In 1951, by now the American No 1, he reached the final of the US National Championships but lost to Australia’s Frank Sedgman. The following year he bowed out in the fourth round to Rosewall, and months later lost the deciding rubber to Ken McGregor in the Davis Cup final, as Australia retained the trophy.

Undeterred, Seixas continued training, his muscular physique and powerful legs giving him the strength and stamina to scrap his way doggedly through tight matches against more talented opponents.

“He was a classic serve-volley expert: tall and very fast round the court with terrific reach,” recalled John Barrett, the doyen of British tennis, who befriended the more experienced Seixas in the 1950s. “In those days with wooden rackets we couldn’t play huge drives from the back of the court and he used a topspin forehand and a sliced backhand – safe, solid groundstrokes but not spectacular. He came into his own at the net. He was a really handsome man but incredibly unassuming and friendly; a lovely player and a lovely guy.”

1953 was Seixas’s “annus mirabilis” and he reached the final of the French Open, before losing, yet again to the 18-year-old Rosewall. At Wimbledon, however, where he was seeded second, he survived close shaves against the explosive Lew Hoad and in the semi-final against another hard-hitting Australian, Mervyn Rose.