Jim Gurfein

Last updated
Jim Gurfein
Country (sports)Flag of the United States.svg USA
Born (1961-01-04) January 4, 1961 (age 62)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
PlaysLeft-handed
Singles
Career record39–64
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 96 (September 12, 1983)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open 2R (1981, 1983)
French Open 2R (1983)
Wimbledon 1R (1984)
US Open 1R (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987)
Doubles
Career record34–52
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 100 (June 25, 1984)

Jim Gurfein (born January 4, 1961) is a former professional tennis player from the U.S. [1] Gurfein reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 96 in September 1983.

Contents

Early years

Gurfein was born in New York City, and he is Jewish. [2] Gurfein grew up in Great Neck, New York. He attended Great Neck North High School and Stanford University. While on tour, Gurfein kept a residence in Atlanta, Georgia. [3]

Tennis career

Gurfein was runner-up of the 1981 NCAA singles tennis championship, falling to Stanford University teammate Tim Mayotte, and was an All American that year with teammates Mayotte, Scott Bondurant, and Scott Davis. [4] [5] He was a member of the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team in 1981. [4]

In 1982, he won a doubles title in Cairo with Drew Gitlin. [1] [6] In July 1983, the 22-year-old Gurfein defeated world #22 Henri Leconte of France in a tournament in North Conway, New Hampshire and upset world #34 Christophe Roger-Vasselin in the Swedish Open in Båstad, Sweden. [6] [7]

Gurfein reached a career-high singles ranking of #96 in September 1983. [4] He won one doubles title and reached his high doubles ranking of #100 in June 1984. [8] [9]

In 1984, he won the USTA Hawaiian Satellite tournament. [4] In 1988, he defeated world #31 Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands in straight sets in a tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida and was a doubles winner in Seattle with Buff Farrow). [4] [6]

In 1986, Gurfein was participating in a tennis tour in Nigeria when, following a Bible study with fellow tennis pros Bud Cox and Morris Strode, Gurfein jumped through a hotel window while shouting "Jesus!" He suffered cuts and bruises and the three players were sent home from the tour. According to officials, Gurfein, Cox and Strode said that they had seen God, tore up their passports, cash and other possessions and threw them out of a seventh-floor window. Fellow tennis pro Bobby Banck said that the three men had twice broken into his hotel room in the middle of the night to urge him to "give up tennis and find the Lord." Banck had to call hotel security to remove the players from his room. [10]

Career finals

Singles (1 loss)

ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Nov 1982 Bangkok, ThailandCarpet (i) Flag of the United States.svg Mike Bauer 1–6, 2–6

Doubles (1 win, 3 losses)

ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Sep 1981 Bordeaux, FranceClay Flag of Sweden.svg Anders Järryd Flag of Ecuador.svg Andrés Gómez
Flag of Chile.svg Belus Prajoux 		5–7, 3–6
Loss0–2Nov 1981Manila, PhilippinesClay Flag of the United States.svg Drew Gitlin Flag of the United States.svg Mike Bauer
Flag of the United States.svg John Benson 		4–6, 4–6
Win1–2Feb 1982 Cairo, EgyptClay Flag of the United States.svg Drew Gitlin Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Heinz Günthardt
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Markus Günthardt 		6–4, 7–5
Loss0–3Oct 1983 Barcelona, SpainClay Flag of the United States.svg Erick Iskersky Flag of Sweden.svg Anders Järryd
Flag of Sweden.svg Hans Simonsson 		5–7, 3–6

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Jim GURFEIN". itftennis.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. ↑ Sheldon Wallman (March 12, 1982). "The Sports Scene". Jewish Post.
  3. ↑ "Jim Gurfein Profile". ATP ChampionsTour. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jim Gurfein | Bio | Tennis". ATP Tour.
  5. ↑ "All-Americans". Stanford University Athletics.
  6. 1 2 3 "Jim Gurfein | Player Activity | Tennis". ATP Tour.
  7. ↑ "Unseeded Americans Jim Gurfein and Scott Lipy n upset..." UPI. July 13, 1983.
  8. ↑ "Jim Gurfein | Overview | ATP World Tour | Tennis". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  9. ↑ "Jim Gurfein ATP Match Results, Splits, and Analysis". Tennis Abstract. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  10. ↑ "3 Tennis Pros Leave Nigeria After Saying They Saw God". The New York Times . Reuters. December 1, 1986. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
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