Justin Gimelstob

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Justin Gimelstob : biography

January 26, 1977 –

Tennis career

Juniors

He began to play tennis at age eight, and he was the top-ranked boy in his age group by 12 years of age. In 1991, he was ranked # 1 in the USTA Boys’ 14 age group, and he was # 1 ranked again in the USTA Boys’ 16 age group, winning the USTA championship, in 1993. He was also ranked # 1 at age 18, and in 1995 he won the USTA National Boys’ 18 Championships., USTA Boys National Tennis Championships. Accessed September 3, 2007.

Gimelstob grew up in the New Vernon section of Harding Township, New Jersey.Staff. , The New York Times, May 16, 1996. Accessed September 3, 2007. "The first pro tournament for the 19-year-old U.C.L.A. sophomore from Harding Township, N.J., will be the Stella Artois Grass Court Championships in London in June." He graduated from Newark Academy in Livingston, New Jersey, in 1995.Seeges, Sandy. , Daily Record (Morristown), August 28, 2007. Accessed September 3, 2007. "The 30-year-old Gimelstob, a graduate of Newark Academy, has known for awhile that his career was coming to an end." As a sophomore at Newark Academy, Gimelstob led the school’s tennis team to a 26–0 record and won the state Tournament of Champions., The Star-Ledger. Accessed December 12, 2007. In 2005, he was entered into the high school’s hall of fame, the Newark (N.J.) Academy Hall of Fame. The high school named its tennis facility after him and his brothers.

College and pro careers

In January 1995, Gimelstob enrolled at UCLA, which had offered him a scholarship. There, he completed his first semester with a 4.0 GPA. After his freshman year however, during which he was an All American, he turned pro.

Known to many as "The Most Quotable Guy on the ATP Tour", he earned the title with many interesting interviews. After reaching the U.S. Open as a wild-card in 1995, he said, "I’m only seven matches away from my first Grand Slam title."

In September 1995, he defeated World No. 65 David Prinosil in the first round of the U.S. Open. It was Gimelstob’s first Grand Slam event, and he was ranked # 1,154. Gimelstob was featured in Sports Illustrated; the September 11, 1995, issue asked, "Eighteen-year old UCLA frosh, with 4.0 GPA in first term, aces U.S. Open debut. Could he be tennis’ Tiger Woods?"

In 1996, his second (and final) year at UCLA, Justin won the NCAA doubles championship and helped lead the Bruins to a runner-up finish in the team competition (they lost to Stanford). After turning professional later in the year, Gimelstob began to steadily move up the world rankings.

At Wimbledon in June 1997 he upset world # 12 Gustavo Kuerten, 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 1–6, 6–4. In July 1997, he defeated world # 32 Andre Agassi at the ATP event in Los Angeles, 7–5, 6–2, played on the campus of UCLA. Later that month, he defeated world # 16 Petr Korda 6–4, 6–4 in Montreal. Gimelstob then reached the 3rd round at the 1997 US Open.

Gimelstob subsequently established himself chiefly as a doubles specialist, winning 12 titles. In 11 appearances at the US Open, he partnered 11 different players.

He won the 1998 Australian Open and French Open mixed doubles titles, with Venus Williams as his partner. In 1998 Gimelstob also won his second career ATP doubles title (his first was in 1997, and as of February 2001, he had 9 career doubles titles).

In June 1998 at Wimbledon he beat world # 9 Àlex Corretja 7–6 (3), 6–2, 6–3. In July he upset world # 5 Patrick Rafter 6–4, 6–3 in Los Angeles.

In 1999, he reached his highest world singles ranking in April (# 63) and won an additional five doubles titles with four different partners (he has been ranked as high as # 18 in the world in doubles). In March he beat world # 22 Thomas Muster, 6–4, 7–5 in Scottsdale, and in August he upset world # 7 Todd Martin, 6–4, 6–4 in Cincinnati.

In June 2000 he beat world No.27 Fabrice Santoro in London, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0. In July he upset world # 19 Mark Philippoussis 3–6, 7–6 (7–5), 7–6 (7–3).