Brian David Teacher (born December 23, 1954) is an American former professional tennis player. He reached career-high rankings of world No. 7 in singles and world No. 5 in doubles, both in 1981. Teacher is best remembered for being a major singles champion, triumphing at the 1980 Australian Open. He won eight career singles titles and 16 doubles titles.
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | December 23, 1954 San Diego, California |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Turned pro | 1973 |
| Retired | 1986 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,426,514 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 333–236 |
| Career titles | 8 |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (October 5, 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) |
Following his playing career, he became a touring coach on both the ATP Tour and WTA Tour. He currently runs the Brian Teacher Tennis Academy in South Pasadena, California.
Early and personal life
editTeacher was born in San Diego, California.[1][2][3] He attended Crawford High School in San Diego, graduating in 1972.[2] He later lived in Beverly Hills, California.[4]
In 1979, he married fellow Californian player Kathy May, also a top 10 tennis player. They subsequently divorced.[5] He later studied for his MBA at the USC Marshall School of Business.[6]
Tennis career
editJunior, high school, and college
editTeacher won a CIF singles title in 1972 while at Crawford High School.[7]
In 1972, he won the boys' 18 singles and doubles titles.[8] At the University of California-Los Angeles, where he studied economics, he won the Pacific-8 singles and doubles championship in 1974, was an All-American from 1973 to 1976, and was a member of the UCLA teams that won the NCAA championship in 1975 and 1976.[6]
Professional career
editHe reached the finals in the South Australian and New South Wales Opens in 1977. 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.[9]
In 1980, he won the Australian Open, becoming the second Jewish player to win a men's Grand Slam Singles event (after Dick Savitt).[1] He won the final over Kim Warwick of Australia in straight sets.[10][11] With his Grand Slam victory, Teacher is one of only five American male players in the Open era to have won a single Grand Slam event (along with Michael Chang, Vitas Gerulaitis, Andy Roddick, and Roscoe Tanner). Seven more Americans have more than one Slam (Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Jim Courier, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, and Pete Sampras).
His career-high world singles ranking was No. 7 and his world doubles ranking was No. 5, both in 1981.[1]
He won 8 career singles titles, and 16 doubles titles.[1]
Halls of fame
editTeacher was inducted in 2001 into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame,[12] in 2008 into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame,[13] and he is also a member of the NCAA Tennis Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[14] In 2014 he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[1] In 2015, Teacher was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame.[15]
Coach
editFollowing his playing career, he became an ATP and WTA touring coach working with Andre Agassi and Greg Rusedski.[16][17] 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 Reneberg, Daniel Nestor, and Max Mirnyi.[18] On the women's side, he coached WTA tour player Marissa Irvin.[19] He currently runs the Brian Teacher Tennis Academy in South Pasadena, California[20]
Grand Slam finals
editSingles (1 win)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1980 | Australian Open | Grass | 7–5, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
Career finals
editSingles (8 titles, 15 runners-up)
edit
|
|
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Sep 1976 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 0–2 | Jan 1977 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | 1–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 1–2 | Apr 1977 | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. | Carpet | 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 1–3 | Dec 1977 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 1–4 | Oct 1978 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 2–4 | Nov 1978 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | 6–3, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Win | 3–4 | Jul 1979 | Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. | Grass | 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 3–5 | Apr 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 3–6 | Nov 1980 | Hong Kong | Hard | 7–5, 6–7(2–7) , 3–6 | |
| Loss | 3–7 | Nov 1980 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | 7–6, 3–6, 3–6, 6–7(5–7) | |
| Loss | 3–8 | Nov 1980 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet | 3–6, 5–7 | |
| Loss | 3–9 | Dec 1980 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(5–7) | |
| Win | 4–9 | Dec 1980 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | 7–5, 7–6(7–4) , 6–3 | |
| Win | 5–9 | Aug 1981 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 5–10 | Sep 1981 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | 3–6, 6–7(4–7) | |
| Loss | 5–11 | Sep 1982 | Maui, Hawaii, U.S. | Hard | 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 6–11 | Dec 1982 | Dortmund WCT, West Germany | Carpet | 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | 7–11 | Mar 1983 | Munich WCT, West Germany | Carpet | 1–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 | |
