Malcolm "Mal" James Anderson MBE(C) (born 3 March 1935 in Theodore, near Rockhampton in Queensland) was a top-ranking Australian tennis player from the middle 1950s to the early 1970s.
A right-hander, Anderson started playing tennis when he was 8 and became serious about the sport at 16. His two best seasons statistics-wise were 1957 and 1958 when as an amateur he twice achieved a ranking of World No. 2.
In '57 Anderson won the U.S. National Singles Championship as an unseeded player. He also that year reached the semi-finals of the Australian National Singles Championship and won the French National Doubles Championship, partnering with Ashley Cooper, the man he defeated at Forest Hills.
In '58, Anderson was a finalist at both the Forest Hills and Kooyong, losing both times to Cooper. From 1959, Anderson played professional tennis, winning Wembley in 1959. He did not appear in another major final until 1972 when at age 36 he was a finalist at the Australian Open. In '73 he captured the doubles title at Kooyong as partner of John Newcombe.
Anderson played on four Australian Davis Cup teams 1954, 1957, 1958, and 1973, the team winning twice ('57 and '73). He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000.
On 3 June 1972, Anderson was named a Member of Order of the British Empire "in recognition of service to lawn tennis".[1] On 23 August 2000, Anderson was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his achievements in tennis.[2]
Contents |
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1957 | US Championships (1/1) | Grass | Ashley Cooper | 10–8, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1958 | Australian Championships (1/1) | Grass | Ashley Cooper | 7–5, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1958 | US Championships (2/1) | Grass | Ashley Cooper | 6–2, 3–6, 4–6, 10–8, 8–6 |
| Runner-up | 1972 | Australian Open (2/2) | Grass | Ken Rosewall | 7–6(2), 6–3, 7–5 |
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1957 | Australian Championships (1/1) | Grass | Ashley Cooper | Lew Hoad Neale Fraser |
6–3, 8–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1957 | French Championships (1/1) | Grass | Ashley Cooper | Don Candy Mervyn Rose |
6–3, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1973 | Australian Open (2/1) | Grass | John Newcombe | John Alexander Phil Dent |
6–3, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1957 | Australian Championships (1/1) | Grass | Fay Muller | J. Langley Billy Knight |
7–5, 3–6, 6–1 |
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||