Mark Merklein (born June 28, 1972) is a Bahamian former college and professional

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player. He played for the Bahamas Davis Cup team from 1999–2004. Merklein was born in

Freeport, Bahamas Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone on the island of Grand Bahama in the northwest part of The Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted of pineyard with substant ...

. He grew up in

Coral Springs, Florida Coral Springs is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 134,394. Approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale, it is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area in South ...

, and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in nearby

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

. Playing for the St. Thomas Raiders high school tennis team, he won six Class 3A high school titles – two at No. 2 singles, one at No. 1 singles, and three at No. 1 doubles.Dave Heeren,
Every Little Step He Takes Brings Mark Merklein Closer To His Goal Of Tennis Stardom
" ''Sun-Sentinel'' (July 10, 1991). Retrieved July 26, 2014. Merklein accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for the Florida Gators men's tennis team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) and

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) competition from 1991 to 1994. As a Gator, he won the NCAA national championship doubles title with partner David Blair in 1993. The following year, Merklein won the NCAA national championship singles title in 1994 in dominating fashion, losing only one set. Merklein was a four-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, a three-time All-SEC selection, and the SEC Player of the Year in 1994. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2005. Merklein turned professional in 1994, and won four doubles titles during his career. He won matches at all four Majors. On July 7, 1997, he reached his highest singles ranking of world No. 160, and reached his highest doubles ranking on January 12, 2004, when he became world No. 37. On May 24, 2013, Merklein was hired as the University of Florida men's tennis assistant coach. Gator Great Mark Merklein Hired as Men's Tennis Assistant Coach
" GatorZone.com (May 24, 2013). Retrieved May 24, 2013. Merklein currently resides in Gainesville, Florida.

Grand Slam tournament performance timelines

Singles

Doubles

References

External links

* * * 1972 births Living people Bahamian expatriates in the United States Bahamian male tennis players Bahamian people of German descent Florida Gators men's tennis players Sportspeople from Gainesville, Florida Sportspeople from Freeport, Bahamas Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic tennis players for the Bahamas St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida) alumni {{Bahamas-tennis-bio-stub

Grand Slam tournament performance timelines

Singles

Doubles

See also

References

External links