Roy Emerson

Roy Emerson

Country (sports)	Australia
Residence	Newport Beach, California
Int. Tennis HoF	1982 (member page)
Singles
Career record	396–155
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)
Career record	204–64
Last updated on: N/A.

Roy Stanley Emerson (born November 3, 1936) is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. His 28 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record for a male player. Most of his titles were won in the final years of the period where the Grand Slam events were open only to amateur players, just before the start of the open era when professionals were admitted into tennis's most prestigious events. Roy Emerson and Rod Laver are the only men players to win each Grand Slam at least twice in their career.

Biography

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

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

Affectionately 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 six Australian singles crowns are a record for a male player.

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).

Emerson was the world's No. 1 amateur player in 1964 and 1965 according to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and in 1967 according to Rex Bellamy. 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 Grand Slam singles title came at the French Championships in 1967 - the year before the open era began. His 12 Grand Slam singles titles stood as a men's record until 2000, when it was surpassed by Pete Sampras.

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 1960-1965, 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 history. All his Grand Slam singles titles, however, were won against an amateur field at a time when many of the world's best players had turned professional and were unable to compete in the Grand Slam events. Kramer, himself a candidate for the title of greatest player of all time, did not consider Emerson worthy of inclusion in his 1979 list of the 21 best players to that date. In 1968, moreover, Emerson came into the French Open as the defending champion and lost in the quarterfinals to Pancho Gonzales, who had been the most dominant player in the professional ranks for much of the 1950s but was almost 40 years old by the beginning of the open era. Eight years Gonzales's junior, Emerson seldom managed to beat him in a dozen matches as a professional. In the Champions Classic of 1970 in Miami, Florida, Emerson did beat Gonzales in straight sets, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2..

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. Then Emerson virtually retired, playing just a few tournaments through 1977. He made a last appearance in the Gstaad, Switzerland tournament in 1983.

Emerson now resides in Newport Beach, California and has a home in Gstaad where he holds a tennis clinic each summer. The main court for the Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad has been named "Roy Emerson Arena" in his honour. His son, Antony, was an All-American in tennis at 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, Fl. His students included Pat Cash, Kim Warwick, and Derek Damico.

Emerson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1982.

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 15 (12–3)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	1961	Australian Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
Winner	1961	U.S. Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	7–5, 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up	1962	Australian Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	8–6, 0–6, 6–4, 6–4
Runner-up	1962	French Championships	Clay	Rod Laver	3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–2
Runner-up	1962	U.S. Championships	Grass	Rod Laver	6–2, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4
Winner	1963	Australian Championships	Grass	Ken Fletcher	6–3, 6–3, 6–1
Winner	1963	French Championships	Clay	Pierre Darmon	3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
Winner	1964	Australian Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Winner	1964	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–4, 12–10, 4–6, 6–3
Winner	1964	U.S. Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–2, 6–2, 6–4
Winner	1965	Australian Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	7–9, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–1
Winner	1965	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Fred Stolle	6–2, 6–4, 6–4
Winner	1966	Australian Championships	Grass	Arthur Ashe	6–4, 6–8, 6–2, 6–3
Winner	1967	Australian Championships	Grass	Arthur Ashe	6–4, 6–1, 6–1
Winner	1967	French Championships	Clay	Tony Roche	6–1, 6–4, 2–6, 6–2

Performance Timelines

Singles

Tournament	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open	1R	2R	2R	A	QF	QF	SF	W	F	W	W	W	W	W	A	3R	A	A
French Open	1R	A	A	3R	A	QF	3R	QF	F	W	QF	SF	QF	W	QF	4R	A	A
Wimbledon	2R	A	3R	4R	A	SF	QF	QF	4R	QF	W	W	QF	4R	4R	4R	QF	4R
U.S. Open	3R	A	QF	4R	A	QF	4R	W	F	4R	W	QF	SF	QF	4R	QF	4R

Mens Doubles: 28 (16–12)

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

Mixed doubles: 2 (0–2)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up (1/1)	1956	Australian Championships (1/1)	Grass	Mary Bevis Hawton	Beryl Penrose Neale Fraser	6–2, 6–4
Runner-up (2/2)	1960	French Championships (1/1)	Clay	Ann Haydon Jones	Maria Bueno Robert Howe	1–6, 6–1, 6–2

Grand Slam doubles finals (16-14)

• Australian Championships / Australian Open
  • Men's Doubles champion: 1962, 1966, 1969
  • Men's Doubles runner-up: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965
  • Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1956

• French Championships / French Open
  • Men's Doubles champion: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
  • Men's Doubles runner-up: 1959, 1967, 1968, 1969
  • Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1960

• Wimbledon
  • Men's Doubles champion: 1959, 1961, 1971
  • Men's Doubles runner-up: 1964, 1967

• U.S. Championships / US Open
  • Men's Doubles champion: 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966
  • Men's Doubles runner-up: 1970

Open-era doubles titles (20)

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

Sources

• World of Tennis Yearbook 1971 (1971), by John Barrett, London

See also

• World number one male tennis player rankings
• Tennis male players statistics

External links

• Roy Emerson at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Roy Emerson at the Davis Cup
• International Tennis Hall of Fame profile
• Wikinfo.org article
• Davis Cup record