Johan Kriek

Johan Christiaan Kriek (born April 5, 1958) is a South African–American former professional tennis player. He won two Australian Open titles, beating Steve Denton in four sets in the 1981 final and the same opponent in the 1982 final in straight sets, when he tamed Denton's cannonball serve and "relentlessly whipped winners past him from all angles of the court".

Career Johan Kriek turned professional in 1978 at the age of 20. Kriek made his first Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon’s in 1978, reaching the second round. In the 1978 US Open, Kriek advanced to the quarterfinals. By the end of 1980, he had risen to No.18 in the singles rankings, marking the first time he had entered the top 20. This marked the first of six consecutive years of Kriek being inside the top 20.

Going into the 1981 Australian Open Kriek was seeded fourth. He won his first two matches in straight sets, before beating Chris Lewis in five sets in the third round. This saw him the eight seed American Tim Mayotte in the quarter final, who he beat in straight sets. He comprehensively beat former champion Mark Edmondson in the semi-final to set up a final with the American Steve Denton. Kriek won the final in four sets. In doing so, Kriek became the first African and South African to win a Grand Slam tournament. Kriek reached the quarte-finals at the 1981 edition of Wimbledon as an unseeded player.

1982 also saw Kriek defeat John McEnroe in the Memphis Open. He won the La Costa WCT, beating Roscoe Tanner in the final. 1982 saw Kriek record his highest end of year ranking, reaching No.12. He one again reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, losing to John McEnroe in four sets. Kriek went into the Australian Open of 1982 as defending Champion and top seed. He reached the Quarter-Finals of the competition after dropping only one set. He beat American Drew Gitlin to advance through the semi-finals. After beating Paul McNamee in the semis, he once again beat Steve Denton in the final, to make it back to back Australian Open titles. He qualified for the Volvo Masters for the first time, beating Steve Denton once again in the first round, before being eliminated by Jimmy Connors in the second round of the competition.

Kriek continued to enjoy success at grass tournaments, winning the Bristol Open in 1983, and reaching the final of the doubles tournament. He also won the Johannesburg Open in the country of his birth, beating British player Colin Dowdeswell in the final. In the 1983 Volvo Masters he reached the quart-finals stage, losing to eventual winner John McEnroe.

He reached the semi-final stage of the 1984 Australian Open but was unable to add to his previous successes, losing to eventual winner Mats Wilander. He did however record his second success at Bristol. In September 1984 Kriek reached his highest ever position in the ranking at No.7. He reached the quarter-finals of the end of years Masters, losing to Mats Wilander.

Kriek partnered fellow Grand Slam winner Yannick Noah in the 1985 Chicago doubles and the pair won the tournament. Kriek lost in the 1985 final of Queens to Boris Becker. He was unable to reach the latter stages of that year’s Wimbledon, losing in the fourth round to Paul Annacone. He again competed in the end of year Masters Tournament, managing a victory over Stefan Edberg in the first round of the competition, but was once again unable to progress past the quarter-finals. Kriek recorded his best finish in the 1986 Roland Garros. He beat Guillermo Villas in the quarter-final, before suffering a straight sets defeat to Ivan Lendl in the semi-final.

Kriek’s final singles title came at the Livingston Open in the US, where he beat German Christian Saceanu in the final in 1987. Following persistent injuries, Kriek had dropped down to no. 52 by 1989. While Kriek did not win another singles title, he reached his career high ranking of No. 12 in doubles in 1988. He enjoyed success at two more doubles events, winning the Philadelphia Open and the Tokyo Open at the start of 1989. The final three single finals he reached all ended in defeat, the last of which was the 1989 Memphis final. Kriek made his final appearance at a Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 1991, where he was eliminated in the first round.

Kriek retired having won 14 singles titles, including two Grand Slams. He also won 8 doubles titles.

Post tennis After retiring from tennis, Kriek transitioned into coaching, setting up the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy. He has also worked on several philanthropic projects including helping to supply citizens of developing nations with clean drinking water.

Style of play Due to his stature, Kriek relied on speed rather than physical strength. He was known for being able to retrieve difficult shots which would often results in long rallies. Kriek grew up on the hard courts of South Africa, but he was perhaps most effective on grass, being an effective serve and volleyer which made him a dangerous opponent on grass, resulting in him winning back to back Australian Opens.

Grand Slam finals Singles: (2 titles) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore Win 1981 Australian Open Grass Steve Denton 6–2, 7–6(7–1), 6–7(1–7), 6–4 Win 1982 Australian Open (2) Grass Steve Denton 6–3, 6–3, 6–2

Career finals Singles: 27 (14 titles / 13 runner-ups)

Doubles: 15 (8 titles / 7 runner-ups)

Grand Slam singles performance timeline