| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | (1954-12-23)December 23, 1954 (age 70) San Diego, California |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Turned pro | 1973 |
| Retired | 1986 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,426,514 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 333–236 (58.5%) |
| Career titles | 8 |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (October 5, 1981) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1980) |
| French Open | 3R (1978) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1982) |
| US Open | 4R (1978,1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 220–172 (56.1%) |
| Career titles | 16 |
| Highest ranking | No. 24 (August 9, 1983) |
Brian David Teacher (born December 23, 1954) is an American former professionaltennis player. He reached career-highrankings of world No. 7 in singles and world No. 5 in doubles, both in 1981. Teacher is best remembered for being amajor singles champion, triumphing at the1980 Australian Open. He won eight career singles titles and 16 doubles titles.
Following his playing career, he became a touring coach on both theATP Tour andWTA Tour. He currently runs the Brian Teacher Tennis Academy inSouth Pasadena, California.
Teacher was born in San Diego, California.[1][2][3] He attendedCrawford High School in San Diego, graduating in 1972.[2] He later lived inBeverly Hills, California.[4]
In 1979, he married fellow Californian playerKathy May, also a top 10 tennis player. They subsequently divorced.[5] He later studied for his MBA at theUSC Marshall School of Business.[6]
Teacher won aCIF singles title in 1972 while atCrawford High School.[7]
In 1972, he won the boys' 18 singles and doubles titles.[8] At theUniversity of California-Los Angeles, where he studied economics, he won thePacific-8 singles and doubles championship in 1974, was anAll-American from 1973 to 1976, and was a member of the UCLA teams that won theNCAA championship in 1975 and 1976.[6]
He reached the finals in theSouth Australian andNew South Wales Opens in 1977. In 1978, at theSeiko World Super Tennis Tournament in Tokyo, Teacher upset UCLA graduatesJimmy Connors andArthur Ashe before losing in the final toBjörn Borg 6–3, 6–4.[9]
In 1980, he won theAustralian Open, becoming the second Jewish player to win a men's Grand Slam Singles event (afterDick Savitt).[1] He won the final overKim Warwick of Australia in straight sets.[10][11] With his Grand Slam victory, Teacher is one of only five American male players in the Open era to have won a single Grand Slam event (along withMichael Chang,Vitas Gerulaitis,Andy Roddick, andRoscoe Tanner). Seven more Americans have more than one Slam (Stan Smith,Arthur Ashe,Jim Courier,Jimmy Connors,Andre Agassi,John McEnroe, andPete Sampras).
His career-high world singles ranking was No. 7 and his world doubles ranking was No. 5, both in 1981.[1]
He won 8 career singles titles, and 16 doubles titles.[1]
Teacher was inducted in 2001 into theIntercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame,[12] in 2008 into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame,[13] and he is also a member of theNCAA Tennis Hall of Fame and theSouthern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[14] In 2014 he was inducted into theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[1] In 2015, Teacher was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame.[15]
Following his playing career, he became an ATP and WTA touring coach working withAndre Agassi andGreg Rusedski.[16][17] Under his tutelage, Rusedski made a run from #85 in the world to the top ten and the U.S. Open finals. Teacher also coached world #1 doubles playersJim Grabb,Richey Reneberg,Daniel Nestor, andMax Mirnyi.[18] On the women's side, he coached WTA tour playerMarissa Irvin.[19] He currently runs the Brian Teacher Tennis Academy in South Pasadena, California[20]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1980 | Australian Open | Grass |  Kim Warwick | 7–5, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
|
|
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Sep 1976 | Newport, U.S. | Grass |  Vijay Amritraj | 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Jan 1977 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass |  Victor Amaya | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Apr 1977 | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. | Carpet | Bill Scanlon | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Dec 1977 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | Roscoe Tanner | 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1–4 | Oct 1978 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet |  Björn Borg | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–4 | Nov 1978 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | Tom Gorman | 6–3, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 3–4 | Jul 1979 | Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. | Grass | Stan Smith | 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 3–5 | Apr 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Gene Mayer | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 3–6 | Nov 1980 | Hong Kong | Hard |  Ivan Lendl | 7–5, 6–7(2–7) , 3–6 |
| Loss | 3–7 | Nov 1980 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | Ivan Lendl | 7–6, 3–6, 3–6, 6–7(5–7) |
| Loss | 3–8 | Nov 1980 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet | Vijay Amritraj | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 3–9 | Dec 1980 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | Fritz Buehning | 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(5–7) |
