Grant Connell

Grant Connell
Country (sports) Canada
ResidenceVancouver, British Columbia
Born (1965-11-17) November 17, 1965 (age 59)
Regina, Saskatchewan
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Turned pro1986
Retired1997
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money$2,911,097
Singles
Career record75–100
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 67 (17 June 1991)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1991)
French Open1R (1990, 1992)
Wimbledon3R (1994)
US Open2R (1988)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games2R (1988)
Doubles
Career record398–237
Career titles22
Highest rankingNo. 1 (29 November 1993)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenF (1990)
French OpenSF (1991, 1994)
WimbledonF (1993, 1994, 1996)
US OpenSF (1995)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games2R (1996)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenSF (1995)
French Open2R (1993, 1994)
WimbledonSF (1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997)
US OpenQF (1993)

Grant Connell (Pronounced: KAHN-nell[1]) (born November 17, 1965) is a former professional tennis player from Canada, who retired in 1997 and in 1999 started working as a real estate agent in Vancouver.[2] He specializes in West Vancouver North Vancouver and Downtown properties real estate transactions. He is considered one of the world's top doubles player from the early to late -1990s, reaching the world No. 1 doubles ranking in November 1993.

Connell won 22 doubles titles during his eleven seasons on the ATP Tour (1986 to 1997). He won his first four with fellow Canadian Glenn Michibata. Upon Michibata's retirement from the tour, Connell joined Patrick Galbraith. The Connell-Galbraith tandem won 12 titles together, including the 1995 season ending Doubles Championships tournament. Connell's next main partner became Byron Black with whom he won four more titles. He also won a title each with Todd Martin and Scott Davis. He was a three-time Wimbledon doubles finalist, twice with Galbraith and once with Black.

A left-hander, Connell best singles ranking was world No. 67, which he reached in June 1991. His best tour singles results were reaching the semifinals of the 1991 Chicago, 1991 Singapore, and 1992 Auckland Grand Prix events.

Connell's best Grand Slam singles results were reaching the third round of the 1991 Australian Open and 1994 Wimbledon.

A solid grass-court player, Connell had Andre Agassi on the ropes in their first round encounter at Wimbledon in 1991. In that match, Connell served a gutsy second serve ace to win the third set tie-breaker and go up two sets to one. Agassi however won the final two sets 7–5, 6–3, to take the match. (The following year at Wimbledon saw Agassi win his first Grand Slam event.) As well, Connell reached five mixed semifinals at Wimbledon. The majority of those with his highly ranked partner Lindsay Davenport. Reporters have noted that neither one of them seemed too concerned about winning any title but had a lot of fun losing.

Connell played Davis Cup for Canada on numerous occasions posting a career 15–6 win–loss record in doubles and an equally impressive 8–3 record in singles. He was a member of Canada's 1991 and 1992 Davis Cup teams winning all three needed matches in each of those wins to put Canada in to the World Group for its first two times in canadian tennis history. Awards: Winner of the “Spirit of Sport” national award for the athlete who gives back the most to charity and their sport; Member of the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame, Canadian Open Hall of Fame, BC Sports Hall of Fame, Texas A&M University Hall of Fame, and B.C. Summer Swimming Hall of Fame.

  1. ^ ATPWorldTour.com - Players - Profile
  2. ^ Connell, Grant. "Grant Connell Personal Real Estate Corporation". Retrieved 10 February 2013.