Courier, "Jim" (James S.)
Tennis
b. Aug. 17, 1970
A classmate of Andre Agassi at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, Courier was overshadowed by Agassi until 1991, when he beat Agassi in the French Open's first all-American final since 1954. Courier ended the year ranked second in the world. It was his first appearance in the top ten.
Courier won the French Open again and also took the Australian Open to claim the world's top ranking in 1992. After winning the Australian Open for a second time in 1993, Courier lost in the finals of the French Open and the Wimbledon singles. He finished the year ranked third behind Pete Sampras.
Then he suddenly lost his edge. Despite taking frequent breaks to get his head and game back together, Courier has rarely been a since then, although he did come back somewhat to reach the world's eighth ranking in 1995.
Injuries certainly didn't help. A right knee problem forced his withdrawal from the 1996 U. S. Open and he couldn't play for two months. In 1997, he bounced back to win three tournaments and he had another victory, the 19th and last of his career in 1998. In May of 2000, Courier announced that he was retiring from competition.
Courier played on seven U. S. Davis Cup teams, including the championship teams of 1992 and 1995. He had 16-10 record in singles and was 1-0 in doubles play. In February of 2002, the U. S. Tennis Association appointed Courier coach of the Davis Cup team.