Mark Woodforde

Australians Mark Woodforde Todd Woodbridge were known as “The Woodies” and were one of the most successful doubles pairing in the history of tennis. Woodforde won all four Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, was a former world number one, and won an Olympic gold medal. Woodforde’s professional career spanned from 1984 to 2000 where he earned more than $8.5 million in prize money.

On the ATP Tour Woodforde won 67 doubles titles with the vast majority coming with Woodbridge. Woodforde’s first doubles title came in September 1988 in Los Angeles with John McEnroe as his partner. His first title with Woodbridge came two-and-a-half years later at the Donnay Indoor Championships in Belgium. The Woodies would play together for the best part of a decade until Woodforde retired from the sport in 2000.

Woodforde reached 16 Grand Slam doubles finals where he won 12 titles, all but one with Woodbridge. Woodforde’s first Grand Slams doubles title came with McEnroe at the 1989 US Open. The Woodies then won the Australian Open (1992, 1997), Wimbledon (1993–97, 2000), the US Open (1995–96), and the French Open (2000). In 1992 Woodforde won the mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open and the US Open with Nicole Provis. His next mixed doubles title came at Wimbledon in 1993 when he partnered with Martina Navratilova. Woodforde’s final two mixed doubles titles were won with Larisa Savčenko-Neilande with the duo winning the 1995 French Open and the 1996 Australian Open.

Woodforde competed in the doubles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he and Woodbridge won gold and silver, respectively. After his retirement from the sport Woodforde worked as a commentator for Fox Sports and ESPN. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010.