Queensland
The Snake
Case's quick play at the net earned him the nickname 'The Snake'. With Masters he reached three Australian Open finals and two at Wimbledon.
Source: Tennis AustraliaThe Open Era
Ross Case
Australia · born Toowoomba, Queensland, 1951 · 'The Snake' at the net · Wimbledon doubles champion 1977 with Geoff Masters
All playersBack to the rankings
1977
Wimbledon doubles title with Geoff Masters
2
Wimbledon doubles finals in a row, 1976 and 1977
1974
Australian Open doubles title at Kooyong
24
Games in the 1977 semi-final, the fewest in a Wimbledon men's doubles semi
14
Career-high singles ranking, 1976
Playing career
Ross Llewellyn Case was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, on 1 November 1951. His speed at the net earned him the nickname 'The Snake', and he formed a long doubles partnership with his fellow Queenslander Geoff Masters.
Case and Masters reached the Australian Open final in 1972, won it at Kooyong in 1974 and lost the 1976 final. At Wimbledon they lost the 1976 final in five sets to Brian Gottfried and Raul Ramirez and won the title a year later, beating John Alexander and Phil Dent in another five-setter. They also won the South Pacific Championships together in Melbourne in 1975 and, on grass, in Brisbane in 1979.
In singles Case won the New South Wales Open at White City in Sydney in December 1975 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 14 in 1976. He reached the 1979 French Open doubles final with Phil Dent and played Davis Cup for Australia through the 1970s.
On grass
| Wimbledon doubles final 1977 | With Geoff Masters, seeded seventh, beat John Alexander and Phil Dent 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 8-9, 6-4; the champions dropped eight sets in the fortnight, joint second most for winners of the event |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles final 1976 | With Masters, unseeded, lost to the top seeds Brian Gottfried and Raul Ramirez 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 2-6, 7-5 |
| Wimbledon semi-final 1977 | Beat Mark Cox and Cliff Drysdale 6-1, 6-4, 6-1, the fewest games in a men's doubles semi-final at Wimbledon |
| Australian Open doubles | 1972: lost the final to Owen Davidson and Ken Rosewall. 1974: beat Syd Ball and Bob Giltinan 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. 1976: lost the final to John Newcombe and Tony Roche |
| Sydney singles final 1975 | Beat John Marks to win the New South Wales Open at White City |
Every grass title: 5
Show every title, tournament by tournament
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Men's doubles | with Geoff Masters |
| South Pacific Classic | ||
| 1975 | Men's doubles‡ | with Geoff Masters |
| 1979 | Men's doubles | with Geoff Masters |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1974 | Men's doubles Australian Open | with Geoff Masters |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1975 | Men's singles New South Wales Open | |
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
Anecdotes
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon, 1976 to 1977
Second time lucky
Unseeded in 1976, Case and Masters took the top seeds Gottfried and Ramirez to 7-5 in the fifth set of the final. A year later, seeded seventh, they won a five-set final of their own against Alexander and Dent, including a fourth set lost on a tie-break at 8-9.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Wimbledon, 1977
Twenty-four games
In the 1977 semi-final Case and Masters beat Mark Cox and Cliff Drysdale 6-1, 6-4, 6-1, still the fewest games in a men's doubles semi-final at Wimbledon. In the whole event they dropped eight sets on the way to the title.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Partners
Two Queenslanders
Geoff Masters, looking back, called the 1974 Australian Open his first major win, with fellow Queenslander Case, and said a Wimbledon doubles title was worth celebrating because the top singles players also played doubles in that era.
Source: Pan Pacific Masters Games interview with Geoff MastersJoin Grass Tennis Club
Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
Join freeExplore
Where they won on grass
- All England Club, Wimbledon
- Kooyong, Melbourne
- White City, Sydney
- Milton Courts, Brisbane
- Find a grass court near you
Rivals and partners
On Grass Tennis Club
Elsewhere online
Sources
- Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)
- Ross Case, Tennis Australia
- Ross Case, ATP profile
- Interview with Geoff Masters, Pan Pacific Masters Games
- Ross Case, Wikipedia
- 1974 Australian Open, Wikipedia
- South Pacific Tennis Classic, Wikipedia
- Sydney International, Wikipedia
- GTC roll of grass champions, checked against a second source where one exists
Page updated 4 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
