Former Australian tennis player Ashley Cooper died on Friday. The four-time Grand Slam winner was 83 years old and Tennis Australia said in a statement that Cooper died after a long time illness.
Cooper won singles titles at the Australian Open in 1957 and 1958. He also won Wimbledon and US Open in 1958. He was also the top ranked tennis player in the world and led Australia's Davis Cup team to victory over the United States to retain the title in 1957.
"Ashley was a giant of the game both as a brilliant player and an astute administrator and he will be greatly missed," said Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley.
"His contribution to the sport went far beyond his exploits on the tennis court. His rich legacy includes the magnificent Queensland Tennis Centre, a project he was passionate about, nurturing the development from the very beginning, and resulting in the return of world-class international tennis to Brisbane.
"Ashley was also the most humble of champions and a great family man. Our hearts go out to his wife Helen and his family, along with his wide and international circle of friends, including so many of our tennis family.
"On a personal note, Ash was instrumental in our family moving to Australia and for that we will be forever grateful. He was a very humble advisor and great supporter of our transformation of Australian tennis. I will miss him."
