Mark Woodforde facts for kids
 |
||||||||||||||
| Full name | Mark Raymond Woodforde | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
|||||||||||||
| Residence | Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||
| Born | 23 September 1965 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
|||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1984 | |||||||||||||
| Retired | 2000 | |||||||||||||
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||
| Prize money | $8,551,305 | |||||||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2010 (member page) | |||||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||||
| Career record | 319–312 | |||||||||||||
| Career titles | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 19 (22 April 1996) | |||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | SF (1996) | |||||||||||||
| French Open | 4R (1997) | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 4R (1988, 1990, 1997) | |||||||||||||
| US Open | 4R (1987, 1988) | |||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | QF (1996) | |||||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||||
| Career record | 647–248 | |||||||||||||
| Career titles | 67 | |||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (16 November 1992) | |||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (1992, 1997) | |||||||||||||
| French Open | W (2000) | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000) | |||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1989, 1995, 1996) | |||||||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | W (1992, 1996) | |||||||||||||
| Mixed doubles | ||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (1992, 1996) | |||||||||||||
| French Open | W (1995) | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1993) | |||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1992) | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||
Mark Raymond Woodforde, also known as OAM (Order of Australia Medal), is a famous former professional tennis player from Australia. He is best known for being one half of "The Woodies", a super successful doubles team with Todd Woodbridge.
Mark was born in Adelaide, Australia, on September 23, 1965. He started playing professional tennis in 1984. Mark won four singles titles during his career, including two wins in his hometown of Adelaide. His best singles result in a major tournament, called a Grand Slam, was reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 1996. This was his 38th Grand Slam singles tournament, which was a record for how long it took someone to reach their first semi-final!
Contents
The Woodies: A Winning Team
Mark Woodforde is most famous for his amazing success in doubles tennis. He won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles in his career. These included one French Open, two Australian Opens, three US Opens, and a record six Wimbledon titles.
- Eleven of these big wins were with his partner, Todd Woodbridge, as "The Woodies."
- He also won the 1989 US Open doubles with another famous player, John McEnroe.
Mark also won five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. These are tournaments where a male and female player team up. He won two Australian Opens, one French Open, one US Open, and one Wimbledon mixed doubles title. This means he won a total of 17 Grand Slam doubles titles overall! He became the world's number one doubles player in November 1992.
How The Woodies Played Together
Mark and Todd had a special way of playing that made them so good. Mark was left-handed and played mostly from the back of the court. Todd was great at the net, quickly hitting volleys. Their different styles worked perfectly together.
They were named the "ATP Doubles Team of the Year" four times. Together, The Woodies won 61 ATP doubles tournaments. Mark won 67 doubles titles in his whole career.
Olympic Medals and Special Awards
Mark Woodforde also had great success at the Olympic Games.
- He won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in men's doubles.
- He then won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
In 1997, Mark was given the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This award was for his great service to sport, especially for winning the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics.
Playing for Australia
Mark played for the Australian Davis Cup Team in three finals. The Davis Cup is a big international team competition in tennis. In 1999, he and Todd Woodbridge helped Australia win against France in Paris. This was Australia's first Davis Cup victory in 13 years!
Life After Professional Tennis
Mark Woodforde stopped playing professional tennis in 2000, after a Davis Cup final match. After retiring, he became the coach for Australia's Fed Cup team in 2003. The Fed Cup is a team tennis competition for women.
Since then, Mark has also worked as a tennis commentator. You might have heard his voice on TV channels like Fox Sports and ESPN.
Recognized for Greatness
In January 2010, on Australia Day, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (The Woodies) were added to the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame. This was to celebrate their amazing achievements in tennis. As part of this special event, bronze statues of them were placed alongside other great Australian tennis players at Melbourne Park.
In 2014, Mark and Todd were given the highest award from the International Tennis Federation (ITF), called the Philippe Chatrier Award. This award recognized their huge contributions to the sport of tennis.
Images for kids
-
Mark Woodforde in 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Mark Woodforde para niños
