Fred Stolle

Frederick Sydney Stolle, AO[5] (born 8 October 1938) is an Australian former tennis player and commentator. He was born in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia. He is the father of former Australian Davis Cup player Sandon Stolle.

Fred Stolle
AO
Full nameFrederick Sydney Stolle
Country (sports) Australia
ResidenceAventura, Florida, USA
Born (1938-10-08) 8 October 1938
Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Turned pro1966 (amateur tour from 1958)
Retired1976
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1985 (member page)
Singles
Career record815-408 (66.6%) [2]
Career titles39 [3]
Highest rankingNo. 2 (1966, Lance Tingay)[4]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenF (1964, 1965)
French OpenW (1965)
WimbledonF (1963, 1964, 1965)
US OpenW (1966)
Professional majors
US ProSF (1967)
Wembley Pro1R (1967)
French ProSF (1967)
Doubles
Career record189–101
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1964)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian OpenW (1963, 1964, 1966)
French OpenW (1965, 1968)
WimbledonW (1962, 1964)
US OpenW (1965, 1966, 1969)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian OpenW (1962, 1969)
French OpenF (1962, 1963, 1964)
WimbledonW (1961, 1964, 1969)
US OpenW (1962, 1965)

Career

Stolle is notable for being the only male player in history to have lost his first five Grand Slam singles finals, the fifth of which he led by two sets to love. However, Stolle went on to win two Grand Slam tournament singles titles, the 1965 French Championships and the 1966 US Championships.[6] At Wimbledon and the Australian Championships he finished as runner-up in these tournaments and losing to compatriot Roy Emerson on no fewer than five occasions. Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph ranked Stolle as World No. 2 in 1966.[4]

Stolle won ten Grand Slam doubles titles, partnering with compatriots Bob Hewitt (4 titles), Roy Emerson (4 titles) and Ken Rosewall (2 titles). In addition Stolle won 7 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

As a member of the Australian Davis Cup team Stolle won the Davis Cup title in 1964,[7] 1965 and 1966.[8] In 1964 Stolle and Emerson were briefly suspended from the Australian Davis Cup team for going on an overseas tour in defiance of a Lawn Tennis Association of Australia order to remain in Australia until April.[9]

Stolle turned professional in 1966,[1] and as a pro, won two singles and 13 doubles titles. He earned about US$500,000 in career prize money.[10]

Stolle coached Vitas Gerulaitis from 1977 until 1983.

For many years, Stolle did TV commentary for ESPN and other tennis broadcasts. He currently provides commentary on Grand Slam tennis tournaments for Australia's Fox Sports and the Nine Network.

Honours

For his contribution to the tennis sport Fred Stolle was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.[11] In 1988 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.[12] He received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005.[5][13]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 titles, 6 runners-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1963WimbledonGrass Chuck McKinley7–9, 1–6, 4–6
Loss1964Australian ChampionshipsGrass Roy Emerson3–6, 4–6, 2–6
Loss1964WimbledonGrass Roy Emerson1–6, 10–12, 6–4, 3–6
Loss1964US ChampionshipsGrass Roy Emerson4–6, 2–6, 4–6
Loss1965Australian ChampionshipsGrass Roy Emerson9–7, 6–2, 4–6, 5–7, 1–6
Win1965French ChampionshipsClay Tony Roche3–6, 6–0, 6–2, 6–3
Loss1965WimbledonGrass Roy Emerson2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win1966US ChampionshipsGrass John Newcombe4–6, 12–10, 6–3, 6–4

