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The Milton Tennis Centre at Frew Park, Milton Rd was the
home of Queensland tennis since 1915 and consisted of 19 hard courts and
four grass courts. It hosted eight Australian Championships/Opens and 16
Davis Cup ties (including three finals). Apart from tennis it also
hosted concerts featuring acts such as the Rolling Stones, Elton John
and Johnny Cash and 10,000 fans witnessed Jeff White retain his national
lightweight title against Lionel Rose in 1971. The Milton courts were
converted into Australia’s major tennis centre for the Davis Cup final
in 1958 and were the venue for the first Australian Open in 1969.

Rod Laver's 6-3 win in the deciding fifth set of his 1969
Australian Open semi-final against Tony Roche, having won the first two sets
7-5 and 22-20 before losing the third set 9-11 and the fourth 1-6, is one of
the many memorable moments in the Centre’s history. The Davis Cup final wins
by Australia in 1962 featured Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Neale Fraser and coach
Harry Hopman and in 1967, Emerson, Hopman, Tony Roche and John Newcombe.
Interviewed by the Courier Mail in 1999, Newcombe recalled Milton with
fondness - “Milton had a very good surface, one of my favourites in
Australia. It seated about 7,000 and it was a great atmosphere.”
It hosted its last Davis Cup tie in 1990, the quarterfinal win over New
Zealand featuring current team captains, John Fitzgerald and Wally Masur.
Lindsay Davenport won the last world tour event at Milton in 1994, after
which the wooden grandstands were declared unsafe. The Milton Tennis Centre
closed in 1999 when Tennis Queensland sold the property to cover more than
$1 million in debts. Doncaster Holdings sold the site to Multiplex for a
reported $5.9 million in April 2002. Derelict and having suffered two fires,
the stadium was demolished in May 2002. A housing development is planned for
the site.
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Location: |
Brisbane, Queensland |
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Capacity: |
7,000 |
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Video Screen: |
No |
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Lights: |
Yes |
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Arena Roof: |
No |
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Built: |
1915 |
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Demolished: |
1999 |
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Sports Played: |
Tennis |
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Historic Events: |
1st
Australian Open
16 Davis Cup Ties |
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