By Nick Mulvenney
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian tennis great Fred Stolle, who won two Grand Slam titles in the 1960s and later enjoyed a lengthy career as a television commentator, has died aged 86, Tennis Australia said on Thursday.
Stolle was part of a golden generation of Australian players who dominated the men’s game at the end of the amateur and start of the professional era along with Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe and Tony Roche.
A tall, athletic player, Stolle lost his first five Grand Slam finals — all but one to his close friend Emerson — before finally beating Roche to win the French Open in 1965.
Another loss to Emerson in the Wimbledon final that same year followed before, despite being unseeded, Stolle won his second Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 1966 by beating Newcombe in the final.
“When we speak about Australia’s golden era, Stolle’s name is right up there with the best,” Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said in statement on Thursday.
“A star member of Australia’s Davis Cup team, Fred made significant contributions to the sport following his decorated career, as a coach and astute commentator.
“His legacy is one of excellence, dedication, and a profound love for tennis. His impact on the sport will be remembered and cherished by all who had the privilege to witness his contributions.”
Stolle was nicknamed “Fiery” by his Davis Cup teammates in an era when the men’s team competition, particularly the battles for supremacy between Australia and the United States, enjoyed a much higher profile than it does today.
He played three Davis Cup campaigns in 1964, 1965 and 1966 and Australia won them all.
“To play for Australia meant everything to me,” he once said.
Stolle was a fine doubles player and won 10 Grand Slam titles, the last at the 1969 U.S. Open with Rosewall. He also won seven mixed doubles titles at majors.
After retirement, Stolle coached 1977 Australian Open champion Vitas Gerulaitis before finding a home in the broadcasting booth commentating on the sport he loved.
Born in the northern reaches of Sydney, Stolle lived for most of his life in the United States.
He is survived by his wife Pat, daughters Monique and Nadine and his son Sandon, who also won the U.S. Open men’s doubles title in 1998.
“Fred Stolle was too nice a guy to hold a grudge. He won many Grand Slams and was in the finals of many more. It took the best to beat the best,” Laver wrote on social media on Thursday.
“We never tired of reliving the past as we travelled the world looking into the future with an enduring love of the sport. You will be missed, Fiery, RIP.”
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
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