Mark Knowles (born 4 September 1971) is a Bahamian professional tennis coach and 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 cov ...

player, becoming the former number 1 in world as a specialist in doubles tennis. He won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in men's doubles, partnering with

Daniel Nestor Daniel Mark Nestor ( ; sr, Данијел Нестор, Danijel Nestor; born September 4, 1972) is a Canadian former professional tennis player. Nestor won 91 men's doubles titles (with 11 different partners), including an Olympic gold medal a ...

, as well as Wimbledon in mixed doubles. At various times between 2002 and 2005 he was ranked World No. 1 in doubles. He is a five-time Olympian. M knowles wim07 1

Career

Junior and college career

After being awarded a scholarship to the Nick Bollettieri's famed academy at 10 years old, Knowles played junior tennis in his early years. His best singles performance came at the 1989 Junior US Open with a quarterfinal appearance and his best doubles performance came at the 1989 Junior French Open with a final appearance partnering Luis Herrera. He reached a career-high junior ranking of No. 12. He also played three seasons at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

in college tennis, where he earned All-American honours in both singles and doubles before turning pro in 1992. Junior Grand Slam results – Singles: Australian Open: A (-)
French Open: 3R (1987)
Wimbledon: 2R (

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

)
US Open: QF (1989) Junior Grand Slam results – Doubles: Australian Open: A (-)
French Open: F (1989)
Wimbledon: QF (

)
US Open: SF (1988)

Professional career

Knowles's highest ATP singles ranking was world No. 96, the highest ever ranked Bahamian in history alongside Roger Smith. He was very successful in doubles, partnering

Mahesh Bhupathi Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi (born 7 June 1974) is an Indian former doubles world No. 1 tennis player. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a major tournament (with Rika Hiraki). With his win at the 2006 Australian Open mixed doubles, he ...

. With Nestor, Knowles won the

2002 Australian Open The 2002 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park in Melbourne in Australia. It was the 90th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 14 through 27 January 2002 and attracted an attendance o ...

, the 2004 US Open and the

2007 French Open The 2007 French Open (Roland Garros) was held in Paris, France from 27 May through to 10 June 2007. Rafael Nadal became the first man to win the tournament 3 times consecutively since Björn Borg, 1978–81; and maintained his unbeaten run at Rol ...

. He also won the

2009 Wimbledon The 2009 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 123rd edition of the Wimbledon Championships and was held f ...

Mixed doubles title with

Anna-Lena Grönefeld Anna-Lena Grönefeld (also spelled Groenefeld; born 4 June 1985) is a German former professional tennis player. Competing as a professional from 2003 until 2019, she won one singles title on the WTA Tour, at the 2006 Mexican Open, and reached ...

of Germany. On 5 July 2006, Knowles and Nestor participated in one of the longest matches in Wimbledon history. Their quarterfinal match against Sweden's Simon Aspelin and Australian Todd Perry lasted 6 hours and 9 minutes, with Knowles and Nestor eventually winning 5–7, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 23–21. His 13-year partnership with

ended after the 2007 US Open. After reaching the Basel final with James Blake, Knowles reunited with Nestor once again to win the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup. They defeated Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle, 6–3, 6–2, to take their first Tennis Masters Cup title. Knowles then played with fellow Grand Slam doubles champion

, for two seasons in 2008 and 2009, and the two were one of the most successful teams on tour, qualifying for the season-ending championships in both years. After losing in their season debut in Sydney, Knowles and Bhupathi knocked out defending champions

Bob Bryan Robert Charles Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American former doubles world No. 1 tennis player. He has won twenty-three Grand Slam titles: 16 in men's doubles and 7 in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998. With his twi ...

and

Mike Bryan Michael Carl Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American former doubles world No. 1 tennis player. With his twin brother Bob, he was the world's top doubles player for more than nine years, first achieving the top ranking in Septem ...

in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, taking the gripping match in a final set tiebreak. The two lost to eventual champions

Jonathan Erlich Jonathan Dario "Yoni" Erlich ( he, יונתן דאריו "יוני" ארליך, born 5 April 1977) is an Israeli former professional tennis player. During his career, he was mainly a doubles specialist, having won the men's doubles title at the ...

and

Andy Ram Andreas "Andy" Ram ( he, אנדי רם; born April 10, 1980) is a retired Israeli professional tennis player. He was primarily a doubles player, and competed in three Olympics. He is the first Israeli tennis player to win a senior Grand Slam ...

