Mark Cox (tennis)

For the former London Broncos rugby league player, see Mark Cox (rugby league).

Mark Cox (born 5 July 1943 in Leicester) 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 No. 14 in the world on the ATP rankings (achieving that ranking on July 2, 1977). Cox was educated at Millfield School in Somerset.

Cox obtained an economics undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge (Downing College), where he was a member of the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club.

During his career, he won eight singles titles and three doubles titles, reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Nationals (in 1966), and the final at the event in Cincinnati (in 1977). He also played on Great Britain's Davis Cup team, and was on the team that reached the 1978 final against the United States. He has also gone down in tennis history as the first amateur player to beat a professional. In May 1968, at the British Hard Court Championships at Bournemouth, when he was 24, he beat the American Pancho Gonzales (0-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3), in two and a quarter hours. Since he retired in 1981, Cox has worked as a coach, and also as a television commentator for the BBC. He is also 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.

Contents

Grand Prix and WCT singles finals (16)

Titles (8)

Outcome No. Date Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1. 1969 Caracas, Venezuela Clay Thomaz Koch 6–8, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6
Runner-up 2. 1972 Louisville WCT, U.S. Clay Arthur Ashe 4–6, 4–6
Winner 1. 1972 Cleveland WCT, U.S. Hard Ray Ruffels 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 3. 1973 London WCT, England Hard (i) Brian Fairlie 6–2, 2–6, 2–6, 6–7
Winner 2. 1973 Denver WCT, U.S. Carpet Arthur Ashe 6–1, 6–1
Winner 3. 1973 Eastbourne, England Grass Patrice Dominguez 6–2, 2–6, 6–3
Runner-up 4. 1974 Bologna WCT, Italy Carpet Arthur Ashe 4–6, 5–7
Runner-up 5. 1974 London WCT, England Hard (i) Björn Borg 7–6, 6–7, 4–6
Winner 4. 1975 London WCT, England Carpet Brian Fairlie 6–1, 7–5
Winner 5. 1975 Washington Indoor WCT, U.S. Carpet Dick Stockton 6–2, 7–6
Winner 6. 1975 Atlanta WCT, U.S. Carpet John Alexander 6–3, 7–6
Winner 7. 1976 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Manuel Orantes 4–6, 7–5, 7–6
Winner 8. 1977 Helsinki, Finland Carpet Kjell Johansson 6–3, 6–3
Runner-up 6. 1977 London/Queen's Club, England Grass Raúl Ramírez 7–9, 5–7
Runner-up 7. 1977 Cincinnati, U.S. Clay Harold Solomon 2–6, 3–6
Runner-up 8. 1980 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Hard (i) Tomáš Šmíd 1–6, 3–6, 7–5, 6–1, 4–6

Grand Prix and WCT doubles finals (11)

Titles (3)

Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1. 1973 Copenhagen WCT, Denmark Carpet Graham Stilwell Erik Van Dillen
Tom Gorman		 4–6, 4–6
Winner 1. 1973 Cologne WCT, Germany Carpet Graham Stilwell Tom Okker
Marty Riessen		 7–6, 6–3
Winner 2. 1973 London, England Carpet Owen Davidson Gerald Battrick
Graham Stilwell		 6–4, 8–6
Runner-up 2. 1974 Denver WCT, U.S. Carpet Jun Kamiwazumi Arthur Ashe
Roscoe Tanner		 3–6, 6–7
Runner-up 3. 1975 San Antonio WCT, U.S. Hard Cliff Drysdale John Alexander
Phil Dent		 6–7, 6–4, 4–6
Runner-up 4. 1975 Memphis, U.S. Carpet Cliff Drysdale Erik Van Dillen
Dick Stockton		 6–1, 5–7, 4–6
Runner-up 5. 1975 Atlanta WCT, U.S. Carpet Cliff Drysdale Anand Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj		 3–6, 2–6
Runner-up 6. 1975 World Doubles WCT, Mexico Carpet Cliff Drysdale Brian Gottfried
Raúl Ramírez		 6–7, 7–6, 2–6, 6–7
Runner-up 7. 1976 Washington WCT, U.S. Carpet Cliff Drysdale Eddie Dibbs
Harold Solomon		 4–6, 5–7
Runner-up 8. 1977 London WCT Hard (i) Eddie Dibbs Ilie Năstase
Adriano Panatta		 6–7, 7–6, 3–6
Winner 3. 1977 Basel, Switzerland Carpet Buster Mottram John Feaver
John James		 7–5, 6–4, 6–3

References

External links