BACKGROUND from The Sports Time Traveler
This is part 3 of the remarkable story of Mark Edmondson at the 1976 Australian Open tennis tournament.
You can read part 2 at this link:
Can a Janitor Clean Up on Centre Court?
Part 2 concluded with Mark Edmondson reaching the finals.
Now let’s continue the story and experience the finals of the 1976 Australian Open Tennis Championships.
Melbourne’s Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club - January 5, 1976
Yesterday was the men’s singles final of the 1976 Australian Open championships.
The competitors were the defending champion and former world #1, John Newcombe, and the most unlikely contestant in the history of Grand Slam tennis, the world’s #212 ranked player, Mark Edmondson.
Never before has such a low ranked player reached the final in a Grand Slam.
And perhaps never before has a Grand Slam finalist been employed as a janitor just weeks before.
But Mark Edmondson has been willing to take on any work he can find to help fund his dream of playing pro tennis.
The match is perhaps even more lopsided than it sounds. John Newcombe comes into the final having not lost a single set in this Australian Open, and he’s on an 11 match winning streak.
And Newcombe had already applied some gamesmanship the day before. After Edmondson had beaten his personal hero Ken Rosewall in the semi-final, Newcombe told the press, “He beat Ken today, but he doesn’t realize he’s got to play John Newcombe tomorrow.”
Watching the Final
If you were Down Under in Australia, the match started at about 2pm Melbourne time. If you were “Up Above” in America, the match started at about 10pm New York time (the prior day).
But nowhere in America could you see the match. It was not on TV.
Nor could you have seen the match in England. It was not on TV there either.
It was on TV in Australia on channel 7. And Mark Edmondson’s mother, who didn’t own a television set, rented one so she could watch.
But you can watch the 1976 Australian Open final via the miracle of YouTube. And that is how I experienced the final as part of my virtual trip back here to 1976.
Click on the “Watch on YouTube” button on the bottom left of the picture or simply go to YouTube and type in the search bar, “John Newcombe v Mark Edmondson | Australian Open 1976 Final” and you can watch the entire match.
It’s a thriller.
If you don’t have time to watch the entire match, you can read my summary of the highlights and see each highlight at the timestamps I have provided below.
0:00 - As the match begins, Edmondson is at the bottom of the screen wearing a bright yellow top that makes him look the part of the massive unseeded underdog. Newcombe is at the top of the screen serving and is dressed in all white. Newcombe takes the first game.
Centre court is baking in “searing heat,” as described by Rod Humphries in today’s Sydney Morning Herald. The temperature is 104 degrees.
2:20 - Right after Edmondson wins the 1st point on his 1st serve with an impressive volley, the announcers immediately note, “his shots look very sure even though he hits the ball so hard. It doesn’t look risky at all and that’s what’s impressive. There’s no signs of nerves at all.” As they are still sharing their glowing descriptions of Edmondson, he booms his 2nd serve of the game and it’s an ace. Newcombe had no chance to return the ball. The announcers let out a little laugh as to indicate that was really something!
Edmondson wins the game easily and it’s tied at 1 game apiece.
6:30 - After Newcombe holds his serve to win game 3, Edmondson wins the 4th game without losing a point. The set is tied at 2 games apiece.
7:45 - Newcombe is up 30 - love in the 5th game. As the players prepare for Newcombe’s next serve, the announcer says, “Another thing Edmondson has demonstrated all week long is a great ability to concentrate, and I think that’s so important, if you can start off and really concentrate on the game and forget about the crowd and the surroundings and everything else, then you get over your nerves quite quickly.”
Then watch Edmondson return Newcombe’s 1st serve with a smashing cross-court winner. Newcombe had no chance of returning it. It was like a reverse ace. It’s a stunning shot for anyone, let alone the #212 ranked player. The announcers are stunned too as they say, “it’s hard to describe that shot.”
What’s most stunning to me in this sequence is the TV shot of Edmondson calmly walking to the opposite end of the baseline to set up for the next serve from Newcombe with his head down. No fist pump. No smile. All business. It’s as if he expected to do that to the former world number one’s 1st serve.
