| Intro | South african tennis player |
| Is |
Athlete Tennis player |
| From | South Africa |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 7 May 1960 |
| Age: | 60 years |
| Star sign | Taurus |
Robert Eben “Robbie” Venter (born 7 May 1960) is a South African businessman and former professional tennis player.
Biography
Venter, who grew up in Boksburg, is the son of South African businessman Bill Venter.
A left handed player, Venter was a semi-finalist at the Wimbledon Juniors in 1978 and moved to the United States that year to take up a tennis scholarship at UCLA. He was a three-time All-American and captained the UCLA side which won the team title in the 1982 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships. After that triumph he became a tour professional and with former UCLA teammate Blaine Willenborg he was runner-up in the doubles at the 1982 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships, a tournament on the Grand Prix circuit held in Indianapolis. His only singles appearance in the main draw of a grand slam tournament came at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost in the first round to Rodney Harmon, in four sets. During his tennis career he won six Challenger titles, three in singles and three in doubles.
Venter retired from tennis in 1985 and completed a MBA at UCLA before working at Bear Stearns for three years. He returned to South Africa in 1990.
In 2011 he replaced his father Bill as CEO of Altron.
Grand Prix career finals
Doubles: 1 (0–1)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1982 | Indianapolis, US | Clay | Blaine Willenborg |
Sherwood Stewart Ferdi Taygan |
4–6, 5–7 |
Challenger titles
Singles: (3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1980 | Turin, Italy | Clay | Miguel Mir | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 2. | 1983 | Solihull, Great Britain | Clay | Broderick Dyke | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 3. | 1983 | Lee-on-the-Solent, Great Britain | Clay | Jeremy Bates | 6–3, 6–1 |
Doubles: (3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1980 | Royan, France | Clay | Dave Siegler |
Jan Gunnarsson Stefan Svensson |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 2. | 1980 | Le Touquet, France | Clay | Dave Siegler |
Hans Simonsson Tenny Svensson |
7–6, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 3. | 1981 | Reus, Spain | Clay | Egan Adams |
Junie Chatman Bruce Derlin |
6–7, 6–4, 6–4 |