25 November 2016 | Tennis Queensland

The date has been set for tennis great Roy Emerson to be immortalised with a life-size bronze statue in his hometown of Blackbutt. The legend himself will unveil the sculpture on Wednesday January 18 at the Roy Emerson Museum. The occasion comes after $75,000 was raised through crowd-funding, thanks to the hard-work of Blackbutt and District Tourism and Heritage Association.

The former world No.1 won 12 major singles titles and 16 Grand Slam tournament men’s doubles titles during his career. Emerson remains the only male player to have completed a career Grand Slam (winning titles at all four Grand Slam events) in both singles and doubles. For 49 years, Emerson was the only male player to have won six Australian Championships.

Also to be immortalized in a slightly different vein is Emerson’s bother-in-law Mal Anderson. It has been put to Brisbane City Council that the new causeway at Tennis Avenue Park be named after the former World No.2, with the preferred suggestion of “Mal Anderson Causeway” being considered by council.

Mal Anderson is a legend of the sport, and long-time contributor to the broader tennis community in Brisbane. His remarkable career made most notable when he became the first unseeded player to win the US Open in 1958.

“Mal Anderson was a tireless worker for Tennis in the local community at the Grange so the honour of naming a vital new piece of local infrastructure seems entirely appropriate,” said tennis advocate Peter Rasey.