Ashley Cooper (tennis)

For other people of the same name, see Ashley Cooper (disambiguation).

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Ashley John Cooper AO (born 15 September 1936 in Melbourne) is a former tennis player from Australia, who was World No. 1 in the late 1950s.

1958 was Cooper's big year where he became one of only ten men to date (2010) to win three of the four Grand Slam events in the same year – he won singles at the Australian, British, and American championships and was a semi-finalist at the French championship, losing to Luis Ayala 11–9, 6–4, 4–6, 2–6, 5–7.

The right-handed Cooper was the top-ranked player in both 1957, when he was a Wimbledon and Forest Hills finalist and Paris semi-finalist, and in 1958. Cooper was an Australian Davis Cup player as the team won the cup from '56 and '57, and finalists in '58. He turned professional in 1959.

Upon retiring as a player, Cooper has served as a tennis player development administrator with Tennis Queensland, where he has been based for forty years. He presently also sits on the Board of Directors for Tennis Australia.

Cooper was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.

In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his service to tennis.[1]

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (4)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1957 Australian Championships Neale Fraser 6–3, 9–11, 6–4, 6–2
1958 Australian Championships (2) Malcolm Anderson 7–5, 6–3, 6–4
1958 Wimbledon Neale Fraser 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 13–11
1958 U.S. Championships Malcolm Anderson 6–2, 3–6, 4–6, 10–8, 8–6

Runner-ups (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1957 Wimbledon Lew Hoad 6–2, 6–1, 6–2
1957 U.S. Championships Malcolm Anderson 10–8, 7–5, 6–4

References

  1. ^ It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia

External links