Background
He was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to parents Norm and Ethel Fletcher.
He was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to parents Norm and Ethel Fletcher.
He was educated at Street Laurence"s College and showed early promise as a championship tennis player there.
He reached the final of the Australian Open in 1963, losing to Roy Emerson. He was ranked World Number. 10 in 1966 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.
Ken was a larrikin by nature, and many of his exploits feature in Hugh Lunn"s books, especially Over the Top with Jim and Head Over Heels.
In later years he was instrumental in gaining significant funding for medical research in Australia, through his association with Chuck Feeney. In 2008 Hugh Lunn published a book on Ken"s remarkable life around the globe, The Great Fletch with American Broadcasting Company Books.
Fletcher died of cancer at the age of 65 and was buried at the Mount Gravatt Lawn Cemetery, Brisbane. In January 2012 Ken Fletcher was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.
In 2013 the Ken Fletcher memorial was erected in the park, outside the Queensland Tennis Centre, named in his honour.
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
Doubles: 9 (2 titles, 7 runners-up)
Mixed doubles: 11 (10 titles, 1 runner-up).