ITA Women's Hall of Fame
McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center

Lori McNeil

“The unstoppable juggernaut of women’s tennis has just been run over by a Lori,” a British newspaper reported after McNeil’s historic first-round upset,7-5, 7-6, of 5-time champion Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1994.

Inspired by her mother’s love of the game, Lori McNeil (b. 1963) spent most of her formative years on the tennis court, growing into a champion. McNeil honed her skills at Houston’s MacGregor Park alongside her close friend Zina Garrison, guided by former American Tennis Association champion John Wilkerson. An All-American at Oklahoma State University, McNeil went pro in 1984. Two years later she reached the USTA Top 10 in singles, and climbed as high as No. 9 in the world rankings. She also represented her country on the U.S. Fed Cup and Wightman Cup teams.

 With her classic serve-and-volley game, McNeil captured 32 career doubles titles, including the mixed doubles championship at the French Open in 1988. She also scored a stunning first-round victory over defending champion Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1994, eventually reaching the semifinals. Retiring from the tour in 2002, McNeil was named a USTA high peformance coach and was appointed assistant coach to the U.S. Olympic team in 2004, continuing to serve as a mentor and inspiration to a new generation of tennis players.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

 

All-American in singles and doubles, Oklahoma State University 1982

NCAA Big Eight Athletic Conference Singles Champion 1982

10 WTA tour singles titles; 32 doubles titles 1984-2002

Career singles record 436-309

Ranked in the USTA Top 10 1986 (No. 9), 1987 (No. 5), 1988 (No. 6), 1991 (No. 6), 1992 (No. 4), 1993 (No. 6), 1994 (No. 7), 1995 (No. 8)

Ranked No. 4 in WTA world doubles rankings 1987; No. 9 in singles 1988

Wimbledon Singles Quarterfinalist 1986

Australian Open Singles Quarterfinalist 1987

U.S. Open Singles Semifinalist 1987; defeated Chris Evert in quarterfinals

Australian Open Doubles Finalist 1988 (with Zina Garrison)

French Open Mixed Doubles Champion 1988

Wimbledon Semifinalist in Singles 1994, defeated defending champion Steffi Graf in first round

Japan Open Singles Champion 1989

Eastbourne Singles Champion 1992

Birmingham Singles Champion 1993, 1994; Doubles Champion 1993 (with Martina Navratilova)

U.S. Indoor Doubles Champion 1986

Rogers Cup Doubles Champion 1987, 1992

U.S. Hardcourt Doubles Champion 1988

U.S. Wightman Cup Team Member 1987-9

U.S. Federation Cup Team Member 1988, 1992-3

Coached Amanda Coetzer 2001-4; paired with Coetzer to win 2 WTA doubles titles 2001

Senior Tennis Professional, USTA Junior Tennis Champions Center

Chair, Lori McNeil Tennis Foundation

Chair, Lori McNeil Celebrity Tennis Classic to support youth tennis programs in Bermuda

Inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame 2000

USTA High Performance Coach 2001-present

Assistant Coach, U.S. Olympic Women’s Tennis Team 2004

Captain, Maureen Connolly Challenge Cup Team 2004

U.S. Women’s Tennis Coach, World University Games 2005

WTA Mentor Appreciation Award for two-year mentorship of Vera Zvonareva 2006

The 1989 U.S. Wightman Cup team (l-r): Millie West, Jennifer Capriati, Coach Marty Riessen, McNeil, Mary Joe Fernandez, Patty Fendick, Betsy Nagelsen, Nancy Jeffett

McNeil as a budding champion

Celebrating victory in the 1988 French Open mixed doubles championship with partner Jorge Lozano

See the McNeil Panel in the Hall of Fame