Mark Cox (tennis) explained

Mark Cox
Country: United Kingdom
Birth Date:1943 7, df=yes
Birth Place:Leicester, England
Turnedpro:1970 (amateur from 1958)
Retired:1981
Plays:Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singlesrecord:593-370 (61.5%) in pre Open-Era & Open Era[1]
Singlestitles:22[2]
Highestsinglesranking:No. 12 (3 October 1977)
Australianopenresult:QF (1967, 1971)
Frenchopenresult:3R (1968)
Wimbledonresult:4R (1968, 1977, 1979)
Usopenresult:QF (1966)
Othertournaments:yes
Wctfinalsresult:QF (1975)
Doublesrecord:142–157 (Open era)
Doublestitles:3 (Open era)
Team:yes
Daviscupresult:F (1978)

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. 12 on the ATP rankings (achieving that ranking in October 1977).

Education

Cox was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School in Leicester and Millfield School in Somerset. He obtained an economics undergraduate degree from Downing College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club.

Career

He played his first tournament on 3 November 1958 at the Torquay Indoor Championship.[3] During his career, he won twenty two singles titles[3] and three doubles titles spanning both the pre-Open Era and Open Era, reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. National Championships (in 1966), and the final at the event in Cincinnati (in 1977).[4] He also played for Great Britain's Davis Cup team, and was on the team that reached the 1978 final against the United States.[5] He has also gone down in tennis history as the first amateur player to beat a professional.[6]

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.[7] Cox also achieved big upset wins over No. 1 seed, Rod Laver, at the 1971 Australian Open,[8] and over No. 2 seed, Ken Rosewall, at the 1972 US Open.[9] Cox defeated future world No. 1 Jimmy Connors in his debut Grand Slam match at the 1970 US Open. He retired from playing in 1981. After his final title in 1977 it would take another 17 years for a British player to win a top-level tour title (Jeremy Bates at Seoul in 1994). To date he is the last English born male to win a top level UK tournament on grass (Eastbourne in 1973). During his latter playing years and after his retirement, Cox has worked as a coach, and also as a television commentator for the BBC.

Personal life

Cox is 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: 36 (22 titles, 14 runner-ups)

ResultNo.YearTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1.1963Manly, AustraliaGrass Martin Mulligan2–6, 2–6[10]
Win1.1966Baltimore, U.S.Grass Jim McManus6–3, 6–2, 6–3
Loss2.1967East London, South AfricaClay Tom Okker7–9, 5–7
Win2.1968San Juan, Puerto RicoHard Allen Fox6–2, 6–1, 4–6, 2–6, 6–2
Open era
Loss3.1968London, EnglandCarpet (i) Stan Smith4–6, 4–6
Win3.1968Eastbourne, EnglandGrass Owen Davidson6–4, 6–4
Win4.1968Istanbul, TurkeyClay Patricio Rodríguez6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 6–4
Win5.1968Perth, ScotlandCarpet (i) Bob Hewitt6–3, 6–4
Win6.1969Bloemfontein, South AfricaHard Bob Maud6–2, 7–5
Loss4.1968Buffalo, New York, U.S.Hard (i) Clark Graebner8–6, 9–7, 6–2
Loss5.1969Macon, U.S.Carpet (i) Manuel Orantes8–10, 5–7, 6–4, 7–9
Loss6.1969Caracas, VenezuelaClay Thomaz Koch6–8, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6
Loss7.1969Willemstad, CuraçaoClay Cliff Richey4–6, 3–6, 3–6
Win7.1969Charlotte, U.S.Clay Jan Kodeš13–11, 6–2
Win8.1969Stalybridge, EnglandCarpet (i) Bob Hewitt6–4, 6–3
Win9.1969Torquay, EnglandHard (i) John Clifton8–6, 6–3
Win10.1969London, EnglandCarpet (i) Bob Hewitt4–6, 9–7, 6–2
Win11.1969Perth, ScotlandCarpet (i) Ismail El Shafei3–6, 14–12, 6–1
Win12.1970Hutt Valley, AustraliaHard Brian Fairlie6–2, 6–4
Win13.1970Bournemouth, EnglandClay Bob Hewitt6–1, 6–2, 6–3
Win14.1972Macon, U.S.Carpet (i) Roy Emerson6–3, 6–7, 6–3
Loss8.1972Louisville WCT, U.S.Clay Arthur Ashe4–6, 4–6
Win15.1972Cleveland WCT, U.S.Hard Ray Ruffels6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss9.1973London WCT, EnglandHard (i) Brian Fairlie6–2, 2–6, 2–6, 6–7
Win16.1973Denver WCT, U.S.Carpet (i) Arthur Ashe6–1, 6–1
Win17.1973Eastbourne, EnglandGrass Patrice Dominguez6–2, 2–6, 6–3
Loss10.1974Bologna WCT, ItalyCarpet Arthur Ashe4–6, 5–7
Loss11.1974London WCT, EnglandHard (i) Björn Borg7–6, 6–7, 4–6
Win18.1975Washington Indoor WCT, U.S.Carpet (i) Dick Stockton6–2, 7–6
Win19.1975London WCT, EnglandCarpet (i) Brian Fairlie6–1, 7–5
Win20.1975Atlanta WCT, U.S.Carpet (i) John Alexander6–3, 7–6
Win21.1976Stockholm, SwedenHard (i) Manuel Orantes4–6, 7–5, 7–6
Win22.1977Helsinki, FinlandCarpet (i) Kjell Johansson6–3, 6–3
Loss12.1977London/Queen's Club, EnglandGrass Raúl Ramírez7–9, 5–7
Loss13.1977Cincinnati, U.S.Clay Harold Solomon2–6, 3–6
Loss14.1980Stuttgart, West GermanyHard (i) Tomáš Šmíd1–6, 3–6, 7–5, 6–1, 4–6

