Lew Hoad

Lewis Alan Hoad was an Australian tennis player, born in Glebe, Sydney on 23 November 1934, whose career ran from 1950 to 1973. As an amateur he won four Major singles titles: the Australian Championships, the French Championships and two Wimbledons. He was part of the Australian team that won the Davis Cup four times between 1952 and 1956, and he turned professional in July 1957. As a professional he won the Kooyong Tournament of Champions in 1958 and the Forest Hills Tournament of Champions in 1959. He was ranked the world number one amateur in 1953 and 1956 by several judges and the top professional for 1959. He had a long friendly rivalry with fellow Sydneysider Ken Rosewall. Back problems troubled him throughout his career, and after retiring he ran a tennis resort in Fuengirola, Spain, where he died of leukaemia on 3 July 1994.