Frank Sedgman
 |
|
| Full name | Francis Arthur Sedgman |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 Australia
|
| Born |
27 October 1927 Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia |
| Turned pro | 1953 (amateur tour from 1945) |
| Retired | 1976 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1979 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 86–39 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1951, Pierre Gillou) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1949, 1950) |
| French Open | F (1952) |
| Wimbledon | W (1952) |
| US Open | W (1951, 1952) |
| Other tournaments | |
| TOC | F (1956, 1957) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | F (1954, 1961) |
| Wembley Pro | W (1953, 1958) |
| French Pro | W (1953) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 5–13 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1951, 1952) |
| French Open | W (1951, 1952) |
| Wimbledon | W (1948, 1951, 1952) |
| US Open | W (1950, 1951) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1949, 1950) |
| French Open | W (1951, 1952) |
| Wimbledon | W (1951, 1952) |
| US Open | W (1951, 1952) |
Francis "Frank" Arthur Sedgman, AM (born 29 October 1927) is a retired former World No. 1 amateur tennis champion. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time. Sedgman, Kramer wrote, "was as quick as anybody who ever played the game, but he couldn't keep the heat on." Sedgman is one of only five tennis players all-time to win a multiple slam set in two disciplines, matching Margaret Court, Roy Emerson, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams. In 1951 he and Ken McGregor won the men's doubles Grand Slam. Sedgman turned professional in 1953.
In a five-year span from 1948 through 1952 Sedgman won 22 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, three fewer than John Newcombe and six fewer than Roy Emerson won over 13-year spans each. In both singles and doubles, Sedgman was the major force in the first three years of the Australian domination of the Davis Cup matches in which they won 15 victories in an 18-year span from 1950 to 1967.
In the days in which the Davis Cup, with its doubles match, had more far importance than it does today, and when doubles in general were more important as a spectator attraction than today, Sedgman was also noted as a particularly good doubles player. Sedgman and his partner Ken McGregor were the only men's doubles team to ever win the Grand Slam in a single year—they won all four majors in 1951. The following year they also won the first three majors, then, at Forest Hills, were upset by a pick-up team of another Australian, Mervyn Rose, and an American Vic Seixas, denying them 8 consecutive Grand Slam victories. According to Rose in a 2005 interview, Harry Hopman, the coach of the Australian team, wouldn’t talk to him for two months afterwards. Sedgman was an extremely fast, slim, 5'11" (1.80 m) right-hander known for his fitness who played the serve-and-volley game that had just been popularised by Jack Kramer. He was one of a number of Australian players who used the Continental grip in which the racquet is held the same way for both the forehand and the backhand. He was particularly known for his volleying and speed at the net. He was also extremely graceful in his footwork and strokes, with a severely classical style that was a model to other players for many years. When asked in 2005 who was the best player he had ever faced, Mervyn Rose replied, "Hopman's pet, Sedgie."
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