. Other season highlights included three titles, at Memphis, Dubai and Basel. The victory in Basel gave Knowles his 50th career title. At the 2009 Australian Open, Knowles and Bhupathi went one step further than the year before, reaching the final before losing to the Bryans in three sets, after winning the first set 6–2. They went on to reach the US Open final later that year, despite the fact that Knowles was hampered by a hand injury that required eight stitches on his dominant hand (right). They also claimed their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown together, winning the

Rogers Cup The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...

in Montreal. They closed out their partnership at the

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant event in the annual ATP calendar after the four majors as it features the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams based on their results th ...

, winning their round-robin group before going down in the semifinals to the Bryans. Knowles also repeated as champion in Memphis with

Mardy Fish Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. He was a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.Fish won six tournaments on the ma ...

. In 2010, Knowles joined forces with Fish, and after both struggled with injuries the first half of the season, the two captured the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, defeating

Tomáš Berdych Tomáš Berdych (; born 17 September 1985) is a Czech former professional tennis player. His most notable achievement was reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, causing consecutive upsets by defeating top seed and six-time champi ...

and

Radek Štěpánek Radek Štěpánek (; born 27 November 1978) is a Czech former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 8 and best doubles ranking was world No. 4. Štěpánek's biggest achievements are reaching two Masters 10 ...

in the final. The two advanced to the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and the third round of the US Open. Knowles finished the season on a high note with a runner-up finish at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Paris with

. The two upset top-ranked Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the quarterfinals. 2011 was a tough year for the Bahamian, as his season partner,

Michal Mertiňák Michal Mertiňák (born 11 October 1979) is a retired professional tennis player from Slovakia. He turned professional in 1999, and has won six doubles titles in his career on the ATP Tour. He reached his career high doubles ranking of World No. ...

, went down with a back injury at the French Open. Prior to that, the two made semifinal appearances in San Jose and Memphis and the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. After falling in the first round of Wimbledon with

Łukasz Kubot Łukasz Kubot (; born 16 May 1982) is a Polish professional tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in doubles. He is a two-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2014 Australian Open with Robert Lindstedt, as well as the 2017 W ...

, Knowles played his 10th season of

World TeamTennis World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973. The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take ...

with the

Sacramento Capitals The Sacramento Capitals were a team in World TeamTennis that competed from 1988 through 2013. The Capitals won six championships, including four straight from 1997 to 2000. The other titles came in 2002 and 2007. For the 2012 World TeamTennis ...

, and then partnered

Xavier Malisse Xavier Malisse (born 19 July 1980) is a former Belgian professional tennis player. Born in the north-western Flemish city of Kortrijk and nicknamed ''X-Man'', he is one of only two Belgian men (the other being David Goffin) to have been ranked ...

to the Farmers Classic title at his former college campus,

. The two edged Somdev Devvarman and Treat Conrad Huey to give the Bahamian his 54th doubles title. Knowles and Malisse also reached the quarterfinals in Washington and the third round at the US Open. In October, Knowles was invited to participate in the 19th annual World TeamTennis Smash Hits charity event in Cleveland, co-hosted by

Sir Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after Rocket Man (song), his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially s ...

and

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World number 1 ranked female tennis players, world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's double ...

. Knowles was selected by John as a member of his team, which went on to win the exhibition 19–18. The event raised over $500,000 for various AIDS charities. At the 2012 SAP Open, Knowles rejoined Malisse to win the ATP World Tour 250 event in San Jose, becoming the first men's player over 40 to win a tour-level doubles title since

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beh ...

