Craig A. Miller

Craig A. Miller (18 October 1962 – August 2021) was a professional tennis player from Australia.[2]

Craig Miller
Country (sports)Australia Australia
Born(1962-10-18)18 October 1962
Young, New South Wales, Australia
DiedAugust 2021 (aged 58–59)[1]
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
PlaysRight-handed
Prize money$139,258
Singles
Career record29–54
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 102 (3 January 1983)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open2R (1979)
French Open1R (1983)
Wimbledon2R (1983, 1984)
Doubles
Career record57–66
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 64 (2 January 1984)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (1985)
French Open1R (1983, 1984)
Wimbledon3R (1982, 1983)
US Open1R (1980, 1983, 1984)

Junior years

Miller was the boys' singles champion at the 1980 Australian Open, beating Wally Masur in the final. The Australian had been runner-up the previous year, to Greg Whitecross. He was also a semi-finalist at the 1980 US Open and with Pat Cash won the doubles title at the 1982 Australian Open.[3]

Professional career

In 1982, Miller was a quarter-finalist at the Sydney Outdoor tournament and lost in the doubles final of the New South Wales Open, partnering Cliff Letcher.[4]

The following year he made the semi-finals of the Melbourne Outdoor event.[4] Also in 1983, Miller had a win over John Lloyd in the Wimbledon Championships and won two doubles titles, at Hong Kong and Adelaide, both times in an unseeded pairing.[4]

Miller and partner Laurie Warder were semi-finalists at the 1985 Australian Open.[4]

In 1986, he started the season well by reaching the singles quarter-finals at Auckland but wouldn't appear on tour again until September, as a result of a benign tumour that he had to have removed from his vocal cords. During this time he wasn't able to travel overseas due to restrictions on his medication and he instead spent his time coaching at the Australian Institute of Sport.[5][6] He played for another year and a half, before retiring after the 1988 Australian Open.[4]

Coaching

Miller was the head development coach of Tennis Australia for seven years and later ran his own tennis program, IQ Tennis.[7]

Grand Prix career finals

Doubles: 3 (2–1)
Result W-L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Dec 1982 Sydney, Australia Grass Australia Cliff Letcher Australia John Alexander
Australia John Fitzgerald		 4–6, 6–7
Win 1–1 Nov 1983 Hong Kong Hard United States Drew Gitlin United States Sammy Giammalva, Jr.
United States Steve Meister		 6–2, 6–2
Win 2–1 Dec 1983 Adelaide, Australia Grass United States Eric Sherbeck Australia Broderick Dyke
Australia Rod Frawley		 6–3, 4–6, 6–4

Challenger titles

Doubles: (2)
No. Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
1. 1981 Brisbane, Australia Grass Australia Chris Johnstone Australia Brad Drewett
Australia Warren Maher		 6–4, 7–5
2. 1982 Tokyo, Japan Clay Australia Pat Cash New Zealand Bruce Derlin
New Zealand David Mustard		 6–2, 6–2

Death

Miller died in August 2021 after suffering from throat cancer.[1]

References
  1. "Tennis World Mourns Loss Of Craig A. Miller | ATP Tour". 13 August 2021.
  2. "ITF Pro Circuit Profile".
  3. "ITF Junior Profile".
  4. "Players | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
  5. Sunday Age, "In search of the next Australian champion", 16 January 2011, John Manga
  6. The Washington Post, "Fringe Player, Teen Enjoy All the Luck; One Had Second Chance, One Awaits Lendl", 30 July 1987, Steve Berkowitz
  7. "IQ Tennis – Staff Profiles".
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