Aussie Tennis History Part 2

Davis Cup
In the immediate years following the Great War Gerald Patterson registered two singles victories at
Wimbledon, in 1919 where he defeated his doubles partner Norman Brookes in straight sets and in
1922 versus R.Lycett, an Australian residing in England, again in straight sets.. Despite Patterson

and Brookes; 1919 Davis Cup triumph, this was destined to be Australia's only cup victory of that
decade, however on three occasions; 1926,1927 and 1929 Australia did not challenge for the cup. In
fact, for the 1919 Challenge Round it was still known as 'Australasia', and not until the 1939 Cup did
'Australia' record its first victory.
Wimbledon in the 1920s
Meanwhile during the period from 1924 to 1929 the international tennis arena was dominated by
France; in particular at Wimbledon, where French players scored four consecutive singles wins, and
for good measure the doubles on five occasions; 1925,1926,1928, 1932 and 1933. This remarkable
foursome; Lacoste, Cochet, Brugnon and Borotra, known universally as 'The Four Musketeers' also
enabled France to dominate the Davis Cup for the six years from 1927 to 1932. Rene Lacoste,
Wimbledon singles champion in 1925 and 1926 can claim the invention of the metal racquet, which
changed forever the mechanics of the modern game.
Australian Championships
Apart from Patterson's Wimbledon 1922 singles title, Australia during the 1920s experienced a
rather bleak period in international tennis; however the Australian singles championship, a
prestigious event which had its beginning in 1905, still attracted overseas champions. Great Britain
provided two winners, with Algernon Kingscote in 1920 and John Gregory in 1929. Possibly the most
colourful overseas winner was the redoubtable Jean Borotra, who in 1928 weathered a close semifinal match to eventually overcome R.O. Cummings in a five -set final.
Patterson and Anderson
The ebullient Gerald Patterson, with his powerful serve, solid ground strokes and overhead smash
made an indelible impression on local tennis, particularly in his home state, Victoria, and yet that
Australian title was proving elusive. He did reach the 1922 and 1925 finals and on both occasions
suffered defeat from the tall, rangy J.O. Anderson. At last in 1927 he achieved that goal, overcoming
stylish left-hander Jack Hawkes in a Homeric five-set struggle. Sydney player James Outram (Jim)
Anderson left his mark on the Australian championships, with three comprehensive wins; 1922,1924
and 1925. He was also a Davis Cup member on four occasions; 1919 when Australasia defeated
Britain, 1921 when Australasia did not reach the finals and 1922 and 1923 which saw The United
States defeat Australasia in both events at the Forest Hills venue. Patterson and Anderson could
justifiably be regarded as the iconic local players of the 1920s; however in their shadow was a
veritable host of great players, like Pat O'Hara Wood, John Hawkes and others, less well-known, but
on their day equal to the very best. The 1930s decade gained notoriety as the period of the 'Great
Depression', nevertheless on a more positive note it saw the emergence of a new breed of Australian
tennis greats. Jack Crawford and Harry Hopman were two such players, already firmly established
due to their fine record as junior players during the 1920s.
Gerald Patterson
Gerald Leighton Patterson was the outstanding Australian player of the immediate post-war years,
ranked as World No.1 alongside Wallis Myers in 1919. He was born in Melbourne on 17 December
1895 and from an early age became involved in tennis. His father played social tennis with Norman
Brookes, making it likely that Brookes would have encouraged the young Gerald to further his tennis
career. Tall and well-built, Patterson played a powerful serve and volley game, a factor that saw him
labelled 'The Human Catapult' for his cannonball service. His ground strokes were reliable, although
his backhand was not on a par with his serve and volley technique. As a result his preference was

