 van Dillen circa 1990 | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | San Mateo, California |
| Born | (1951-02-21)February 21, 1951 (age 74) San Mateo |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Turned pro | 1964 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1982 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 274–269[1] |
| Career titles | 9[1] |
| Highest ranking | No. 36 (September 13, 1973) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1977) |
| French Open | 4R (1974,1975) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1974) |
| US Open | 3R (1979,1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 288–178 |
| Career titles | 13 |
| Highest ranking | No. 35 (August 23, 1977) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1977) |
| French Open | QF (1978) |
| Wimbledon | F (1972) |
| US Open | F (1971) |
Erik van Dillen (born February 21, 1951) is an American retiredtennis player who played over 25 Grand Slam championships at Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. He was active from 1964 to 1982 and won 9 careers singles titles.[1]
Born inSan Mateo, California, van Dillen first played tennis aged six years old. During his junior career, he won both the singles and doubles competitions at the "USTA Boys 16 & 18 National Championships" inKalamazoo, Michigan, as well as winning other national titles in the 12- and 14-year-old divisions. In total, he won 12 U.S. junior titles and is the only player ever to win singles and doubles titles in all four age groups: 12, 14, 16, and 18. (Source USTA Yearbooks).[citation needed]
Van Dillen first played on the men's circuit in 1967 when he appeared at the U.S. Championships for the first time. In 1968, he had his first big win when he beat his future doubles partner and then American No. 1Charlie Pasarell at the U.S. national tournament at Boston in five sets when only 17. He was ranked in the top 20 of the U.S. from 1968 to 1970 and the top 10 from 1971 to 1973.
In 1973, he won his biggest tournament beatingFrew McMillan in Nottingham. In 1974, van Dillen had his best Grand Slam singles year reaching the last 16 at the French Open where he narrowly lost to eventual championBjörn Borg in five sets. At Wimbledon, he also reached the last 16, defeatingGuillermo Vilas on the way. He repeated the last 16 appearance in Paris in 1975.
In 1978, van Dillen had a very strong grass-court season in England; he qualified at Nottingham and reached the last 16, and also won the doubles with Dick Stockton. At Wimbledon, he again qualified and then had the greatest win of his career defeating John McEnroe in five sets in the first round.
Van Dillen's last full year on the circuit was 1981 when he won two doubles titles and reached the semifinals of the Volvo International in North Conway with Roscoe Tanner. He also reached the semifinals in singles at Newport, Rhode Island.
He completed his career in 1982 by qualifying at his last singles event the prestigious Alan King Classic in Las Vegas and shortly after reached the final of the WCT Invitation event at Forest Hills in doubles with Dick Stockton.
Van Dillen played in the Wimbledon veterans doubles for a number of years and also played in a veterans event at Indian Wells.[citation needed]
Between 1960 and 1981, he beat six of the then-top players:John McEnroe,[2]Stan Smith,[3]Arthur Ashe,[4]Jimmy Connors,[5]Guillermo Vilas,[6] andIlie Năstase.[7] At his peak, he was ranked 36th in the world in singles, and 35th in doubles.[8]
Erik earned a degree in finance from theUniversity of Southern California and an MBA fromSan Francisco State University. He joined IMG, a sports marketing agency. While at IMG, Erik worked withJoe Montana,Martina Navratilova,Arnold Palmer,Kristi Yamaguchi andChris Evert and helped to build a number of sport and lifestyle events including the WTA Bank of the West Tennis Classic (formerly the Virginia Slims of Oakland), the US Open of Surfing (a 10-day sports and lifestyle exhibition), the Transamerica Seniors Golf Championship and the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.[citation needed]
After the death ofMark McCormack in 2003, Erik left the company to createvan Dillen Partners, a sports and lifestyle marketing agency. The agency works with professional sports and media associations; such as theAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP),Women’s Tennis Association (WTA),Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP),Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP),Stanford University Athletics,ESPN,NBC Sports,Fox Sports Net,ABC Sports andCBS Sports.[citation needed]
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