Steve Denton
Country (sports) | United States | |
---|---|---|
Residence | Tour Finals | F (1982) |
Steve Denton (born September 5, 1956) is a former professional tennis player. He is currently the head men's tennis coach at Texas A&M University.
After becoming an
For his accomplishments, he is a member of the ITA Hall of Fame, the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame, the Blue-Gray Tennis Class Hall of Fame, and the Longhorn Hall of Honor.
Playing career
High school and college
Denton attended Bishop High School in Bishop, Texas. As a prep, he won four consecutive UIL state 3A singles titles. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played tennis from 1976–79. He earned all-American honors in 1978. Along with teammate Kevin Curren, he won the U.S. Tennis Association amateur indoor and SWC doubles title in 1979. He completed his college career with an 85–22 singles record, which currently ranks third all-time in school history. He also compiled a 72–18 doubles record, and a 78–27 team record. For his collegiate and professional accomplishments, he was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2006.[1]
Professional
Denton was ranked as high as World No. 12 on the ATP rankings in singles and No. 2 in doubles, both in 1983. Denton was known for his big serve and employed an unusual service motion which involved taking two steps forward prior to striking the ball. Current ATP rules prohibit such a motion (or any service motion involving a running or walking start). In 1984, Denton set a service record of 138 mph (222 km/h) that would stand for 13 years until it was broken in 1997 by Mark Philippoussis who recorded a 142 mph (229 km/h) delivery. The current record of 163 mph (262 km/h) is held by Sam Groth.
He reached six singles finals, most notably the Australian Open (in 1981 and 1982) and the
Grand Slam finals
Singles (2 losses)
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1981 | Australian Open | Grass | Johan Kriek | 6–2, 7–6, 6–7, 6–4 |
Loss | 1982 | Australian Open (2) | Grass | Johan Kriek | 6–3, 6–3, 6–2 |
Doubles (1 win, 1 loss)
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1982 | US Open | Grass | Kevin Curren | Victor Amaya Hank Pfister |
6–2, 6–7, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4 |
Loss | 1983 | Australian Open | Grass | Sherwood Stewart | Mark Edmondson Paul McNamee |
6–3, 7–6 |
Mixed Doubles (3 losses)
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1983 | Wimbledon |
Grass | Billie Jean King | John Lloyd Wendy Turnbull |
6–7, 7–6, 7–5 |
Loss | 1983 | US Open | Grass | JoAnne Russell | Anne Smith Kevin Curren |
6–4, 7–6 |
Loss | 1984 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Kathy Jordan | John Lloyd Wendy Turnbull |
6–3, 6–3 |
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | SR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | Q3 | F | F | 3R | 1R | 2R | NH | 1R | A | 0 / 6 |
French Open | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 |
Wimbledon
|
Q2 | 1R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 2R | Q2 | Q2 | Q2 | 0 / 5 |
US Open | A | 1R | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 5 |
Strike rate | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 18 |
Career finals
Doubles (18 wins, 21 losses)
Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | 1979 | Hong Kong | Carpet | Mark Turpin | Robert Lutz
|
3–6, 4–6 |
Win | 1. | 1980 | Denver , U.S.
|
Carpet | Kevin Curren | 7–5, 6–2 | |
Loss | 2. | 1980 | Washington-2, U.S. | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Ferdi Taygan Brian Teacher |
6–4, 3–6, 6–7 |
Loss | 3. | 1980 | North Conway , U.S.
|
Clay | Kevin Curren | Jimmy Connors Brian Gottfried |
6–7, 2–6 |
Win | 2. | 1980 | Indianapolis , U.S.
|
Clay | Kevin Curren | 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 | |
Win | 3. | 1980 | Barcelona , Spain
|
Clay | Ivan Lendl | Pavel Složil Balázs Taróczy |
6–2, 6–7, 6–3 |
Win | 4. | 1980 | Basel , Switzerland
|
Hard (i) | Kevin Curren | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
6–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 4. | 1980 | Bologna , Italy
|
Carpet | Paul McNamee | Balázs Taróczy Butch Walts |
6–2, 3–6, 0–6 |
Win | 5. | 1981 | Monterrey WCT , Mexico
|
Carpet | Kevin Curren | Johan Kriek Russell Simpson |
7–6, 6–3 |
Loss | 5. | 1981 | Brussels, Belgium | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Sandy Mayer Frew McMillan |
6–4, 3–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 6. | 1981 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Kevin Curren | 6–3, 6–7, 9–11 | |
Win | 6. | 1981 | Indianapolis , U.S.
|
Clay | Kevin Curren | Raúl Ramírez Van Winitsky |
6–3, 5–7, 7–5 |
Win | 7. | 1981 | Vienna , Austria
|
Hard (i) | Tim Wilkison | Sammy Giammalva Jr. Fred McNair |
4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Win | 8. | 1981 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Kevin Curren | Sherwood Stewart Ferdi Taygan |
6–7, 6–4, 6–0 |
Loss | 7. | 1982 | Masters Doubles WCT , London
|
Carpet | Kevin Curren | Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy |
7–6, 3–6, 5–7, 4–6 |
Win | 9. | 1982 | Denver , U.S.
|
Carpet | Kevin Curren | Phil Dent Kim Warwick |
6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 10. | 1982 | Memphis , U.S.
