The Open Era
Australia · born Sydney, 1943 · Australian champion in 1968, the last amateur winner before the Open Era
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1968
Australian champion at Kooyong, as top seed
84
Games in his 1970 Wimbledon first-round win over Patricio Cornejo
32-34
First set he lost to Vic Seixas at Merion in 1966
3
Major doubles finals with Owen Davidson, 1966 to 1967
1-1
Singles record in the 1968 Davis Cup Challenge Round, on grass in Adelaide
William Walter Bowrey was born in Sydney on Christmas Day 1943 and learned the game on the loam courts of the Glebe Police Boys Club. Coached by Don Ferguson, he was an orange boy and practice partner for Harry Hopman's Davis Cup squads. Tall and athletic, he played serve and volley with strong groundstrokes, the backhand above all. In 1962 he came through the singles, doubles and mixed qualifying competitions at Wimbledon in the same year.
With Owen Davidson he reached the Wimbledon doubles final in 1966 and the Australian and US finals in 1967, losing all three to Australian pairs. He won the Newport Casino singles in 1967 and in January 1968, as top seed at Kooyong, beat Juan Gisbert 7-5, 2-6, 9-7, 6-4 to win the Australian Championships, the last edition before the game went open. A month later he married Lesley Turner, the 1963 French champion. He also won the South Australian and Western Australian titles that season.
He turned professional in 1968, played the Davis Cup Challenge Round in Adelaide that December and a tie in Mexico City in 1969, and signed with World Championship Tennis in 1970. He won the Merion doubles on grass in 1969, and again in 1970 after the event had moved to hard courts. After retiring in 1975 he coached in Austin, Texas, then for 20 years at White City in Sydney, and served as Tennis Australia's national coach. He and Lesley Turner Bowrey later commentated for Radio Wimbledon. He entered the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2026.
| Major doubles finals | All with Owen Davidson. Wimbledon 1966: lost to Ken Fletcher and John Newcombe 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6. Australian 1967: lost to Newcombe and Tony Roche 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 8-6, 6-8. US 1967: lost to Newcombe and Roche 8-6, 7-9, 3-6, 3-6 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon marathons | 1967 third round, with Davidson: beat Mark Cox and Roger Taylor 6-1, 6-2, 30-28. 1970 first round: beat Patricio Cornejo 6-8, 6-4, 16-18, 7-5, 8-6, 84 games |
| Merion 1966 | Lost to Vic Seixas, aged 43, 32-34, 6-4, 10-8 in 3 hours 45 minutes at the Pennsylvania Grass Court Championships in Haverford; the first set alone took about two and a half hours |
| Newport 1967 | Beat Owen Davidson 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the Newport Casino final |
| Davis Cup 1968 | Challenge Round against the United States in Adelaide: lost to Clark Graebner in five sets, then beat Arthur Ashe in four in the reverse singles |
| Wimbledon Plate | Runner-up in the All England Plate in 1964, losing the final to Bobby Wilson 6-4, 6-3 |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1968 | Men's singles | |
| South Australian Championships | ||
| 1968 | Men's singles | |
| Western Australian Championships | ||
| 1968 | Men's singles | |
| Pennsylvania Grass Court Championships (Merion) | ||
| 1969 | Men's doubles†| with Jim Osborne |
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
"It was an extraordinary era."
The person behind the player.
Sydney, 1950s
He learned to play on the loam courts of the Glebe Police Boys Club and first met John Newcombe in the quarter-finals of the New South Wales under-13 tournament. He met Lesley Turner on the court of their coach, Don Ferguson; by 2026 they had been together for more than 60 years.
Source: Tennis Australia, 2026Hopman's squads
As a teenager he was an orange boy for Harry Hopman's Davis Cup teams, which meant practice with Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Fred Stolle and Roy Emerson.
Source: Tennis Australia, 2026Nickname
His nickname, Tex, came from a publicity photograph of him on a horse. He later coached for three years in Austin, Texas.
Source: Tennis Australia, 2026Haverford, July 1966
At Merion he lost to the 43-year-old former Wimbledon champion Vic Seixas 32-34, 6-4, 10-8 after 3 hours 45 minutes. The report that reached New Zealand ran under the headline "Marathon Tennis".
Source: The Press, Christchurch, 22 July 1966, Papers PastMelbourne, January 2026
When he was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame on Rod Laver Arena, he unveiled a bronze bust by Barbara McLean for Garden Square at Melbourne Park. He and Lesley Turner Bowrey are the only couple both inducted.
Source: Tennis Australia, 2026Coaching
After coaching at the White City club in Sydney for 20 years he became Tennis Australia's national coach and helped bring through juniors including Pat Rafter, Mark Philippoussis, Lleyton Hewitt and Jelena Dokic.
Source: Tennis Australia, 2026Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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