Owen Keir Davidson (4 October 1943 – 12 May 2023) was an Australian professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s.

Owen Davidson
Davidson in 1988
Country (sports) Australia
Born(1943-10-04)4 October 1943
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died12 May 2023(2023-05-12) (aged 79)
Conroe, Texas, U.S.
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro1969 (amateur from 1962)
Retired1974
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF2010 (member page)
Singles
Career record403–253 (61.4%)[1]
Career titles7[2]
Highest rankingNo. 8 (1967, The New York Times)[3]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967)
French OpenQF (1967)
WimbledonSF (1966)
US OpenQF (1966, 1967)
Professional majors
US ProSF (1967)
Doubles
Career record127–65
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1972)
French Open3T (1968)
WimbledonF (1966)
US OpenW (1973)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenW (1965, 1967)
French OpenW (1967)
WimbledonW (1967, 1971, 1973, 1974)
US OpenW (1966, 1967, 1971, 1973)

Alongside Billie Jean King, Davidson won eight grand slam mixed doubles titles. In 1967 he won a calendar year slam for mixed doubles, when he won the Australian Championships (with Lesley Turner Bowrey), and the French Championships, Wimbledon and the US Championships (with King).

Davidson became the first player to win a match in the open era of tennis when he defeated John Clifton in the first round of the British Hard Court Championships in Bournemouth played in April 1968.[4][5][6]

His best grand slam singles result was at Wimbledon in 1966, when he reached the semifinals (beating top seed Roy Emerson before losing to Manuel Santana).[7] He was also the 1972 Australian Open and the 1973 US Open men's doubles champion, partnering John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall respectively. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 2010. He was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on 26 January 2011 (Australia Day).

Davidson died in Conroe, Texas, on 12 May 2023, at the age of 79.[8][9]

Grand Slam finals

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Men's doubles: 6 (2–4)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1966 Wimbledon Grass   Bill Bowrey   Ken Fletcher
  John Newcombe
3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Loss 1967 Australian Championships Grass   Bill Bowrey   John Newcombe
  Tony Roche
6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 8–6, 6–8
Loss 1967 US Championships Grass   Bill Bowrey   John Newcombe
  Tony Roche
8–6, 7–9, 3–6, 3–6
Win 1972 Australian Open Grass   Ken Rosewall   Ross Case
  Geoff Masters
3–6, 7–6, 6–3
Loss 1972 US Open (2) Grass   John Newcombe   Cliff Drysdale
  Roger Taylor
4–6, 6–7, 3–6
Win 1973 US Open Grass   John Newcombe   Rod Laver
  Ken Rosewall
7–5, 2–6, 7–5, 7–5

Mixed doubles: 12 (11–1)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1965 Australian Championships Grass   Robyn Ebbern   Margaret Smith
  John Newcombe
shared, final not played
Win 1966 US Championships Grass   Donna Floyd Fales   Carol Hanks Aucamp
  Ed Rubinoff
6–1, 6–3
Win 1967 Australian Championships (2) Grass   Lesley Turner Bowrey   Judy Tegart-Dalton
  Tony Roche
9–7, 6–4
Win 1967 French Championships Clay   Billie Jean King   Ann Haydon-Jones
  Ion Țiriac
6–3, 6–1
Win 1967 Wimbledon[10] Grass   Billie Jean King   Maria Bueno
  Ken Fletcher
7–5, 6–2
Win 1967 US Championships (2) Grass   Billie Jean King   Rosemary Casals
  Stan Smith
6–3, 6–2
Loss 1968 French Open Clay   Billie Jean King   Françoise Dürr
  Jean-Claude Barclay
1–6, 4–6
Win 1971 Wimbledon (2) Grass   Billie Jean King   Margaret Court
  Marty Riessen
3–6, 6–2, 15–13
Win 1971 US Open (3) Grass   Billie Jean King   Bob Maud
  Betty Stöve
6–3, 7–5
Win 1973 Wimbledon (3) Grass   Billie Jean King   Janet Newberry
  Raúl Ramírez
6–3, 6–2
Win 1973 US Open (4) Grass   Billie Jean King   Margaret Court
  Marty Riessen
6–3, 3–6, 7–6
Win 1974 Wimbledon (4) Grass   Billie Jean King   Lesley Charles
  Mark Farrell
6–3, 9–7

