Born on October 8, 1938, Stolle grew up in Sydney and came of age smack in the middle of Australia’s “Golden Era”—that period from 1950-’75 when the Aussies ruled tennis with an iron grip—and spectacular proficiency at serve-and-volley tennis. During his prime years in the 1960s, Stolle excelled at both, owning one of the finest serves in the game, all backed up by crisp, nimble volleys. Those were the skills that helped him win 19 Grand Slam titles: two in singles, ten in men’s doubles, seven in mixed.
Stolle’s singles majors came at Roland Garros in 1965 and at the U.S. Nationals (now the US Open) a year later. In New York, Stolle was unseeded—a surprising move made by the tournament organizers that deeply motivated him, for this was a man who thrived on being underestimated.
Making his way through the draw with poise and precision, Stolle in the last two rounds beat dear mates Roy Emerson and John Newcombe. Upon earning the title, wrote Rod Laver in his book, The Golden Era, Stolle said, “When I missed out on a seeding, I reckoned they must have just considered me a bloody old hacker. Well, it seems the old hacker can still play a bit.”
