Roy Emerson
AC
Full nameRoy Stanley Emerson
Country (sports) Australia
ResidenceNewport Beach, California, U.S.
Born (1936-11-03) 3 November 1936
Blackbutt, Queensland, Australia
Height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Turned pro1968 (amateur tour from 1953)
Retired1983
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1982 (member page)
Singles
Career record1397-416 (77.0%)[2]
Career titles110[2] (6 open era titles listed by ATP)
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1961, Ned Potter)[3]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967)
French OpenW (1963, 1967)
WimbledonW (1964, 1965)
US OpenW (1961, 1964)
Doubles
Career record204–64
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1962, 1966, 1969)
French OpenW (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)
WimbledonW (1959, 1961, 1971)
US OpenW (1959, 1960, 1965, 1966)
Team competitions
Davis CupW (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967)

Roy Stanley Emerson AC (born 3 November 1936) is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. All of his singles Grand Slam victories and 14 of his Grand Slam doubles victories were achieved before the open era began in 1968. He is the only male player to have completed a career Grand Slam (winning titles at all four Grand Slam events) in both singles and doubles, and the first of four male players to complete a double career Grand Slam in singles (later followed by Rod Laver, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal). His 28 major titles are the all-time record for a male player. He was ranked world No. 1 amateur in 1961 by Ned Potter,[4] 1964 by Potter,[5] Lance Tingay [6] and an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 14 experts[7] and 1965 by Tingay,[6] Joseph McCauley,[8] Sport za Rubezhom[9] and an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 16 experts.[10]

Emerson was the first male player to win 12 singles majors. He held that record for 30 years until it was passed by Pete Sampras in 2000. He also held the record of six Australian Open men's singles titles until 2019 when Novak Djokovic won his seventh title. Emerson won five of those titles consecutively (1963–67), a still-standing record. Emerson is one of only five tennis players ever to win multiple slam sets in two disciplines. Emerson was a member of a record eight Davis Cup–winning teams between 1959 and 1967. Unlike several of his contemporaries, he chose to remain an amateur player and did not turn pro during the pre-Open Era.

Biography

Emerson was born on a farm in Blackbutt, Queensland. His family later moved to Brisbane and he received better tennis instruction after attending Brisbane Grammar School and Ipswich Grammar School.

Emerson won his first Grand Slam tournament doubles title in 1959 at Wimbledon (partnering Neale Fraser). In 1961, he captured his first Grand Slam tournament singles title at the Australian Championships, beating compatriot Rod Laver in four sets in the final. Later that year, Emerson claimed his second major singles crown when he again beat Laver in the final of the US Championships.

Known as "Emmo" on the tour, the six-foot right-hander was known for training hard and always being ready for strenuous matches because of his outstanding level of fitness. He was primarily a serve-and-volley style player, but was also able to adapt to the rigours of slow courts, allowing him to enjoy success on all surfaces.

From 1963 to 1967, Emerson won five consecutive men's singles titles at the Australian Championships. His record of six Australian men's singles crowns was surpassed in 2019 by Novak Djokovic who won his record seventh.[11]

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

1963 also saw Emerson capture his first French Championships singles title, beating Pierre Darmon in the final.

Emerson's first Wimbledon singles title came in 1964, with a final victory over Fred Stolle. Emerson won 55 consecutive matches during 1964 and finished the year with 109 victories out of 115 matches. He won three of the year's four Grand Slam events that year (failing to win only the French Open).

During his amateur career Emerson received several offers to turn professional, including an £38,000 offer made at the end of 1964 by Jack Kramer, but declined and opted to remain an amateur.[12][13] In 1966, Emerson rejected a $100,000 guarantee over two years offer to turn pro, stating that he "couldn't afford to take a pay cut."[14] It was estimated that Emerson and Santana were paid about $1,000 to $1,500 a week in living expenses alone from their national tennis associations as "shamateurs".[15]

Emerson was the world No. 1 amateur player in 1964 and 1965 according to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and in 1961 and 1964 according to Ned Potter of World Tennis. In 1965, he successfully defended his Australian and Wimbledon singles crowns. He was the heavy favourite to win Wimbledon again in 1966, but during his fourth round match he skidded while chasing the ball and crashed into the umpire's stand, injuring his shoulder. He still finished the match, but was unable to win.

Emerson's last major singles title came at the French Championships in 1967 – the year before the open era began. His 12 major singles titles stood as a men's record until 2000, when it was surpassed by Pete Sampras. Emerson signed a professional contract with the National Tennis League in early April 1968.[16]

Emerson had 10 straight victories in Grand Slam tournament finals in which he appeared, which is an all-time record.

