 | |
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Residence | Kingston upon Thames, England |
| Born | (1955-04-25)25 April 1955 (age 70) Kingston upon Thames, England |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 285–171 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 15 (17 July 1978) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 4R (1977) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1982) |
| US Open | 4R (1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 111–118 |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Highest ranking | No. 164 (3 January 1983) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1981, 1983) |
| US Open | 3R (1973) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | F (1978), SF (1981) |
Christopher"Buster" Mottram (born 25 April 1955 inKingston upon Thames) is an English formertennis player and UK number 1, who achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 15 on 17 July 1978 and again on 7 February 1983.[1]
Mottram is the son ofTony Mottram andJoy Gannon, leading British tennis players in the 1950s.[2] He was brought up in south-west London and educated atKing's College School inWimbledon.[3] His sisterLinda was also a successful tennis player, who competed at theWimbledon Championships alongside her brother in 1978.[4][5]
Mottram was a promising tennis player from an early age, having been coached by his father with the assistance of theLawn Tennis Association.[6] Having already emerged as the youngest-ever winner of the British under-21 championships, the zenith of his junior career came upon reaching the finals of the Boys' Singles tournaments at both theFrench Open and Wimbledon in 1972; while prevailing at Roland Garros (becoming only the second ever British champion), helost the Junior Wimbledon final to Björn Borg in three closely-contested sets. Mottram also competed in the Men's Singles draw at Wimbledon that same year, losing in the second round toDick Stockton.
Much of Mottram's success as an adult professional came early: in April 1975, aged 19, he won his first title at the Johannesburg WCT event, defeatingBob Hewitt andBjörn Borgen route to a straight-sets triumph over the fourth seedTom Okker in the final. That same year he engineered an even more "spectacular" win over recent Wimbledon victorArthur Ashe in the finals of the inauguralNations Cup inKingston, Jamaica.[7] But this promising start failed to materialise into anything more enduring, and his only other singles title came the following year at Palma de Mallorca in Spain. From then on, Mottram solidified his reputation as a consistent journeyman with a preference for theclay court season (somewhat unusual in a British player).[8] His finestGrand Slam appearance was on that surface, when he recorded impressive wins overPatrick Proisy andPaolo Bertolucci during the opening stages of the French Open in 1977 before narrowly losing in the fourth round to the reigning champion,Adriano Panatta.[9] (Bertolucci later admitted that losing to Mottram after taking the first set 6–0 was the most regrettable moment of his career.)[10]
Mottram succeededMark Cox as British No. 1 in 1978, a position he held until 1983. After losing four singles finals in 1977/78 (twice toGuillermo Vilas, his toughest and most frequent opponent on clay), Mottram's main achievements were in doubles tournaments. In 1982, however, he made a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon (his best ever performance there in either singles or doubles) and lost by a slender margin in the final of theDutch Open. After hovering in the lower reaches of the world's top 20 for most of that year, Mottram peaked at No. 15 for the second time in February 1983.[1] This was a coda to his career, however, for he retired from professional tennis just seven months later, citing dissatisfaction with the "hassle" involved in playing international tournaments throughout the year.[11]
Perhaps more important than any individual achievement was Mottram's record in theDavis Cup; in the words of one contemporary observer, he "thrives on team spirit and is one of the few for whom the responsibility of playing for his country brings out the best in both his tennis and character."[12] This was not always obvious, for Mottram's relationship with the British tennis authorities – and other players – was often turbulent and abrasive. For over 18 months Mottram refused to play underPaul Hutchins, Britain's Davis Cup captain, after the latter criticised his performance at Wimbledon during the1976 Championships.[13] When Mottram called upon Hutchins to resign it unsettled several members of the Cup team so much that they felt compelled to strike back:John Lloyd, in an interview with theDaily Express, said that Mottram "has gone too far this time, even by his own standards. He is a tragic tennis case... one of those players who thinks he's bigger than his country; bigger than everything."