Mark Cox

Born on July 5, 1943 in Leicester, British athlete Mark Cox is a former tennis player who played professional and amateur tennis in the 60s, 70s and 80s. He is known as the first amateur player to defeat a professional player when he beat Pancho Gonzales in 1968 at the British Hardcourt Championships.

Cox started playing tennis at the age of 8 years old, although as he grew up he also showed distinct interests in badminton, football and cricket. He studied at Downing College in Cambridge and graduated with a degree in economics, playing for the university tennis club during his college years. He has competed for a total of 17 times in Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round in singles three times in 1968, 1977 and 1979. Cox attained his career high singles ranking at number 13 in 1977.

He debuted in the Davis Cup in 1967, playing for Great Britain against Bulgaria. He was also instrumental in helping the British team reach the Davis Cup final against the United States in California. He reached the QF at the US Nationals in 1966 and the finals in Cincinnati in 1977. He was the only player in the ATP to win back-to-back titles in Washington and London in March 1975 until Andy Murray won back-to-back titles in Madrid and St. Petersburg in 2008. All in all, Cox has won eight singles titles and three in doubles.

The British player retired in 1981, opting to focus on coaching junior players. He also worked as a TV commentator and as patron of CRY or Cardiac Risk in the Young.