Brett Steven Custer (born 1 April 1968) is a former professional tennis player from Australia.

Brett Custer
Full nameBrett Steven Custer
Country (sports) Australia
Born (1968-04-01) 1 April 1968 (age 56)
Sydney, Australia
Height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
PlaysRight-handed
Prize money$34,385
Singles
Career record1–5
Career titles0
0 Challenger, 0 Futures
Highest rankingNo. 357 (28 November 1988)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (1989)
Wimbledon1R (1986)
Doubles
Career record7–15
Career titles0
3 Challenger, 0 Futures
Highest rankingNo. 198 (18 December 1989)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (1985)
WimbledonQ1 (1985, 1988, 1989)
Last updated on: 17 June 2022.

Biography edit

Custer, the son of Noel and Dawn, grew up in the Sydney suburb of Normanhurst.[1] His family are distant relatives of the famed General Custer.[2]

As a junior he held national titles in the Under 12, 14, 16 and 18 categories.[2] Custer, who left school to focus on his burgeoning tennis career, was nurtured by John Newcombe and Tony Roche as part of the Custom Credit Operation scheme.[2] While still only 15 he featured in the men's doubles draw at the 1983 Australian Open with fellow junior David Macpherson. The same pair would team up to win the boys' doubles event at the 1985 Australian Open, having been losing finalists the previous year. They defeated Czechoslovakians Petr Korda and Cyril Suk in the final. At the same tournament the teenagers also made it to the round of 16 in the men's doubles. Their run included a win over the 10th seeded pair, Shlomo Glickstein and Shahar Perkiss from Israel, before it was ended by the top seeds in the draw, Joakim Nyström and Mats Wilander.

He played professionally on the Grand Prix (now ATP Tour) and Challenger circuits with limited success. At the 1986 Wimbledon Championships he won his way through qualifying, then was beaten by Johan Kriek in the first round.[3] His best result on tour in singles was a second round appearance at the 1988 Australian Indoor Tennis Championships in Sydney. As a doubles player he made it into the world's top 200, won three Challenger titles and was a semi-finalist with Des Tyson at the Brisbane Grand Prix tournament in 1989. He played in the men's doubles draw at the Australian Open a total of five times. His only appearance in singles came as a wildcard at the 1989 Australian Open, where he lost to Pat Cash in the opening round.[4]

Now based in the United States, Custer is the Tennis Director at Stone Creek, a club and spa in Covington, Louisiana.[5]

ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals edit

Doubles: 4 (3–1) edit

Legend
ATP Challenger (3–1)
ITF Futures (0–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–0)
Clay (0–1)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (2–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 May 1985 Salzburg, Austria Challenger Clay   Simon Youl   Martin Sinner
  Michael Stich
walkover
Win 1–1 Oct 1989 Brisbane, Australia Challenger Hard   Desmond Tyson   Shane Barr
  Ted Scherman
6–3, 6–7, 6–1
Win 2–1 Sep 1990 Canberra, Australia Challenger Carpet   Peter Doohan   David Adams
  Jamie Morgan
6–3, 6–4
Win 3–1 Nov 1990 Hobart, Australia Challenger Carpet   David Macpherson   Brett Steven
  Sandon Stolle
6–2, 6–7, 6–4

Junior Grand Slam finals edit

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up) edit

Result Year Tournament Surface Partnet Opponents Score
Loss 1984 Australian Open Hard   David Macpherson   Mike Baroch
  Mark Kratzmann
2–6, 7–5, 5–7
Win 1985 Australian Open Hard   David Macpherson   Petr Korda
  Cyril Suk
7–5, 6–2

References edit

  1. ^ "Now in training - the tennis stars of the future". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 50, no. 4. 14 July 1982. p. 29. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Brett's five-year plan". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 January 1985. p. 91. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Mayotte, Kriek post wins in rainy start". Paris News. Heritage Microfilm, Inc. 23 June 1986. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Cash serves up a storm". The Canberra Times. Vol. 63, no. 19, 461. 18 January 1989. p. 48. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Stone Creek Club & Spa View Club Personnel: Brett Custer". stonecreekclubandspa.com. Retrieved 27 May 2017.

External links edit