Lorne Main
Country (sports) | Canada |
---|---|
Born | July 9, 1930 |
Died | October 14, 2019 Age: 89 |
Singles | |
Career record | 123-75 |
Career titles | 12 |
Grand Slam singles results | |
French Open | 3R (1954) |
Wimbledon | 3R (1954) |
US Open | 3R (1954) |
Lorne Main (July 9, 1930 – October 14, 2019) was a Canadian world-class amateur tennis player who competed in 11
Tennis career
Main reached the round of 32 in singles five times in a major - at the 1951, '53, and '54
Main was runner-up at the 1949
He won four prominent clay court tournaments in 1954, which would be his finest season, the Quebec Championships (defeating
In doubles, he won, in 1954, Orlando with Shea, Jamaica with
Davis Cup
In the Davis Cup, Main compiled a win-lose record of 14 and 14. Canada did not progress beyond the America Zone Final stage during Main's time, losing either to the United States or Australia in that round. Main failed to defeat an American or Australian opponent in eleven rubbers.[3]
Rankings
He was ranked No. 1 in B.C. in 1949. Main was ranked No. 1 in Canada in 1951, 1953 and 1954, in the latter two years ahead of Bédard at No. 2, and No. 2 in 1952 behind Brendan Macken.[2] Macken was Canadian No. 1 in 1950 and 1952, while Bédard would hold the Canada No. 1 spot from 1955 to 1965.
He was ranked World No. 3 by the ITF in the over-80 category, and No. 40 in the over-75 bracket.[4] In 2000, he was World No. 1 in the over-70 category. In October 2010, Main captured the 80 and over world singles championship, his 12th overall.[5] He also took the doubles title, partnering longtime super seniors partner Ken Sinclair.[2]
Honours
Main was inducted into the British Columbia Sport Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.
Main was credited by tennis historian Bud Collins as the first player to use two hands on both forehand and backhand.[6] In his senior tennis career, he switched to one hand for both forehand and backhand.
Such was Main’s on-court prowess as a senior player, he is one of only four recipients of the ITF Outstanding Achievement Award in Seniors Tennis. Indeed, he was the first, with his accomplishments honoured in 2012.
Squash
Main was a keen squash player and became a four-time consecutive Canadian doubles champion in the early 1960s, partnering David Pemberton-Smith.[1]
Personal
Main was born in
Main married his late wife Ivy in 1951 at the age of 21. He was a recovered
In 2016, Main married Adrienne Avis, an Australian tennis player he met at the World Championships in Austria in 2010.[7]
Main died in Vancouver in October 2019 at the age of 89.[8]
References
- ^ a b c Profile Archived 2010-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, canada.com; accessed September 23, 2014.
- ^ a b c Christie, James (June 4, 2012). "At 81, Tennis Champ Main finally gets his due". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Profile, daviscup.com; accessed September 23, 2014.
- ^ Profile, itftennis.com; accessed September 23, 2014.
- ^ Profile Archived 2011-01-03 at the Wayback Machine, lovemeansnothing.ca; accessed September 23, 2014.
- ^ Profile, sun-sentinel.com; accessed September 6, 2015.
- ^ "Canadian National Post". National Post. 29 August 2012.
- ^ "Obituary: Lorne Main". ITFTennis.com. October 16, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.