John Bromwich

John Edward Bromwich (14 November 1918 – 21 October 1999)^[3] was an Australian tennis player who, along with fellow countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand. He was a natural left-hander, though hit his serve with his right hand.^[4] Bromwich twice won the Australian Championships singles title, in 1939 (over Adrian Quist in a straight sets final) and in 1946 (a five-set final victory over Dinny Pails). He was ranked world No. 3 by A. Wallis Myers in 1938 and again by Harry Hopman in 1947.^[2][5]

John Bromwich

Bromwich in the 1930s
Full name	John Edward Bromwich
Country (sports)	Australia
Born	(1918-11-14)14 November 1918 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	21 October 1999(1999-10-21) (aged 80) Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro	1934 (amateur tour)
Retired	1954
Plays	Left-handed (two-handed backhand, right-handed serve)
Int. Tennis HoF	1984 (member page)
Singles
Career record	480-90 (84.2%)[1]
Career titles	54[1]
Highest ranking	No. 3 (1938, A. Wallis Myers)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1939, 1946)
French Open	QF (1950)
Wimbledon	F (1948)
US Open	SF (1938, 1939, 1947)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950)
Wimbledon	W (1948, 1950)
US Open	W (1939, 1949, 1950)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	W (1938)
Wimbledon	W (1947, 1948)
US Open	W (1947)

Tennis career

Although a fine singles player, Bromwich was primarily known as being a world-class doubles player, winning 13 men's doubles titles and 4 mixed doubles titles in the majors. Tennis great (and near contemporary) Jack Kramer writes in his 1979 autobiography that if "Earth were playing in the all-time Universe Davis Cup, I'd play Budge and Vines in my singles, and Budge and Bromwich in the doubles. That's what I think of Johnny as a doubles player."

In the 1939 Davis Cup final, just as World War II was starting, Bromwich played arguably the match of his life in beating the American, Frank Parker, in straight sets, to clinch the Cup for Australia. Australia had trailed 0–2 after the first day, and came back to win the tie, 3–2. This remains the only time in Davis Cup history where the winning team has won a Davis Cup final after trailing 0–2.^[6]

In 1948, Bromwich played the American Bob Falkenburg in the Wimbledon final, and had a championship point at 5–3 in the fifth set. He came to the net for a volley but decided that Falkenburg's ball would go long and let it go by. It landed on the baseline and Falkenburg fought his way back into the match. Bromwich later had another two championship points, but was unable to take those either, and Falkenburg came back to win the championship, taking the last four games to win the fifth set, 7–5.^[7] Kramer later wrote that "...it never seemed to me that he was the same player after that. He doubted himself. He was a precision player to start with – he used a terribly light racket weighing less than twelve ounces, and it was strung loosely. He could put a ball on a dime, and I suppose after he misjudged that one shot, the most important in his life, he never possessed the confidence he needed." Bromwich also had a championship point in losing the 1947 Australian Championships singles final to Dinny Pails.^[8]

John Bromwich in a 1944 exhibition match against Dinny Pails

Bromwich gained some revenge against Falkenburg in the 1949 Wimbledon quarterfinals, coming back from two sets down to win in five sets. Bromwich then lost to Jaroslav Drobný in the semifinals.

Writing about Bromwich, Kramer says, "Bromwich was like McMillan today because as a kid John hit from both sides two-handed, and while he eventually had given up the two-handed forehand, he still hit backhand two-handed and could anything back from the baseline. He had strokes very much like Connors."

Bromwich was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1984.^[4] He received a posthumous Davis Cup commitment award in 2017 which was presented to his wife by the ITF and Tennis Australia.^[9]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 wins, 6 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1937	Australian Championships	Grass	Vivian McGrath	3–6, 6–1, 0–6, 6–2, 1–6
Loss	1938	Australian Championships	Grass	Don Budge	4–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win	1939	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	6–4, 6–1, 6–3
Win	1946	Australian Championships	Grass	Dinny Pails	5–7, 6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–2
Loss	1947	Australian Championships	Grass	Dinny Pails	6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–8
Loss	1948	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6
Loss	1948	Wimbledon	Grass	Bob Falkenburg	5–7, 6–0, 2–6, 6–3, 5–7
Loss	1949	Australian Championships	Grass	Frank Sedgman	3–6, 2–6, 2–6

