Grant Connell
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| Grant Connell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birthdate | November 17, 1965 |
| Birthplace | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| From | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Height | 6’1” (1,85m) |
| Style of play | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Turned pro | 1986 |
| Retired | 1997 |
| Best ATP singles ranking | No. 67 (June 17, 1991) |
| Best ATP doubles ranking | No. 1 (November 29, 1993) |
| Profile on CdnTennis.ca | |
Biography
Grant Connell (born November 17, 1965 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Canadian former professional tennis player. He reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 67 on June 17, 1991 and a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 1 on November 29, 1993.
Connell won 22 career doubles titles during his eleven seasons on the ATP Tour. He won his first four with fellow Canadian Glenn Michibata. Upon Michibata's retirement from the tour, Connell joined Patrick Galbraith. The Connell-Galbraith tandem won 12 titles together including the 1995 season ending Doubles Championship tournament. Connell's next main partner became Byron Black with whom he won 4 more titles. He also won a title each with Todd Martin and Scott Davis. He was a three-time Wimbledon doubles finalist, twice with Galbraith and once with Black. He also reached the doubles final of the 1990 Australian Open with Michibata. His best tour singles results were reaching the semifinals of the 1991 Chicago, 1991 Singapore, and 1992 Auckland Grand Prix events. Connell's best grand slam singles results were reaching the third round of the 1991 Australian Open and 1994 Wimbledon. In 1993, he was named ATP Doubles Team of the Year with Galbraith. He was also named Tennis Canada male player of the year five times (1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995) and received the Davis Cup Commitment Award in 2012. He retired in 1997.
Upon retiring from the tour in 1997, Connell became High Performance Director at Tennis BC as well as Davis Cup captain. As captain he led the team to the World Group for only the second time. As of the last 10 years Grant has been selling real estate in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he currently resides. He was inducted into the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998.
Grand Slam finals
Doubles: 4 (4 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1990 | Australian Open | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Pieter Aldrich (RSA) Danie Visser (RSA) |
4–6, 6–4, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1993 | Wimbledon | Grass | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
6–7, 3–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 1994 | Wimbledon | Grass | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
6–7(3–7), 3–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1996 | Wimbledon | Grass | Byron Black (ZIM) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
6–4, 1–6, 3–6, 2–6 |
Other significant finals
Year–End Championship finals
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1995 | Eindhoven | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Jacco Eltingh (NED) Paul Haarhuis (NED) |
7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6 |
ATP Championship Series, Single-Week & Super 9 finals
Doubles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1991 | Montréal | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) Todd Witsken (USA) |
4–6, 6–3, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1991 | Cincinnati | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Ken Flach (USA) Robert Seguso (USA) |
7–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 1993 | Hamburg | Clay | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Paul Haarhuis (NED) Mark Koevermans (NED) |
4–6, 7–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 1994 | Indian Wells | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Byron Black (ZIM) Jonathan Stark (USA) |
7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 1995 | Paris | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Jim Grabb (USA) Todd Martin (USA) |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 1996 | Rome | Clay | Byron Black (ZIM) | Libor Pimek (BEL) Byron Talbot (RSA) |
6–2, 6–3 |
ATP career finals
Doubles: 48 (22 titles, 26 runners-up)
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Mar 1987 | Lorraine Open, United States | Grand Prix | Carpet (i) | Larry Scott (USA) | Ramesh Krishnan (IND) Claudio Mezzadri (SUI) |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | Aug 1988 | Livingston Open, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Marc Flur (USA) Sammy Giammalva Jr. (USA) |
2–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Oct 1988 | Queensland Open, Australia | Grand Prix | Hard (i) | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Eric Jelen (FRG) Carl-Uwe Steeb (FRG) |
4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Jan 1990 | Australian Open, Australia | Grand Slam | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Pieter Aldrich (RSA) Danie Visser (RSA) |
4–6, 6–4, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1–4 | Feb 1990 | U.S. Pro Indoor, United States | Championship Series | Carpet (i) | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Rick Leach (USA) Jim Pugh (USA) |
6–3, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2–4 | Apr 1990 | Seoul Open, South Korea | World Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Jason Stoltenberg (AUS) Todd Woodbridge (AUS) |
7–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–4 | Jul 1990 | Washington Open, United States | Championship Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Jorge Lozano (MEX) Todd Witsken (USA) |
6–3, 6–7, 6–2 |
| Loss | 3–5 | Aug 1990 | Indianapolis Tennis Championships, United States | Championship Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Scott Davis (USA) David Pate (USA) |
6–7, 6–7 |
