John Edward Bromwich (14 November 1918 – 21 October 1999)[3] was an Australian tennis player who, along with fellow countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand. He was a natural left-hander, though hit his serve with his right hand.[4] Bromwich twice won the Australian Championships singles title, in 1939 (over Adrian Quist in a straight sets final) and in 1946 (a five-set final victory over Dinny Pails). He was ranked world No. 3 by A. Wallis Myers in 1938 and again by Harry Hopman in 1947.[2][5]

John Bromwich
Bromwich in the 1930s
Full nameJohn Edward Bromwich
Country (sports) Australia
Born(1918-11-14)14 November 1918
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died21 October 1999(1999-10-21) (aged 80)
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro1934 (amateur tour)
Retired1954
PlaysLeft-handed (two-handed backhand, right-handed serve)
Int. Tennis HoF1984 (member page)
Singles
Career record480-90 (84.2%)[1]
Career titles54[1]
Highest rankingNo. 3 (1938, A. Wallis Myers)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1939, 1946)
French OpenQF (1950)
WimbledonF (1948)
US OpenSF (1938, 1939, 1947)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950)
WimbledonW (1948, 1950)
US OpenW (1939, 1949, 1950)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenW (1938)
WimbledonW (1947, 1948)
US OpenW (1947)

Tennis career

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Although a fine singles player, Bromwich was primarily known as being a world-class doubles player, winning 13 men's doubles titles and 4 mixed doubles titles in the majors. Tennis great (and near contemporary) Jack Kramer writes in his 1979 autobiography that if "Earth were playing in the all-time Universe Davis Cup, I'd play Budge and Vines in my singles, and Budge and Bromwich in the doubles. That's what I think of Johnny as a doubles player."

In the 1939 Davis Cup final, just as World War II was starting, Bromwich played arguably the match of his life in beating the American, Frank Parker, in straight sets, to clinch the Cup for Australia. Australia had trailed 0–2 after the first day, and came back to win the tie, 3–2. This remains the only time in Davis Cup history where the winning team has won a Davis Cup final after trailing 0–2.[6]

In 1948, Bromwich played the American Bob Falkenburg in the Wimbledon final, and had a championship point at 5–3 in the fifth set. He came to the net for a volley but decided that Falkenburg's ball would go long and let it go by. It landed on the baseline and Falkenburg fought his way back into the match. Bromwich later had another two championship points, but was unable to take those either, and Falkenburg came back to win the championship, taking the last four games to win the fifth set, 7–5.[7] Kramer later wrote that "...it never seemed to me that he was the same player after that. He doubted himself. He was a precision player to start with – he used a terribly light racket weighing less than twelve ounces, and it was strung loosely. He could put a ball on a dime, and I suppose after he misjudged that one shot, the most important in his life, he never possessed the confidence he needed." Bromwich also had a championship point in losing the 1947 Australian Championships singles final to Dinny Pails.[8]

 
John Bromwich in a 1944 exhibition match against Dinny Pails

Bromwich gained some revenge against Falkenburg in the 1949 Wimbledon quarterfinals, coming back from two sets down to win in five sets. Bromwich then lost to Jaroslav Drobný in the semifinals.

Writing about Bromwich, Kramer says, "Bromwich was like McMillan today because as a kid John hit from both sides two-handed, and while he eventually had given up the two-handed forehand, he still hit backhand two-handed and could anything back from the baseline. He had strokes very much like Connors."

Bromwich was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1984.[4] He received a posthumous Davis Cup commitment award in 2017 which was presented to his wife by the ITF and Tennis Australia.[9]

Grand Slam finals

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Singles (2 wins, 6 losses)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1937 Australian Championships Grass   Vivian McGrath 3–6, 6–1, 0–6, 6–2, 1–6
Loss 1938 Australian Championships Grass   Don Budge 4–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win 1939 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist 6–4, 6–1, 6–3
Win 1946 Australian Championships Grass   Dinny Pails 5–7, 6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–2
Loss 1947 Australian Championships Grass   Dinny Pails 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–8
Loss 1948 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6
Loss 1948 Wimbledon Grass   Bob Falkenburg 5–7, 6–0, 2–6, 6–3, 5–7
Loss 1949 Australian Championships Grass   Frank Sedgman 3–6, 2–6, 2–6

