The Harry Hopman Legacy
Born: 12 August 1906, Glebe, NSW
Died: December 27, 1985
THE Hopman Cup was named in honour of one of Australia’s greatest tennis players and coaches … some would say the best sporting coach the nation has ever had.
His record speaks for itself …non-playing Davis Cup captain from 1938 to 1969, guiding various rising young stars to 15 Davis Cup victories in 21 Challenge rounds.
The history of the Hopman Cup shows how former players Paul McNamee and Charlie Fancutt conceived the mixed teams competition, with one of Mr Hopman’s favourites, mixed doubles, as a key feature. Former Australian Champion and Wimbledon winner Pat Cash supported its inception and represented his country in the inaugural 1988-89 event and the International Tennis Federation later put its official stamp of approval on the tournament. And, 20 years on, the continual participation of players achieving world No. 1 rankings, both men and women, confirms its popularity with the competitors.
The ITF now proudly controls the mixed teams championship, placing it alongside the Davis Cup for men and the Fed Cup for women. Also under the ITF umbrella are the Grand Slam events, tennis at the Olympic Games and many youth tournaments and veterans championships.
Mr Hopman was a trim, dapper, sandy-haired gentleman with considerable composure and contagious confidence, who shared a great rapport with his players. He had supreme authority over his Davis Cup squad, regardless of the individual’s standing in world tennis. Players knew that their own reputation as a flag-carrier of Australian sport was in the hands of this quiet achiever who organised their fitness programs, kept the team together away from the prying eyes of the media, watched over their lifestyle and maintained a critical and constant watch on their techniques.
Mr Hopman left nothing to chance in his meticulous planning to keep the Cup in Australian hands. His coaching philosophies were absorbed by many Australian players of the 1950s, 60s and onwards and his fame spread to the USA, originally setting up his international coaching school in New York, but then relocating to Florida.
Apart from several generations of outstanding Australian tennis players there have been many others who have benefited from the Mr Hopman influence. John McEnroe still refers to him as “Mr Hopman”; South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer attended his camp, as did French stars Guy Forget and Mary Pierce and also the late American Vitas Gerulaitis.
The Hopman name is still connected to the coaching world at the Saddlebrook Resort, near Tampa, where previous Hopman Camp coaches moved the training venue when it was scaled down at his previous Florida headquarters.
The Hopman Tennis Centre is part of the Resort, with former Hopman protégés Howard Moore (general manager) and Alvaro Betancur (head coach) keeping the philosophies alive.
Current players like Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriatti, Mardy Fish, Davide Sanguinetti and Ashley Harkleroad have all used the Saddlebrook facilities.
Although best remembered as a coach, Mr Hopman was a fair dab hand at the game of tennis himself. He won seven Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles titles (several with his first wife, Nell), was a member of the victorious Australian Davis Cup team in 1939 and reached the final of the Australian singles championship three times.
The ITF is proud to maintain the tradition of having the event named after one of the game’s greats. Paul McNamee continued his ownership and direction of the tournament until HCXIV, when he officially handed over the reins to the ITF, with the Federation’s President Francesco Ricci Bitti on hand at the tournament to accept that new responsibility.
Agreements are in place with EventsCorp, the event arm of the Western Australian Government and Title Sponsor Hyundai, which guarantee the future of the event in Perth, at least until 2013.
Mrs Lucy Hopman is the second wife of the coaching icon after his first partner Nell passed on early in his life, ending their dual-tennis love. Mrs Hopman now flies out from her USA home every year and the fans have warmly adopted her as the Queen of the Cup.
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