John Newcombe - Distinctions

Distinctions

  • Newcombe served as chairman of the International Tennis Players Association which formed in 1969.
  • He served as President of the Association of Tennis Professionals in 1977 and 1978.
  • Overall, he won 26 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles (27 if his 1965 mixed doubles shared win is added).
  • Newcombe and Rod Laver are the only players to ever win both the US Open and Wimbledon men's singles titles as an amateur and as a professional. The grass surfaces favoured his game, and the French Open's clay surface was the only major singles championship he never won. However, he did take the French doubles title on three occasions.
  • In 1986, his achievements were recognised with his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
  • Still active in tennis, he was made captain of Australia's Davis Cup team in 1995.
  • He is an Australian Living Treasure.
  • He runs the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch & Tennis Academy in New Braunfels, Texas.
  • Notoriously, he was revealed to be President George W. Bush's drinking companion on the night of 4 September 1976, when Bush was charged with driving under the influence. This controversy surfaced during the 2000 US Presidential Election.
  • He partners with Cliff Drysdale to develop the John Newcombe Estate & Country Club in New Braunfels, Texas.

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