The amateur years
Australia · born Melbourne, 1933 · died 2024 · left-handed · Wimbledon champion 1960
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1960
Wimbledon singles champion
5
Match points saved, 1960 Wimbledon quarter-final
2
US triple crowns, 1959 and 1960
18
Davis Cup matches won out of 21
4
Davis Cups won as Australia's captain
Neale Fraser was born in Melbourne in 1933, the son of the barrister and later judge Archibald Fraser, and began playing at 11 on a neighbour's court with his brother John. In 1954 he toured with Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall in Harry Hopman's overseas team. A left-handed serve-and-volleyer, he won three major singles titles, the US Championships in 1959 and 1960 and Wimbledon in 1960, and Lance Tingay ranked him the world's top amateur in both years. Sixteen of his 19 major titles came in doubles and mixed, most of them with Roy Emerson and Margaret Osborne duPont. He won 18 of his 21 Davis Cup matches as Australia held the Cup from 1959 to 1962, and captained Australia from 1970 to 1993. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1984 and died in 2024.
| Major singles titles | 3: Wimbledon (1960); US (1959, 1960) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 4: Wimbledon 1958, Australian 1957, Australian 1959, Australian 1960 |
| Other grass singles titles | 7: NSW Championships 3 (1959, 1960, 1962); Kent (1958); Queen's (1956); Victorian Championships (1959); WA Championships (1960) |
| Major doubles titles | 8 doubles (Wimbledon 2, Australian 3, US 3), 5 mixed (Wimbledon 1, Australian 1, US 3) |
| Wimbledon singles finals | 1958: lost to Ashley Cooper 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 11-13. 1960: beat Rod Laver 6-4, 3-6, 9-7, 7-5 |
| Wimbledon doubles and mixed | Doubles 1959 and 1961 with Roy Emerson; mixed 1962 with Margaret Osborne duPont |
| US triple crowns | 1959: singles, beating Alex Olmedo 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, doubles with Emerson, mixed with duPont. 1960: singles, beating Laver 6-4, 6-4, 9-7, doubles with Emerson, mixed with duPont |
| Other major doubles | Australian 1957 with Lew Hoad, 1958 with Cooper, 1962 with Emerson; US 1957 with Cooper; US mixed 1958 with duPont; Australian mixed 1956 with Beryl Penrose |
| Australian finals lost | 1957 to Cooper, 1959 to Olmedo, 1960 to Laver 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-8, 6-8 after holding a championship point |
| Davis Cup | 18 of 21 matches won; Cup won 1959 to 1962; all three of his rubbers won in the 1959 challenge round at Forest Hills. Captain 1970 to 1993: Cup won 1973, 1977, 1983, 1986 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| 1960 | Men's singles | |
| 1961 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| 1962 | Mixed doubles | with Margaret Osborne duPont |
| US Championships | ||
| 1957 | Men's doubles | with Ashley Cooper |
| 1958 | Mixed doubles | with Margaret Osborne duPont |
| 1959 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| 1959 | Mixed doubles | with Margaret Osborne duPont |
| 1959 | Men's singles | |
| 1960 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| 1960 | Mixed doubles | with Margaret Osborne duPont |
| 1960 | Men's singles | |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1956 | Mixed doubles | with Beryl Penrose Collier |
| 1957 | Men's doubles | with Lew Hoad |
| 1958 | Men's doubles | with Ashley Cooper |
| 1962 | Men's doubles | with Roy Emerson |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1959 | Men's singles | |
| 1960 | Men's singles | |
| 1962 | Men's singles | |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1956 | Men's singles | |
| South Australian Championships | ||
| 1956 | Men's singles | |
| Tasmanian Championships | ||
| 1956 | Men's singles | |
| Kent Championships (Beckenham) | ||
| 1958 | Men's singles | |
| Victorian Championships | ||
| 1959 | Men's singles | |
| Western Australian Championships | ||
| 1960 | 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
"Reading it was a nightmare; returning it even worse."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1960 · Quarter-final
Butch Buchholz led two sets to one and held five match points. At 15-15 in the fourth set the American was struck by severe cramp and had to retire. Fraser went on to the title, one of only nine men in Wimbledon history to win the singles after facing match point during the tournament.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1960 · Final
Against Rod Laver, who had lost the 1959 final to Alex Olmedo, Fraser won 6-4, 3-6, 9-7, 7-5 in the first Wimbledon final between two left-handers. Steve Flink called it the finest hour of his career. He beat Laver again in the US final at Forest Hills that September.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameForest Hills 1959 · Davis Cup
In the challenge round against the United States he beat Alex Olmedo in four sets on the opening day, won the doubles with Roy Emerson, then clinched the tie by beating Barry MacKay in four sets. It was the first of four Cups in a row for Australia.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameMelbourne 1960
In the Australian final Fraser led Rod Laver by two sets to love and held a championship point, but lost 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-8, 6-8. Six months later he beat Laver in the Wimbledon final, and he never won the Australian singles, losing three finals there between 1957 and 1960.
Source: WikipediaMelbourne · Early years
Fraser started at 11 on a neighbour's court with his brother John, who became a physician and reached the Wimbledon doubles semi-finals with Rod Laver. Neale won his first tournament, an under-13 event, at 12, and the Australian junior title at 17.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameDavis Cup · Captain
Fraser wanted his team to dine together each evening. John Newcombe refused: "We had wives and girlfriends who we saw all too infrequently and we just needed time off." Richard Evans also recalled Newcombe leaving a nightclub by the fire escape when his captain came looking for him.
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