Francis "Frank" Arthur Sedgman was born on 29 October 1927 and is an Australian former world No 1 tennis player.
72 Facts About Frank Sedgman
2.
Frank Sedgman is one of only five tennis players all-time to win multiple career Grand Slams in two disciplines, alongside Margaret Court, Roy Emerson, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams.
3.
Frank Sedgman turned professional in 1953, and won the Wembley World Professional Indoor singles title in 1953 and 1958.
4.
Frank Sedgman won the Sydney Masters tournament in 1958, and the Melbourne Professional singles title in 1959.
5.
Frank Sedgman won the Grand Prix de Europe Professional Tour in 1959.
6.
Frank Sedgman was ranked as the world No 1 amateur in 1950 by Harry Hopman and Ned Potter, in 1951 by Pierre Gillou, Hopman and Potter and in 1952 by Lance Tingay, Gillou, Hopman and Potter.
7.
Frank Sedgman was one of a number of Australian players who used the Continental grip in which the racquet is held the same way for both the forehand and the backhand.
8.
Frank Sedgman was particularly known for his volleying and speed at the net.
9.
Frank Sedgman led the Australian Davis Cup team to victory in 1950,1951, and 1952.
10.
Frank Sedgman began the year by reaching the final of the South Australian championships in Adelaide, where he lost to John Bromwich.
11.
Frank Sedgman made his debut at the Australian Championships in 1946.
12.
Frank Sedgman won his first match against Reg Clements, but lost in the last 16 round, to Geoff Brown in straight sets.
13.
Brown played "faultlessly throughout", whilst Frank Sedgman was "not able to settle down, and did not look comfortable".
14.
In 1947, Frank Sedgman lost in the opening round of the Australian Championships to Patrick Callaghan.
15.
At the 1948 Australian championships, Frank Sedgman beat veteran former champion Jack Crawford before losing to Bromwich in the quarterfinals.
16.
At the French championships, Frank Sedgman lost in the last 16 to Giovanni Cucelli.
17.
Frank Sedgman lost in the final of the New South Wales championship to Bromwich.
18.
At the Australian Championships in January 1949, Frank Sedgman beat defending champion Quist in the quarter-finals and former champion Bromwich in the final to win his first Grand Slam singles title.
19.
Frank Sedgman "gave a flawless exhibition of attacking tennis" in the final against Bromwich.
20.
At Wimbledon, Frank Sedgman had two match points against Ted Schroeder in the quarterfinals, but lost in five sets.
21.
Frank Sedgman lost to Schroeder again in a five set quarterfinal at the US Championships.
22.
Frank Sedgman began the year by winning the South Australian championships in Adelaide, beating Jaroslav Drobny in the final in three straight sets, losing only three games.
23.
Frank Sedgman won his second Australian Championships men's singles title, beating Bromwich, Eric Sturgess and Ken McGregor.
24.
Frank Sedgman won the West Australian Championships beating Clive Wilderspin in the final, showing a "much superior brand of tennis" than he had in earlier rounds.
25.
Frank Sedgman then won the Australian Hardcourt Championships beating George Worthington in the final.
26.
At the French Championships, Frank Sedgman was seeded second, but surprisingly lost in the last 16 to Irvin Dorfman.
27.
Frank Sedgman beat Art Larsen and Drobny, before losing the final to Budge Patty in four sets.
28.
Frank Sedgman lost in the last 16 of the US Championships to Earl Cochell.
29.
Frank Sedgman began the year by winning the South Australian Championships, beating Larsen in the final.
30.
Frank Sedgman lost to Drobny in the semifinals of the French Championships.
31.
Top-seeded at Wimbledon, Frank Sedgman led by two sets to love against Herbert Flam in the quarterfinals, but lost in five sets.
32.
At the Newport championships in August, Frank Sedgman beat Mervyn Rose in the final to become the first overseas winner of the men's singles since 1916.
33.
At the US Championships, Frank Sedgman beat Bill Talbert, Tony Trabert, Larsen and Vic Seixas to win the title.
34.
Frank Sedgman then retained his Pacific Southwest title in Los Angeles, beating Trabert in the final, by manoeuvering him out of position.
35.
In late 1951, Frank Sedgman was tempted to turn professional for 1952.
36.
Frank Sedgman was ranked world No 1 amateur No 1 by Pierre Gillou, Harry Hopman and Ned Potter.
37.