However, Newcombe is serving well, and that sensational winner is the only point Edmondson can manage in the game. He again falls behind 3 games to 2.
Edmondson, however, comes right back, holding service again and it’s tied at 3 games all.
11:40 - In the 7th game, watch the volley here as Edmondson returns a shot that is drilled straight at Newcombe, who is in the forecourt. Newcombe has no chance to react. It hits Newcombe’s racquet and sails out of bounds. The announcers quip, “Take that!”
But most of Newcombe’s serves are proving too hard to handle, and despite losing the first point in that embarrassing fashion, Newcombe easily wins the game to forge ahead 4 - 3.
In the 8th game, Edmondson comes close to losing service as the score reaches deuce. But then he wins 2 easy points as Newcombe is struggling to return his service. The set is tied again at 4 games all.
26:05 - After Newcombe held serve, he is within a point of breaking Edmondson’s service for the 1st time. It is set point for Newcombe. Now watch this crucial serve. It’s a big one. If Edmondson loses the 1st set, against a top-ranked player, he’s certainly done. But Edmondson comes through with a brilliant ace that leaves Newcombe flat-footed.
Now stay with the tape to see Edmondson win the next 2 points, the latter one on another flat-footed ace. It’s stellar tennis under pressure from the man who recently worked as a janitor. And the set is tied at 5 games all. The announcer says, “Three great serves there under pressure.”
27:27 - After Newcombe double-faults, Edmondson dashes off the court and comes back with a goofy golf hat that he wears slightly off to one side. The hat doesn’t help as Newcombe’s next serve is an ace. A minute later, Newcombe seals the game and takes a 6 - 5 lead in the 1st set.
29:55 - Edmondson hits a rare 2nd serve ace. He wins the game without losing a point. Each man has held serve in all 12 games. It’s 6 - 6 and going to a tiebreaker.
35:45 - With the tiebreaker tied at 4 all, watch as Edmondson hits a spectacular return that is called out. Edmondson stands stunned. He knows that if he had won that point, he would have been in a position to take the set, since he would have been ahead at 5 - 4 with 2 service opportunities.
Instead, Newcombe has the 5 - 4 advantage. The announcers commiserate with Edmondson, saying, “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! That could have been less than an inch out… I think he felt he had that point.”
Perhaps having lost his concentration over the last point, Edmondson now double-faults. It’s now 6 - 4 in the tiebreaker in favor of Newcombe, and in short order, Newcombe takes the 1st set.
Edmondson has lost a heartbreaking 1st set. He has played sensational, holding service in every game, and coming an inch away from having the opportunity to win the set. Now he’s in an almost impossible position, needing to win 3 of 4 sets to win the match.
38:45 - Serving in game 1 of the 2nd set, Edmondson falls behind 15 - 30 and the announcers says, “This is a very important game for Mark to start out the 2nd set when your defenses are down just a little.” Almost as if he were listening, Edmondson plays a great volley, including an unbelievable save and lob return from behind the baseline. But Edmondson loses the point and falls behind 15 - 40.
Edmondson demonstrates his resilience and comes back to force deuce, and then the game goes to deuce 3 more times before Edmondson finally wins it. He takes a 1 - 0 lead in the 2nd set.
This is great tennis!
46:35 - After Newcombe held service easily, Edmondson allows Newcombe to reach deuce again on his service, but on this volley, Edmondson closes the game out with a powerful overhead smash. Edmondson leads the 2nd set 2 - 1.
Now stay with the tape as we see Newcombe serve to begin the 4th game of the set. Newcombe wins the point as Edmondson hits the return long, but what I’m focused on here is the way Edmondson handles himself after the point. First he puts both hands over his head as though he had lost a critical point late in the match. Then he seems to be coaching himself, showing himself the swing he should have taken at the ball.
Edmondson exhibits this type of concentration and self-coaching frequently throughout the match. His eye never wanders into the crowd. He’s focused. He’s in the zone.
54:38 - Serving at deuce in the 7th game, there is a great volley capped by an incredible return by Edmondson, hitting a backhand shot off his shoe tops to win the point. Edmondson goes on to win the game to take a 4 - 3 lead in set 2. Each player has held service in every game of the match so far.
