This Website needs JavaScript activated to maintain your user experience.
Ken Rosewall Was The Tennis Player Who Set The Bar For The Modern Greats
Rosewall went 19 years between his first and last Grand Slam wins
Simon Lillicrap
Ken Rosewall may just be the greatest tennis player of all time. As Novak Djokovic attempts to defend his Australian Open crown and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal sit on 20 major wins apiece, that may seem like an odd call to make, but what this man did over three decades is almost incomparable.
Rosewall won four times in Australia and gained the ironic nickname of 'Muscles' due to light 67kg build and tiny 5ft 7in frame. Unsurprisingly, he was one of the smallest players on the circuit and would've looked miniscule in comparison to the giants of today. But his size never held him back and, in fact, a lot of the time he was able to use it to his advantage.
The old legend goes that Rosewall didn't get a bad bounce on any surface because of his low centre of gravity, which gave him quick movement around the court and, in turn, allowed his body positioning to always provide the perfect platform for a shot.
Although he burst onto the world scene at the age of 18 with his first Australian Open win, Rosewall's path to success had started from the age of three when he first picked up a tennis racquet. Although naturally left-handed, his father encouraged him to play with his right hand and this, according to Muscles himself, is what made his backhand so deadly. He told the CS Monitor in 1981, "As a right-hander, I was so comfortable and confident hitting my backhand with my arm going away from my body that I just didn't want to give that up."
ROSEWALL WAS A LEFTY BUT PLAYED TENNIS RIGHT-HANDED
Aged 18 years and 2 months in 1953, Rosewall became the youngest-ever winner of the Australian Championships, as the Open was then called, a record that still stands today. In an all-Aussie final he beat Mervyn Rose in the final, before going on to win the French Championships in the same year. Muscles had arrived in style, gliding past opponents with his effortless backhand. He didn't have a strong serve or powerful shots to rely on, but instead just his grace and talent with a racquet.
In fact, one of his rivals at the time, the great Rod Laver, has said of him, "Ken was a different kettle of fish, it was almost like he could go to bed hitting a backhand." So it proved during the mid 1950s, as that backhand and his brilliant technique led him to another Australian Championships in 1955 against Lew Hoad. Those two would dominate the doubles game as a pairing, but it was Hoad who denied Rosewall a Wimbledon title, beating him in 1956. It was one of four career final losses at SW19 for Muscles, and he remains commonly known as the greatest men's player to have never won Wimbledon.
We must consider that this was a different era for tennis, when players would often miss majors to focus on the Davis Cup as Rosewall himself did throughout his career with great success. His four Davis Cup triumphs are testament to the ever-changing priorities at that time.
ROD LAVER (LEFT) CALLED KEN (RIGHT) "A DIFFERENT KETTLE OF FISH"
There is also one elephant in the room. During the peak of his career, Muscles wasn't allowed to enter any of the Grand Slam tournaments or the Davis Cup after deciding to turn professional in 1957 after an offer from the legendary Jack Kramer. For the next 11 years, he played in exhibition matches and tournaments such as the Wembley Championship and the French Pro Championship, winning 12 finals in a row from the moment he turned pro. His level of dominance was remarkable and he surely would've carried such form into the 45 Grand Slam tournaments that he missed during this time given the chance.
In 1968, aged 34, the Open Era began and professionals were allowed to compete in major events once more. The big four tournaments were properly established, and modern tennis as we know it began. Muscles came back with a bang, winning the French Open at the first time of asking, even when most players his age were thinking about retirement.
ROSEWALL AND NADAL ARE TWO OF THE THREE MEN TO WIN GRAND SLAMS IN THREE DECADES
Then, in 1970, he became the oldest-ever US Open champion at the age of 35 and followed that up with back-to-back Australian Open titles in 1971 (without losing a set) and 1972. There was a record 19 years between his first and last Aussie Open successes and he kept playing until the age of 43. Relying on technical skill throughout his career rather than physical traits meant that even at that age, Muscles could still outwit his opponents.
Rosewall has played and won more tennis matches than anyone else in history, with 1665 wins in 2282 matches, and for 25 consecutive years he was ranked in the top 10 of men's tennis. These are records which stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Only three men have won Grand Slam titles in three different decades. When Nadal and Djokovic joined the club in 2020, Muscles was already waiting at the bar.
Zaha's Double, 1989 And 'Poogate': Inside The Brighton v Crystal...
This article first appeared in The Sportsman on 27th September, 2021 Crystal Palace against Brighton [ ... ]
Remembering The Fight That Sparked Sport's Greatest Rivalry:...
This article first appeared in The Sportsman on 12/01/20 "I hated Ali. God might not like me talking [ ... ]
George Foreman's Faith: How The 45-Year-Old Heavyweight Stunned...
