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Ken Fletcher

For other people with the same name, see Kenneth Fletcher.

Kenneth Norman Fletcher (15 June 1940 – 11 February 2006) was an Australian tennis player who won numerous doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

Ken Fletcher
Ken Fletcher at tournament in Santpoort, Netherlands (1965)
Full nameKenneth Norman Fletcher
Country (sports) Australia
Born(1940-06-15)15 June 1940
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died11 February 2006(2006-02-11) (aged 65)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Turned pro1968 (amateur from 1958)
Retired1973
PlaysRight-handed (1-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record55–31
Highest rankingNo. 10 (1966, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenF (1963)
French OpenQF (1963, 1966)
WimbledonQF (1962, 1966, 1967)
US Open3R (1963)
Doubles
Career record6–5
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1964)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenF (1963, 1964)
French OpenW (1964)
WimbledonW (1966)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenW (1963, 1964)
French OpenW (1963, 1964, 1965)
WimbledonW (1963, 1965, 1966, 1968)
US OpenW (1963)
Last updated on: 14 September 2012.

Biography

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He was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to parents Norm and Ethel Fletcher. He was educated at St Laurence's College and showed early promise as a championship tennis player there.

Fletcher won the 1963 Kent Championships on grass at Beckenham, defeating Owen Davidson in the semifinal and Martin Mulligan in the final.

Fletcher won the 1966 British Hard Court Championships at Bournemouth on clay, defeating Tom Okker in the final.

Also in 1966, he defeated John Newcombe at Wimbledon in the third round in five sets, but lost the quarterfinal to eventual champion Manuel Santana also in five sets.

His greatest success as a tennis player came in 1963, when he became the only man to win a calendar year Grand Slam in mixed doubles, partnering fellow Australian Margaret Court.[2] He reached the final of the Australian Open in 1963, losing to Roy Emerson.[3]

After this achievement, he went on to record mixed doubles championships in the Australian Open in 1964, French Open in 1964 and 1965, and Wimbledon in 1965, 1966, and 1968. All of his mixed doubles Grand Slam titles were in partnership with Smith Court.

He also achieved a Grand Slam title in men's doubles in the 1964 French Open, playing with Emerson. At the Wimbledon men's doubles championship, he was a finalist with Robert Hewitt in 1965, the champion in 1966 partnering John Newcombe, and a finalist again in 1967 with Emerson. In total, Fletcher won 27 international tennis titles. He was ranked World No. 10 in 1966 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.[1]

Ken was a larrikin by nature, and many of his exploits feature in Hugh Lunn's books, especially Over the Top with Jim and Head Over Heels. In later years, he was instrumental in gaining significant funding for medical research in Australia, through his association with Chuck Feeney. In 2008, Hugh Lunn published The Great Fletch, a book on Ken's life around the globe.[4][5]

Fletcher died of cancer at the age of 65 and was buried at the Mount Gravatt Lawn Cemetery, Brisbane.

In January 2012, Ken Fletcher was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.[6]

 
Ken Fletcher Memorial, Tennyson

In 2013, the Ken Fletcher memorial was erected in the park, outside the Queensland Tennis Centre, named in his honour. He is the only player in the history of tennis, to win a grand slam, in mixed doubles in 1963, that is not enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Grands Slam finals

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Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1963 Australian Championships Grass Australia  Roy Emerson 3–6, 3–6, 1–6

Doubles: 9 (2 titles, 7 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1963 Australian Championships Grass Australia  John Newcombe South Africa  Bob Hewitt
Australia  Fred Stolle		 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6
Loss 1964 Australian Championships Grass Australia  Roy Emerson South Africa  Bob Hewitt
Australia  Fred Stolle		 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 12–14
Win 1964 French Championships Clay Australia  Roy Emerson Australia  John Newcombe
Australia  Tony Roche		 6–3, 6–4
Loss 1964 Wimbledon Grass Australia  Roy Emerson South Africa  Bob Hewitt
Australia  Fred Stolle		 5–7, 9–11, 4–6
Loss 1965 French Championships Clay South Africa  Bob Hewitt Australia  Roy Emerson
Australia  Fred Stolle		 8–6, 3–6, 6–8, 2–6
Loss 1965 Wimbledon Grass South Africa  Bob Hewitt Australia  John Newcombe
Australia  Tony Roche		 5–7, 3–6, 4–6
Win 1966 Wimbledon Grass Australia  John Newcombe Australia  William Bowrey
Australia  Owen Davidson		 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Loss 1967 French Championships Clay Australia  Roy Emerson Australia  John Newcombe
Australia  Tony Roche		 3–6, 7–9, 10–12
Loss 1967 Wimbledon Grass Australia  Roy Emerson South Africa  Bob Hewitt
Australia  Frew McMillan		 2–6, 3–6, 4–6

Mixed doubles: 11 (10 titles, 1 runner-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1963 Australian Championships Grass Australia  Margaret Smith Australia  Fred Stolle
Australia  Lesley Turner		 6–4, 6–4
Win 1963 French Championships Clay Australia  Margaret Smith Australia  Fred Stolle
Australia  Lesley Turner		 6–1, 6–2
Win 1963 Wimbledon Grass Australia  Margaret Smith South Africa  Bob Hewitt
United States  Darlene Hard		 11–9, 6–4
Win 1963 US Championships (3) Grass Australia  Margaret Smith United States  Ed Rubinoff
United States  Judy Tegart		 0–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win 1964 Australian Championships (2) Grass Australia  Margaret Smith United Kingdom  Mike Sangster
Australia  Jan Lehane		 6–4, 6–4
Win 1964 French Championships (2) Clay Australia  Margaret Smith Australia  Fred Stolle
Australia  Lesley Turner		 6–3, 4–6, 8–6
Loss 1964 Wimbledon Grass Australia  Margaret Smith Australia  Fred Stolle
Australia  Lesley Turner		 6–4, 6–4
Win 1965 French Championships (3) Clay Australia  Margaret Smith Court Australia  John Newcombe
Brazil  Maria Bueno		 6–4, 6–4
Win 1965 Wimbledon (2) Grass Australia  Margaret Court Australia  Tony Roche
Australia  Judy Tegart		 12–10, 6–3
Win 1966 Wimbledon (3) Grass Australia  Margaret Court United States  Dennis Ralston
United States  Billie Jean King		 4–6, 6–3, 6–3
↓ Open Era ↓
Win 1968 Wimbledon (4) Grass Australia  Margaret Court Soviet Union  Alex Metreveli
Soviet Union  Olga Morozova		 6–1, 14–12

References

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  1. ^ a b United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 428.
  2. ^ "Ken Fletcher, former doubles champ, dies at 65". ESPN. 13 February 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  3. ^ Tony Moore (30 November 2011). "Park honour planned for great Brisbane larrikin". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  4. ^ Mike Colman (17 October 2008). "Life was a racket for Ken Fletcher". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  5. ^ "'The Great Fletch' : a story of a tennis player and a larrikin". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  6. ^ "Ken Fletcher inducted into Australian Tennis Hall of Fame". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
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Further reading

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Lunn, Hugh (2008). The Great Fletch: The Dazzling Life of Wimbledon Aussie Larrikin Ken Fletcher ISBN 0-7333-2209-3

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