Adrian Quist

Adrian Karl Quist (23 January 1913 17 November 1991) was an Australian tennis player.

Biography Adrian Quist was born in Medindie, South Australia. His father was Karl Quist, who had been a noted interstate cricketer, and owned a sporting goods store at the time of his son's birth. Quist grew up in Adelaide and once played Harry Hopman, but lost, having given Hopman a head start. He was a three-time Australian Championships men's singles champion but is primarily remembered today as a great doubles player. He won 10 consecutive Australian doubles titles between 1936 and 1950, the last eight together with John Bromwich and he was also one of the winners of a "Career Doubles Slam". Quist was ranked World No. 3 in singles in 1939 and World No. 4 in 1936.

His most famous singles win was a crucial singles match in the 1939 Davis Cup Challenge Round at Merion Cricket Club against the U.S., defeating world No. 1 Bobby Riggs in a close five set match in the fourth rubber. Australia would win the Davis Cup that year with a singles win by John Bromwich against Frank Parker in the fifth rubber.

In his 1979 autobiography tennis great Jack Kramer writes that in doubles "Quist played the backhand court. He had a dink backhand that was better for doubles than singles, and a classic forehand drive with a natural sink. He was also fine at the net, volley and forehand."

After retiring from playing the game, Quist became a journalist, best known for his articles in The Sydney Morning Herald. Quist also worked for Dunlop, where he designed the Dunlop Volley tennis shoe which is still in production.

Quist was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1984.

Adrian Quist also held the most Davis Cup victories by any Australian until Lleyton Hewitt surpassed that record on 18 September 2010 in Cairns.

He died in Sydney, New South Wales in 1991, aged 78.

Adrian Quist is the uncle of fashion designer Neville Quist, founding director of Saville Row.

Personal life Quist married Sylvia, the daughter of Erna Keighley and Albert William Keighley, a successful businessman who died in 1949 and left an estate worth nearly £300,000.

Adrian and Sylvia Quist had two children but the marriage was not successful. In 1950, Sylvia obtained a court order to instruct her husband to return home to his wife and children.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (3 titles, 1 runner-up)

Doubles: (14 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Mixed Doubles: (1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionship SurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1934 French Championships Clay Elizabeth Ryan Colette Rosambert Jean Borotra 2–6, 4–6

Grand Slam singles performance timeline