UCLA Mourns Loss of Former Men's Tennis Standout Robbie Venter
August 09, 2024 | Men's Tennis
Former UCLA men's tennis standout Robbie Venter, who collected three All-America honors and captained the 1982 NCAA champions during his time in Westwood, passed away Tuesday at the age of 64.
The South African Venter enrolled at UCLA in 1978 following a semifinal-round run at the Wimbledon Junior Championships, where he fell to top-seeded Ivan Lendl. Venter's breakout came in 1980, when he was recognized as an All-American, a feat he repeated each of the next two years. He was also the lone captain for head coach Glenn Bassett's teams in 1981 and 1982 while playing alongside his brother Craig. Robbie Venter won the 1981 ITA All-American Championships singles title, beating teammate Marcel Freeman 7-5, 6-1.
The Bruins returned to the NCAA championship match in 1982 after falling to Stanford in a 5-4 thriller the previous year. Tasked with taking down Pepperdine in its return trip, UCLA did just that by a 5-1 margin to lift the program's 14th NCAA title. The left-handed Venter would get the Bruins on the scoreboard with a 6-3, 6-4 win on the second singles court against Brad Gilbert.
Venter went on to achieve top-100 ATP rankings for singles (No. 87) and doubles (82). He made French Open and Wimbledon appearances in 1983, reaching the Wimbledon doubles second round. Venter seized six Challenger titles โ three in singles and three in doubles.
Venter retired from tennis in 1985 before returning to UCLA, where he earned his master of business administration degree. He went on to work at Bear Stearns for three years. In 1990, Venter returned to South Africa. He joined technology giant Altron's board of directors in 1997 and began a 17-year stay as CEO in 2001.
The South African Venter enrolled at UCLA in 1978 following a semifinal-round run at the Wimbledon Junior Championships, where he fell to top-seeded Ivan Lendl. Venter's breakout came in 1980, when he was recognized as an All-American, a feat he repeated each of the next two years. He was also the lone captain for head coach Glenn Bassett's teams in 1981 and 1982 while playing alongside his brother Craig. Robbie Venter won the 1981 ITA All-American Championships singles title, beating teammate Marcel Freeman 7-5, 6-1.
The Bruins returned to the NCAA championship match in 1982 after falling to Stanford in a 5-4 thriller the previous year. Tasked with taking down Pepperdine in its return trip, UCLA did just that by a 5-1 margin to lift the program's 14th NCAA title. The left-handed Venter would get the Bruins on the scoreboard with a 6-3, 6-4 win on the second singles court against Brad Gilbert.
Venter went on to achieve top-100 ATP rankings for singles (No. 87) and doubles (82). He made French Open and Wimbledon appearances in 1983, reaching the Wimbledon doubles second round. Venter seized six Challenger titles โ three in singles and three in doubles.
Venter retired from tennis in 1985 before returning to UCLA, where he earned his master of business administration degree. He went on to work at Bear Stearns for three years. In 1990, Venter returned to South Africa. He joined technology giant Altron's board of directors in 1997 and began a 17-year stay as CEO in 2001.
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