Mal Anderson

Mal Anderson

Malcolm "Mal" James Anderson MBE(C) (born 3 March 1935 in Theodore, near Rockhampton in Queensland) is a former top-ranking Australian tennis player from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s.

A right-hander, Anderson started playing tennis when he was 8 and became serious about the sport at 16. His two best seasons statistics-wise were 1957 and 1958 when as an amateur he twice achieved a ranking of World No. 2.

In 1957, Anderson won the US Championships as an unseeded player. Earlier that year, Anderson had reached the semi-finals of the Australian Championships and won the French Championship doubles, partnering with Ashley Cooper, the man he went on to defeat in the 1957 US Championships final.

In 1958, Anderson was a finalist at both the Australian Championships and US Championships, losing both times to Cooper. Anderson turned professional in late 1958 and went on to win the Wembley Championship in 1959, with a thrilling 5-set victory over former 3-time US Pro champion, Pancho Segura. Anderson did not appear in another major final until 1972, when at age 36, he was a finalist at the Australian Open, losing to Ken Rosewall. In 1973, he captured the Australian Open doubles title along with John Newcombe.

Anderson played on four Australian Davis Cup teams, in 1957, 1958, 1972 and 1973, the team winning twice (1957 and 1973). He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000.

On 3 June 1972, Anderson was named a Member of Order of the British Empire "in recognition of service to lawn tennis". On 23 August 2000, Anderson was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his achievements in tennis.