Ken Fletcher

{{other people||Kenneth Fletcher (disambiguation){{!}}Kenneth Fletcher}}

{{Infobox tennis biography

| name = Ken Fletcher

| image = Kenneth Norman Fletcher.jpg

| caption = Fletcher in 1965

| fullname = Kenneth Norman Fletcher

| country = {{flag|Australia}}

| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1940|6|15}}

| birth_place = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2006|2|11|1940|6|15}}

| death_place = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

| height =

| weight =

| turnedpro = 1968 (amateur from 1958)

| retired = 1973

| plays = Right-handed (1-handed backhand)

| careerprizemoney =

| tennishofyear =

| tennishofid =

| singlesrecord =

| singlestitles =

| highestsinglesranking = No. 10 (1966, Lance Tingay)United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 428.

| AustralianOpenresult = F (1963)

| FrenchOpenresult = QF (1963, 1966)

| Wimbledonresult = QF (1962, 1966, 1967)

| USOpenresult = 3R (1963)

| doublesrecord =

| doublestitles =

| highestdoublesranking = No. 1 (1964)

|AustralianOpenDoublesresult = F (1963, 1964)

|FrenchOpenDoublesresult = W (1964)

|WimbledonDoublesresult = W (1966)

|USOpenDoublesresult =

|Mixed = yes

| AustralianOpenMixedresult = W (1963, 1964)

| FrenchOpenMixedresult = W (1963, 1964, 1965)

| WimbledonMixedresult = W (1963, 1965, 1966, 1968)

| USOpenMixedresult = W (1963)

| updated = 14 September 2012

}}

Kenneth Norman Fletcher (15 June 1940 – 11 February 2006) was an Australian tennis player who won numerous doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

Biography

He was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to parents Norm and Ethel Fletcher. He was educated at St Laurence's College and showed early promise as a championship tennis player there.

Fletcher won the 1963 Kent Championships on grass at Beckenham, defeating Owen Davidson in the semifinal and Martin Mulligan in the final.

Fletcher won the 1966 British Hard Court Championships at Bournemouth on clay, defeating Tom Okker in the final.

Also in 1966, he defeated John Newcombe at Wimbledon in the third round in five sets, but lost the quarterfinal to eventual champion Manuel Santana also in five sets.

His greatest success as a tennis player came in 1963, when he became the only man to win a calendar year Grand Slam in mixed doubles, partnering fellow Australian Margaret Court.{{cite web|title=Ken Fletcher, former doubles champ, dies at 65|url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2328937|publisher=ESPN|access-date=17 April 2012|date=13 February 2006}} He reached the final of the Australian Open in 1963, losing to Roy Emerson.{{cite web|title=Park honour planned for great Brisbane larrikin|url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/tennis/park-honour-planned-for-great-brisbane-larrikin-20111130-1o66y.html|work=Brisbane Times|access-date=17 April 2012|author=Tony Moore|date=30 November 2011}}

After this achievement, he went on to record mixed doubles championships in the Australian Open in 1964, French Open in 1964 and 1965, and Wimbledon in 1965, 1966, and 1968. All of his mixed doubles Grand Slam titles were in partnership with Smith Court.

He also achieved a Grand Slam title in men's doubles in the 1964 French Open, playing with Emerson. At the Wimbledon men's doubles championship, he was a finalist with Robert Hewitt in 1965, the champion in 1966 partnering John Newcombe, and a finalist again in 1967 with Emerson. In total, Fletcher won 27 international tennis titles. He was ranked World No. 10 in 1966 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.

Ken was a larrikin by nature, and many of his exploits feature in Hugh Lunn's books, especially Over the Top with Jim and Head Over Heels. In later years, he was instrumental in gaining significant funding for medical research in Australia, through his association with Chuck Feeney. In 2008, Hugh Lunn published The Great Fletch, a book on Ken's life around the globe.{{cite web|title=Life was a racket for Ken Fletcher|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/spike/columnists/life-was-a-racket-for-fletch/story-e6frerf6-1111117787554|publisher=The Courier-Mail|access-date=17 April 2012|author=Mike Colman|date=17 October 2008}}{{cite web|title='The Great Fletch' : a story of a tennis player and a larrikin|url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2387019.htm|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=17 April 2012|date=9 October 2008}}

Fletcher died of cancer at the age of 65 and was buried at the Mount Gravatt Lawn Cemetery, Brisbane.