not to be involved in lengthy baseline rallies. In 1914 Patterson was a finalist in the Australasian
singles championships, held at Melbourne. Having blitzed his way through the opening rounds he
was a strong contender for the final. His opponent was Arthur O'Hara Wood, who managed to blunt
the Patterson onslaught to prevail in four sets.
War Service
Shortly afterwards war was declared and like so many other young men, Patterson and O'Hara Wood
were early volunteers. Patterson was commissioned in the Royal Field Artillery and for his bravery at
Messines in June 1917 was awarded the Military Cross. He survived the conflict to make a return to
international tennis; a destiny that was denied O'Hara Wood, who became a pilot in the fledgling
Royal Flying Corps. Sadly he became one of the hundreds of pilots and observers to perish in this
hostile element.
Wimbledon and Davis Cup
With the re-opening of Wimbledon in 1919, Patterson was a favourite for the singles final. He
completely dominated the event, powering his way through the semi-finals without dropping a set, to
defeat A.R. Kingscote 6-1 6-2 ,6-3 in the final. Patterson repeated the performance in 1922, on this
occasion beating R. Lycett, an Australian residing in England, again in straight sets. Patterson also
featured strongly in Davis Cup in 1919, where the Australasian squad, comprising Patterson,
Brookes and Thomas defeated the British Isles at Sydney's Double Bay venue. Patterson played
Davis Cup in 1920, 1922, 1924, 1925 and 1928 and finally as a non-playing captain in 1946. His winloss rate in DavisCup was quite impressive; with a singles record of 21-10 and doubles 11-4.
Australian Championships
During the 1920s Patterson dominated the Victorian singles in convincing fashion, claiming the title
eight times between 1919 and 1927. However the Australian singles title proved to be rather
elusive; with tall, lean Jim Anderson defeating Patterson on two occasions, 1922 and 1925. Finally in
1927 Patterson would claim the title, defeating the left-handed John Hawkes at Melbourne's
Kooyong tennis complex in five hard-fought sets.
Retirement
Patterson retired from international tennis in 1928 and could be regarded as a pioneer in the
mechanics of the game, playing with a metal racquet strung with wire during 1925. Gerald Patterson
died in Melbourne in 1967, aged 71. In 1989 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of
Fame and then the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997. His son Gerard William (Bill) Patterson,
born 30 August 1923 achieved fame in the early post-war era of motor racing, as a driver and race
team owner. He was also a successful motor dealer, enabling him to pursue a career using
competitive machinery, typified by the Cooper Climax, which powered him to an Australian Driver's
Championship in 1961. Patterson's name continued to be seen into the 2000s in speedway racing.
Bill Patterson died at Sandringham, 10 January 2010, aged 86.
James Anderson
Born 17 September 1894 at Enfield Sydney, James Outram Anderson was the youngest in a family of
eight siblings. This included a range of brothers, all over six feet tall, all of them tennis players and
each with the middle name 'Outram'. History students will recall the name 'Outram', being an early
Indian administrator, Sir James Outram, of whom the Anderson family were descendants. Following

an education at Camden Grammar School, James began an illustrious tennis career by winning the
1912 Victorian schoolboys' singles championship; the first interstate player to do so. In 1914 he
became New South Wales singles champion, and during World War 1 he moved to Forbes in central
western New South Wales to pursue a farming career and also to embark in matrimony.
The Greyhound
On the tennis court he presented a rather grim countenance, with his tall, lean frame, long neck and
hair parted severely down the middle. Not surprisingly, 'J.O.' (Jim to his friends) was nicknamed 'The
Greyhound', who thrilled thousands with his sparkling armoury of strokes. He gave the impression of
ruthlessness and concentration, and if it was possible to win a match 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 he did so. A
feature of his stroke play, which had no real weaknesses, was his shoulder-high forehand which was
delivered like a thunderbolt.
Davis Cup and Wimbledon
In 1919 Anderson was again NSW champion, and significantly he represented Australasia in that
year's Davis Cup challenge round, teaming with Patterson, Brookes and Thomas to defeat the British
Isles at Sydney's Double Bay centre. Between 1919 and 1925 Anderson played in fifteen Davis Cup
ties, with his most memorable achievement realised in the 1923 challenge round, when he overcame
Wimbledon champion William (Little Bill) Johnstone, who was previously undefeated in Davis Cup. In
overseas matches Anderson did not feature regularly, apart from a win at the 1922 Wimbledon
doubles, (with R. Lycett) and twice as a semi-finalist in the singles.
Australian Championships
During the 1920s he was a triple winner at the Australian men's singles (1922, 1924, 1925) and on
two occasions, 1922 and 1925 he defeated his great Victorian rival, Gerald Patterson. Although he
was a three-time winner of the NSW Open, he was never able to overcome Patterson's hold on the
Victorian Open.
The Professional
In 1923 Anderson established a chain of sports store depots, using the name J.O. Anderson & Co.
Ltd.; however the venture proved only partly successful, and just one outlet in Pitt St. Sydney was
retained. In 1926 Anderson turned his back on amateur tennis and became a professional,setting up
as a tennis coach in Sydney, although in 1930 he tried unsuccessfully to regain his amateur status.
Jim re-married in 1957, moved to the NSW Central Coast and continued to coach until the 1960s. He
died 23 December 1973, survived by his second wife, a son and four daughters from his first
marriage.