Later in the month, Frank Sedgman lost to his doubles partner McGregor in the final of the Australian Championships.
38.
At the French Championships, Frank Sedgman beat Patty and Sturgess before losing in the final to Drobny, but Frank Sedgman had beaten Drobny in the finals of the Monte Carlo tournament and the Italian Championships.
39.
Frank Sedgman won his first Wimbledon singles title.
40.
In 2012, Frank Sedgman said "You always wanted to win the Wimbledon title and I had offers to turn professional before I won Wimbledon and I had put it off because I thought, gee, I wanted to win the Wimbledon title to cap your career, really, as an amateur".
41.
At the US Championships, Frank Sedgman beat Lew Hoad, Rose and Gardnar Mulloy to retain his title.
42.
Frank Sedgman was ranked world No 1 amateur by Lance Tingay, Pierre Gillou, Harry Hopman and Ned Potter.
43.
Frank Sedgman faced Jack Kramer in the 1953 World Series tour.
44.
Frank Sedgman won the tournament at Wembley beating Don Budge and Pancho Gonzales.
45.
Frank Sedgman won the tournament in Paris, beating Gonzales in the final.
46.
Frank Sedgman beat Dinny Pails and Segura at Vienna and Geneva.
47.
In 1954, Frank Sedgman competed in the World Series alongside Gonzales, Pancho Segura, Budge, Bobby Riggs and Carl Earn.
48.
Frank Sedgman was runner-up to Gonzales in the Cleveland version of the US Pro, played under the billed name of Cleveland World Pro Championships.
49.
Frank Sedgman missed approximately four and a half months tennis in 1955 due to an operation for appendicitis.
50.
In 1957, Frank Sedgman won the Perth round robin event in January beating Segura, Rex Hartwig and Trabert.
51.
Frank Sedgman finished runner-up to Gonzales at the Forest Hills Tournament of Champions despite losing his opening match to Hoad, as he won against Rosewall, Trabert, and Segura.
52.
Frank Sedgman lost the deciding match to Gonzales in five sets, although he led two sets to one.
53.
Frank Sedgman defeated both Gonzales and Trabert in five set matches to win the tournament.
54.
At Wembley in 1958, Frank Sedgman beat Gonzales in the semifinals and Trabert in the final to win his second Wembley title, five years after his first.
55.
Frank Sedgman won the Melbourne event in the Ampol world series in January 1959, defeating Gonzales in the final in three straight sets.
56.
Frank Sedgman reached the final of the Ampol series event at Toronto on red clay, beating Segura and Hoad before losing the final to Gonzales.
57.
Frank Sedgman won the Grand Prix de Europe tour in 1959, finishing ahead of Rosewall, Hoad, and Trabert.
58.
Frank Sedgman finished fourth in Kramer's official Ampol point ranking for the year behind Hoad, Gonzales, and Rosewall.
59.
Frank Sedgman was runner-up to Gonzales at the Cleveland event in 1961.
60.
In November 1962, Frank Sedgman won the White City Charity event at Sydney, beating Luis Ayala in the final.
61.
Frank Sedgman entered a period of retirement from the professional tour at the end of 1965.
62.
Frank Sedgman returned to play in Grand Slam events at the 1970 Australian Open, where he lost in five sets in the second round to former champion Bill Bowrey.
63.
Frank Sedgman won the Victorian Hardcourt Championships in October 1970 beating John Stephens in the final and won the title again in 1971 beating Neale Fraser in the final, a few days before his 44th birthday.
64.
Frank Sedgman reached the third round at Wimbledon in 1971.
65.
At the 1972 Australian Open, Frank Sedgman beat fifth seed Owen Davidson before losing in the third round to John Cooper.
66.
Frank Sedgman continued to play professionally until his 1976 retirement.
67.
Frank Sedgman commentated on various Australian TV channels from 1960 to 1976.
68.
Frank Sedgman was one of the commentators for Channel 7 in the mid-1970s.
69.
Frank Sedgman commentated on the Newcombe v Connors final of 1975, lost in the second round of the men's singles that year and was still involved in promoting the event.
70.
Frank Sedgman was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1979; in 1985 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
71.
Frank Sedgman was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to tennis as a player at the national and international level, and as a role model for young sportspersons".
72.
Frank Sedgman joined the professional tennis circuit in 1953 and as a consequence was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slam events until the start of the Open Era at the 1968 French Open.