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General First nameJohn Edward
LastnameBromwich
GenderMale
CountryAustralia
Date of birth1918-11-14
Place of birthSydney, NSW, Australia
Date of death1999-10-21
Place of deathGeelong, Australia


About

Australian tennis player who was natural left-hander but he served with a his right hand, hit a two-handed stroke (along with his countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first players!!) from his right side, and used only his left hand from that side of his body.
Despite his idiosyncrasies, Bromwich fit right into the tradition of Australian tennis, comporting himself honorably on the international circuit

Bromwich twice won the Australian Championships singles title, in 1939 (over Adrian Quist in a straight sets final) and in 1946 (a thrilling 5-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.

Although a fine singles player, Bromwich was primarily known as being a brilliant 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.

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.
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." Also worth noting is that Bromwich also missed a championship point in losing the 1947 Australian Championships final to Dinny Pails.

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

Bromwich was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1984.

Media


Archive statistics Career1934 - 1957
Tournament wins61
Matches478
Match wins410


Tournament wins 1957 - Bacchus Marsh Australia Day (Amateur)
1950 - Tasmanian Championships (Amateur)
1950 - Royal South Yarra (Amateur)
1950 - Queens Club Tournament (ATP)
1950 - Eastern Suburbs Hard Court Championship (Open)
1950 - Manly Seaside Tournament (Open)
1949 - Manly Seaside Tournament (Open)
1949 - City of Orange (Amateur)
1949 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1948 - Harrogate Hard Courts (Amateur)
1948 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1948 - Central Australian Championships (Amateur)
1948 - Manly Seaside Tournament (Open)
1948 - Central Slopes Championships (Amateur)
1948 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1948 - Bedford (Amateur)
1946 - Wagga District Championships (Amateur)
1946 - Tasmanian Championships (Amateur)
1946 - Australian Open (Grandslam)
1946 - Victorian Championships (Amateur)
1946 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1946 - South Australian Championships ()
1945 - Victorian Championships (Amateur)
1941 - Queensland Patriotic Tournament (Amateur)
1941 - Queensland War Fund Tournament (Amateur)
1941 - Darling Downs (Amateur)
1941 - Western Australia Hardcourts ()
1941 - Maroochy Championships (Amateur)
1941 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1940 - South Wagga Championships (Amateur)
1940 - Tasmanian Championships (Amateur)
1940 - Victorian Championships (Amateur)
1940 - Australian Hard Courts Championship (Amateur)
1940 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1940 - City of Sydney Championships (Amateur)
1939 - Pacific Southwest Championships (Open)
1939 - Australian Open (Grandslam)
1939 - Queensland Championships (Amateur)
1939 - Victorian Championships (Amateur)
1939 - New Zealand Championships (Amateur)
1939 - City of Perth (Open)
1939 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1939 - Western Canada Grass Court Championships (Open)
1938 - South Australian Championships ()
1938 - Singleton Easter Tournament (Amateur)
1938 - City of Sydney Championships (Amateur)
1938 - Queensland Championships (Amateur)
1938 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1937 - Queensland Championships (Amateur)
1937 - Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney (Amateur)
1937 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1936 - South Australian Championships ()
1936 - City of Orange (Amateur)
1936 - Brisbane Exhibition (Amateur)
1935 - Queensland Hardcourts (Open)
1935 - South Australian Championships ()
1935 - South Coast Championships (Amateur)
1935 - Riverina (Amateur)
1935 - Albury Easter Tournament (Amateur)
1934 - New South Wales Hard Court Championships (Amateur)
1934 - Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney (Amateur)


Tournaments Bacchus Marsh Australia Day - 1957 City of Sydney Championships - 1956 South African Championships - 1955 Australian Open - 1954 New South Wales Championships - 1954 New South Wales vs. Victoria - 1954 New South Wales Championships - 1953 Australian Hard Courts Championship - 1953 New South Wales Championships - 1952 Australian Open - 1951 Australian Open - 1950 Wimbledon - 1950 Roland Garros - 1950 US Open - 1950 Victorian Championships - 1950 New South Wales Championships - 1950 Queens Club Tournament - 1950 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1950 Tasmanian Championships - 1950 Manly Seaside Tournament - 1950 Royal South Yarra - 1950 Eastern Suburbs Hard Court Championship - 1950 Australian Open - 1949 Wimbledon - 1949 US Open - 1949 Victorian Championships - 1949 New South Wales Championships - 1949 Queens Club Tournament - 1949 Manly Seaside Tournament - 1949 City of Orange - 1949 Australian Open - 1948 Wimbledon - 1948 Roland Garros - 1948 New South Wales Championships - 1948 Queens Club Tournament - 1948 Surrey Championships - 1948 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1948 Manly Seaside Tournament - 1948 Harrogate Hard Courts - 1948 Paris Invitational - 1948 Bedford - 1948 Central Australian Championships - 1948 Central Slopes Championships - 1948 Australian Open - 1947 Wimbledon - 1947 US Open - 1947 New South Wales Championships - 1947 Australian Open - 1946 South Australian Championships - 1946 Victorian Championships - 1946 New South Wales Championships - 1946 US vs. Australia exhibitions - 1946 Tasmanian Championships - 1946 Wagga District Championships - 1946 Victorian Championships - 1945 New South Wales Championships - 1945 South Australian Championships - 1941 Victorian Championships - 1941 New South Wales Championships - 1941 Darling Downs - 1941 Queensland Patriotic Tournament - 1941 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1941 Maroochy Championships - 1941 Western Australia Hardcourts - 1941 Queensland War Fund Tournament - 1941 Australian Open - 1940 Victorian Championships - 1940 New South Wales Championships - 1940 City of Sydney Championships - 1940 Australian Hard Courts Championship - 1940 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1940 New South Wales Hard Court Championships - 1940 County of Cumberland - 1940 Brisbane Exhibition - 1940 South Wagga Championships - 1940 Australian Open - 1939 US Open - 1939 Victorian Championships - 1939 New South Wales Championships - 1939 New Zealand Championships - 1939 Pacific Coast Championship - 1939 Pacific Southwest Championships - 1939 Western Canada Grass Court Championships - 1939 Queensland Championships - 1939 City of Perth - 1939 Australian Open - 1938 South Australian Championships - 1938 US Open - 1938 Victorian Championships - 1938 New South Wales Championships - 1938 Pacific Coast Championship - 1938 Pacific Southwest Championships - 1938 Queensland Championships - 1938 City of Sydney Championships - 1938 US vs. Australia exhibitions - 1938 Triangular Exhbitiion - 1938 Auckland Exhibition - 1938 Singleton Easter Tournament - 1938 Australian Open - 1937 Wimbledon - 1937 Victorian Championships - 1937 New South Wales Championships - 1937 German International Championships - 1937 Queensland Championships - 1937 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1937 South Australian Centenary Championships - 1937 Australian Open - 1936 South Australian Championships - 1936 Victorian Championships - 1936 New South Wales Championships - 1936 Queensland Championships - 1936 Brisbane Exhibition - 1936 City of Orange - 1936 Australian Open - 1935 South Australian Championships - 1935 Victorian Championships - 1935 New South Wales Championships - 1935 Queensland Championships - 1935 New South Wales Hard Court Championships - 1935 Queensland Hardcourts - 1935 Albury Easter Tournament - 1935 South Coast Championships - 1935 Riverina - 1935 Victorian Championships - 1934 New South Wales Championships - 1934 City of Sydney Championships - 1934 Metropolitan Grass Court Championships of Sydney - 1934 New South Wales Hard Court Championships - 1934 Brisbane Exhibition - 1934