Chris Lewis (born 9 March 1957), is a former professional tennis player who was 1983 Wimbledon finalist as an unseeded player.
A world no. 1 junior player in 1975, the 5'11, 155 lbs. Lewis won 3 career singles titles with a career high ranking of World No. 19. His career singles tour record was 242 wins against 204 losses. He also won 8 doubles titles during his 12 years on the tour. During his career he was coached by Harry Hopman and Tony Roche.
In reaching the 1983 Wimbledon finals, with a five-set win over Kevin Curren in the semi-finals, Lewis became the seventh unseeded man and only the second New Zealander after Tony Wilding in 1913 to reach a Wimbledon singles final. He lost the final to John McEnroe, 6–2 6–2 6–2. He also reached the finals at the Cincinnati Masters in 1981, falling 6–3, 6–4 to John McEnroe.
In the 1999 New Zealand general election, Lewis unsuccessfully stood for Parliament as a list candidate for the Libertarianz party. Now resident in Irvine, California, in addition to owning and operating Tennis-Experts.com, an online tennis equipment retailer, he coaches at the Woodbridge Tennis Club.
[edit] Early life
Lewis was born in Auckland, New Zealand and received his secondary education at Marcellin College and Lynfield College. He is the oldest of three sons. His brothers are David Lewis and Mark Lewis who also had significant competitive Tennis careers.[2]
[edit] Junior career
Lewis was ranked world No. 1 Junior in 1975. The same year he won the 1975 Junior Wimbledon Championships title (def. Ricardo Ycaza) and was runner-up in the 1975 Junior US Open (lost to Howard Schoenfield).
[edit] Equipment
Lewis was the first man in history to reach the final of one of the four tennis majors (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) while using an over-size racquet, a Prince Original Graphite (Second only to Pam Shriver in the 1978 US Open). He was also one of the first player's equipped with custom made shoes designed for the grass surface.
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] Grand Slam Singles Final
| Outcome |
Year |
Championship |
Surface |
Opponent in the final |
Score in the final |
| Runner-up |
1983 |
Wimbledon |
Grass |
 John McEnroe |
6–2, 6–2, 6–2 |
[edit] ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals
[edit] Singles (1)
[edit] Runner-ups (1)
[edit] Singles: 10 (3–7)
[edit] Wins (3)
| Winner – Legend (pre/post 2009) |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0) |
Tennis Masters Cup /
ATP World Tour Finals (0) |
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0) |
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (1) |
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (2) |
|
| Titles by Surface |
| Hard (1) |
| Clay (2) |
| Grass (0) |
| Carpet (0) |
|
[edit] Runner-ups (7)
| Runner-up – Legend (pre/post 2009) |
| Grand Slam Tournaments (1) |
Tennis Masters Cup /
ATP World Tour Finals (0) |
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (1) |
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (0) |
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (5) |
|
| Titles by Surface |
| Hard (2) |
| Clay (1) |
| Grass (4) |
| Carpet (0) |
|
| Outcome |
No. |
Date |
Tournament |
Surface |
Prize Money |
Opponent in Final |
Score |
| Runner-up |
1. |
12 December 1977 |
Adelaide, Australia |
Grass |
$ |
Tim Gullikson |
6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up |
2. |
23 March 1981 |
Stuttgart Indoor, Germany |
Hard (I) |
$75,000 |
 Ivan Lendl |
3–6, 0–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
| Winner |
3. |
18 May 1981 |
Munich, Germany |
Clay |
$ |
 Christophe Roger-Vasselin |
4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–1, 6–1 |
| Runner-up |
4. |
17 July 1981 |
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
Hard |
$ |
John McEnroe |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up |
5. |
5 October 1981 |
Brisbane, Australia |
Grass |
$ |
 Mark Edmondson |
6–7, 6–3, 4–6 |
| Runner-up |
6. |
14 December 1981 |
Sydney Outdoor, Australia |
Grass |
$ |
Tim Wilkison |
4–6, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Runner-up |
7. |
27 April 1982 |
Hilton Head WCT, South Carolina, United States |
Clay |
$ |
Van Winitsky |
| Runner-up |
8. |
20 June 1983 |
Wimbledon, London |
Grass |
$ |
John McEnroe |
2–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Winner |
9. |
7 January 1985 |
Auckland. New Zealand |
Hard |
$ |
Wally Masur |
7–5, 6–0, 2–6, 6–4 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Player Profile
- ^ Joseph Romanos, Chris Lewis: All the Way to Wimbledon, Rugby Press Limites, Auckland, 1984, p. 43.
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Lewis, Chris |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Tennis player |
| Date of birth |
9 March 1957 |
| Place of birth |
Auckland, New Zealand |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
New Zealand
Irvine, California, United States
Ivan Lendl
Christophe Roger-Vasselin
Mark Edmondson
