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John Herbert Crawford (22 March 1908 – 10 September 1991) was an Australian tennis player of the 1930s. He was the World No. 1 player for 1933.

Crawford was born in Urangeline

Urangeline, New South Wales

Urangeline is a village community in the central part of the Riverina. It is situated by road, about 9 kilometres north from Urangeline East and 16 kilometres north east from Bidgeemia....

, near Albury

Albury, New South Wales

Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. Although he won a number of major championship titles he is perhaps best known for something he did not do – complete the tennis Grand Slam

Grand Slam (tennis)

The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...

 five years before Don Budge

Don Budge

John Donald Budge was an American tennis champion who was a World No. 1 player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional...

 accomplished the feat for the first time.

In 1933 Crawford won the Australian

Australian Open

The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...

, French, and British championships, needing to win the American championship

U.S. Open (tennis)

The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...

 to complete the slam. An asthma

Asthma

Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...

tic who suffered in the muggy summer heat of Long Island

Forest Hills, Queens

Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...

, he was leading the Englishman Fred Perry

Fred Perry

Frederick John Perry was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row...

 in the finals of the championship by two sets to one when his strength began to fade. He ended up losing the match, and tennis immortality, by the final score of 3–6, 13–11, 6–4, 0–6, 1–6.

In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer

Jack Kramer (tennis player)

John Albert Kramer was an American tennis player of the 1940s. A World Number 1 player for a number of years, he is a possible candidate for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time. He was considered the father and the leading promoter of the professional tennis tours...

, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Crawford in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time.

He was also known for taking a shot of whiskey between sets if the game was tense.

Crawford was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

International Tennis Hall of Fame

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...

 in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

 in 1979.

Grand Slam Tournament wins

• Australian Championships
  Australian Open
  The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
  
  :
  • singles champion - 1931-33, 1935
  • doubles champion - 1929-30, 32, 1935
  • mixed doubles champion - 1931-33

• French Championships:
  • singles champion - 1933
  • doubles champion - 1935
  • mixed doubles champion - 1933

• Wimbledon Championships:
  • singles champion - 1933
  • doubles champion - 1935
  • mixed doubles champion - 1930

See also

• List of male tennis players a detailed list of tennis greats throughout the years

External links

• International Tennis Hall of Fame