University of Tennessee Athletics
Smith Qualifies for Wimbledon
June 25, 2015 | Men's Tennis
ROEHAMPTON, England -- Former Tennessee star John-Patrick Smith will be the first Vol since 2001 to play main draw singles at Wimbledon after winning three qualifying matches this week.
Smith ousted Czech veteran Jan Mertl in straight sets 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 final round of qualifying Thursday on the grass courts of Roehampton. Smith was one of 16 qualifiers to earn a spot for the Wimbledon, joining two other Australians -- Luke Saville and John Millman -- to advance through qualifying.
This week marks the first time Smith has qualified for the singles main draw of a Grand Slam event. He played in the 2013 Australian Open as a wild card recipient.
Smith is no stranger to Wimbledon's All England Club. He has reached the second round of doubles there the last two years and has appeared in doubles in all four of the majors since graduating from Tennessee in 2011.
Associate head coach Chris Woodruff was the last Vol to play singles at Wimbledon in his final year of professional tennis in 2001.
Smith has enjoyed his best professional year of singles so far in 2015. After opening the year ranked No. 201, he broke into the top 150 for the first time after winning the Drummondville Challenger in Canada, his first ATP Challenger-level title since 2012. He qualifying for the main draw at the tour event in Delray Beach, Fla., and has reached the quarterfinals or better in five Challenger events.
He enters Wimbledon ranked No. 160 in the world in singles.
As a college player, Smith stands as one of the best in Tennessee history. During his career from 2008-11, he held the No. 1 national ranking in singles and doubles with two different teammates and collected 298 combined singles and doubles wins. He earned All-America honors in singles and doubles all four years of his career, becoming just the second player in the history of college tennis to become an eight-time All-American.
The quick, big-serving lefty ended his career as the 2011 SEC Athlete of the Year as voted on by the conference athletic directors. He was a two-time SEC Player of the Year in men's tennis, helping the Vols to conference titles in 2010 and 2011.
