Brian Teacher


Brian David Teacher is a former American professional male tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking World No. 7 in 1981.
Teacher is best remembered for his singles championship at the Australian Open in 1980. His career-high world singles ranking was No. 7 and his world doubles ranking was No. 5, both in 1981. He won 8 career singles titles, and 16 doubles titles.
Following his playing career, he became an ATP & WTA touring coach. He currently runs the Brian Teacher Tennis Academy in South Pasadena, California.

Early and personal life

Teacher was born in San Diego, California. In 1979 he married fellow California player Kathy May, also a Top 10 tennis player, and the great-granddaughter of David May, founder of The May Department Stores Company, though they subsequently divorced.

Tennis career

Junior, high school, and college

Teacher won a CIF singles title in 1972 while at Crawford High School.
In 1972, he won the boys' 18 singles and doubles titles. At the University of California-Los Angeles, he won the Pacific-8 singles and doubles championship in 1974, was an All-American from 1973–76, and was a member of the UCLA teams that won the NCAA championship in 1975 and 1976.

Professional career

He reached the finals in the South Australian and New South Wales Opens in 1977. In 1978, at the Seiko World Super Tennis Tournament in Tokyo, Teacher upset UCLA graduates Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe before losing in the final to Björn Borg 6–3, 6–4.
In 1980, he won the Australian Open, becoming the second Jewish player to win a men's Grand Slam Singles event. He won the final over Kim Warwick of Australia in straight sets. With his Grand Slam victory, Teacher is one of only five American male players in the Open era to have won a single Grand Slam event. Seven more Americans have more than one Slam.
His career-high world singles ranking was No. 7 and his world doubles ranking was No. 5, both in 1981.
He won 8 career singles titles, and 16 doubles titles.

Halls of fame

Teacher was inducted in 2001 into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame, in 2008 into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame, and he is also a member of the NCAA Tennis Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 2014 he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 2015, Teacher was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame.

Coach

Following his playing career, he became an ATP & WTA touring coach working with, among others, Andre Agassi and Greg Rusedski. Under his tutelage, Rusedski made a run from #85 in the world to the top ten and the U.S. Open finals. Teacher also coached world #1 doubles players Jim Grabb, Richey Renenberg, Daniel Nestor, and Max Mirnyi. On the women's side, he coached WTA tour player Marissa Irvin. He currently runs the Brian Teacher Tennis Academy in South Pasadena, California.

Grand Slam singles final

Win (1)

Career finals

Singles (8 titles, 15 runners-up)


ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1.Sep 1976Newport, U.S.Grass Vijay Amritraj3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 1–6
Loss2.Jan 1977Adelaide, AustraliaGrass Victor Amaya1–6, 4–6
Win1.Apr 1977Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.Carpet Bill Scanlon6–3, 6–3
Loss3.Dec 1977Sydney Outdoor, AustraliaGrass Roscoe Tanner3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 4–6
Loss4.Oct 1978Tokyo Indoor, JapanCarpet Björn Borg3–6, 4–6
Win2.Nov 1978Taipei, TaiwanCarpet Tom Gorman6–3, 6–3, 6–3
Win3.Jul 1979Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.Grass Stan Smith1–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss5.Apr 1980Los Angeles, U.S.Hard Gene Mayer3–6, 2–6
Loss6.Nov 1980Hong KongHard Ivan Lendl7–5, 6–7, 3–6
Loss7.Nov 1980Taipei, TaiwanCarpet Ivan Lendl7–6, 3–6, 3–6, 6–7
Loss8.Nov 1980Bangkok, ThailandCarpet Vijay Amritraj3–6, 5–7
Loss9.Dec 1980Sydney Outdoor, AustraliaGrass Fritz Buehning3–6, 7–6, 6–7
Win4.Dec 1980Australian Open, MelbourneGrass Kim Warwick7–5, 7–6, 6–2
Win5.Aug 1981Columbus, Ohio, U.S.Hard John Austin6–3, 6–2
Loss10.Sep 1981San Francisco, U.S.Carpet Eliot Teltscher3–6, 6–7
Loss11.Sep 1982Maui, Hawaii, U.S.Hard John Fitzgerald2–6, 3–6
Win6.Dec 1982Dortmund WCT, GermanyCarpet Wojtek Fibak6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4
Win7.Mar 1983Munich WCT, GermanyCarpet Mark Dickson1–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3
Win8.Aug 1983Columbus, Ohio, U.S.Hard Bill Scanlon7–6, 6–4
Loss12.Sep 1983Dallas, Texas, U.S.Hard Andrés Gómez7–6, 1–6, 1–6
Loss13.Jun 1984Bristol, U.K.Grass Johan Kriek7–6, 6–7, 4–6
Loss14.Jul 1984Gstaad, SwitzerlandClay Joakim Nyström4–6, 2–6
Loss15.Jul 1985Livingston, U.S.Hard Brad Gilbert6–7, 4–6

