The Open Era
Great Britain · born Leicester, 1943 · left-handed · first amateur to beat a professional in open tennis, and three times Eastbourne champion
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3
Eastbourne singles titles: 1963, 1968 and 1973
1968
First amateur to beat a professional in an open tournament, Pancho Gonzales at Bournemouth
£4
His expenses for reaching that Bournemouth semi-final
No. 12
Career-high ranking, 3 October 1977
14
Singles titles recognised by the ATP
Mark Cox was born in Leicester in 1943 and went to Wyggeston Grammar School and Millfield, then read economics at Downing College, Cambridge. A left-hander, he won his first Eastbourne title in 1963 and the New Zealand Championships in the 1966 to 1967 season, and on leaving Cambridge joined a stockbroking firm; he said he never really thought of tennis as a career.
In April 1968, at the first open tournament, the British Hard Court Championships in Bournemouth, the amateur Cox beat Pancho Gonzales and Roy Emerson before losing to Rod Laver in the semi-finals. He turned professional in 1970 and joined World Championship Tennis. He beat the top seed Rod Laver at the 1971 Australian Open and the second seed Ken Rosewall at the 1972 US Open, reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne twice and at Forest Hills once, and rose to No. 12 in 1977. He played Davis Cup for Great Britain, going 23-12 and reaching the 1978 final, and retired in 1981.
After his playing career he coached and worked as a BBC television commentator.
| Eastbourne | Won the South of England Championships at Devonshire Park three times: 1963, beating Warren Jacques 1-6, 7-5, 6-2; 1968, beating Owen Davidson 6-4, 6-4; and 1973, beating Patrice Dominguez 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, in the last edition of the event. Runner-up in 1962 to Roger Becker and in 1967 to Frew McMillan |
|---|---|
| Other grass titles | New Zealand Championships 1966 to 1967, where he also won the men's doubles with Graham Stilwell; Welsh Championships 1969, beating Stilwell 6-4, 6-4; Baltimore 1966 |
| Queen's 1977 | Reached the final at 33 and lost to Raúl RamÃrez 9-7, 7-5 |
| Wimbledon | Fourth round in 1968, 1977 and 1979. Doubles semi-final in 1977 with Cliff Drysdale, lost to Ross Case and Geoff Masters 6-1, 6-4, 6-1. In 1967 he and Roger Taylor lost a third-round doubles to Bill Bowrey and Owen Davidson 6-1, 6-2, 30-28, a 58-game third set |
| Eastbourne | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| 1968 | Men's singles†South of England Championships | |
| 1973 | Men's singles South of England Championships | |
| New Zealand Championships | ||
| 1967 | Men's singles | |
| Welsh Championships | ||
| 1969 | Men's singles†| |
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 just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
The person behind the player.
Bournemouth 1968
Cox lost the first set to Pancho Gonzales 6-0 and later admitted that a "love, love and love defeat crossed my mind". He won 0-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in about two and a quarter hours. Time magazine called him a giant killer.
Source: Time, May 1968Bournemouth 1968
As an amateur, Cox played Bournemouth for expenses and stayed at a nearby bed and breakfast. Reaching the semi-finals earned him £4; as a professional he would have made £250. "I was associated with a stockbroking firm and never really thought of tennis as a career," he said.
Source: ATP Tour, 2018Bournemouth 1968
The day after Gonzales, Cox beat Roy Emerson 6-0, 6-1, 7-5. Emerson led 4-1 in the third set and had a set point at 5-4, but Cox won 11 points in a row to break him. Laver then beat Cox 6-4, 6-1, 6-0: "Laver was a different league."
Source: ATP Tour, 2018Bournemouth 1968
Gonzales said afterwards: "Somebody had to be the first to lose, so it might as well be me."
Source: ATP Tour, 2018New Zealand 1967
At the New Zealand Championships of 1966 to 1967 Cox won the men's singles, the men's doubles with Graham Stilwell, and the mixed doubles.
Source: Tennis New Zealand, Roll of HonourFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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