IC President Frank Sedgman shares his IC memories

IC President Frank Sedgman shares his IC memories with Kerryn Pratt, IC Council Regional Representative for Australasia and IC Australia President

Frank Sedgman stood down as President of the IC Council at this year’s AGM. He’d been President since 2002 and has been succeeded as President by Michael Stich.

Frank is one of the greatest players of all time. He holds 5 Grand Slam singles titles, 17 Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles titles, the Triple Crown at Wimbledon in 1952, and three Davis Cup titles with Australia.  After his retirement from tennis, Frank became a commentator on Australian TV. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. In 2019, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to tennis as a player at the national and international level, and as a role model for young sportspersons".

With his usual eye for what was going to be important next for IC tennis, Frank, together with Athol Tills of New Zealand, was the inspiration for, and driver of, the creation of an IC team event for juniors.  What began as a match for 16 and under boys and girls between the ICs of Australia and New Zealand is now a worldwide IC competition for the IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge trophy.

In recognition of Frank’s lifetime of dedication to the sport of tennis and his contribution to our IC community, IC Australia President and IC Council Regional Representative for Australasia, Kerryn Pratt, spoke to Frank in April about his IC memories.

When did you first hear about the IC? And what do you remember of the formation of the IC in Australia?

“It was around 1951 through (Harry) Hopman and Adrian Quist. Hopman said you’ve got to play IC matches, and I was number one Australian and in Davis Cup, and he wanted to build the IC up. It was a case of trying to get people to know about it and join. It was all of the old Davis Cup players: Adrian Quist, John Bromwich, Jeff Brown, my old mate Ken McGregor, Colin Long and others. We were a closeknit group.

“I played all the IC matches in Australia in the early 50s. New Zealand came over – we didn’t get any from Europe back then and the IC matches were mainly between local players. It didn’t have a big overseas influence at the time.

“To get the overseas players here for the tournaments, the Association paid them to play, say, the Victorian and Australian championships, so we also played a couple of IC matches while they were here. We didn’t have the nations here then, just the individual players.”

After Frank turned professional in 1953, he stepped back from IC activities until Open tennis was born in 1968 – since the pro players were at that time regarded as ‘persona non grata’ by the tennis establishment. He became involved again after 1968, retired from championship tennis in 1976, thereafter spending many years enjoying international tours and friendships through the IC.

“Then later on when I became President, I wrote to all the ICs about touring; we went all over the place and had some great times. We spent a number of days playing tennis against the IC of India then we travelled on to Spain and played right throughout Europe really.

Most of them played good tennis – social-type tennis, not championship tennis. I played doubles with my Australian partner Cedric Mason in a lot of the continental countries and we had great fun, and some good games of doubles with people we knew from the old days. You’d talk about the old days y’know!”

You and Cedric were unbeaten weren’t you?

“Yeah! Shouldn’t say that!”

So a lot of fun along the way?

“Yes.”

It was on one of these trips in the 1980s that the Aussie IC team – led by Frank – won the Potter Cup.  Frank’s wife Jean reflected on how the IC of Australia had progressed by this point.

“Frank was thrilled so many players wanted to travel with us. It brought people from different states of Australia together, and so through Frank the Club grew, especially by going overseas and stimulating interest and great friendships.”

Frank continued: “We did alright, with matches, and had a lot of good lunches and dinners. With Cedric Mason and Cliff Sproule, who did a lot of the work, we all had a lot of fun together!

“We were always trying to get people interested. You’d play at Kooyong and the young kids wouldn’t know you! So we tried to get them involved. I was working at getting the young ones to know older ones and that sort of thing.”

It’s time for you to hand over the international Presidency in July this year, and stepping in is former Wimbledon champion and current IC Vice President, Michael Stich.
Have you got any advice for Michael?

“Well, I think he’s got to be involved and mixing with the other countries, he’s got to use his name as a leader of the present day players and get together with the other countries.

Now I see they’re all sending emails to each other, saying looking forward to seeing you and all the rest, they’ll have good times and some nice social tennis.”

Do you have a message for IC members about keeping things going?

“It’s great to get together with players you played against when you were really fair dinkum! Concentrating hard to make a name for yourself, y’know. I played around the world, I played in America and it was good to play there because I was able to help bring the Davis Cup back to Australia after the war.

“They were very tough Davis Cup matches to play in, generally down to the fifth rubber to win the Davis Cup, but then you could talk about it later on and remember that shot you hit an 40-15 or something and won the match!”

So you reminisce at IC events?

“Yeah and have a laugh!”

Winners are grinners Frank!

“Yeah, I’ll shout you a beer!”