Jay Berger (born November 26, 1966) is an American former professional tennis player. He won three singles and one doubles title on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of World No. 7 in April 1990.
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Jupiter, Florida, U.S. |
| Born | November 26, 1966 Fort Dix, Burlington County, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Turned pro | 1986 |
| Retired | 1991 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $992,136 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 141–80 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (April 16, 1990) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (1991) |
| French Open | QF (1989) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1988) |
| US Open | QF (1989) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 19–28 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 196 (November 14, 1988) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| US Open | 2R (1987) |
Early and personal life
editBerger was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and is Jewish.[1][2][3] He and his wife Nadia resided on Key Biscayne and now reside in Jupiter, Florida, and have four children: daughter Alexandra, and sons Daniel, Jonathan, and Noah.[4] His son Daniel, who played golf at Florida State (where he was an All-American), is a PGA Tour pro golfer who was 2015 Rookie of the Year, and as of February 14, 2021, has four career PGA Tour wins.[5]
Tennis career
editBerger was the USTA Boys’ 18s National Champion in 1985.[6] He also won the 1985 Florida State Junior Championship.
He reached the fourth round in the 1985 US Open.[7]
College career
editBerger was an All-American at Clemson University in 1985 and 1986, where he recorded a 91–22 singles record in two seasons. His 80.5% career winning percentage in singles play places 3rd all-time at Clemson.
Pro tennis career
editBerger turned professional in 1986. He played on the tour from 1986 to 1991.
He won his first top-level singles title in 1986 at Buenos Aires. In 1988, he captured both the singles and doubles titles at São Paulo. In March he upset world # 2 Mats Wilander, 6–0, 7–5, in Orlando, Florida. In March 1989 Berger upset world # 3 Boris Becker, 6–1, 6–1, in Indian Wells. In May he upset world # 3 Mats Wilander, 6–3, 6–4, in Rome. In August Berger beat world # 3 Stefan Edberg, 6–4, 6–2, at Indianapolis.
In 1989, Berger reached the quarterfinals at both the French Open and the US Open. He also won the third tour singles title of his career that year at Charleston, South Carolina. Berger was runner-up at the Canadian Open in 1990.
He retired from the professional tour in 1991. Chronic knee injuries forced his retirement.
During his career, Berger won three top-level singles titles and one tour doubles title. He registered victories over Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Mats Wilander.
Davis Cup
editBerger appeared in Davis Cup play in 1988 and 1990.[8]
Halls of Fame and Awards
editBerger was inducted into the Florida Hall of Fame in 1993. He was inducted into the Greater Miami-Dade Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also voted "Sportsman of the Year" by the Olympic Committee in 1985, and "Junior Player of the Year" by TENNIS Magazine in 1985. In 2014 he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[9][10]
Coaching career
edit| Career record | 141–80 |
|---|---|
| Career record | 19–28 |
| Coaching career (1994–) | |
| |
| Coaching awards and records | |
| Awards Big East Coach of the Year 2000, '01 | |
Berger went on to become an assistant coach at Florida International University, where he resumed his studies and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management in 1994. Berger was the Head Men’s and Women’s tennis coach at the University of Miami and coached the national team.[7] He was the Big East Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001.[11]
He coached Ryan Harrison until Jan-Michael Gambill replaced him in 2014 after which he coached former world No. 8 Jack Sock. He currently coaches the World No. 19 Reilly Opelka.
Career finals
editSingles (3 wins – 4 losses)
edit| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Nov 1986 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay |  Franco Davín
|
6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Nov 1987 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | Guillermo Pérez Roldán
|
2–3 ret. |
| Win | 2–1 | Oct 1988 | São Paulo, Brazil | Hard | Horacio de la Peña
|
6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–1 | May 1989 | Charleston, US | Clay |  Lawson Duncan
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3–2 | Aug 1989 | Indianapolis, US | Hard | John McEnroe
|
4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3–3 | Nov 1989 | Itaparica, Brazil | Hard | Martín Jaite
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3–4 | Jul 1990 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Michael Chang
|
6–4, 3–6, 6–7(3–7) |
Doubles (1 win – 1 loss)
edit| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Nov 1987 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | Horacio de la Peña
|
 Tomás Carbonell Sergio Casal
|
def. |
| Win | 1–1 | Oct 1988 | São Paulo, Brazil | Hard | Horacio de la Peña
|
 Ricardo Acuña Javier Sánchez
|
5–7, 6–4, 6–3 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Mendelsohn, Ezra (March 31, 2009). Jews and the Sporting Life: Studies in Contemporary Jewry XXIII. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199724796 – via Google Books.
- ^ Silverman, B. P. Robert Stephen (September 21, 2003). The 100 Greatest Jews in Sports: Ranked According to Achievement. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810847750 – via Google Books.
- ^ Horvitz, Peter S. (April 21, 2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SP Books. ISBN 9781561719075 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Confident Berger custom fit for match play". ESPN.com. September 27, 2017.
- ^ "Daniel Berger". www.pgatour.com. PGA Tour.
- ^ "Past Winners". USTA.
- ^ a b "Jay Berger – Men's National Coach". United States Tennis Association. 2005. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Davis Cup players – Jay Berger". www.daviscup.com. International Tennis Federation.
- ^ "Schwartz: National Jewish Sports Hall Of Fame Welcomes Its 2014 Class". CBS New York. September 12, 2014.
- ^ Sal Cacciatore (September 14, 2014). "National Jewish Hall of Fame holds induction ceremony".
- ^ "Berger, Jay". Jews in Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