Retirement

Knowles announced his retirement at the 2012 US Open. After his announcement, many famed doubles players such as Jonas Björkman,

, and longtime partner

all praised him. He once again partnered Malisse but lost in the first round to

Pablo Andújar Pablo Andújar Alba (; born 23 January 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. Andújar has won four ATP Tour singles titles and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 32 in July 2015. His best results are reaching the fourt ...

and Guillermo García López in three sets. However, he played one more grand slam tournament at Wimbledon in 2013 partnering

Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He is the most recent Australian man to win a major singles title, with two at the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon Championships. In November 200 ...

but lost in the first round to Jamie Delgado and

Matthew Ebden Matthew Ebden (born 26 November 1987) is an Australian professional tennis player. He is a two-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in men's doubles alongside Max Purcell, and the 2013 Australian Open in mix ...

in straight sets where he and opponent Delgado shared the all-time male record for playing in consecutive Wimbledon tournaments, with 22 appearances in the Open era although Delgado broke the record the next year at 2014 Wimbledon with 23 appearances. After that, he played in only one tournament per year from 2014 to 2016. The first tournament was the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas which he played in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

. In 2014, he partnered Ryan Harrison and made the finals but lost to top seed Sam Groth and Chris Guccione in straight sets. In 2015, he partnered

and defeated top seed

James Cerretani Jamie Cerretani, (born October 2, 1981) is an American professional tennis player. A doubles specialist, he has won four ATP World Tour titles in his career. He reached his career-high doubles ranking of World No. 45 on July 21, 2008. Amateur car ...

and James Cluskey in the first round but lost in the next round to Hans Hach Verdugo and Luis Patiño in straight sets. The last tournament of his career was the 2016 Irving Tennis Classic where he partnered Benjamin Becker but lost in the first round to

Jason Jung Jason Jung (; ; born 15 June 1989) is an American-born professional tennis player who represents Taiwan. He is a University of Michigan alumnus who has cracked the Top 150 in the ATP rankings and also won four ATP Challenger events. Pers ...

and Jakob Sude in straight sets.

Team Competitions

Knowles was a standout at

for three years, earning All-American honors in singles and doubles before turning pro in 1991. Representing the Bahamas, Knowles competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (1992-2008) and is his country's all-time leader in Davis Cup wins, playing in 29 ties. He received the prestigious Davis Cup Commitment Award from ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti at the

All England Club The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam ...

in 2014. In

, Knowles was the captain of the Sacramento Capitals for 10 years, picking up three Male MVP Awards. His team won championships in 2002 and 2007.

Post career

After he finished coaching

, Knowles went on to coach many other top players, including top 10 player

Jack Sock Jack Sock (born September 24, 1992) is an American professional tennis player. He has won four career ATP singles titles and 17 doubles titles, and has career-high rankings of world No. 8 in singles (on 20 November 2017) and world No. 2 in dou ...

and top 3 player

Milos Raonic Milos Raonic (; sr, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian inactive professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...

. As of 2021, he is not actively coaching and is running a tennis academy in the Bahamas. He also usually plays exhibitions in the Bahamas for fundraising. Since 2013, Knowles has worked on-air for

Tennis Channel Tennis Channel is an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network owned by the Sinclair Television Group subsidiary of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. It is devoted to events and other programming related to the game o ...

, providing in-match commentary, courtside interviews and tournament desk analysis.

Memberships

Knowles was elected by his peers as vice-president of the ATP and was selected to be on the ATP Drug Force Council.

ATP career finals

Doubles: 99 (55–44)

Doubles performance timeline

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

References

External links

The official site for Mark Knowles, Knowlzee
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Mark 1971 births Living people Australian Open (tennis) champions Bahamian male tennis players Bahamian people of British descent French Open champions Olympic tennis players of the Bahamas Sportspeople from Nassau, Bahamas Tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics US Open (tennis) champions Wimbledon champions Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles UCLA Bruins men's tennis players ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players ITF World Champions