| Residence | Mill Neck, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Birth date | May 11, 1956 (age 70) |
| Birth place | Flushing, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
| Turnedpro | 1973 |
| Retired | 1986 (brief comeback in 2001) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed both sides) |
| Careerprizemoney | $1,382,422 |
| Singlesrecord | 317–158 |
| Singlestitles | 14 |
| Highestsinglesranking | No. 4 (October 6, 1980) |
| Frenchopenresult | 4R (1979) |
| Wimbledonresult | QF (1980, 1982) |
| Usopenresult | QF (1982, 1984) |
| Othertournaments | Yes |
| Masterscupresult | SF (1980) |
| Wctfinalsresult | QF (1979) |
| Doublesrecord | 167–91 |
| Doublestitles | 15 |
| Highestdoublesranking | No. 5 (July 9, 1979) |
| Frenchopendoublesresult | W (1978, 1979) |
Gene Mayer (born May 11, 1956) is a former tennis player from the United States who won 14 professional singles titles during his career.
Mayer was born in Flushing, Queens, New York. He grew up in Wayne, New Jersey,[1] and played tennis at Wayne Valley High School, where he went unbeaten in his two years on the tennis team.[2][3] He was a double hander on both forehand and backhand.
The right-hander Mayer reached his highest ranking on the ATP Tour on October 6, 1980, when he reached the rank of world No. 4.
Mayer has been a resident of Woodmere, New York.[4] In 2005, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Gene's older brother Sandy was also a tour player. He achieved the rank of World No. 7 in 1982. They met each other in the Stockholm Open final 1981 and won 5 doubles tournaments together, including 1979 French Open.
Career finals
Singles: 26 (14 wins, 12 losses)
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Sep 1976 | Hamilton, Bermuda | Clay | Cliff Richey | 6–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | Apr 1978 | Guadalajara, Mexico | Clay | John Newcombe | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Apr 1979 | Houston, U.S. | Clay | José Higueras | 3–6, 6–2, 6–7 |
| Win | 2–2 | Nov 1979 | Cologne, Germany | Hard (i) | Wojtek Fibak | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Nov 1979 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | John McEnroe | 7–6, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 3–3 | Feb 1980 | Denver, U.S. | Carpet | Victor Amaya | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 3–4 | Mar 1980 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Heinz Günthardt | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 4–4 | Mar 1980 | Metz, France | Carpet | Gianni Ocleppo | 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 |
| Win | 5–4 | Apr 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Brian Teacher | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 5–5 | Jul 1980 | Boston, U.S. | Clay | Eddie Dibbs | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 6–5 | Aug 1980 | Cleveland, U.S. | Hard | Victor Amaya | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 7–5 | Sep 1980 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | Eliot Teltscher | 6–2, 2–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 7–6 | Nov 1980 | Wembley, United Kingdom | Carpet | John McEnroe | 4–6, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 8–6 | Feb 1981 | Memphis, U.S. | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 9–6 | Mar 1981 | Denver, U.S. | Carpet | John Sadri | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 9–7 | Mar 1981 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard (i) | Jimmy Connors | 1–6, 6–2, 2–6 |
| Win | 10–7 | Aug 1981 | Cleveland, U.S. | Hard | Dave Siegler | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 11–7 | Nov 1981 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Sandy Mayer | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 11–8 | Apr 1982 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Jimmy Connors | 2–5, retired |
| Win | 12–8 | May 1982 | Munich, Germany | Clay | Peter Elter | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–1 |
| Loss | 12–9 | Oct 1982 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | John McEnroe | 4–6, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 12–10 | Feb 1983 | Memphis, U.S. | Carpet | Jimmy Connors | 5–7, 0–6 |
| Win | 13–10 | Mar 1983 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard (i) | Guillermo Vilas | 6–1, 7–6 |
| Win | 14–10 | Apr 1983 | Los Angeles | Hard | Johan Kriek | 7–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 14–11 | May 1984 | Munich, Germany | Clay | Libor Pimek | 4–6, 6–4, 6–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 14–12 | Jul 1984 | Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany | Clay | Henri Leconte | 6–7, 0–6, 6–1, 1–6 |
Doubles: 24 (15 wins, 9 losses)
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | 1976 | La Costa, U.S. | Hard | Peter Fleming | Marty Riessen Roscoe Tanner | 6–7, 6–7 |
