Grand Slam tournaments were amateur events until 1968, when the tour changed forever…
Then began the ‘Open Era’ of professional tournaments, which we see today.
The 1968 French Open was the first-ever Open Era Grand Slam, and was won by Australia’s Ken Rosewall.
But who won the final Amateur Era major tournament?
Bill Bowrey won the final Amateur Era Grand Slam
Australia’s Bill Bowrey had enjoyed a fairly successful tennis career before 1968, reaching the quarterfinals of four Grand Slams.
Bill Bowrey’s Grand Slam performance timeline before 1968
| Grand Slam | 1962 | 1962 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 |
| Australian Open | 2R | 2R | 3R | QF | QF | QF |
| French Open | – | – | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R |
| Wimbledon | 2R | – | 1R | 1R | 4R | 3R |
| US Open | – | – | 4R | – | QF | 4R |
Heading into the 1968 Australian Open, Bowrey was looking to extend his quarterfinal streak, but was handed a big boost before the tournament began.
Several pre-tournament favorites, including Tony Roche and John Newcombe, had signed professional contracts and therefore were not allowed to compete.
The likes of Roy Emerson and Stan Smith also chose not to compete, leaving Bowrey as the number-one seed and a shock favorite to win the event.
Making the most of the opportunity, Bowrey won the four matches required to clinch the title and became the 1968 Australian Open champion.
Bill Bowrey at the 1968 Australian Open
- 1968 Australian Open 1R [BYE]
- 1968 Australian Open 2R [WIN] vs Richard Coulthard (Australia), 6-4, 6-0, 8-6
- 1968 Australian Open 3R [Walkover]
- 1968 Australian Open QF [WIN] vs Michael Belkin (Canada), 16-14, 6-3, 6-3
- 1968 Australian Open SF [WIN] vs Barry Phillips-Moore (Australia), 10-8, 6-4, 7-5
- 1968 Australian Open F [WIN] vs Juan Gisbert Sr (Spain), 7-5, 2-6, 9-7, 6-4
Dropping just one set all tournament, Bowrey won the one and only Grand Slam title of his career.
He returned a year later, for the first professional Australian Open tournament, but failed to advance past the quarterfinals.
Bill Bowrey at the 1969 Australian Open
- 1969 Australian Open 1R [WIN] vs Koji Watanabe (Japan), 8-6, 6-4, 6-3
- 1969 Australian Open 2R [WIN] vs Terry Addison (Australia), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
- 1969 Australian Open 3R [WIN] vs Pancho Gonzalez (USA), 6-3, 6-0, 11-9
- 1969 Australian Open QF [LOSS] vs Raymond Ruffels (Australia), 11-9, 6-2, 0-6, 3-6, 4-6
Bowrey never qualified for another major quarterfinal, as he failed to maintain competitiveness in the Open Era.
Bill Bowrey’s Open Era Grand Slam performance timeline
| Grand Slam | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Australian Open | W (Amateur Era) | QF | 3R | 1R | – | 1R | – | 2R |
| French Open | – | 2R | – | 3R | – | – | – | – |
| Wimbledon | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | – | – | – | – |
| US Open | – | 3R | 3R | 3R | – | – | – | – |
The Australian retired from tennis in 1975, having won 21 career titles and reached a career-high ranking of eighth in the world.
He may not have won as many titles as some of his fellow countrymen, but Bowrey will forever be remembered as the last Amateur Grand Slam champion…
When did an Australian last win a men’s Grand Slam?
Australia sits second in the list of all-time Grand Slam men’s singles title winning nations, with 100, but haven’t added to their tally in over 20 years.
Countries with the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles
- 1. USA – 147 (49 players)
- 2. Australia – 100 (34 players)
- 3. Great Britain – 48 (19 players)
- 4. Spain – 39 (9 players)
- 5. Sweden – 26 (5 players)
- 6. Serbia – 24 (1 player)
- 7. Switzerland – 23 (3 players)
- 8. France – 21 (6 player)
- 9. Czechia – 12 (3 players)
- 10. Germany – 10 (4 players)
Lleyton Hewitt was the last Australian to win a Grand Slam, emerging victorious at Wimbledon in 2002.
Who will be the biggest disappointment at the 2026 Australian Open?
Nick Kyrgios came closest to winning Australia’s 101st major title, but fell short at SW19 20 years later.
It seems unlikely that the drought will end anytime soon, although top-10 star Alex de Minaur may have something to say about that.
Qualifying for the ATP Finals for the second year in a row, De Minaur reached the semifinals this year, taking down Taylor Fritz in his final Group Stage match.
The likeable 26-year-old has one big problem, though, and his name is Jannik Sinner.
De Minaur has played Sinner 13 times on the ATP Tour, and is yet to pick up a win against the Italian star.
That’s going to cause De Minaur problems if he wants to win a Grand Slam in the modern game, as he’d likely have to take Sinner en-route to a major title.
Only time will tell if the Aussie can win a major next year, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when he returns to Melbourne for the 2026 Australian Open on Sunday, January 18.
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