As President of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (now Tennis Australia) from 1977-1989, Brian Tobin played a pivotal role in developing the state-of-the-art Melbourne Park complex, site of the Australian Open, the most modern of all Grand Slam venues. That singular revitalization helped restore the Australian Open, which was lagging prior to Tobin’s presidency, to its former world prominence. Tobin served as President of the International Tennis Federation from 1991 through 1999, displaying superb diplomatic skills. Under his leadership, the ITF and its principal activities, including the worldwide operation of the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and Olympic tennis, were greatly enhanced and flourished globally.
Tobin’s credibility as an executive comes from his first-hand knowledge and a Top 10 ranked player in Australia from 1956-1962. He rose to No. 8 in his country as an amateur player and won the U.S. singles championship in the 35-and-over category at Forest Hills in 1967. Tobin was a doubles champion at the 1954 Australian hard courts, and a mixed doubles winner at both the Swiss Championships and the Netherlands Championships in 1964. He served as captain of the Australian Fed Cup teams in 1967 and when they won the title in 1964.
In 2004, a year after he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Tobin was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.
