Mal Anderson
Malcolm "Mal" J. Anderson (born 3 March 1935 in Theodore, near Rockhampton in Queensland) was a star Australian tennis player from the middle 1950s to the early 1970s.
A right-hander, Anderson started playing tennis when he was 8 and became serious about the sport at 16. His two best seasons statistics-wise were 1957 and 1958 when as an amateur he twice achieved a ranking of World No. 2.
In '57 he won the U.S. National Singles Championship as an unseeded player. He also that year reached the semi-finals of the Australian National Singles Championship and won the French National Doubles Championship, partnering with Ashley Cooper, the man he defeated at Forest Hills.
In '58, Anderson was a finalist at both the Forest Hills and Kooyong, losing both times to Cooper. From 1959, Anderson played professional tennis, winning Wembley in 1959. He did not appear in another major final until 1972 when at age 36 he was a finalist at the Australian Open. In '73 he captured the doubles title at Kooyong as partner of John Newcombe.
Anderson played on four Australian Davis Cup teams 1954, 1957, 1958, and 1973, the team winning twice ('57 and '73). He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000.
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (0)
Runner-ups (1)
Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
1972 | Australian Open | Ken Rosewall | 6-7, 3-6, 5-7 |
Grand Slam record
- Singles finalist: 1958, 1972
- Doubles champion: 1973
- Doubles finalist: 1957
- Mixed Doubles champion: 1957
- Doubles champion: 1957
- Singles quarter-finalist: 1956, 1958
- Singles champion: 1957
- Singles finalist: 1958