Wayne Ferreira

Wayne Ferreira was a South African tennis player who played professionally from 1989 to 2005. Ferreira achieved a career-best singles ranking of six in the world in May 1995, and a doubles ranking of nine in the world in March 2001. He retired after winning almost $10 million in prize money during his career.

As a junior player Ferreira was ranked the world number one in doubles and number six in singles. He won the junior doubles title at the 1989 US Open before turning professional later that year. Ferreira won his first ATP doubles title in Adelaide in January 1991, and his first ATP singles title at the Queen’s Club Championships in England in June 1992. During his career he won 15 ATP singles and 11 ATP doubles titles.

Ferreira had some success at Grand Slam events, including setting a record for the most consecutive tournament appearances in men’s singles tournaments, with 56 consecutive Grand Slams from 1991 to 2004. In the singles he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 1992 and 2003. In doubles matches he reached the semi-finals twice at Wimbledon (1991, 1994), and twice at the US Open (1994, 2000).

Ferreira competed at three Olympics Games; 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 Sydney. In Barcelona he and Pietie Norval won the silver medal in the doubles. He also reached the second round of the singles, losing to Marc Rosset of Switzerland. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics he reached the quarter-finals of the singles before losing to the eventual gold medallist Andre Agassi. As per the Barcelona Olympics he also played in the doubles, this time teaming with Ellis Ferreira (no relation), with the pair reaching the quarter-finals. Ferreira’s final Olympic appearance came in the singles at the 2000 Sydney Games where he lost in straight sets to Germany’s Tommy Haas.