A State Funeral Service to honour the life of tennis great Neale Fraser AO MBE was held at 10:30 am on Wednesday 18 December at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne.
Neale was one of Australia’s tennis greats, winning 19 grand slams in the early 1960s and leading Australia to four Davis Cup titles as captain.
Born in 1933, he learned to play tennis at age 11 on the clay courts next to his childhood home in Melbourne. He developed a unique left-hand spin by drawing inspiration from cricket. He adapted the technique used by leg-spin bowlers who turned the ball in different directions by cocking their wrists.
Neale Fraser AO MBE won his first tournament at 12 and became Australian National Junior Champion at 17. He rose to world-wide fame in 1959 by winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Forest Hills in the US and leading Australia to victory in the Davis cup. The following year, he defeated Rod Laver in Wimbledon.
He won 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles across Australian, French, Wimbledon and US championships between 1956 and 1962. 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 US Open.
His greatest legacy will be his captaincy of Australia in the Davis Cup. A much-respected coach and teacher of the game, he took over from Harry Hopman as captain and remained in that position for 24 years.
Generations of Australian players were inspired by his leadership, which gave Australia victories in 1973, 1977, 1983 and 1986.
Neale Fraser AO MBE was inducted to the International Hall of Fame in 1984, the Australian Tennis Hall of fame in 1994, and received the Philippe Chatrier Award for outstanding achievements in tennis in 2008.
The State Funeral Service was an opportunity for Victorians to pay tribute to his legacy and contribution to the state and the tennis community.
Donations
At the request of Neale Fraser’s AO MBE family and in lieu of flowers, tributes may be made in the form of a contribution to the Neale Fraser Scholarship.
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