Ken Fletcher Explained

Ken Fletcher
Fullname:Kenneth Norman Fletcher
Country: Australia
Birth Date:1940 6, df=yes
Birth Place:Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Death Place:Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Turnedpro:1968 (amateur from 1958)
Retired:1973
Plays:Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Highestsinglesranking:No. 10 (1966, Lance Tingay)[1]
Australianopenresult:F (1963)
Frenchopenresult:QF (1963, 1966)
Wimbledonresult:QF (1962, 1966, 1967)
Usopenresult:3R (1963)
Highestdoublesranking:No. 1 (1964)
Australianopendoublesresult:F (1963, 1964)
Frenchopendoublesresult:W (1964)
Wimbledondoublesresult:W (1966)
Mixed:yes
Australianopenmixedresult:W (1963, 1964)
Frenchopenmixedresult:W (1963, 1964, 1965)
Wimbledonmixedresult:W (1963, 1965, 1966, 1968)
Usopenmixedresult:W (1963)
Updated:14 September 2012

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

Biography

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] 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

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

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1963 Grass2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6
Loss1964 Australian Championships Grass Bob Hewitt
Fred Stolle
4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 12–14
Win 1964 Clay Roy Emerson 6–3, 6–4
Loss1964 Grass Roy Emerson Bob Hewitt
Fred Stolle
5–7, 9–11, 4–6
Loss1965 French Championships Clay Roy Emerson
Fred Stolle
8–6, 3–6, 6–8, 2–6
Loss1965 Wimbledon Grass Bob Hewitt John Newcombe
Tony Roche
5–7, 3–6, 4–6
Win 1966 Wimbledon Grass John Newcombe 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Loss1967 French Championships Clay Roy Emerson John Newcombe
Tony Roche
3–6, 7–9, 10–12
Loss1967 Wimbledon Grass Roy Emerson 2–6, 3–6, 4–6

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

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win 1963 Grass6–4, 6–4
Win 1963 Clay Margaret Smith Fred Stolle
Lesley Turner
6–1, 6–2
Win 1963 WimbledonGrass Margaret Smith Bob Hewitt
Darlene Hard
11–9, 6–4
Win 1963 US Championships (3) Grass Margaret Smith 0–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win 1964 Australian Championships (2) Grass Margaret Smith 6–4, 6–4
Win 1964 French Championships (2) Clay Margaret Smith Fred Stolle
Lesley Turner
6–3, 4–6, 8–6
Loss 1964 WimbledonGrass Margaret Smith Fred Stolle
Lesley Turner
6–4, 6–4
Win 1965 French Championships (3) Clay 6–4, 6–4
Win 1965 Wimbledon (2) Grass Margaret Court Tony Roche
Judy Tegart
12–10, 6–3
Win 1966 Wimbledon (3) Grass Margaret Court 4–6, 6–3, 6–3
align=center colspan=7↓ Open Era ↓
Win 1968 Wimbledon (4) Grass Margaret Court 6–1, 14–12

External links

Further reading

Lunn, Hugh (2008). The Great Fletch: The Dazzling Life of Wimbledon Aussie Larrikin Ken Fletcher

Notes and References

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