The Open Era
Australia · born Cummins, South Australia, 1960 · right-handed · Wimbledon doubles champion 1989 and 1991, mixed 1991
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7
Grand Slam men's doubles titles, all four majors
1
World doubles ranking, reached in July 1991
7
Wimbledon finals: four in doubles, three in mixed
3
Davis Cup titles: 1983 and 1986 as player, 2003 as captain
30
Tour doubles titles, with six in singles
John Basil Fitzgerald was born on 28 December 1960 in Cummins, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, and learned the game on an asphalt court in the middle of the family farm. At 18 Tennis SA paid his fare to Europe and his father lent him a $1,000 traveller's cheque; he came home with the cheque intact and a first Wimbledon qualification. He turned professional in 1980.
At 21 he won his first major, the 1982 Australian Open doubles at Kooyong with John Alexander. He went on to win the doubles at all four majors: the US Open in 1984 and the French Open in 1986 with Tomáš Å mÃd, then, with Anders Järryd, Wimbledon in 1989 and the French, Wimbledon and US titles in 1991, the year he reached No. 1 in doubles and won the season-ending championship. He also won the 1983 US Open mixed with Elizabeth Sayers and the 1991 Wimbledon mixed with Elizabeth Smylie. In singles he won six titles and reached No. 25 in 1988.
He played in Australia's Davis Cup winning teams of 1983 and 1986, captained the team from 2001 to 2010, and led it to the 2003 title on grass at Rod Laver Arena. He played the Olympics in 1988 and 1992, received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1993, and entered the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020. He has since worked as a broadcaster and as an ambassador for Tennis Australia.
| Wimbledon doubles finals | 1985: with Pat Cash lost to Heinz Günthardt and Balázs Taróczy 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. 1988: with Anders Järryd lost to Ken Flach and Robert Seguso 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6. 1989: with Järryd beat Rick Leach and Jim Pugh 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6. 1991: with Järryd beat Javier Frana and Leonardo Lavalle 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon 1989 first round | Fitzgerald and Järryd beat Marty Davis and Matt Anger 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 18-16, after facing a match point at 10-11 in the fifth set, then went on to win the title |
| Wimbledon mixed | Three finals with Elizabeth Smylie: lost in 1985 to Paul McNamee and Martina Navratilova 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 and in 1990 to Rick Leach and Zina Garrison 7-5, 6-2; won in 1991 against Jim Pugh and Natasha Zvereva 7-6, 6-2, after saving a match point at 4-5 in the third set of the semi-final |
| Australian Open 1982 | Won the doubles at Kooyong with John Alexander, beating Andy Andrews and John Sadri 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 |
| Sydney | Won the NSW Open singles on the grass of White City twice, in 1984 against Sammy Giammalva Jr. 6-3, 6-3, and in 1988 against Andrei Chesnokov 6-3, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Men's doubles | with Anders Järryd |
| 1991 | Men's doubles | with Anders Järryd |
| 1991 | Mixed doubles | with Elizabeth Smylie |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1982 | Men's doubles New South Wales Open | with John Alexander |
| 1984 | Men's singles New South Wales Open | |
| 1988 | Men's singles New South Wales Open | |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
| 1983 | Men's doubles Hall of Fame Open | with Vijay Amritraj |
| 1983 | Men's singles Hall of Fame Open | |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1982 | Men's doubles Australian Open | with John Alexander |
| Bristol (West of England) | ||
| 1983 | Men's doubles Bristol Open | with John Alexander |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1992 | Men's doubles | with Anders Järryd |
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 is an honour for me to be in the same space as my friends, and my heroes."
The person behind the player.
Eyre Peninsula
He grew up on the family farm at Cummins, hitting on an asphalt court with his two older brothers, and joined the club at nearby Cockaleechie, which gave him his nickname. He was hooked at 12 by a Davis Cup final between Australia and the United States: "Whenever I had a spare moment, I wanted to hit tennis balls."
Source: InDaily, 16 November 2020Europe, 1979
At 18 Tennis SA gave him a plane ticket to Europe and his father lent him a $1,000 traveller's cheque. He earned enough prize money to bring the cheque home intact, and qualified for Wimbledon for the first time. "Up until then, I had no clue if I was good enough."
Source: InDaily, 16 November 2020Kooyong, 1986
Recalled to the Davis Cup team in 1986, he partnered Pat Cash to win a key doubles rubber against Sweden in the final, and Australia took the Cup. "I always wanted to be part of a team," he said.
Source: InDaily, 16 November 2020Melbourne, 2003
In the 2003 final on grass laid in Rod Laver Arena, Mark Philippoussis, struggling with injury, lost the third and fourth sets to Juan Carlos Ferrero. Philippoussis later recalled his captain at courtside telling him to take one point at a time. He won the fifth set 6-0 and Australia won the Cup.
Source: Tennis Australia, 27 November 2020Melbourne Park, 2020
At his induction into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame, before Ash Barty's fourth-round match, a bronze bust was unveiled in Garden Square. Looking at the sculptor's work, he said: "I'm so happy it has some hair." He thanked his wife, Jenny: "The greatest partner I ever got was obviously outside of tennis."
Source: Tennis Australia, 26 January 2020Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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