Jeff Turpin Explained

Jeff Turpin
Fullname:Jeff Turpin
Birth Date:13 May 1960
Birth Place:Dallas, Texas
Singlesrecord:8–13
Singlestitles:0
Highestsinglesranking:No. 138 (October 29, 1984)
Australianopenresult:1R (1984)
Wimbledonresult:1R (1983, 1984)
Doublesrecord:19–32
Doublestitles:0
Highestdoublesranking:No. 81 (August 20, 1984)
Australianopendoublesresult:2R (1984)
Wimbledondoublesresult:1R (1984, 1985)
Usopendoublesresult:2R (1983)

Jeff Turpin (born May 13, 1960) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.

Biography

Turpin's father Jack, a businessman, was a collegiate player at Rice University and is a member of the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame. Jeff also has two brothers who were involved in tennis. Eldest brother Scott played for Rice University and middle brother Mark competed professionally.[1]

A native of Dallas, Texas, Turpin graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas.[2] As a high school senior in 1978, he won the USTA Interscholastic Tennis Championships in both singles and doubles (the latter win was with Brad Stoffel, a St. Mark's teammate).[3] That summer, Turpin was runner-up to Ivan Lendl in the boys' singles at the 1978 Wimbledon Championships, which he followed up with a semi-final appearance in boys' singles at the 1978 US Open.[4]

Turpin then attended Southern Methodist University, where he was an All-American varsity tennis player.[5] Graduating with a business degree, Turpin turned professional in 1982.

During his professional tennis career he competed in the main draws of the Australian Open, Wimbledon Championships and US Open. He played singles twice at Wimbledon, in 1983 and 1984.

On the Grand Prix circuit he had his best performance in the 1984 Bristol Open, where he made the quarter-finals, with wins over Mike Leach, Emilio Sánchez and fourth seed John Fitzgerald. The tournament coincided with Wimbledon qualifying, so Turpin was often required to make the trip between London and Bristol to play two matches in a day. He played a total of 10 matches in six days.[6] In doubles, he and Mike De Palmer had a good win at the 1984 Livingston Open, over the world's top-ranked doubles player Peter Fleming and his partner Fritz Buehning.[7]

In 1986, Turpin retired from professional tennis and became president of T Bar M, a tennis club in Dallas. He left in 1996 to become president of oil and gas investment company, Hallmark Energy, a firm founded by his father, Jack Turpin.

He is married with three children: two daughters and a son.[8]

Challenger titles

Doubles: (2)

No.YearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
1.1983Nagoya, JapanHard Joel Bailey Charles Strode
Morris Strode
6–4, 3–6, 7–6
1.1984Ashkelon, IsraelHard Bruce Manson Leo Palin
Michiel Schapers
6–2, 6–2

Notes and References

  1. News: Donor support builds new SMU Tennis Complex. Miller. Robert. March 8, 2015. Dallas Morning News. 9 March 2016.
  2. Web site: St.Mark’s Alumni Athletes. St. Mark’s School of Texas. 14 July 2021.
  3. Web site: USTA results. Yumpu.com. 14 July 2021.
  4. News: Junior Boys Singles. July 9, 1978. St Louis Post-Dispatch. 88. 9 March 2016.
  5. Web site: 1982 ITCA All-American Team. Intercollegiate Tennis Association. 9 March 2016.
  6. News: Turpin's Workload Proves Too Heavy. June 22, 1984. Schenectady Gazette. 32. 9 March 2016.
  7. Web site: ITF Tennis - Pro Circuit - Livingston - 30 July - 05 August 1984. International Tennis Federation. 9 March 2016.
  8. Web site: Player Bio - Personal. ATP World Tour. 9 March 2016.