Brian Teacher
Country (sports) | ![]() |
---|---|
Born | San Diego, California | December 23, 1954
Height | 6 ft 3 in (190 cm) |
Turned pro | 1973 |
Retired | 1986 |
Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
Prize money | $1,426,514 |
Singles | |
Career record | 335–235 |
Career titles | 8 |
Highest ranking | No. 7 (October 19, 1981) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | W (1980) |
French Open | 3R (1978) |
Wimbledon | QF (1982) |
US Open | 4R (1978, 1980) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 220–172 |
Career titles | 16 |
Highest ranking | No. 24 (August 9, 1983) |
Last updated on: August 21, 2012. |
Brian David Teacher (born December 23, 1954) is a 6'3" right-handed American former professional male tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking World No. 7 in 1981.
Teacher is best remembered for his singles championship at the Australian Open in 1980. He won the final over Kim Warwick of Australia in straight sets (7-5, 7-6, 6-2), becoming the first Jewish male to win a singles title in a Grand Slam event since the 1950s.
With his Grand Slam victory, Teacher is one of only five American players in the Open era to have won a single Grand Slam event (along with Chang, Gerulaitis, Roddick and Tanner). Seven more Americans have more than one Slam (Smith, Ashe, Courier, Connors, Agassi, McEnroe and Sampras).
Following his playing career, he became an ATP & WTA touring coach working with, among others, Andre Agassi and Greg Rusedski. Under his tutelage, Rusedski made a run from #85 in the world to the top ten and the U.S. Open finals. Teacher also coached world #1 doubles players Jim Grabb, Richey Renenberg, Daniel Nestor and Max Mirnyi. On the women's side, he coached WTA tour player Marissa Irvin.
He currently runs the Brian Teacher Tennis Academy in South Pasadena, CA.
Tennis career
Teacher learned both tennis and swimming at the age of five, but concentrated solely on tennis after ear and throat troubles caused him to give up swimming.
He won a CIF singles title in 1972 while at Crawford High School.[1]
In 1972, he won the boys' 18 singles and doubles titles.[2] The following year, Teacher enrolled at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) where he was an All-American from 1973–76, won the Pacific-8 singles and doubles championship in 1974, and was a member of UCLA's NCAA championship teams in 1975-76.
In 1976, just shy of graduating from UCLA with a degree in economics, Teacher turned professional.
In 1977, he won his first singles title and reached the finals in both the South Australian and New South Wales Opens.
In 1978, at the Seiko World Super Tennis Tournament in Tokyo, Teacher upset UCLA graduates Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe before losing in the final to Björn Borg 6–3, 6–4.
He won 8 career singles titles, and 16 doubles titles.
Style of play
He was a terrific player on faster surfaces, where he could use a serve-and-volley attack.
Halls of fame
Teacher was inducted in 2001 into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame,[3] in 2008 into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame,[4] and he is also a member of the NCAA Tennis Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Grand Slam singles final
Win (1)
Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
1980 | Australian Open | ![]() |
7–5, 7–6(4), 6–2 |
Singles finals (23)
Wins (8)
|
|
Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 1976 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | ![]() |
3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 1–6 |
Runner-up | 2. | 1977 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | ![]() |
1–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 1. | 1977 | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. | Carpet | ![]() |
6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 3. | 1977 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | ![]() |
3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 4. | 1978 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | ![]() |
3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 2. | 1978 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | ![]() |
6–3, 6–3, 6–3 |
Winner | 3. | 1979 | Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. | Grass | ![]() |
1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 5. | 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
3–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 6. | 1980 | Hong Kong | Hard | ![]() |
7–5, 6–7, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 7. | 1980 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | ![]() |
7–6, 3–6, 3–6, 6–7 |
Runner-up | 8. | 1980 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet | ![]() |
3–6, 5–7 |
Runner-up | 9. | 1980 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | ![]() |
3–6, 7–6, 6–7 |
Winner | 4. | 1980 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | ![]() |
7–5, 7–6, 6–2 |
Winner | 5. | 1981 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 10. | 1981 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | ![]() |
3–6, 6–7 |
Runner-up | 11. | 1982 | Maui, Hawaii, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
2–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 6. | 1982 | Dortmund WCT, Germany | Carpet | ![]() |
6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 7. | 1983 | Munich WCT, Germany | Carpet | ![]() |
1–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 |
Winner | 8. | 1983 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
7–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 12. | 1983 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
7–6, 1–6, 1–6 |
Runner-up | 13. | 1984 | Bristol, U.K. | Grass | ![]() |
7–6, 6–7, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 14. | 1984 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | ![]() |
4–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 15. | 1985 | Livingston, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
6–7, 4–6 |
Men's doubles finals (23)
Wins (16)
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 1. | 1976 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 1. | 1978 | Miami, U.S. | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–7, 3–6 |
Winner | 2. | 1978 | Manila, Philippines | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 2. | 1979 | Washington Indoor, U.S. | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–7 |
Runner-up | 3. | 1979 | Stuttgart Indoor, Germany | Hard (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 7–5, 6–7 |
Winner | 3. | 1980 | Washington-2, U.S. | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 4. | 1980 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 4. | 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–2, 6–4 |
Winner | 5. | 1980 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 6. | 1980 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–7, 7–5, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 5. | 1980 | Hong Kong | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
5–7, 2–6 |
Winner | 7. | 1980 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 6–0 |
Winner | 8. | 1980 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6, 7–6 |
Winner | 9. | 1981 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6, 6–2 |
Winner | 10. | 1981 | Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–5, 6–7, 7–5 |
Winner | 11. | 1981 | London/Queen's Club, U.K. | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 7–6, 11–9 |
Winner | 12. | 1981 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–1, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 6. | 1982 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
1–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 13. | 1982 | Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–1 |
Winner | 14. | 1982 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–7, 6–2, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 7. | 1983 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Carpet | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
2–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 15. | 1983 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–1, 4–6, 7–6 |
Winner | 16. | 1983 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–7, 7–6, 6–2 |
Miscellaneous
- After he retired he completed his undergraduate economics degree, and went on to business school at the University of Southern California.[6]
- He continued successfully as a coach, working with among others Greg Rusedski, Max Mirnyi, and doubles teams of Knowles/Nestor and Grabb/Reneberg.[6]
- He is married and has two children.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ San Diego District Tennis Association: Brian Teacher (1954- )
- ^ Dan Magill, Magill: Teacher joins Californian Hall contingent, Athens Banner-Herald, May 19, 2001.
- ^ ITA Men's Hall of Fame
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ a b http://www.sandiegotennis.com/HOF/2008/Brian%20Teacher%20bio.htm
External links
- 1954 births
- Living people
- American male tennis players
- Australian Open champions
- Jewish American sportspeople
- Jewish tennis players
- Sportspeople from Omaha, Nebraska
- Sportspeople from San Diego, California
- UCLA Bruins tennis players
- University of Southern California alumni
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles