The Open Era
South Africa · born Vryburg, 1954 · died 2017 · right-handed · Newport champion 1978
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42
Career-high ATP singles ranking, April 1980
2
ATP singles titles: Newport 1978 and San Jose 1979
9
ATP doubles titles
19
Career-high ATP doubles ranking, June 1984
4R
Best Wimbledon result, 1973 and 1976
Bernard Mitton, known as Bernie, was born in Vryburg, South Africa, in 1954. He played his first Wimbledon in 1973, the year of the ATP boycott, entered as a lucky loser and reached the fourth round, where Jimmy Connors beat him.
He won two ATP singles titles, on grass at Newport in 1978 and at San Jose in 1979, and nine titles in doubles. He beat John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe during his career and reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 42 in April 1980.
Injuries ended his playing career in 1984. He became director of tennis at the Newport Beach Tennis Club in California and taught at the Racket Club of Irvine until his death in 2017.
| Newport 1978 | Won the Hall of Fame Championships at the Newport Casino, beating John James 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 in the final |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon 1973 | A lucky loser, he beat Thierry Bernasconi 8-6, 6-1, 6-3, Zan Guerry 7-5, 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 and his compatriot Deon Joubert 4-6, 8-9, 6-4, 6-1, 9-7, then lost to fifth seed Jimmy Connors 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth round |
| Wimbledon 1976 | Beat 10th seed John Newcombe 3-6, 6-3, 9-8, 9-8 in the third round, then lost to eighth seed Raúl RamÃrez 9-8, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 |
| Queen's Club 1984 | Runner-up in the doubles, one of eight doubles finals he lost |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Men's singles Hall of Fame Open | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon, 1973
With some 80 male players boycotting the 1973 Championships, places in the draw went to lucky losers from qualifying. Mitton, one of them, won three rounds before meeting Jimmy Connors. The Wimbledon Compendium lists his run first among the lucky losers who have reached the fourth round of the gentlemen's singles.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025Wimbledon, 1975
The Compendium's miscellaneous qualifying records name six men who, between 1925 and 1991, won through the three qualifying competitions in the same year. Mitton is one of them, in 1975.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025Wimbledon, 1976
In the third round he beat John Newcombe, the 10th seed and a three-time champion, 3-6, 6-3, 9-8, 9-8, winning both of the last two sets in tiebreaks played at eight games all.
Source: Wimbledon 1976 draw (AELTC)California, 1984 to 2017
After injuries ended his career in 1984 he settled in southern California, first as director of tennis at the Newport Beach Tennis Club, later at Rancho San Clemente, and finally at the Racket Club of Irvine, where he taught until his death.
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