Joel Bailey (born April 25, 1951) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
| Full name | Joel Bailey |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | April 25, 1951 West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 7–34 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 197 (December 31, 1978) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1978, 1981) |
| US Open | 2R (1979) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 28–55 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 90 (September 24, 1979) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1981) |
| French Open | 1R (1978) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1978) |
| US Open | 1R (1977, 1979, 1981) |
Biography edit
Bailey was born in Florida but based in Memphis, Tennessee. An All-American varsity tennis player at Samford University, Bailey began competing internationally in the late 1970s.
He won a Grand Prix doubles title in Lagos, Nigeria with Bruce Kleege in 1979.[1]
In singles, he had his first big match win at Sarasota in 1980 when he saved triple match points to upset Steve Krulevitz, from a set and 2–5 down.[2] He had only entered the tournament as a wild card, which was awarded as he was the son of Mack Bailey, who owned the company that sponsored the tournament.[3] At the Tulsa that year he made the quarter-finals, his best performance in a Grand Prix tournament. He competed in the main draw of the 1981 Wimbledon Championships and had a two set lead over Kevin Curren in their first round encounter, but lost in five.[4]
From the 1980s he lived in Japan and appeared in many tournaments in that country, as well as earning a living teaching tennis.[5] He twice won the doubles title at the ATP Challenger event in Nagoya.
Grand Prix career finals edit
Doubles: 1 (1–0) edit
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Mar 1979 | Lagos, Nigeria | Hard |  Bruce Kleege
|
 Ismail El Shafei Peter Feigl
|
6–4, 6–7, 6–3 |
Challenger titles edit
Doubles: (3) edit
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1979 | Nagoya, Japan | Hard |  Rod Frawley
|
Chris Kachel Marcello Lara
|
7–6, 7–5 |
| 2. | 1979 | Lincoln, U.S. | Hard | Bruce Kleege
|
Steve Denton Peter Rennert
|
0–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 3. | 1983 | Nagoya, Japan | Hard | Jeff Turpin
|
Charles Strode Morris Strode
|
6–4, 3–6, 7–6 |
References edit
- ^ "ITF Tennis - Pro Circuit - Lagos - 26 February - 04 March 1979". International Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ Gibson, Steve (February 13, 1980). "Bailey makes it right". Sarasota Journal. p. 1B. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ Huber, Mic (February 10, 1980). "McCurry Meets Carter Monday". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 6C. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ Barclay, Simon (2015). Wimbledon Singles Championships - Complete Open Era Results. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781326385958.
- ^ Shapiro, Michael (September 17, 1986). "Tennis Booms In Japan, But Like Nowhere Else". New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
