Chris Lewis (tennis)

Chris Lewis

Country	New Zealand
Residence	Irvine, California, United States
Born	9 March 1957 (1957-03-09) (age 54) Auckland, New Zealand
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1]
Turned pro	1975
Retired	1986
Plays	Right-handed
Career prize money	US$647,550
Singles
Career record	242–204
Career titles	3 ATP titles
Highest ranking	No. 19 (16 April 1984)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	3R (1977), (1981)
French Open	3R (1977)
Wimbledon	F (1983)
US Open	3R (1982)
Doubles
Career record	183–161
Career titles	8[1]
Highest ranking	No. 46 (14 January 1985)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (1980)
French Open	QF (1982)
Wimbledon	QF (1981)
US Open	2R (1981)
Last updated on: 24 August 2009.

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.

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]

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).

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.

Career statistics

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

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals

Singles (1)

Runner-ups (1)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	1981	Cincinnati Masters	Hard	John McEnroe	6–3, 6–4

Singles: 10 (3–7)

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)

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

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Player Profile
2. ^ Joseph Romanos, Chris Lewis: All the Way to Wimbledon, Rugby Press Limites, Auckland, 1984, p. 43.

External links

• ATPtennis.com PlayerProfile of Lewis
• Tennis-Experts.com – About

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