Jim Courier

Its play

One often compared the play of Jim Courier with that of Andre Agassi (Courier remaining nevertheless more " sobre"), both having been formed with the prestigious academy of tennis of Nick Bollettieri. Moreover, from the vestimentary point of view, the two champions presented similarities: like Agassi, Jim Courier almost never separated from her famous cap.

Powerful and complete, extremely striking in right blow as in reverse, it belonged to these rare players at ease on all surfaces, which enabled him to triumph twice with Roland Garros over beaten ground, twice in Australia over rebound Ace , to reach in 1991 the final of the US Open, and to even rise finally with Wimbledon, where it failed however against Pete Sampras, which signed there its first victory of long series.

Its career

Jim Courier occupied 58 weeks the place of world number one. It finishes the year 1992 in this place, thanks to two successes in Grand Slam this year. It thus belonged to the players headlights of first half of the Années 1990, following the example Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Michael Stich or Michael Chang.

Its place of number one is not only explainable by its simple talent: Jim Courier was often introduced like a needy player, an animal of work and physics, showing a great heat strength (never not perspiring) and to tiredness.

Its period of domination of world tennis actually comes to be intercalated between the periods of decline of the great champions of the Années 1980 which are Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors, and chaotic blossoming of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

During this era of transition, Courier thus divided the head of poster with the young first, the old legends on the end, still capable of some exploits (Connors with the US Open in 1991, McEnroe with Wimbledon in 1992), and its congeneric Edberg, Becker, Chang or Stich. That gave one rather particular period in the history of the tennis, during which Courier by its mental, physical and technical solidity (its right blow was regarded as most powerful of the circuit) drew better than the other its pin from the play. Nevertheless, after 1993-94, date of the take-off of Sampras and the maturity of Agassi, Jim Courier less made speak about him, exceeded by the undeniable superiority of its two compatriots.

It reached for the last time the semi-finals of a tournament of the Grand Slam with the US Open in 1995. The continuation of its career, until its retirement, will be less profitable.

It gained 23 titles, including 4 of the Grand Slam. It also disputed and lost 3 other finales of the Large Slam and 2 finales of Masters. It is one of the rare players of the era Open to have reached the four finales of the Large Slam in its career.