Career finals

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Open-era doubles (10 wins, 10 losses)

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Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. 1969 Monte-Carlo, Monaco Clay   John Newcombe   Pancho Gonzales
  Dennis Ralston
7–5, 11–13, 6–2, 6–1
Win 2. 1969 London/Queen's Club, England Grass   Dennis Ralston   Thomaz Koch
  Ove Nils Bengtson
8–6, 6–3
Loss 1. 1970 Rome, Italy Clay   Bill Bowrey   Ilie Năstase
  Ion Țiriac
6–0, 8–10, 3–6, 8–6, 1–6
Win 3. 1970 Hilversum, Netherlands Hard   Bill Bowrey   John Alexander
  Phil Dent
6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Loss 2. 1970 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i)   Bob Carmichael   Arthur Ashe
  Stan Smith
0–6, 7–5, 5–7
Win 4. 1971 Bournemouth, England Clay   Bill Bowrey   Patricio Cornejo
  Jaime Fillol
8–6, 6–2, 3–6, 4–6, 6–3
Win 5. 1972 Australian Open, Melbourne Grass   Ken Rosewall   Ross Case
  Geoff Masters
3–6, 7–6, 6–3
Loss 3. 1972 US Open, New York Grass   John Newcombe   Cliff Drysdale
  Roger Taylor
4–6, 6–7, 4–6
Loss 4. 1973 Montreal, Canada Hard   John Newcombe   Rod Laver
  Ken Rosewall
5–7, 6–7
Win 6. 1973 US Open, New York Grass   John Newcombe   Roy Emerson
  Rod Laver
7–5, 2–6, 7–5, 7–5
Win 7. 1973 Chicago, US Carpet   John Newcombe   Gerald Battrick
  Graham Stilwell
6–7, 7–6, 7–6
Loss 5. 1973 Fort Worth, US Hard   John Newcombe   Brian Gottfried
  Dick Stockton
6–7, 4–6
Win 8. 1973 London Carpet   Mark Cox   Gerald Battrick
  Graham Stilwell
6–4, 8–6
Loss 6. 1974 Baltimore, US Carpet   Clark Graebner   Jürgen Fassbender
  Karl Meiler
6–7, 5–7
Win 9. 1974 St. Petersburg WCT, US Hard   John Newcombe   Clark Graebner
  Charlie Pasarell
4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss 7. 1974 New Orleans WCT, US   John Newcombe   Robert Lutz
  Stan Smith
6–4, 4–6, 6–7
Win 10. 1974 Orlando WCT, US Clay   John Newcombe   Brian Gottfried
  Dick Stockton
7–6, 6–3
Loss 8. 1974 Charlotte, US Clay   John Newcombe   Buster Mottram
  Raúl Ramírez
3–6, 6–1, 3–6
Loss 9. 1974 World Doubles WCT, Montreal Carpet   John Newcombe   Bob Hewitt
  Frew McMillan
2–6, 7–6, 1–6, 2–6
Loss 10. 1974 Maui, US Hard   John Newcombe   Dick Stockton
  Roscoe Tanner
3–6, 6–7

References

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  1. ^ "Owen Davidson: Career Match Record". app.thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SAL. 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Owen Davidson: Career Match Record". app.thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SAL. 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Mulligan, Emerson Lead World Tennis Standing", The New York Times, 21 May 1967
  4. ^ Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book (2nd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. pp. 144, 145. ISBN 9780942257700.
  5. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1993). The International Tennis Federation : World of Tennis 1993. London: Collins Willow. p. 7. ISBN 9780002185080.
  6. ^ "The First Open Makes Its Mark". Sports Illustrated. 6 May 1968. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Wimbledon 1966". tennis.co.nf.
  8. ^ Drucker, Joel. "2010 Hall of Fame Inductee Owen Davidson dies at 79". tennis.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, dies at 79". Associated Press. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  10. ^ "The Championships, Wimbledon 2007 – Grand Slam Tennis". Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
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