Does anyone remember a player named John Fitzgerald from the 1980's?

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

I stumbled on the February 1986 issue of Tennis Magazine, which was a year end retrospective of 1985, the year that Ivan Lendl broke through to #1 on the men's side and Martina Navratilova was #1 for the 4th year in a row. I had circled some of the men's players names - Jimmy Arias, Aaron Krickstein, Stefan Edberg (his breakthrough year), Boris Becker (his too!), and... John Fitzgerald? I don't remember him at all? He seems to have been a mid-level player who never got very far (injuries?). Does anybody remember this particular player? I wonder why I circled his name? (; Wish they had a picture of him in the magazine!

(an aside: there is an "open letter" to John McEnroe about his boorish behavior that is quite amusing!)

 

[DMP]

Yes. Just another middling Australian as I remember, who eventually became Davis Cup captain. In my head I always confuse him and John Alexander.

 

[legrandLeconte]

Yes. Doubles specialist : many years with Jarryd. 7 GS Titles

 

[KG1965]

I stumbled on the February 1986 issue of Tennis Magazine, which was a year end retrospective of 1985, the year that Ivan Lendl broke through to #1 on the men's side and Martina Navratilova was #1 for the 4th year in a row. I had circled some of the men's players names - Jimmy Arias, Aaron Krickstein, Stefan Edberg (his breakthrough year), Boris Becker (his too!), and... John Fitzgerald? I don't remember him at all? He seems to have been a mid-level player who never got very far (injuries?). Does anybody remember this particular player? I wonder why I circled his name? (; Wish they had a picture of him in the magazine!

(an aside: there is an "open letter" to John McEnroe about his boorish behavior that is quite amusing!)

 

[BorgCash]

Yes, I remember him very good. Great Aussie doubles player.

 

[jean pierre]

Typical australian game. Good serve and good volley. Very elegant player, but less strong than Cash or Rafter ...

 

[ollinger]

another middling Australian

7 GS Titles

^^ what's wrong with this picture?

 

[ollinger]

"middling"? Won 30 tour doubles titles, 6 singles titles, 2 more slams in mixed doubles, was on 2 Davis Cup winners

 

[BorgCash]

Played with different rackets.

Typical australian game. Good serve and good volley. Very elegant player, but less strong than Cash or Rafter ...

Rafter was later. Cash was numero uno then.

 

[BorgCash]

Remember him wearing Wimbledon tennis wear and playing with ProKennex.

 

[BorgCash]

"middling"? Won 30 tour doubles titles, 6 singles titles, 2 more slams in mixed doubles, was on 2 Davis Cup winners

Exactly and btw that was real Davis Cup not this year circus garbage.

 

[suwanee4712]

I remember Fitzie didn't mind telling Mac off when he felt the need. Seems like I remember an incident like that at Wimbledon '89. I liked his pairing with Jarryd, and he and Liz Smylie were also a very good team.

 

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

Thanks - now I do remember him but from his playing doubles not singles!

 

[Tshooter]

...In my head I always confuse him and John Alexander.

+1

And looks like John Millman ?

 

[jrepac]

He was quite good in dubs....one of the lesser known Aussies....it was not a great decade for them, aside from Cash...

 

[tonylg]

it was not a great decade for them, aside from Cash...

And the two Davis Cups we won

 

[tonylg]

Yes. Just another talented Australian player with simply beautiful volleys as I remember, who was (is) and absolute gentleman and eventually became Davis Cup captain.

Great post.

 

[DMP]

"middling"? Won 30 tour doubles titles, 6 singles titles, 2 more slams in mixed doubles, was on 2 Davis Cup winners

Middling as in not as good as the greats, but better than someone like Arthurs. Sensibly chose doubles as he wasn't going to make it big in singles. I would say behind Stolle, Roche, Cash for instance. Very close to John Alexander in his achievements, and the gap between them meant he came along just as Alexander was at the end of his careers, which is one reason I mix them up. There was just this middling good Australian player called John, with dark hair, who seemed to be around for ever!

 

[jrepac]

And the two Davis Cups we won

Touche....I tend to overlook Davis Cup....never been a big fan of it, honestly...

 

[Karma Tennis]

Fitzy is a great guy. Still very heavily involved in Tennis here Down Under.

He has an important Country Based Junior Regionals Event named after him called the "John Fitzgerald Cup".

And Yes, he always said he believed McEnroe's temper tantrums were a deliberate ploy to put opponents off their games and give Mac an advantage. He also said that if he was subjected to it, he would call it out on court ... and so he did at Wimbledon much to McEnroe's chagrin.

Fitzy was a very handy tennis player especially in Doubles. Between 1980 and 1997 he won seven Major Doubles titles at all four major events (AO (1982), RG (1986, 1991), Wimbledon (1989, 1991), and the US Open (1984, 1991). He was also an integral part of two Australian teams that won the Davis Cup.

John Fitzgerald, The "Cockaleechie Kid" is going to be inducted in to the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in January 2020 ...

Fitzgerald to join the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame

South Australian legend John Fitzgerald will be inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in January 2020.

www.tennis.com.au

 

[borg number one]

Yes I do. Very solid player, especially in doubles!

Queen’s Club 1987