| Full name | Howard David Schoenfield |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | (1957-11-15)November 15, 1957 |
| Died | July 8, 2020(2020-07-08) (aged 62) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 11–42 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 68 (June 16, 1980) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1980) |
| US Open | 1R (1975,1977,1979) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 2–11 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| US Open | 1R (1975) |
Howard David Schoenfield (November 15, 1957 – July 8, 2020) was an American professionaltennis player.
Schoenfield was born inFort Hood, Texas, on November 15, 1957, one of three sons of Leslie, a doctor for U.S. Army at Fort Hood Hospital, and Nancy Schoenfield.[2] Soon after his birth the family moved toRochester, Minnesota, as his father had gotten a job at theMayo Clinic.[3]
A promising junior tennis player, Schoenfield was evaluated byJack Kramer in Los Angeles, which encouraged the family to move to Beverly Hills when Howard was 14.[2] He developed a marijuana habit while in California and smoked as much as four times a day.[3]
In 1974, his mother Nancy committed suicide by gunshot.[3] The following year, he won the junior title at the1975 US Open, but suffered a breakdown and was sent to a mental hospital, where he remained in for several months.[2][4]
He returned to tennis in 1976.[2] During his junior career, he won a total of eight national titles, matched only byJohn McEnroe.[3]
Schoenfield's most notable performance on the professional circuit was when he won theTulsa Grand Prix Tennis Tournament. En route to the final he defeatedBob Lutz and won the title overTrey Waltke.[5]
Following his first round loss at the 1980Surrey Grass Court Championships, Schoenfield was reported by umpire Bill Kempffer for "unsportsmanlike behavior". The umpire alleged that Schoenfield had not been trying. During the match, which he lost toChris Lewis 1–6, 1–6, Schoenfield hit an underarm serve into the bottom of the net and on another occasion didn't make an attempt to return serve.[6]
He made the main draw of the1980 Wimbledon Championships.[7]
At a Grand Prix tournament two months later, theCanadian International Tennis Championships, Schoenfield was ruled "unfit to play" and disqualified four games into his opening round match againstJohn James. Grand Prix supervisor Dick Robertson stepped in when Schoenfield trailed 0–4 in the first set and ruled that his play was not up to professional standards. Schoenfield later claimed that an official had accused him of having taken drugs, an allegation that he denied. He was fined his entire match fee.[8]
In 1981, Schoenfield was admitted to a halfway house near Jacksonville, Florida.[2] He was diagnosed withschizophrenia.[3]
Schoenfield died from complications ofCOVID-19 in July 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Florida. He was 62.[9]
| Result | W/L | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Apr 1980 | Tulsa, United States | Hard |  Trey Waltke | 5–7, 6–1, 6–0 |