Doubles: (13 wins, 3 losses)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1937 Australian Championships Grass   Jack Harper   Adrian Quist
  Don Turnbull
2–6, 7–9, 6–1, 8–6, 4–6
Win 1938 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Gottfried von Cramm
  Henner Henkel
7–5, 6–4, 6–0
Loss 1938 U.S. Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Don Budge
  Gene Mako
3–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win 1939 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Colin Long
  Don Turnbull
6–4, 7–5, 6–2
Win 1939 U.S. Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Jack Crawford
  Harry Hopman
8–6, 6–1, 6–4
Win 1940 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Jack Crawford
  Vivian McGrath
6–3, 7–5, 6–1
Win 1946 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Max Newcombe
  Leonard Schwartz
6–3, 6–1, 9–7
Win 1947 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Frank Sedgman
  George Worthington
6–1, 6–3, 6–1
Win 1948 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Frank Sedgman
  Colin Long
1–6, 6–8, 9–7, 6–3, 8–6
Win 1948 Wimbledon Grass   Frank Sedgman   Tom Brown
  Gardnar Mulloy
5–7, 7–5, 7–5, 9–7
Win 1949 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Geoffrey Brown
  Bill Sidwell
1–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–3
Win 1949 US National Championships Grass   Bill Sidwell   Frank Sedgman
  George Worthington
6–4, 6–0, 6–1
Win 1950 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Jaroslav Drobný
  Eric Sturgess
6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6
Win 1950 Wimbledon Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Geoff Brown
  Bill Sidwell
7–5, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2
Win 1950 U.S. Championships Grass   Frank Sedgman   Gardnar Mulloy
  Bill Talbert
7–5, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1
Loss 1951 Australian Championships Grass   Adrian Quist   Frank Sedgman
  Ken McGregor
9–11, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6

Mixed Doubles: 11 (4 wins, 7 losses)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1938 Australian Championships Grass   Margaret Wilson   Nancye Wynne Bolton
  Colin Long
6–3, 6–2
Loss 1938 U.S. Championships Grass   Thelma Coyne Long   Alice Marble
  Don Budge
1–6, 2–6
Loss 1939 Australian Championships Grass   Margaret Wilson   Nell Hall Hopman
  Harry Hopman
8–6, 2–6, 3–6
Loss 1946 Australian Championships Grass   Joyce Fitch   Nancye Wynne Bolton
  Colin Long
0–6, 4–6
Loss 1947 Australian Championships Grass   Joyce Fitch   Nancye Wynne Bolton
  Colin Long
3–6, 3–6
Win 1947 Wimbledon Grass   Louise Brough   Nancye Wynne Bolton
  Colin Long
1–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win 1947 U.S. Championships Grass   Louise Brough   Gussy Moran
  Pancho Segura
6–3, 6–1
Win 1948 Wimbledon Grass   Louise Brough   Doris Hart
  Frank Sedgman
6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Loss 1949 Australian Championships Grass   Joyce Fitch   Doris Hart
  Frank Sedgman
1–6, 7–5, 10–12
Loss 1949 Wimbledon Grass   Louise Brough   Sheila Piercey Summers
  Eric Sturgess
7–9, 11–9, 5–7
Loss 1954 Australian Championships Grass   Beryl Penrose   Thelma Coyne Long
  Rex Hartwig
6–4, 1–6, 2–6

Singles performance timeline

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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.
Tournament 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 SR W–L Win %
Australian Open 3R QF F F W SF Not held W F F F QF QF A A SF 2 / 13 44–11 80%
French Open A A A A A Not held A A A A QF A A A A 0 / 1 4–1 80%
Wimbledon A A 3R A A Not held A 4R F SF 4R A A A A 0 / 5 19–5 79%
US Open A A A SF SF A A A A A A A SF A 3R 3R A A A A 0 / 5 16–5 76%
Win–loss 2–1 2–1 6–2 8–2 9–1 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 5–0 11–3 10–2 11–3 11–4 2–1 0–0 0–0 3–1 2 / 24 83–22 79%

References

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  1. ^ a b "John Bromwich: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Bromwich placed third". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 October 1938. p. 19 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ^ "Jack Bromwich, 80, Australian Tennis Star". The New York Times. 23 October 1999.
  4. ^ a b "Hall of Famers – John Bromwich". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 30 March 2010.
  5. ^ "World's best 10 in tennis". The Courier-mail. No. 3181. Queensland, Australia. 3 February 1947. p. 6 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Australia Triumphs". Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 209. 5 September 1939. p. 14 – via PapersPast.
  7. ^ "Bromwhich Beaten in Fifth Set". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 July 1948 – via Google News Archive.
  8. ^ "Dinny Pails Beats Bromwich in Singles Final". Daily Examiner. 28 January 1947. p. 4 – via Trove.
  9. ^ "Davis Cup Commitment Award for Bromwich". Tennis Australia. 6 February 2017.

Sources

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  • The Game – My 40 Years in Tennis (1979) – Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (ISBN 0-399-12336-9)
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