 | |
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Sydney,New South Wales |
| Born | (1949-07-04)4 July 1949 (age 76) Sydney, New South Wales |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 66–95 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 16 (1974)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1977Dec) |
| French Open | 2R (1968, 1978) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1970, 1973, 1974, 1978) |
| US Open | 1R (1978) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 64–78 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1973) |
| French Open | 4R (1968) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1974) |
| US Open | 3R (1978) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1969) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1973, 1977) |
| Councillor ofWarringah Council for B Ward | |
| In office 13 September 2008 – 12 May 2016 | |
| Deputy Mayor of Warringah | |
| In office 23 October 2012 – 24 September 2013 | |
| Mayor | Michael Regan |
| Preceded by | Julie Sutton |
| Succeeded by | Sue Heins |
| Councillor ofNorthern Beaches Council for Narrabeen Ward | |
| In office 02 October 2024 – Current | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Independent |
Robert Gary GiltinanOAM (born 4 July 1949) is an Australian former professionaltennis player who was a grass court specialist. He won one singles title and two doubles titles over a twelve-year career spanning the introduction of the open era in 1968 to 1979. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 16.[1][2]
Giltinan is a direct relative of notable Australian entrepreneur James Joseph Giltinan (J J Giltinan), who helped found the sport ofrugby league football in Australia, and also what is now effectively the world championships for 18 ft skiff class yachts, theJJ Giltinan International Trophy, contested each year on Sydney Harbour.
Beginning his tennis career in the 1960s, it was halted for two years when he completed National Service with theAustralian Army during theVietnam War.
He won one singles title atSurbiton in 1974, defeatingSyd Ball in straight sets, and reached the final ofNewport in 1973, falling toRoger Taylor of Great Britain 8–9 6–8. Giltinan was a member of the winning 1973 and 1977 AustralianDavis Cup squads. He also represented theCleveland Nets inWorld Team Tennis during the 1970s, partneringBjörn Borg,Marty Riessen andMartina Navratilova. During the team's only season as the Cleveland-Pittsburgh Nets in 1977, he was the radio play-by-play voice onWWWE instead of being an active player.[3]
Giltinan is best known for his run into the singles semi-finals of the 1977 Australian Open as a qualifier, where he would lose toJohn Lloyd of Great Britain. This run matches the best performance of any male qualifier in a Grand Slam. His other notable singles Grand Slam performance was his loss toJohn Alexander in four sets in the quarter-finals of the 1973 Australian Open.
Giltinan's best Grand Slam doubles forays include a three set loss withSyd Ball toRoss Case andGeoff Masters in the 1973 Australian Open final, after defeating the far more famous pairing ofRoche/Newcombe in three sets in the semi-finals. He andSyd Ball also reached the 1970 Australian Open semi-finals, falling toJohn Alexander andPhil Dent in four sets.
Giltinan won 2 doubles titles in his career. In 1978, he andColin Dibley defeatedMarcelo Lara andEliot Teltscher at the 1978Columbus Open in straight sets. Unlike his other titles, this was on clay. In 1979, Giltinan andPhil Dent defeatedIon Țiriac andGuillermo Vilas in the final ofHobart. Also notable is their defeat ofMark Edmondson andJohn Marks in the semi-finals.
Aside from the finals at the Australian Open, Giltinan reached one other doubles final. In 1978, he andColin Dibley were defeated byTim Gullikson andTom Gullikson at Newport.
On 28 July 2000, Giltinan was awarded theAustralian Sports Medal for service as a "Previous player, coach and manager of elite players. Has been NSW state coach and national selector".[4] He was also awarded theAustralian Defence Medal.
In September 2008, Giltinan stood as an independent candidate for B Ward (ComprisingManly Vale,Seaforth,Freshwater andCurl Curl) ofWarringah Council for a four-year term and was elected on 13 September 2008 with 21.2% of the ward vote (the highest of the nine tickets).[5][6] He was re-elected to B Ward at the 2012 local government elections on 8 September 2012 with 25.1% of the vote (the second-highest of six tickets), after which he was electedDeputy Mayor for a single term (2012–2013).[7]
With the amalgamation of Warringah Council intoNorthern Beaches Council on 12 May 2016, Giltinan ceased being a Councillor but was appointed by AdministratorDick Persson to serve on one of the advisory committees set up from former Councillors to advise the new Council.[8] In 2017, Giltinan announced his independent ticket for the Curl Curl Ward of Northern Beaches Council.[9] At the first elections for the council on 9 September 2017, Giltinan's ticket, the only non-registered political party ticket, received 12% of the vote in Curl Curl Ward (the lowest of the five ward tickets) and was not elected.[10][11]
On 10 June 2019, Giltinan was awarded theMedal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for "service to tennis, and to the community of the Northern Beaches".[12]
On 14 September 2024, Giltinan stood alongside Vincent De Luca OAM and Tammy Cook as independent candidates for Narrabeen Ward ofNorthern Beaches Council. Vincent De Luca OAM (lead candidate) and Giltinan were elected for a four year term with 53.5% of the ward vote (the highest of the three tickets).
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jun 1974 | Surbiton, UK | Grass | Syd Ball | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Aug 1978 | Columbus, U.S. | Clay | Colin Dibley |  Eliot Teltscher Marcelo Lara | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jan 1979 | Hobart, Australia | Grass | Phil Dent |  Ion Țiriac Guillermo Vilas | 8–6 |
 | Australian Sports Medal |
_ribbon.png) | Australian Defence Medal |
_BAR.svg) | Order of Australia Medal |
| Civic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Deputy Mayor of Warringah 2012 – 2013 | Succeeded by Sue Heins |