José Luis Clerc
Encyclopedia
José Luis Clerc is a former Argentine
professional tennis player, and one of the most important Argentine players in history.
Right handed, Batata Clerc started playing professionally in 1977, and won 25 ATP
Titles, and retired in 1988. His highest rank was World No. 4 on August 4, 1981, following a run of 27 victories and 4 titles in one month, and had year-ending rankings 8th in 1980, 5th in 1981, 6th in 1982, and 8th in 1983.
Clerc represented Argentina for the Davis Cup
from 1976 to 1989. With team mate Guillermo Vilas
, Argentina was runner up of the 1981 Davis Cup losing 3–1 to United States
in Cincinnati
. He defeated Roscoe Tanner
7-5, 6-3, 8-6 in a singles match, but lost to John McEnroe
in five sets, and to Fleming/McEnroe in doubles with Vilas.
Also with Vilas and Carlos Gattiker, Argentina won the 1980 World Team Cup
, defeating Adriano Panatta 7-6, 6-3 to beat Italy
3–0 in the finals in Düsseldorf.
He received the ATP
Sportsmanship Award of 1981, and Argentine Konex Awards in 1980 and 1990 for Merit in Tennis.
Clerc runs a tennis school in Argentina, participates in Senior tournaments, and regularly serves as a tennis analyst for ESPN Latin America and ESPN Deportes. He also coaches Julia Cohen
, a top American junior player.
Clerc is currently developing and will serve as director of the "José Luis Clerc Tennis Academy" at Algodon Wine Estates in San Rafael
, Mendoza
, Argentina. He also serves as Ambassador to the "Algodon" brand.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
professional tennis player, and one of the most important Argentine players in history.
Right handed, Batata Clerc started playing professionally in 1977, and won 25 ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
Titles, and retired in 1988. His highest rank was World No. 4 on August 4, 1981, following a run of 27 victories and 4 titles in one month, and had year-ending rankings 8th in 1980, 5th in 1981, 6th in 1982, and 8th in 1983.
Clerc represented Argentina for the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
from 1976 to 1989. With team mate Guillermo Vilas
Guillermo Vilas
Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:...
, Argentina was runner up of the 1981 Davis Cup losing 3–1 to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He defeated Roscoe Tanner
Roscoe Tanner
Roscoe Tanner is an American former professional tennis player, who turned pro in 1972 and reached a career high world singles ranking of World No...
7-5, 6-3, 8-6 in a singles match, but lost to John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
in five sets, and to Fleming/McEnroe in doubles with Vilas.
Also with Vilas and Carlos Gattiker, Argentina won the 1980 World Team Cup
World Team Cup
The World Team Cup is the international team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals . The tournament has been contested annually since 1978 and is generally considered to be second most prestigious men's team competition in tennis after the Davis Cup.Every year, the eight nations...
, defeating Adriano Panatta 7-6, 6-3 to beat Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
3–0 in the finals in Düsseldorf.
He received the ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
Sportsmanship Award of 1981, and Argentine Konex Awards in 1980 and 1990 for Merit in Tennis.
Clerc runs a tennis school in Argentina, participates in Senior tournaments, and regularly serves as a tennis analyst for ESPN Latin America and ESPN Deportes. He also coaches Julia Cohen
Julia Cohen
Julia Cohen is an American tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit.On November 29, 2010, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 153, and on September 12, 2011, her highest doubles ranking of 208....
, a top American junior player.
Clerc is currently developing and will serve as director of the "José Luis Clerc Tennis Academy" at Algodon Wine Estates in San Rafael
San Rafael, Mendoza
San Rafael is a city in the southern region of the Mendoza Province, Argentina. With more than 170,000 inhabitants , it is the largest city and the seat of San Rafael Department....
, Mendoza
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
, Argentina. He also serves as Ambassador to the "Algodon" brand.
