Today, we take a look at a woman who never made a breakthrough to a Grand Slam victory (or even a final), but, by all accounts, had a very successful, largely overlooked and underappreciated career.
Lori McNeil was born on December 18th, 1963 in San Diego, CA. Her father, Charlie McNeil, was a defensive back for the then-AFL San Diego Chargers. Knee injuries ruined Charlie's football career, and when Lori was 10, the family packed up and moved from San Diego to Houston. It was in Houston that Lori picked up tennis, learning the game from John Wilkerson, who also helped to coach and mentor the already-covered Zina Garrison. (Side note: this is a pretty underappreciated story in tennis history, no? It may not be quite the equivalent of Richard and Oracene, but given the circumstances, what Wilkerson was able to accomplish with his two proteges is still remarkable.) Unlike Zina, however, Lori didn't bite the professional tennis bullet after high school; she elected to go to college, because her parents didn't think that she had a future as a professional tennis player. After two years at Oklahoma State University however (one of which included a Big Eight conference singles title), Wilkerson felt she was ready to join the pro ranks. Reluctantly, her parents accepted the decision, and Lori turned professional in 1983, the year after Zina had already joined the tour.
While she didn't quite have the career of her fellow Houstonian Garrison, Lori had an excellent career in her own right. She hit a career high of #9 in the rankings in 1988, won a mixed doubles championship at Roland Garros, and she won 10 singles titles, three of which were claimed by beating Zina in the championship round. (Don't feel too bad for Zina, though; she returned the favor in two finals of her own.) She reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1986, the same round of the Australian Open in 1987 (where she was double bageled by Hana Mandlikova, in a match where she admitted to being indecisive), and, at the U.S. Open in '87, had her deepest run yet at a major when she made the semifinals. Seeded 11th, she defeated Chris Evert in three sets in the quarterfinals; Evert had made at least the semifinals of the U.S. Open every single year since her debut in 1971, so that is an amazing accomplishment. In the semis, Lori faced Steffi Graf, who, at age 18, was already the world #1, winner at that year's Roland Garros, and quickly on her way to all-time greatness. Lori claimed the first set, but was unable to hold on to the lead, falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Lori spent several years hovering around the world's top 20 after 1987, but she didn't have another notable success at the majors until the 1994 Wimbledon event - it is this tournament for which she is best remembered. Ranked 22nd and unseeded heading into the event (I mentioned this in MaliVai Washington's write-up, but the 16-seed era was a totally different animal; you just don't see these kinds of early round possibilities anymore), Lori was not considered among the favorites to win, especially after she drew Steffi Graf, then the three-time defending Wimbledon champion (and winner of five out of the last six Wimbledons) in the opening round. In what has to be one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history, Lori not only beat Steffi, but did so in straight sets: 7-5, 7-6 (5). To put this victory in perspective: this was the first time a defending champion had lost in the very first round of their title defense at Wimbledon for the first time in all of women's tennis HISTORY. And the only previous times Steffi had EVER lost in the first round of a Grand Slam were as a 14-year-old playing her first ever major, the 1983 Australian Open, and as a 15-year-old at the 1984 U.S. Open. After losing this match to McNeil, the earliest departure Graf would make at a Grand Slam was a third round loss (the 1998 Wimbledon), for the entire remainder of her career. So this was an impressive, impressive upset, all the more remarkable because Lori did it in straight sets. The thought just occurred to me: the only two matches Steffi lost at Wimbledon through her dominant 1988-96 run were both against black women. *raises gloved fist*
Unlike a lot of players who score a bit upset and are often unable to back it up, Lori didn't falter after her big win; she was able to progress all the way to the semifinals of the tournament, where she fell to the eventual champion, Conchita Martinez. Despite the benefit of serving first in the final set and recovering from a break deficit, McNeil was unable to claim victory, going down in a set that stretched all the way to 10-8. Still, despite her loss, her defeat of Graf and eventual run to the semis was an impressive achievement.
The 1994 Wimbledon tournament was the last major success of Lori's career; she played singles until 1998 and doubles through 2002, but never again had a major breakthrough. Still, I think she had a very respectable career, definitely worth celebrating. In retirement, Lori has served as a coach for both the USTA and her old pal Zina Garrison's Academy - it's good to see that those two are still close. :) Kudos to you, Lori, for an awesome career and for authoring one of the biggest upsets in tennis history!
Lori spent several years hovering around the world's top 20 after 1987, but she didn't have another notable success at the majors until the 1994 Wimbledon event - it is this tournament for which she is best remembered. Ranked 22nd and unseeded heading into the event (I mentioned this in MaliVai Washington's write-up, but the 16-seed era was a totally different animal; you just don't see these kinds of early round possibilities anymore), Lori was not considered among the favorites to win, especially after she drew Steffi Graf, then the three-time defending Wimbledon champion (and winner of five out of the last six Wimbledons) in the opening round. In what has to be one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history, Lori not only beat Steffi, but did so in straight sets: 7-5, 7-6 (5). To put this victory in perspective: this was the first time a defending champion had lost in the very first round of their title defense at Wimbledon for the first time in all of women's tennis HISTORY. And the only previous times Steffi had EVER lost in the first round of a Grand Slam were as a 14-year-old playing her first ever major, the 1983 Australian Open, and as a 15-year-old at the 1984 U.S. Open. After losing this match to McNeil, the earliest departure Graf would make at a Grand Slam was a third round loss (the 1998 Wimbledon), for the entire remainder of her career. So this was an impressive, impressive upset, all the more remarkable because Lori did it in straight sets. The thought just occurred to me: the only two matches Steffi lost at Wimbledon through her dominant 1988-96 run were both against black women. *raises gloved fist*
Unlike a lot of players who score a bit upset and are often unable to back it up, Lori didn't falter after her big win; she was able to progress all the way to the semifinals of the tournament, where she fell to the eventual champion, Conchita Martinez. Despite the benefit of serving first in the final set and recovering from a break deficit, McNeil was unable to claim victory, going down in a set that stretched all the way to 10-8. Still, despite her loss, her defeat of Graf and eventual run to the semis was an impressive achievement.
The 1994 Wimbledon tournament was the last major success of Lori's career; she played singles until 1998 and doubles through 2002, but never again had a major breakthrough. Still, I think she had a very respectable career, definitely worth celebrating. In retirement, Lori has served as a coach for both the USTA and her old pal Zina Garrison's Academy - it's good to see that those two are still close. :) Kudos to you, Lori, for an awesome career and for authoring one of the biggest upsets in tennis history!
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