Who was Owen Davidson? – Owen Keir Davidson, a 1960s and 1970s Australian professional tennis player, has died. Davidson was born on October 4, 1943, and passed away on May 13, 2023. He was 79 years old.
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Davidson won eight grand slam mixed doubles titles with Billie Jean King.
He achieved a calendar year slam in mixed doubles in 1967, when he won the Australian Championships (with Lesley Turner Bowrey), as well as the French Championships, Wimbledon, and the US Championships (with King).
When Davidson defeated John Clifton in the first round of the British Hard Court Championships in Bournemouth in April 1968, he became the first player to win a match in the open era of tennis.
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Davidson’s best grand slam singles result was a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon in 1966. (beating top seed Roy Emerson before losing to Manuel Santana).
He also won the men’s doubles titles at the 1972 Australian Open and the 1973 US Open with John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall.
In 2010, Davidson was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
On January 26, 2011 (Australia Day), he was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
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