Clay Iles[1] (born 12 July 1942) is a former British tennis player, and currently is an LTA licensed tennis coach.[2] He has also worked as a sports writer and tennis umpire.[3] He competed at the Wimbledon Championships twelve times between 1962 and 1974. He won 6 career singles titles.
| Country (sports) |  GBR |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 July 1942 England |
| Died | England |
| Turned pro | 1961 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1975 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 160-39 (80.4%) |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1966, 1968) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 2R (1963) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1966) |
Career
editHe played his first tournament in 1961 at the Connaught Hard Court Championships in Chingford. In major tournaments he took part in 12 tournaments at the Wimbledon Championships where the furthest he progressed was to the second round in the men's singles in 1966 and 1968.[4] In the men's doubles reached the second round in 1963[5] and in mixed doubles again second round in 1966.[6]
In 1964 he won his first title at the North of England Hard Court Championships at Scarborough against Mark Cox. He won a second title at the Cannes Carlton International at Cannes against Francois Godbout. In 1969 he won the North of England Hard Court Championships for the second time. He also won the Registered Professional Coaches Championships[7] held at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne three times 1969, 1970 and 1973.[8] In 1975 he played his final tournament at the Cumberland Hard Court Championships.
After retiring from the tennis circuit he later became coach to Clare Wood and Sara Gomer.[9] As a former sports writer for the Croydon Advertiser, he also provided features for the American magazine World Tennis and the British magazine, Lawn Tennis and the Tennis Pictorial International.[10] He later worked as a tennis umpire.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Player Profile: Clay Iles". www.wimbledon.com. AELTC. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ "Meads Lawn Tennis at ROMPA / Eastbourne Tennis Coaching". clubspark.lta.org.uk. LTA. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Dunford, Mark (28 February 2019). "A little bit of Wimbledon comes to Meads". Sussex Express. Seaford, East Sussex, England. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ AELTC
- ^ AELTC
- ^ AELTC
- ^ Robertson, Max (1974). The encyclopedia of tennis (234 ed.). London: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0047960426.
- ^ "Tournament – British Professional Registered Coaches". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ "Olympedia – Sara Gomer". www.olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Cambers, Simon (7 April 2018). "Open Season". Racquet. Racquet Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Sussex Express