Lori McNeil Facts for Kids

This page is about the American tennis player and coach. For the American physicist, see Laurie McNeil.

Quick facts for kids
Lori McNeil
Singles
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Houston, Texas
Born	(1963-12-18) December 18, 1963 (age 61) San Diego, California
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro	1983
Retired	2002
Plays	Right-handed (one handed-backhand)
Prize money	$3,441,604
Career record	436–309 (58.52%)
Career titles	10
Highest ranking	No. 9 (July 4, 1988)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	QF (1987)
French Open	3R (1988, 1992, 1994)
Wimbledon	SF (1994)
US Open	SF (1987)
Doubles
Career record	605–335 (64.36%)
Career titles	33
Highest ranking	No. 4 (November 9, 1987)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	F (1987)
French Open	QF (1987, 1992, 1993)
Wimbledon	SF (1987)
US Open	SF (1995, 1996)
Mixed doubles
Career titles	1
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	SF (1997)
French Open	W (1988)
Wimbledon	F (1994)
US Open	QF (1992)

Lori McNeil, born on December 18, 1963, is an American tennis coach and a former top 10 tennis player. She was a fantastic player who reached the semifinals at the US Open in 1987 and Wimbledon in 1994. Lori also made it to the finals in women's doubles at the Australian Open in 1987 with Zina Garrison. A big win for her was the French Open mixed-doubles title in 1988, playing with Jorge Lozano.

About Lori McNeil
Grand Slam Finals
- Doubles: 1 (Runner-up)
- Mixed Doubles: 4 (1 Title, 3 Runner-ups)
Grand Slam Performance Timelines
See also

About Lori McNeil

Early Life and Tennis Beginnings

Lori McNeil grew up as the youngest of four children. Her dad, Charlie McNeil, was a professional football player for the San Diego Chargers in the 1960s. Lori moved from San Diego to Houston, Texas, where she started playing tennis. She learned her skills at MacGregor Park playground, a public tennis facility. It was there that she became great friends with Zina Garrison, who also became a professional tennis player.

College Tennis Career

Before turning pro, Lori McNeil played tennis for Oklahoma State University for two years. In 1983, she reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) tennis championships.

Professional Tennis Career

Lori McNeil played on the WTA Tour for 19 years, from 1983 to 2002. During her career, she won 10 singles titles and 33 doubles titles. Her highest world ranking in singles was No. 9 in 1988, and in doubles, she reached No. 4 in 1987.

In 1987, Lori was recognized for her amazing improvement and was named the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year.

Famous Matches Against Steffi Graf

Lori McNeil is well-known for her matches against the legendary player Steffi Graf. In 1992, Lori beat Graf at the WTA Tour Championships. This was a big deal because it was the first time since 1985 that Graf had lost in the very first round of a tournament.

Then, in 1994, Lori made history again at Wimbledon. She defeated Graf in the first round. This was the first time ever that a defending champion had lost in the first round of a Grand Slam women's singles tournament!

After that historic win, Lori continued to play well at Wimbledon in 1994. She reached the semifinals before losing to the player who would go on to win the tournament, Conchita Martínez. This matched her best Grand Slam singles performance, as she also reached the semifinals of the US Open in 1987. In that tournament, she famously beat six-time champion Chris Evert in the quarterfinals.

Doubles Success

Even though Lori never won a Grand Slam title in women's doubles, she was incredibly successful. She reached the quarterfinal stage or better 22 times at major tournaments. She won many doubles titles with some of the best players of her time, including Martina Navratilova, Gigi Fernández, Rennae Stubbs, Katrina Adams, Zina Garrison, and Helena Suková.

Coaching Career and Hall of Fame

After her playing career, Lori McNeil became a tennis coach. From 2001 to 2004, she coached former top-5 player Amanda Coetzer. As a team, they even reached the doubles quarterfinals of the 2002 Australian Open. Lori also served as an Assistant Coach for the US Olympic tennis teams in 2004 and 2008.

In 2006, Lori McNeil was honored for her contributions to tennis when she was inducted into the ITA Hall of Fame.

Grand Slam Finals

Lori McNeil reached several Grand Slam finals in doubles and mixed doubles.

Doubles: 1 (Runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1987	Australian Open	Grass	Zina Garrison	Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver	6–1, 6–0

Mixed Doubles: 4 (1 Title, 3 Runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1987	French Open	Clay	Sherwood Stewart	Pam Shriver Emilio Sánchez	6–3, 7–6^(7–4)
Win	1988	French Open	Clay	Jorge Lozano	Brenda Schultz Michiel Schapers	7–5, 6–2
Loss	1992	French Open	Clay	Bryan Shelton	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Mark Woodforde	6–2, 6–3
Loss	1994	Wimbledon	Grass	T. J. Middleton	Helena Suková Todd Woodbridge	3–6, 7–5, 6–3

Grand Slam Performance Timelines

These tables show how Lori McNeil performed in the major Grand Slam tournaments each year.

**Key**
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	A	NH

(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

Singles Performance

Tournament	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	Career SR
Australian Open	A	A	2R	LQ	1R	NH	QF	4R	1R	1R	3R	1R	2R	A	3R	2R	1R	A	A	0 / 12
French Open	A	A	A	2R	2R	1R	1R	3R	2R	1R	1R	3R	2R	3R	1R	A	1R	1R	A	0 / 14
Wimbledon	A	A	A	1R	1R	QF	2R	3R	4R	3R	3R	3R	2R	SF	1R	3R	1R	3R	A	0 / 15
US Open	LQ	A	LQ	4R	1R	1R	SF	3R	1R	2R	2R	3R	2R	1R	2R	1R	1R	2R	A	0 / 15
SR	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 0	0 / 56
Year-end ranking	NR	NR	148	97	93	14	11	13	37	52	19	15	25	17	34	83	305	91	869

Doubles Performance

Tournament	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	Career SR
Australian Open	2R	1R	1R	NH	F	A	QF	3R	3R	3R	QF	A	QF	1R	3R	A	A	A	A	QF	0 / 13
French Open	A	1R	2R	1R	QF	3R	2R	3R	1R	QF	QF	3R	1R	A	2R	2R	A	1R	1R	2R	0 / 17
Wimbledon	A	2R	1R	1R	SF	QF	QF	3R	QF	QF	QF	3R	QF	2R	3R	3R	1R	2R	3R	2R	0 / 19
US Open	A	2R	3R	3R	QF	QF	1R	QF	3R	QF	QF	A	SF	SF	1R	1R	2R	3R	2R	1R	0 / 18
SR	0 / 1	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 2	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 2	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 67
Year-end ranking		72	33	28	4	10	16	22	19	14	12	15	15	13	37	50	95	58	29	89

Mixed Doubles Performance

Tournament	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	Career SR
Australian Open	NH	QF	1R	A	1R	1R	1R	A	A	QF	2R	SF	A	A	A	A	1R	0 / 9
French Open	1R	F	W	1R	1R	1R	F	2R	3R	2R	A	2R	QF	A	A	A	A	1 / 12
Wimbledon	A	1R	QF	SF	3R	1R	SF	2R	F	3R	3R	3R	2R	1R	2R	2R	A	0 / 15
US Open	1R	2R	1R	A	1R	1R	QF	1R	A	1R	1R	1R	A	A	1R	A	A	0 / 11
SR	0 / 2	0 / 4	1 / 4	0 / 2	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 2	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 2	0 / 1	0 / 2	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 47

Lori McNeil facts for kids

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