John Newcombe

Biography

John Newcombe was born in Sydney, Australia in 1944. The former World No. 1 tennis champion was a natural athlete who played several sports before concentrating on tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962 and 1963 and became one of the youngest players ever in the Davis Cup when he was included in Australia’s triumphant 1964 team.

Newcombe won his first Grand Slam major in 1965 when he partnered with Tony Roche in the doubles. The duo also won the Wimbledon doubles title that same year.

Newcombe was the top amateur in the world in 1967 and as a professional was joint world No. 1 in 1970 and 1971. He was banned by the International Tennis Federation from competing in the 1972 Wimbledon championships as a member of the players union, and he boycotted the event in 1973. Urgent negotiations followed and the issues were resolved. In 1977 and 1978 he was president of the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Newcombe, along with Rod Laver, is the only player to have won the US Open and the Wimbledon men's singles titles as both an amateur and a professional. During his career he won 25 Grand Slam major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. In 1986 Newcombe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He captained the Australian Davis Cup team in 1995.

Career Highlights

Links

John Newcombe Tennis Camps