Singles (25)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (1) |
| ATP Tour (24) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1. | May 15, 1978 | Florence ATP Florence This is a defunct tennis tournament that was played on the Grand Prix tennis circuit from 1973 through 1989 and the ATP Tour 1990 through 1994. The tournament was held in Florence, Italy and was competed on outdoor clay courts... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
Clay | Patrice Dominguez Patrice Dominguez Patrice Dominguez is a French tennis player born in Algeria. He reached a career high ranking of 36 in 1973. He represented France in the Davis Cup between 1971 and 1979.... |
6–4, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 2. | November 27, 1978 | Buenos Aires ATP Buenos Aires The ATP Buenos Aires is an annual tennis event for male tennis players held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and it is played on outdoor clay courts at the 5,500 capacity Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club,... , Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... |
Clay | Víctor Pecci Víctor Pecci Víctor Pecci is a former professional Paraguayan tennis player. Pecci was born in Asunción.Pecci was ranked as high as World No. 9 in singles in 1980 and World No. 31 in doubles in 1984. Pecci is famous for reaching the 1979 French Open final... |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 3. | December 4, 1978 | Santiago de Chile Chilean Open The Chilean Open is a defunct Grand Prix affiliated tennis tournament played from 1976 to 1981. This outdoor clay court tournament was played in Santiago, Chile.-Singles:-Doubles:... , Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
Clay | Víctor Pecci | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 4. | April 16, 1979 | Johannesburg ATP Johannesburg The SA Tennis Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts started originally as a Grand Prix tennis circuit event. It is currently part of the 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It is held annually in February at Montecasino, in... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Hard | Deon Joubert | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 5. | March 10, 1980 | San José de Costa Rica Friendship Cup (tennis) The Friendship Cup is a defunct tennis tournament that was played on the Grand Prix Tennis Circuit from 1979-1980. The event was held in San José, Costa Rica and was played on hardcourts.-Singles:-Doubles:... , Costa Rica Costa Rica Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.... |
Hard | Jimmy Connors Jimmy Connors James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player.... |
4–6, 2–6, retired |
| 6. | July 28, 1980 | South Orange South Orange Open The South Orange Open is a defunct Grand Prix affiliated tennis tournament played from 1970 to 1983. It was held in South Orange, New Jersey in the United States and played on outdoor hard courts from 1970 to 1972 and again in 1974, then played on outdoor grass courts in 1973, and then played on... , New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... , U.S. |
Clay | John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 7. | August 4, 1980 | Indianapolis U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships The U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship is an annual ATP Tour tennis tournament that started in 1910. It is the last remaining ATP Tour-level tournament in the United States to be played on clay courts.... , Indiana Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... , U.S. |
Clay | Mel Purcell Mel Purcell Mel Purcell is a former World No. 17 tennis player in the ATP tennis rankings. He is the head coach of the Murray State University men's tennis team... |
7–5, 6–3 |
| 8. | September 29, 1980 | Madrid Madrid Tennis Grand Prix The Madrid Tennis Grand Prix is a defunct professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit initially and later, the ATP World Series of the ATP Tour. The tournament was established in 1972 and was played every year until... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
Clay | Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:... |
6–3, 1–6, 1–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 9. | November 3, 1980 | Quito ATP Quito The Quito Open is a defunct Grand Prix affiliated tennis tournament played from 1979 to 1982. It was held in Quito in Ecuador and played on outdoor clay courts.... , Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border... |
Clay | Víctor Pecci | 6–4, 1–6, 10–8 |
| 10. | November 17, 1980 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | Rolf Gehring Rolf Gehring Rolf Gehring , is a former professional tennis player from Germany. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No... |
6–7, 2–6, 7–5, 6–0, 6–3 |
| 11. | May 11, 1981 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Raúl Ramírez Raúl Ramírez Raúl Ramírez is a retired Mexican professional tennis player. He was active during the 1970s and 1980s, and is regarded as one of the great all-around players of the modern era. Ramírez was also the first player to finish first in both singles and doubles Grand Prix point standings, accomplishing... |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 12. | May 18, 1981 | Italian Open, Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... |
