John Edward Bromwich (14 November 1918 – 21 October 1999) was an Australian tennis player who, along with fellow countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand. He was a natural left-hander, though hit his serve with his right hand. Bromwich twice won the Australian Championships singles title, in 1939 (over Adrian Quist in a straight sets final) and in 1946 (a five-set final victory over Dinny Pails). He was ranked world No. 3 by A. Wallis Myers in 1938 and again by Harry Hopman in 1947.

Tennis career

Although a fine singles player, Bromwich was primarily known as being a world-class doubles player, winning 13 men's doubles titles and 4 mixed doubles titles in the majors. Tennis great (and near contemporary) Jack Kramer writes in his 1979 autobiography that if "Earth were playing in the all-time Universe Davis Cup, I'd play Budge and Vines in my singles, and Budge and Bromwich in the doubles. That's what I think of Johnny as a doubles player."

In the 1939 Davis Cup final, just as World War II was starting, Bromwich played arguably the match of his life in beating the American, Frank Parker, in straight sets, to clinch the Cup for Australia. Australia had trailed 0–2 after the first day, and came back to win the tie, 3–2. This remains the only time in Davis Cup history where the winning team has won a Davis Cup final after trailing 0–2.

In 1948, Bromwich played the American Bob Falkenburg in the Wimbledon final, and had a championship point at 5–3 in the fifth set. He came to the net for a volley but decided that Falkenburg's ball would go long and let it go by. It landed on the baseline and Falkenburg fought his way back into the match. Bromwich later had another two championship points, but was unable to take those either, and Falkenburg came back to win the championship, taking the last four games to win the fifth set, 7–5. Kramer later wrote that "...it never seemed to me that he was the same player after that. He doubted himself. He was a precision player to start with – he used a terribly light racket weighing less than twelve ounces, and it was strung loosely. He could put a ball on a dime, and I suppose after he misjudged that one shot, the most important in his life, he never possessed the confidence he needed." Bromwich also had a championship point in losing the 1947 Australian Championships singles final to Dinny Pails.

John Bromwich in a 1944 exhibition match against Dinny Pails

Bromwich gained some revenge against Falkenburg in the 1949 Wimbledon quarterfinals, coming back from two sets down to win in five sets. Bromwich then lost to Jaroslav Drobný in the semifinals.

Writing about Bromwich, Kramer says, "Bromwich was like McMillan today because as a kid John hit from both sides two-handed, and while he eventually had given up the two-handed forehand, he still hit backhand two-handed and could anything back from the baseline. He had strokes very much like Connors."

Bromwich was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1984. He received a posthumous Davis Cup commitment award in 2017 which was presented to his wife by the ITF and Tennis Australia.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 wins, 6 losses)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1937Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Vivian McGrath3–6, 6–1, 0–6, 6–2, 1–6
Loss1938Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Don Budge4–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win1939Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian Quist6–4, 6–1, 6–3
Win1946Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Dinny Pails5–7, 6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–2
Loss1947Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Dinny Pails6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–8
Loss1948Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian Quist4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6
Loss1948WimbledonGrassUnited States Bob Falkenburg5–7, 6–0, 2–6, 6–3, 5–7
Loss1949Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Frank Sedgman3–6, 2–6, 2–6

Doubles: (13 wins, 3 losses)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1937Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Jack HarperAustralia Adrian Quist Australia Don Turnbull2–6, 7–9, 6–1, 8–6, 4–6
Win1938Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistGermany Gottfried von Cramm Germany Henner Henkel7–5, 6–4, 6–0
Loss1938U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistUnited States Don Budge United States Gene Mako3–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win1939Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Colin Long Australia Don Turnbull6–4, 7–5, 6–2
Win1939U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Jack Crawford Australia Harry Hopman8–6, 6–1, 6–4
Win1940Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Jack Crawford Australia Vivian McGrath6–3, 7–5, 6–1
Win1946Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Max Newcombe Australia Leonard Schwartz6–3, 6–1, 9–7
Win1947Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Frank Sedgman Australia George Worthington6–1, 6–3, 6–1
Win1948Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Frank Sedgman Australia Colin Long1–6, 6–8, 9–7, 6–3, 8–6
Win1948WimbledonGrassAustralia Frank SedgmanUnited States Tom Brown United States Gardnar Mulloy5–7, 7–5, 7–5, 9–7
Win1949Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Geoffrey Brown Australia Bill Sidwell1–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–3
Win1949US National ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Bill SidwellAustralia Frank Sedgman Australia George Worthington6–4, 6–0, 6–1
Win1950Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistEgypt Jaroslav Drobný South Africa Eric Sturgess6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6
Win1950Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Geoff Brown Australia Bill Sidwell7–5, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2
Win1950U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Frank SedgmanUnited States Gardnar Mulloy Australia Bill Talbert7–5, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1
Loss1951Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Adrian QuistAustralia Frank Sedgman Australia Ken McGregor9–11, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6

Mixed Doubles: 11 (4 wins, 7 losses)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1938Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Margaret WilsonAustralia Nancye Wynne Bolton Australia Colin Long6–3, 6–2
Loss1938U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Thelma Coyne LongUnited States Alice Marble United States Don Budge1–6, 2–6
Loss1939Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Margaret WilsonAustralia Nell Hall Hopman Australia Harry Hopman8–6, 2–6, 3–6
Loss1946Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Joyce FitchAustralia Nancye Wynne Bolton Australia Colin Long0–6, 4–6
Loss1947Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Joyce FitchAustralia Nancye Wynne Bolton Australia Colin Long3–6, 3–6
Win1947WimbledonGrassUnited States Louise BroughAustralia Nancye Wynne Bolton Australia Colin Long1–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win1947U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Louise BroughUnited States Gussy Moran United States Pancho Segura6–3, 6–1
Win1948WimbledonGrassUnited States Louise BroughUnited States Doris Hart Australia Frank Sedgman6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Loss1949Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Joyce FitchUnited States Doris Hart Australia Frank Sedgman1–6, 7–5, 10–12
Loss1949WimbledonGrassUnited States Louise BroughSouth Africa Sheila Summers South Africa Eric Sturgess7–9, 11–9, 5–7
Loss1954Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Beryl PenroseAustralia Thelma Coyne Long Australia Rex Hartwig6–4, 1–6, 2–6

Singles performance timeline

Key
WFSFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH
Tournament19351936193719381939194019411942194319441945194619471948194919501951195219531954SRW–LWin %
Australian Open3RQFFFWSFNot heldWFFFQFQFAASF2 / 1344–1180%
French OpenAAAAANot heldAAAAQFAAAA0 / 14–180%
WimbledonAA3RAANot heldA4RFSF4RAAAA0 / 519–579%
US OpenAAASFSFAAAAAAASFA3R3RAAAA0 / 516–576%
Win–loss2–12–16–28–29–13–10–00–00–00–00–05–011–310–211–311–42–10–00–03–12 / 2483–2279%

Sources

  • The Game – My 40 Years in Tennis (1979) – Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (ISBN 0-399-12336-9)

External links