Jim Courier turns 50: the bull and the lion
One of the greats of tennis celebrates his 50th birthday this Monday: Jim Courier.
by SID
last edit:
Aug 17, 2020, 07:54 am
Jim Courier was eleven when his mother Linda signed him up for training with Australian tennis guru Harry Hopman. "We had no money," said Courier later: "I had to mow the lawn for all the neighbors for weeks to earn the $ 50 for the first hour." Others have been taking care of Jim Courier's lawn for a long time; his sport has turned the Florida muscle man into a multimillionaire. On August 17th, the former number one in the world will be 50 years old.
Harry Hopman didn't need an hour back then, after ten minutes he offered to train the boisterous boy for free. It was the beginning of a career in which Courier won the Australian Open and the French Open twice, reached the finals in Wimbledon and the US Open, became number one in the world - and which he did on May 9, 2000 after health problems declared over.
Hard worker
Courier was not a gifted talent, he had to work for his success through rock-hard training. At 14 he moved to Nick Bollettieri's famous academy in Bradenton. "Jim was someone who could never make it from his facilities," said double specialist Mark Knowles, Courier's best friend: "He held the racket like a baseball bat and just played the ball with force. He was a wild bull the heart of a lion. "
Success was inevitable, Courier's forehand was the toughest on the tour in the early 1990s, and his two-handed backhand was no less dangerous. Because of his strength and stamina, Courier was considered the world's best clay court player in his time, which was underpinned by his French Open victories in 1991 and 1992. Between February 1992 and September 1993 he led the world rankings for a total of 58 weeks.
Even after an active career, busy
The beginning of the end came in the summer of 1997 when an enigmatic neuritis partially paralyzed his right arm. Two years later, Courier fought his way back to 32nd place in the world, but the fire was no longer burning. His last match he played on March 25, 2000 in Key Biscayne, he lost in the first round against the Swede Thomas Enqvist.
Since then, Jim Courier has been a sought-after expert on many major TV stations, especially during the Grand Slam tournaments. In addition, he was Davis Cup captain in the USA from 2010 to 2018, and in 1992 and 1995 he was a member of the victorious US team himself.