George Foreman swept through the heavyweight division like a hurricane, obliterating nearly all who [ ... ]
Last Round, Folks: When Boxing's Invisible Champion Was Blitzed...
History has not been kind to Floyd Patterson. Countless world champions have drifted through the annals [ ... ]
The Life And Times Of Heavyweight Legend Jack Johnson
What do Alan Turing, The Doors frontman Jim Morrison and the comedian Lenny Bruce have in common? These [ ... ]
Pacquiao: From Poverty-Stricken School Drop-Out To Eight-Weight...
"I knew without a doubt I would become a fighter - I knew that the underdog can, and often does, [ ... ]
Hulk Hogan, Mr. T And Madison Square Garden's Five Greatest...
It's named after the fourth President of the USA. It's where George Harrison had his concert [ ... ]
VR Mishaps, Pig Farms And American Hustles: When Ronnie O'Sullivan...
As it's snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan's 46th birthday, we thought we'd take [ ... ]
Meet The Man Who Climbed Everest, Partied For A Week, Then Climbed...
This article first in The Sportsman on 08/12/19 There's nothing normal about Nirmal Purja. After [ ... ]
Frank Williams - A Formula One Pioneer Whose Team Went To The...
For much of the 1980s and 90s, Williams Racing was the biggest name in Formula One and Frank Williams [ ... ]
How Cantona Made Manchester United The Dominant Force Of The...
It started with Leeds United making an enquiry about signing Denis Irwin and finished with Manchester [ ... ]
Almost 30 Years Since THAT Goal, Davide Gualtieri Is Still San...
8.3 seconds, 28 years ago. That's all it took for part-time footballer, part-time computer [ ... ]
River Wilson Bent Talks Coventry City, Newborn Baby And British...
"Imagine if Coventry City made it to the Premier League and I brought the British title home for [ ... ]
Neil Warnock - The Record Breaking Football Lover That Just...
When the whistle blows at Kenilworth Road for Luton Town's home match against Middlesbrough on Tuesday [ ... ]
Leicester's City Progress Is Proof That Vichai's Vision Has...
On this day three years ago Leicester City lost their influential owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in [ ... ]
rugby-league
The Birth Of The Grand Final: Rugby League's Biggest Of Big...
"I've said it for years… the last game of the season should be the most important," [ ... ]
Celebrating Arsenal's Invincibles With The Stats That Tell The...
There's Sergio Agüero winning it in Fergie time. Liverpool finally ending 30 years of hurt [ ... ]
From Balotelli To Bullard, The Premier League's Greatest Ever...
It's been a full decade since Mario Balotelli lifted his shirt in Manchester City's 6-1 [ ... ]
On This Day: Rookie Lewis Hamilton Loses F1 Title In Controversial...
On this day in 2007, we witnessed perhaps the greatest end to a Formula One season we have ever seen. [ ... ]
How Lauda's 140mph Crash Marked The End Of The Age Of Innocence...
There are few worse moments to lose control than when driving at 140 miles per hour. The events on just [ ... ]
FA Cup Round-Up: Brilliant Buxton Make First Round As Dorking...
It was a night when Dorking Wanderers saw their dreams dashed by Hayes and Yeading, Stratford made some [ ... ]
us-sports
Celebrating Jim Brown - The NFL Movie Giant Who OJ Robbed Of...
Before OJ there was the OG. The Original Gangster. In fact he was front and centre of an action-packed [ ... ]
Sheriff Tiraspol - The Champions League Club With Two Faces
On the surface, it has been the underdog story of the Champions League so far. Never before has a club [ ... ]
From Taming Tyson To Bashing Buster, Evander Holyfield's Best...
Today marks the 59th birthday of one of the best boxers to lace up a pair of gloves in the modern [ ... ]
Fernando Torres - Atletico's Local Hero, Liverpool's Tainted...
'This means more' is Liverpool's oft-derided motto, but when they face Atletico Madrid [ ... ]
On This Day In 1987: The Rangers v Celtic Shame Game
Whatever the circumstances when Rangers face their Glasgow neighbours Celtic the [ ... ]
On This Day In 1968: The Greatest Sporting Protest Of All Time
Some sporting images will stay with us forever. Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston, Michael Jordan's [ ... ]
Dorking Wanderers Aiming To Complete The FA Cup's Ultimate Underdog...
Something is stirring in the sleepy, stockbroker-belt Surrey market town of Dorking. And if the Wanderers [ ... ]
Outside the Ropes: Jennings Gym - Training, Tunes And Gardening...
Jennings Gym is not your average boxing gym. Tucked away on the ground floor of a former cotton spinning [ ... ]
Thierry Henry - ''The Best Player To Have Ever Played In The...
"No, number one is not Alan Shearer - number one is Thierry Henry. Thierry Henry is the best player [ ... ]