Reid's most notable display as a player came when he defeated tennis legend Rod Laver at the South Australian Open in 1960.
[2] That year he also entered the doubles with Christian Kuhnke; they reached the semi-finals before being defeated by the eventual champions, Laver and Bob Mark.
[2] Reid retired from championship tennis shortly after his 22nd birthday in order to focus on his business interests.
Because of his youth, Reid was able to bridge the generational gap between the officials and the players, which was considered especially important at the time, as 1969 was the first year of Open tennis.
[5] In March 1981 he was elected president of the International Assembly of National Confederations of Sports, a position he also held for eight years.
[5] Reid was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his service to tennis administration in 1977 and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1989.