Leon Smart

Last updated

Leon Smart
Full nameLeon Smart
Country (sports) Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Residence Flag of the United States.svg United States
Born (1992-04-23) 23 April 1992 (age 32)
PlaysRight-handed
Club Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston
Singles
Career titles0
Highest ranking7
Current ranking7
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open 1R (2017)
British Open QF (2022)
French Open SF (2024)
US Open SF (2022)
Doubles
Career titles0
Highest ranking10
Current ranking10
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open QF (2017)
French Open F (2023, 2024)
British Open QF (2018, 2022)
US Open SF (2021, 2022, 2023)

Leon Smart (born 23 April 1992) is an professional British real tennis player currently based at the Tennis and Racquet Club in Boston, Massachusetts. [1] He is currently ranked seventh in the world at singles and tenth at doubles. [2] His best result was reaching the semi finals of the US Open singles in 2022 and the French Open singles in 2024.

Contents

Career

Smart began his career as a lawn tennis player, playing in the ITF Futures. [3] He discovered real tennis as a student at Middlesex University in 2010 and joined the university team on an internship program. Upon graduating, he was appointed as the assistant professional at the Middlesex University Real Tennis Club. In 2014, he reached the final of the Taylor Cup, a tournament for new professionals, losing to Lewis Williams. That year, he also entered British Open qualifying for the first time, but lost in the first round to Craig Greenhalgh.

In 2015, Smart moved to the United States, taking up the role as assistant professional at the Tennis and Racquet Club in Boston. He made his US Open debut, losing in the first round to women's World Champion Claire Fahey. He won his first Open match at that year's French Open, beating Frenchman Benjamin Jacquin-Turrettini in the first round, but losing to incumbent World Champion Robert Fahey. At the start of 2016, he won the British Under 24 Open against Ed Kay at his alma mater of Middlesex University. [4] Later that season, he was a finalist at the US Professional Satellite, losing to Darren Long. [5]

Smart began touring in ernest in 2017, playing his first and to date only Australian Open. He lost in the first round of each of the Australian, French and US Opens, the exception being in the first round of the US Open doubles. 2018 was slightly more successful, with first match victories at the US Open against Adam Player and at the British Open against Josh Smith. [6]

In 2019, Smart moved to the Tuxedo Club in New York to work under Tim Chisholm. That year he won the US Professional Singles satellite in a harbinger of his successes yet to come. However, any prospect of international play was abandonded due to the cancellation of tournaments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid travel restrictions preventing a full participation, Smart reached the quarter finals of the 2021 US Open [7] and the semi finals of the 2021 US Professional Singles.

Once play had returned to normal in 2022, Smart had his best season yet, defeating top 10 player Chris Chapman in the quarter final of the 2022 US Open at his home court in Tuxedo. [8] Smart also reached a British Open quarter final for the first time after defeating John Woods-Casey. His performances over the season brought him into the top 10 in the world for the first time. In doubles, he reached the semi final stage at both the French and US Opens partnering with Chapman and Darren Long respectively. At the end of the season, he moved back to the Tennis and Racquet Club, this time as head professional. [9]

Across 2023, Smart cemented his place in the top 10 with quarter final appearances at the French and US Opens. He played his first Open final at the French Open doubles, partnered with Nick Howell but losing to Steve Virgona and Ben Taylor-Matthews in straight sets. His other notable result was a semi-final at the US Professional Singles, defeating Robert Shenkman 6/5 6/5 6/5 in the quarter final. [10]

In 2024, Smart reached his first French Open semi final after defeating Lewis Williams in the quarter final. He also reached his second doubles final at the same event, partnered with Steve Virgona but losing to Nick Howell and Camden Riviere.

Performance timeline

Singles

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Current through the 2024 French Open [11]

Tournament20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024SRW–LWin %
World Championship
Win–loss0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00 / 00–0 – 
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAAA 1R AAANHAAA0 / 10–10%
British Open Q1 AAA 2R ANHA QF 2R 0 / 32–340%
French OpenA QF A 1R 1R ANH 1R QF SF 0 / 63–633%
US OpenA1R2R1R2R2R 2R QF SF QF QF 0 / 106–1038%
Win–loss0–01–20–10–32–30–10–11–13–32–33–20 / 2012–2038%
IRTPA Sanctioned Tournaments
Champions Trophy NHAAANHA QF 1R 0 / 20–30%
IRTPA Championship1RANHAQFANH0 / 21–233%
US ProAQ12R2RQF1RNHSF2RSFQF0 / 85–838%
Win–loss0–10–00–10–12–20–10–01–10–12–310–20 / 126–1332%
Career Statistics
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024Career
Tournaments12245212454Career total: 32
Titles00000000000Career total: 0
Finals00000000000Career total: 0
Overall win–loss0–11–20–20–44–50–20–12–23–44–64–418–3335%
Win %0%33%0%0%44%0%0%50%43%40%50%Career total: 35%

Doubles

Tournament2015201620172018201920202021202220232024SRW–LWin %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAA QF AAANHAAA0 / 10–10%
British Open AAA QF ANHA QF 1R 0 / 32–340%
French OpenAA QF QF ANH SF F F 0 / 54–544%
US OpenQFQFQFQFQF QF SF SF SF QF 0 / 108–1044%
Win–loss1–11–11–31–30–10–11–14–33–32–20 / 1914–1942%
IRTPA Sanctioned Tournaments
IRTPA ChampionshipNHAQFANH0 / 10–10%
Win–loss0–00–00–10–00–00–00–00–00–00–00 / 10–10%
Career Statistics
2015201620172018201920202021202220232024Career
Tournaments1143111332Career total: 20
Titles0000000000Career total: 0
Finals0000000011Career total: 2
Overall win–loss1–11–11–41–30–10–11–14–33–32–214–2041%
Win %50%50%20%25%0%0%50%57%50%50%Career total: 41%

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Edberg</span> Swedish tennis player (born 1966)

Jan Stefan Edberg is a Swedish former world No. 1 professional tennis player. A major practitioner of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles between 1985 and 1996. He is one of only two men in the Open Era to have been ranked world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, the other being John McEnroe. Edberg also won the Masters Grand Prix and was a part of the Swedish Davis Cup-winning team four times. In addition, he won four Masters Series titles, four Championship Series titles and the unofficial 1984 Olympic tournament, was ranked in the singles top 10 for ten successive years and ranked nine years in the top 5. After retirement, Edberg began coaching Roger Federer in January 2014, with this partnership ending in December 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Murray</span> British tennis player (born 1986)

Jamie Robert Murray, is a British professional tennis player from Scotland who specialises in doubles. He is a seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion, a Davis Cup winner, and a former doubles World No. 1.

Sashi Menon is an Indian former professional tennis player. He was active from 1970 to 1984 and played over 700 hundred matches and won 4 career singles titles, in addition he also won 3 doubles titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James McGee (tennis)</span> Irish tennis player

James McGee is an Irish former professional tennis player. He was born in Castleknock, Ireland. He attended Belvedere College in Dublin, County Dublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Bolt</span> Australian professional tennis player

Alex Bolt is an Australian professional tennis player. He plays mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour. His career-high rankings by the ATP are world No. 125 in singles and world No. 81 in doubles. Highlights of his career include quarterfinal appearances at the 2014 Australian Open men's doubles and at the 2017 Australian Open with Andrew Whittington and Bradley Mousley respectively.

Ben Taylor-Matthews is a professional British Real Tennis player based at Bristol Real Tennis Club. His career high ranking is world number 4, and his current ranking is 5. To date, he is yet to win a major singles title but has contested two Australian Open finals, as well as an IRTPA Championships final, plus a Champions Trophy final. He unsuccessfully challenged for the World Championship on three occasions, most recently in 2023.

The 2016 Real Tennis World Championship was a real tennis tournament held at the National Tennis Club in Newport, Rhode Island. 12-time world champion Rob Fahey lost the championship for the first time since 1994 to challenger Camden Riviere by a score of 7–2.

Claire Faheynée Vigrass is a British real tennis and rackets player and current real tennis Ladies World Champion. She holds over 40 Open singles titles and has completed a calendar year Grand Slam on six occasions. She is the first female player to play in the main draw of three of the four Men's Opens, and the first to female player to reach a semi final stage. She has also challenged for the Rackets World Championships on two occasions and has won five British Open Rackets titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lumley (real tennis)</span> British real tennis player

John Colin Lumley is a British professional real tennis player currently ranked at number 2 in the world. He unsuccessfully challenged Camden Riviere for the 2023 Real Tennis World Championship at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia. He currently works as the assistant professional at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

Nick Howell is a professional real tennis player based at the Aiken Tennis Club in Aiken, South Carolina. Howell currently ranked number 3 in the world in both singles and doubles and won the French Open in 2023. Howell has challenged for the Real Tennis World Championship on two occasions, playing in the First Round Eliminator in 2020 and the Final Eliminator in 2023.

