If you’re interested in the stories behind some of the greatest tennis players in history, you can’t forget about tennis legend John Newcombe.
This article is a guide to John Newcombe’s life, career, and tennis stats. If tennis statistics and tennis odds are something that you’re interested in, be sure to check out FanDuel Sportsbook!
Who is John Newcombe?
John Newcombe is a professional Australian tennis player. He has been included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and is a household name throughout Australia and elsewhere in the world.
Newcombe was born in 1944, in Sydney, Australia. Tennis wasn’t originally on Newcombe’s radar as a potential career path until he turned 17. He was encouraged to pursue a career in tennis by Harry Hopman, who is an Australian tennis coach.
Newcombe’s professional tennis career kicked off when he was 19 years old in 1963. This was when Newcome became known as one of the youngest people to ever play in the Davis Cup. Even though he was beaten in the finale by U.S. players Chuck McKinley and Dennis Ralson, Newcombe had established himself as a player to watch.
John Newcombe went on to make a name for himself with his impressive singles technique. He is one of only two male players to win at Wimbledon and Forest Hills at both professional and amateur levels. As an amateur, Newcombe defeated Willy Bungert at Wimbledon in 1967, beat Ken Rosewall in 1970, and Stan Smith in 1971, establishing a track record as a serious opponent.
If you would like to find out more about the progression and chronology of John Newcombe’s tennis career, read on!
John Newcombe Career
1961 – 1963: Newcombe is the reigning Australian junior champion
1964: Newcombe becomes part of the Davis Cup Australian winning team
1965: Newcombe wins his first Grand Slam title along with Tony Roche in the Australian Championship doubles as well as winning the Wimbledon doubles
1967: Newcombe and Roche win the US Championships and the French Championships and Newcombe is ranked as the world’s top amateur tennis player, being the first winner of the Martini and Rossi award due to his superior point scores
1968: Newcombe signs a professional contract with WCT (World Championship Tennis). This results in him being banned from playing in the Wimbledon Championships of 1972
1969: Roche and Newcombe win the French Open
1970: Newcombe is ranked by Tingay, World Tennis, and Tennis Magazine as World No. 1
1971: Newcombe is named World No.1
1972: Newcombe is unable to compete in the Wimbledon Championship due to his contract with WCT
1973: Newcombe is, once again, ranked as World No. 1 and joins a boycott against the Wimbledon Championships
1974: Newcombe is named the WCT champion
1975: Newcombe accomplishes the final major win of his career, winning a total of 5 matches in the Australian Open (the match against Connors being considered one of the best of his entire career)
1979: Newcombe is listed amongst 21 players in the biography of famous tennis player Jack Kramer as one of the greatest tennis players in history
1985: Newcombe makes it to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
1986: Newcombe is included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame
1995 – 2000: Newcombe captains the Davis Cup team for Australia
John Newcombe Titles (67)
In total, John Newcombe has won 34 titles in singles and 33 doubles titles. These are as follows:
1967: Wimbledon (Outdoor)
US Championships (Outdoor)
1968: Durban WCT (Outdoor)
Hamburg (Outdoor)
Wimbledon [+ Dennis Ralston] (Outdoor)
Bakersfield WCT (Indoor)
Evansville WCT (Indoor)
Gstaad [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Kimberley WCT (Outdoor)
Pretoria WCT (Outdoor)
East London WCT (Outdoor)
Cannes WCT (Indoor)
1969: Rome (Outdoor)
Bournemouth (Outdoor)
Toronto [+ Ron Holmberg] (Outdoor)
Monte Carlo [+ Owen Davidson] (Outdoor)
Roland Garros [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Wimbledon [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
1970: Wimbledon (Outdoor)
Melbourne (Outdoor)
St. Louis [+ Andres Gimeno] (Outdoor)
Louisville [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Wimbledon [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Hoylake (Outdoor)
Casablanca (Outdoor)
1971: Chicago WCT (Indoor)
Wimbledon (Outdoor)
Toronto WCT (Outdoor)
Dallas WCT (Indoor)
Philadelphia WCT (Indoor)
Gstaad (Outdoor)
Australian Open [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Miami WCT [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Tehran WCT [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
US Open [+ Roger Taylor] (Outdoor)
Rome WCT [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
1972: St. Louis WCT (Outdoor)
Las Vegas WCT (Outdoor)
Fort Worth WCT (Outdoor)
Alamo WCT (Outdoor)
Johannesburg WCT (Outdoor)
Vancouver WCT (Indoor)
Gothenburg WCT (Indoor)
Rotterdam WCT [+ Roy Emerson] (Indoor)
St. Louis WCT [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Boston WCT [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Vancouver WCT [+ Fred Stolle] (Outdoor)
Johannesburg WCT [+ Fred Stolle] (Outdoor)
1973: Australian Open (Outdoor)
US Open (Outdoor)
Columbia (Indoor)
Jakarta (Outdoor)
Australian Open [+ Mal Anderson] (Outdoor)
Sydney-2 [+Rod Laver]
Rome [+ Tom Okker] (Outdoor)
US Open [+ Owen Davidson] (Outdoor)
Chicago-2 [+ Owen Davidson] (IndoorO
Tehran [+ Rod Laver] (Outdoor)
Roland Garros [+ Tom Okker] (Outdoor)
1974: St. Petersburg WCT (Indoor)
Sydney-2 (Indoor)
Maui (Outdoor)
Tucson (Outdoor)
Tokyo-2 (Outdoor)
WCT Finals (Indoor)
Orlando WCT (Outdoor)
New Orleans WCT (Indoor)
Carlsbad WCT (Outdoor)
Wimbledon [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
St. Petersburg WCT [+ Owen Davidson] (Indoor)
Orlando WCT [+ Owen Davidson] (Outdoor)
1975: Australian Open (Outdoor)
1976: Australian Open [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
Charlotte WCT [+ Tony Roche] (Outdoor)
1977: Sydney-1 [+ Tony Roche] (Indoor)
1978: Sydney-1 [+ Tony Roche] (Indoor)
Final Thoughts
John Newcombe is an impressive tennis player who has been named World No. 1 on multiple occasions as well as being included in both the International and Australian Halls of Fame for Tennis.
Newcombe has accumulated a total of 67 titles across singles and doubles over the span of his career and continues to be a household name.
