“Newcombe should do more talking with his racquet and less with his mouth”. There was no love lost between the fierce rivals at the 1975 Australian Open.
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.John Newcombe never planned to play the 1975 Australian Open. At 30, Newcombe was nearing retirement.
“I didn’t play much tennis, but I did a lot of running. I had a three-mile loop at our house in Sydney, and the last mile was a very steep hill. I called it Connors Hill, and I ran it in the middle of the day when it was like 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I’d get to the top of the hill, and I’d do like aConnors, 22 years old at the time and ranked No.
Newcombe, now 80, was a disciple of coach Harry Hopman. Newcombe, known for his Salvador Dali-type moustache and charismatic personality, possessed a powerful serve that propelled him to the net with ease. He could also play cagey backcourt tennis, drawing his opponents in with crafty drop shots and then flicking winning lobs over their heads.
As soon as Newcombe learned that Connors would compete in the 1975 Australian Open, he wanted in as well.Although he was seeded No.2, behind Connors, Newcombe’s road to the final was arduous. He was taken to five sets by Rolf Gehring in the second round and also by Geoff Masters in the quarter-finals, a match that he won 10-8 in the fifth set. Afterwards, he needed a two-hour session with the physiotherapist to rejuvenate his weary legs.
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