Jim Courier

James Spencer Courier, Jr. (b. August 17 1970 in Sanford, Florida) is a former World No. 1 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 in 1991 when he won the French Open singles title, defeating his former Bollettieri Academy-mate Andre Agassi in a memorable five-set final. 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 that year he became the tenth player to reach the World No. 1 ranking since the ranking system was implemented in 1973. He would finish 1992 as the World No. 1 ranked player. Courier was also a member of the US team which won the 1992 Davis Cup.

1993 saw Courier claim the Australian Open title again. He reached his third consecutive French Open final, which he lost to Sergi Bruguera, and also reached the 1993 Wimbledon final where he was defeated by Pete Sampras.

Courier would again be part of a US Davis Cup winning team in 1995.

Courier captured a total 23 singles titles and 6 doubles titles. He spent a total of 58 weeks ranked as the World No. 1 in 1992 and 1993. A consistent player on all surfaces, the right-handed Courier was known for brandishing brutal groundstrokes in defeating his opponents. His powerful and accurate forehand was one of the most feared shots on the tour during his time. Arguably the best player in the world between 1991-1993, Courier's game sharply declined thereafter, during what should have been his peak years.

Courier was the first tour player to regularly wear a baseball cap while on court. He was known as being a huge baseball fan, his favorite team having been the Cincinnati Reds.

Retirement

Courier retired from the professional tour in 2000. He was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island, in 2005.

Today, Courier serves as a tennis analyst for the USA Network and NBC Sports and as an assistant coach to Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe. He has been a Channel Seven commentator for the Australian Open since 2005. In 2006, his role expanded to presenting comedy and light entertainment sketches with fellow former tennis player and commentator John Alexander.

Grand Slam finals

Wins (4)

Andre Agassi || 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 Stefan Edberg ||6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Petr Korda ||7-5, 6-2, 6-1 Stefan Edberg || 6-2, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5

'''Year

'''Championship

'''Opponent in Final

'''Score in Final

Runner-ups (3)

Stefan Edberg||2-6, 4-6, 0-6 Sergi Bruguera|| 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6 Pete Sampras ||6-7, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6