Jim Grabb - Biography
Jim Grabb (born April 14, 1964) is a 6' 4" former professional tennis player.
Grabb was twice ranked the World No. 1 doubles player, in 1989 and in 1993. A right-handed serve-and-volleyer, Grabb's best singles ranking was World No. 24, a ranking he achieved in February 1990.
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Tennis career
College
Grabb is Jewish, and was born in Tucson, Arizona. Grabb was from 1984 to 1986 a 3-time doubles and 2-time singles All-American, helping Stanford University win the NCAA title in 1986 and finish runner-up in 1984. He was an economics major at Stanford, and credited going to college with helping him become a better doubles players: "When you take it seriously, you work on some things. You polish some skills. I think you come out with a little bit of an advantage."
In 1986 he won the Rafael Osuna Award, given annually by college coaches to the player who most embodies the qualities of competitiveness and sportsmanship, and who has made a significant contribution to the game.
Professional career
Grabb nabbed his first career singles title in 1987 by defeating Andre Agassi at a tournament in Seoul, Korea.
He won two doubles Grand Slam events, the 1989 French Open (with Patrick McEnroe) and the 1992 U.S. Open (with Richey Reneberg). In total, he captured 23 doubles tour titles (out of 26 finals).
He won two tour singles titles, the 1987 Seoul and the 1992 Taipei Grand Prix events. His best showing in a Grand Slam event was 4th round appearance in the 1989 U.S. Open. He had career singles wins over Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, and Mats Wilander.
Grabb won the Men's 35 Senior Doubles with his tennis partner, Richey Reneberg, at the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Open.
Davis Cup
He was a member of the 1993 United States Davis Cup team.
Hall of Fame
The Northern California section of the USTA inducted Grabb into its Hall of Fame in 2006.
Grand Slam men's doubles finals (3)
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1989 | French Open | Patrick McEnroe | Mansour Bahrami Eric Winogradsky | 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(5) |
| 1992 | U.S. Open | Richey Reneberg | Kelly Jones Rick Leach | 3–6, 7–6(2), 6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1992 | Wimbledon | Richey Reneberg | John McEnroe Michael Stich | 5–7, 7–6(5), 3–6, 7–6(5), 19–17 |
Grand Prix, ATP Tour, and Grand Slam doubles finals (50)
Titles (23)
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| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | October 5, 1987 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | Patrick McEnroe | Glenn Layendecker Todd Witsken | 6–2, 0–6, 6–4 |
| 2. | November 7, 1988 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Kevin Curren | Paul Annacone John Fitzgerald | 7–5, 6–4 |
| 3. | June 12, 1989 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Patrick McEnroe | Mansour Bahrami Eric Winogradsky | 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6 |
| 4. | December 10, 1989 | Masters Doubles, London | Carpet | Patrick McEnroe | John Fitzgerald Anders Järryd | 7–5, 7–6, 5–7, 6–3 |
| 5. | November 12, 1990 | Wembley, England | Carpet | Patrick McEnroe | Rick Leach Jim Pugh | 7–6, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 6. | October 7, 1991 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard | Richey Reneberg | Luke Jensen Laurie Warder | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 7. | October 14, 1991 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | Richey Reneberg | Scott Davis David Pate | 7–5, 2–6, 7–6 |
| 8. | January 13, 1992 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Wayne Ferreira | Grant Connell Glenn Michibata | 6–4, 6–3 |
| 9. | February 10, 1992 | San Francisco, U.S. | Hard (i) | Richey Reneberg | Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser | 6–4, 7–5 |
| 10. | April 20, 1992 | Hong Kong | Hard | Brad Gilbert | Byron Black Byron Talbot | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 11. | June 15, 1992 | Rosmalen, Netherlands | Grass | Richey Reneberg | John McEnroe Michael Stich | 6–4, 6–7, 6–4 |
| 12. | August 24, 1992 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Hard | Richey Reneberg | Grant Connell Glenn Michibata | 7–6, 6–2 |
| 13. | September 14, 1992 | U.S. Open, New York | Hard | Richey Reneberg | Kelly Jones Rick Leach | 3–6, 7–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 14. | February 22, 1993 | Philadelphia, U.S. | Carpet | Richey Reneberg | Marcos Ondruska Brad Pearce | 6–7, 6–3, 6–0 |
