Adrian Quist was born in
Medindie,
South Australia. His father was
Karl Quist, who had been a noted interstate
cricketer, and owned a sporting goods store at the time of his son's birth. Quist grew up in
Adelaide and once played
Harry Hopman, but lost, having given Hopman a
head start. He was a three-time Australian Championships men's singles champion but is primarily remembered today as a great doubles player. He won 10 consecutive
Australian doubles titles between 1936 and 1950, the last eight together with
John Bromwich and he was also one of the winners of a "Career Doubles Slam". Quist was ranked World No. 3 in singles in 1939 and World No. 4 in 1936. His most famous singles win was a crucial singles match in the 1939
Davis Cup Challenge Round at Merion Cricket Club against the U.S., defeating world No. 1
Bobby Riggs in a close five set match in the fourth rubber. Australia would win the Davis Cup that year with a singles win by
John Bromwich against
Frank Parker in the fifth rubber. In his 1979 autobiography tennis great
Jack Kramer writes that in doubles "Quist played the backhand court. He had a dink backhand that was better for doubles than singles, and a classic forehand drive with a natural sink. He was also fine at the net, volley and forehand." After retiring from playing the game, Quist became a journalist, best known for his articles in
The Sydney Morning Herald. Quist also worked for Dunlop, where he designed the
Dunlop Volley tennis shoe which is still in production. Quist was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame in
Newport, Rhode Island, in 1984. Adrian Quist also held the most
Davis Cup victories by any Australian until
Lleyton Hewitt surpassed that record on 18 September 2010 in Cairns. He died in
Sydney,
New South Wales in 1991, aged 78. Adrian Quist is the uncle of fashion designer
Neville Quist, founding director of Saville Row. ==Personal life==