| Loss | 0–2 | 1976 | Charlotte WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Vitas Gerulaitis | John Newcombe Tony Roche | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 0–3 | 1977 | Columbus, U.S. | Clay | Peter Fleming | Robert Lutz Stan Smith | 6–4, 5–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–3 | 1978 | Mexico City WCT, Mexico | Hard | Sashi Menon | Marcello Lara Raúl Ramírez | 6–3, 7–6 |
| Win | 2–3 | 1978 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Carpet | Tom Gullikson | Bob Carmichael Brian Teacher | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2–4 | 1978 | Guadalajara, Mexico | Clay | Sashi Menon | Sandy Mayer Sherwood Stewart | 6–4, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | 1978 | San Jose, California, U.S. | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | Hank Pfister Brad Rowe | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 4–4 | 1978 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Hank Pfister | Manuel Orantes José Higueras | 6–3, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 5–4 | 1978 | Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | Ismail El Shafei Brian Fairlie | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 6–4 | 1978 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Clay | Hank Pfister | Jeff Borowiak Chris Lewis | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Win | 7–4 | 1979 | Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. | Hard | Sandy Mayer | Cliff Drysdale Bruce Manson | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Win | 8–4 | 1979 | Houston, U.S. | Clay | Sherwood Stewart | John Alexander Geoff Masters | 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Win | 9–4 | 1979 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Sandy Mayer | Ross Case Phil Dent | 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 9–5 | 1979 | Forest Hills WCT, U.S. | Clay | Sandy Mayer | Peter Fleming John McEnroe | 7–6, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 10–5 | 1979 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Clay | John McEnroe | Jan Kodeš Tomáš Šmíd | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Win | 11–5 | 1979 | Cologne, Germany | Hard (i) | Stan Smith | Heinz Günthardt Pavel Složil | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 12–5 | 1980 | Metz, France | Carpet | Colin Dibley | Chris Delaney Kim Warwick | 7–6, 7–5 |
| Loss | 12–6 | 1980 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Wojtek Fibak | Robert Lutz Stan Smith | 2–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 13–6 | 1980 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | Paolo Bertolucci Adriano Panatta | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 14–6 | 1980 | Boston, U.S. | Clay | Sandy Mayer | Hans Gildemeister Andrés Gómez | 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 14–7 | 1980 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Clay | Sandy Mayer | Hans Gildemeister Andrés Gómez | 4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 14–8 | 1980 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | Peter Fleming John McEnroe | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 15–8 | 1981 | Memphis, U.S. | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | Mike Cahill Tom Gullikson | 7–6, 6–7, 7–6 |
| Loss | 15–9 | 1981 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard (i) | Sandy Mayer | Fritz Buehning Ferdi Taygan | 6–7, 6–1, 4–6 |
References
- ^ "Vilas Extended by Mayer", The New York Times, February 13, 1977. Accessed December 10, 2007. "Guillermo Vilas, the Argentine left hander, had unexpectedly strong opposition, but ousted young Gene Mayer of Wayne, N.J., 7–6, 7–6, 6–1, in the semifinals of the $50,000 Springfield International, a Grand Prix tennis tournament."
- ^ Best Boys Tennis Team of the Century, The Star-Ledger. Accessed December 10, 2007.
- ^ Martin, Rachel (April 11, 2016). "Happy Birthday To Wayne's Gene Mayer". South Passaic Daily Voice. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ Cavanaugh, Jack. "A TENNIS TOURNAMENT SERVES SOME ACES", The New York Times, August 23, 1987. Accessed September 16, 2008. "Most of what rooting interest developed focused on the closest thing to a homegrown product in the competition, Gene Mayer of Woodmere."
- ^ "NC Sports Commission Invites Athlete and Coach Nominations From Community" Archived September 6, 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Three Village Times, January 28, 2005. Accessed December 22, 2007. "The NCSC is privileged to announce that four-time Track and Field Gold Medallist Al Oerter and former world ranked tennis professional Gene Mayer are scheduled, among others, to accept their induction into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame on April 11."