Emerson signed a professional deal with the National Tennis League in early April 1968. Emerson set an all-time record with 10 consecutive victories in Grand Slam event finals appearances. Emerson won his final Grand Slam doubles victory at Wimbledon in 1971. (partnering Laver). In total, he won nine Grand Slam singles titles and 14 major doubles titles.
Emerson's career earnings exceed $3 million ($14.5 million in 2016 dollars). He remains the only player to have won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles in the same year.
In 1973, Emerson suffered a severe knee injury that ended his career. He had surgery on both knees but the damage was so extensive that he needed a complete replacement of both joints. After his retirement from tennis, Emerson became a successful restaurateur in Los Angeles. He owned several restaurants there including Charlie Parker's, which served American cuisine. They were very popular with Hollywood celebrities. In 1978, Emerson moved to Switzerland where he ran a restaurant called Le Relais de Roy in Gstaad. This is the only remaining restaurant from when he used to visit the town with his family as a child. In 1990, Emerson returned to America and opened another famous restaurant in Beverly Hills called Roy's Restaurant. It was also very successful and has been listed among the best restaurants in California ever since it opened.
Emerson's final major singles triumph came in 1967, at the French Championships, the year before the open era began. His 12 major singles victories were a men's record until Pete Sampras broke it in 2000. He went on to win three matches before losing the series 3-0 to Tony Roche.
After failing to qualify for the US Open, where he was the top seed, Emerson retired from tennis in September 1968. He had earned $40,000 during his career.
Emerson died of a heart attack in Costa Mesa, California on August 9, 1969 at the age of 36.
12 Roy Emerson/Grand Slams were awarded (singles)
Roy Stanley Emerson AC (born 3 November 1936) is a former Australian tennis player who won a total of 28 Grand Slam championships, including 12 Grand Slam singles wins and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles.
1964 Emerson won his first Wimbledon singles title in 1964, defeating Fred Stolle in the final. Emerson won 55 straight matches in 1964, finishing the year with 109 wins out of 115. That year, he won three of the four Grand Slam competitions (failing to win only the French Open). He is the only man to have accomplished this feat.
Emerson went on to become one of the greatest players in tennis history. During his career he never lost a single Grand Slam match and is second only to Roger Federer with his 20 Grand Slam titles. His record of 76% winning percentage is also very good for tennis. In addition to being one of the most successful players in tennis history, Emerson was also one of the most popular players during his time; he was known for his aggressive play and high-scoring games. His style of tennis was later used as an example by fellow American Andre Agassi when he became famous himself.
After retiring from playing in 1970, Emerson stayed in tennis and started a coaching career. He has worked with some of the biggest names in tennis history including Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe. His best student was probably Andre Agassi, who went on to win the Australian Open five times himself.
Emerson has been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport Beach, California, where he now lives.
Emerson played in 16 Wimbledon championships, winning the singles title back-to-back in 1964 and 1965. Emerson, who usually played serve-and-volley tennis on grass, was a natural on the Wimbledon courts. He had an excellent volleying game and was known for his ability to come back from deficits. His favorite shot was the overhead, and he used it often to great effect.
In addition to his singles titles, Emerson also won the men's doubles championship with Roy Emerson Jr. in 1964 and 1965. The pair were never really beaten during their reign, winning all 21 of their matches they played together. They finished both seasons as number one in the world rankings.
Emerson retired from professional tennis after the 1968 Wimbledon Championships, but he continued to play until he was 37 years old. During that time he won four more singles titles at the Australian Open (1969, 1970, 1973, and 1974) and three more at the French Open (1967, 1969, and 1972). He is still today one of only eight players to have won the Australian Open before the age of 20.
Outside of tennis, Emerson was involved in several incidents that got him into trouble with the law.
Roy Emerson was the first male player in history to win each major championship twice, and he remains the only player to have achieved a career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles. Rod Laver is the only athlete in history to have won all four majors in the same calendar year, a feat known as "The Grand Slam" (1962 and 1969). Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame basketball player James Naismith invented tennis at the University of Kansas in 1885; his original rules are used throughout the world today. In 1930, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) established the annual National Tennis Championships to determine the best tennis players in the country. The event is now known as the US Open.
Emerson's wins came in the early years of the sport, before it became popular outside of England. He captured the Australian Open in 1956 and the French Open in 1959, both times while representing Australia. Laver also played for Australia during his youth and early professional career, but represented America from around 1955 to 1970. They were never really rivals since they competed against each other only once, with Laver winning in five sets. However, Emerson always praised Laver's skills and said he was the true successor to his own achievements. Thus, they had a friendly rivalry that brought attention to the game worldwide.
Both men were dominant players who dominated their fields for several years. They did not play each other in any of the four major finals because both of them were victorious on multiple occasions.
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