The Open Era
United States · born Durban, South Africa, 1958 · Wimbledon singles finalist 1985 and mixed doubles champion 1982
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1985
Wimbledon singles finalist, beating Stefan Edberg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors on the way
6-2, 6-2, 6-1
His semi-final win over Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in 1985
33
Aces against Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in 1983
31-13
Wimbledon singles record, 1980 to 1992
4
Wimbledon 45 and over invitation doubles titles with Johan Kriek, 2003 to 2006
Born in Durban in 1958, Curren won the South African junior championship in 1976 and went to the University of Texas on the recommendation of Cliff Drysdale. He won the NCAA singles title in 1979 without losing a set, was a three-time All-American and turned professional that year. He became a United States citizen in 1985.
His serve, hard to read for its speed, kick and disguise, was among the best of his time. He reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1983, the Australian Open final in 1984, losing to Mats Wilander, and the Wimbledon final in 1985. He reached No. 5 in singles in 1985 and No. 2 in doubles in 1983, won five singles titles, the last at Frankfurt in 1989, and 26 doubles titles, among them the 1982 US Open men's doubles with his Texas team-mate Steve Denton and three major mixed titles.
After retiring he briefly captained South Africa's Davis Cup team. He went on playing at Wimbledon in the invitation events into his late forties.
| Wimbledon 1983 | As 12th seed beat Jimmy Connors 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in the fourth round and Tim Mayotte in the quarter-finals, then lost the semi-final to the unseeded Chris Lewis 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 8-6 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon 1985 | Eighth seed: beat Stefan Edberg 7-6, 6-3, 7-6, John McEnroe 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 and Jimmy Connors 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, then lost the final to the unseeded Boris Becker 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 |
| Mixed doubles 1982 | With Anne Smith, seeded fourth, beat John Lloyd and Wendy Turnbull 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a final played on No. 3 Court |
| Wimbledon 1990 | Reached the quarter-finals at 32 and lost to Goran Ivanišević 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 |
| Invitation events | With Johan Kriek won the 45 and over gentlemen's invitation doubles four years running, 2003 to 2006, and lost invitation finals in 1997 and 2007 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Mixed doubles | with Anne Smith |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1986 | Men's doubles | with Guy Forget |
| 1990 | Men's doubles | with Jeremy Bates |
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
"the most memorable, but also most disappointing day of my tennis career"
The person behind the player.
Austin, Texas
Curren went to the University of Texas on Cliff Drysdale's recommendation. In 1979 he won the NCAA singles title without dropping a set in six matches; the university put him in its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
Source: ATP Tour; University of Texas AthleticsWimbledon 1983
Against Jimmy Connors in the fourth round in 1983 he served 33 aces. The win took him into the top ten for the first time.
Source: ATP Tour player biographyWimbledon 1985
In the final he dropped serve three times to Becker's once. In the fourth set he had two early break points, and Becker saved both with serves Curren could not return; Becker broke for 5-4 and served it out. Thirty years later Curren said the defeat still rankled.
Source: Tennis.com; News24, 2015After tennis
His hobbies on tour were photography and wildlife safaris. In 2015 he said he had no plans to coach and was a keen golfer, organising golf tournaments alongside other business interests.
Source: ATP Tour; News24, 2015Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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