In January 2012, Ken Fletcher was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=Ken Fletcher inducted into Australian Tennis Hall of Fame|url=http://www.tennis.com.au/news/2012/01/27/ken-fletcher-inducted-into-australian-tennis-hall-of-fame|publisher=Tennis Australia|access-date=17 April 2012}}

File:Ken Fletcher Memorial, Tennyson 02.JPG

In 2013, the Ken Fletcher memorial was erected in the park, outside the Queensland Tennis Centre, named in his honour. He is the only player in the history of tennis, to win a grand slam, in mixed doubles in 1963, that is not enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Grands Slam finals

=Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)=

class='sortable wikitable'
style="width:40px"\|Result !style="width:30px"\|Year !style="width:190px"\|Championship !style="width:50px"\|Surface !style="width:160px"\|Opponent !style="width:170px" class="unsortable"\|Score
style="background:#ffc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1963	Australian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Roy Emerson	3–6, 3–6, 1–6

class='sortable wikitable'

style="width:40px"|Result

!style="width:30px"|Year

!style="width:190px"|Championship

!style="width:50px"|Surface

!style="width:160px"|Opponent

!style="width:170px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#ffc;"

| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss

1963

Australian Championships

Grass

{{flagicon|Australia}} Roy Emerson

3–6, 3–6, 1–6

=Doubles: 9 (2 titles, 7 runners-up)=

style="width:40px"\|Result !style="width:30px"\|Year !style="width:190px"\|Championship !style="width:50px"\|Surface !style="width:160px"\|Partner !style="width:160px"\|Opponents !style="width:183px" class="unsortable"\|Score
class='sortable wikitable'
style="background:#ffc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1963	Australian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} John Newcombe	{{flagicon\|RSA\|1928}} Bob Hewitt {{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle	2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6
style="background:#ffc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1964	Australian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Roy Emerson	{{flagicon\|RSA\|1928}} Bob Hewitt {{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle	4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 12–14
style="background:#ebc2af;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1964	French Championships	Clay	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Roy Emerson	{{flagicon\|Australia}} John Newcombe {{flagicon\|Australia}} Tony Roche	6–3, 6–4
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1964	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Roy Emerson	{{flagicon\|RSA\|1928}} Bob Hewitt {{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle	5–7, 9–11, 4–6
style="background:#ebc2af;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1965	French Championships	Clay	{{flagicon\|RSA\|1928}} Bob Hewitt	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Roy Emerson {{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle	8–6, 3–6, 6–8, 2–6
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1965	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|RSA\|1928}} Bob Hewitt	{{flagicon\|Australia}} John Newcombe {{flagicon\|Australia}} Tony Roche	5–7, 3–6, 4–6
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1966	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} John Newcombe	{{flagicon\|Australia}} William Bowrey {{flagicon\|Australia}} Owen Davidson	6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
style="background:#ebc2af;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1967	French Championships	Clay	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Roy Emerson	{{flagicon\|Australia}} John Newcombe {{flagicon\|Australia}} Tony Roche	3–6, 7–9, 10–12
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1967	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Roy Emerson	{{flagicon\|RSA\|1928}} Bob Hewitt {{flagicon\|Australia}} Frew McMillan	2–6, 3–6, 4–6

= Mixed doubles: 11 (10 titles, 1 runner-up)=

style="width:40px"\|Result !style="width:30px"\|Year !style="width:190px"\|Championship !style="width:50px"\|Surface !style="width:160px"\|Partner !style="width:160px"\|Opponents !style="width:170px" class="unsortable"\|Score
class='sortable wikitable'
style="background:#ffc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1963	Australian Championships	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle {{flagicon\|Australia}} Lesley Turner	6–4, 6–4
style="background:#ebc2af;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1963	French Championships	Clay	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle {{flagicon\|Australia}} Lesley Turner	6–1, 6–2
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1963	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith	{{flagicon\|South Africa\|1928}} Bob Hewitt {{flagicon\|USA}} Darlene Hard	11–9, 6–4
style="background:#ccf;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1963	US Championships (3)	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith	{{flagicon\|USA}} Ed Rubinoff {{flagicon\|United States}} Judy Tegart	0–6, 6–4, 6–4
style="background:#ffc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1964	Australian Championships (2)	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith	{{flagicon\|UK}} Mike Sangster {{flagicon\|Australia}} Jan Lehane	6–4, 6–4
style="background:#ebc2af;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1964	French Championships (2)	Clay	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle {{flagicon\|Australia}} Lesley Turner	6–3, 4–6, 8–6
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#ffa07a;"\|Loss	1964	Wimbledon	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Fred Stolle {{flagicon\|Australia}} Lesley Turner	6–4, 6–4
style="background:#ebc2af;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1965	French Championships (3)	Clay	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Smith Court	{{flagicon\|Australia}} John Newcombe {{flagicon\|Brazil}} Maria Bueno	6–4, 6–4
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1965	Wimbledon (2)	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Court	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Tony Roche {{flagicon\|Australia}} Judy Tegart	12–10, 6–3
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1966	Wimbledon (3)	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Court	{{flagicon\|USA}} Dennis Ralston {{flagicon\|United States}} Billie Jean King	4–6, 6–3, 6–3
align=center colspan=7\|↓ Open Era ↓
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="background:#98fb98;"\|Win	1968	Wimbledon (4)	Grass	{{flagicon\|Australia}} Margaret Court	{{flagicon\|Soviet Union}} Alex Metreveli {{flagicon\|Soviet Union}} Olga Morozova	6–1, 14–12

References

External links

{{ATP}}
{{ITF}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20091014230334/http://hughlunn.com.au/news.html Hugh Lunn's Website, Vale by Hugh Lunn]
[http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/history/players/8208.html Australian Open Player Profile]