Mervyn Rose

Mervyn Gordon Rose AM (23 January 1930 – 23 July 2017) was an Australian male tennis player who won 7 Grand Slam titles (singles, doubles and mixed doubles).

Mervyn Rose
AM
Full nameMervyn Gordon Rose
Country (sports) Australia
Born(1930-01-23)23 January 1930
Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
Died24 July 2017(2017-07-24) (aged 87)
Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
Turned pro1959 (amateur tour from 1949)
Retired1972
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF2001 (member page)
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 3 (1958, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenW (1954)
French OpenW (1958)
WimbledonSF (1952, 1953, 1958)
US OpenSF (1952)
Other tournaments
Professional majors
Wembley ProQF (1959)
French ProQF (1959)
TOC1R (1959)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian OpenW (1954)
French OpenF (1953, 1957)
WimbledonW (1954)
US OpenW (1952, 1953)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French OpenF (1951, 1953)
WimbledonW (1957)
US OpenF (1951)

Rose was born in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and turned professional in 1959. He was ranked inside the world's Top 10 throughout much of his tennis career and represented Australia in the Davis Cup from 1951 to 1957. He was ranked World No. 3 in 1958 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.[1]

Rose won the singles title at the 1954 Australian Championships in Sydney, defeating compatriot Rex Hartwig in the final in four sets.[2][3] Four years later, in 1958, he became the French singles champion after a straight-sets victory in the final against Luis Ayala.[4][5]

He coached numerous female and male players, including Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Ernie Ewart, Michael Fancutt, Brett Prentice, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Eleni Daniilidou, Nadia Petrova, Magdalena Grzybowska and Caroline Schnieder.

Rose was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2006 for service to tennis, particularly as a competitor at national and international levels and as a coach and mentor to both amateur and professional players.[6] Rose died on 23 July 2017 at the age of 87.[4][5]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1953Australian ChampionshipsGrass Ken Rosewall0–6, 3–6, 4–6
Win1954Australian ChampionshipsGrass Rex Hartwig6–2, 0–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win1958French ChampionshipsClay Luis Ayala6–3, 6–4, 6–4

Doubles (4 titles, 7 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1951US ChampionshipsGrass Don Candy Ken McGregor
Frank Sedgman		8–10, 4–6, 6–4, 5–7
Loss1952Australian ChampionshipsGrass Don Candy Ken McGregor
Frank Sedgman		4–6, 5–7, 3–6
Win1952US ChampionshipsGrass Vic Seixas Ken McGregor
Frank Sedgman		3–6, 10–8, 10–8, 6–8, 8–6
Loss1953Australian ChampionshipsGrass Don Candy Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		11–9, 4–6, 8–10, 4–6
Loss1953French ChampionshipsClay Clive Wilderspin Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		2–6, 1–6, 1–6
Loss1953Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Rex Hartwig Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		4–6, 5–7, 6–4, 5–7
Win1953US ChampionshipsGrass Rex Hartwig Gardnar Mulloy
Bill Talbert		6–4, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Win1954Australian ChampionshipsGrass Rex Hartwig Neale Fraser
Clive Wilderspin		6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Win1954Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Rex Hartwig Vic Seixas
Tony Trabert		6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Loss1956Australian ChampionshipsGrass Don Candy Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		8–10, 11–13, 4–6
Loss1957French ChampionshipsClay Don Candy Malcolm Anderson
Ashley Cooper		3–6, 0–6, 3–6

Mixed doubles: 5 (1 title, 4 runner-ups)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1951French ChampionshipsClay Thelma Coyne Long Doris Hart
Frank Sedgman		5–7, 2–6
Loss1951Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Nancye Wynne Bolton Doris Hart
Frank Sedgman		5–7, 2–6
Loss1951U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Shirley Fry Doris Hart
Frank Sedgman		3–6, 2–6
Loss1953French ChampionshipsClay Maureen Connolly Doris Hart
Vic Seixas		6–4, 4–6, 0–6
Win1957Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Darlene Hard Althea Gibson
Neale Fraser		6–4, 7–5

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

Singles
Tournament194919501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972 SR
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open 3R QF QF SF F W QF QF A SF A A A A A A A A A A A A 1R 2R 1 / 11
French Open A 3R QF 4R 4R QF QF A SF W A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 1 / 8
Wimbledon A 3R 1R SF SF QF 2R A QF SF A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 8
US Open A 2R 4R SF 4R A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 4
Strike Rate 0 / 1 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 1 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 2 1 / 3 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 2 / 31

Other tournament records

References
  1. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
  2. "Rose beats Hartwig for Aust. singles". Daily Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 2 February 1954. p. 3 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Rose wins Australian title". The News. 62 (9, 509). Adelaide. 1 February 1954. p. 2 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. James Buddell. "Mervyn Rose: 1930–2017". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  5. "Australian tennis great Mervyn Rose dies aged 87". Sky Sports. 25 July 2017.
  6. "It's an Honour – Honours – Search Australian Honours". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
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