Obituary: Fred Stolle
The ITF was saddened to learn of the death of Australian all-time great Fred Stolle, who passed away on 6 March aged 86. Stolle was presented with the ITF’s Philippe Chatrier award, in 2020.
Stolle was a 19-time Grand Slam champion, including two singles titles (1965 French Championships and 1966 US Championships), ten doubles and seven mixed doubles titles. He also helped Australia win three successful Davis Cup titles in 1964-66, with a 13-3 overall win-loss record.
Stolle went on to enjoy a successful career as a coach and as a commentator and analyst. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1988; received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000; and earned Office of the Order of Australia distinction in 2005.
Stolle grew up on Sydney’s North Shore and his first taste of the Davis Cup was when he was selected as a ball boy at the 1951 tie between Italy and the United States at White City. The event had such an impact on him he decided to forget about cricket and rugby and concentrate on tennis. At a time when Australian tennis was brimming with great players, his family helped raise funds to pay for his first trips overseas in 1960.
Following defeat in his first five Grand Slam singles finals, Stolle broke through in 1965, defeating Tony Roche to take the French crown, and the following year won the US Championships by beating John Newcombe in four sets - victories which helped him earn the world No.1 ranking in 1966. He turned pro in 1966, and continued to play well into the 1970s, with his last official singles match coming in November 1982.
Yet when asked about his greatest moment on the court, he selected playing Davis Cup ahead of any individual honours. “To play for Australia meant everything to me,” he said. It was during his Davis Cup years that he was nicknamed ‘Fiery’ in the tradition of ironic nicknames that belied his sense of humour and appetite for life, which made him a popular figure on the circuit. Stolle was 6 feet 2 tall and used his height and reach to effect with a towering serve and sharp play at the net.
Following his retirement, Stolle became the long-time coach of former Australian Open champion Vitas Gerulaitis, before turning his hand to broadcasting, where he was known to generations of tennis fans as the voice of tennis, broadcasting for the Nine Network, CBS and Fox Sports. He was also a familiar face at the annual ITF World Champions Dinner in Paris, where he hosted the awards ceremony for several years before receiving the ITF’s highest honour himself in 2020 alongside Spain’s Manolo Santana.
Although he lived most of his life in the United States, Stolle always was fiercely proud of being an Australian. He is survived by wife Pat, son Sandon – himself a former doubles world No.2 and major champion – and daughters Monique and Nadine.