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Carrie Cunningham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carrie Cunningham
Country (sports) United States
Born (1972-04-28) April 28, 1972 (age 52)
Turned pro1987
Retired1994
Prize money$317,652
Singles
Career record81–84
Career titles0 WTA, 1 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 38 (February 18, 1991)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1991)
French Open3R (1991)
Wimbledon2R (1989, 1990, 1991)
US Open4R (1992)
US Open JuniorW (1988)
Doubles
Career record21–44
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 56 (December 9, 1991)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (1992)
French Open1R (1991, 1992)
US Open2R (1992)

Carrie Cunningham (born April 28, 1972) is an American surgeon and former professional tennis player who played on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Circuit from 1987 until 1994. She has served as president of the Association for Academic Surgery.

Career singles highlights

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Cunningham's career highlights include a world ranking of 32 in 1991,[1] ending the year with a rank of 51 after reaching the third rounds of both the Australian and French Opens.[2][3]

Her best Grand Slam performance was attaining the 4th round (round of 16) at the 1992 US Open, losing to eventual semi-finalist Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere, 6–3, 7–5. She reached the second round in Wimbledon from 1989-1991. She also holds one Grand Slam Junior title - the US Junior Open Championship in 1988.[4][5]

Doubles highlights

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Cunningham was also on the doubles circuit, reaching one WTA final - the 1991 Tokyo International, with doubles partner Laura Gildemeister, losing 6–3, 6–3 to the team of Pam Shriver and Mary Joe Fernandez. She does hold a USTA Girls’ 18 National Championship doubles title, when she teamed with Andrea Farley to capture the 1988 crown on clay courts.[6][7]

Court habits and influence

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Cunningham had a habit of sometimes grunting during her play. In fact, former world #1 Monica Seles cites Cunningham for starting her own grunting habit, after Seles lost a finals match to Cunningham in 1986. Said Seles, "it has been part of me since I was 12 when I played Carrie Cunningham in one of the finals and I started doing that. Since then, it has been always with me each year at Wimbledon."[8][9]

Earnings

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Cunningham's career earnings on the professional tour totaled $318,541.[2]

Post tennis career

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Cunningham pursued a career in medicine and surgery. She is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and is an attending surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.[10] She graduated from University of Michigan and Harvard School of Public Health.[11]

As the President of the Association for Academic Surgery, Cunningham advocates for heightened awareness and enhanced mental health practices among physicians, aiming to address the concerning rates of mental health issues and suicides within the profession.[12] During her address at the Association's annual conference in 2023, she candidly shared her personal battle with depression and substance abuse as a poignant example of the need for such initiatives.[12][13]

Career finals

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Doubles (0–1)

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Winner – Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Tier I (0–0)
Tier II (0–1)
Tier III (0–0)
Tier IV (0–0)
Tier V (0–0)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–1)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Sep 1991 Tokyo, Japan Hard Peru Laura Arraya United States Mary Joe Fernández
United States Pam Shriver
3–6, 3–6

References

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  1. ^ Personal discussions with Dr. Cunningham. WTA rankings were in real-time but only posted every two weeks.
  2. ^ a b "WTA Player Profile Carrie Cunningham". Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  3. ^ WTA rankings 1989-2005
  4. ^ US Junior Open Champions
  5. ^ ITF: US Junior Open Champions
  6. ^ "USTA site: USTA Girls' 18 National Championships". Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  7. ^ Racquet Club of Memphis site: USTA Girls' 18 National Clay Court Championships Archived July 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ ASA Sports: Is it a natural part of your game?
  9. ^ New York Times: Tennis; Seles Reflects on Critical Shots
  10. ^ Carrie C. Lubitz, M.D. profile
  11. ^ "Carrie Lubitz, MD, MPH - Surgical Oncology". www.massgeneral.org. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Frangou, Christina (September 26, 2023). "US surgeons are killing themselves at an alarming rate. One decided to speak out". the Guardian. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "2023 AAS Presidential Address - Removing the Mask". YouTube. March 3, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Orange Bowl Girls' Singles Champion
Category: 18 and under

1989
Succeeded by