Rex Hartwig

Rex Noel Hartwig (2 September 1929 – 30 December 2022) was an Australian tennis player.

Early life Rex Hartwig was born on 2 September 1929 in Culcairn, New South Wales. Both parents played tennis and at age 10 he won a local tournament with his father. At 13, Hartwig began competing in afternoon competitions and took a job managing tennis courts in Albury. He formed a doubles team with Allan Kendall Jr. and won the NSW, Victorian and Australian Junior titles.

Tennis career Hartwig was ranked World No. 5 in both 1954 and 1955 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.

Australian Championships In 1954, Hartwig was runner-up at the Australian championships to his Davis Cup teammate Mervyn Rose.

In 1953, he won the doubles with Rose and the mixed doubles with Julia Sampson Hayward. In 1954 he again won the mixed doubles title in Melbourne, this time partnering Thelma Coyne Long.

U.S. Championships In 1953, he won the doubles title at the U.S. Championships with Mervyn Rose, defeating Gardnar Mulloy and Bill Talbert in the final that lasted 77 minutes.

Playing singles, he made the final in 1954, defeating Tony Trabert and Ken Rosewall but losing in the final to Vic Seixas.

Davis Cup Hartwig was member of the Australian Davis Cup team in 1953, 1954 and 1955. In 1953, he played the doubles match with Lew Hoad in the challenge round against the US and lost to Vic Seixas and Tony Trabert. This was Hartwig's only Davis Cup defeat. In 1954, he defeated Seixas in the challenge round that Australia lost to the U.S. In 1955, he made a significant contribution toward Australia's Cup win, playing 11 matches in six ties and winning all of them. He compiled a 12–1 win–loss record in the Davis Cup (6–0 singles, 6–1 doubles).

Other tournaments In March 1952, Hartwig won the South Australian Championships at Milton Courts, Adelaide defeating Ken McGregor in the semifinal and Rose in the final in a close five-set match.

In November 1954, Hartwig won the singles title at the New South Wales Championships in Sydney. He defeated Rosewall in the semifinal and Rose in the final in three straight sets.

Professional In November 1955, Hartwig turned professional by signing a contract with tennis promoter Jack Kramer for a fixed amount of $30,000 plus a percentage of the gate receipts of the professional tour.

Playing style Hartwig was known for his well-timed groundstrokes and his crisp and accurate volleys. Australian tennis player and coach Harry Hopman characterized Hartwig as a great stylist.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 runners-up)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1954 Australian Championships Grass Mervyn Rose 2–6, 6–0, 4–6, 2–6Loss 1954 U.S. Championships Grass Vic Seixas 6–3, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6

Doubles (4 titles – 1 runner-up)

Mixed doubles (2 titles, 2 runners-up)