Buster Mottram Explained

Christopher Mottram
Residence:Kingston upon Thames, England
Birth Date:1955 4, df=yes
Birth Place:Kingston upon Thames, England
Plays:Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singlesrecord:285–171
Singlestitles:2
Highestsinglesranking:No. 15 (7 February 1983)
Frenchopenresult:4R (1977)
Wimbledonresult:4R (1982)
Usopenresult:4R (1980)
Doublesrecord:111–118
Doublestitles:5
Highestdoublesranking:No. 164 (3 January 1983)
Wimbledondoublesresult:3R (1981, 1983)
Usopendoublesresult:3R (1973)

Christopher "Buster" Mottram (born 25 April 1955 in Kingston upon Thames) is an English former tennis player and UK number 1 who achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 15 in February 1983.

Mottram represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup eight times, scoring 31 wins and 10 losses.

Early life

Mottram is the son of Tony Mottram and Joy Gannon, leading British tennis players in the 1950s.[1]

His sister Linda Mottram is also a successful tennis player.[2]

Career finals

Singles (2 titles, 5 runner-ups)

ResultW-LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Apr 1975Johannesburg, South AfricaHard Tom Okker6–4, 6–2
Win2–0Apr 1976Palma, MajorcaClay Jun Kuki7–5, 6–3, 6–3
Loss2–1Feb 1977Dayton, U.S.Carpet (i) Jeff Borowiak3–6, 3–6
Loss2–2Apr 1977Murcia, SpainClay José Higueras4–6, 0–6, 3–6
Loss2–3Dec 1977Johannesburg, South AfricaHard Guillermo Vilas6–7(4–7), 3–6, 4–6
Loss2–4May 1978Munich, West Germany Clay Guillermo Vilas1–6, 3–6, 3–6
Loss2–5Jul 1982Hilversum, NetherlandsClay Balázs Taróczy6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–7(5–7)

Doubles (5 titles, 6 runner-ups)

ResultW-LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0Apr 1974Charlotte, U.S.Unknown Raúl Ramírez Owen Davidson
John Newcombe
6–3, 1–6, 6–3
Win2–0Jul 1977Kitzbühel, AustriaClay Roger Taylor Colin Dowdeswell
Chris Kachel
7–6, 6–4
Win3–0Oct 1977Basel, SwitzerlandCarpet Mark Cox John Feaver
John James
7–5, 6–4, 6–3
Loss3–1Oct 1978Tokyo, JapanClay Ross Case
Geoff Masters
2–6, 6–4, 1–6
Loss3–2Nov 1979Johannesburg, South AfricaHard Mike Cahill Bob Hewitt
Frew McMillan
6–1, 1–6, 4–6
Loss3–3Jul 1980Hilversum, NetherlandsClay Tony Giammalva Tom Okker
Balázs Taróczy
5–7, 3–6, 6–7
Win4–3Mar 1981Stuttgart, West GermanyCarpet Nick Saviano Craig Edwards
Eddie Edwards
3–6, 6–1, 6–2
Loss4–4Apr 1981Bournemouth, UKClay Tomáš Šmíd Ricardo Cano
Víctor Pecci
4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Loss4–5Feb 1982Genoa, ItalyCarpet Mike Cahill Pavel Složil
Tomáš Šmíd
7–6, 5–7, 3–6
Win5–5Apr 1982Bournemouth, UKClay Paul McNamee Henri Leconte
Ilie Năstase
3–6, 7–6, 6–3
Loss5–6Oct 1982Amsterdam, NetherlandsCarpet (i) Kevin Curren Fritz Buehning
Tomáš Šmíd
6–4, 3–6, 0–6

Politics

While Mottram was still playing professionally, he became known for his right-wing views. He expressed support for the National Front, supported the policies of Enoch Powell,[3] and applied unsuccessfully for the Conservative parliamentary candidacy in several constituencies.[3] He subsequently formed a songwriting partnership with the black entertainer Kenny Lynch, writing the song "Average Man".[4]

In November 2008, Mottram was expelled from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after attempting to broker an electoral pact with the British National Party. UKIP leader Nigel Farage said there were "no circumstances whatsoever" in which UKIP would do a deal with the BNP, declaring his party to be non-racist.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Kevin Jefferys, British Tennis (EB Partnership, 2019), p. 116
  2. Wendy Cooper, Tom Smith, Human Potential: The Limits and Beyond (1981), p. 86
  3. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_/ai_n12624259 "Tennis: Whatever happened to Buster Mottram?"
  4. Web site: Kenny Lynch – Half the Day's Gone and We Haven't Earne'd a Penny (1983, Vinyl). .
  5. News: UKIP rejects BNP electoral offer . BBC News . 3 November 2008.