Jan Kodeš
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Jan Kodeš (born March 1 1946, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a right-handed Czech former tennis player who won three Grand Slam events in the early-1970s.
Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), Kodeš' greatest success was on the clay courts of the French Open. He won his first title there in 1970, beating Zeljko Franulovic 6-2, 6-4, 6-0. He followed that the next year by beating Ilie Năstase 8-6, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, before he made the successful transition to grass by winning Wimbledon in 1973. He beat home favourite Roger Taylor in the semi-final in a five-set match 6-1, 6-8, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. The final against Alex Metreveli was more straightforward, winning in straight sets 6-1, 9-8, 6-3.
Kodeš could never repeat the success of Wimbledon and the French Open elsewhere. Indeed, he never appeared at the Australian Open. At the US Open, he was runner-up twice in 1971 and 1973.
Kodeš reached his highest tour ranking of World No. 5 in September 1973. During his career, he won a total of 8 top-level singles titles and 17 doubles titles.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1990.
[edit] Grand Slam finals
[edit] Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1970 | French Open(1) | Image:Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg Željko Franulović | 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 |
| 1971 | French Open (2) | Image:Flag of Romania (1947-1989).svg Ilie Năstase | 8-6, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 |
| 1973 | Wimbledon | Image:Flag of the Soviet Union 1955.svg Alex Metreveli | 6-1, 9-8, 6-3 |
[edit] Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1971 | U.S. Open(1) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Stan Smith | 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 |
| 1973 | U.S. Open (2) | Image:Flag of Australia.svg John Newcombe | 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
[edit] Singles titles (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 1970 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Image:Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg Željko Franulović | 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2. | 1971 | Catania, Italy | Clay | Image:Flag of France.svg Georges Goven | 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 |
| 3. | 1971 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Image:Flag of Romania (1947-1989).svg Ilie Năstase | 8-6, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 |
| 4. | 1972 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Image:Flag of Spain under Franco.svg Manuel Orantes | 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 |
| 5. | 1973 | Cologne WCT, Germany | Carpet | Image:Flag of New Zealand.svg Brian Fairlie | 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 |
| 6. | 1973 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Image:Flag of the Soviet Union 1955.svg Alex Metreveli | 6-1, 9-8, 6-3 |
| 7. | 1975 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Adriano Panatta | 5-7, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
| 8. | 1976 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet | Image:Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg Jiří Hřebec | 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 |
[edit] Runner-ups (17)
[edit] External links
French Open men's singles champions* |
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* Open Era • (1968) Ken Rosewall • (1969) Rod Laver • (1970-71) Jan Kodeš • (1972) Andrés Gimeno • (1973) Ilie Năstase • (1974-75) Björn Borg • (1976) Adriano Panatta • (1977) Guillermo Vilas • (1976) Jimmy Connors • (1977) Guillermo Vilas • (1978-81) Björn Borg • (1982) Mats Wilander • (1983) Yannick Noah • (1984) Ivan Lendl • (1985) Mats Wilander • (1986-87) Ivan Lendl • (1988) Mats Wilander • (1989) Michael Chang • (1990) Andrés Gómez • (1991-92) Jim Courier • (1993-94) Sergi Bruguera • (1995) Thomas Muster • (1996) Yevgeny Kafelnikov • (1997) Gustavo Kuerten • (1998) Carlos Moyà • (1999) Andre Agassi • (2000-01) Gustavo Kuerten • (2002) Albert Costa • (2003) Juan Carlos Ferrero • (2004) Gastón Gaudio • (2005-07) Rafael Nadal |