|
Carpet | Kevin Curren | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
7–6, 4–6, 6–2 |
Loss | 8. | 1982 | Munich-2 WCT, Germany | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Mark Edmondson Tomáš Šmíd |
6–4, 5–7, 2–6 |
Win | 11. | 1982 | Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet | Mark Edmondson | Tony Giammalva Tim Mayotte |
6–7, 6–3, 6–3 |
Win | 12. | 1982 | Houston, U.S. | Clay | Kevin Curren | Mark Edmondson Peter McNamara |
7–5, 6–4 |
Win | 13. | 1982 | Toronto , Canada
|
Hard | Kevin Curren | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
6–7, 7–5, 6–2 |
Loss | 9. | 1982 | Cincinnati , U.S.
|
Hard | Mark Edmondson | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
2–6, 3–6 |
Win | 14. | 1982 | US Open, New York | Hard | Kevin Curren | Victor Amaya Hank Pfister |
6–2, 6–7, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4 |
Loss | 10. | 1982 | Sydney Indoor , Australia
|
Hard (i) | Mark Edmondson | John McEnroe Peter Rennert |
3–6, 6–7 |
Win | 15. | 1983 | Philadelphia, U.S. | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
6–4, 7–6 |
Win | 16. | 1983 | Munich WCT, Germany | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy |
7–5, 2–6, 6–1 |
Win | 17. | 1983 | Houston WCT, U.S. | Clay | Kevin Curren | Mark Dickson Tomáš Šmíd |
7–6, 6–7, 6–1 |
Win | 18. | 1983 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Kevin Curren | Tracy Delatte Johan Kriek |
6–3, 7–5 |
Loss | 11. | 1983 | Forest Hills WCT , U.S.
|
Clay | Kevin Curren | Tracy Delatte Johan Kriek |
7–6, 5–7, 3–6 |
Loss | 12. | 1983 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Kevin Curren | Brian Gottfried Paul McNamee |
4–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 13. | 1983 | Dallas , U.S.
|
Hard | Sherwood Stewart | Nduka Odizor Van Winitsky |
3–6, 5–7 |
Loss | 14. | 1983 | Tokyo Indoor , Japan
|
Carpet | John Fitzgerald | Mark Edmondson Sherwood Stewart |
1–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 15. | 1983 | Wembley , England
|
Carpet | Sherwood Stewart | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
3–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 16. | 1983 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | Sherwood Stewart | Mark Edmondson Paul McNamee |
3–6, 6–7 |
Loss | 17. | 1984 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Kevin Curren | John McEnroe Patrick McEnroe |
6–7, 2–6 |
Loss | 18. | 1984 | Brussels, Belgium | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Tim Gullikson Tom Gullikson |
4–6, 7–6, 6–7 |
Loss | 19. | 1984 | Milan , Italy
|
Carpet | Kevin Curren | Pavel Složil Tomáš Šmíd |
4–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 20. | 1985 | Memphis , U.S.
|
Carpet | Kevin Curren | Pavel Složil Tomáš Šmíd |
6–1, 3–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 21. | 1985 | Atlanta, U.S. | Carpet | Tomáš Šmíd | Paul Annacone Christo van Rensburg |
4–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 22. | 1987 | Cincinnati , U.S.
|
Hard | John Fitzgerald | Ken Flach Robert Seguso |
5–7, 3–6 |
Loss | 23. | 1988 | Tokyo Outdoor , Japan
|
Hard | David Pate | John Fitzgerald Johan Kriek |
4–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
Singles: 6 (6 losses)
Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | 1981 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | Johan Kriek | 2–6, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 2. | 1982 | Metz, France | Hard (i) | Erick Iskersky | 4–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 3. | 1982 | Cincinnati , U.S.
|
Hard | Ivan Lendl | 2–6, 6–7 |
Loss | 4. | 1982 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | Johan Kriek | 3–6, 3–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 5. | 1983 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Guillermo Vilas | 3–6, 5–7, 4–6 |
Loss | 6. | 1984 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John McEnroe | 3–6, 6–7 |
Coaching career
Denton made his first head coaching debut at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi in 2001. In his five seasons there, he led the Islanders to three Southland Conference regular-season championships, two tournament championships, and the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. He was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year twice, in 2004 and 2005. He finished with a 64–48 overall record.[2]
On August 8, 2006, Denton became the head men's tennis coach at Texas A&M University. After struggling for two years in Big 12 Conference play, Denton led the Aggies to a 5-1 conference record and 2nd-place finish in his third year, earning Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.[3]
Coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders (Southland Conference) (2001–2006) | |||||||||
2001–2002 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 8–12 | |||||||
2002–2003 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 13–9 | |||||||
2003–2004 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 14–7 | 1st | ||||||
2004–2005 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 19–8 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
2005–2006 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 10–12 | 5–1 | 1st | |||||
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi: | 64–48 | ||||||||
Texas A&M Aggies (Big 12 Conference) (2006–present) | |||||||||
2006–2007 | Texas A&M | 15–12 | 1–5 | 7th | NCAA Second Round | ||||
2007–2008 | Texas A&M | 13–12 | 2–4 | 5th | NCAA Second Round | ||||
2008–2009 | Texas A&M | 17–9 | 5–1 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
2009–2010 | Texas A&M | 25–7 | 5–1 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
2010–2011 | Texas A&M | 29–6 | 5–1 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
Texas A&M: | 99–46 | 18–12 | |||||||
Total: | 163–94 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
References
- ^ "Steve Denton". Texas Longhorns Athletics. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "A&M's Denton Selected to 2008 ITA Hall of Fame Class". Big 12 Sports. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
- ^ "Denton, Pollock and Krajicek Earn Big 12 Conference Honors". AggieAthletics.com. Retrieved May 7, 2009.[permanent dead link]