Kelly Jones (born March 31, 1964) is an American former
doubles world No. 1 tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player. Jones reached the finals in doubles at the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
and
US Opens in 1992. He is currently the Head Men's Tennis Coach at
Furman University
Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...
in
Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...
.
Biography
Jones played varsity tennis at
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...
from 1982 to 1985, where he won the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division 1 doubles title in 1984 and 1985. He was a member of the
1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
U.S. tennis team.
Jones joined the professional tour in 1986. He won his first top-level doubles title in 1987 at
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
.
In 1988, Jones finished runner-up in the mixed doubles at
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, partnering
Gretchen Magers.
Jones was runner-up in the men's doubles at both the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
and the
US Open in 1992, partnering
Rick Leach
Rick Leach (born December 28, 1964) is a former professional tennis player and a coach from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won five Grand Slam doubles titles (three at the Australian Open, one at Wimbledon, and one at the US Open) ...
. In October that year, he reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking for 1 week.
After 12 years on the professional tour, Jones retired in 1998. During his career, he won eight top-level doubles titles. Jones also won a tour singles event in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, where he captured the title both in 1989 and 1990. His best singles performance at a
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
event was at the
1993 Australian Open
The 1993 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Flinders Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia. It was the 81st edition of the Australian Open and was held from 18 through 31 January 1993.
Seniors
Men's ...
, where he reached the fourth round. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 86 (in 1990). Jones' career prize-money earnings totaled US$1,165,009.
Since retiring from the tour, Jones has coached high-profile players including
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. He was a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.Fish won six tournaments on the mai ...
,
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse (born 19 July 1980) is a former Belgian professional tennis player. Born in the north-western Flemish city of Kortrijk and nicknamed ''X-Man'', he is one of only two Belgian men (the other being David Goffin) to have been ranked i ...
and
James Blake.
Jones is married to
Tami Whitlinger
Tami Whitlinger-Jones (née Whitlinger; born November 13, 1968) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
Prior to turning professional, Whitlinger was a two-time All-American at Stanford University. Her first tournament vict ...
, a former professional tennis player.
Career finals
Singles (2 wins)
Doubles (8 wins - 10 losses)
Doubles performance timeline
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Kelly
American male tennis players
American tennis coaches
Olympic tennis players of the United States
Furman Paladins men's tennis coaches
Pepperdine Waves men's tennis players
Tennis players from Tampa, Florida
Tennis people from Georgia (U.S. state)
Tennis players at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1964 births
Living people
Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games
ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players