| 15. | April 18, 1994 | Hong Kong | Hard | Brett Steven | Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter | W/O |
| 16. | February 13, 1995 | San Jose, U.S. | Hard (i) | Patrick McEnroe | Alex O'Brien Sandon Stolle | 3–6, 7–5, 6–0 |
| 17. | February 27, 1995 | Philadelphia, U.S. | Carpet | Jonathan Stark | Jacco Eltingh Paul Haarhuis | 7–6, 6–7, 6–3 |
| 18. | October 16, 1995 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Hard | Jared Palmer | Kent Kinnear David Wheaton | 6–4, 7–5 |
| 19. | August 19, 1996 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Hard | Richey Reneberg | Petr Korda Cyril Suk | 7–6, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 20. | October 7, 1996 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Richey Reneberg | Neil Broad Piet Norval | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 21. | March 2, 1998 | London, England | Carpet | Martin Damm | Yevgeny Kafelnikov Daniel Vacek | 6–4, 7–5 |
| 22. | May 25, 1998 | St. Poelten, Austria | Clay | David Macpherson | David Adams Wayne Black | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 23. | August 10, 1998 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Martin Damm | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach | 6–7, 6–2, 7–6 |
Runner-ups (27)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | April 27, 1987 | Seoul, South Korea | Hard | Ken Flach | Eric Korita Mike Leach | 6–7, 6–1, 7–5 |
| 2. | October 26, 1987 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | Sammy Giammalva Jr. | Broderick Dyke Tom Nijssen | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 3. | November 9, 1987 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Jim Pugh | Stefan Edberg Anders Järryd | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 4. | January 11, 1988 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Sammy Giammalva Jr. | Marty Davis Tim Pawsat | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| 5. | April 25, 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | Hard | Gary Donnelly | Andrew Castle Roberto Saad | 6–7, 6–4, 7–6 |
| 6. | August 22, 1988 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Patrick McEnroe | Rick Leach Jim Pugh | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 7. | September 26, 1988 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Peter Doohan | John McEnroe Mark Woodforde | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 8. | October 31, 1988 | Paris Indoor, France | Carpet | Christo van Rensburg | Paul Annacone John Fitzgerald | 6–2, 6–2 |
| 9. | April 3, 1989 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | Patrick McEnroe | Jakob Hlasek Anders Järryd | 6–3, ret. |
| 10. | July 31, 1989 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Hard | Patrick McEnroe | Neil Broad Gary Muller | 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 |
| 11. | March 12, 1990 | Indian Wells, U.S. | Hard | Patrick McEnroe | Boris Becker Guy Forget | 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 12. | May 14, 1990 | Kiawah Island, U.S. | Clay | Leonardo Lavalle | Scott Davis David Pate | 6–2, 6–3 |
| 13. | June 18, 1990 | Rosmalen, Netherlands | Grass | Patrick McEnroe | Jakob Hlasek Michael Stich | 7–6, 6–3 |
| 14. | October 22, 1990 | Lyon, France | Carpet | David Pate | Patrick Galbraith Kelly Jones | 7–6, 6–4 |
| 15. | February 24, 1992 | Philadelphia, U.S. | Carpet | Richey Reneberg | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 6–4, 7–6 |
| 16. | July 6, 1992 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Richey Reneberg | John McEnroe Michael Stich | 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 19–17 |
| 17. | October 12, 1992 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | Richey Reneberg | Patrick McEnroe Jonathan Stark | 6–2, 6–3 |
| 18. | October 19, 1992 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | Richey Reneberg | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 7–6, 6–4 |
| 19. | February 14, 1994 | Memphis, U.S. | Hard (i) | Jared Palmer | Byron Black Jonathan Stark | 7–6, 6–4 |
| 20. | February 21, 1994 | Philadelphia, U.S. | Carpet | Jared Palmer | Jacco Eltingh Paul Haarhuis | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 21. | August 22, 1994 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Hard | Richey Reneberg | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 22. | March 27, 1995 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | Patrick McEnroe | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 6–3, 7–6 |
