Jeff Simpon
Country (sports)New Zealand New Zealand
ResidenceAuckland
Born (1950-10-29) 29 October 1950 (age 73)
Hamilton, New Zealand
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career record40–79
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 66 (13 September 1973)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (1982)
French Open1R (1974)
Wimbledon3R (1973)
US Open3R (1973)
Doubles
Career record46–72
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 108 (3 January 1983)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (1983)
French Open2R (1983)
Wimbledon2R (1972, 1973)
US Open2R (1972, 1973, 1974)

Jeff Simpson (born 29 October 1950) is a former professional tennis player from New Zealand.[1]

Playing career

Over the course of his career, Simpson competed in five Davis Cup ties for the New Zealand team. He won a total of four rubbers, two in singles and two in doubles.[2]

In 1973, Simpson reached the third round of both Wimbledon and the US Open.[3] Those performances saw him reach his career best ranking of 66.[3]

Simpson was a singles semi-finalist at Newport in 1973 and Auckland in 1975.[3] As a doubles player he was runner-up at three Grand Prix events, in Tokyo, Christchurch and Roanoke.[3]

Coaching

Simpson was New Zealand's Davis Cup captain for 16 years, from 1984 to 1999, as well as Fed Cup captain for five years. He also coached New Zealand in the 1988 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics.[4]

Personal life

Simpson is the elder brother of Russell Simpson, who was also a professional tennis player.[5]

His son, Matt, competed for a while on the Futures circuit, retiring in 2013.[6][5]

Grand Prix career finals

Doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)

Result W–L Year Tournament Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 1972 Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Mexico Marcello Lara United States Dick Dell
United States Sherwood Stewart 		3–6, 2–6
Loss 0–2 1973 Christchurch, New Zealand West Germany Jürgen Fassbender India Anand Amritraj
United States Fred McNair 		W/O
Loss 0–3 1974 Roanoke, United States New Zealand Ian Crookenden United States Vitas Gerulaitis
United States Sandy Mayer 		6–7, 1–6
Win 1–3 1975 Washington Indoor WCT, U.S. United States Mike Estep India Anand Amritraj
India Vijay Amritraj 		7–6, 6–3

Challenger titles

Singles: (1)

No. Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
1. 1982 Le Touquet, France Clay Switzerland Roland Stadler 6–7, 6–2, 6–1

References

  1. ^ ITF Pro Circuit: Jeff Simpson
  2. ^ Davis Cup Profile
  3. ^ a b c d ATP World Tour Profile
  4. ^ "Tennis Northern Profile". Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  5. ^ a b David Leggat (16 March 2007). "Tennis: Another Simpson takes up the family racquet". The New Zealand Herald.
  6. ^ ITF Pro Circuit: Matt Simpson
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