Eliot Teltscher

Eliot Teltscher (born March 15, 1959) is a retired professional American tennis player. His highest ranking in singles was # 6 in the world, and in doubles was # 38 in the world.

Eliot Teltscher
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceIrvine, California
Born (1959-03-15) March 15, 1959
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro1977
Retired1988
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money$1,653,997
Singles
Career record399–216
Career titles10
Highest rankingNo. 6 (May 7, 1982)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenQF (1983)
French Open4R (1979, 1982, 1983)
Wimbledon3R (1977)
US OpenQF (1980, 1981, 1983)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsQF (1984)
WCT FinalsQF (1984)
Doubles
Career record161–164
Career titles4
Highest rankingNo. 38 (August 26, 1985)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open3R (1983)
French OpenF (1981)
Wimbledon3R (1985)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French OpenW (1983)
WimbledonQF (1985)
Last updated on: December 17, 2012.

Tennis career

Early years

Teltscher was born in Palos Verdes, California, lives in Irvine, California, and is Jewish.[1][2] His mother was born in pre-state Israel/British Mandate Palestine, and his father Eric, of Austrian descent, was a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel and joined the British military, ultimately becoming an industrial engineer.[3][4] He began playing tennis when he was nine, and by the time he was 17, he was ranked in the top ten in the United States junior rankings.[5]

He attended UCLA in 1978 on a tennis scholarship, where he was an All American, but dropped out to begin his professional tennis career.[6][1] In the NCAA tournament that year, he was ranked number two and was expected to play John McEnroe from Stanford in the final. However, he lost in the quarter-finals to John Sadri of North Carolina State.[3] That same year he defeated Onny Parun to win the New Zealand Open. He lived in Sebring, Florida.[4]He lives in Irvine, California.

Pro career

In January 1978, after Teltscher was eliminated by Ilie Nastase at the $100,000 Baltimore International tennis tournament, Nastase said: "Forget about Jimmy Connors. Teltscher is the best player I’ve played in the United States in years. Put him in the Davis Cup, put him in the World Cup, put him in everything."[7]

In 1979, Teltscher turned pro. A worldwide top 10 player from 1980–82, he was ranked no lower than #15 from through 1984. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on May 7, 1982, when he became ranked #6 in the world.[3]

He and his partner Terry Moor made it to the finals of the French Open in 1981, and he and Barbara Jordan won the mixed doubles title in 1983.[6] He made it to the quarterfinals at the US Open in 1980, 1981, and 1983, where each time he was defeated by Jimmy Connors.[6] He beat Connors, ranked # 8 in the world, in Chicago 6–3, 6–1. He won 10 singles titles during his professional career, which ended in 1988.[3]

Davis Cup

Teltscher was on the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1982, 1983, and 1985. His team defeated France in the 1982 tournament.[6]

Coaching

He served as a coach for Justin Gimelstob, Richey Reneberg (1997), Jeff Tarango (1995), Pete Sampras, Jim Grabb (1992), Phillip King and others.[6]

Teltscher served as a head men's tennis coach at Pepperdine University for the 1991–92 school season,[6] and as a tennis coach at the Manhattan Beach Country Club from 1992 to 1997.

He was a coach of the US national team from 1998 to 2001, when he resigned to become personal coach to Taylor Dent.[6]

He was named USTA Director of Tennis Operations in December 2002.[8]

Teltscher was named the 2003 Pan American Games Men's Coach.[9]

Hall of Fame

Teltscher, who is Jewish, was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1999,[10] and into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.[11][12]

Grand Slam finals

Men's doubles
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1981French OpenClay Terry Moor Heinz Günthardt
Balázs Taróczy		2–6, 6–7, 3–6

Mixed doubles
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1983French OpenClay Barbara Jordan Leslie Allen
Charles Strode		6–2, 6–3

