Mark Cox (tennis)

Mark Cox
Country (sports) United Kingdom United Kingdom
Born (1943-07-05) 5 July 1943
Leicester, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Turned pro 1970 (amateur tour from 1962)
Retired 1981
Plays Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record 299–224 (Open era)
Career titles 8
Highest ranking No. 13 (23 August 1977)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open QF (1967, 1971)
French Open 3R (1968)
Wimbledon 4R (1968, 1977, 1979)
US Open QF (1966)
Other tournaments
WCT Finals QF (1975)
Doubles
Career record 142–157 (Open era)
Career titles 3 (Open era)
Team competitions
Davis Cup F (1969)

Mark Cox (born 5 July 1943) is a former tennis player from England, who played professional and amateur tennis in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He was ranked as high as World No. 13 on the ATP rankings (achieving that ranking in August 1977). Cox was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School in Leicester and Millfield School in Somerset.

Cox obtained an economics undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge (Downing College), where he was a member of the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club.

During his career, he won eight singles titles and three doubles titles, reached the quarterfinals at the US Nationals (in 1966), and the final at the event in Cincinnati (in 1977).[1] He also played on Great Britain's Davis Cup team, and was on the team that reached the 1978 final against the United States.[2] He has also gone down in tennis history as the first amateur player to beat a professional.[3] In May 1968, at the British Hard Court Championships at Bournemouth, he beat the American Pancho Gonzales in five sets in two and a quarter hours.[4] Cox also achieved big upset wins over No. 1 seed, Rod Laver, at the 1971 Australian Open,[5] and over No. 2 seed, Ken Rosewall, at the 1972 US Open.[6] Cox retired from playing in 1981. During his latter playing years and after his retirement, Cox has worked as a coach, and also as a television commentator for the BBC. He is also a Patron of a charity "CRY" (Cardiac Risk in the Young) and an Ambassador for the Win Tennis Academy at Bisham. He lives with his wife Susie in London.

Career finals

Singles (8 titles, 8 runner-ups)

Outcome No. Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1. 1969 Caracas, Venezuela Clay Brazil Thomaz Koch 6–8, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6
Runner-up 2. 1972 Louisville WCT, US Clay United States Arthur Ashe 4–6, 4–6
Winner 1. 1972 Cleveland WCT, US Hard Australia Ray Ruffels 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 3. 1973 London WCT, England Hard (i) New Zealand Brian Fairlie 6–2, 2–6, 2–6, 6–7
Winner 2. 1973 Denver WCT, US Carpet United States Arthur Ashe 6–1, 6–1
Winner 3. 1973 Eastbourne, England Grass France Patrice Dominguez 6–2, 2–6, 6–3
Runner-up 4. 1974 Bologna WCT, Italy Carpet United States Arthur Ashe 4–6, 5–7
Runner-up 5. 1974 London WCT, England Hard (i) Sweden Björn Borg 7–6, 6–7, 4–6
Winner 4. 1975 London WCT, England Carpet New Zealand Brian Fairlie 6–1, 7–5
Winner 5. 1975 Washington Indoor WCT, US Carpet United States Dick Stockton 6–2, 7–6
Winner 6. 1975 Atlanta WCT, US Carpet Australia John Alexander 6–3, 7–6
Winner 7. 1976 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Spain Manuel Orantes 4–6, 7–5, 7–6
Winner 8. 1977 Helsinki, Finland Carpet Sweden Kjell Johansson 6–3, 6–3
Runner-up 6. 1977 London/Queen's Club, England Grass Mexico Raúl Ramírez 7–9, 5–7
Runner-up 7. 1977 Cincinnati, US Clay United States Harold Solomon 2–6, 3–6
Runner-up 8. 1980 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Hard (i) Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd 1–6, 3–6, 7–5, 6–1, 4–6

Doubles (3 titles, 8 runner-ups)

Outcome No. Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up 1. 1973 Copenhagen WCT, Denmark Carpet United Kingdom Graham Stilwell United States Erik Van Dillen
United States Tom Gorman
4–6, 4–6
Winner 1. 1973 Cologne WCT, Germany Carpet United Kingdom Graham Stilwell Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen
7–6, 6–3
Winner 2. 1973 London, England Carpet Australia Owen Davidson United Kingdom Gerald Battrick
United Kingdom Graham Stilwell
6–4, 8–6
Runner-up 2. 1974 Denver WCT, US Carpet Japan Jun Kamiwazumi United States Arthur Ashe
United States Roscoe Tanner
3–6, 6–7
Runner-up 3. 1975 San Antonio WCT, US Hard South Africa Cliff Drysdale Australia John Alexander
Australia Phil Dent
6–7, 6–4, 4–6
Runner-up 4. 1975 Memphis, US Carpet South Africa Cliff Drysdale United States Erik Van Dillen
United States Dick Stockton
6–1, 5–7, 4–6
Runner-up 5. 1975 Atlanta WCT, US Carpet South Africa Cliff Drysdale India Anand Amritraj
India Vijay Amritraj
3–6, 2–6
Runner-up 6. 1975 World Doubles WCT, Mexico Carpet South Africa Cliff Drysdale United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez
6–7, 7–6, 2–6, 6–7
Runner-up 7. 1976 Washington WCT, US Carpet South Africa Cliff Drysdale United States Eddie Dibbs
United States Harold Solomon
4–6, 5–7
Runner-up 8. 1977 London WCT Hard (i) United States Eddie Dibbs Romania Ilie Năstase
Italy Adriano Panatta
6–7, 7–6, 3–6
Winner 3. 1977 Basel, Switzerland Carpet United Kingdom Buster Mottram United Kingdom John Feaver
Australia John James
7–5, 6–4, 6–3

References

  1. Lawrence Journal-World. "Sports Briefs". 19 July 1977, p. 11. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  2. Wilmington Morning Star. "Davis Cup players named". 17 November 1978, p. 3-C. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  3. Spartanburg Herald-Journal. "Mark Cox Is Tennis Champ". 3 May 1970, p. B4. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  4. Montreal Gazette. He followed this up for good measure by beating two times Wimbledon Champion Roy Emerson in the next round. "British Tennis Amateur Mark Cox Upsets U.S. Pro Pancho Gonzales". Associated Press, 25 April 1968, p. 14. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  5. Stone, Peter. "Laver leaves tired, beaten". The Age, 12 March 1971, p. 24. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  6. Times Daily (Florence, S.C.). "The 'Giant Killer': Mark Cox Upsets Rosewall In U.S. Open Tennis Play". Associated Press, 3 September 1972, p. 16. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.

External links

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