58:20 - Edmondson returns a Newcombe serve, and Newcombe has what looks like a swing and a miss. Newcombe holds his pose for a moment. It’s a comical look of incredulity by Newcombe. The announcer covers for Newcombe, saying the ball never bounced properly. It’s a huge point for Edmondson, as he wins the game, breaking service for the 1st time in the match and taking a 5 - 3 lead in the 2nd set.
1:02:10 - Edmondson falls behind 15 - 40, but rallies back and wins the game and the set on this brilliant net play.
The match is now tied at 1 set all. The #212 player in the world, a man “unknown” even in his native Australia, is playing dead even with the former world #1.
1:07:30 - Late in the 1st game of the 3rd set, Newcombe has just won a point when Edmondson could not clear the net on his return. It’s advantage Newcombe. Edmondson is visibly upset with his last shot and seems wrapped up in his thoughts as he stands on the baseline cleaning off the strings of his racquet, oblivious that the former world #1 is ready to serve. Newcombe stares at Edmondson and finally lets out a loud whistle. This catches everyone off guard, and laughter erupts throughout the stands. Newcombe starts to crack up at his own antics and has to calm down to ready himself to serve. Newcombe promptly double-faults. But he comes back to win the game a few points later and leads the 3rd set 1 - 0 .
1:11:00 - Newcombe returns a vicious overhead smash by Edmondson, only to have Edmondson return one even more vicious to win the point. A moment later, Edmondson closes out the game with yet another vicious overhead smash. It’s a devastating sequence, and it enables Edmondson to tie the set at 1 game apiece.
1:16:30 - The temperature has cooled significantly in the last few minutes and the wind is starting to whip around fiercely. Watch as the cameras pan up to the flags which are blowing rapidly. The match is delayed for 4 minutes until the wind calms somewhat. The tape skips ahead until play resumes. The wind is still a factor. The announcer says, “Extremely difficult serving conditions now,” and just as he says that Newcombe double-faults. But Newcombe wins the game and pulls ahead 3 - 2 in the 3rd set.
At this point, play is stopped again, this time for 30 minutes due to a full out windstorm.
1:19:07 - The tape skips ahead, and play resumes. The players have different outfits. Now Edmondson is in all white with a long sleeve top and no hat. Newcombe is wearing a light blue top.
1:21:55 - Edmondson wins a point with a backhand cross-court shot that gets a huge applause, and the announcers were so enamored with it that they said, “That was one of the supremely superb... a double superlative.”
Despite winning that point, Newcombe holds his service, and takes a 4 games to 3 lead in the 3rd set.
1:23:25 - Watch as Newcombe calls for time as debris flies across the court. The wind is still strong and clearly a factor that the players need to contend with.
1:24:30 - The wind is so strong that as Edmondson tosses the ball up to serve, the wind carries it off, and he has to go and retrieve the ball and attempt his serve again. A moment later, Edmondson deftly comes to the net and puts away the game.
It’s 4 all in the 3rd set. The match couldn’t be much closer.
1:32:15 - Edmondson holds serve in the 12th game, and the 3rd set is going to a tiebreaker. Edmondson has still not lost service in a game in the entire match.
1:34:18 - Newcombe fires a booming serve that Edmondson can’t properly return. Newcombe takes a 3 - 1 lead in the tiebreaker and has service again on the 5th point. It’s becoming a perilous situation for Edmondson.
Stay with the tape and watch as Edmondson hits one of the great shots of the match as he returns serve with a long crosscourt shot that just drops inside the far corner of the court. The announcer says, “I think he hit that shot in the direction of the wind and used top spin to bring it back down.”
1:35:20 - On Edmondson’s serve, he comes to the net and Newcombe burns him with a passing shot that Edmondson can’t reach. Newcombe takes a 4 - 2 lead in the tiebreaker. Continue to watch as Edmondson serves a much needed ace to pull within 4 - 3 in the tiebreaker. He then wins the following point to pull even at 4 all. The announcers comment, “How even can a match be?”