Emerson's final Grand Slam doubles title was won in 1971 at Wimbledon (partnering Laver). His 16 Grand Slam doubles crowns were won with five different partners. From 1960 to 1965, he won six consecutive French Open men's doubles titles. Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and tennis great, writes in his 1979 autobiography that "Emerson was the best doubles player of all the moderns, very possibly the best forehand court player of all time. He was so quick he could cover everything. He had the perfect doubles shot, a backhand that dipped over the net and came in at the server's feet as he moved to the net. Gene Mako and Johnny van Ryn could hit a shot like that sometimes, but never so often nor as proficiently as Emerson."

Emerson was also a member of a record eight Davis Cup winning teams between 1959 and 1967.

Emerson's 12 singles and 16 doubles titles make him one of the leading players in Grand Slam tournament history.

Emerson's last top-20 ranking was in 1973, primarily owing to his winning his 105th and final career title at the Pacific Coast Championships in San Francisco. He defeated Roscoe Tanner, Arthur Ashe, and Björn Borg in the last three rounds of that tournament. Emerson played just a few tournaments through 1977. His last appearance was in the Gstaad, Switzerland tournament in 1983.

Roy Emerson in 1969

Although he exited the tournament circuit, Emerson did not retire. In the late 1970s, he served as a player/coach for the Boston Lobsters in World Team Tennis (WTT).[17] He mostly played doubles with the Lobsters and often teamed with fellow Australian Tony Roche. In the 1978 season, the last season under the original iteration of World Team Tennis, Roy coached the Lobsters to the Eastern Division Championship and into the WTT Finals against the Los Angeles Strings.[18] The final Lobster team that Emerson coached consisted of Tony Roche, Mike Estep (for part of the season), and Emerson himself as the male players.

Emerson now resides in Newport Beach, California with his wife, Joy, and daughter, Heidi, and has a home in Gstaad where he holds a tennis clinic each summer. His son, Antony, was an All-American in tennis at Corona del Mar High School and the University of Southern California and played on the professional tour briefly. Roy and Antony won the United States Hard Court Father-and-Son title in 1978. Roy briefly coached promising juniors at East Lake Woodlands in Oldsmar, Florida.

Awards and honours

Emerson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986.[19] The main court for the Suisse Open Gstaad, a tournament which Emerson won five times and where he played his last match as a professional, is named Roy Emerson Arena in his honour.

In 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal,[20] and in 2001 received the Centenary Medal.[21]

The Roy Emerson trophy, which is awarded to the male champion at the Brisbane International, is named in his honour.[22] In 2009 Emerson was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.[23] He was honoured during the 2013 Australian Open at the Australian Open Legends' Lunch.[24]

In 2014, the Brisbane City Council named the new tennis centre in Milton at Frew Park after Roy Emerson.[25][26][27] The same year at Blackbutt, the Roy Emerson Museum was opened by Roy Emerson. On the 18 January 2017, a statue of Roy Emerson was unveiled at the Blackbutt Museum.[28][29]

Place in history

In the Tennis Channel series "100 Greatest of All Time" in 2012, Emerson was ranked the 11th greatest male tennis player of all time, and the second highest rated Australian in the series, behind Rod Laver.

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 15 (12 titles, 3 runners–up)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win1961Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
Win1961US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver7–5, 6–3, 6–2
Loss1962Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver6–8, 6–0, 4–6, 4–6
Loss1962French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Rod Laver6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 7–9, 2–6
Loss1962US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver2–6, 4–6, 7–5, 4–6
Win1963Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ken Fletcher6–3, 6–3, 6–1
Win1963French ChampionshipsClayFrance Pierre Darmon3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
Win1964Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred Stolle6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Win1964Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred Stolle6–4, 12–10, 4–6, 6–3
Win1964US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred Stolle6–2, 6–2, 6–4
Win1965Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred Stolle7–9, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–1
Win1965Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred Stolle6–2, 6–4, 6–4
Win1966Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Arthur Ashe6–4, 6–8, 6–2, 6–3
Win1967Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Arthur Ashe6–4, 6–1, 6–1
Win1967French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Tony Roche6–1, 6–4, 2–6, 6–2

