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.

Chris Lewis

Country (sports)	New Zealand
Residence	Irvine, California, US
Born	(1957-03-09) 9 March 1957 (age 65) 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	237–196
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 19 (16 April 1984)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (1977Dec, 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 in singles (as of 2021).

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 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 a resident in Irvine, California, Lewis is the co-founder of the Brymer Lewis Tennis Academy, based at the Orange County Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine. His daughter Geneva Lewis, born 1998, is a 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 early players equipped with custom made shoes designed for the grass surface.

Grand Slam finals

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1983	Wimbledon	Grass	John McEnroe	2–6, 2–6, 2–6

ATP Masters Series finals

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1981	Cincinnati Masters	Hard	John McEnroe	3–6, 4–6

Career finals

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

Result	W/L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Dec 1977	Adelaide, Australia	Grass	Tim Gullikson	6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 4–6
Win	1–1	Jul 1978	Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	Vladimír Zedník	6–1, 6–4, 6–0
Loss	1–2	Mar 1981	Stuttgart Indoor, Germany	Hard (i)	Ivan Lendl	3–6, 0–6, 7–6, 3–6
Win	2–2	May 1981	Munich, Germany	Clay	Christophe Roger-Vasselin	4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–1, 6–1
Loss	2–3	Aug 1981	Cincinnati Masters, United States	Hard	John McEnroe	3–6, 4–6
Loss	2–4	Oct 1981	Brisbane, Australia	Grass	Mark Edmondson	6–7, 6–3, 4–6
Loss	2–5	Dec 1981	Sydney Outdoor, Australia	Grass	Tim Wilkison	4–6, 6–7, 3–6
Loss	2–6	Apr 1982	Hilton Head WCT, United States	Clay	Van Winitsky	4–6, 4–6
Loss	2–7	Jun 1983	Wimbledon, London	Grass	John McEnroe	2–6, 2–6, 2–6
Win	3–7	Jan 1985	Auckland, New Zealand	Hard	Wally Masur	7–5, 6–0, 2–6, 6–4

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

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

References

External links

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

На других языках

[es] Chris Lewis

[ru] Льюис, Крис