Eduardo Vélez (born 20 April 1969) is a former professional

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player from Mexico.

Biography

Vélez, who comes from Monterrey, attended Cardinal Gibbons High School in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and trained at the local tennis academy run by Gary Kesl. He won the Junior Orange Bowl (Under 14s) in 1983 and was the Mexican junior champion in 1984. A Mexican Davis Cup squad member, he twice made the boys' singles final at the

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

. He defeated Javier Sánchez to win the

1986 Wimbledon Championships The 1986 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London in the United Kingdom. It was the 100th edition of the Wimbledon Championships and were held from ...

, the second successive time a Mexican won the title, as he was beaten in the final the previous year by countryman

Leonardo Lavalle Leonardo Lavalle Moreno (born 14 July 1967) is a former tennis player from Mexico, who turned professional in 1985. He represented his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he was defeated in the quarterfinals by Spain' ...

. After his success at Wimbledon, Vélez played in the main draw of two

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

tournaments, the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships in Boston and the Washington DC Tennis Classic. In 1987, he played in the main draw of the Bristol Open; then in 1988, he featured at the Livingston Open, where he lost in the first round to

Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi ( ; born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors. Agassi is the second of five men to ac ...

. He also competed on the Challenger circuit and in 1988 won a title in Acapulco. His 1989 season was ruined by injury, he had to undergo surgery on his knee cap and soon after hurt his back. In 1990, he qualified for the Canadian Open, a top tier event part of the ATP Championship Series. He defeated

Dan Goldie Daniel C. Goldie (born October 3, 1963) is a former tennis player from the United States who won 2 singles (1987, Newport and 1988, Seoul) and 2 doubles titles (1986, Wellington and 1987, Newport). The right-hander reached the quarterfinals of ...

in the first round, before losing in the second round to ninth seed

David Wheaton David Wheaton (born June 2, 1969) is an American author, radio host, columnist, and former professional tennis player. Personal Born in Minneapolis as the youngest of four children. In his tennis carrier, he dated tennis star Mary Joe Fernández ...

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Velez, Eduardo 1969 births Living people Mexican male tennis players Wimbledon junior champions Sportspeople from Monterrey Mexican expatriates in the United States Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' singles