Jim Courier
 |
| Country |
United States |
| Residence |
New York City, New York, USA |
| Date of birth |
August 17, 1970 (1970-08-17) (age 39) |
| Place of birth |
Sanford, Florida, USA |
| Height |
5 ft 10.75 in (1.80 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.
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 at the 1991 French Open when he defeated Stefan Edberg and Michael Stich to reach his first Grand Slam final. In the final, he defeated his former Bollettieri Academy-mate Andre Agassi in five sets to win his first Slam. He made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon before losing to eventual champion Stich. At the US Open, he defeated defending champion Pete Sampras in the quarterfinals and then Jimmy Connors in the semifinals before losing the final to Edberg.
1992 saw Courier defeat Edberg to win the Australian Open; he then followed this result by defeating future Grand Slam champions Thomas Muster, Goran Ivanisevic, Agassi and Petr Korda to successfully defend his French Open title. Courier also enjoyed a 25 match winning streak during the season. 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, and first American since John McEnroe; 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, defeating Edberg in the final for the second consecutive year. He reached his third consecutive French Open final, which he lost to Sergi Bruguera. He also reached the 1993 Wimbledon final, defeating Edberg in the semifinals, and lost to Sampras in four sets. Courier became the first player since Rod Laver to reach the finals of the Australian, French and Wimbledon in the same season; the feat was not matched until 2006 by Roger Federer. 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.
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.
Records
- These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
Major finals
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 7 finals (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)
| Outcome |
Year |
Championship |
Surface |
Opponent in the final |
Score in the final |
| Winner |
1991 |
French Open |
Clay |
Andre Agassi |
3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Runner-up |
1991 |
US Open |
Hard |
Stefan Edberg |
6–2, 6–4, 6–0 |
| Winner |
1992 |
Australian Open |
Hard |
Stefan Edberg |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner |
1992 |
French Open (2) |
Clay |
Petr Korda |
7–5, 6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner |
1993 |
Australian Open (2) |
Hard |
Stefan Edberg |
6–2, 6–1, 2–6, 7–5 |
| Runner-up |
1993 |
French Open |
Clay |
Sergi Bruguera |
6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up |
1993 |
Wimbledon |
Grass |
Pete Sampras |
7–6(3), 7–6(6), 3–6, 6–3 |
ATP Tour Championships finals
Singles: 2 finals (2 runner-ups)
Masters Series finals
Singles: 5 finals (5 titles)
| Outcome |
Year |
Championship |
Surface |
Opponent in the final |
Score in the final |
| Winner |
1991 |
Indian Wells |
Hard |
Guy Forget |
4–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(4) |
| Winner |
1991 |
Key Biscayne |
Hard |
David Wheaton |
4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner |
1992 |
Rome |
Clay |
Carlos Costa |
7–6(3), 6–0, 6–4 |
| Winner |
1993 |
Indian Wells (2) |
Hard |
Wayne Ferreira |
6–3, 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner |
1993 |
Rome (2) |
Clay |
Goran Ivanišević |
6–1, 6–2, 6–2 |
Career finals
Singles (36)
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) |
Stefan Edberg |
7–6(6), 3–6, 2–6, 6–0, 7–5 |
| 2. |
March 11, 1991 |
Indian Wells, USA |
Hard |
Guy Forget |
4–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(4) |
| 3. |
March 25, 1991 |
Key Biscayne, USA |
Hard |
David Wheaton |
4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 4. |
June 10, 1991 |
French Open, Paris, France |
Clay |
Andre Agassi |
3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 5. |
January 27, 1992 |
Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia |
Hard |
Stefan Edberg |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 6. |
April 13, 1992 |
Tokyo, Japan |
Hard |
Richard Krajicek |
6–4, 6–4, 7–6(3) |
| 7. |
April 20, 1992 |
Hong Kong, UK |
Hard |
Michael Chang |
7–5, 6–3 |
| 8. |
May 18, 1992 |
Rome, Italy |
Clay |
Carlos Costa |
7–6(3), 6–0, 6–4 |
| 9. |
June 8, 1992 |
French Open, Paris, France |
Clay |
Petr Korda |
7–5, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 10. |
February 1, 1993 |
Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia |
Hard |
Stefan Edberg |
6–2, 6–1, 2–6, 7–5 |
| 11. |
February 15, 1993 |
Memphis, USA |
Hard (i) |
Todd Martin |
5–7, 7–6(4), 7–6(4) |
| 12. |
March 8, 1993 |
Indian Wells, USA |
Hard |
Wayne Ferreira |
6–3, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 13. |
May 17, 1993 |
Rome, Italy |
Clay |
Goran Ivanišević |
6–1, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 14. |
August 23, 1993 |
Indianapolis, USA |
Hard |
Boris Becker |