Doubles: 11 (3 titles, 8 runner-ups)

ResultNo.YearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1.1973Copenhagen, DenmarkCarpet (i) Graham Stilwell Erik van Dillen
Tom Gorman
4–6, 4–6
Win1.1973Cologne, West GermanyCarpet (i) Graham Stilwell Tom Okker
Marty Riessen
7–6, 6–3
Win2.1973London, EnglandCarpet (i) Owen Davidson Gerald Battrick
Graham Stilwell
6–4, 8–6
Loss2.1974Denver WCT, U.S.Carpet (i) Jun Kamiwazumi Arthur Ashe
Roscoe Tanner
3–6, 6–7
Loss3.1975San Antonio WCT, U.S.Hard Cliff Drysdale John Alexander
Phil Dent
6–7, 6–4, 4–6
Loss4.1975Memphis, U.S.Carpet (i) Cliff Drysdale Erik van Dillen
Dick Stockton
6–1, 5–7, 4–6
Loss5.1975Atlanta WCT, U.S.Carpet (i) Cliff Drysdale Anand Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj
3–6, 2–6
Loss6.1975World Doubles WCT, MexicoCarpet (i) Cliff Drysdale Brian Gottfried
Raúl Ramírez
6–7, 7–6, 2–6, 6–7
Loss7.1976Washington WCT, U.S.Carpet Cliff Drysdale Eddie Dibbs
Harold Solomon
4–6, 5–7
Loss8.1977London WCT, EnglandHard (i) Eddie Dibbs Ilie Năstase
Adriano Panatta
6–7, 7–6, 3–6
Win3.1977Basel, SwitzerlandCarpet (i) Buster Mottram John Feaver
John James
7–5, 6–4, 6–3

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mark Cox: Career match record. thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. 9 November 2017.
  2. Web site: Mark Cox: Career match record. thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. 9 November 2017.
  3. Web site: Mark Cox: Tournament activity/results. thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. 9 November 2017.
  4. Lawrence Journal-World. "Sports Briefs". 19 July 1977, p. 11. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  5. Wilmington Morning Star. "Davis Cup players named". 17 November 1978, p. 3-C. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  6. Spartanburg Herald-Journal. "Mark Cox Is Tennis Champ". 3 May 1970, p. B4. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  7. 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.
  8. Stone, Peter. "Laver leaves tired, beaten". The Age, 12 March 1971, p. 24. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.
  9. Times Daily (Florence, South Carolina). "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.
  10. Web site: Mark Cox: Tournament results titles/finals. thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. 9 November 2017.