Rex Hartwig

Rex Hartwig

Full name	Rex Noel Hartwig
Country (sports)	Australia
Born	(1929-09-02) 2 September 1929 (age 92) Culcairn, New South Wales, Australia
Turned pro	1950 (amateur tour)
Retired	1962
Plays	Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 5 (1954, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	F (1954)
French Open	4R (1953, 1954)
Wimbledon	QF (1954)
US Open	F (1954)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1954)
Wimbledon	W (1954, 1955)
US Open	W (1953)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1953, 1954)
French Open	F (1954)
Wimbledon	QF (1954)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1953, 1955 )

Rex Noel Hartwig (born 2 September 1929) is an Australian former tennis player.^[2]

Early life[]

Rex Hartwig was born on 2 September 1929 in Culcairn, New South Wales. Both parents played tennis and at age 10 Hartwig played and won in a local tournament with his father. When he was 13 he began competing in afternoon competitions and took a job managing tennis courts in Albury. He formed a doubles team with Allan Kendall jr. and the team won the NSW, Victorian and Australian Junior titles.^[3][4]

Tennis career[]

Hartwig was ranked World No. 5 in both 1954 and 1955 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.^[1]

Wimbledon

He won the doubles in Wimbledon twice: In 1954 with Mervyn Rose and in 1955 with Lew Hoad.^[5][6]

Australian championships

In 1953 he also won the doubles with Mervyn Rose and the mixed doubles with Julia Sampson Hayward.^[7] In 1954 he again won the mixed doubles title in Melbourne, this time partnering Thelma Coyne Long.^[8][9][10]

US championships

In 1953 he won the doubles title at the US Championships with Mervyn Rose, defeating Gardnar Mulloy and Bill Talbert in the final that lasted 77 minutes.^[11][12]

Playing singles he made the final in 1954 but lost to Vic Seixas.^[13]

Davis Cup

Hartwig was member of the Australian Davis Cup team in 1953, 1954 and 1955. In 1953 he played the doubles match with Lew Hoad in the Challenge Round against the USA and lost to Vic Seixas and Tony Trabert. This would turn out to be Hartwig's only Davis Cup defeat. In 1954 he defeated Seixas in the Challenge Round that Australia lost to the USA. In 1955 he made a significant contribution towards Australia's Cup win, playing 11 matches in six ties and winning all of them. He compiled a 12–1 win–loss record in the Davis Cup (6–0 singles, 6–1 doubles).^[14][15][16]

Other tournaments

In November 1954 Hartwig won the singles title at the New South Wales Championships in Sydney. In the final he defeated countryman Mervyn Rose in three straight sets.^[17]

Professional

In November 1955 Hartwig turned professional by signing a contract with tennis promoter Jack Kramer for a fixed amount of $30,000 plus a percentage of the gate receipts of the professional tour.^[18][19]

Playing style[]

Hartwig was known for his well-timed groundstrokes and his crisp and accurate volleys. Australian tennis player and coach Harry Hopman characterized Hartwig as a great stylist.^[20]

Grand Slam finals[]

Singles (2 runners-up)[]

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1954	Australian Championships	Grass	Mervyn Rose	2–6, 6–0, 4–6, 2–6
Loss	1954	U.S. Championships	Grass	Vic Seixas	6–3, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6

Doubles (4 titles – 1 runner-up)[]

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1953	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Mervyn Rose	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	4–6, 5–7, 6–4, 5–7
Win	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Mervyn Rose	Gardnar Mulloy Bill Talbert	6–4, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Win	1954	Australian Championships	Grass	Mervyn Rose	Neale Fraser Clive Wilderspin	6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Win	1954	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Mervyn Rose	Vic Seixas Tony Trabert	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Win	1955	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Lew Hoad	Neale Fraser Ken Rosewall	7–5, 6–4, 6–3

Mixed doubles (2 titles, 2 runners-up)[]

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1953	Australian Championships	Grass	Julia Sampson	Maureen Connolly Ham Richardson	6–4, 6–3
Loss	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Julia Sampson	Doris Hart Vic Seixas	2–6, 6–4, 4–6
Win	1954	Australian Championships	Grass	Thelma Coyne Long	Beryl Penrose John Bromwich	4–6, 6–1, 6–2
Loss	1954	French Championships	Clay	Jacqueline Patorni	Maureen Connolly Lew Hoad	4–6, 3–6

References[]

External links[]

• Rex Hartwig at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Rex Hartwig at the International Tennis Federation
• Rex Hartwig at the Davis Cup
• Rex Hartwig at Tennis Australia
• British Pathé filmreel – 1953 US Championships Men's Doubles title