1960-1964

Highlights

1960

For the second year in a row, Nicola Pietrangeli makes it through to the final of the tournament and once again the Italian takes the title, defeating Chile’s Luis Ayala in a titanic five-setter. 

1961

Nicola Pietrangeli reaches his third consecutive final, but the two-time winner does not manage to retain his title this time around. Despite taking a two-set lead, he runs out of gas in the next two and it is Spain’s Manuel Santana who takes the title. In the women’s, Britain’s Ann Haydon is crowned champion. The previous winter, the stadium had undergone its first ever renovation. Underground pipes were installed and the stands were rebuilt in order to provide a sufficient slope for drainage. 

1962

Men’s singles champion Rod Laver from Australia is on his way to the Grand Slam, 24 years after America’s Donald Budge. It turns out to be an Australian double thanks to Margaret Smith taking the title in the women’s draw. Yet another player from Down Under grabs the headlines this year as John Newcombe becomes the first player to win the boys’ singles two years in a row. In other news, the second phase of rebuilding work sees stand C on Centre Court renovated. 

1963

For the second year in a row, Australia makes a clean sweep of the singles, with Roy Emerson winning the men’s and Lesley Turner the women’s. Pierre Darmon becomes the first Frenchman since Marcel Bernard in 1946 to make it to the final, and though he gets off to a good start against Emerson, taking the first set, he ends up losing in four. Mixed doubles winners Margaret Smith and Ken Fletcher, again from Australia, go on to win the Grand Slam in that discipline. Meanwhile, the final phase of rebuilding works sees a new stand B on Centre Court. 

1964

Spain’s Manuel Santana wins Roland Garros for the second time in his career, defeating Nicola Pietrangeli – twice a winner of the tournament himself, in 1959 and 1960, in the final. The women’s singles is won by Margaret Smith, also for the second time.