Mervyn Rose
Australian tennis player
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Mervyn Gordon Rose AM (23 January 1930 – 23 July 2017) was an Australian male tennis player who won seven Grand Slam titles (singles, doubles and mixed doubles).
Australia | |
| Full name | Mervyn Gordon Rose |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | Australia |
| Born | 23 January 1930 Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 24 July 2017 (aged 87) Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia |
| Turned pro | 1959 (amateur tour from 1949) |
| Retired | 1972 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2001 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1958, Lance Tingay)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1954) |
| French Open | W (1958) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1952, 1953, 1958) |
| US Open | SF (1952) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Professional majors | |
| Wembley Pro | QF (1959) |
| French Pro | QF (1959) |
| TOC | 1R (1959FH) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1954) |
| French Open | F (1953, 1957) |
| Wimbledon | W (1954) |
| US Open | W (1952, 1953) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| French Open | F (1951, 1953) |
| Wimbledon | W (1957) |
| US Open | F (1951) |
Career
Rose was born in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and turned professional in 1959. He was ranked inside the world's Top 10 throughout much of his tennis career and represented Australia in the Davis Cup from 1951 to 1957. He was ranked World No. 3 in 1958 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.[1]
Rose won the singles title at the 1954 Australian Championships in Sydney, defeating compatriot Rex Hartwig in the final in four sets.[2][3] Four years later, in 1958, he became the French singles champion after a straight-sets victory in the final against Luis Ayala.[4][5]
Rose won the 1953 Canadian Open singles title, defeating Hartwig in the final in three straight sets. His other career singles highlights include winning the Deauville Tennis Cup three times 1955, 1957,[6] and 1958.[7]
Rose became a professional in 1959 and played in tournaments with Kramer's group of contract players. He was officially ranked No. 9 in Kramer's point ranking system for 1959.[8][9]
He coached numerous female and male players, including Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Ernie Ewart, Michael Fancutt, Brett Prentice, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Eleni Daniilidou, Nadia Petrova, Magdalena Grzybowska and Caroline Schnieder.
Rose was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2006 Australia Day Honours for service to tennis, particularly as a competitor at national and international levels and as a coach and mentor to both amateur and professional players.[10][11] Rose died on 23 July 2017 at the age of 87.[4][5]
Grand Slam finals
Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1953 | Australian Championships | Grass | Ken Rosewall | 0–6, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1954 | Australian Championships | Grass | Rex Hartwig | 6–2, 0–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 1958 | French Championships | Clay |  Luis Ayala | 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
Doubles (4 titles, 7 runners-up)
Mixed doubles: 5 (1 title, 4 runner-ups)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1951 | French Championships | Clay | Thelma Coyne Long |  Doris Hart Frank Sedgman | 5–7, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1951 | Wimbledon | Grass | Nancye Wynne Bolton | Doris Hart Frank Sedgman | 5–7, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1951 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Shirley Fry | Doris Hart Frank Sedgman | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1953 | French Championships | Clay | Maureen Connolly | Doris Hart Vic Seixas | 6–4, 4–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | Darlene Hard | Althea Gibson Neale Fraser | 6–4, 7–5 |
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 3R | QF | QF | SF | F | W | QF | QF | A | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1 / 11 |
| French Open | A | 3R | QF | 4R | 4R | QF | QF | A | SF | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1 / 8 |
| Wimbledon | A | 3R | 1R | SF | SF | QF | 2R | A | QF | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 8 |
| US Open | A | 2R | 4R | SF | 4R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 4 |
| Strike rate | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 2 / 31 |
Other tournament records
- Italian Championships
- Singles champion: 1958
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1953, 1955
- German Championships
- Singles champion: 1957
- Men's Doubles champion: 1957
- Mixed Doubles champion: 1957
- Canadian Championships
- Singles champion: 1953
- Men's Doubles champion: 1953