Doubles: (13 wins, 3 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1937	Australian Championships	Grass	Jack Harper	Adrian Quist Don Turnbull	2–6, 7–9, 6–1, 8–6, 4–6
Win	1938	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Gottfried von Cramm Henner Henkel	7–5, 6–4, 6–0
Loss	1938	U.S. Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Don Budge Gene Mako	3–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win	1939	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Colin Long Don Turnbull	6–4, 7–5, 6–2
Win	1939	U.S. Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Jack Crawford Harry Hopman	8–6, 6–1, 6–4
Win	1940	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Jack Crawford Vivian McGrath	6–3, 7–5, 6–1
Win	1946	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Max Newcombe Leonard Schwartz	6–3, 6–1, 9–7
Win	1947	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Frank Sedgman George Worthington	6–1, 6–3, 6–1
Win	1948	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Frank Sedgman Colin Long	1–6, 6–8, 9–7, 6–3, 8–6
Win	1948	Wimbledon	Grass	Frank Sedgman	Tom Brown Gardnar Mulloy	5–7, 7–5, 7–5, 9–7
Win	1949	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Geoffrey Brown Bill Sidwell	1–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–3
Win	1949	US National Championships	Grass	Bill Sidwell	Frank Sedgman George Worthington	6–4, 6–0, 6–1
Win	1950	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Jaroslav Drobný Eric Sturgess	6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6
Win	1950	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Geoff Brown Bill Sidwell	7–5, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2
Win	1950	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Sedgman	Gardnar Mulloy Bill Talbert	7–5, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1
Loss	1951	Australian Championships	Grass	Adrian Quist	Frank Sedgman Ken McGregor	9–11, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6

Mixed Doubles: 11 (4 wins, 7 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1938	Australian Championships	Grass	Margaret Wilson	Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long	6–3, 6–2
Loss	1938	U.S. Championships	Grass	Thelma Coyne Long	Alice Marble Don Budge	1–6, 2–6
Loss	1939	Australian Championships	Grass	Margaret Wilson	Nell Hall Hopman Harry Hopman	8–6, 2–6, 3–6
Loss	1946	Australian Championships	Grass	Joyce Fitch	Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long	0–6, 4–6
Loss	1947	Australian Championships	Grass	Joyce Fitch	Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long	3–6, 3–6
Win	1947	Wimbledon	Grass	Louise Brough	Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long	1–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	1947	U.S. Championships	Grass	Louise Brough	Gussy Moran Pancho Segura	6–3, 6–1
Win	1948	Wimbledon	Grass	Louise Brough	Doris Hart Frank Sedgman	6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Loss	1949	Australian Championships	Grass	Joyce Fitch	Doris Hart Frank Sedgman	1–6, 7–5, 10–12
Loss	1949	Wimbledon	Grass	Louise Brough	Sheila Piercey Summers Eric Sturgess	7–9, 11–9, 5–7
Loss	1954	Australian Championships	Grass	Beryl Penrose	Thelma Coyne Long Rex Hartwig	6–4, 1–6, 2–6

Singles performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

DNQ

A

NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Tournament	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	SR	W–L	Win %
Australian Open	3R	QF	F	F	W	SF	Not held					W	F	F	F	QF	QF	A	A	SF	2 / 13	44–11	80%
French Open	A	A	A	A	A	Not held						A	A	A	A	QF	A	A	A	A	0 / 1	4–1	80%
Wimbledon	A	A	3R	A	A	Not held						A	4R	F	SF	4R	A	A	A	A	0 / 5	19–5	79%
US Open	A	A	A	SF	SF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	SF	A	3R	3R	A	A	A	A	0 / 5	16–5	76%
Win–loss	2–1	2–1	6–2	8–2	9–1	3–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	5–0	11–3	10–2	11–3	11–4	2–1	0–0	0–0	3–1	2 / 24	83–22	79%

References

1. "John Bromwich: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
2. "Bromwich placed third". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 October 1938. p. 19 – via Google News Archive.
3. "Jack Bromwich, 80, Australian Tennis Star". The New York Times. 23 October 1999.
4. "Hall of Famers – John Bromwich". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 30 March 2010.
5. "World's best 10 in tennis". The Courier-mail. No. 3181. Queensland, Australia. 3 February 1947. p. 6 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Australia Triumphs". Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 209. 5 September 1939. p. 14 – via PapersPast.
7. "Bromwhich Beaten in Fifth Set". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 July 1948 – via Google News Archive.
8. "Dinny Pails Beats Bromwich in Singles Final". Daily Examiner. 28 January 1947. p. 4 – via Trove.
9. "Davis Cup Commitment Award for Bromwich". Tennis Australia. 6 February 2017.

Sources

• The Game – My 40 Years in Tennis (1979) – Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (ISBN 0-399-12336-9)

External links

• John Bromwich at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• John Bromwich at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• John Bromwich at the International Tennis Federation
• John Bromwich at the Davis Cup
• John Bromwich at Tennis Australia