The Open Era
United States · born Long Beach, California, 1957 · right-handed · Wimbledon mixed doubles champion 1980 with his sister Tracy
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1980
Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Tracy Austin, unseeded
3
Match points saved in the 1980 final
1981
Wimbledon mixed doubles final with Tracy, as top seeds
No. 40
World singles ranking, August 1981
1978
NCAA doubles champion at UCLA
John Austin was born in Long Beach, California, on 31 July 1957, one of five children in a tennis family: his sisters Pam and Tracy and his brothers Jeff and Doug all played professionally. He played for UCLA, winning the NCAA team title in 1976 and the NCAA doubles in 1978.
On the ATP tour from 1978 to 1984 he reached No. 40 in singles in 1981 and No. 52 in doubles, beating, among others, John McEnroe, Yannick Noah and Andrés Gómez, and was three times a practice partner for the US Davis Cup team. His best results came with his younger sister Tracy: they won the Wimbledon mixed doubles in 1980 and reached the final again in 1981.
After playing he became a teaching professional and director of tennis at clubs in California, Arizona and New York, working with players including Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Alexandra Stevenson. In 2024 he became girls' tennis coach at Notre Dame Preparatory in Scottsdale, Arizona.
| Wimbledon mixed 1980 final | With Tracy Austin, unseeded, beat the sixth seeds Mark Edmondson and Dianne Fromholtz 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 on Centre Court, after saving three match points in the second set, one at 4-5 and two in the tie-break |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon mixed 1981 final | As top seeds with Tracy, lost to Frew McMillan and Betty Stöve 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 |
| Family record | The Austins are the first brother and sister to win a Wimbledon title together; Cyril Suk and Helena Suková (1996, 1997) and Wayne and Cara Black (2004) followed |
| Wimbledon singles | Second round in 1979 and 1980 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Mixed doubles | with Tracy Austin |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"I said, 'Listen, whatever happens, don't panic.' She looked at me and said that was the dumbest thing she ever heard, and we both started laughing."
The person behind the player.
Centre Court, 1980
A set down at a changeover in the final, he felt he had to say something wise to his sister. "I said, 'Listen, whatever happens, don't panic.' She looked at me and said that was the dumbest thing she ever heard, and we both started laughing." The Austins won the next two sets.
Source: Notre Dame Preparatory, August 2024Wimbledon, 1980
Looking back 44 years later, he said the pair had "escaped from several matches we had no business winning" on the way to the title. In the final itself they saved three match points before winning.
Source: Notre Dame Preparatory, August 2024; Wimbledon CompendiumSouthern California
Four of the five Austin children played at Wimbledon. Tracy, the youngest, was on the cover of World Tennis at four and won the US Open in 1979 and 1981.
Source: Tennisteacher.com; International Tennis Hall of FameScottsdale, 2024
Semi-retired, he took on his first school team at Notre Dame Prep in 2024: "I want the players to get bit by tennis and fall in love with the sport and play for the rest of their lives no matter what level they achieve."
Source: AZPreps365, April 2024Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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