Jarmere Jenkins facts for kids
Jarmere at the 2015 Wimbledon
qualifying tournament |
|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Turned pro | 2013 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| College | University of Virginia |
| Prize money | $145,669 |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 190 (January 5, 2015) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | Q3 (2015) |
| French Open | Q1 (2014, 2015) |
| Wimbledon | Q1 (2015) |
| US Open | Q3 (2013) |
| Doubles | |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 202 (January 12, 2015) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| US Open | 1R (2013) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | 1R (2013) |
Jarmere Jenkins is a retired American professional tennis player. He is well-known for becoming the hitting partner for tennis superstar Serena Williams.
Jarmere was a top college tennis player. In 2013, he was named the best college player in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). He also won national championships in indoor singles, outdoor doubles, and team competitions. He was even a runner-up in outdoor singles.
He was the first person in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to win their top athlete award just for tennis achievements. After turning pro, he quickly reached the top 200 tennis players in the world by 2014. However, traveling for tournaments became too expensive, so he retired from playing professionally in 2017.
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Early Life and Junior Tennis
Jarmere grew up in College Park, Georgia. He attended Alpha Omega Academy there. As a young tennis player, he was very successful.
In 2008, he won the Orange Bowl doubles championship. He was also a singles finalist at the same event. Jarmere competed in major junior tournaments like the Junior US Open, Junior French Open, and Junior Wimbledon. In 2006, he was a finalist in the Junior US Open boys' doubles. His highest junior ranking was 18th in the world on January 1, 2008.
College Tennis Career
Jarmere played college tennis for the University of Virginia. He quickly became a standout player.
Freshman and Sophomore Years
As a freshman, he was named All-ACC. He also earned the VaSID State Freshman of the Year award. In his sophomore year, he continued to excel. He was again named All-ACC and VaSID All-State.
Junior Year Success
During his junior year, Jarmere became an ITA Singles and Doubles All-American. He was also named the ACC Player of the Year. He finished that year ranked 6th nationally in both singles and doubles. At one point, he was ranked as high as 3rd in singles and 5th in doubles. He played in the NCAA Singles Championships four times in a row, from 2010 to 2013.
Senior Year Achievements
His senior year in 2013 was incredibly successful. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year. He also earned the NCAA Tournament MVP award. This was for helping the University of Virginia men's tennis team win the National Championship. He won the 2013 NCAA Doubles Championship and was a runner-up in the 2013 NCAA Singles. He also won the 2012 ITA Indoor Intercollegiate singles title.
Jarmere received the Anthony J. McKevlin male ACC Athlete of the Year award in 2013. While another athlete, John Lucas II, won for both tennis and basketball, Jarmere was the first and only person to win this award solely for his tennis achievements.
Professional Tennis Career
Jarmere turned professional in 2013. He quickly won his first pro tournament on June 30, 2013. This was the $10,000 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit Linda Bogdan Memorial Futures Tournament.
In December 2013, Jarmere was invited to a special USTA playoff. This playoff was to earn a spot in the main draw of the 2014 Australian Open. He competed against other strong players but lost to Denis Kudla.
Early Pro Success
In February 2014, Jarmere spent six weeks playing in Australia. He had good results there. He won against Luke Saville in the finals of the Australia F1 Futures tournament in Happy Valley.
Later in 2014, Jarmere won several more tournaments. On September 21, he won the Costa Mesa Pro Classic. This was his fourth tournament championship. He beat Dennis Novikov in the finals. Three weeks later, he won the Cairns Tennis International Pro Tour event in Australia.
The following week, he won the Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba International final. He had a tough match in the first round, falling behind 0–5 in the third set. But he fought back and won the tournament against Luke Saville. These were two Futures Tournament victories in a row for Jarmere.
Reaching the Top 200
After these wins, Jarmere moved on to play in the ATP Challenger Tour. At the 2014 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger 1, he beat the top-seeded player, Go Soeda. Jarmere reached the finals of this tournament but finished as the runner-up.
His winning streak ended the next week. He was eliminated in the second round of another Challenger tournament. On November 23, Jarmere played in the Wollongong Centenary International #2. He won this match, which would be his last of 2014. He overcame a 0–4 deficit in the second set.
By the end of 2014, after his first full season as a professional, Jarmere was ranked 193rd in the world. This meant he had cracked the top 200 players.
In the 2015 Australian Open – Men's singles qualifying, Jarmere won two matches before losing in the final qualifying round. After this, he faced a big challenge. He missed 10 months of competition because of an achilles tendon injury. He did not reach any tournament finals between January 2015 and June 2016.
Retirement and New Role
In the summer of 2017, Jarmere decided to retire from professional tennis. The cost of traveling to tournaments had become too high. By August 2017, he was working as an investment sales consultant.
In September 2017, his brother Jermaine suggested Jarmere to Serena Williams. Serena was looking for a hitting partner after having her baby. Jarmere began practicing with Serena when she returned to the court after her daughter's birth. This was during the 2017 US Open.
Personal Life
Jarmere Jenkins is the son of Jackie and Brenda Jenkins. He has eight siblings. Two of his brothers also played college tennis. Jackie, Jr. played at Northwestern, and Jermaine played at Clemson.
Professional Tournament Wins
Jarmere Jenkins won several professional tournaments during his career.
Singles Titles (8 wins)
- June 30, 2013: USA F17 Futures, Rochester, New York (Clay)
- February 23, 2014: Australia F1, Happy Valley, Australia (Hardcourt)
- September 21, 2014: USA F25 Futures, Costa Mesa, California (Hardcourt)
- October 11, 2014: Australia F7 Futures, Cairns, Australia (Hardcourt)
- October 18, 2014: Australia F8 Futures, Toowoomba, Australia (Hardcourt)
- November 23, 2014: Australia F10 Futures, Wollongong, Australia (Hardcourt)
- September 26, 2016: Australia F6 Futures, Brisbane, Australia (Hardcourt)
- October 3, 2016: Australia F7 Futures, Toowoomba, Australia (Hardcourt)
Doubles Titles (10 wins)
- March 1, 2009: USA F5 Futures, Harlingen, Texas (Hardcourt)
- August 8, 2010: USA F21 Futures, Decatur, Illinois (Hardcourt)
- January 15, 2012: USA F1 Futures, Plantation, Florida (Clay)
- June 23, 2013: USA F16 Futures, Amelia Island, Florida (Clay)
- February 9, 2014: West Lakes Challenger, Adelaide, Australia (Hardcourt)
- October 5, 2014: Australia F6 Futures, Alice Springs, Australia (Hardcourt)
- October 19, 2014: Australia F8 Futures, Toowoomba, Australia (Hardcourt)
- June 27, 2016: Egypt F13 Futures, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (Hardcourt)
- July 4, 2016: Egypt F14 Futures, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (Hardcourt)
- November 14, 2016: Australia F10 Futures, Blacktown, Australia (Hardcourt)
See also
In Spanish: Jarmere Jenkins para niños