| 23. | November 6, 1995 | Paris, France | Carpet | Todd Martin | Grant Connell Patrick Galbraith | 6–2, 6–2 |
| 24. | February 5, 1996 | Shanghai, China | Carpet | Michael Tebbutt | Mark Knowles Roger Smith | 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 |
| 25. | October 6, 1997 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet | Karsten Braasch | Tim Henman Marc Rosset | 7–6, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 26. | July 27, 1998 | Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany | Clay | Joshua Eagle | Olivier Delaître Fabrice Santoro | 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 27. | February 21, 2000 | Memphis, U.S. | Hard (i) | Richey Reneberg | Justin Gimelstob Sébastien Lareau | 6–2, 6–4 |
Doubles performance timeline in major tournaments
| Tournament | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Career SR | Career Win-Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slams | |||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | NH | A | 1R | QF | A | A | 2R | QF | 1R | A | QF | 3R | 2R | 1R | A | 0 / 9 | 11–9 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | W | SF | 1R | QF | A | 1R | QF | 3R | 3R | 3R | 1R | A | 1 / 10 | 22–9 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | SF | 3R | 3R | 1R | F | A | A | 1R | 3R | SF | 3R | 2R | A | 0 / 11 | 21–11 |
| U.S. Open | 2R | A | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | A | 1R | W | A | 1R | 1R | A | SF | QF | 2R | A | 1 / 11 | 18–10 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 0 | 2 / 41 | N/A |
| Annual Win-Loss | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 5–3 | 11–3 | 6–2 | 0–3 | 15–3 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 3–3 | 6–3 | 12–4 | 8–4 | 2–4 | 0–0 | N/A | 72–39 |
| ATP Masters Series | |||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | These tournaments were not Masters Series events before 1990. | F | SF | A | QF | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 0 / 9 | 13–9 | |||||
| Miami | A | 2R | A | A | 2R | F | QF | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 7 | 9–7 | ||||||
| Monte Carlo | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | ||||||
| Rome | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 4 | 1–4 | ||||||
| Hamburg | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 0 / 3 | 0–3 | ||||||
| Canada | A | 2R | QF | A | 2R | 2R | A | A | W | QF | A | 1 / 6 | 9–5 | ||||||
| Cincinnati | A | 2R | QF | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 0 / 8 | 5–8 | ||||||
| Stuttgart (Stockholm) | 1R | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | 2R | 2R | A | A | 0 / 5 | 4–5 | ||||||
| Paris | QF | 1R | SF | A | 1R | F | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | A | 0 / 8 | 9–8 | ||||||
| Masters Series SR | N/A | 0 / 4 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 6 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 6 | 1 / 9 | 0 / 6 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 51 | N/A | |||||
| Annual Win-Loss | N/A | 5–4 | 5–5 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 4–5 | 8–6 | 9–5 | 3–6 | 8–8 | 3–6 | 0–1 | N/A | 50–50 | |||||
| Year End Ranking | 167 | 406 | 268 | 28 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 116 | 36 | 15 | 25 | 32 | 15 | 85 | 208 | N/A | |
A = did not attend tournament
NH = tournament not held
Grand Prix and ATP Tour singles finals (3)
Titles (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | April 27, 1987 | Seoul, South Korea | Hard | Andre Agassi | 1–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 2. | October 26, 1992 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | Jamie Morgan | 6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-ups (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | July 23, 1990 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Hard | Andre Agassi | 6–1, 6–4 |
Miscellaneous
- In 2000, Sports Illustrated ranked Grabb 17th among Arizona's 50 Greatest Sports Figures of the 20th century.[1]
Grabb was the Vice President of ATP Tour Player Council and doubles representative in 1998–99.
Grabb married Sarah Stenn in 2002 in California. While on tour he resided, at least for a time, in Hermosa Beach, California.
See also
- List of select Jewish tennis players
External links
Discussion
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