Gordon Forbes
| Country (sports) |
.svg.png){kind=small} South Africa |
|---|---|
| Born |
21 February 1934 Burgersdorp, Cape Province, South Africa |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1971) |
| French Open | 3R (1955, 1956, 1957, 1959) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1956) |
| US Open | QF (1962) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1962) |
| French Open | F (1963) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1963) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1955) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1962) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | SFEu (1962, 1963) |
Gordon Forbes (born 21 February 1934 Cape Town, South Africa) is a former South African professional tennis player and author. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was the doubles partner of countryman Abe Segal. Together, they were considered one of the best doubles teams in the world.[1]
Career
Forbes learnt to play tennis in his childhood on the family farm. At age 12 he played and won his first junior tournament in East London.[2]
Forbes won the singles title of the South African Championships in 1959 and 1961 and was runner-up in 1955, 1962, 1963 and 1964. He played for the South African Davis Cup team in 14 ties in the period 1955 to 1963 and compiled a record of 20 wins and 11 losses.
After retiring from tennis, Forbes wrote two books about his experiences as a player, and about his contemporaries in the sport.[3][4]
Grand Slam finals
Doubles (1 runner-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1963 | French Championships | Clay | Abe Segal |  Roy Emerson  Manuel Santana | 2–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
Mixed doubles (1 title)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1955 | French Championships | Clay |  Darlene Hard | Jenny Staley  Luis Ayala | 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
Bibliography
- A Handful of Summers. 1979. ISBN 978-0-8317-4362-8.
- Too Soon To Panic. 1995. ISBN 978-0-670-86329-7.
References
- ↑ Plimpton, George (1992). The Norton Book of Sports. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-393-03040-2.
- ↑ Forbes, Gordon (1997). A Handful of Summers (1st American ed.). London: HarperCollins. p. 22. ISBN 9780007291304.
- ↑ Allen, Brook (8 June 1997). "Sports Books in Brief". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ↑ Brent Shearer (September 6, 2011). "New York Tennis Magazine's Literary Corner: A Handful of Summers by Gordon Forbes". New York Tennis Magazine.
External links
- Gordon Forbes at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Gordon Forbes at the International Tennis Federation
- Gordon Forbes at the Davis Cup