Clay | Víctor Pecci | 6–3, 6–4, 6–0 |
| 13. | July 13, 1981 | Boston U.S. Pro Tennis Championships The U.S. Pro Tennis Championships was the oldest professional tennis tournament played until its final year of 1999 and is considered as a part of the professional grand slam from 1927 - 1967 until the advent of Open Era... , Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... , U.S. |
Clay | Hans Gildemeister Hans Gildemeister Hans Gildemeister Bohner , is a former Chilean tennis player of German ancestry, who won four singles and 23 doubles titles during his professional career. He is the brother of Heinz and Fritz Gildemeister, who are also tennis players... |
0–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 14. | July 20, 1981 | Washington D.C. Legg Mason Tennis Classic The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship... |
Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 7–5, 6–2 |
| 15. | July 28, 1981 | North Conway, New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian... , U.S. |
Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 16. | August 3, 1981 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Clay | Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... |
4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 17. | February 8, 1982 | Richmond Richmond WCT The Richmond WCT was a men's tennis tournament played in Richmond, Virginia from 1971-1984. The event was part of the WCT Tour and was held on indoor carpet courts.-Men's singles:-Doubles:-References:*... , Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... , U.S. |
Carpet | Fritz Buehning Fritz Buehning Fritz Buehning is a former American tennis player from Short Hills, New Jersey.Buehning attended Millburn High School, where he won the New Jersey state individual tennis championship in 1977 as a junior, his final year in high school... |
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 18. | June 7, 1982 | Venice ATP Venice This tournament is a defunct, Grand Prix tennis circuit affiliated tennis tournament. It was held from 1981-1983 in Venice, Italy and was played on outdoor clay courts. During its last year, the tournament was titled the International Tennis Championships of Venice.-Singles:-Doubles:... , Italy |
Clay | Peter McNamara Peter McNamara Peter McNamara is a retired Australian tennis player.He won five singles and nineteen doubles titles during his professional career. A right-hander, McNamara reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 14 March 1983 when he became World number 7... |
7–6, 6–1 |
| 19. | July 5, 1982 | Gstaad Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad The Swiss Open is a tennis tournament held in Gstaad, Switzerland. Held since 1915, the tournament is played on outdoor clay courts... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 6–1, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 20. | July 12, 1982 | Zell am See Zell am See Zell am See is the capital city of the Zell am See district in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The city has about 10,000 inhabitants.Zell am See is a tourist destination and a transportation hub for the region... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
Clay | Heinz Günthardt Heinz Günthardt Heinz Peter Günthardt is a former tennis player from Switzerland, who won five singles titles during his professional career, including the Rotterdam WCT in 1980.... |
6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 21. | November 15, 1982 | San Paolo San Paolo San Paolo is a comune in the Province of Brescia, in the Italian region Lombardy.... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
Clay | Marcos Hocevar Marcos Hocevar Marcos Hocevar , is a former professional tennis player from Brazil.During his career he finished runner-up at 2 singles events and won 1 doubles title. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 30 in 1983 and a career-high doubles ranking of World No... |
6–2, 6–7, 6–3 |
| 22. | January 24, 1983 | Guarujá ATP Guarujá The Guarujá Open was a men's tennis tournament held in Guarujá, Brazil.The tournament was originally part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit, it was played on a carpet surface in its introductory year of 1981 before switching to clay courts in 1982 until its last year in 1992... , Brazil |
Hard | Mats Wilander Mats Wilander Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title... |
3–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 23. | July 11, 1983 | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | Clay | Jimmy Arias Jimmy Arias James Arias is a former tennis touring professional player from the United States, a bronze medallist.From Grand Island, near Buffalo, New York, Arias's peak year was 1983, when as a 19 year-old he finished the year ranked World No. 6, having reached the U.S... |
6–3, 6–1 |
| 24. | July 18, 1983 | Washington D.C., U.S. | Clay | Jimmy Arias | 6–3, 3–6, 6–0 |
| 25. | July 25, 1983 | North Conway, New Hampshire, U.S. | Clay | Andrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:... |
6–3, 6–1 |