Kevin Curren

Infobox Tennis player
playername = Kevin Curren


nickname =
country = flagicon|RSA|1928 South Africa
USA
residence = Austin, TX, USA
datebirth = birth date and age|df=yes|1958|3|2
placebirth = Durban, South Africa
height = height|m=1.85
weight = convert|77.1|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro = 1979
retired = 1993
plays = Right-handed
careerprizemoney = $3,055,510
singlesrecord = 338–235
singlestitles = 5
highestsinglesranking = No. 5 (22 July 1985)
AustralianOpenresult = F (1984)
FrenchOpenresult = 2R (1992)
Wimbledonresult = F (1985)
USOpenresult = 4R (1981, 1990)
doublesrecord = 430–249
doublestitles = 26
highestdoublesranking = No. 3 (3 January 1983)
updated = 5 April 2008

Kevin Melvyn Curren (born 2 March 1958 in Durban, South Africa) is a former professional tennis player. Tall and lanky with a hard, flat serve, Curren played in two Grand Slam singles finals (both on grass courts, his preferred surface), and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.

Personal

Curren became a naturalized American citizen in April 1985. [ [http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/player.asp?player=10000310 ITF Tennis - Mens Circuit - Player Biography] ]

Career

Curren played college tennis for the University of Texas at Austin in the United States and won the NCAA singles title in 1979. He turned professional later that year, and won his first top-level singles title in 1981 in Johannesburg.

In 1983, Curren reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, losing to unseeded New Zealander Chris Lewis in a dramatic five-set match 6–7, 6–4, 7–6, 6–7, 8–6, that was noteworthy for allowing Lewis to become only the seventh unseeded player to ever reach the Wimbledon final.

In 1984, Curren powered his way through the draw and played Mats Wilander in the final of the Australian Open, after making a comeback from two sets down to defeat Ben Testerman in the semi-finals. Wilander won the match, played on the grass courts at Kooyong, in four sets 6–7, 6–4, 7–6, 6–2.

In 1985, Curren reached the final at Wimbledon. En route to the final, he comprehensively defeated future champion Stefan Edberg in the fourth round 7–6, 6–3, 7-6; the then-World No. 1 John McEnroe in the quarter-finals 6–2, 6–2, 6-4; and World No. 3 Jimmy Connors in the semi-finals 6–2, 6–2, 6–1. He became the only player ever to defeat both McEnroe and Connors in the same Grand Slam tennis tournament. In the final he lost in four sets to Boris Becker 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 in a match best remembered for making the 17 year-old Becker the youngest-ever male Grand Slam champion (a record which would later be eclipsed by Michael Chang in 1989 at the French Open). The final was very heated and intense, and Becker sent several hostile glares to Curren before and after points. On one of the final change-overs, Becker even bumped Curren's shoulder as they passed one another. After his defeat, Curren was noted as saying that he thought the game would see an increase in the number of successful young players, and predicted they would have more intense, but shorter, careers. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/7/newsid_4493000/4493643.stm]

In another notable match, Curren would also reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1990, falling to a then-relatively unknown Goran Ivanišević in five sets 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–3.

Though he never won a Grand Slam singles title, Curren did win four Grand Slam doubles titles. In 1981 he won the US Open mixed doubles, and in 1982 he won the Wimbledon mixed doubles, and both men's doubles and mixed doubles at the US Open.

During his career, Curren won 5 top-level singles titles and 26 doubles titles. His career-high rankings were World No. 5 in singles and World No. 3 in doubles. His career prize-money earnings totalled US$3,055,510. His final career singles title came in 1989 at Frankfurt, and his last doubles title was won in 1992 in Seoul. Curren retired from the professional tour in 1993.

Since retiring from the tour, Curren has served as Captain of South Africa's Davis Cup team.

Grand Slam singles finals

Runner-ups (2)

Doubles titles (26)

Runner-ups (27)

References

External links

* [http://www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/default2.asp?playernumber=C057 Official ATP Profile]
* [http://www.tenniscorner.net/index.php?corner=M&action=players&playerid=CUK001 tenniscorner.net profile]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/tennis-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=511 sporting-heroes.net profile of Curren's 1984 Australian Open finals appearance]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/tennis-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=512 sporting-heroes.net' profile of Curren's 1985 Wimbledon finals appearance]