The amateur years
Australia · born Hornsby, New South Wales, 1938 · died 2025 · three times Wimbledon singles finalist
All playersBack to the rankings
3
Wimbledon singles finals in a row, 1963 to 1965
5
Wimbledon doubles and mixed titles
15
Grass major doubles and mixed titles
13-3
Davis Cup record, three titles 1964 to 1966
Born in Hornsby, New South Wales, in 1938, Stolle learned on a makeshift asphalt court and went to work as a bank teller at 14. He did not play overseas until he was 21. A pupil of Harry Hopman, he lost his first five major singles finals, four of them to Roy Emerson, before beating Tony Roche for the 1965 French title. He won the US Championships unseeded in 1966, was named the world's top amateur that year by World Tennis, and turned professional. He won 10 major doubles and seven mixed titles and helped Australia to three Davis Cups. Later he coached Vitas Gerulaitis, commentated for ESPN and Channel Nine for four decades, and was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. He died in 2025.
| Major singles titles | 1: US (1966) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 6: Wimbledon 1963, Wimbledon 1964, Wimbledon 1965, Australian 1964, Australian 1965, US 1964 |
| Other grass singles titles | 9: Eastern Grass Court Championships 2 (1962, 1965); NSW Championships 2 (1964, 1966); Kent (1968); Queen's (1969); Queensland Championships (1964); Southampton (1962); WA Championships (1963) |
| Major doubles titles | 8 doubles (Wimbledon 2, Australian 3, US 3), 7 mixed (Wimbledon 3, Australian 2, US 2) |
| Wimbledon singles finals | 1963: lost to Chuck McKinley 9-7, 6-1, 6-4. 1964: lost to Roy Emerson 6-1, 12-10, 4-6, 6-3. 1965: lost to Emerson 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon doubles | Won 1962 and 1964 with Bob Hewitt. Finals lost 1961 with Hewitt, 1968 and 1970 with Ken Rosewall |
| Wimbledon mixed | 1961 and 1964 with Lesley Turner; 1969 with Ann Jones |
| Other grass doubles majors | Australian 1963 and 1964 with Bob Hewitt, 1966 with Roy Emerson. US 1965 and 1966 with Emerson, 1969 with Ken Rosewall |
| Finals to remember | US 1966, unseeded: beat John Newcombe 4-6, 12-10, 6-3, 6-4. Australian 1965: led Emerson 9-7, 6-2 and lost the next three sets 4-6, 5-7, 1-6 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Mixed doubles | with Lesley Turner Bowrey |
| 1962 | Men's doubles | with Bob Hewitt |
| 1964 | Men's doubles | with Bob Hewitt |
| 1964 | Mixed doubles | with Lesley Turner Bowrey |
| 1969 | Mixed doubles | with Ann Haydon-Jones |
| US Championships | ||
| 1962 | Mixed doubles | with Margaret Court |
| 1965 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| 1965 | Mixed doubles | with Margaret Court |
| 1966 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| 1966 | Men's singles | |
| 1969 | Men's doubles US Open | with Ken Rosewall |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1962 | Mixed doubles | with Lesley Turner Bowrey |
| 1963 | Men's doubles | with Bob Hewitt |
| 1964 | Men's doubles | with Bob Hewitt |
| 1966 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| Eastern Grass Court Championships (South Orange) | ||
| 1962 | Men's singles | |
| 1965 | Men's singles | |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1964 | Men's singles | |
| 1966 | Men's singles | |
| Southampton (Meadow Club) | ||
| 1962 | Men's singles Southampton Invitational | |
| Western Australian Championships | ||
| 1963 | Men's singles | |
| Queensland Championships | ||
| 1964 | Men's singles | |
| Kent Championships (Beckenham) | ||
| 1968 | Men's singles | |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1969 | Men's singles | |
| Tasmanian Championships | ||
| 1969 | Men's singles | |
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
"Well, I guess the Old Hacker can still play a bit."
The person behind the player.
White City, Sydney, 1951
As a boy he worked as a ball boy at the Davis Cup tie between Italy and the United States at White City. The experience made him give up cricket and rugby for tennis. His family helped raise the money for his first trips overseas in 1960.
Source: Tennis AustraliaWimbledon, 1964 and 1965
Roy Emerson beat him in the Wimbledon finals of 1964 and 1965 and in two Australian finals and a US final besides. The friendship survived. "I lost a bunch of those to Emmo," Stolle said later, "but against anybody else I felt comfortable."
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameDavis Cup, 1960s
In his Davis Cup years he was nicknamed Fiery, an ironic name for a man known for slow mornings and quiet early practice. It hid a humour that made him popular on the circuit. Where others saw the court as a boxing ring, he said it was "like being on stage".
Source: Tennis AustraliaCleveland 1964
With Australia 2-1 down in the Challenge Round and Stolle two sets to one down against Dennis Ralston, he told his captain, Harry Hopman: "I'm going to break right back and even up the match, and then I'm going to win it." He won 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 9-11, 6-4, and Emerson won the deciding rubber.
Source: ATP TourForest Hills 1966
He had finished 1965 ranked third in the world, yet the US Championships left him unseeded. "I did not appreciate the snub and took the whole matter rather personally," he wrote in his 1985 memoir. He beat Emerson in the semi-finals and John Newcombe in the final.
Source: ATP Tour1977 to 1983
He coached Vitas Gerulaitis to a career-high No. 3 in 1978 and often called him his second son. His own son, Sandon, won the US Open doubles in 1998, making the Stolles the only father and son both to win Grand Slam titles.
Source: ATP TourFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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