 McGregor in 1950 | |
| Full name | Kenneth Bruce McGregor |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
| Born | (1929-06-02)2 June 1929 Adelaide, Australia |
| Died | 1 December 2007(2007-12-01) (aged 78) Adelaide, Australia |
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1952(amateur tour from 1948) |
| Retired | 1957 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1999(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 152-62 |
| Career titles | 10 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1952,Lance Tingay)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1952) |
| French Open | SF (1951,1952) |
| Wimbledon | F (1951) |
| US Open | 4R (1951) |
| Doubles | |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (1951) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1951, 1952) |
| French Open | W (1951, 1952) |
| Wimbledon | W (1951, 1952) |
| US Open | W (1951) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | W (1950) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1950,1951,1952) |
Kenneth Bruce McGregor (2 June 1929 – 1 December 2007) was an Australiantennis player from Adelaide who won the Men's Singles title at theAustralian Championships in 1952. He and his longtime doubles partner,Frank Sedgman, are generally considered one of the greatest men's doubles teams of all time and won the doublesGrand Slam in 1951. McGregor was also a member of three AustralianDavis Cup winning teams in 1950–1952. In 1953,Jack Kramer induced both Sedgman and McGregor to turn professional. He was ranked as high as World No. 3 in 1952.[1]
In 1951 and 1952 McGregor andFrank Sedgman won seven consecutiveGrand Slam doubles titles – a feat that is unmatched to this day.[2][3]
McGregor was also a good singles player. At the Australian Championships in 1950, McGregor beat top seedJaroslav Drobný in an early round before losing the final against Sedgman.[4] At the 1951 Australian Championships, McGregor beatAdrian Quist andArthur Larsen before losing the final toDick Savitt.[5] Savitt also beat him in the Wimbledon final.
McGregor won the 1952 Australian Championships, beating Savitt and Sedgman in the last two rounds.[6] He won theBelgian Championships defeatingBudge Patty in the semifinal andTony Trabert in a close five set final. McGregor also won the 1952Eastern Grass Court Championships defeating in successionStraight Clark, Savitt, and Sedgman in the final.
In early January 1953 McGregor and Sedgman signed a contract to joinJack Kramer's professional tour.[7][8] This made them ineligible to compete in the amateur Grand Slam tournaments and Davis Cup.
In his 1952–1953 tour againstPancho Segura, McGregor was beaten by 71 matches to 25. In a subsequent 1953–1954 tour against Pancho Gonzales, he was beaten 15 matches to 0.[9][2]
In January 1959, McGregor won a personal series of matches againstMal Anderson at Cairns, Queensland by a score of three to zero.[10]
McGregor was a fine all-round athlete, excelling incricket,Australian rules football, andtennis. He also played lacrosse.[11] At 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), he had a powerful serve and overhead. The great tennis playerEllsworth Vines said of McGregor: "He was the same height asPancho Gonzales, faster, moved as well and could jump higher, and once he got to the net he was difficult to pass because of his prehensile reach. The handsome Aussie had the most extraordinary overhead of all time." In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself who brought McGregor into professional tennis, wrote that "McGregor was one of the weakest players but one of the nicest guys who ever played for me in the pros. As nearly as I could tell, all he wanted to do was save up some money, go back Down Under and play Australian-rules football, which in fact, he played better than he did tennis. And that's what he did."
After his retirement from tennis at the age of 25 he returned toAustralian rules football and played five seasons forWest Adelaide in the SANFL.[12]
In 1999, McGregor was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame inNewport, Rhode Island followed in 2000 by induction into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.[13] The Ken McGregor Foundation was established by Tennis SA, the governing body of tennis in South Australia, with the aim of assisting the next generation of international tennis players.[14]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1950 | Australian Championships | Grass | Frank Sedgman | 3–6, 4–6, 6–4, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1951 | Australian Championships | Grass |  Dick Savitt | 3–6, 6–2, 3–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1951 | Wimbledon Championships | Gras | Dick Savitt | 4–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1952 | Australian Championships | Grass | Frank Sedgman | 7–5, 12–10, 2–6, 6–2 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1951 | Australian Championships | Grass | Frank Sedgman | John BromwichAdrian Quist | 11–9, 2–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 1951 | French Championships | Clay | Frank Sedgman | Gardnar MulloyDick Savitt | 6–2, 2–6, 9–7, 7–5 |
| Win | 1951 | Wimbledon | Grass | Frank Sedgman |  Jaroslav Drobný Eric Sturgess | 3–6, 6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 1951 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Frank Sedgman | Don CandyMervyn Rose | 10–8, 6–4, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 1952 | Australian Championships | Grass | Frank Sedgman | Don CandyMervyn Rose | 6–4, 7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 1952 | French Championships | Clay | Frank Sedgman | Gardnar MulloyDick Savitt | 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 1952 | Wimbledon | Grass | Frank Sedgman | Vic SeixasEric Sturgess | 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1952 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Frank Sedgman | Mervyn Rose Vic Seixas | 6–3, 8–10, 8–10, 8–6, 6–8 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1950 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne duPont | Doris HartFrank Sedgman | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | 2R | 3R | F | F | W | 1 / 5 |
| French Championships | A | A | 4R | SF | SF | 0 / 3 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 4R | F | QF | 0 / 3 |
| U.S. National Championships | A | A | 1R | 4R | 1R | 0 / 3 |
| Strike rate | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 1 / 14 |
McGregor was the son ofBruce and Winnifred McGregor. Bruce was the winner of the 1926 and 1927SANFLMagarey Medals and was theWest Adelaide Football Club's premiership captain-coach in 1927 as well as theGlenelg Football Club's inaugural premiership coach in 1934. Ken had one sister (Betty) who was born in 1927, the day their father Bruce was awarded his second Magarey Medal.
In 1953 he married Winifred Caro.[2] McGregor had a history of heart problems, but was diagnosed with stomach cancer ten days prior to his death on 1 December 2007.[15] He was survived by his wife, two children, and five grandchildren.
