View source for Kevin Curren

{{short description|South African tennis player}}
{{About|the former tennis player|similarly named people|Kevin Curran (disambiguation)}}
{{Use South African English|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}

{{Infobox tennis biography
| name                  = Kevin Curren
| image                 = Kevin Curren (1982).jpg
| caption               = Curren in 1982
| country               = {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[South Africa]]<br/> {{USA}} (1985-)
| residence             = [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], Texas
| birth_date            = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1958|3|2}}
| birth_place           = [[Durban]], [[Natal (province)|Natal]], South Africa
| height                = {{height|m=1.85}}
| turnedpro             = 1979
| retired               = 1993
| plays                 = Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
| careerprizemoney      = $3,055,510
| singlesrecord         = 339–234 
| singlestitles         = 5
| highestsinglesranking = No. 5 (22 July 1985)
| AustralianOpenresult  = F ([[1984 Australian Open – Men's singles|1984]])
| FrenchOpenresult      = 2R ([[1992 French Open – Men's singles|1992]])
| Wimbledonresult       = F ([[1985 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1985]])
| USOpenresult          = 4R ([[1981 US Open – Men's singles|1981]], [[1990 US Open – Men's singles|1990]])
| Othertournaments      = yes
| WCTFinalsresult       = SF ([[1984 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles|1984]])
| doublesrecord         = 430–249 
| doublestitles         = 26
| highestdoublesranking = No. 3 (3 January 1983)
| AustralianOpenDoublesresult = SF (1981)
| FrenchOpenDoublesresult = QF (1984)
| WimbledonDoublesresult = SF (1982, 1983)
| USOpenDoublesresult   = '''W''' (1982)
| Mixed                 = yes
| mixedtitles           = 3
| mixedrecord           = 
| WimbledonMixedresult  = '''W''' (1982)
| USOpenMixedresult     = '''W''' (1981, 1982)
}}

'''Kevin Melvyn Curren''' (born 2 March 1958) is a South African former professional [[tennis]] player. He played in two [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles, reaching a career-high singles ranking of world No. 5 in July 1985. During his career he won 5 singles and 16 doubles titles.

==Personal life==
Curren was born in South Africa, and he became a naturalized American citizen in April 1985.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10000310 |title=ITF Tennis – Mens Circuit – Player Biography |access-date=18 August 2012 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125010641/https://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10000310 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Tennis career==
{{BLP sources|date=October 2008}}
Curren played both tennis and cricket at [[Glenwood High School (Durban)|Glenwood High School]] in Durban. He also quickly rose among the ranks as a junior at Montclair Lawn Tennis Club in Montclair, Durban. At college he played tennis for the [[University of Texas at Austin]] in the United States and won the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] singles title in 1979. He turned professional later that year, and won his first top-level singles title in 1981 in Johannesburg.

In 1983, Curren reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]], beating defending champion, [[Jimmy Connors]] in the fourth round, snapping Connors' streak of 27 consecutive major quarterfinals appearances. It went on to be his only 4th round loss in 35 Grand Slam tournaments appearances. Curren lost to unseeded New Zealander [[Chris Lewis (tennis player)|Chris Lewis]] in a five-set semifinal match which allowed Lewis to become only the seventh unseeded player to reach the Wimbledon final. In 1984, Curren  played [[Mats Wilander]] in the final of the [[Australian Open]], after making a comeback from two sets down to defeat [[Ben Testerman]] in the semifinals. Wilander won the match, played on the grass courts at [[Kooyong Stadium|Kooyong]], in four sets.

