Australian tennis greats are mourning the death of former champion turned mentor Mal Anderson aged 91.

He became the first unseeded winner of the US Championships when he triumphed in 1957, receiving his trophy from then vice president Richard Nixon alongside trailblazing women’s winner Althea Gibson.

The Aussie nearly added a second grand slam title — this time in the professional Open Era — when he knocked out reigning Wimbledon champion John Newcombe en route to the 1972 Australian Open final.

Anderson lost to Ken Rosewall in the championship match but “got my revenge” in the 1973 NSW Open (now the Sydney International).

“It wasn’t very popular beating him in New South Wales,” he laughed on a Tennis Australia podcast just last year.

Anderson also won the doubles title with Newcombe at the 1973 Australian Open and played a role in Australia’s Davis Cup triumph that year.

He went on to mentor the likes of Pat Rafter, Scott Draper, Wally Masur and John Fitzgerald.

Rafter said he was “really sad” to learn the news of Anderson’s death.

“He was one of those people who helped shape my tennis from very early on,” Pat Rafter said in a Tennis Australia statement.

“He took me overseas for the first time, over to Wimbledon, and introduced me to what the professional game looked like and what it meant to carry yourself properly around it.

“For a young Aussie kid coming through, that was a pretty special thing to have someone like Mal do for you.

“I still remember being at Queen’s Club in London and hearing the reception he got when his name was announced — the whole place stood up for him. That told you everything about the respect people had for him, not just here in Australia but around the world.

“He was a true legend of the game, but more importantly he was a terrific bloke — humble, generous with his time and always happy to help younger players along.

“Tennis in Australia has lost one of its greats, and a lot of us have lost a mate and mentor. I feel very lucky to have known him.”

Fitzgerald and Masur both toured with Anderson as teenagers and said they learned plenty about the professionalism required to make it to the top.

Masur described Anderson as a “gentleman and an inspiration” to young players.

“I first met Mal when he took 10 youngsters on a satellite circuit around country NSW in about 1979,” Masur said.

“If you were out of the tournament he made you run at 6.30am, punishing runs that usually brought up the contents of my stomach. He did every one of those runs with us and did them easily.

“Then it was four or five hours on the practice court, and he hit for every minute of those hours. Never a critical word, just encouragement and he was with you every step of the way.”

Draper said he was first taught by Anderson at just five years old and described the veteran’s Queensland tennis centre as “a home away from home”.

“Mal was a joy to be around, humility personified and always took genuine interest in your life. A great bloke and his legacy will definitely live on in me,” he said.

Anderson married Daphne Emerson, the sister of Australian legend Roy, just weeks after winning the 1957 US Championships title.

Roy was a groomsman in what was reported at the time as the “tennis wedding of the year”.