7–5, 6–3 |
| 15. |
January 9, 1995 |
Adelaide, Australia |
Hard |
Arnaud Boetsch |
6–2, 7–5 |
| 16. |
March 6, 1995 |
Scottsdale, USA |
Hard |
Mark Philippoussis |
7–6(2), 6–4 |
| 17. |
April 17, 1995 |
Tokyo, Japan |
Hard |
Andre Agassi |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 18. |
October 2, 1995 |
Basel, Switzerland |
Hard (i) |
Jan Siemerink |
6–7(2), 7–6(5), 5–7, 6–2, 7–5 |
| 19. |
March 4, 1996 |
Philadelphia, USA |
Carpet |
Chris Woodruff |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 20. |
January 6, 1997 |
Qatar, Doha |
Hard |
Tim Henman |
7–5, 6–7(5), 6–2 |
| 21. |
July 28, 1997 |
Los Angeles, USA |
Hard |
Thomas Enqvist |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 22. |
October 6, 1997 |
Beijing, China |
Hard (i) |
Magnus Gustafsson |
7–6(10), 3–6, 6–3 |
| 23. |
April 27, 1998 |
Orlando, USA |
Clay |
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 |
Stefan Edberg |
6–2, 6–4, 6–0 |
| 2. |
November 18, 1991 |
ATP Championships, Frankfurt, Germany |
Carpet |
Pete Sampras |
3–6, 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–4 |
| 3. |
February 10, 1992 |
San Francisco, USA |
Hard (i) |
Michael Chang |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 4. |
February 17, 1992 |
Brussels, Belgium |
Carpet |
Boris Becker |
6–7(5), 2–6, 7–6(10), 7–6(5), 7–5 |
| 5. |
August 24, 1992 |
Indianapolis, USA |
Hard |
Pete Sampras |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 6. |
November 23, 1992 |
ATP Championships, Frankfurt, Germany |
Carpet |
Boris Becker |
6–4, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 7. |
April 19, 1993 |
Hong Kong, UK |
Hard |
Pete Sampras |
6–3, 6–7(1), 7–6(2) |
| 8. |
June 7, 1993 |
French Open, Paris, France |
Clay |
Sergi Bruguera |
6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 9. |
July 5, 1993 |
Wimbledon, London, UK |
Grass |
Pete Sampras |
7–6(3), 7–6(6), 3–6, 6–3 |
| 10. |
April 18, 1994 |
Nice, France |
Clay |
Alberto Berasategui |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 11. |
October 24, 1994 |
Lyon, France |
Carpet |
Marc Rosset |
6–4, 7–6(2) |
| 12. |
October 9, 1995 |
Toulouse, France |
Hard (i) |
Arnaud Boetsch |
6–4, 6–7(5), 6–0 |
| 13. |
February 26, 1999 |
Memphis, USA |
Hard (i) |
Tommy Haas |
6–4, 6–1 |
Men's doubles (11)
Wins (6)
| No. |
Date |
Tournament Name |
Tournament Location |
Surface |
Partnering |
Opponent in Final |
Score in Final |
| 1. |
May 22, 1989 |
Italian Open |
Rome |
Clay |
Pete Sampras |
Danilo Marcelino
Mauro Menezes |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 2. |
May 14, 1990 |
Masters Series Hamburg |
Hamburg, Germany |
Clay |
Sergi Bruguera |
Udo Riglewski
Michael Stich |
7–6, 6–2 |
| 3. |
March 11, 1991 |
Newsweek Champions Cup |
Indian Wells, California, U.S. |
Hard |
Javier Sánchez |
Guy Forget
Henri Leconte |
7–6, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 4. |
April 19, 1993 |
Canadian Open |
Montreal, Canada |
Hard |
Mark Knowles |
Glenn Michibata
David Pate |
6–4, 7–6 |
| 5. |
January 9, 1995 |
Australian Hardcourt Championships |
Adelaide, Australia |
Hard |
Patrick Rafter |
Byron Black
Grant Connell |
7–6, 6–4 |
| 6. |
April 26, 1999 |
U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships |
Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
Clay |
Todd Woodbridge |
Bob Bryan
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 |
Pete Sampras |
Rick Leach
Jim Pugh |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 2. |
May 21, 1990 |
Italian Open |
Rome |
Clay |
Martin Davis |
Sergio Casal
Emilio Sánchez |
7–6, 7–5 |
| 3. |
April 11, 1994 |
Open Seat |
Barcelona, Spain |
Clay |
Javier Sánchez |
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
David Rikl |
5–7, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 4. |
October 6, 1997 |
China Open |
Beijing, China |
Hard (i) |
Alex O'Brien |
Mahesh Bhupathi
Leander Paes |
7–5, 7–6 |
| 5. |
January 11, 1999 |
Australian Hardcourt Championships |
Adelaide, Australia |
Hard |
Patrick Galbraith |
Gustavo Kuerten
Nicolás Lapentti |
6–4, 6–4 |
Major tournament singles performance timeline
| Tournament |
1987 |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
Career SR |
| Australian Open |
A |
A |
A |
2R |
4R |
W |
W |
SF |
QF |
QF |
4R |
A |
3R |
1R |
2 / 10 |
| French Open |
A |
A |
4R |
4R |
W |
W |
F |
SF |
4R |
QF |
1R |
2R |
2R |
A |
2 / 11 |
| Wimbledon |
A |
A |
1R |
3R |
QF |
3R |
F |
2R |
2R |
1R |
1R |
1R |
4R |
A |
0 / 11 |
| U.S. Open |
A |
2R |
3R |
2R |
F |
SF |
4R |
2R |
SF |
A |
1R |
A |
1R |
A |
0 / 10 |
| Grand Slam SR |
0 / 0 |
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 |
A |
F |
F |
RR |
A |
RR |
A |
A |
A |
A |
A |
0 / 4 |
| Year End Ranking |
346 |
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
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.
References
- ^ David Wallechinsky and Jaime Louky, The Complete Book of the Olympics, 2008 edition. (London: Aurum, 2008), p. 1022.
External links