In 1985, after becoming an American citizen, Curren reached the final at Wimbledon with the help of coaching from [[Tony Roche]]. After defeating [[Larry Stefanki]], [[Mike De Palmer]], [[David Mustard (tennis)|David Mustard]] and then future champion [[Stefan Edberg]] in the fourth round in straight sets, he eliminated the then-world No. 1, [[John McEnroe]], in the quarterfinals, and world No. 3 [[Jimmy Connors]], in the semifinals. Curren was the first player to beat both American players in the same Grand Slam event. McEnroe commented that he felt overpowered<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-04-sp-9221-story.html "McEnroe Gets What He Had Coming: a Loss"], ''Los Angeles Times'', 4 July 1985.</ref> and later that he had difficulty in dealing with Curren's highly individualistic and very fast serving{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}, which, in its low toss, was hard to read and tended to produce low balls that skipped on the grass courts of the time. In the final, he lost in four sets to [[Boris Becker]], in a match best remembered for making the 17-year-old Becker the youngest male Grand Slam champion (a record which was later eclipsed by [[Michael Chang]] in 1989 at the [[French Open]]). The final was intense, and Becker sent several hostile glares to Curren before and after points. On one of the final change-overs, Becker bumped Curren's shoulder as they passed one another.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Robert Armstrong |title=Boris Becker wins Wimbledon - archive, 1985 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/08/boris-becker-wins-wimbledon-archive-1985 |work=The Guardian |date=8 July 2020}}</ref> After his defeat, Curren was noted as saying that he thought the game would see an increase in the number of successful young players and predicted that they would have more intense, but shorter careers.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/7/newsid_4493000/4493643.stm | title =1985: Boris Becker wins Wimbledon at 17 |publisher = BBC|access-date = 18 October 2008 | date=7 July 1985}}</ref> Curren was the last American man to reach the final at Wimbledon until [[Andre Agassi]] did so seven years later in 1992.

Though he never won a Grand Slam singles title, Curren did win four Grand Slam doubles titles. In 1981, he won the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] mixed doubles, and in 1982 he won the Wimbledon mixed doubles and both men's doubles and mixed doubles at the US Open. During his career, Curren won five top-level singles titles and 26 doubles titles. His career-high rankings were world No. 5 in singles and world No. 3 in doubles. His final career singles title came in 1989 at [[Frankfurt Cup|Frankfurt]], and his last doubles title was won in 1992 in [[ATP Seoul|Seoul]]. Curren retired from the professional tour in 1993.

Since retiring from the tour, Curren has served as captain of the [[South Africa Davis Cup team]].

==Grand Slam finals==
===Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
!style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:30px"|Year
!style="width:130px"|Championship
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:130px"|Opponent
!style="width:190px" class="unsortable"|Score
|- style="background:#ffc;"
|style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss ||[[1984 Australian Open – Men's singles|1984]] || [[Australian Open]] || Grass ||{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Mats Wilander]] || 7–6<sup>(7–5)</sup>, 4–6, 6–7<sup>(3–7)</sup>, 2–6
|-style="background:#cfc;"
|style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss ||[[1985 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1985]] || [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] || Grass ||{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Boris Becker]] || 3–6, 7–6<sup>(7–4)</sup>, 6–7<sup>(3–7)</sup>, 4–6
|}

===Doubles: 1 (1 title)===
{|class="sortable wikitable"
!style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:30px"|Year
!style="width:130px"|Championship
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:130px"|Partner
!style="width:130px"|Opponents
!style="width:190px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| [[1982 US Open – Men's doubles|1982]]
| [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Denton]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Victor Amaya]] <br /> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Hank Pfister]] 
| 6–2, 6–7<sup>(4–7)</sup>, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
|}

===Mixed doubles: 3 (3 titles)===
{|class="sortable wikitable"
!style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:30px"|Year
!style="width:130px"|Championship
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:130px"|Partner
!style="width:130px"|Opponents
!style="width:190px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| [[1981 US Open – Mixed doubles|1981]]
| [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Anne Smith (tennis)|Anne Smith]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[JoAnne Russell]] <br /> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Denton]] 
| 6–4, 7–6
|-style="background:#cfc;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| [[1982 Wimbledon Championships – Mixed doubles|1982]]
| [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]]
| Grass
| {{flagicon|USA}} Anne Smith
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Wendy Turnbull]] <br /> {{flagicon|GBR}} [[John Lloyd (tennis)|John Lloyd]]  
| 2–6, 6–3, 7–5
|-style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| [[1982 US Open – Mixed doubles|1982]]
| US Open
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} Anne Smith
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Barbara Potter]] <br /> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Ferdi Taygan]] 
| 6–7, 7–6<sup>(7–4)</sup>, 7–6<sup>(7–5)</sup>
|}

