Former US Open and Wimbledon Semifinalist Also Joins USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Staff Effective July 6
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., June 30, 2004 -- The USTA has announced that Lori McNeil has been named assistant coach for the 2004 U.S. Olympic women’s tennis team. McNeil also will join the USTA as a USA Tennis High Performance coach based at the USA Tennis High Performance Training Center in Key Biscayne, Fla., effective July 6.
McNeil will work in Athens at the Olympic Games with fellow Houstonian and former doubles partner Zina Garrison, the U.S. Olympic women's tennis coach.
“Lori and I are a great team and have come a long way since the days when we were kids playing in MacGregor Park in Houston,” said Garrison. “American women have excelled in the last three Olympics, so continuing that streak in Athens will be the top priority for Lori and me at the 2004 Olympics.”
“Lori brings a unique perspective to our development efforts as a former pro,” said Paul Roetert, Managing Director, USA Tennis High Performance. “Her success as a player and experience as a coach makes her a great addition to our High Performance team as we continue our efforts to develop the next generation of American champions.”
McNeil, a native of Houston now residing in Miami, played 19 years on the WTA Tour (1984-2002), reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 9 in the summer of 1988. She reached the semifinals at the 1987 US Open, defeating six-time champion Chris Evert en route. She was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1994, defeating defending champion and No. 1 seed Steffi Graf in the first round. A winner of 10 career WTA singles titles and 32 doubles titles, McNeil represented the U.S. in Fed Cup competition in 1988 and 1989, posting a 6-5 record.
After retiring from the tour fulltime, McNeil, 40, coached Amanda Coetzer among others since 2001. She also worked as Senior Tennis Professional at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md. McNeil also serves as Chairman of the Lori McNeil Tennis Foundation and of the Lori McNeil Celebrity Tennis Classic, which has raised over $20,000 to help youth tennis programs in Bermuda.
The 2004 Olympic Games will be held August 13-28 in Athens, Greece, with the tennis competition being staged August 15-22 at the Athens Olympic Tennis Center. Named to the U.S. Olympic women’s tennis team on June 26 were Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Chanda Rubin, Martina Navratilova and Lisa Raymond. All team and staff nominations are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
USA Tennis High Performance facilitates the development of world-class American champions by providing promising players with access to the best training, coaching and competition. This mission is facilitated through enhanced coaching education programs, top supplemental coaching in men’s and women’s tennis, and junior competition programs on the national and international level.