Full name John Gavan Fraser Wimbledon SF (1962) Turned pro 1953 French Open 3R (1962) Retired 1968 | Australian Open QF (1963) Role Tennis Player Name John Fraser | |
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) | ||
John Fraser (born 1 August 1935) is an Australian former tennis player and coach.
Career
Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Fraser temporarily interrupted his tennis career in 1958 to study for a profession, and graduated with a medical degree from the University of Melbourne. Fraser was a classmate of Mal Anderson, the well-known Australian player and later pro. Fraser was the Australian No. 8, alongside players who won worldwide fame in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver.
Fraser's best tournament result came in 1962 at Wimbledon, when he reached the semi-finals of the men's singles. He lost to his compatriot Martin Mulligan, 1-6, 5-7, 2-6. At the 1963 Australian Open, he reached the quarterfinals, losing 3-6, 2-6, 2-6 to another compatriot, Roy Emerson. He never achieved the fame of his brother Neale Fraser, a world and Wimbledon champion. John Fraser continued to play regularly in the Australian Open, but never played in any other grand slam championship.
For a number of years he was the coach of the Australian Davis Cup team, and he was also the team medical specialist.