Edmondson winning the Australian Open in1976.
Ignored by some of the world's best players because of its geographical location, the Australian Open in the 1970s was an opportunity for local players, often lower-ranked, to shine on home soil.
Although the first calendar grand slam was already renowned for its surprises, no one could have predicted the incredible triumph of a certain Edmondson in 1976.
Edmondson remains the last australian player to win the AO.
Long brown hair, a trendy mustache, Mark Edmondson was, on paper, a typical Australian player of the 1970s. Ranked 212th at the start of the tournament, the serve-and-volley specialist wasn't particularly known for his singles career – he had never gone beyond the second round of a Grand Slam tournament
Among Stan Smith, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, and other great names in 20th-century world tennis, Edmondson was the big outsider and surprise participant in the 1976 Australian Open's fourth round. Propelled into the final of a major tournament for the first time in his career after upsetting former World No. 1 Ken Rosewall, Edmondson became the sensation and the main focus of attention in Melbourne.
Edmondson accidentally droping the trophy during the ceremony
During a surreal match in which Edmondson had the Melbourne Arena crowd laughing several times due to his quirky character, Mark Edmondson won his first Grand Slam title, even dropping the trophy during the post-match ceremony. Emerging from anonymity, the Australian reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 1982 and achieved an impressive world ranking of 15th
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