1:36:40 - Newcombe fires an ace to go ahead 5 - 4. Newcombe shows no signs of tiring as the serve looks like the most powerful he has had. Then Newcombe wins the next point and at 6 - 4 he has set point.
1:39:15 - Displaying an uncanny resilience for such an inexperienced player at this level, Edmondson wins 3 straight points, and now he serves, with the wind behind him, for set point. He comes to the net and his next shot into the corner can’t be returned by Newcombe.
Mark Edmondson has captured the 3rd set tiebreaker. He is now in command of the match with a 2 sets to 1 lead.
It’s a stunning turnaround, after having been down 6 - 4 in the tiebreaker, Edmondson won 4 consecutive points to take the set.
1:40:40 - Newcombe shows no signs of conceding. At 30 - 30 in the 1st game of the 4th set, Newcombe hits a return into the net and drops down on one knee and lays his head on his knee in a moment of self-deprecation. Newk knows this was a lost opportunity to break Edmondson’s service in a set that Newk must win. The lost point proves costly as Edmondson’s next serve can’t be returned, and Edmondson begins set 4 with a 1 - 0 lead.
1:46:58 - Edmondson breaks Newcombe’s serve with a love game capped off by a brilliant little push passing shot that lands just inside the court. The announcers, in a tone of admiration for the unknown player, say, “Well done… well done.”
Serving with a 3 - 1 lead in the set, Edmondson holds serve yet again to take a surprising 4 - 1 lead in the set.
1:49:50 - The announcers comment on how Newcombe has lost confidence in these “terribly gusty conditions,” as Newcombe serves 3 straight faults. But the other announcer notes that the conditions, “Well they haven’t seemed to have affected Mark Edmondson at all really. He just goes about his business like nothing is happening.” Just after this exchange, Edmondson hits a sensational passing shot that draws a huge applause and an admiring, “Aw.. beautiful,” from the announcers. Edmondson looks all business as he simply looks at his racquet strings after the shot and waits for Newcombe to serve. It’s love - 40. And in a moment, Edmondson wins the game to take a 5 - 1 lead in the set.
Edmondson is now serving for the match.
I repeat that again, Edmondson is now serving for the match.
What a surreal moment this must be for Mark Edmondson.
1:53:40 - Edmondson has fallen behind 30 - 40. He is in danger of losing service for the 1st time in the entire match. Now he unleashes a brilliant serve that Newcombe can’t return, and it’s deuce. A moment later Edmondson wins a point, and it’s advantage Edmondson.
1:54:30 - The announcer says, “Match point for this 21-year-old.” On his 2nd serve, Edmondson hits a hard shot that forces Newcombe to chase after it. Newcombe manages to get to the ball, but his return is weak. As Edmondson races into the forecourt, Newcombe’s return falls just short of the net.
Mark Edmondson has won the Australian Open!
Mark Edmondson, after the briefest of celebratory moments, straightens himself up, stands steely eyed by the net, sticks his arm out forward, and waits for John Newcombe to come shake his hand, which is the hand of the new Australian Open champion.
Edmondson has won it 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1.
It is a truly remarkable achievement for anyone, to defeat a former world #1 after losing the 1st set, and having been down set point in the 3rd set.
Newcombe delivered a gracious speech in defeat and capped it off with a joke that the crowd loved, and also served as the greatest possible compliment he could provide to Mark Edmondson, as he said, “Last year I beat that young American boy (referring to world #1 Jimmy Connors). This year, the young Australian boy came along and just beat the you know what out of me.”
Edmondson then answered the questions from the announcer at centre court. It is a moment he likely never imagined would happen a little over a week ago. He explained his lack of nerves by saying, “I had nothing to lose today… I got nervous last night and slept it off.”
When he was presented with the trophy, the lack of victory ceremony experience became apparent. Edmondson didn’t realize the trophy was not adhered to the base, and it promptly toppled off and fell to the grass.
Sadly, as newspapers reported on the highest moment of his life, the image that adorned the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald was of Edmondson stooping down to pick up the trophy.
And the headline didn’t mention Mark Edmondson by name, but rather referred to him as “odd-job man.”
