By Greg Baum and Marc McGowan
Paul McNamee won the Davis Cup twice under the guidance of Neale Fraser and says simply: “If one person embodied the spirit of the Davis Cup, it was him.”
This is not merely rhetoric. Fraser, who died on Tuesday, aged 91 rose briefly to the top of world tennis in 1959 and 1960, winning Wimbledon and the US Nationals – as they were then known – twice. He was ranked the world’s No.1 amateur then.
He also won 16 major doubles and mixed doubles titles and four Davis Cups under the captaincy of the legendary Harry Hopman.
Australian tennis greats John Newcombe, Frank Sedgman, Neale Fraser, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, and John Alexander at Kooyong early last year.Credit: Tennis Australia/Fiona Hamilton
But as tennis moved to professionalism, Fraser resisted for fear of disqualifying himself from succeeding Hopman. “His love was Davis Cup,” said McNamee. “He committed his life to the service of Davis Cup, rather than turn professional.”
Duly, Fraser became Davis Cup captain in 1970 and held the post for 24 years, gaining Australia four more Davis Cups. “I could never think of anything better than representing your country,” he often said.
If Fraser’s CV reads as too brief now – and his priorities sound quaint – it ought not to surprise. He was 91. He was a man of his times, who leaves a timeless legacy.
Raised in Melbourne, Fraser always marvelled at where and how far tennis took him. He grew up in South Yarra, next to tennis courts and soon enough on them. As well as tennis, he loved the races and cricket; by watching how leg-spinners cocked their wrists, he taught himself how to vary the direction of his serve.
Neale Fraser (centre) with Australia’s victorious 1986 Davis Cup team Peter McNamara, Paul McNamee, John Fitzgerald and Pat Cash.
It was a big, left-handed serve, with a second not much smaller, underpinning an aggressive game. One of the precepts he impressed on his Davis Cup charges was the importance of winning the first point of a game. Another, repeated at every change of ends, was “happy feet”, always moving.
For context, Fraser was a good enough player to beat Rod Laver in both the Wimbledon and US finals in 1960. He also teamed with Roy Emerson to win eight of his 11 doubles titles. With apologies to McNamee, the late Peter McNamara, and the Woodies, they were Australia’s greatest combo. Emerson called Fraser “a general on the court”.
In a time when the emphases in tennis were different, Fraser was also celebrated for the unique feat of twice winning the “triple crown” at the US: Singles, doubles and mixed.
Fraser was one of a big Australian troupe of that time. Six of the eight 1962 Wimbledon quarter-finalists were Australian, including Fraser and his brother John, later a long-serving footy club doctor at Fitzroy and Carlton, as well as Australian Open medical officer for 30 years. Oddly enough, Neale never won the Australian singles title.
Neale Fraser’s honour roll
- Highest ranking: No.1 (1959)
- Davis Cup – player: 1955-1963, 18 wins, 3 losses (11-1 singles; 7-2 doubles)
- Davis Cup – captain: 1970-1993, 49 wins, 19 losses (titles in 1973, 1977, 1983, 1986)
- Grand slam titles (19)
- Singles: Wimbledon 1960; US Open 1959, 1960
- Men’s doubles: Australian Open 1957, 1958, 1962; Roland Garros 1958, 1960, 1962. Wimbledon 1959, 1961. US Open 1957, 1959, 1960
- Mixed doubles: Australian Open 1956. Wimbledon 1962. US Open 1958, 1959, 1960
Fraser had an 11-1 record in singles and 7-2 in doubles in Davis Cup. This was mostly in the challenge round era, when the holder played only once, to defend the title. By the time he became captain, the format was home-and-away and so victories were harder gained. Under Fraser, Australia won 55 of 75 ties.
Fans remember him as a fixed courtside presence in his tracksuit pants and terry towelling hat. McNamee remembers his pastoral care. “When he was disappointed or concerned about something in the team, he’d always speak to us collectively,” he said. “He’d say what was bothering him and add, ‘If the cap fits, wear it’. He wouldn’t embarrass anyone in front of the group.”
Pat Cash remembered his care, too. “He was like a father to me,” he said once. “He just knew how to make you feel important and play your best.”
It’s not hard to think that Fraser would have been heavy-hearted at the diminishment of the Davis Cup in this time to the point of anonymity. As it happened, he died on the day it was announced that Italy would host the Davis Cup finals for the next three years, squashing Australia’s ambitions.
Fraser also captained the Federation Cup team for three years, into three finals. He was named father of the year in 1974, was awarded an MBE and an AO, and he was chairman of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for nine years. If all of Australian tennis history were a club season, Neale Fraser would win the best team man award, hands-down.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.