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

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1958Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Bob MarkAustralia Ashley Cooper
Australia Neale Fraser		5–7, 8–6, 6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Loss1959French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Neale FraserItaly Nicola Pietrangeli
Italy Orlando Sirola		3–6, 2–6, 12–14
Win1959Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Neale FraserAustralia Rod Laver
Australia Robert Mark		8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7
Win1959US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Neale FraserUnited States Earl Buchholz
United States Alex Olmedo		3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5
Loss1960Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Neale FraserAustralia Rod Laver
Australia Robert Mark		6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win1960French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Neale FraserSpain José Luis Arilla
Spain Andrés Gimeno		6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4
Win1960US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Neale FraserAustralia Rod Laver
Australia Robert Mark		9–7, 6–2, 6–4
Loss1961Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Marty MulliganAustralia Rod Laver
Australia Robert Mark		3–6, 5–7, 6–3, 11–9, 2–6
Win1961French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Rod LaverAustralia Robert Howe
Australia Robert Mark		3–6, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
Win1961Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Neale FraserAustralia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle		6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6
Win1962Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Neale FraserAustralia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle		4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9
Win1962French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Neale FraserWest Germany Wilhelm Bungert
West Germany Christian Kuhnke		6–3, 6–4, 7–5
Win1963French ChampionshipsClaySpain Manolo SantanaSouth Africa Gordon Forbes
South Africa Abe Segal		6–2, 6–4, 6–4
Loss1964Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ken FletcherAustralia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle		4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 12–14
Win1964French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Ken FletcherAustralia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche		7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5
Loss1964Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ken FletcherAustralia Bob Hewitt
Australia Fred Stolle		5–7, 9–11, 4–6
Loss1965Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred StolleAustralia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche		6–3, 6–4, 11–13, 3–6, 4–6
Win1965French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Fred StolleAustralia Ken Fletcher
Australia Bob Hewitt		6–8, 6–3, 8–6, 6–2
Win1965US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred StolleUnited States Frank Froehling
United States Charles Pasarell		6–4, 10–12, 7–5, 6–3
Win1966Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred StolleAustralia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche		7–9, 6–3, 6–8, 14–12, 12–10
Win1966US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Fred StolleUnited States Clark Graebner
United States Dennis Ralston		6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Loss1967French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Ken FletcherAustralia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche		3–6, 7–9, 10–12
Loss1967Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ken FletcherAustralia Bob Hewitt
Australia Frew McMillan		2–6, 3–6, 4–6
↓ Open Era ↓
Loss1968French OpenClayAustralia Rod LaverAustralia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		3–6, 4–6, 3–6
Win1969Australian OpenGrassAustralia Rod LaverAustralia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		6–4, 6–4
Loss1969French OpenClayAustralia Rod LaverAustralia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche		6–4, 1–6, 6–3, 4–6, 4–6
Loss1970US OpenGrassAustralia Rod LaverFrance Pierre Barthès
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić		3–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7
Win1971WimbledonGrassAustralia Rod LaverUnited States Arthur Ashe
United States Dennis Ralston		4–6, 9–7, 6–8, 6–4, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 2 (runners–up)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1956Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Mary Bevis HawtonAustralia Beryl Penrose
Australia Neale Fraser		2–6, 4–6
Loss1960French ChampionshipsClayUnited Kingdom Ann Haydon-JonesBrazil Maria Bueno
Australia Robert Howe		6–1, 1–6, 2–6

Grand Slam tournament 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

Tournament1954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972 SR W–L Win %
Australian Open 1R 2R 2R A QF QF SF W F W W W W W A 3R A QF A 6 / 1546–983.6
French Open 1R A A 3R A QF 3R QF F W QF SF QF W QF 4R A A A 2 / 1343–1182.9
Wimbledon 2R A 3R 4R A SF QF QF 4R QF W W QF 4R 4R 4R QF 4R A 2 / 1660–1481.1
US Open 3R A QF 4R A QF 3R W F 4R W QF SF QF 4R QF 4R A 2R 2 / 1660–1481.1
Win–loss 3–4 0–1 7–3 8–3 2–1 14–4 10–4 19–2 18–4 18–2 22–1 20–2 18–3 18–2 9–3 11–4 7–2 5–2 0–1 12 / 60209–4881.3

Open-Era doubles titles (20)

No. Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
1. 1968 Bournemouth, England Grass Australia Rod Laver Spain Andrés Gimeno
United States Pancho Gonzales		 8–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
2. 1969 Australian Open, Melbourne Grass Australia Rod Laver Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		 6–4, 6–4
3. 1969 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Australia Rod Laver Spain Andrés Gimeno
Australia Fred Stolle		 6–4, 6–2
4. 1970 Boston, US Hard Australia Rod Laver United Arab Republic Ismail El Shafei
Denmark Torben Ulrich		 6–1, 7–6
5. 1971 Wimbledon, London Grass Australia Rod Laver United States Arthur Ashe
United States Dennis Ralston		 4–6, 9–7, 6–8, 6–4, 6–4
6. 1971 Quebec WCT, Canada Indoor Australia Rod Laver Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen		 7–6, 6–3
7. 1971 Boston WCT, US Hard Australia Rod Laver Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen		 6–4, 6–4
8. 1971 Berkeley, US Hard Australia Rod Laver Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		 6–3, 6–3
9. 1971 Vancouver WCT, Canada Outdoor Australia Rod Laver Australia John Alexander
Australia Phil Dent		 6–3, 7–6
10. 1972 Houston WCT, US Clay Australia Rod Laver Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		 6–4, 7–6
11. 1972 Las Vegas WCT, US Hard Australia Rod Laver Australia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche		 7–6, 1–6, 6–2
12. 1972 Rotterdam WCT, Netherlands Carpet Australia John Newcombe United States Arthur Ashe
United States Bob Lutz		 6–2, 6–3
13. 1973 Miami WCT, US Hard Australia Rod Laver Australia Terry Addison
Australia Colin Dibley		 6–4, 6–4
14. 1973 La Costa WCT, US Hard Australia Rod Laver Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić
Australia Allan Stone		 6–7, 6–3, 6–4
15. 1973 Richmond WCT, US Carpet Australia Rod Laver Australia Terry Addison
Australia Colin Dibley		 3–6, 6–3, 6–4
16. 1973 Atlanta WCT, US Clay Australia Rod Laver South Africa Robert Maud
Rhodesia Andrew Pattison		 7–6, 6–3
17. 1973 Gothenburg WCT, Sweden Carpet Australia Rod Laver Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić
Australia Allan Stone		 6–7, 6–4, 6–1
18. 1973 San Francisco, US Carpet United States Stan Smith Sweden Ove Nils Bengtson
United States Jim McManus		 6–2, 6–1
19. 1974 Las Vegas, Nevada, US Hard Australia Rod Laver South Africa Frew McMillan
Australia John Newcombe		 6–7, 6–4, 6–4
20. 1975 Denver WCT, US Carpet Australia Rod Laver Australia Bob Carmichael
Australia Allan Stone		 6–2, 3–6, 7–5

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Roy Emerson". atpworldtour.com. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
    2. 1 2 "Roy Emerson: Career Match Record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
    3. ↑ Potter, Edward C. (November 1961). "The 1961 World's First Ten". World Tennis. Vol. 9, no. 6. New York. p. 13.
    4. ↑ Potter, Edward C. (November 1961). "The 1961 World's First Ten". World Tennis. Vol. 9, no. 6. New York. p. 13.
    5. ↑ "The Miami Herald, 3 November 1964". newspapers.com. 3 November 1964.
    6. 1 2 Collins (2016), p. 758
    7. ↑ "Around the World..." World Tennis. Vol. 12, no. 8. New York. January 1965. pp. 67–68.
    8. ↑ "Letters". World Tennis. Vol. 13, no. 9. New York. February 1966. p. 8.
    9. ↑ "Around the world..." World Tennis. Vol. 13, no. 11. New York. April 1966. p. 75.
    10. ↑ "Around the World..." World Tennis. Vol. 13, no. 9. New York. February 1966. p. 66.
    11. ↑ "Novak Djokovic crushes Rafael Nadal to win record seventh Australian Open". Sky Sports. 27 January 2019.
    12. ↑ "Emerson likely to refuse pro. offer". The Canberra Times. 26 November 1964. p. 36 – via National Library of Australia.
    13. ↑ "Emerson demand 'right'". The Canberra Times. 2 December 1964. p. 30 – via National Library of Australia.
    14. ↑ McCauley, Joe (2000). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor: The Short Run Book Company Limited. p. 136.
    15. ↑ "Manuel Santana, Spain's first Grand Slam champion : Tennis Buzz".
    16. ↑ "Emerson Wins in Pro Debut". The Canberra Times. 15 April 1968. p. 12 – via National Library of Australia.
    17. ↑ "Emerson will boss Lobsters". Bangor Daily News. 16 November 1976 – via Google News Archive.
    18. ↑ Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. p. 575. ISBN 978-0942257700.
    19. ↑ "Roy Emerson". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
    20. ↑ It's an Honour: Australian Sports Medal. Retrieved 3 February 2015
    21. ↑ It's an Honour: Centenary Medal. Retrieved 3 February 2015
    22. ↑ Margie McDonald (22 November 2011). "Men will play for Roy Emerson trophy in Brisbane International". The Australian.
    23. ↑ "Mr Roy Emerson". Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. qsport.org.au. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
    24. ↑ "Grand day for Emerson". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 27 January 2013.
    25. ↑ "The Roy Emerson Tennis Centre". www.emersontennis.com.au. Emerson Tennis Centre.
    26. ↑ Tony Moore (21 March 2013). "Plan to honour Brisbane tennis greats". Brisbane Times.
    27. ↑ "Frew Park (former Milton Tennis Centre site)". Brisbane City Council. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
    28. ↑ "Tennis legend Roy Emerson to be immortalised as a bronze statue". Tennis Queensland. Tennis Australia. 5 February 2016.
    29. ↑ Grantlee Kieza (19 January 2017). "Tennis legend Roy Emerson treasures humble hometown start". The Courier Mail.

    Sources

    • Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. ISBN 978-1-937559-38-0.
    • World of Tennis Yearbook 1971 (1971), by John Barrett, London

    See also

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