Luke Jensen (born June 18, 1966) is an American former professional tennis player and Grand Slam doubles champion. Jensen won the 1993 French Open Doubles title with his younger brother Murphy Jensen.
 Jensen in 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country (sports) |  United States | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residence | Atlanta, Georgia | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 18, 1966 Grayling, Michigan | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1987 | |||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Ambidextrous (one-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||||||
| Prize money | $1,313,255 | |||||||||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 12–43 | |||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 168 (July 25, 1988) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 1R (1995) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | 2R (1985, 1986) | |||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 252–297 | |||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 6 (November 1, 1993) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 3R (1992) | |||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (1993) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 3R (1992) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | QF (1989) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | F (1996) | |||||||||||||||||
| French Open | F (1996) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | QF (1992, 1996) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | SF (1995, 1997) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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He attended the University of Southern California from 1986–87 and earned singles All-American honors both years (doubles in 1987). He began working for ESPN as a tennis analyst in 1994. Jensen compiled a 106-57 record in seven and a half seasons as the head coach of the Syracuse Orange women's tennis team.[1] Jensen worked with his brother as the touring pro, tennis director and tennis pro emeritus at the Sea Island Resort until 2016.
Tennis career
editJensen attended East Grand Rapids High School, winning the Michigan state singles championship in 1983, and graduating in 1985.[2]
Juniors
editAs a junior Jensen reached the No. 1 junior world ranking in both singles and doubles in 1984.
Pro tour
editJensen turned professional in 1987. Jensen gained the nickname of "Dual Hand Luke" because he was an ambidextrous player able to serve at 130 mph with either hand.[3] He now does on-court analysis for ESPN for their tennis coverage. He also travels the world as an instructor, motivational speaker, and ambassador for the game.
He reached his career-high doubles ranking of world No. 6 in November 1993. In that year, he won the men's doubles title at the French Open playing with his younger brother, Murphy Jensen. Jensen's career-high singles ranking was world No. 168, achieved in July 1988.
Career doubles finals
edit10 titles
edit
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| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | February 1, 1988 | Guarujá, Brazil | Hard |  Ricardo Acuña
|
 Javier Frana  Diego Pérez
|
6–1, 6–4 |
| 2. | November 20, 1989 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard (i) |  Richey Reneberg
|
Kelly Jones Joey Rive
|
6–0, 6–4 |
| 3. | April 8, 1991 | Orlando, U.S. | Hard | Scott Melville
|
 Nicolás Pereira Pete Sampras
|
6–7, 7–6, 6–3 |
| 4. | April 29, 1991 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay |  Laurie Warder
|
 Paul Haarhuis Mark Koevermans
|
5–7, 7–6, 6–4 |
| 5. | May 27, 1991 | Bologna, Italy | Clay | Laurie Warder
|
 Luiz Mattar Jaime Oncins
|
6–4, 7–6 |
| 6. | May 25, 1992 | Bologna, Italy | Clay | Laurie Warder
|
Javier Frana  Javier Sánchez
|
6–2, 6–3 |
| 7. | June 7, 1993 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Murphy Jensen
|
 Marc-Kevin Goellner David Prinosil
|
6–4, 6–7, 6–4 |
| 8. | June 26, 1995 | Nottingham, England | Grass | Murphy Jensen
|
Patrick Galbraith  Danie Visser
|
6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
| 9. | August 26, 1996 | Long Island, U.S. | Hard | Murphy Jensen
|
Hendrik Dreekmann  Alexander Volkov
|
6–3, 7–6 |
| 10. | July 21, 1997 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Hard | Murphy Jensen
|
Neville Godwin Fernon Wibier
|
6–4, 6–4 |
14 runner-ups
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | May 20, 1991 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Laurie Warder
|
 Omar Camporese  Goran Ivanišević
|
2–6, 3–6 |
| 2. | October 7, 1991 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | Laurie Warder
|
Jim Grabb Richey Reneberg
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| 3. | April 6, 1992 | Estoril, Portugal | Clay | Laurie Warder
|
Hendrik Jan Davids  Libor Pimek
|
6–3, 3–6, 5–7 |
| 4. | January 18, 1993 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Hard | Murphy Jensen
|
Sandon Stolle Jason Stoltenberg
|
3–6, 4–6 |
| 5. | March 1, 1993 | Scottsdale, U.S. | Hard | Sandon Stolle
|
Mark Keil Dave Randall
|
5–7, 4–6 |
| 6. | March 8, 1993 | Indian Wells, U.S. | Hard | Scott Melville
|
 Guy Forget Henri Leconte
|
4–6, 5–7 |
| 7. | May 3, 1993 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Scott Melville
|
Tomás Carbonell Carlos Costa
|
6–7, 2–6 |
| 8. | May 24, 1993 | Bologna, Italy | Clay | Murphy Jensen
|
 Danie Visser Laurie Warder
|
6–4, 4–6, 4–6 |
| 9. | October 18, 1993 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet (i) | Murphy Jensen
|
 Grant Connell Patrick Galbraith
|
3–6, 4–6 |
| 10. | February 28, 1994 | Mexico City, Mexico | Clay | Murphy Jensen
|
Francisco Montana Bryan Shelton
|
3–6, 4–6 |
| 11. | September 19, 1994 | Bogotá, Colombia | Clay | Murphy Jensen
|
 Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor
|
4–6, 6–7 |
| 12. | April 24, 1995 | Nice, France | Clay | David Wheaton
|
 Cyril Suk Daniel Vacek
|
6–3, 6–7, 6–7 |
| 13. | May 12, 1997 | Coral Springs, U.S. | Clay | Murphy Jensen
|
Dave Randall Greg Van Emburgh
|
7–6, 2–6, 6–7 |
| 14. | May 26, 1997 | St. Poelten, Austria | Clay | Murphy Jensen
|
Kelly Jones Scott Melville
|
2–6, 6–7 |
References
edit- ^ Bailey, Stephen (January 29, 2014). "Jensen resigns as head coach midway through 8th season". The Daily Orange.
- ^ "Luke Jensen named Syracuse tennis coach", USA Today, August 29, 2006. Accessed December 26, 2007. "A 1985 graduate of East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan, Jensen reached the second round of the US Open just before enrolling at the University of Southern California, where he earned All-America honors in 1987 and 1988. Jensen won the 1983 Michigan High School State Singles Championship and earned high school All-America recognition."
- ^ Biography of Luke Jensen on newengland.usta.com
