Former Davis Cup Star Attracts Big Guns to Manly

Winning both his doubles matches in 1974 with partner Colin Dibley and a singles rubber against Indonesia, all trademark long flowing hair, drooping moustache and big serve, Bob Giltinan and partner Syd Ball were runners up to Ross Case & Geoff Masters in the close-fought Australian Open Doubles Final as well.

He played with and against many of the Aussie greats – Rosewall, Laver, Newk, Rochey and Emmerson, as well as the best of the overseas players of his time, like Americans Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith and Bob Lutz. He even partnered the legend - Bjorn Borg - playing team tennis in the States and still counts the legendary player among his best friends.

Now Bob, his lovely wife Linda and talented children Robert and Lara live in Cromer. He’s held the lease on Giltinan’s Tennis Centre in North Manly (the courts between the front and back nine holes of Warringah Golf Club) for many years. With his kids showing much early promise and having the added desire of helping Manly-Warringah produce more young players to take on the world’s best, Bob converted two of his synthetic grass courts to different surfaces – one a hard court and the other a red carpet replicating European clay.

By offering three different surfaces (and because of his status in the game) Bob has attracted many of the world’s best over the years to train here in Manly. Pat Rafter was a regular visitor before returning to his native Queensland this year. Sandon Stolle used to tune up for Davis Cup matches at Giltinan’s while Bob’s good mate and fellow Davis Cupper, Phil Dent, often hit up with his son Taylor ahead of the youngster’s annual tilt at the Australian Open.

You never know who you’re going to see on court at Giltinan’s at this time of year. Possibly the biggest name ever to grace the North Manly courts was there in 2006 during a visit to Sydney… local social players couldn’t believe their eyes as they strapped on their knee, calf and elbow guards then looked up to see 5-time Wimbledon Champion, ‘The Ice Borg’ hitting up on Court 2, his hair now a bit shorter, but that unmistakeable double-handed backhand still as deadly as ever.

In 07 the parents of rising Indian star, Sania Mirza, asked Bob if their daughter could train at the North Manly complex with Bob’s daughter Lara, herself a former top Australian Junior. A sporting icon in India and the highest ranked female player ever from the sub-continent, the 21 year old Sania is currently ranked 27 in the world in singles and 20 in doubles.

Man, if that’s not enough to make you get a re-string in your racquet and start some serious on-court training, I don’t know what is. See you at Bob’s place!

The writer of The Drum, Dave Keogh, has been a professional writer for some 30 years, contributing to publications as broad as Modern Fishing and Outdoor, he honed a passion writing a regular column – Talking Tennis – for The Manly Daily. With a varied history including work as a music industry publicist, theatrical agent, band manager, poet, editor and tennis coach, he found his niche in advertising, and with loads of awards under his belt, Dave went into business on his own and now runs several very successful businesses, including an online community connecting sport-loving people – www.doubledrummer.com Most importantly, Dave loves sport, and is an avid supporter of The Manly Sea Eagles…