Australian Open champion Mervyn Rose dies, age 87

Melbourne VIC, Australia, 24 July 2017 | tennis.com.au

The tennis family is mourning the passing of seven-time Grand Slam champion Mervyn Rose AM and our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Rose made his Grand Slam debut in 1949 as a teenager and would go on to reach a career-high ranking of No.3.

The first of his two Grand Slam singles titles came at the age of 24 at the 1954 Australian Open in Sydney. He defeated defending champion and top seed Ken Rosewall on the way to the final. In the final the previous year he had lost to Rosewall in straight sets. In 1954 he beat his long-time doubles partner Rex Hartwig. The pair also defeated fellow Aussies Neale Fraser and Clive Wilderspin to take the doubles title.

Four years after winning his first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, Rose captured his second and final major singles title on the Roland Garros clay.

Rose represented Australia in Davis Cup between 1950-54 and 1957, and was part of the Harry Hopman-captained championship victories over the United States in 1951 and 1957.

Following his retirement from playing, Rose effortlessly made the transition to coaching. He worked with some of the greats including Margaret Court, Billie Jean King and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

In 2000 he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal. Rose was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 2006 he was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for his service to tennis.

A left-hander who perfected the art of the chip and charge, the only thing sharper than Rose’s volleys was his wit. And despite enjoying a career that took him around the world, Rose resided in the New South Wales coastal town of Coffs Harbour where he was born in the summer of 1930.

Further details of his memorial service to follow.

Career Highlights

Singles champion

Australian Open 1954

Roland Garros 1958

 

Doubles champion

Australian Open 1954

US Open 1952-1953

Wimbledon 1954

 

Mixed doubles champion

Wimbledon 1957

 

Davis Cup

Represented Australia in Davis Cup 1950-1954, 1957

Davis Cup champion 1951, 1957

 

Hall of Fame

Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001

Inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002