John Edward Bromwich (14 November 1918 – 21 October 1999) was an Australian tennis player who, along with fellow countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand. He was a natural left-hander, though hit his serve with his right hand. Bromwich twice won the Australian Championships singles title, in 1939 (over Adrian Quist in a straight sets final) and in 1946 (a five-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.

Tennis career Although a fine singles player, Bromwich was primarily known as being a world-class 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." Bromwich also had a championship point in losing the 1947 Australian Championships singles final to Dinny Pails.

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

Writing about Bromwich, Kramer says, "Bromwich was like McMillan today because as a kid John hit from both sides two-handed, and while he eventually had given up the two-handed forehand, he still hit backhand two-handed and could anything back from the baseline. He had strokes very much like Connors."

Bromwich was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1984. He received a posthumous Davis Cup commitment award in 2017 which was presented to his wife by the ITF and Tennis Australia.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 wins, 6 losses) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1937Australian ChampionshipsGrass Vivian McGrath3–6, 6–1, 0–6, 6–2, 1–6Loss 1938Australian ChampionshipsGrass Don Budge4–6, 2–6, 1–6Win 1939Australian ChampionshipsGrass Adrian Quist6–4, 6–1, 6–3Win 1946Australian ChampionshipsGrass Dinny Pails5–7, 6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–2Loss 1947Australian ChampionshipsGrass Dinny Pails6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–8Loss 1948Australian ChampionshipsGrass Adrian Quist4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6Loss 1948WimbledonGrass Bob Falkenburg5–7, 6–0, 2–6, 6–3, 5–7Loss 1949Australian ChampionshipsGrass Frank Sedgman3–6, 2–6, 2–6

Doubles: (13 wins, 3 losses) ResultYearChampionship SurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1937 Australian Championships Grass Jack Harper Adrian Quist Don Turnbull 2–6, 7–9, 6–1, 8–6, 4–6Win 1938 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Gottfried von Cramm Henner Henkel 7–5, 6–4, 6–0Loss 1938 U.S. Championships Grass Adrian Quist Don Budge Gene Mako 3–6, 2–6, 1–6Win 1939 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Colin Long Don Turnbull 6–4, 7–5, 6–2Win 1939 U.S. Championships Grass Adrian Quist Jack Crawford Harry Hopman 8–6, 6–1, 6–4Win 1940 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Jack Crawford Vivian McGrath 6–3, 7–5, 6–1Win 1946 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Max Newcombe Leonard Schwartz 6–3, 6–1, 9–7Win 1947 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Frank Sedgman George Worthington 6–1, 6–3, 6–1Win 1948 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Frank Sedgman Colin Long 1–6, 6–8, 9–7, 6–3, 8–6Win 1948 Wimbledon Grass Frank Sedgman Tom Brown Gardnar Mulloy 5–7, 7–5, 7–5, 9–7Win 1949 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Geoffrey Brown Bill Sidwell 1–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–3Win 1949 US National Championships Grass Bill Sidwell Frank Sedgman George Worthington 6–4, 6–0, 6–1Win 1950 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Jaroslav Drobný Eric Sturgess 6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6Win 1950 Wimbledon Championships Grass Adrian Quist Geoff Brown Bill Sidwell 7–5, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2Win 1950 U.S. Championships Grass Frank Sedgman Gardnar Mulloy Bill Talbert 7–5, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1Loss 1951 Australian Championships Grass Adrian Quist Frank Sedgman Ken McGregor 9–11, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6

Mixed Doubles: 11 (4 wins, 7 losses) ResultYearChampionship SurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1938 Australian Championships Grass Margaret Wilson Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long 6–3, 6–2Loss 1938 U.S. Championships Grass Thelma Coyne Long Alice Marble Don Budge 1–6, 2–6Loss 1939 Australian Championships Grass Margaret Wilson Nell Hall Hopman Harry Hopman 8–6, 2–6, 3–6Loss 1946 Australian Championships Grass Joyce Fitch Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long 0–6, 4–6Loss 1947 Australian Championships Grass Joyce Fitch Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long 3–6, 3–6Win 1947 Wimbledon Grass Louise Brough Nancye Wynne Bolton Colin Long 1–6, 6–4, 6–2Win 1947 U.S. Championships Grass Louise Brough Gussy Moran Pancho Segura 6–3, 6–1Win 1948 Wimbledon Grass Louise Brough Doris Hart Frank Sedgman 6–2, 3–6, 6–3Loss 1949 Australian Championships Grass Joyce Fitch Doris Hart Frank Sedgman 1–6, 7–5, 10–12Loss 1949 Wimbledon Grass Louise Brough Sheila Summers Eric Sturgess 7–9, 11–9, 5–7Loss 1954 Australian Championships Grass Beryl Penrose Thelma Coyne Long Rex Hartwig 6–4, 1–6, 2–6

Singles performance timeline

Tournament 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 SR Win %3RQFFFWSFNot heldWFFFQFQF A ASF 2 / 13 44–11 French Open A A A A ANot held A A A AQF A A A A 0 / 1 4–1 Wimbledon A A3R A ANot held A4RFSF4R A A A A 0 / 5 19–5 US Open A A ASFSF A A A A A A ASF A3R3R A A A A 0 / 5 16–5 Win–loss 2–1 2–1 6–2 8–2 9–1 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 5–0 11–3 10–2 11–3 11–4 2–1 0–0 0–0 3–1

References

Sources The Game – My 40 Years in Tennis (1979) – Jack Kramer with Frank Deford ()

External links