Obituary: Ashley Cooper
Ashley Cooper, the Australian tennis great of the 1950s and one of 13 men to win at least three Grand Slam singles titles in a single season, has died at the age of 83 following a long illness.
Cooper, recognised as the world’s No.1 amateur after winning the Australian, Wimbledon and US Championships in 1958, also won the Australian Championships in 1957, as well as four Grand Slam doubles titles and the 1957 Davis Cup.
Compatriot Rod Laver and WTA world No.1 Ashleigh Barty led the tributes to Cooper, Laver describing him as “a wonderful champion, on and off the court. And what a backhand! So many cherished memories. Farewell my friend. My thoughts are with Ashley's wife, Helen, and his family.”
Barty, born and based on the outskirts of Brisbane, where Cooper worked as an administrator for Tennis Queensland and Tennis Australia in later life, wrote: “Thank you for everything that you have done for our sport. My thoughts are with your family and loved ones. Rest In Peace, Ashley.”
Cooper was a member of the feted golden generation of Australian players, joining Harry Hopman’s overseas touring team as a junior member in 1953 alongside Roy Emerson. The 17-year-olds trained with the likes of Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Rex Hartwig, Merv Rose and Neale Fraser, who Cooper went on to beat in the 1958 Wimbledon final after the duo, roommates at the Championships, ate breakfast together before the match. The pair won three of Cooper’s four Grand Slam doubles titles together.
At 5’10”, ‘Coop’ as he was known by his peers focused on fitness to make the most of his attacking net-rushing game, putting in time on the track and in the gym to compliment his hours on the practice courts.
“He knew how to get the best out of it and he was a pain in the a**e as far as I am concerned,” Fraser quipped. “I lost too many finals to him - Wimbledon, the French, the Australian and US on grass - but great fellow to be with.”
In 1957, Cooper led an Australian side that included Rose and Mal Anderson to victory over USA in the Davis Cup Challenge Round at Kooyong. When the result was reversed a year later, Cooper was reportedly so upset he considered foregoing a professional career because he felt he owed the nation.
After his time on Jack Kramer’s pro circuit was ended prematurely by a back injury, Cooper enjoyed a successful business career before serving as an administrator with Tennis Queensland and Tennis Australia, overseeing the construction of the world-class Queensland Tennis Centre in Brisbane.
Throughout his life, Cooper was honoured for the roles he played in the sport. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1987 and the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2007 Queen’s birthday honours list for “service to tennis through a range of organisations that administer and promote the sport, and as a player, coach and mentor to junior players.”