Mal Anderson

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Mal Anderson
Country Australia Australia
Born (1935-03-03) 3 March 1935
Theodore, Australia
Turned pro 1958 (amateur tour from 1952)
Retired 1977
Plays Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HOF 2000 (member page)
Singles
Career record 86–56
Highest ranking No. 2 (1957, Adrian Quist)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open F (1958, 1972)
French Open 2R (1957)
Wimbledon QF (1956, 1958)
US Open W (1957)
Professional majors
US Pro QF (1959, 1965, 1966)
Wembley Pro W (1959)
French Pro SF (1962, 1965)
TOC QF (1959)
Doubles
Career record 53–28
Career titles 4
Last updated on: 5 May 2012.

Malcolm "Mal" James Anderson MBE(C) (born 3 March 1935 in Theodore, near Rockhampton in Queensland) is a former top-ranking Australian tennis player from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s.

Background

A right-hander, Anderson started playing tennis when he was 8 and became serious about the sport at 16.

Playing career

His two best seasons statistics-wise were 1957 and 1958 when as an amateur he twice achieved a ranking of World No. 2.[1][2]

In 1957, Anderson won the US Championships as an unseeded player. Earlier that year, Anderson had reached the semi-finals of the Australian Championships and won the French Championship doubles, partnering with Ashley Cooper, the man he went on to defeat in the 1957 US Championships final.

In 1958, Anderson was a finalist at both the Australian Championships and US Championships, losing both times to Cooper. Anderson turned professional in late 1958 and went on to win the Wembley Championship in 1959, with a thrilling 5-set victory over former 3-time US Pro champion, Pancho Segura. Anderson did not appear in another major final until 1972, when at age 36, he was a finalist at the Australian Open, losing to Ken Rosewall. In 1973, he captured the Australian Open doubles title along with John Newcombe.

Anderson played on four Australian Davis Cup teams, in 1957, 1958, 1972 and 1973, the team winning twice (1957 and 1973). 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".[3]

Grand Slam record

Australian Championships/Open

  • Singles runner-up: 1958, 1972
  • Men's doubles champion: 1973
  • Men's doubles runner-up: 1957
  • Mixed doubles champion: 1957

French Championships

  • Men's Doubles champion: 1957

Wimbledon Championships

  • Singles quarterfinalist: 1956, 1958

US Championships

  • Singles champion: 1957
  • Singles runner-up: 1958

Grand Slam finals (8)

Singles (4)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner 1957 US Championships GrassAustralia Ashley Cooper 10–8, 7–5, 6–4
Runner-up 1958 Australian Championships Grass Australia Ashley Cooper 5–7, 3–6, 4–6
Runner-up 1958 US Championships Grass Australia Ashley Cooper 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–10, 6–8
Runner-up 1972 Australian Open Grass Australia Ken Rosewall 6–7(2), 3–6, 5–7

Men's doubles (3)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1957 Australian Championships GrassAustralia Ashley Cooper Australia Lew Hoad
Australia Neale Fraser
3–6, 6–8, 4–6
Winner 1957 French Championships GrassAustralia Ashley Cooper Australia Don Candy
Australia Mervyn Rose
6–3, 6–0, 6–3
Winner 1973 Australian Open GrassAustralia John Newcombe Australia John Alexander
Australia Phil Dent
6–3, 6–4, 7–6

Mixed doubles (1)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Winner 1957 Australian Championships GrassAustralia Fay Muller Australia Jill Langley
United Kingdom Billy Knight
7–5, 3–6, 6–1

Pro Slam finals (1)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner1959Wembley Pro IndoorUnited States Pancho Segura4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6

Post playing

On 23 August 2000, Anderson was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his achievements in tennis.[4] In 2009 Anderson was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Times Have Changed, Says Adrian Quist", The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 October 1957.
  2. "Former Champ Martina Honoured", New Straits Times, 27 January 2000.
  3. "Malcolm James Anderson MBE(C)". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 31 December 2012. 
  4. "Malcolm James Anderson". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 31 December 2012. 
  5. "Mr Mal Anderson MBE". Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. qsport.org.au. Retrieved 19 January 2014. 

External links

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