==ATP career finals==
===Singles: 13 (5 titles, 8 runner-ups)===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
!style="width:45px"|Result
!style="width:35px" class="unsortable"|W/L 
!style="width:50px"|Date
!style="width:200px"|Tournament
!style="width:55px"|Surface
!style="width:170px"|Opponent
!style="width:180px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 1–0
| Apr 1981
| [[Johannesburg Grand Prix (autumn)|Johannesburg]], South Africa
| Hard
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Bernard Mitton]]
| 6–4, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 1–1
| Sep 1982
| Los Angeles-2 WCT, U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Ivan Lendl]]
| 6–7<sup>(5–7)</sup>, 5–7, 1–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 1–2
| Oct 1982
| Amsterdam WCT, Netherlands
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wojtek Fibak]]
| 5–7, 6–3, 4–6, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 2–2
| Nov 1982
| [[Cologne Grand Prix|Cologne]], West Germany
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|ISR}} [[Shlomo Glickstein]]
| 2–6, 6–2, 6–3
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 2–3
| Mar 1983
| [[Internazionali di Lombardia|Milan]], Italy
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|TCH}} Ivan Lendl
| 7–5, 3–6, 6–7<sup>(4–7)</sup>
|- bgcolor="#f3e6d7"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 2–4
| Dec 1984
| [[Australian Open]], Melbourne
| Grass
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Mats Wilander]]
| 7–6<sup>(7–5)</sup>, 4–6, 6–7<sup>(3–7)</sup>, 2–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 3–4
| Feb 1985
| [[Toronto Indoor|Toronto]], Canada
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Anders Järryd]]
| 7–6<sup>(8–6)</sup>, 6–3
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 3–5
| Mar 1985
| [[River Oaks International Tennis Tournament|Houston WCT]], U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[John McEnroe]]
| 5–7, 1–6, 6–7<sup>(4–7)</sup>
|- bgcolor="#f3e6d7"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 3–6
| Jul 1985
| [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]], U.K.
| Grass
| {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Boris Becker]]
| 3–6, 7–6<sup>(7–4)</sup>, 6–7<sup>(3–7)</sup>, 4–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 4–6
| Apr 1986
| [[Atlanta WCT|Atlanta]], U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tim Wilkison]]
| 7–6<sup>(7–5)</sup>, 7–6<sup>(7–2)</sup>
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 4–7
| Oct 1986
| [[WCT Scottsdale Open|Scottsdale]], U.S.
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe
| 3–6, 6–3, 2–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 4–8
| Aug 1988
| [[Canadian Open (tennis)|Toronto]], Canada
| Hard
| {{flagicon|TCH}} Ivan Lendl
| 6–7<sup>(10–12)</sup>, 2–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 5–8
| Oct 1989
| [[Frankfurt Cup|Frankfurt]], West Germany
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Petr Korda]]
| 6–2, 7–5
|}

