Norman Brookes

Sir Norman Everard Brookes (14 November 1877 – 28 September 1968) was an Australian tennis player. He won three Grand Slam singles titles during his career, including Wimbledon in 1907 and 1914, and the Australasian Championships in 1911. He was the first person not born in Britain to win Wimbledon.

Brookes also played for the Australasian Davis Cup team, helping them win the title six times. After he stopped playing, he became president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia. The Australian Open men's singles trophy is called the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup to honor his achievements.

Early life

Norman Brookes was born in St Kilda, a part of Melbourne, to Catherine Margaret and William Brookes. His father came from England and made his fortune by finding gold near Bendigo. Norman had two older brothers, Herbert and Harold, who became successful in business. He went to Melbourne Grammar School and finished his studies there in 1895. During his school years, he was good at cricket, Australian football, and tennis. After school, he worked at Australian Paper Mills, where his father was the managing director.

When he was young, Norman often played tennis at his family’s house in Melbourne and at nearby courts. He learned from watching good players and was trained by Wilberforce Eaves. By 1896, he was regularly playing at the Royal South Yarra Tennis Club. During World War I, he helped with the Australian Red Cross in Egypt.

Tennis career

Sir Norman Brookes was an Australian tennis player who achieved many great things. In 1907, he became the first player from outside Britain to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon. He won again in 1914. He also won the Australasian Championships in 1911, which were held in his hometown of Melbourne.

Brookes played for the Australian Davis Cup team and helped them win the title several times. He was also important in developing Kooyong as a tennis center and served as the first president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia for many years.

Australian rules football career

Sir Norman Brookes played Australian rules football when he was young, especially for Melbourne Grammar School. For a long time, people thought he had played two games for St Kilda in 1898, but it was actually his brother Harold who played those games.

Personal life

Norman Brookes married Mabel Balcombe Emmerton, who was 20 years old, on April 19, 1911, at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne. They had three daughters together. He passed away in South Yarra, Victoria, in 1968.

Honours

Sir Norman Brookes was knighted in 1939 for his services to Australia. His wife, Mabel, was also honored for her work in charitable and social services.

The men's singles trophy at the Australian Open is named after him, the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. He was later added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1977 and appeared on an Australian postage stamp in 1981.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runners-up)

Doubles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1905	Wimbledon	Grass	Laurence Doherty	6–8, 2–6, 4–6
Win	1907	Wimbledon	Grass	Arthur Gore	6–4, 6–2, 6–2
Win	1911	Australasian Championships	Grass	Horace Rice	6–1, 6–2, 6–3
Win	1914	Wimbledon	Grass	Anthony Wilding	6–4, 6–4, 7–5
Loss	1919	Wimbledon	Grass	Gerald Patterson	3–6, 5–7, 2–6

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1907	Wimbledon	Grass	Anthony Wilding	Karl Behr Beals Wright	6–4, 6–4, 6–2
Loss	1911	Australasian Championships	Grass	John Addison	Rodney Heath Randolph Lycett	2–6, 5–7, 0–6
Win	1914	Wimbledon	Grass	Anthony Wilding	Herbert Roper Barrett Charles Dixon	6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 8–6
Win	1919	U.S. National Championships	Grass	Gerald Patterson	Vincent Richards Bill Tilden	8–6, 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–2
Win	1924	Australasian Championships	Grass	James Anderson	Pat O'Hara Wood Gerald Patterson	6–2, 6–4, 6–3

Performance timeline

(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.

Events with a challenge round: (W_C) won; (CR) lost the challenge round; (F_A) all comers' finalist

^1,2,3 Brookes did not play. His opponent got a walkover.