ATP Tour finals

Singles 24 (10–14)
Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1. 1978 Atlanta, U.S. Hard Stan Smith 6–4, 1–6, 1–2, ret.
Win 1. 1978 Hong Kong Hard Pat Du Pré 6–4, 6–3, 6–2
Win 2. 1979 Atlanta, U.S. Hard John Alexander 6–3, 4–6, 6–2
Loss 2. 1980 Birmingham, U.S. Carpet Jimmy Connors 3–6, 2–6
Loss 3. 1980 New Orleans, U.S. Carpet Wojciech Fibak 4–6, 5–7
Win 3. 1980 Atlanta, U.S. Hard Terry Moor 6–2, 6–2
Loss 4. 1980 San Francisco, U.S. Carpet Gene Mayer 2–6, 6–2, 1–6
Win 4. 1980 Maui, U.S. Hard Tim Wilkison 7–6, 6–3
Loss 5. 1980 Republic of China Carpet Jimmy Connors 2–6, 4–6
Loss 6. 1980 Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Clay Ivan Lendl 6–3, 4–6, 0–6
Win 5. 1981 San Juan, U.S. Hard Tim Gullikson 6–4, 6–2
Loss 7. 1981 Montreal, Canada Hard Ivan Lendl 3–6, 2–6
Win 6. 1981 San Francisco, U.S. Carpet Brian Teacher 6–3, 7–6
Loss 8. 1981 Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Clay Balázs Taróczy 3–6, 6–1, 6–7(3–7)
Loss 9. 1982 Rome, Italy Clay Andrés Gómez 2–6, 3–6, 2–6
Loss 10. 1982 Melbourne Indoor, Australia Carpet Vitas Gerulaitis 6–2, 2–6, 2–6
Loss 11. 1983 La Quinta, U.S. Hard José Higueras 4–6, 2–6
Win 7. 1983 Tokyo, Japan Hard Andrés Gómez 7–5, 3–6, 6–1
Loss 12. 1984 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard Jimmy Connors 4–6, 6–4, 4–6
Win 8. 1984 Brisbane, Australia Hard Francisco González 3–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win 9. 1984 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Vitas Gerulaitis 6–3, 6–1, 7–6
Loss 13. 1987 Scottsdale, U.S. Hard Brad Gilbert 2–6, 2–6
Win 10. 1987 Hong Kong Hard John Fitzgerald 6–7(6–8), 3–6, 6–1, 6–2, 7–5
Loss 14. 1988 Guarujá, Brazil Hard Luiz Mattar 3–6, 3–6

Doubles 14 (4–10)
Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1. 1978 Columbus, U.S. Clay Marcello Lara Colin Dibley
Bob Giltinan		 2–6, 3–6
Win 1. 1979 Tulsa, U.S. Hard (i) Francisco González Colin Dibley
Tom Gullikson		 6–7, 7–5, 6–3
Loss 2. 1979 Atlanta, U.S. Hard Steve Docherty Raymond Moore
Ilie Năstase		 4–6, 2–6
Win 2. 1980 New Orleans, U.S. Carpet Terry Moor Raymond Moore
Robert Trogolo		 7–6, 6–1
Loss 3. 1980 Rome, Italy Clay Balázs Taróczy Mark Edmondson
Kim Warwick		 6–7, 6–7
Loss 4. 1980 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Hard Peter Fleming Brian Gottfried
Sandy Mayer		 4–6, 2–6
Loss 5. 1980 Tokyo Outdoor, Japan Clay Terry Moor Ross Case
Jaime Fillol		 3–6, 6–3, 4–6
Loss 6. 1980 Wembley, England Carpet Bill Scanlon Peter Fleming
John McEnroe		 5–7, 3–6
Loss 7. 1981 San Juan, Puerto Rico Hard Tim Gullikson Tim Mayotte
Chris Mayotte		 4–6, 6–7
Loss 8. 1981 La Quinta, U.S. Hard Terry Moor Bruce Manson
Brian Teacher		 6–7, 2–6
Loss 9. 1981 French Open, Paris Clay Terry Moor Heinz Günthardt
Balázs Taróczy		 2–6, 6–7, 3–6
Win 3. 1982 Delray Beach WCT, U.S. Clay Mel Purcell Tomáš Šmíd
Balázs Taróczy		 6–4, 7–6
Win 4. 1982 Maui, U.S. Hard Mike Cahill Francisco González
Bernard Mitton		 6–4, 6–4
Loss 10. 1984 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Steve Meister Tracy Delatte
Francisco González		 6–7, 1–6

See also

References
  1. Eliot Teltscher | Overview | ATP World Tour | Tennis
  2. Jewish Post 12 March 1982 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program
  3. "Eliot Teltscher – One of the Greatest Jewish Tennis Players Of All Time" | World Tennis Magazine
  4. The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California on January 14, 1982 · Page 68
  5. Teltscher, Eliot : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum
  6. "Teltscher, Eliot". Jews in Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  7. Lookout | PEOPLE.com
  8. "Teltscher to coach Pe’er in next tournament" - Jerusalem Post
  9. "Missing Sole but Not Heart" - latimes
  10. Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home
  11. "Eliot Teltscher". International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  12. "Eliot Teltscher"
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