===Doubles: 53 (26 titles, 27 runner-ups)===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
!style="width:45px"|Result
!style="width:30px" class="unsortable"|No.
!style="width:50px"|Date
!style="width:200px"|Tournament
!style="width:55px"|Surface
!style="width:170px"|Partner
!style="width:170px"|Opponents
!style="width:160px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 1.
| 1980
| [[ATP Denver|Denver]], U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Denton]]
| {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wojtek Fibak]] <br/> {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Heinz Günthardt]]
| 7–5, 6–2
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 1.
| 1980
| Washington D.C., U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Ferdi Taygan]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Brian Teacher]]
| 6–4, 3–6, 6–7
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 2.
| 1980
| [[ATP Stratton Mountain|North Conway]], U.S.
| Clay
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jimmy Connors]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Brian Gottfried]]
| 6–7, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 2.
| 1980
| [[ATP Houston|Indianapolis]], U.S.
| Clay
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|POL}} Wojtek Fibak <br/> {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Ivan Lendl]]
| 3–6, 7–6, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 3.
| 1980
| [[Davidoff Swiss Indoors|Basel]], Switzerland
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Bob Hewitt]] <br/> {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Frew McMillan]]
| 6–7, 6–4, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 4.
| 1981
| [[Monterrey WCT]], Mexico
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Johan Kriek]] <br/> {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Russell Simpson (tennis)|Russell Simpson]]
| 7–6, 6–3
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 3.
| 1981
| [[Donnay Indoor Championships|Brussels]], Belgium
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sandy Mayer]] <br/> {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} Frew McMillan
| 6–4, 3–6, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 4.
| 1981
| [[Queen's Club Championships|Queen's Club]], U.K.
| Grass
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Pat DuPré]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Brian Teacher
| 6–3, 6–7, 9–11
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 5.
| 1981
| [[Campbell's Hall of Fame Championships|Newport]], U.S.
| Grass
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Martin (tennis)|Billy Martin]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Brad Drewett]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Erik van Dillen]]
| 2–6, 4–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 5.
| 1981
| Indianapolis, U.S.
| Clay
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Raúl Ramírez]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Van Winitsky]]
| 6–3, 5–7, 7–5
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 6.
| 1981
| [[Stockholm Open|Stockholm]], Sweden
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sherwood Stewart]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Ferdi Taygan
| 6–7, 6–4, 6–0
|- style="background:#ffffcc;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 6.
| 1982
| [[Masters Doubles WCT]], London
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Heinz Günthardt <br/> {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Balázs Taróczy]]
| 7–6, 3–6, 5–7, 4–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 7.
| 1982
| Denver, U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Phil Dent]] <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Kim Warwick]]
| 6–4, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 8.
| 1982
| [[ATP Memphis|Memphis]], U.S.
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Peter Fleming (tennis)|Peter Fleming]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[John McEnroe]]
| 7–6, 4–6, 6–2
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 7.
| 1982
| [[Munich WCT]], West Germany
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mark Edmondson]] <br/> {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Tomáš Šmíd]]
| 6–4, 5–7, 2–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 8.
| 1982
| [[ATP Rotterdam|Rotterdam]], Netherlands
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Fritz Buehning]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} Mark Edmondson <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Sherwood Stewart
| 5–7, 2–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 9.
| 1982
| [[River Oaks International Tennis Tournament|Houston]], U.S.
| Clay
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|AUS}} Mark Edmondson <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Peter McNamara]]
| 7–5, 6–4
|- style="background:#f3e6d7;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 10.
| 1982
| [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]], New York
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Victor Amaya]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Hank Pfister]]
| 6–2, 6–7, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 11.
| 1982
| Los Angeles-2 WCT, U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Hank Pfister
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Andy Andrews (tennis)|Andy Andrews]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Drew Gitlin]]
| 4–6, 6–2, 7–5
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 9.
| 1982
| Amsterdam WCT, Netherlands
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Buster Mottram]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} Fritz Buehning <br/> {{flagicon|TCH}} Tomáš Šmíd
| 6–4, 3–6, 0–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 12.
| 1983
| [[U.S. Pro Indoor|Philadelphia]], U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} Peter Fleming <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe
| 6–4, 7–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 13.
| 1983
| Munich WCT, West Germany
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Heinz Günthardt <br/> {{flagicon|HUN}} Balázs Taróczy
| 7–5, 2–6, 6–1
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 14.
| 1983
| Houston WCT, U.S.
| Clay
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Dickson (tennis)|Mark Dickson]] <br/> {{flagicon|TCH}} Tomáš Šmíd
| 7–6, 6–7, 6–1
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 15.
| 1983
| [[Alan King Tennis Classic|Las Vegas]], U.S.
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tracy Delatte]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johan Kriek]]
| 6–3, 7–5
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 10.
| 1983
| [[ATP Forest Hills|Forest Hills WCT]], U.S.
| Clay
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} Tracy Delatte <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Johan Kriek
| 7–6, 5–7, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 11.
| 1983
| Queen's Club, U.K.
| Grass
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} Brian Gottfried <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} Paul McNamee
| 4–6, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 12.
| 1984
| [[Richmond WCT]], U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Patrick McEnroe]]
| 6–7, 2–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 13.
| 1984
| Brussels, Belgium
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tim Gullikson]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Gullikson]]
