Jim Courier

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Jim Courier
Country  United States
Residence New York City, New York, USA
Date of birth August 17, 1970 (1970-08-17) (age 38)
Place of birth Sanford, Florida, USA
Height 6 ft 1.75 in (1.87 m)
Weight 182 lb (83 kg; 13.0 st)
Turned pro 1988
Retired 2000
Plays Right-handed; two-handed backhand
Career prize money $14,034,132
Int. Tennis HOF 2005 (member page)
Singles
Career record 506–237
Career titles 23 (27th in overall rankings)
Highest ranking No. 1 (February 20, 1992)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open W (1992, 1993)
French Open W (1991, 1992)
Wimbledon F (1993)
US Open F (1991)
Doubles
Career record 124–97
Career titles 6
Highest ranking No. 20 (October 9, 1989)
Last updated on: June 29, 2006.

James Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. (born August 17, 1970, in Sanford, Florida) is a former world number one professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles – two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open.

Contents

[edit] Tennis career

As a junior player in the 1980s, Courier attended the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and won the prestigious Orange Bowl in 1986 and 1987, as well as the French Open junior doubles title.

Courier turned professional in 1988 and made his Grand Slam breakthrough in 1991 when he won the French Open singles title, defeating his former Bollettieri Academy-mate Andre Agassi in five sets. He also reached the final of the US Open that year, where he lost to Stefan Edberg.

1992 saw Courier win both the Australian Open and French Open titles and enjoy a 25 match winning streak. In February of that year, he became the tenth player to reach the World No. 1 ranking since the ranking system was implemented in 1973. He finished 1992 as the World No. 1 ranked player. Courier also was a member of the US team that won the 1992 Davis Cup. In 1992, Courier was the top seeded player at the Olympics in Barcelona where he lost in the third round to eventual gold medalist Marc Rosset from Switzerland.[1]

In 1993, Courier again won the Australian Open. He reached his third consecutive French Open final, which he lost to Sergi Bruguera. He also reached the 1993 Wimbledon final, which he lost to Pete Sampras. Courier again was part of the US team that won the 1995 Davis Cup.

Courier captured a total of 23 singles titles and 6 doubles titles during his career. He spent a total of 58 weeks ranked as the World No. 1 in 1992 and 1993. He reached the finals of all four major championships during his career. Courier retired from the ATP tour in 2000. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.

[edit] After retirement from top-level tennis

Since his retirement as top-level player, Courier has served as a tennis analyst and commentator for the USA Network, NBC Sports, TNT and the Seven Network. He is a frequent commentator on the Seven Network for Australian Open men's matches.

In 2004, Courier founded InsideOut Sport & Entertainment, a New York-based event promotion company that owns and operates the Outback Champions Series, the Ultimate Fantasy Camp, and the Legendary Nights exhibition series.

He also founded Courier's Kids, a non-profit organization that supports tennis programs in the inner city of St. Petersburg, Florida. Courier serves on the board of directors of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Courier's Kids, First Serve, and The Gullikson Foundation.

Courier currently competes on the BlackRock Tour of Champions and the Outback Champions Series and in various charity exhibition matches. In 2004, he won three of the six BlackRock tournaments he played. In 2005, he finished as the No. 1-ranked player on that tour with two more tournament wins.

In March 2006, Courier won the Outback tournament in Naples, Florida, defeating Pat Cash in the final, and in Charlotte, North Carolina, defeating Todd Martin in the final. Courier finished the year as the No. 1 player in the Outback series. Courier is currently scheduled to play in the Outback Champions Series tournaments in Naples, Boston, Newport, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston and Dubai as well as select exhibitions and events worldwide.

[edit] Major finals

[edit] Grand Slam finals

[edit] Singles: 7 (4-3)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner (1/1) 1991 French Open Clay Flag of the United States Andre Agassi 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4
Runner-up (2/1) 1991 US Open Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–4, 6–0
Winner (3/2) 1992 Australian Open Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2
Winner (4/3) 1992 French Open (2) Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Petr Korda 7–5, 6–2, 6–1
Winner (5/4) 1993 Australian Open (2) Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–1, 2–6, 7–5
Runner-up (6/2) 1993 French Open Clay Flag of Spain Sergi Bruguera 6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Runner-up (7/3) 1993 Wimbledon Grass Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 6–3

[edit] ATP Tour Championships finals

[edit] Singles: 2 (0-2)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1991 Frankfurt Hard (i) Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 3–6, 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 1992 Frankfurt Hard (i) Flag of Germany Boris Becker 6–4, 6–3, 7–5

