.

Emerson was also a key player in the Australian Davis Cup team. He helped Australia win the Davis Cup eight times between 1959 and 1967.

His 12 singles and 16 doubles titles show he is one of the greatest players in Grand Slam history.

Later Career and Life

Roy Emerson's last top-20 ranking was in 1973. He won his final career title that year in San Francisco. He beat famous players like Roscoe Tanner, Arthur Ashe, and Björn Borg in that tournament. He played only a few more tournaments until 1977. His last match was in Switzerland in 1983.

Roy Emerson in 1969

After leaving the main tennis tour, Emerson did not fully retire. In the late 1970s, he was a player and coach for the Boston Lobsters. This was a team in World Team Tennis (WTT). He mostly played doubles for the Lobsters. He often teamed up with Tony Roche.

Today, Roy Emerson lives in Newport Beach, California, with his wife, Joy. They have a daughter named Heidi. He also has a home in Gstaad, Switzerland. He holds a tennis clinic there every summer. His son, Antony, also played tennis. Roy and Antony won a Father-and-Son title together in 1978.

Awards and Honours

Roy Emerson has received many awards for his amazing tennis career.

• He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1982.
• He joined the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986.
• The main court at the Suisse Open Gstaad tournament is named Roy Emerson Arena in his honor. He won this tournament five times.
• In 2000, he received the Australian Sports Medal.
• In 2001, he received the Centenary Medal.
• The Roy Emerson trophy is given to the male champion at the Brisbane International tennis tournament.
• In 2009, he was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.
• In 2014, a new tennis center in Milton, Brisbane, was named after him.
• Also in 2014, the Roy Emerson Museum opened in Blackbutt, his hometown.
• In 2017, a statue of Roy Emerson was unveiled at the Blackbutt Museum.

His Place in Tennis History

In a 2012 TV series called "100 Greatest of All Time", Roy Emerson was ranked the 11th greatest male tennis player ever. He was the second-highest ranked Australian player, after Rod Laver.

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Singles: 15 (12 titles, 3 runners–up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1961	Australian Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
Win	1961	US Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	7–5, 6–3, 6–2
Loss	1962	Australian Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	6–8, 6–0, 4–6, 4–6
Loss	1962	French Championships	Clay	Rod Laver	6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 7–9, 2–6
Loss	1962	US Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	2–6, 4–6, 7–5, 4–6
Win	1963	Australian Championships	Grass	Ken Fletcher	6–3, 6–3, 6–1
Win	1963	French Championships	Clay	Pierre Darmon	3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
Win	1964	Australian Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Win	1964	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–4, 12–10, 4–6, 6–3
Win	1964	US Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–2, 6–2, 6–4
Win	1965	Australian Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	7–9, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–1
Win	1965	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–2, 6–4, 6–4
Win	1966	Australian Championships	Grass	Arthur Ashe	6–4, 6–8, 6–2, 6–3
Win	1967	Australian Championships	Grass	Arthur Ashe	6–4, 6–1, 6–1
Win	1967	French Championships	Clay	Tony Roche	6–1, 6–4, 2–6, 6–2

Doubles: 28 (16 titles, 12 runners–up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1958	Australian Championships	Grass	Bob Mark	Ashley Cooper Neale Fraser	5–7, 8–6, 6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Loss	1959	French Championships	Clay	Neale Fraser	Nicola Pietrangeli Orlando Sirola	3–6, 2–6, 12–14
Win	1959	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Neale Fraser	Rod Laver Robert Mark	8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7
Win	1959	US Championships	Grass	Neale Fraser	Earl Buchholz Alex Olmedo	3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5
Loss	1960	Australian Championships	Grass	Neale Fraser	Rod Laver Robert Mark	6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win	1960	French Championships	Clay	Neale Fraser	José Luis Arilla Andrés Gimeno	6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4
Win	1960	US Championships	Grass	Neale Fraser	Rod Laver Robert Mark	9–7, 6–2, 6–4
Loss	1961	Australian Championships	Grass	Marty Mulligan	Rod Laver Robert Mark	3–6, 5–7, 6–3, 11–9, 2–6
Win	1961	French Championships	Clay	Rod Laver	Robert Howe Robert Mark	3–6, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
Win	1961	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Neale Fraser	Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle	6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6
Win	1962	Australian Championships	Grass	Neale Fraser	Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle	4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9
Win	1962	French Championships	Clay	Neale Fraser	Wilhelm Bungert Christian Kuhnke	6–3, 6–4, 7–5
Win	1963	French Championships	Clay	Manolo Santana	Gordon Forbes Abe Segal	6–2, 6–4, 6–4
Loss	1964	Australian Championships	Grass	Ken Fletcher	Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle	4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 12–14
Win	1964	French Championships	Clay	Ken Fletcher	John Newcombe Tony Roche	7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5
Loss	1964	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Ken Fletcher	Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle	5–7, 9–11, 4–6
Loss	1965	Australian Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	John Newcombe Tony Roche	6–3, 6–4, 11–13, 3–6, 4–6
Win	1965	French Championships	Clay	Fred Stolle	Ken Fletcher Bob Hewitt	6–8, 6–3, 8–6, 6–2
Win	1965	US Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	Frank Froehling Charles Pasarell	6–4, 10–12, 7–5, 6–3
Win	1966	Australian Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	John Newcombe Tony Roche	7–9, 6–3, 6–8, 14–12, 12–10
Win	1966	US Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	Clark Graebner Dennis Ralston	6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Loss	1967	French Championships	Clay	Ken Fletcher	John Newcombe Tony Roche	3–6, 7–9, 10–12
Loss	1967	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Ken Fletcher	Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan	2–6, 3–6, 4–6
↓ Open Era ↓
Loss	1968	French Open	Clay	Rod Laver	Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle	3–6, 4–6, 3–6
Win	1969	Australian Open	Grass	Rod Laver	Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle	6–4, 6–4
Loss	1969	French Open	Clay	Rod Laver	John Newcombe Tony Roche	6–4, 1–6, 6–3, 4–6, 4–6
Loss	1970	US Open	Grass	Rod Laver	Pierre Barthès Nikola Pilić	3–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7
Win	1971	Wimbledon	Grass	Rod Laver	Arthur Ashe Dennis Ralston	4–6, 9–7, 6–8, 6–4, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 2 (runners–up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1956	Australian Championships	Grass	Mary Bevis Hawton	Beryl Penrose Neale Fraser	2–6, 4–6
Loss	1960	French Championships	Clay	Ann Haydon-Jones	Maria Bueno Robert Howe	6–1, 1–6, 2–6

Grand Slam Tournament Performance Timeline

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Roy Emerson para niños

• World number one male tennis player rankings
• Tennis male players statistics
• All-time tennis records – men's singles
• Tennis records of the Open Era – men's singles