| Win | 4–9 | Dec 1980 | Australian Open,Melbourne | Grass | Kim Warwick | 7–5, 7–6(7–4) , 6–3 |
| Win | 5–9 | Aug 1981 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Hard | John Austin | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 5–10 | Sep 1981 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | Eliot Teltscher | 3–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Loss | 5–11 | Sep 1982 | Maui, Hawaii, U.S. | Hard | John Fitzgerald | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 6–11 | Dec 1982 | Dortmund WCT, West Germany | Carpet |  Wojciech Fibak | 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 7–11 | Mar 1983 | Munich WCT, West Germany | Carpet | Mark Dickson | 1–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 8–11 | Aug 1983 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Hard | Bill Scanlon | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 8–12 | Sep 1983 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Hard |  Andrés Gómez | 7–6(7–2) , 1–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 8–13 | Jun 1984 | Bristol, U.K. | Grass | Johan Kriek | 7–6, 6–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 8–14 | Jul 1984 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Joakim Nyström | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 8–15 | Jul 1985 | Livingston, U.S. | Hard | Brad Gilbert | 6–4, 5–7, 0–6 |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1976 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | William Brown | Fred McNairSherwood Stewart | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1. | 1978 | Miami, U.S. | Clay | Bob Carmichael | Tom GulliksonGene Mayer | 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 2. | 1978 | Manila, Philippines | Clay | Sherwood Stewart | Ross CaseChris Kachel | 6–3, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2. | 1979 | Washington Indoor, U.S. | Carpet | Bob Carmichael | Robert LutzStan Smith | 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–7 |
| Loss | 3. | 1979 | Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany | Hard (i) | Bob Carmichael | Wojciech Fibak Tom Okker | 3–6, 7–5, 6–7 |
| Win | 3. | 1980 | Washington-2, U.S. | Carpet | Ferdi Taygan |  Kevin CurrenSteve Denton | 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
| Loss | 4. | 1980 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Bill Scanlon | Vijay Amritraj Stan Smith | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 4. | 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Butch Walts | Anand AmritrajJohn Austin | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 5. | 1980 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Bruce Manson |  Heinz GünthardtSandy Mayer | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 6. | 1980 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Bruce Manson | Wojciech FibakIvan Lendl | 6–7, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 5. | 1980 | Hong Kong | Hard | Bruce Manson | Peter FlemingFerdi Taygan | 5–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 7. | 1980 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | Bruce Manson | John Austin Ferdi Taygan | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Win | 8. | 1980 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet | Ferdi Taygan | Tom OkkerDick Stockton | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 9. | 1981 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | Bruce Manson | Terry MoorEliot Teltscher | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 10. | 1981 | Frankfurt, West Germany | Carpet | Butch Walts | Vitas GerulaitisJohn McEnroe | 7–5, 6–7, 7–5 |
| Win | 11. | 1981 | London/Queen's Club, U.K. | Grass | Pat DuPré | Kevin Curren Steve Denton | 3–6, 7–6, 11–9 |
| Win | 12. | 1981 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Bruce Manson | Anand AmritrajVijay Amritraj | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Loss | 6. | 1982 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Bruce Manson | Sherwood Stewart Ferdi Taygan | 1–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 13. | 1982 | Stuttgart Outdoor, West Germany | Clay | Mark Edmondson |  Andreas MaurerWolfgang Popp | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Win | 14. | 1982 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | Fritz Buehning | Marty DavisChris Dunk | 6–7, 6–2, 7–5 |
| Loss | 7. | 1983 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Carpet | Fritz Buehning | Pavel SložilTomáš Šmíd | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 15. | 1983 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Scott Davis | Anand AmritrajJohn Fitzgerald | 6–1, 4–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 16. | 1983 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Steve Meister | Andrés Gómez Sherwood Stewart | 6–7, 7–6, 6–2 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | SR | W–L | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | W | A | QF | 3R | A | 3R | NH | A | 1 / 6 | 12–5 | 70.6 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 4–3 | 57.1 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | Q2 | 0 / 11 | 15–11 | 57.7 | |
| US Open | PR* | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 0 / 15 | 14–15 | 48.3 | |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–5 | 6–3 | 4–3 | 11–2 | 2–2 | 9–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1 / 35 | 45–34 | 57.0 | |
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