Doubles (16 titles, 7 runners-up)

ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1.1976Columbus, U.S.Hard William Brown Fred McNair
Sherwood Stewart
6–3, 6–4
Loss1.1978Miami, U.S.Clay Bob Carmichael Tom Gullikson
Gene Mayer
6–7, 3–6
Win2.1978Manila, PhilippinesClay Sherwood Stewart Ross Case
Chris Kachel
6–3, 7–6
Loss2.1979Washington Indoor, U.S.Carpet Bob Carmichael Robert Lutz
Stan Smith
4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–7
Loss3.1979Stuttgart Indoor, GermanyHard Bob Carmichael Wojtek Fibak
Tom Okker
3–6, 7–5, 6–7
Win3.1980Washington-2, U.S.Carpet Ferdi Taygan Kevin Curren
Steve Denton
4–6, 6–3, 7–6
Loss4.1980Rotterdam, NetherlandsCarpet Bill Scanlon Vijay Amritraj
Stan Smith
4–6, 3–6
Win4.1980Los Angeles, U.S.Hard Butch Walts Anand Amritraj
John Austin
6–2, 6–4
Win5.1980Toronto, CanadaHard Bruce Manson Heinz Günthardt
Sandy Mayer
6–3, 3–6, 6–4
Win6.1980Cincinnati, U.S.Hard Bruce Manson Wojtek Fibak
Ivan Lendl
6–7, 7–5, 6–4
Loss5.1980Hong KongHard Bruce Manson Peter Fleming
Ferdi Taygan
5–7, 2–6
Win7.1980Taipei, TaiwanCarpet Bruce Manson John Austin
Ferdi Taygan
6–4, 6–0
Win8.1980Bangkok, ThailandCarpet Ferdi Taygan Tom Okker
Dick Stockton
7–6, 7–6
Win9.1981La Quinta, U.S.Hard Bruce Manson Terry Moor
Eliot Teltscher
7–6, 6–2
Win10.1981Frankfurt, GermanyCarpet Butch Walts Vitas Gerulaitis
John McEnroe
7–5, 6–7, 7–5
Win11.1981London/Queen's Club, U.K.Grass Pat Du Pré Kevin Curren
Steve Denton
3–6, 7–6, 11–9
Win12.1981Columbus, U.S.Hard Bruce Manson Anand Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj
6–1, 6–1
Loss6.1982Los Angeles, U.S.Hard Bruce Manson Sherwood Stewart
Ferdi Taygan
1–6, 7–6, 3–6
Win13.1982Stuttgart Outdoor, GermanyClay Mark Edmondson Andreas Maurer
Wolfgang Popp
6–3, 6–1
Win14.1982San Francisco, U.S.Carpet Fritz Buehning Marty Davis
Chris Dunk
6–7, 6–2, 7–5
Loss7.1983Richmond, Virginia, U.S.Carpet Fritz Buehning Pavel Složil
Tomáš Šmíd
2–6, 4–6
Win15.1983Columbus, U.S.Hard Scott Davis Anand Amritraj
John Fitzgerald
6–1, 4–6, 7–6
Win16.1983Johannesburg, South AfricaHard Steve Meister Andrés Gómez
Sherwood Stewart
6–7, 7–6, 6–2

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Miscellaneous

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