 Davidson in 1988 | |
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
|---|---|
| Born | (1943-10-04)4 October 1943 |
| Died | 12 May 2023(2023-05-12) (aged 79) Conroe, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 1969 (amateur from 1962) |
| Retired | 1974 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2010(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 403–253 (61.4%)[1] |
| Career titles | 7[2] |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (1967,The New York Times)[3] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1962,1963,1964,1965,1967) |
| French Open | QF (1967) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1966) |
| US Open | QF (1966,1967) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | SF (1967) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 127–65 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1972) |
| French Open | 3T (1968) |
| Wimbledon | F (1966) |
| US Open | W (1973) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1965,1967) |
| French Open | W (1967) |
| Wimbledon | W (1967, 1971, 1973, 1974) |
| US Open | W (1966,1967, 1971, 1973) |
Owen Keir Davidson (4 October 1943 – 12 May 2023) was an Australian professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s.
AlongsideBillie Jean King, Davidson won eight grand slam mixed doubles titles. In 1967 he won acalendar year slam for mixed doubles, when he won theAustralian Championships (withLesley Turner Bowrey), and theFrench Championships,Wimbledon and theUS Championships (with King).
Davidson became the first player to win a match in theopen era of tennis when he defeatedJohn Clifton in the first round of theBritish Hard Court Championships in Bournemouth played in April 1968.[4][5][6]
His best grand slam singles result was at Wimbledon in 1966, when he reached the semifinals (beating top seedRoy Emerson before losing toManuel Santana).[7] He was also the 1972 Australian Open and the 1973 US Open men's doubles champion, partneringJohn Newcombe andKen Rosewall respectively. He was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame inNewport, Rhode Island in 2010. He was inducted into theAustralian Tennis Hall of Fame at theRod Laver Arena in Melbourne on 26 January 2011 (Australia Day).
Davidson died inConroe, Texas, on 12 May 2023, at the age of 79.[8][9]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1966 | Wimbledon | Grass | Bill Bowrey | Ken FletcherJohn Newcombe | 3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1967 | Australian Championships | Grass | Bill Bowrey | John NewcombeTony Roche | 6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 8–6, 6–8 |
| Loss | 1967 | US Championships | Grass | Bill Bowrey | John Newcombe Tony Roche | 8–6, 7–9, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1972 | Australian Open | Grass | Ken Rosewall | Ross CaseGeoff Masters | 3–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1972 | US Open(2) | Grass | John Newcombe |  Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor | 4–6, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 1973 | US Open | Grass | John Newcombe | Rod LaverKen Rosewall | 7–5, 2–6, 7–5, 7–5 |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1969 | Monte-Carlo, Monaco | Clay | John Newcombe |  Pancho GonzalesDennis Ralston | 7–5, 11–13, 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 2. | 1969 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Dennis Ralston |  Thomaz Koch Ove Nils Bengtson | 8–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1. | 1970 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Bill Bowrey |  Ilie NăstaseIon Țiriac | 6–0, 8–10, 3–6, 8–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 3. | 1970 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Hard | Bill Bowrey | John AlexanderPhil Dent | 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2. | 1970 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Bob Carmichael | Arthur AsheStan Smith | 0–6, 7–5, 5–7 |
| Win | 4. | 1971 | Bournemouth, England | Clay | Bill Bowrey |  Patricio CornejoJaime Fillol | 8–6, 6–2, 3–6, 4–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 5. | 1972 | Australian Open,Melbourne | Grass | Ken Rosewall | Ross CaseGeoff Masters | 3–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3. | 1972 | US Open, New York | Grass | John Newcombe | Cliff DrysdaleRoger Taylor | 4–6, 6–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 4. | 1973 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | John Newcombe | Rod LaverKen Rosewall | 5–7, 6–7 |
| Win | 6. | 1973 | US Open, New York | Grass | John Newcombe | Roy EmersonRod Laver | 7–5, 2–6, 7–5, 7–5 |
| Win | 7. | 1973 | Chicago, US | Carpet | John Newcombe | Gerald BattrickGraham Stilwell | 6–7, 7–6, 7–6 |
| Loss | 5. | 1973 | Fort Worth, US | Hard | John Newcombe | Brian GottfriedDick Stockton | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 8. | 1973 | London | Carpet | Mark Cox | Gerald BattrickGraham Stilwell | 6–4, 8–6 |
| Loss | 6. | 1974 | Baltimore, US | Carpet | Clark Graebner |  Jürgen FassbenderKarl Meiler | 6–7, 5–7 |
| Win | 9. | 1974 | St. Petersburg WCT, US | Hard | John Newcombe | Clark GraebnerCharlie Pasarell | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 7. | 1974 | New Orleans WCT, US | John Newcombe | Robert LutzStan Smith | 6–4, 4–6, 6–7 | |
| Win | 10. | 1974 | Orlando WCT, US | Clay | John Newcombe | Brian GottfriedDick Stockton | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 8. | 1974 | Charlotte, US | Clay | John Newcombe | Buster Mottram Raúl Ramírez | 3–6, 6–1, 3–6 |
| Loss | 9. | 1974 | World Doubles WCT, Montreal | Carpet | John Newcombe | Bob HewittFrew McMillan | 2–6, 7–6, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 10. | 1974 | Maui, US | Hard | John Newcombe | Dick StocktonRoscoe Tanner | 3–6, 6–7 |