| Loss | 3–6 | Jan 1991 | ATP Auckland Open, New Zealand | World Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Sergio Casal (ESP) Emilio Sánchez (ESP) |
6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3–7 | Mar 1991 | Chicago Open, United States | World Series | Carpet (i) | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Scott Davis (USA) David Pate (USA) |
4–6, 7–5, 6–7 |
| Win | 4–7 | Apr 1991 | Singapore Open, Singapore | World Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Stefan Kruger (RSA) Christo van Rensburg (RSA) |
6–4, 5–7, 7–6 |
| Loss | 4–8 | Jun 1991 | Queen's Club Championships, United Kingdom | World Series | Grass | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
4–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 4–9 | Jul 1991 | Canadian Open, Canada | Single-Week | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) Todd Witsken (USA) |
4–6, 6–3, 1–6 |
| Loss | 4–10 | Aug 1991 | Cincinnati Masters, United States | Single-Week | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Ken Flach (USA) Robert Seguso (USA) |
7–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 4–11 | Jan 1992 | ATP Auckland Open, New Zealand | World Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Wayne Ferreira (RSA) Jim Grabb (USA) |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 4–12 | Apr 1992 | Singapore Open, Singapore | World Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
7–6, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 4–13 | Aug 1992 | Indianapolis Tennis Championships, United States | Championship Series | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Jim Grabb (USA) Richey Reneberg (USA) |
6–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 5–13 | Jan 1993 | ATP Auckland Open, New Zealand | World Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Alex Antonitsch (AUT) Alexander Volkov (RUS) |
6–3, 7–6 |
| Loss | 5–14 | Feb 1993 | Dubai Tennis Championships, United Arab Emirates | World Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | John Fitzgerald (AUS) Anders Järryd (SWE) |
2–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 5–15 | May 1993 | German Open Tennis Championships, Germany | Single-Week | Clay | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Paul Haarhuis (NED) Mark Koevermans (NED) |
4–6, 7–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 5–16 | Jul 1993 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grand Slam | Grass | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
6–7, 3–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 5–17 | Jul 1993 | Washington Open, United States | Championship Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Byron Black (ZIM) Rick Leach (USA) |
4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 5–18 | Aug 1993 | Los Angeles Open, United States | World Series | Hard | Scott Davis (USA) | Wayne Ferreira (RSA) Michael Stich (GER) |
6–7, 6–7 |
| Win | 6–18 | Oct 1993 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Championship Series | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Luke Jensen (USA) Murphy Jensen (USA) |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 7–18 | Nov 1993 | ECC Antwerp, Belgium | World Series | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Wayne Ferreira (RSA) Javier Sánchez (ESP) |
6–3, 7–6 |
| Loss | 7–19 | Jan 1994 | ATP Auckland Open, New Zealand | World Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Patrick McEnroe (USA) Jared Palmer (USA) |
2–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Loss | 7–20 | Feb 1994 | Eurocard Open, Germany | Championship Series | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | David Adams (RSA) Andrei Olhovskiy (RUS) |
7–6, 4–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 8–20 | Mar 1994 | Indian Wells Masters, United States | Single-Week | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Byron Black (ZIM) Jonathan Stark (USA) |
7–5, 6–3 |
| Loss | 8–21 | Jul 1994 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grand Slam | Grass | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
6–7(3–7), 3–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 9–21 | Jul 1994 | Washington Open, United States (2) | Championship Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Jonas Björkman (SWE) Jakob Hlasek (SUI) |
6–4, 4–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 10–21 | Aug 1994 | Volvo International, United States | Championship Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Jacco Eltingh (NED) Paul Haarhuis (NED) |
6–4, 7–6 |
| Win | 11–21 | Oct 1994 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan (2) | Championship Series | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Byron Black (ZIM) Jonathan Stark (USA) |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 11–22 | Jan 1995 | Australian Men's Hardcourt Championships, Australia | World Series | Hard | Byron Black (RSA) | Jim Courier (USA) Patrick Rafter (AUS) |
6–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 12–22 | Jan 1995 | ATP Auckland Open, New Zealand (2) | World Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Luis Lobo (ARG) Javier Sánchez (ESP) |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 13–22 | Feb 1995 | Dubai Tennis Championships, United Arab Emirates | World Series | Hard | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Tomás Carbonell (ESP) Francisco Roig (ESP) |
6–2, 4–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 14–22 | Feb 1995 | Eurocard Open, Germany | Championship Series | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Cyril Suk (CZE) Daniel Vacek (CZE) |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 15–22 | Apr 1995 | XL Bermuda Open, Bermuda | World Series | Clay | Todd Martin (USA) | Brett Steven (NZL) Jason Stoltenberg (AUS) |
7–6, 2–6, 7–5 |
| Loss | 15–23 | Oct 1995 | Kuala Lumpur Open, Malaysia | World Series | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Patrick McEnroe (USA) Mark Philippoussis (AUS) |
