Clive Eric Wilderspin, (3 April 1930 – 13 November 2021) was an Australian former

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 who was active from the late 1940s until the mid-1950s.

Tennis career

Wilderspin began playing at age nine and joined Hensman Park club when he was 11. Until 1946 he was coached by his father Eric, an engineer by profession. He was ranked No. 1 in Western Australia from 1946 to 1963. In 1949, Wilderspin won the Australian Boys' Singles and Doubles championships and was the dominant player in the Western Australian team that won the Linton Cup for the junior interstate competition. Wilderspin's best singles result at 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 ...

tournament was reaching the quarterfinal round at the 1953 Australian Championships, in which he lost to Ian Ayre in four sets. That year Wilderspin was part of the Australian team that toured internationally and participated in the Grand Slam tournaments. At the 1953 French Championships he reached the second round in the singles where he was beaten by Staffan Stockenberg. In the doubles event he teamed up with

Mervyn Rose Mervyn Gordon Rose AM (23 January 1930 – 23 July 2017) was an Australian male tennis player who won seven Grand Slam titles (singles, doubles and mixed doubles). Rose was born in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and turned professional in 19 ...

to finish as runner-ups after losing the final to teenagers

Ken Rosewall Kenneth Robert Rosewall (born 2 November 1934) is an Australian former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player. He won a record 23 Majors in singles, including eight Grand Slam singles titles and, before the Open Era, a record ...

and

Lew Hoad Lewis Alan Hoad (23 November 1934 – 3 July 1994) was an Australian tennis player whose career ran from 1950 to 1973. Hoad won four Major singles tournaments as an amateur (the Australian Championships, French Championships and two Wimbledon ...

. He was beaten in the third round of the

1953 Wimbledon Championships The 1953 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 22 June until Saturday 4 July 1953. It was the 67th ...

in three sets by his countryman Ayre. At the U.S. National Championships he defeated Atsushi Miyagi in the first round of the singles event but lost in the second in four sets to Art Larsen. Wilderspin and Hoad won the doubles title at the Dutch Championships in July 1953, defeating

Enrique Morea Enrique Jorge Morea (11 April 1924 – 15 March 2017) was an Argentine tennis player. Morea reached the singles semifinals of the French Championships in 1953, beating Mervyn Rose and Gardnar Mulloy and then losing to Ken Rosewall. At the F ...

and Hans van Swol in the final in four sets. In 1954, Wilderspin partnered

Neale Fraser Neale Andrew Fraser (born 3 October 1933) is a former number one amateur male tennis-player from Australia, born in Melbourne, Victoria, the son of a Victorian judge. Fraser is the last man to have completed the triple crown, i.e. having won ...

in the doubles event of the Australian Championships. They reached the final in which they were beaten in three straight sets by their compatriots

Rex Hartwig Rex Noel Hartwig (2 September 1929 – 30 December 2022) was an Australian tennis player. Early life Rex Hartwig was born on 2 September 1929 in Culcairn, New South Wales. Both parents played tennis, and at age 10, Hartwig won a local tournam ...

and

. Wilderspin was named Australian Tennis Veteran of the Year in 1979. He was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions in 1988. Wilderspin was awarded a

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(OAM) in the 2021 Australia Day Honours for "service to tennis."

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: (2 runner-ups)

Personal life

On 11 September 1954 he married Enid Bott in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilderspin, Clive 1930 births Australian male tennis players 2021 deaths Tennis players from Perth, Western Australia Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' singles Australian Championships (tennis) junior champions Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' doubles Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Sportsmen from Western Australia