'He was a true legend of the game': Tennis mourns after death of Australian grand slam hero

Australian tennis is mourning the death of four-time grand slam champion Mal Anderson at the age of 91.

The Queenslander grew up on a cattle station in Theodore (population 451) where his father built a court on the property out of dirt and ant nests.

Anderson won the 1957 US Open singles title and three major doubles titles.

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"I just loved tennis from the earliest age. I was addicted to it and it became my life," Anderson once reflected.

Anderson played in Australia's golden post-war age and as a boy he played against the Laver brothers who had a similar court built on their family property near Rockhampton.

He married Roy Emerson's sister Daphne and they had three children.

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"On his day Mal was capable of playing any shot in the book and he had a fantastic serve," Roy Emerson said.

Anderson was unseeded at the 1957 US Open - then known as the United States Championships - yet dominated the tournament by defeating three seeds and dropping only two sets on his way to the title.

After a brief professional career, Anderson ran a successful tennis and squash centre in Brisbane before returning to the court for the twilight of his career.

In 1972 (although semi-retired) he was runner-up to Ken Rosewall at the Australian Open after ousting John Newcombe in five sets in an exhausting quarter-final.

After retiring, Anderson mentored many young players including Pat Rafter, Scott Draper, Wally Masur and John Fitzgerald.

"I was really sad to hear of Mal's passing. He was one of those people who helped shape my tennis from very early on," Rafter said.

"He took me overseas for the first time, over to Wimbledon, and introduced me to what the professional game looked like and what it meant to carry yourself properly around it. For a young Aussie kid coming through, that was a pretty special thing to have someone like Mal do for you.

"I still remember being at Queen's Club in London and hearing the reception he got when his name was announced – the whole place stood up for him. That told you everything about the respect people had for him, not just here in Australia but around the world.

"He was a true legend of the game, but more importantly he was a terrific bloke – humble, generous with his time and always happy to help younger players along.

"Tennis in Australia has lost one of its greats, and a lot of us have lost a mate and mentor. I feel very lucky to have known him."

Masur said Anderson led by example and showed him what it meant to be a professional and the Australian way.

"I first met Mal when he took 10 youngsters on a satellite circuit around country NSW in about 1979," Masur said.

"If you were out of the tournament he made you run at 6.30am, punishing runs that usually brought up the contents of my stomach. He did every one of those runs with us and did them easily.

"Then it was four or five hours on the practice court, and he hit for every minute of those hours. Never a critical word, just encouragement and he was with you every step of the way.

"I'll leave it to his peers to judge where he sits in the pantheon of Australian tennis greats, but what a gentleman and an inspiration he was to a young player trying to make the tour."

MAL ANDERSON

DAVIS CUP

1957-1958, 1972-1973: 13 wins 6 losses

GRAND SLAM TITLES (4)

Singles: US 1957

Doubles: France 1957, Australia 1973

Mixed doubles: Australia 1957