Chris Lewis (tennis)

Chris Lewis (born 9 March 1957) is a former professional tennis player from New Zealand who reached the 1983 Wimbledon final as an unseeded player. He won three singles titles and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 19 in April 1984. He also won eight doubles titles during his 12 years on the tour. Lewis was coached by Harry Hopman and Tony Roche.

For the American tennis player, see Christopher Lewis (tennis).

Chris Lewis

Country (sports)	New Zealand
Residence	Irvine, California, US
Born	(1957-03-09) 9 March 1957 Auckland, New Zealand
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Turned pro	1975
Retired	1986
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	$647,550
Singles
Career record	241–197
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 19 (16 April 1984)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	3R (1977^Dec, 1981)
French Open	3R (1977)
Wimbledon	F (1983)
US Open	3R (1982)
Doubles
Career record	183–161
Career titles	8[1]
Highest ranking	No. 46 (14 January 1985)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (1980)
French Open	QF (1982)
Wimbledon	QF (1981)
US Open	2R (1981)

He became the third player from New Zealand to reach the finals of a Grand Slam singles title after the second player from New Zealand, Onny Parun, had reached the finals of a Grand Slam singles title ten years before at the Australian Open. Lewis is the last player from New Zealand to reach the finals of a Grand Slam tournament (as of 2019).

Early life

Lewis was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and received his secondary education at Marcellin College and Lynfield College. He is the eldest of three sons. His brothers are David Lewis and Mark Lewis who also had significant competitive tennis careers.[2]

Tennis career

Juniors

Lewis reached the No. 1 junior world ranking in 1975, winning the Wimbledon boys' singles title (def. Ricardo Ycaza) and reaching the final of the US Open boys' singles (lost to Howard Schoenfield).

Pro tour

In reaching the 1983 Wimbledon final, after a five-set win over Kevin Curren in the semifinals, Lewis became the seventh unseeded man and only the second New Zealander after Anthony Wilding (who won four times between 1910 and 1913) to reach a Wimbledon singles final. He lost the final to John McEnroe in three sets. He also reached the final at the Cincinnati Masters in 1981, again losing to John McEnroe in straight sets.

After tennis

In the 1999 New Zealand general election, Lewis unsuccessfully stood for parliament as a list candidate for the Libertarianz party. Now resident in Irvine, California, Lewis is the co-founder of the Brymer Lewis Tennis Academy, which is based at the Orange County Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine. His daughter, Geneva Lewis, born 1998, is a successful violinist.[3]

Equipment

Lewis was the first man in history to reach the final of one of the four tennis majors (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) while using an oversize racquet, a Prince original graphite (second only to Pam Shriver in the 1978 US Open). He was also one of the first players equipped with custom made shoes designed for the grass surface.

Grand Slam finals

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1983	Wimbledon	Grass	John McEnroe	2–6, 2–6, 2–6

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1981	Cincinnati Masters	Hard	John McEnroe	3–6, 4–6

Career finals

Singles: 10 (3 titles, 7 runner-ups)

Winner – Legend (pre/post 2009) Grand Slam tournaments (0–1) ATP Masters Series / ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–1) ATP International Series Gold / ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–1) ATP International Series / ATP World Tour 250 Series (3–4)

Finals by surface Hard (1–2) Clay (2–1) Grass (0–4) Carpet (0–0)

Result	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1.	Dec 1977	Adelaide, Australia	Grass	Tim Gullikson	6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 4–6
Win	1.	Jul 1978	Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	Vladimir Zednik	6–1, 6–4, 6–0
Loss	2.	Mar 1981	Stuttgart Indoor, Germany	Hard (i)	Ivan Lendl	3–6, 0–6, 7–6, 3–6
Win	2.	May 1981	Munich, Germany	Clay	Christophe Roger-Vasselin	4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–1, 6–1
Loss	3.	Aug 1981	Cincinnati Masters, United States	Hard	John McEnroe	3–6, 4–6
Loss	4.	Oct 1981	Brisbane, Australia	Grass	Mark Edmondson	6–7, 6–3, 4–6
Loss	5.	Dec 1981	Sydney Outdoor, Australia	Grass	Tim Wilkison	4–6, 6–7, 3–6
Loss	6.	Apr 1982	Hilton Head WCT, United States	Clay	Van Winitsky	4–6, 4–6
Loss	7.	Jun 1983	Wimbledon, London	Grass	John McEnroe	2–6, 2–6, 2–6
Win	3.	Jan 1985	Auckland, New Zealand	Hard	Wally Masur	7–5, 6–0, 2–6, 6–4

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

A

NH

(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

Tournament	1976	1977		1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	SR
Australian Open	2R	1R	3R	A	1R	1R	3R	3R	3R	2R	2R	0 / 10
French Open	A	3R		2R	2R	2R	2R	2R	1R	1R	2R	0 / 9
Wimbledon	2R	1R		1R	A	2R	2R	3R	F	2R	2R	0 / 9
US Open	A	A		1R	1R	A	2R	3R	2R	1R	A	0 / 6
Strike Rate	0 / 2	0 / 4		0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 34

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

References

1. Player Profile
2. Joseph Romanos, Chris Lewis: All the Way to Wimbledon, Rugby Press, Auckland, 1984, p. 43, ISBN 090863014X.
3. Thomas, Robert D. (16 March 2015). "16-year-old violinist to perform with Pasadena Symphony". The Pasadena Star-News. Retrieved 25 July 2015.

External links

• Chris Lewis at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Chris Lewis at the International Tennis Federation
• Chris Lewis at the Davis Cup

Awards
Preceded by 1982 New Zealand men's eight	New Zealand Sportsman of the Year 1983	Succeeded by Ian Ferguson