Neale Andrew Fraser, AOMBE (3 October 1933 – 2 December 2024) was an Australian champion tennis player. Fraser is the most recent man to have completed the triple crown (i.e. having won the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles at a Grand Slam tournament), which he did in 1959 and 1960 at the U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open). He won the 1960 Wimbledon championships. Fraser was ranked world No. 1 amateur tennis player in 1959 and 1960 by Lance Tingay and Ned Potter.

After his playing days were over, he was the non-playing captain of Australia's Davis Cup team for a record 24 years.

Biography

Fraser at the 1972 Dutch Open

Neale Fraser was the son of barrister and politician Archibald Fraser.

The young Fraser was taught by coach Bryan Slattery, and later won the Wimbledon singles in 1960 and the U.S. Championships singles in 1959 and 1960. He failed to win the Australian Championships, finishing as runner-up on three occasions (1957, 1959, and 1960) and held a championship point in the 1960 final. Team play – doubles and Davis Cup – proved nearest to Fraser's heart. In doubles, he took three Australian (1957, 1958, and 1962), French (1958, 1960, and 1962) and US (1957, 1959, and 1960) titles, and two Wimbledons (1959, and 1961) with three different partners: Ashley Cooper, Lew Hoad, and Roy Emerson.

Fraser was also successful in the mixed doubles, winning the Australian Championships in 1956 with Beryl Penrose, Wimbledon in 1962, and the U.S. Championships from 1958 to 1960 with Margaret Osborne duPont. He holds the distinction of having won the U.S. National (now Open) singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles in 1959 and then successfully defending those titles a year later. Since that time, no one has equalled that feat at a grand slam tournament, let alone successively.

Fraser was ranked the World No. 1 amateur in 1959 and 1960 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph, and was in the top 10 every year between 1956 and 1962.

Fraser became Davis Cup captain for the Australian team in 1970, holding the position for a record 24 years and piloting Australia to four wins in 1973, 1977, 1983, and 1986, and recording 55 wins from 75 ties played.

Fraser is one of the 20 men to win all four majors in doubles, and in 1984, he was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Fraser was honoured with an MBE in 1974, and an AO in 1988. He was chairman of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame from 1997 until 2005. In 2008, he received the International Tennis Federation's highest honour: the Philippe Chatrier Award for outstanding achievements in tennis.

Fraser was also the centenary ambassador for the Davis Cup, and was the first recipient of the ITF and International Hall of Fame's Davis Cup Award of Excellence.

Neale Fraser was married with children and grandchildren. He was voted Victorian Father of the Year in 1974.

Fraser died on 2 December 2024, at the age of 91.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 7 (3 wins, 4 losses)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1957Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley Cooper3–6, 11–9, 4–6, 2–6
Loss1958Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley Cooper6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 11–13
Loss1959Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Alex Olmedo1–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6
Win1959US ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Alex Olmedo6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
Loss1960Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 6–8, 6–8
Win1960Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5
Win1960US ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Rod Laver6–4, 6–4, 10–8

Doubles: 18 (11 wins, 7 losses)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1954Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Clive WilderspinAustralia Rex Hartwig Australia Mervyn Rose3–6, 4–6, 2–6
Loss1954WimbledonGrassAustralia Ken RosewallAustralia Rex Hartwig Australia Lew Hoad5–7, 4–6, 3–6
Win1957Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Lew HoadAustralia Mal Anderson Australia Ashley Cooper6–3, 8–6, 6–4
Loss1957WimbledonGrassAustralia Lew HoadUnited States Budge Patty United States Gardnar Mulloy10–8, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win1957U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley CooperUnited States Gardnar Mulloy United States Budge Patty4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–3
Win1958Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Ashley CooperAustralia Roy Emerson Australia Bob Mark7–5, 6–8, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
Loss1958WimbledonGrassAustralia Ashley CooperSweden Sven Davidson Sweden Ulf Schmidt4–6, 4–6, 6–8
Win1958French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Ashley CooperAustralia Robert Howe South Africa Abe Segal3–6, 8–6, 6–3, 7–5
Loss1959French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Roy EmersonItaly Nicola Pietrangeli Italy Orlando Sirola3–6, 2–6, 12–14
Win1959WimbledonGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Rod Laver Australia Bob Mark8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7
Win1959U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonUnited States Earl Buchholz United States Alex Olmedo3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5
Loss1960Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Rod Laver Australia Bob Mark6–1, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win1960French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Roy EmersonSpain Jose-Luis Arilla Spain Andrés Gimeno6–2, 8–10, 7–5, 6–4
Win1960U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Rod Laver Australia Bob Mark9–7, 6–2, 6–4
Win1961WimbledonGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Bob Hewitt Australia Fred Stolle6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6
Win1962Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Roy EmersonAustralia Bob Hewitt Australia Fred Stolle4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 11–9
Win1962French ChampionshipsClayAustralia Roy EmersonWest Germany Wilhelm Bungert West Germany Christian Kuhnke6–3, 6–4, 7–5
Loss1973WimbledonGrassAustralia John CooperUnited States Jimmy Connors Romania Ilie Năstase6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 9–8, 1–6

Mixed doubles: 7 (5 titles, 2 runner-ups)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1956Australian ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Beryl PenroseAustralia Mary Bevis Hawton Australia Roy Emerson6–2, 6–4
Loss1957WimbledonGrassUnited States Althea GibsonUnited States Darlene Hard Australia Mervyn Rose4–6, 5–7
Win1958U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneBrazil Maria Bueno United States Alex Olmedo6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Loss1959WimbledonGrassBrazil Maria BuenoUnited States Darlene Hard Australia Rod Laver4–6, 3–6
Win1959U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneUnited States Janet Hopps Australia Bob Mark7–5, 13–15, 6–2
Win1960U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneBrazil Maria Bueno Mexico Antonio Palafox6–3, 6–2
Win1962WimbledonGrassUnited States Margaret OsborneUnited Kingdom Ann Haydon-Jones United States Dennis Ralston2–6, 6–3, 13–11

Grand Slam performance timeline

Key
WFSFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH

Singles

Tournament195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975SRW–LWin%
Australian3R2R2R3RSFFSFFFASFAAAAA3RAAA3R1R1R1R0 / 1529–1565.9
FrenchAA3RAAQFQFSFQFASFAA2RAAAAAAAAAA0 / 720–774.1
WimbledonAA2R1RQFSFFQFW4RSFAA3RAAAAAA1R1R2R1R1 / 1438–1374.5
U.S.AA4R4RSF3RSFWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2 / 732–586.5
Win–loss1–11–17–44–312–314–417–418–321–23–113–33–22–12–20–21–20–23 / 43119–4074.8

See also

External links