5–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 16–23 | Nov 1995 | Paris Masters, France | Single-Week | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Jim Grabb (USA) Todd Martin (USA) |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 16–24 | Nov 1995 | Stockholm Open, Sweden | World Series | Hard (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Jacco Eltingh (NED) Paul Haarhuis (NED) |
6–3, 2–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 17–24 | Nov 1995 | ATP Tour World Championships, Netherlands | World Championships | Carpet (i) | Patrick Galbraith (USA) | Jacco Eltingh (NED) Paul Haarhuis (NED) |
7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 18–24 | Feb 1996 | Dubai Tennis Championships, United Arab Emirates (2) | World Series | Hard | Byron Black (ZIM) | Karel Nováček (CZE) Jiří Novák (CZE) |
6–0, 6–1 |
| Loss | 18–25 | Mar 1996 | U.S. Pro Indoor, United States | Championship Series | Carpet (i) | Byron Black (ZIM) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
6–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 19–25 | May 1996 | Italian Open, Italy | Super 9 | Clay | Byron Black (ZIM) | Libor Pimek (BEL) Byron Talbot (RSA) |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 20–25 | Jun 1996 | Halle Open, Germany | World Series | Grass | Byron Black (ZIM) | Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS) Daniel Vacek (CZE) |
6–1, 7–5 |
| Loss | 20–26 | Jul 1996 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grand Slam | Grass | Byron Black (ZIM) | Todd Woodbridge (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
6–4, 1–6, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 21–26 | Jul 1996 | Washington Open, United States (2) | Championship Series | Hard | Scott Davis (USA) | Doug Flach (USA) Chris Woodruff (USA) |
7–6, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 22–26 | Aug 1996 | Volvo International, United States (3) | Championship Series | Hard | Byron Black (ZIM) | Jonas Björkman (SWE) Nicklas Kulti (SWE) |
6–4, 6–4 |
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)
| Titles by surface |
|---|
| Hard (1–0) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (1–2) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Oct 1987 | Vancouver, Canada | $25,000 | Hard | Alexander Mronz (FRG) | 7–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Nov 1987 | Bergen, Norway | $75,000 | Carpet (i) | Patrik Kühnen (FRG) | 4–6, 6–3, 6–7 |
| Win | 2–1 | Nov 1987 | Helsinki, Finland | $25,000 | Carpet (i) | Alexander Zverev Sr. (URS) | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Oct 1988 | Bergen, Norway | $75,000 | Carpet (i) | Tom Nijssen (NED) | 3–6, 1–6 |
Doubles: 4 (4 titles)
| Titles by surface |
|---|
| Hard (3–0) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (1–0) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Apr 1987 | Graz, Austria | $50,000 | Hard (i) | David Livingston (USA) | Carl Limberger (AUS) Mark Woodforde (AUS) |
7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | Oct 1987 | Coquitlam, Canada | $25,000 | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Juan Ríos (PUR) Roger Smith (BAH) |
7–6, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–0 | Oct 1987 | Vancouver, Canada | $25,000 | Hard | Glenn Michibata (CAN) | Josef Brabenec (CAN) Tony Macken (CAN) |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 4–0 | Nov 1989 | Bergen, Norway | $75,000 | Carpet (i) | Scott Warner (USA) | Rikard Bergh (SWE) Kelly Jones (USA) |
7–5, 6–4 |
Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Q3 | NH | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 6 | 3–6 | 33% |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 0–3 | 0% |
| Wimbledon | A | Q3 | Q1 | 1R | Q2 | 1R | 1R | Q2 | A | 3R | Q2 | 0 / 4 | 2–4 | 33% |
| US Open | A | A | A | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | Q2 | Q1 | Q2 | A | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% |
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0 / 16 | 6–16 | 27% |
Doubles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 2R | QF | QF | F | 3R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 0 / 11 | 21–11 | 66% |
| French Open | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | SF | 2R | 1R | SF | 2R | 2R | A | 0 / 9 | 13–9 | 59% |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 3R | 1R | QF | SF | 2R | F | F | 1R | F | 2R | 0 / 11 | 26–11 | 70% |
| US Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | SF | 1R | 3R | 0 / 11 | 11–11 | 50% |
| Win–Loss | 1–3 | 5–4 | 3–4 | 12–4 | 11–4 | 6–4 | 7–4 | 9–4 | 6–4 | 7–4 | 4–3 | 0 / 42 | 71–42 | 63% |
Mixed doubles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 2R | A | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | A | 2R | 0 / 6 | 7–6 | 54% |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | 0% |
| Wimbledon | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | SF | 2R | QF | SF | SF | SF | SF | 0 / 10 | 25–10 | 71% |
| US Open | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | QF | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50% |
| Win–Loss | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 6–4 | 5–3 | 7–2 | 4–1 | 5–2 | 0 / 20 | 34–20 | 63% |
Wins over top-10 opponents
Connell has a 1–9 (10%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.
| Season | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | Total |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Opponent | Rank | Event | Surface | Round | Score | Connell Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | ||||||||
| 1. | Ivan Lendl (CZE) | 3 | Queen's Club Championships, United Kingdom | Grass | 2R | 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 | 81 | |
Titles won with partners
| Partner | Grand Slams |
Olympic Games |
ATP World Champs |
ATP Super 9 |
ATP Champ Series |
ATP World Series |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Galbraith (USA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| Byron Black (ZIM) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Glenn Michibata (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Scott Davis (USA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Todd Martin (USA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Overall Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 22 |