Roscoe Tanner

Roscoe Tanner is an American former professional tennis player, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on 15 October 1951, who reached a career-high singles ranking of world number four on 30 July 1979. He is known for winning the men's singles title at the first of the two Australian Open tournaments held in 1977, the one played in January, beating Guillermo Vilas in straight sets, and he reached the 1979 Wimbledon final, losing narrowly to Bjorn Borg in five sets. He was famous for a big left-handed serve regarded as the fastest on tour in his era, reportedly clocked at 153 miles per hour in 1978. At Stanford he played number one singles and won the 1972 NCAA doubles title with Sandy Mayer, and he turned professional in 1972. After retiring he drew media attention for legal problems.