The last amateur to win the Australian Men’s title before the Open era, William (Bill) Bowrey, will take his place in the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.
A ceremony on Rod Laver Arena prior to the evening session will be attended by Bill, who will join his wife, 13-time Grand Slam champion Lesley, as the only couple to both receive the highest post-career honour in Australian tennis.
Bill will unveil a bronze bust, created by Melbourne sculptor Barbara McLean, which will join the luminaries of Australian tennis in Garden Square at Melbourne Park.
Bill Bowrey learned to play on loam courts at the Glebe Police Boys Club in Sydney and first came up against another promising boy John Newcombe in the quarterfinals of the NSW Under 13s tournament.
Tall and athletic, he was known for his strong groundstrokes, particularly his backhand and played in the serve and volley style of the time.
Bill was coached by Don Ferguson, and it was at his court that his eye was caught by another young player, Lesley Turner. They have been together for more than 60 years.
His development was accelerated when he became an orange boy in the fabled Davis Cup teams under legendary captain Harry Hopman.
‘I used to practice with (Rod) Laver, Newcombe, (Fred) Stolle and (Roy) Emerson and it was a pleasure to be in that group of people. It was an extraordinary era,” Bill Bowrey said.
It was from this group that he received his nickname ‘Tex’ after he once posed on the back of a horse for a publicity photo – something the city kid was less than comfortable with.
In 1968, Bowrey competed in the Davis Cup Challenge Round against the USA in Adelaide. He lost a hard fought five-set match to Clarke Graebner on the opening day but rebounded to defeat Arthur Ashe in four sets in the reverse singles.
The following year, in 1969, he again represented Australia in the Davis Cup, this time in Mexico City, where he defeated Joaquín Loyo-Mayo before falling to Rafael Osuna in the reverse singles.
In 1968, Bowrey was the top seed at the Australian Championships at Kooyong and won the title in a four-set final against Juan Gisbert. He reached the finals of the doubles (with Owen Davidson) at Wimbledon in 1966 and the US and Australian Championships in 1967.
After retiring from competition, Bill coached in Austin, Texas for three years and then for 20 years at the White City Club in Sydney. After this he criss-crossed the country as the National Coach for Tennis Australia and had a hand in developing and guiding the careers of hundreds of juniors including Pat Rafter, Mark Philippoussis, Lleyton Hewitt and Jelena Dokic.
Bill described his Australian Tennis Hall of Fame selection as “Unbelievable – I feel very honoured that people acknowledge my tennis career.”
Previous Australian Hall of Fame inductees
2025: Esna Boyd
2024: Lleyton Hewitt
2023: James Outram (JO) Anderson
2022: Maude Margaret Molesworth and Joan Hartigan
2021: Mary Carter Reitano
2020: John Fitzgerald
2019: Dianne (Fromholtz) Balestrat
2018: Jan (Lehane) O’Neill
2017: Beryl (Penrose) Collier
2016: Rex Hartwig
2015: David Hall
2014: Kerry (Melville) Reid
2013: Judy Dalton
2012: Ken Fletcher
2011: Owen Davidson
2010: Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde
2009: Wendy Turnbull
2008: Pat Rafter
2007: Mark Edmondson
2006: Daphne Akhurst
2005: Australian Open Centenary
2004: Brian Tobin
2003: Pat Cash
2002: Mervyn Rose and Thelma (Coyne) Long
2001: Mal Anderson and Nancye (Wynne) Bolton
2000: Ken McGregor
1999: Australia inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
1998: John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Lesley (Turner) Bowrey, Adrian Quist
1997: Fred Stolle, Jack Crawford, Gerald Patterson
1996: Frank Sedgman, John Bromwich, Sir Norman Brookes, Ashley Cooper, Harry Hopman
1995: Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall
1994: Roy Emerson, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Neale Fraser
1993: Rod Laver and Margaret Smith (Court)