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Jim Courier (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.
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.
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.
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.
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