Robbie Venter
| Full name | Robert Eben Venter |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
.svg.png){kind=small} South Africa |
| Born |
7 May 1960 Boksburg, Transvaal |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 7–19 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 148 (2 January 1984) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1983) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 15–27 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 82 (3 January 1983) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| French Open | 2R (1983) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1983) |
Robert Eben "Robbie" Venter (born 7 May 1960) is a South African businessman and former professional tennis player.
Biography
Venter, who grew up in Boksburg, is the son of South African businessman Bill Venter.[1]
A left handed player, Venter was a semi-finalist at the Wimbledon Juniors in 1978 and moved to the United States that year to take up a tennis scholarship at UCLA.[1][2] He was a three-time All-American and captained the UCLA side which won the team title in the 1982 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships.[3][4] After that triumph he became a tour professional and with former UCLA teammate Blaine Willenborg he was runner-up in the doubles at the 1982 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, a tournament on the Grand Prix circuit held in Indianapolis.[5] His only singles appearance in the main draw of a grand slam tournament came at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost in the first round to Rodney Harmon, in four sets.[6] During his tennis career he won six Challenger titles, three in singles and three in doubles.
Venter retired from tennis in 1985 and completed a MBA at UCLA before working at Bear Stearns for three years.[1] He returned to South Africa in 1990.[1]
In 2011 he replaced his father Bill as CEO of Altron.[1]
Grand Prix career finals
Doubles: 1 (0–1)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1982 | Indianapolis, US | Clay |  Blaine Willenborg |
Sherwood Stewart Ferdi Taygan |
4–6, 5–7 |
Challenger titles
Singles: (3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1980 | Turin, Italy | Clay |  Miguel Mir |
6–2, 6–1 |
| 2. | 1983 | Solihull, Great Britain | Clay |  Broderick Dyke |
6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 3. | 1983 | Lee-on-the-Solent, Great Britain | Clay |  Jeremy Bates |
6–3, 6–1 |
Doubles: (3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1980 | Royan, France | Clay | Dave Siegler |
 Jan Gunnarsson Stefan Svensson |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 2. | 1980 | Le Touquet, France | Clay | Dave Siegler |
Hans Simonsson Tenny Svensson |
7–6, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 3. | 1981 | Reus, Spain | Clay | Egan Adams |
Junie Chatman Bruce Derlin |
6–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Stones, Lesley (28 August 2012). "Acing the business world". ITWeb. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ↑ "ITF Tennis – Juniors – Player Profile – Venter, Robbie (RSA)". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ↑ "Bruin History" (PDF). UCLA Bruins. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ↑ "UCLA wins tennis title". The Deseret News. 19 May 1982. p. 2D. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ↑ "Sport". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. 9 August 1982. p. 15.
- ↑ "Sports Results, Detail.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 22 June 1983. p. 42. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
External links
- Robbie Venter at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Robbie Venter at the International Tennis Federation