[8][14] Although Mottram and Hutchins were subsequently reconciled, further trouble ensued when anti-fascist protestors camped outside Redlands Tennis Club in Bristol to protest at Mottram's inclusion in the squad that would face Austria in the European quarter-final of the1978 Davis Cup.[15][16] And yet, despite this and other controversial episodes off the court, Mottram was to emerge as the leading figure in the British team's successful journey to the Cup final that year, registering vital triumphs at various stages of the competition. Arguably, his best ever Cup performance was against world No. 7Brian Gottfried inthe second rubber of the final, when he roared back from two sets and match point down to win in five.[8] Another impressive showing came the following year, when he executed a near-flawless victory (6–0, 6–4, 6–4) over Adriano Panatta in front of an aggressively partisan crowd at theForo Italico in Rome.[17] (He beat Panatta in all three of their Davis Cup meetings.)[18] Overall, Mottram represented Britain in the Davis Cup eight times, scoring 31 wins and just 10 losses.[8]
| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Apr 1975 | Johannesburg WCT, South Africa | Hard |  Tom Okker | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 2–0 | Apr 1976 | Palma, Majorca, Spain | Clay |  Jun Kuki | 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Feb 1977 | Dayton, U.S. | Carpet (i) |  Jeff Borowiak | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Apr 1977 | Murcia, Spain | Clay |  José Higueras | 4–6, 0–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Dec 1977 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard |  Guillermo Vilas | 6–7(4–7), 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | May 1978 | Munich, West Germany | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 1–6, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–5 | Jul 1982 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Clay |  Balázs Taróczy | 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–7(5–7) |
| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Apr 1974 | Charlotte, U.S. | Unknown |  Raúl Ramírez |  Owen DavidsonJohn Newcombe | 6–3, 1–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jul 1977 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Roger Taylor |  Colin DowdeswellChris Kachel | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–0 | Oct 1977 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet | Mark Cox | John FeaverJohn James | 7–5, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3–1 | Oct 1978 | Tokyo, Japan | Clay |  Željko Franulović | Ross CaseGeoff Masters | 2–6, 6–4, 1–6 |
| Loss | 3–2 | Nov 1979 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Mike Cahill |  Bob HewittFrew McMillan | 6–1, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3–3 | Jul 1980 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Clay | Tony Giammalva | Tom OkkerBalázs Taróczy | 5–7, 3–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 4–3 | Mar 1981 | Stuttgart, West Germany | Carpet | Nick Saviano | Craig EdwardsEddie Edwards | 3–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Loss | 4–4 | Apr 1981 | Bournemouth, UK | Clay |  Tomáš Šmíd | Ricardo Cano Víctor Pecci | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Loss | 4–5 | Feb 1982 | Genoa, Italy | Carpet | Mike Cahill | Pavel SložilTomáš Šmíd | 7–6, 5–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 5–5 | Apr 1982 | Bournemouth, UK | Clay | Paul McNamee |  Henri Leconte Ilie Năstase | 3–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 5–6 | Oct 1982 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | Kevin Curren | Fritz BuehningTomáš Šmíd | 6–4, 3–6, 0–6 |
While Mottram was still playing professionally, he became known for hisright-wing views. He expressed support for theNational Front, supported the policies ofEnoch Powell,[19] and applied unsuccessfully for theConservative parliamentary candidacy in several constituencies.[19] His politics strained the already tense relationship he had with the British tennis establishment, who were reportedly angry when he wrote a letter supportingMargaret Thatcher in her battles with the trades unions and signed it "on behalf of the Davis Cup team".[15] Mottram subsequently formed a songwriting partnership with the black entertainerKenny Lynch, writing the song "Average Man".[20]
In November 2008, Mottram was expelled from theUK Independence Party (UKIP) after attempting to broker an electoral pact with theBritish National Party. UKIP leaderNigel Farage said there were "no circumstances whatsoever" in which UKIP would do a deal with the BNP, declaring his party to be non-racist.[21]
