Roy Emerson

Roy Emerson was a super-fit and athletic champion whose career bridged the amateur and Open eras. His haul of 28 Grand Slam titles (12 singles, 16 doubles) is a record for men’s tennis. Emerson is also the only man to win singles and doubles titles at all four majors. In 1964, his only loss in Grand Slam play came in the quarterfinals at Paris to Italy’s Nicola Pietrangeli. A vibrant figure in Australia’s golden tennis age, Emerson played in eight winning Davis Cup teams and clinched 34 of 38 Cup rubbers. A gifted doubles player – he won doubles titles at all the majors at least three times – Emerson had a reputation for making any partner look good. Not least at the French Championships, where he won the doubles six times with five different partners. Emerson was justly famous for his “no excuses” code, saying: “You should never complain about an injury. We believe that if you play, then you aren’t injured, and that’s that.”

Singles champion
Australian 1961, 1963-67
French 1963, 1967
United States 1961, 1964
Wimbledon 1964-65

Doubles champion
Australian 1962, 1966, 1969
French 1960-65
United States 1959-60, 1965-66
Wimbledon 1959, 1961, 1971

Davis Cup
1959-67