[edit] Masters Series finals

[edit] Singles: 5 (5-0)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner 1991 Indian Wells Hard Flag of France Guy Forget 4–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(4)
Winner 1991 Key Biscayne Hard Flag of the United States David Wheaton 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Winner 1992 Rome Clay Flag of Spain Carlos Costa 7–6(3), 6–0, 6–4
Winner 1993 Indian Wells (2) Hard Flag of South Africa Wayne Ferreira 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
Winner 1993 Rome (2) Clay Flag of Croatia Goran Ivanišević 6–1, 6–2, 6–2

[edit] Career finals

[edit] Singles: 36 (23-13)

Wins (23)
Legend
Grand Slam (4)
Year-End Championships (0)
ATP Masters Series (5)
ATP Championship Series (5)
ATP Tour (9)
Titles by Surface
Hard (17)
Grass (0)
Clay (5)
Carpet (1)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
1. October 9, 1989 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 7–6, 3–6, 2–6, 6–0, 7–5
2. March 11, 1991 Indian Wells, USA Hard Flag of France Guy Forget 4–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(4)
3. March 25, 1991 Key Biscayne, USA Hard Flag of the United States David Wheaton 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
4. June 10, 1991 French Open, Paris, France Clay Flag of the United States Andre Agassi 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4
5. January 27, 1992 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2
6. April 13, 1992 Tokyo, Japan Hard Flag of the Netherlands Richard Krajicek 6–4, 6–4, 7–6(3)
7. April 20, 1992 Hong Kong, UK Hard Flag of the United States Michael Chang 7–5, 6–3
8. May 18, 1992 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Spain Carlos Costa 7–6(3), 6–0, 6–4
9. June 8, 1992 French Open, Paris, France Clay Flag of the Czech Republic Petr Korda 7–5, 6–2, 6–1
10. February 1, 1993 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–1, 2–6, 7–5
11. February 15, 1993 Memphis, USA Hard (i) Flag of the United States Todd Martin 5–7, 7–6(4), 7–6(4)
12. March 8, 1993 Indian Wells, USA Hard Flag of South Africa Wayne Ferreira 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
13. May 17, 1993 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Croatia Goran Ivanišević 6–1, 6–2, 6–2
14. August 23, 1993 Indianapolis, USA Hard Flag of Germany Boris Becker 7–5, 6–3
15. January 9, 1995 Adelaide, Australia Hard Flag of France Arnaud Boetsch 6–2, 7–5
16. March 6, 1995 Scottsdale, USA Hard Flag of Australia Mark Philippoussis 7–6(2), 6–4
17. April 17, 1995 Tokyo, Japan Hard Flag of the United States Andre Agassi 6–4, 6–3
18. October 2, 1995 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of the Netherlands Jan Siemerink 6–7(2), 7–6(5), 5–7, 6–2, 7–5
19. March 4, 1996 Philadelphia, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Chris Woodruff 6–4, 6–3
20. January 6, 1997 Qatar, Doha Hard Flag of the United Kingdom Tim Henman 7–5, 6–7(5), 6–2
21. July 28, 1997 Los Angeles, USA Hard Flag of Sweden Thomas Enqvist 6–4, 6–4
22. October 6, 1997 Beijing, China Hard (i) Flag of Sweden Magnus Gustafsson 7–6(10), 3–6, 6–3
23. April 27, 1998 Orlando, USA Clay Flag of the United States Michael Chang 7–5, 3–6, 7–5
Runner-ups (13)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
1. September 9, 1991 US Open, New York City, USA Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–4, 6–0
2. November 18, 1991 ATP Championships, Frankfurt, Germany Carpet Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 3–6, 7–6, 6–3, 6–4
3. February 10, 1992 San Francisco, USA Hard (i) Flag of the United States Michael Chang 6–3, 6–3
4. February 17, 1992 Brussels, Belgium Carpet Flag of Germany Boris Becker 6–7(5), 2–6, 7–6(10), 7–6(5), 7–5
5. August 24, 1992 Indianapolis, USA Hard Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 6–4, 6–4
6. November 23, 1992 ATP Championships, Frankfurt, Germany Carpet Flag of Germany Boris Becker 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
7. April 19, 1993 Hong Kong, UK Hard Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 6–3, 6–7(1), 7–6(2)
8. June 7, 1993 French Open, Paris, France Clay Flag of Spain Sergi Bruguera 6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
9. July 5, 1993 Wimbledon, London, UK Grass Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 7–6(3), 7–6(6), 3–6, 6–3
10. April 18, 1994 Nice, France Clay Flag of Spain Alberto Berasategui 6–4, 6–2
11. October 24, 1994 Lyon, France Carpet Flag of Switzerland Marc Rosset 6–4, 7–6(2)
12. October 9, 1995 Toulouse, France Hard (i) Flag of France Arnaud Boetsch 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–0
13. February 26, 1999 Memphis, USA Hard (i) Flag of Germany Tommy Haas 6–4, 6–1