Doubles (10 titles, 6 runners-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1961WimbledonGrass Bob Hewitt Roy Emerson
Neale Fraser
4–6, 8–6, 4–6, 8–6, 6–8
Loss1962Australian ChampionshipsGrass Bob Hewitt Roy Emerson
Neale Fraser
6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 4–6, 9–11
Win1962WimbledonGrass Bob Hewitt Boro Jovanović
Nikola Pilić
6–2, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
Win1963Australian ChampionshipsGrass Bob Hewitt Ken Fletcher
John Newcombe
6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
Win1964Australian ChampionshipsGrass Bob Hewitt Roy Emerson
Ken Fletcher
6–4, 7–5, 3–6, 4–6, 14–12
Win1964WimbledonGrass Bob Hewitt Roy Emerson
Ken Fletcher
7–5, 11–9, 6–4
Loss1965Australian ChampionshipsGrass Roy Emerson John Newcombe
Tony Roche
6–3, 6–4, 11–13, 3–6, 4–6
Win1965French ChampionshipsClay Roy Emerson Ken Fletcher
Bob Hewitt
6–8, 6–3, 8–6, 6–2
Win1965US ChampionshipsGrass Roy Emerson Frank Froehling
Charles Pasarell
6–4, 10–12, 7–5, 6–3
Win1966Australian ChampionshipsGrass Roy Emerson John Newcombe
Tony Roche
7–9, 6–3, 6–8, 14–12, 12–10
Win1966US ChampionshipsGrass Roy Emerson Clark Graebner
Dennis Ralston
6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Win1968French OpenClay Ken Rosewall Roy Emerson
Rod Laver
6–3, 6–4, 6–3
Loss1968WimbledonGrass Ken Rosewall John Newcombe
Tony Roche
6–3, 6–8, 7–5, 12–14, 3–6
Loss1969Australian OpenGrass Ken Rosewall Rod Laver
Roy Emerson
4–6, 4–6
Win1969US OpenGrass Ken Rosewall Charles Pasarell
Dennis Ralston
2–6, 7–5, 13–11, 6–3
Loss1970WimbledonGrass Ken Rosewall John Newcombe
Tony Roche
8–10, 3–6, 1–6

Open-era doubles titles (10)

No Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
1. 1968 French Open, Paris Clay Ken Rosewall Roy Emerson
Rod Laver
6–3, 6–4, 6–3
2. 1968 Los Angeles, US Hard Ken Rosewall Cliff Drysdale
Roger Taylor
7–5, 6–1
3. 1969 US Open, New York Grass Ken Rosewall Charlie Pasarell
Dennis Ralston
2–6, 7–5, 13–11, 6–3
4. 1971 Bologna WCT, Italy Carpet Ken Rosewall Robert Maud
Frew McMillan
6–7, 6–2, 6–3, 6–3
5. 1972 Bretton Woods, US Hard John Alexander Nikola Pilić
Cliff Richey
7–6, 7–6
6. 1972 Vancouver WCT, Canada Outdoor John Newcombe Cliff Drysdale
Allan Stone
7–6, 6–0
7. 1972 Johannesburg-2, South Africa Hard John Newcombe Terry Addison
Bob Carmichael
6–3, 6–4
8. 1973 Chicago WCT, US Carpet Ken Rosewall Ismail El Shafei
Brian Fairlie
6–7, 6–4, 6–2
9. 1973 Cleveland WCT, US Carpet Ken Rosewall Ismail El Shafei
Brian Fairlie
6–2, 6–3
10. 1973 Bretton Woods, US Clay Rod Laver Bob Carmichael
Frew McMillan
7–6, 4–6, 7–5

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

Singles

Tournament195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975197619771978SR
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open 1R A 1R SF QF SF F F SF A A QF A 3R A A A A A A A A 0 / 10
French Open A A 2R 3R 4R 2R 4R W QF A 2R QF A A A A A A A A A 1 / 9
Wimbledon A A 1R 2R 3R F F F 2R A 4R 4R 1R 4R A A A A A A 1R 0 / 12
US Open A A A A 2R A F 2R W A 2R QF 3R A QF A A 1R A 2R A 1 / 10
Strike Rate 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 4 1 / 4 1 / 4 0 / 0 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 2 / 41

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

References

  1. "Fred Stolle". atpworldtour.com. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. "Fred Stolle: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  3. "Fred Stolle: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  4. "Stolle ranked second". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 October 1966. p. 25 via Google News Archive.
  5. "STOLLE, Frederick Sydney, AO". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  6. Frank Deford (19 September 1966). "A forgotten Aussie refreshes the memory". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 25 no. 12. pp. 105–109.
  7. Frank Deford (5 October 1964). "Failure of a Winning Formula". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 21 no. 14. pp. 30–31.
  8. Ernest Shirley (10 January 1966). "¡Olé! Manolo—a little bit too late". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 24 no. 2. pp. 48–49.
  9. John Lovesey (13 July 1964). "The Outcasts Are Counted In". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 21 no. 2. pp. 22, 25.
  10. "ATP Player Profile". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  11. "Tennis Hall of Fame – Fred Stolle". Newport International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  12. "Fred Stolle AO". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  13. "Staale, Fred: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
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