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Jim Thomas (tennis)

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Jim Thomas
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 49th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2023
Preceded byThomas West
Personal details
Political partyRepublican

Jim Thomas (born September 24, 1974) is an American politician and former professional tennis player.[1] His highest ATP world singles ranking was number 288, which he reached on November 2, 1998. His career high in doubles was at 29, set on August 21, 2006. He retired following the 2008 season.

Thomas was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives from the 49th district as a Republican in the 2022 Ohio House of Representatives election.[2]

Biography

Jim Thomas
Country (sports)United States
ResidenceCanton, Ohio, United States
Born (1974-09-24) September 24, 1974 (age 50)
Canton, Ohio, United States
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Turned pro1996
PlaysRight-handed (single-handed backhand)
Prize money$801,553
Singles
Career record0–3 (at ATP Tour-level, Grand Slam-level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 288 (November 2, 1998)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQ2 (1998)
WimbledonQ2 (1998, 1999)
US OpenQ2 (1998)
Doubles
Career record154–196 (at ATP Tour-level, Grand Slam-level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles6
Highest rankingNo. 29 (August 21, 2006)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (2005)
French Open2R (2002, 2007, 2008)
Wimbledon1R (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008)
US OpenSF (2005)
Mixed doubles
Career record1–9
Career titles0
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open2R (2006)
French Open1R (2007)
Wimbledon1R (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
US Open1R (2006)

Thomas began playing tennis at age three and is the youngest of six children (four brothers, one sister). He has 16 nephews and nieces and considers his parents most inspirational people in his life. His father is a doctor and his mother is a teacher.

Favourite players he enjoyed watching while growing up were John McEnroe and Boris Becker. Jim played four years at Stanford University from 1992 to 1996 and earned a degree in American Studies before turning pro. He also earned All-American honours during his senior year and was a member of NCAA team champions in 1995–96.

Thomas is interested in national and international politics. He is involved with Victory Gallop in Bath, Ohio, an equestrian therapy organisation for at-risk children. He considers hard courts to be his favourite surface.

Thomas's career best effort at a Grand Slam was the 2005 US Open where he and Paul Goldstein made the semi-finals. He has 6 doubles ATP titles and 14 doubles Challenger titles to his name. He recorded doubles wins over Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, the Bryan brothers and Pat Rafter amongst others, in his career.

ATP career finals

Doubles:13 (6–7)

Finals by surface
Hard (2–6)
Grass (3–0)
Clay (1–1)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Nov 2000 Brighton, England Hard (i) United States Paul Goldstein Australia Michael Hill
United States Jeff Tarango
3–6, 5–7
Win 1–1 Jan 2001 Auckland, New Zealand Hard South Africa Marius Barnard South Africa David Adams
Argentina Martín García
7–6(12–10), 6–4
Loss 1–2 Apr 2001 Houston, United States Clay United States Kevin Kim India Mahesh Bhupathi
India Leander Paes
6–7(4–7), 2–6
Loss 1–3 Sep 2001 Tashkent, Uzbekistan Hard South Africa Marius Barnard France Julien Boutter
Slovakia Dominik Hrbatý
4–6, 6–3, [11–13]
Win 2–3 Jul 2004 Newport, United States Grass Australia Jordan Kerr France Grégory Carraz
France Nicolas Mahut
6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–3
Win 3–3 Jul 2004 Indianapolis, United States Hard Australia Jordan Kerr Zimbabwe Wayne Black
Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett
6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3), 6–3
Loss 3–4 Jan 2005 Delray Beach, United States Hard Australia Jordan Kerr Sweden Simon Aspelin
Australia Todd Perry
3–6, 3–6
Win 4–4 Jul 2005 Newport, United States Grass Australia Jordan Kerr United States Graydon Oliver
United States Travis Parrott
7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–5)
Loss 4–5 Feb 2006 San Jose, United States Hard (i) United States Paul Goldstein Sweden Jonas Björkman
United States John McEnroe
6–7(2–7), 6–4, [7–10]
Win 5–5 May 2006 Pörtschach, Austria Clay Australia Paul Hanley Austria Oliver Marach
Czech Republic Cyril Suk
6–3, 4–6, [10–5]
Loss 5–6 Jul 2006 Indianapolis, United States Hard United States Paul Goldstein United States Bobby Reynolds
United States Andy Roddick
4–6, 4–6
Loss 6–6 Oct 2006 Tokyo, Japan Hard United States Paul Goldstein Australia Ashley Fisher
United States Tripp Phillips
2–6, 5–7
Win 7–6 Jul 2007 Newport, United States Grass Australia Jordan Kerr Australia Nathan Healey
Russia Igor Kunitsyn
6–3, 7–5

References

  1. ^ "Jim Thomas". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Jake Zuckerman, jzuckerman@cleveland com (November 25, 2022). "Ex-tennis pro Jim Thomas to join Ohio House GOP in 2023". cleveland. Retrieved July 13, 2024.