Farewell Neale Fraser, Australian Davis Cup champion | ATP Tour

A dead body

Farewell Neale Fraser, 3-time major champion and Australian Davis Cup champion

Fraser also won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles

December 03, 2024

Neale Fraser, the estimable Australian left-hander who was one of the most cunning players to play tennis during his prime in the late 1950s and early 1960s, claiming no fewer than 19 major championships in total in singles, doubles and mixed doubles between 1956 and 1962 however. forever in the shadow of countrymen including Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Ashley Cooper and Mal Anderson, and established himself as an outstanding Davis Cup player and captain—died December 2, 2024. He was 91.

Using his dynamic ability to reach the finish and make it a pillar of his game, Fraser was a formidable player who flourished at a time when three of the four majors were held on grass. Fraser's southpaw mastery of spins on serve set him apart for his time and made him especially formidable on grass courts. His worship was deceptive and often unstoppable. He can drop it flat in the corners, carve it wide or pressure right-handed opponents with his devilish forehand deuce kick.

Fraser was a tried and true player, backing up his excellent delivery soundly on the volley, attacking relentlessly, overwhelming opponents with his power to come forward at all the right times. He was a product of his era on fast pitches, relentlessly aggressive as a playmaker, measuring percentages with determination to give himself the best chance to succeed.

ITHF remembers Hall of Famer Neale Fraser, one of Australia's legends.

A 19-time major champion and Davis Cup hero as a player and captain, Fraser reached the pinnacle of the game and mentored a generation of Aussies.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends today.

– International Tennis Hall of Fame (@TennisHalloFame) December 3, 2024

Neale Andrew Fraser was born on October 3, 1933 in Melbourne where he grew up and lived as an adult, starting to play tennis at the age of eleven in a neighbor's field with his brother John, a doctor later in life and a respectable player. his right to be a Wimbledon doubles semi-finalist alongside Rod Laver. The son of a lawyer who became a judge, Neale Fraser won his first tournament – a 13 and under event – at the age of 12. At 17 he won the Australian National Junior Championships. In 1954, when he turned 21, Fraser was included in the Australian overseas team, traveling with the likes of Hoad and Rosewall under the tutelage of respected coach and Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman, making a significant step at the time.

Ranked in the world's Top 10 every year from 1956-62 by most leading authorities, rising to No. 1 twice in the early 60s, Fraser stood out at a time when all top players were expected to compete in singles. , doubles and mixed doubles events in sports exhibition tournaments.

Thus his success in sweeping all three events at the US Championships in 1959 and 1960 was among his highest honors. In 1959, he defeated friendly Alex Olmedo of Peru in the final, joined Emerson to defeat Olmedo and American Butch Buchholz in the doubles final, and secured the doubles crown with Margaret Osborne duPont of the US over American Janet Hopps and the group. Bob Mark from Australia.

A year later, he repeated that, claiming the singles title over Laver, and defended his men's and mixed doubles titles with Emerson and Osborne duPont. That wasn't bad against strong opposition. Fraser showed he was a tennis player because of those achievements, putting the same relentless effort into his doubles pursuit as he did in singles.

He reaffirmed that fact by performing well in his country's Davis Cup tournament, winning 18 of 21 matches in singles and doubles combined, losing only once in singles, and playing a key role in leading Australia to four consecutive Davis Cup victories from 1959- 62. The first of those victories featured Fraser in full flight. In the Challenge Tournament against the United States at Forest Hills, Fraser stopped Alex Olmedo in four sets on the opening day, teamed with Roy Emerson for doubles victories over Olmedo and Butch Buchholz, and set up a fifth and final match win for his country. . knocking out Barry MacKay in four sets. That was an incredible three-day feat and one success for the industrious Fraser.

Only three of his 19 majors were secured in singles, but they represent his proudest moments as a player. The best singles victory was in 1959 at Forest Hills when he was 26 years old. But perhaps his victory at Wimbledon the following year was even more psychologically rewarding.

In that event in 1960, he took on Laver, a shooter who would win two Grand Slams during that decade. Never before have two leftists clashed in a title round meeting for such holy reasons. Fraser, who reached a match point earlier that season before losing the final of the former Australian Championships to Laver in five sets, won over his gifted countryman and his rival by playing a better form of sustained tennis when they again competed in Great Britain, winning 6. -4, 3-6, 9-7, 7-5. In many ways, it was his finest hour of his storied career.

But Fraser was somehow lucky to even be in the final. Facing Buchholz in the quarter-finals, Fraser saved five match points and barely survived. Buchholz retired with cramps as Fraser trailed two sets to one and the match was tied at 15-15 in the fourth set. Fraser thus became one of only nine men in Wimbledon history to take the singles title after being down at least one match point during the tournament. He returned to Forest Hills later that summer of 1960 and retained his title in style, going without losing a set in seven games, edging Laver with a 6-4, 6-4, 9-7 victory in the final.

That was an important moment for Fraser, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1984. It was without a doubt the best tennis he has ever played in a good time. He retired in 1963 but remained at the forefront of tennis for decades to come. Always a cagey student of the game and an outstanding teacher, he took over from Hopman as Davis Cup captain in 1970 and remained in that position for 23 years. Four times during that time, the Australians won, taking the trophy in 1973, 1977, 1983 and 1986. Fraser gave valuable advice to Laver and John Newcombe in the first of those victories and advised Pat Cash in the latter. His 1983 team was surprisingly inexperienced, but Fraser brought out the best in his team. There was never a generation gap when Neale Fraser interacted with those players. He commanded respect as a strict disciplinarian who proved his equanimity and compassion for countless players.

Fraser is survived by his wife Thea, brother John, children, grandchildren and many other family members.

Story reproduced with permission from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.