| 4–6, 7–6, 6–7
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 16.
| 1984
| Rotterdam, Netherlands
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|POL}} Wojtek Fibak
| {{flagicon|USA}} Fritz Buehning <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Ferdi Taygan
| 6–4, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 14.
| 1984
| [[Internazionali di Lombardia|Milan]], Italy
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Pavel Složil]] <br/> {{flagicon|TCH}} Tomáš Šmíd
| 4–6, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 15.
| 1985
| Memphis, U.S.
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Denton
| {{flagicon|TCH}} Pavel Složil <br/> {{flagicon|TCH}} Tomáš Šmíd
| 6–1, 3–6, 4–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 16.
| 1985
| Brussels, Belgium
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|POL}} Wojtek Fibak
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Stefan Edberg]] <br/> {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Anders Järryd]]
| 3–6, 6–7
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 17.
| 1986
| Queen's Club, U.K.
| Grass
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Guy Forget]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Darren Cahill]] <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mark Kratzmann]]
| 6–2, 7–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 18.
| 1987
| [[Japan Open Tennis Championships|Tokyo Outdoor]], Japan
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Paul Annacone]]
| {{flagicon|ECU}} [[Andrés Gómez]] <br/> {{flagicon|SWE}} Anders Järryd
| 6–4, 7–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 19.
| 1987
| [[Countrywide Classic|Los Angeles]], U.S.
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[David Pate]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Brad Gilbert]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tim Wilkison]]
| 6–3, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 20.
| 1987
| Johannesburg, South Africa
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} David Pate
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eric Korita]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Brad Pearce (tennis)|Brad Pearce]]
| 6–4, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 21.
| 1988
| Memphis, U.S.
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} David Pate
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Peter Lundgren]] <br/> {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Mikael Pernfors]]
| 6–2, 6–2
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 17.
| 1988
| Philadelphia, U.S.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Danie Visser]]
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Kelly Evernden]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Johan Kriek
| 6–7, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 18.
| 1988
| [[BA-CA TennisTrophy|Vienna]], Austria
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|TCH}} Tomáš Šmíd
| {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Alex Antonitsch]] <br/> {{flagicon|HUN}} Balázs Taróczy
| 6–4, 3–6, 6–7
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 22.
| 1988
| Stockholm, Sweden
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jim Grabb]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} Paul Annacone <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[John Fitzgerald (tennis)|John Fitzgerald]]
| 7–5, 7–5
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 23.
| 1988
| Johannesburg, South Africa
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} David Pate
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Gary Muller]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Tim Wilkison
| 7–6, 6–4
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 19.
| 1989
| [[Indian Wells Masters|Indian Wells]], U.S.
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} David Pate
| {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Boris Becker]] <br/> {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Jakob Hlasek]]
| 6–3, 3–6, 4–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 20.
| 1989
| Tokyo Outdoor, Japan
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} David Pate
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Ken Flach]] <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robert Seguso]]
| 4–6, 4–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 24.
| 1989
| [[ATP Tokyo Indoor|Tokyo Indoor]], Japan
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} David Pate
| {{flagicon|ECU}} Andrés Gómez <br/> {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Slobodan Živojinović]]
| 4–6, 6–3, 7–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 21.
| 1989
| [[Frankfurt Cup|Frankfurt]], West Germany
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Eric Jelen]]
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Pieter Aldrich]] <br/> {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} Danie Visser
| 6–7, 7–6, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 22.
| 1989
| [[Wembley Championship|Wembley]], U.K.
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jeremy Bates (tennis player)|Jeremy Bates]]
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Jakob Hlasek <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe
| 1–6, 6–7
|- style="background:#d4f1c5;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 23.
| 1990
| [[Toronto Indoor]], Canada
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Neil Broad]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Patrick Galbraith]] <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[David Macpherson (tennis)|David Macpherson]]
| 6–2, 4–6, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 24.
| 1990
| [[ATP Hong Kong|Hong Kong]], UK
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Joey Rive]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Pat Cash]] <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Wally Masur]]
| 3–6, 3–6
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 25.
| 1990
| Queen's Club, U.K.
| Grass
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Jeremy Bates
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Henri Leconte]] <br/> {{flagicon|TCH}} Ivan Lendl
| 6–2, 7–6
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 25.
| 1990
| [[Berlin Open|West Berlin]], West Germany
| Carpet (i)
| {{flagicon|USA}} Patrick Galbraith
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} Pieter Aldrich <br/> {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} Danie Visser
| 6–7, 6–7
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 26.
| 1991
| [[Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon|Lyon]], France
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Jeremy Bates
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve DeVries]] <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} David Macpherson
| 6–7, 6–3, 3–6
|- style="background:#d4f1c5;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 27.
| 1992
| Memphis, U.S.
| Hard (i)
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Gary Muller]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Todd Woodbridge]] <br/> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mark Woodforde]]
| 5–7, 6–4, 6–7
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 26.
| 1992
| [[ATP Seoul|Seoul]], South Korea
| Hard
| {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Gary Muller]]
| {{flagicon|NZL}} Kelly Evernden <br/> {{flagicon|USA}} Brad Pearce
| 7–6, 6–4
|}