The 2023 Real Tennis World Championship was a real tennis tournament held at the International Tennis Club of Washington in McLean, Virginia in September 2023. Reigning champion Camden Riviere was challenged by first-time challenger John Lumley. Riviere won his third World Championship title, and his first successful defense, defeating Lumley 7 sets to 3.

The 2023 French Open also known as the 2023 Open de France du Jeu de Paume was the 41st edition of the real tennis French Open. The event was held at the Société Sportive du Jeu de Paume & de Racquets in Paris between September 24 and October 1, 2023, and was organised by the Comité Français de Courte-Paume, forming part of the qualifying series for the 2025 Real Tennis World Championship. The event was held days after the 2023 Real Tennis World Championship meaning that world top 2 Camden Riviere and John Lumley were not in attendance. The men's draw was the third grand slam event of the year.

Tara Lumley is a British real tennis and rackets player and current women's World Doubles Champion. She is currently ranked world number 3 in both singles and doubles at real tennis. She holds 2 Open singles and 7 Open doubles titles. She won the inaugural women's doubles Rackets World Championship with India Deakin, and has challenged for the women's singles Rackets World Championships on three occasions, playing in the eliminator process in each occasion.

Chris Chapman is an Australian professional real tennis player formerly ranked world number 3 and currently based at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club. Chapman challenged for the Real Tennis World Championship on three occasions, reaching the Final Eliminator in 2020. Over his career, he won three Open singles titles, two at the Australian Open and one at the French Open. He also holds three four Open doubles titles. In 2023 during the British Open he announced his retirement from international competitions, although he still competes in Australian competitions.

Bryn Sayers is a British professional real tennis player currently ranked at number seven in the world. He unsuccessfully challenged for the Real Tennis World Championship on four occasions, reaching the Final Eliminator in 2014 against Camden Riviere. He holds two singles Open titles, having won both in 2012. He works as the senior professional at the Queen's Club in London.

The 2024 Real Tennis World Doubles Championship was the 12th edition of the real tennis World Doubles Championship and was held at the Racquet Club of Chicago from April 24-28th 2024. The event was won by defending champions Tim Chisholm and Camden Riviere representing the United States. It was their fifth consecutive title, with Chisholm equalling Robert Fahey and Steve Virgona with 6 overall titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Shenkman</span> British real tennis player

Robert Shenkman is an amateur British real tennis player currently based at the Manchester Tennis and Racquet Club. He is the current British Amateur Champion, US Amateur Champion, and MCC Gold Racquet holder, the first amateur to unite the three titles since Julian Snow in 2003. Shenkman is ranked in the top 10 Open singles rankings and has reached the semi final of the US Open doubles championships.

Matthieu Sarlangue is an amateur French real tennis player currently based at the Société Sportive du Jeu de Paume et de Racquets in Paris. He has won the Raquette d'Or – the French Amateur Championships – on 14 occasions and the British Amateur singles on two occasions. In Open play, he is a former World Championship Doubles semi finalist and was formerly ranked as high as eighth in the world at singles, notably reaching the semi finals of the 2020 Australian Open. He is currently the number one ranked French player, professional or amateur, and ranked number 11 in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Williams (real tennis)</span> British real tennis player

Lewis Williams is a British professional real tennis player, currently the head professional at the Leamington Tennis Court Club. He is currently ranked twelfth in the world at singles and thirteenth in the world at doubles. His most notable result was reaching the semi-finals at the 2023 Australian Open, and twice a quarter finalist at the French Open.

Darren Long is a British professional real tennis player, currently the head professional at the Moreton Morrell Tennis Court Club. He is currently ranked thirteenth in the world at singles and twelfth in the world at doubles. He has reached an Open doubles semi final on three occasions, most recently at the 2024 US Open and the 2024 Australian Open.

References

  1. ↑ "Champions Trophy Player Profiles - Leon Smart". Royal Tennis Court. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  2. ↑ "World Rankings Singles". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  3. ↑ "ITF Player Profile - Leon Smart". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "Ed and Jamie conquer the world (....of under 24 real tennis players)". Cambridge University Real Tennis Club. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  5. ↑ "2016 US Pro Singles". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "British Open Real Tennis Championships 2018". Tennis and Rackets Association. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "2021 US Open". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "2022 US Open". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "IRTPA Player Profiles - Leon Smart". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "2023 US Pro Singles playing for the Schochet Cup". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "Player Profile – Robert Shenkman". International Real Tennis Professionals Association.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.