| Win | 8–11 | Aug 1983 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Hard | 7–6, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 8–12 | Sep 1983 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Hard | 7–6(7–2) , 1–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 8–13 | Jun 1984 | Bristol, U.K. | Grass | 7–6, 6–7, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 8–14 | Jul 1984 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 8–15 | Jul 1985 | Livingston, U.S. | Hard | 6–4, 5–7, 0–6 |
Doubles (16 titles, 7 runners-up)
edit| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1976 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 1. | 1978 | Miami, U.S. | Clay | 6–7, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 2. | 1978 | Manila, Philippines | Clay | 6–3, 7–6 | ||
| Loss | 2. | 1979 | Washington Indoor, U.S. | Carpet | 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–7 | ||
| Loss | 3. | 1979 | Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany | Hard (i) | 3–6, 7–5, 6–7 | ||
| Win | 3. | 1980 | Washington-2, U.S. | Carpet | 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 | ||
| Loss | 4. | 1980 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | 4–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 4. | 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 5. | 1980 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 6. | 1980 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | 6–7, 7–5, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 5. | 1980 | Hong Kong | Hard | 5–7, 2–6 | ||
| Win | 7. | 1980 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | 6–4, 6–0 | ||
| Win | 8. | 1980 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet | 7–6, 7–6 | ||
| Win | 9. | 1981 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | 7–6, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 10. | 1981 | Frankfurt, West Germany | Carpet | 7–5, 6–7, 7–5 | ||
| Win | 11. | 1981 | London/Queen's Club, U.K. | Grass | 3–6, 7–6, 11–9 | ||
| Win | 12. | 1981 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | 6–1, 6–1 | ||
| Loss | 6. | 1982 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | 1–6, 7–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 13. | 1982 | Stuttgart Outdoor, West Germany | Clay | 6–3, 6–1 | ||
| Win | 14. | 1982 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | 6–7, 6–2, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 7. | 1983 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Carpet | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 15. | 1983 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | 6–1, 4–6, 7–6 | ||
| Win | 16. | 1983 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | 6–7, 7–6, 6–2 |
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
edit| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | SR | W–L | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | W | A | QF | 3R | A | 3R | NH | A | 1 / 6 | 12–5 | 70.6 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 4–3 | 57.1 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | Q2 | 0 / 11 | 15–11 | 57.7 | |
| US Open | PR* | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 0 / 15 | 14–15 | 48.3 | |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–5 | 6–3 | 4–3 | 11–2 | 2–2 | 9–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1 / 35 | 45–34 | 57.0 | |
- The 1972 US Open had a preliminary round before the 128 player draw began.
Miscellaneous
edit- After he retired he completed his undergraduate economics degree and studied business at the University of Southern California.[21]
- As a coach, he worked with Jim Grabb, Mark Knowles, Max Mirnyi, Daniel Nestor, Richey Reneberg, and Greg Rusedski.[21]
- He is married and has two children.[22]
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Brian Teacher". www.jewishsports.net.
- ^ a b Robert Slater (2000). Great Jews in Sports
- ^ Sandra Harwitt, The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time
- ^ San Diego Magazine. San Diego Magazine Publishing Company. March 1981.
- ^ "The Australian Open Champion Who Almost Wasn’t - Book Excerpt From 'The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time,'" World Tennis Magazine.
- ^ a b "Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home". scjewishsportshof.com.
- ^ "San Diego District Tennis Association: Brian Teacher (1954- )". Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ Dan Magill, Magill: Teacher joins Californian Hall contingent, Athens Banner-Herald, May 19, 2001.
- ^ "Brian David Teacher". Jews in Sports. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- ^ "Brian Teacher Wins Crown in Australia". The New York Times. AP. January 5, 1981.
- ^ Douglas Perry (January 18, 2015). "Australian Open 2015: Four words that forged an unexpected Grand Slam champion - 'I want a divorce'". The Oregonian.
- ^ "ITA Men's Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ "Archived Document". Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ https://www.scjewishsportshof.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=57 [permanent dead link]
- ^ Memorable SCTA Hall Of Fame Induction | Southern California Tennis News, Adult Tennis, Junior, Tennis, Community Tennis
- ^ "Teacher tries to keep Rusedski focused on semi-final". The Independent. September 5, 1997.
- ^ "Rusedski is served by a new teacher". The Independent. May 19, 1996.
- ^ "Brian Teacher | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
- ^ "Joplin Independent: World of tennis is introduced to young readers". www.joplinindependent.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- ^ "Brian Teacher Tennis Academy". www.brianteacher.com.
- ^ a b "Brian Teacher". Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ "Brian Teacher". Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2016.