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Lori McNeil

Oklahoma State University

2006

Inspired by her mother’s love of the game, Lori McNeil (b. 1963) spent most of her formative years on the tennis court, growing into a champion. McNeil honed her skills at Houston’s MacGregor Park alongside her close friend Zina Garrison, guided by former American Tennis Association champion John Wilkerson.

An All-American at Oklahoma State University, McNeil went pro in 1984. Two years later she reached the USTA Top 10 in singles, and climbed as high as No. 9 in the world rankings. She also represented her country on the U.S. Fed Cup and Wightman Cup teams.

With her classic serve-and-volley game, McNeil captured 32 career doubles titles, including the mixed doubles championship at the French Open in 1988. She also scored a stunning first-round victory over defending champion Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1994, eventually reaching the semifinals.

Retiring from the tour in 2002, McNeil was named a USTA high peformance coach and was appointed assistant coach to the U.S. Olympic team in 2004, continuing to serve as a mentor and inspiration to a new generation of tennis players.

Career Highlights
    All-American in singles and doubles, Oklahoma State University 1982
    NCAA Big Eight Athletic Conference Singles Champion 1982
    10 WTA tour singles titles; 32 doubles titles 1984-2002
    Career singles record 436-309
    Ranked in the USTA Top 10 1986 (No. 9), 1987 (No. 5), 1988 (No. 6), 1991 (No. 6), 1992 (No. 4), 1993 (No. 6), 1994 (No. 7), 1995 (No. 8)
    Ranked No. 4 in WTA world doubles rankings 1987; No. 9 in singles 1988
    Wimbledon Singles Quarterfinalist 1986
    Australian Open Singles Quarterfinalist 1987
    U.S. Open Singles Semifinalist 1987; defeated Chris Evert in quarterfinals
    Australian Open Doubles Finalist 1988 (with Zina Garrison)
    French Open Mixed Doubles Champion 1988
    Wimbledon Semifinalist in Singles 1994, defeated defending champion Steffi Graf in first round
    Japan Open Singles Champion 1989
    Eastbourne Singles Champion 1992
    Birmingham Singles Champion 1993, 1994; Doubles Champion 1993 (with Martina Navratilova)
    U.S. Indoor Doubles Champion 1986
    Rogers Cup Doubles Champion 1987, 1992
    U.S. Hardcourt Doubles Champion 1988
    U.S. Wightman Cup Team Member 1987-9
    U.S. Federation Cup Team Member 1988, 1992-3
    Coached Amanda Coetzer 2001-4; paired with Coetzer to win 2 WTA doubles titles 2001
    Senior Tennis Professional, USTA Junior Tennis Champions Center
    Chair, Lori McNeil Tennis Foundation
    Chair, Lori McNeil Celebrity Tennis Classic to support youth tennis programs in Bermuda
    Inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame 2000
    USTA High Performance Coach 2001-present
    Assistant Coach, U.S. Olympic Women’s Tennis Team 2004
    Captain, Maureen Connolly Challenge Cup Team 2004
    U.S. Women’s Tennis Coach, World University Games 2005
    WTA Mentor Appreciation Award for two-year mentorship of Vera Zvonareva 2006
Other 2006 Inductees
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