Don Candy’s potential was apparent at school and he was arguably the best tennis player who attended Prince Alfred College. In 1947, the year he was Australian junior champion, he was the cornerstone of the victorious SA Linton Cup team and, at Sydney’s White City, played singles and paired with PAC colleague David Rowe to win crucial doubles matches.
In 1954-1955 he had a great Australian season when he defeated, among others, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Rex Hartwig, Mervyn Rose, and American Tony Trabert. Internationally he won the French doubles title, reached the US final with Rose in 1952, won the German doubles with Hoad in 1956, and was successful with Rose in doubles championships in Paris, Holland, Germany, and the Caribbean in 1957.
Had he not bucked authorities he almost certainly would have played Davis Cup tennis when Australia was the dominant nation. During his world travels he talked and he smiled, was good for one-liners and anecdotes, and was an entertaining raconteur. Don Candy was the American champion Pam Shriver’s guru, coach, and adviser – a role he filled with success until 1986.