The headline of the article on the tournament on page 15 also did not have Edmondson’s name in it, but it did have the somewhat more flattering title, “SUPERMAN QUITS THE BREADLINE.”
That’s Mark Edmondson’s new nickname here in Australia - SUPERMAN.
Stunned or Super Cool?
This morning, Rod Humphries started perhaps the most unexpected article he had ever written in the Sydney Morning Herald with this:
Humphries could not fathom that Mark Edmondson had beaten the defending champion, the legend, John Newcombe, the day after Edmondson had destroyed the #1 seed and #2 tennis player in the world, a hero in his home country, Ken Rosewall, and did it all with an air of seeming nonchalance, as though he expected to roll through the top 2 seeds to take the title.
Humphries wrote, “I am still trying to work out whether he is a changed man, or just plain stunned, by his mounting success… Whatever the case may be, Edmondson was a circuit ‘hacker’ by anybody’s standards until a few weeks ago.”
In the post-tournament press conference for this Grand Slam event, something Edmondson had never attended before, he wasn’t sure himself whether or not his calm demeanor during and after the match was the result of being in shock. He quipped, “I don’t really know what I feel… It’s sort of an unbelievable feeling.”
Humphries noted that Edmondson, “did not smile or show any elation during his press conference.”
In the press conference, John Newcombe, who is more accustomed to these proceedings, was more eloquent and came up with a highly complimentary joke. He quipped that Edmondson was a man for all seasons, because “he handled the wind just as well as he handled the heat.” Indeed, the first two-thirds of the match were played in vastly different weather conditions than the last third of the match.
Humphries made note that, “Newcombe, surprised but not dejected by his defeat, paid Edmondson great tribute when he said he had been a similarly aggressive type of player at the same age.”
The January 5th New York Times finally put Edmondson’s name in the headline of a story in their paper, with this title on page 45, “Edmondson Wins From Newcombe.” The Times called it, “One of the greatest upsets in tennis history.”
The Times made note of the fact that the temperature had been 104 degrees prior to the wind storm, and when the match resumed it had dropped 25 degrees to 79.
Never Lost Service
The Times also noted something that I didn’t see in the Australian newspapers. Mark Edmondson never lost service during the entire match. While that is something that has been done before, it is a rare feat in a Grand Slam final. In fact, it’s only the 3rd time it’s been done in this decade. The last time was Jimmy Connors in the 1974 U.S Open, and before that was Ken Rosewall in the 1971 Australian Open.
NOTE from The Sports Time Traveler
I’ve come back to the present time to share the perspective of my friend Geoff Roper, a former professional tennis player, who played in one Grand Slam event. Geoff was in the singles competition in Wimbledon in 1988.
I asked Geoff Roper what he thought of Mark Edmondson’s incredible victory in 1976:
“This is an incredible feat even though some of the best players weren’t there. For perspective, Edmondson won $7,500 for that title (the total men’s purse was only about $50,000) - compare that to the millions the winner gets today! Notwithstanding, coming seemingly out of nowhere to win a major and beat 5 seeds and top world players will, in my humble opinion, never happen again!”
Then I asked Geoff for some insights on what it was like to be in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time to get an idea of what it must have been like for Mark Edmondson.
Geoff said “Playing my first major was a terrifying experience. I can’t put my finger on it, but it felt very different from all the other tournaments. It’s akin to finally meeting your favorite childhood idol and completely freezing. That’s what makes what Mark did so incredible - being a virtual unknown and cleaning floors for a living to competing in the Australian Open, winning it and beating 5 seeds along the way. Truly amazing.”
PART 4 - COMING SOON:
The Inspirational Legacy of Mark Edmondson
I’m back here in the present time, and I’m wondering where Mark Edmondson’s triumph ranks in the greatest upsets across all the championships of major sports. It’s certainly up there near the top.
In part 4, coming soon, I will ponder this question and also share a little about what happened to Mark Edmondson after the 1976 Australian Open championships.
What a match that was and such an impressive performance by an underdog like that, how do you hold serve at that clip?
You can never take that away from Edmondson. 🎾 🏆