Alvin Gardiner (born 11 February 1951) is a former professional
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player from Australia.
Career
Gardiner was a quarter-finalist in the men's doubles at the
1968 Australian Open with
Ross Case Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...
.
He continued to compete in every
Australian Open until 1973, when he began to suffer a series of injuries and illnesses. It started with a season ending collarbone injury, a break that required a bone graft operation in London. When he returned to action he caught
glandular fever
In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland).
Structure
De ...
, in August 1974 he won the
Exmouth Open, and then midway through the season he pulled a back muscle. He won the
Exmouth Open singles title against
Graeme Thomson in 1974 He made a comeback in 1975 and won the
Irish Open that year, over Rhodesian player
Tony Fawcett.
During his career he also featured in the
French Open,
Wimbledon and
US Open tournaments. He was
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...
's first ever opponent in a
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
singles main draw. They met in the first round of the
1977 French Open
The 1977 French Open was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. The tournament ran from 23 May until 5 June. It was the 81st staging of the French Open, and the second Grand Sl ...
and the American qualifier won the match in straight sets. At the same tournament, Gardiner partnered
Paul McNamee
Paul McNamee (born 12 November 1954) is an Australian former doubles world No. 1 tennis player and prominent sports administrator.
Tennis career Juniors
In his hometown, McNamee won the boys' singles tournament at the 1973 Australian Open.
...
in the men's doubles. He made the second round of the Australian Open twice, the last of which was in
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, when he lost to eventual champion
Guillermo Vilas
Guillermo Vilas (; born 17 August 1952) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. Vilas was the No. 1 of the Grand Prix seasons in 1974, 1975 and 1977, and won four Grand Slam tournaments, one year-end Masters, nine Grand Prix Super Se ...
.
Personal life
Gardiner was born in
Tara, Queensland
Tara is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Tara had a population of 1,980 people.
Geography
Tara is on the Darling Downs. The town is at the centre of the locality. Immediat ...
, to Ann, a schoolteacher, and Fred, a grazier who became an artist known for his wood sculptures.
He is involved with coaching in the
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...
region.
In 2017 Gardiner published a book on his tennis career titled ''Aussie Journeyman: Memoir of a Touring Tennis Professional''.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Alvin
1951 births
Living people
Australian male tennis players
Tennis players from Queensland
Sportspeople from Toowoomba
20th-century Australian people
21st-century Australian people
Sportsmen from Queensland