==Grand Slam singles performance timeline==
{{Performance key|short=yes|active=no}}
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|-
||
| colspan="7" |South Africa 
| colspan="8" |United States 
| colspan="2" |
|-
!Tournament!![[1978 Grand Prix (tennis)|1978]]!![[1979 Grand Prix (tennis)|1979]]!![[1980 Grand Prix (tennis)|1980]]!![[1981 Grand Prix (tennis)|1981]]!![[1982 Grand Prix (tennis)|1982]]!![[1983 Grand Prix (tennis)|1983]]!![[1984 Grand Prix (tennis)|1984]]!![[1985 Grand Prix (tennis)|1985]]!![[1986 Grand Prix (tennis)|1986]]!![[1987 Grand Prix (tennis)|1987]]!![[1988 Grand Prix (tennis)|1988]]!![[1989 Grand Prix (tennis)|1989]]!![[1990 ATP Tour|1990]]!![[1991 ATP Tour|1991]]!![[1992 ATP Tour|1992]]!!SR!!W–L
|-
|align=left|[[Australian Open]]
|A
|A
|A
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1981 Australian Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|A
|A
|bgcolor=thistle|[[1984 Australian Open – Men's singles|F]]
|A
|NH
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1987 Australian Open – Men's singles|3R]]
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|0 / 3
|9–3
|-
|align=left|[[French Open]]
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|A
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1992 French Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|0 / 1
|1–1
|-
|align=left|[[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]]
|A
|A
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1980 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|4R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1981 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1982 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|3R]]
|bgcolor=yellow|[[1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|SF]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1984 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|4R]]
|bgcolor=thistle|[[1985 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|F]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1986 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1987 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1988 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1989 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|3R]]
|bgcolor=ffebcd|[[1990 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|QF]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1991 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1992 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1R]]
|0 / 13
|28–13
|-
|align=left|[[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1978 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1979 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|A
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1981 US Open – Men's singles|4R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1982 US Open – Men's singles|1R]]
|A
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1984 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1985 US Open – Men's singles|1R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1986 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|A
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1988 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|A
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1990 US Open – Men's singles|4R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1991 US Open – Men's singles|2R]]
|bgcolor=afeeee|[[1992 US Open – Men's singles|1R]]
|0 / 11
|12–11
|-
!style=text-align:left|Win–loss
!1–1
!1–1
!3–1
!5–3
!2–2
!5–1
!10–3
!6–2
!1–2
!3–2
!1–2
!2–1
!7–2
!2–2
!1–3
!0 / 28
!50–28
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{ATP}}
* {{ITF}}

{{US Open men's doubles champions}}
{{Wimbledon mixed doubles champions}}
{{US Open mixed doubles champions}}
{{NCAA Division I tennis men's singles champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curren, Kevin}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male tennis players]]
[[Category:South African people of British descent]]
[[Category:Tennis players from Durban]]
[[Category:South African emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:South African male tennis players]]
[[Category:Tennis players from Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Texas Longhorns men's tennis players]]
[[Category:South African expatriate tennis players in the United States]]
[[Category:US Open (tennis) champions]]
[[Category:Wimbledon champions]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles]]
[[Category:Alumni of Glenwood High School (Durban)]]