[edit] Doubles: 11 (6-5)

Wins (6)
No. Date Tournament Name Tournament Location Surface Partnering Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. May 22, 1989 Italian Open Rome Clay Flag of the United States Pete Sampras Flag of Brazil Danilo Marcelino
Flag of Brazil Mauro Menezes
6–4, 6–3
2. May 14, 1990 Masters Series Hamburg Hamburg, Germany Clay Flag of Spain Sergi Bruguera Flag of Germany Udo Riglewski
Flag of Germany Michael Stich
7–6, 6–2
3. March 11, 1991 Newsweek Champions Cup Indian Wells, California, U.S. Hard Flag of Spain Javier Sánchez Flag of France Guy Forget
Flag of France Henri Leconte
7–6, 3–6, 6–3
4. April 19, 1993 Canadian Open Montreal, Canada Hard Flag of the Bahamas Mark Knowles Flag of Canada Glenn Michibata
Flag of the United States David Pate
6–4, 7–6
5. January 9, 1995 Australian Hardcourt Championships Adelaide, Australia Hard Flag of Australia Patrick Rafter Flag of Zimbabwe Byron Black
Flag of Canada Grant Connell
7–6, 6–4
6. April 26, 1999 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships Orlando, Florida, U.S. Clay Flag of Australia Todd Woodbridge Flag of the United States Bob Bryan
Flag of the United States Mike Bryan
7–6(4), 6–4
Runner-ups (5)
No. Date Tournament Name Tournament Location Surface Partnering Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. May 8, 1989 Forest Hills Classic Forest Hills, New York, U.S. Clay Flag of the United States Pete Sampras Flag of the United States Rick Leach
Flag of the United States Jim Pugh
6–4, 6–2
2. May 21, 1990 Italian Open Rome Clay Flag of the United States Martin Davis Flag of Spain Sergio Casal
Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez
7–6, 7–5
3. April 11, 1994 Open Seat Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Javier Sánchez Flag of Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Flag of the Czech Republic David Rikl
5–7, 6–1, 6–4
4. October 6, 1997 China Open Beijing, China Hard (i) Flag of the United States Alex O'Brien Flag of India Mahesh Bhupathi
Flag of India Leander Paes
7–5, 7–6
5. January 11, 1999 Australian Hardcourt Championships Adelaide, Australia Hard Flag of the United States Patrick Galbraith Flag of Brazil Gustavo Kuerten
Flag of Ecuador Nicolás Lapentti
6–4, 6–4

[edit] Major tournament singles performance timeline

Tournament 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Career SR
Australian Open A A 2R 4R W W SF QF QF 4R A 3R 1R 2 / 10
French Open A 4R 4R W W F SF 4R QF 1R 2R 2R A 2 / 11
Wimbledon A 1R 3R QF 3R F 2R 2R 1R 1R 1R 4R A 0 / 11
U.S. Open 2R 3R 2R F SF 4R 2R SF A 1R A 1R A 0 / 10
Grand Slam SR 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 4 1 / 4 2 / 4 1 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 4 0 / 1 4 / 42
ATP Tour World Championships A A A F F RR A RR A A A A A 0 / 4
Year End Ranking 43 24 25 2 1 3 13 8 26 21 77 34 290 N/A

A = did not participate in the tournament

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

[edit] Records

  • These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
Grand Slam Years Record accomplished Player tied
Australian Open 1992-93 2 consecutive wins Ken Rosewall
Guillermo Vilas
Johan Kriek
Mats Wilander
Stefan Edberg
Ivan Lendl
Andre Agassi
Roger Federer

[edit] Outback Champions Series titles

NOTE: In Outback Champions Series tournaments, there are only two sets. A tiebreaker to ten is held instead of a third set.

[edit] References

  1. ^ David Wallechinsky and Jaime Louky, The Complete Book of the Olympics, 2008 edition. (London: Aurum, 2008), p. 1022.

[edit] External links

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