Wikipedia

Gerald Patterson

Gerald Leighton Patterson MC[3] (17 December 1895 – 13 June 1967) was an Australian tennis player.

Gerald Patterson
MC
Country (sports) Australia
Born(1895-12-17)17 December 1895
Preston, Australia
Died13 June 1967(1967-06-13) (aged 71)
Melbourne, Australia
Turned pro1914 (amateur tour)
Retired1928
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1989 (member page)
Singles
Career record267–63 (80.9%)[1]
Career titles28[1]
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1919, A. Wallis Myers)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1927)
French Open4R (1928)
WimbledonW (1919, 1922)
US OpenSF (1922, 1924)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1914, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1927)
WimbledonF (1922, 1928)
US OpenW (1919)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
WimbledonW (1920)

Patterson was active in the decade following World War I. During his career he won three Grand Slam tournaments in the singles event as well as six titles in the doubles competition and one title in mixed doubles. He was born in Melbourne, educated at Scotch College and Trinity Grammar School and died in Melbourne on 13 June 1967.[4][5] He was the co-World No. 1 player for 1919 along with Bill Johnston.

Playing career edit

Tall and well-built, Patterson played a strong serve-and-volley game. At Wimbledon 1919, Patterson beat 41-year-old Norman Brookes, who was defending champion (Brookes' 1914 title was the last held before World War 1) in the Challenge Round. At Wimbledon 1922, the Challenge Round was abolished and Patterson won the title (the first to be held at the current site at Church Road) beating Randolph Lycett in the final. In 1927, Patterson was five championship points down in the Australian singles final against Jack Hawkes, but won in five sets.[6]

Patterson was known as the "Human Catapult" for his powerful serve that many of the top players had trouble returning. He also enjoyed great success representing Australia in Davis Cup and amassed a 32–14 win–loss record (singles 21–10, doubles 11–4) and was part of the winning team in 1919. Patterson played Davis Cup in 1920, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1928 and finally as captain in 1946. He was a player ahead of his time, playing with a steel racquet strung with wire in 1925.

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Home of Fame in December 1986.[7] This was followed by induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in August 1997.[8]

Personal life edit

Patterson was the nephew of Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba and father of racing driver Bill Patterson.[4] In 1917, Patterson was awarded the Military Cross for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty" as an officer in the Royal Field Artillery at Messines.[9]

Grand Slam finals edit

 
Gerald Patterson playing a forehand stroke

Singles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runners-up) edit

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1914 Australasian Championships Grass   Arthur O'Hara Wood 4–6, 3–6, 7–5, 1–6 [10]
Win 1919 Wimbledon Grass   Norman Brookes 6–3, 7–5, 6–2 [11]
Loss 1920 Wimbledon Grass   Bill Tilden 6–2, 3–6, 2–6, 4–6 [11]
Loss 1922 Australasian Championships Grass   James Anderson 0–6, 6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 [10]
Win 1922 Wimbledon Grass   Randolph Lycett 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 [11]
Loss 1925 Australasian Championships Grass   James Anderson 9–11, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6 [10]
Win 1927 Australian Championships Grass   John Hawkes 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 18–16, 6–3 [10]

Doubles: 14 (6 titles, 8 runners-up) edit

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1914 Australasian Championships Grass   Ashley Campbell   Rodney Heath
  Arthur O'Hara Wood		 7–5, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 [12]
Win 1919 U.S. National Championships Grass   Norman Brookes   Vincent Richards
  Bill Tilden		 8–6, 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–2 [13]
Win 1922 Australasian Championships Grass   John Hawkes   James Anderson
  Norman Peach		 8–10, 6–0, 6–0, 7–5 [12]
Loss 1922 Wimbledon Grass   Pat O'Hara Wood   James Anderson
  Randolph Lycett		 6–3, 9–7, 4–6, 3–6, 9–11 [14]
Loss 1922 U.S. National Championships Grass   Pat O'Hara Wood   Vincent Richards
  Bill Tilden		 6–4, 1–6, 3–6, 4–6 [13]
Loss 1924 Australasian Championships Grass   Pat O'Hara Wood   James Anderson
  Norman Brookes		 2–6, 4–6, 3–6 [12]
Loss 1924 U.S. National Championships Grass   Pat O'Hara Wood   Howard Kinsey
  Robert Kinsey		 5–7, 7–5, 9–7, 3–6, 4–6 [13]
Win 1925 Australasian Championships Grass   Pat O'Hara Wood   James Anderson
  Fred Kalms		 6–4, 8–6, 7–5 [12]
Loss 1925 U.S. National Championships Grass   John Hawkes   R. Norris Williams
  Vincent Richards		 2–6, 10–8, 4–6, 9–11 [13]
Win 1926 Australasian Championships Grass   John Hawkes   James Anderson
  Pat O'Hara Wood		 6–1, 6–4, 6–2 [12]
Win 1927 Australian Championships Grass   John Hawkes   Ian McInness
  Pat O'Hara Wood		 8–6, 6–2, 6–1 [12]
Loss 1928 Wimbledon Grass   John Hawkes   Jacques Brugnon
  Henri Cochet		 11–13, 4–6, 4–6 [14]
Loss 1928 U.S. National Championships Grass   John Hawkes   John Hennessey
  George Lott		 2–6, 1–6, 2–6 [13]
Loss 1932 Australian Championships Grass   Harry Hopman   Jack Crawford
  Edgar Moon		 10–12, 3–6, 6–4, 4–6 [12]

Mixed doubles: 1 (1 title) edit

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1920 Wimbledon Grass   Suzanne Lenglen   Elizabeth Ryan
  Randolph Lycett		 7–5, 6–3 [15]

Grand Slam singles performance timeline edit

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Events with a challenge round: (WC) won; (CR) lost the challenge round; (FA) all comers' finalist

(OF) only for French players

Tournament 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 SR W–L Win %
Australian F A not held 3R1 A A F A 2R F 1R W QF 1 / 8 21–6 77.8
French OF not held OF A A A 4R 0 / 1 2–1 66.7
Wimbledon A not held WC CR A W A A A A A 4R 2 / 4 17–2 89.5
U.S. A A A A A 4R A A SF A SF A A A A 0 / 3 10–3 76.9
Win–loss 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 11–1 0–1 0–0 13–2 0–0 5–2 5–1 0–1 6–0 7–3 3 / 16 50–12 80.6

1Patterson was the first tennis player to play in three Grand Slam singles tournaments within one calendar year.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Gerald Patterson career match record". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  2. ^ United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 422.
  3. ^ "Gerald Leighton Patterson". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 30 March 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  4. ^ a b Virginia O'Farrell. Patterson, Gerald Leighton (1895–1967). Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition.
  5. ^ "The Unofficial Sister School" (PDF). The Trinity Grammarian. 28 (2): 4. July 2013.
  6. ^ "Gerald Patterson". www.tennis.co.nf.
  7. ^ "Gerald Patterson". Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
  8. ^ "Australian Tennis Hall of Fame". Tennis Australia.
  9. ^ "24 August 1917". The London Gazette. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d "Australian Open Results Archive / Men's Singles". Australian Open official website. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  11. ^ a b c "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Singles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "Australian Open Results Archive / Men's Doubles". Australian Open official website. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d e "U.S. Open Past Champions / Men's Doubles". US Open official website. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Doubles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Mixed Doubles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved 24 September 2015.

External links edit

 
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