Full name | George Allan Worthington |
---|---|
Country (sports) | ![]() |
Born | Sydney, Australia | 10 October 1928
Died | 8 December 1964 Westminster, London | (aged 36)
Turned pro | 1956 (amateur from 1945) |
Retired | 1960 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Singles | |
Career record | 319-115 (73.5%) [1] |
Career titles | 25 [1] |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (1949, 1950, 1951, 1954) |
French Open | 3R (1950, 1955) |
Wimbledon | 4R (1949, 1953) |
US Open | 3R (1950) |
Professional majors | |
Wembley Pro | QF (1957) |
French Pro | 1R (1958, 1959) |
Doubles | |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | F (1947) |
Wimbledon | SF (1955) |
US Open | F (1949) |
Mixed doubles | |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (1951, 1952, 1955) |
Wimbledon | SF (1949, 1950, 1953) |
George Allan Worthington (10 October 1928 – 8 December 1964) was an Australian male tennis player who was active in the 1940s and 1950s.
Career
[edit]Worthington won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Championships in 1951, 1952 and 1953 together with Thelma Coyne Long.[2][3]
He was twice runner-up with compatriot Frank Sedgman in Grand Slam men's doubles championship. In 1947 they lost the final of the Australian Championship against Adrian Quist and John Bromwich in straight sets and in 1949 in the U.S. National Championship they met the same fate against fellow Australians John Bromwich and Bill Sidwell.[4][5]
He won a number of career singles titles including the Australian Capital Territory Championships (later called the ACT Open) (1953), the British Pro Championships six times consecutively from 1957 to 1962, the Slazenger Pro Championships two times, (1957, 1962), the Sydney Metropolitan Championships three times, (1950, 1953-54), and the Surrey Championships one time, (1953), the East of England Championships one time, (1949) and the New Zealand Championships one time, (1950). [6]
After his active playing career he became coach at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club and coached both the English Davis Cup team and Wightman Cup team.[7]
According to Ken Rosewall, he was "an excellent player in practice. He was known as the 'Champion of Practice'".[8]
Grand Slam finals
[edit]Doubles (2 runner-ups)
[edit]Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1947 | Australian Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
1–6, 3–6, 1–6 |
Loss | 1949 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 0–6, 1–6 |
Mixed doubles (3 titles)
[edit]Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1951 | Australian Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 3–6, 6–2 |
Win | 1952 | Australian Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
9–7, 7–5 |
Win | 1955 | Australian Championships | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–2, 6–1 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "George Worthington: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "George Worthington Match History". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-0942257700.
- ^ "Worthington, George". Grand Slam History. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 373, 477. ISBN 978-0942257700.
- ^ "George Worthington: Tournament results". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "Former Davis Cup Man Dies". The Age. 9 December 1964. p. 24. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ Peter Rowley, Ken Rosewall, Rosewall. Twenty years at the top, London 1976, p. 93.