The Open Era
Australia · born Maclean, New South Wales, 1958 · died 2013 · left-handed · twice Australian junior champion
All playersBack to the rankings
17
Age at his first Australian junior title, 1975
1976
Australian Open quarter-final in his first major
4R
Wimbledon 1979, as a qualifier
No. 34
Career-high singles ranking, March 1984
2012
Became ATP executive chairman and president
Born in Maclean, New South Wales, in 1958, the left-handed Drewett won the Australian junior title in 1975 and again in January 1977, the youngest winner at 17 since Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe. He turned professional in 1977, won singles titles in Cairo in 1982 and South Orange in 1983, added seven doubles titles, and reached No. 34 in singles in March 1984 and No. 18 in doubles in November 1988. He retired in 1990 and worked as a commentator for Channel 9 and Channel 10. He joined the ATP's management, led its operations in the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific from 2006, and became executive chairman and president in January 2012. He stepped back because of illness a year later and died in Sydney in May 2013, aged 54.
| Major singles titles | 2: Australian (1975, 1977) |
|---|---|
| Australian junior final, 1977 | January 1977 at Kooyong: beat Tim Wilkison 6-4, 7-6 |
| Australian Open | Quarter-final 1976, his first major, lost to Ken Rosewall 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 2-6. Doubles semi-finals 1988 and 1989 with Martin Davis |
| Wimbledon | Singles fourth round 1979 as a qualifier, beating the eighth seed Victor Pecci 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. Doubles quarter-final 1986 |
| Newport | Singles final 1988 at the Hall of Fame Championships, lost to Wally Masur 6-2, 6-1 |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Men's doubles Hall of Fame Open | with Erik van Dillen |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1987 | Men's doubles New South Wales Open | with Mark Edmondson |
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 tennis world lost a strong leader, true gentleman and a great friend today."
The person behind the player.
Kooyong 1975
Drewett won the Australian junior title at 17, the youngest winner since Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe. At his first major, the 1976 Australian Open, he reached the quarter-finals and met Rosewall, then the top seed. He took the second set and lost 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 2-6.
Source: WikipediaKooyong, January 1977
Two years after his first junior title he won it again, beating the American Tim Wilkison 6-4, 7-6 in the final in January 1977. That year the Australian Open was played twice, in January and December, and the December junior title went to another Australian, Ray Kelly.
Source: ITFWimbledon 1979
Drewett came through qualifying, beat John Marks and John James, then beat the eighth seed, Victor Pecci of Paraguay, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. In the fourth round he took a set from the American Bill Scanlon before losing 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5. It was his best Wimbledon singles result.
Source: WikipediaNewport 1988
Ten years into his professional career, Drewett reached the singles final of the Hall of Fame Championships on the grass at Newport, Rhode Island. He met his compatriot Wally Masur, who won 6-2, 6-1. It was one of four tour finals he lost alongside his two singles titles.
Source: WikipediaLondon and Melbourne, 2013
In 2013 the ATP renamed the trophy for its season-ending finals the Brad Drewett Trophy, and a show court in Beijing became the Brad Drewett Court. A bust at Melbourne Park records that he left the game in a better place than he found it.
Source: WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
Join freePage updated 3 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
