Joel Bailey (tennis)

{{Infobox tennis biography

| name = Joel Bailey

| image =

| fullname = Joel Bailey

| country_represented = {{USA}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|4|25}}

| birth_place = West Palm Beach, Florida

| death_date =

| death_place =

| plays = Right-handed

| careerprizemoney =

| singlesrecord = 7–34

| singlestitles = 0

| highestsinglesranking = No. 197 (December 31, 1978)

| currentsinglesranking =

| AustralianOpenresult =

| FrenchOpenresult =

| Wimbledonresult = 1R (1978, 1981)

| USOpenresult = 2R (1979)

| doublesrecord = 28–55

| doublestitles = 1

| highestdoublesranking = No. 90 (September 24, 1979)

| currentdoublesranking =

| AustralianOpenDoublesresult = 2R (1981)

| FrenchOpenDoublesresult = 1R (1978)

| WimbledonDoublesresult = 2R (1978)

| USOpenDoublesresult = 1R (1977, 1979, 1981)

}}

Joel Bailey (born April 25, 1951) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.

Biography

Bailey was born in Florida but based in Memphis, Tennessee. An All-American varsity tennis player at Samford University, Bailey began competing internationally in the late 1970s.

He won a Grand Prix doubles title in Lagos, Nigeria with Bruce Kleege in 1979.{{cite web|url=http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/tournaments/men%27s-tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1010002637|title=ITF Tennis - Pro Circuit - Lagos - 26 February - 04 March 1979|publisher=International Tennis Federation|accessdate=16 January 2016|archive-date=31 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331130628/http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/tournaments/men%27s-tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1010002637|url-status=dead}}

In singles, he had his first big match win at Sarasota in 1980 when he saved triple match points to upset Steve Krulevitz, from a set and 2–5 down.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1798&dat=19800213&id=8f4cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=544EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5944,1513029&hl=en|title=Bailey makes it right|last=Gibson|first=Steve|date=February 13, 1980|work=Sarasota Journal|page=1B|accessdate=16 January 2016}} He had only entered the tournament as a wild card, which was awarded as he was the son of Mack Bailey, who owned the company that sponsored the tournament.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19800210&id=aE80AAAAIBAJ&sjid=zWcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4708,4060697&hl=en|title=McCurry Meets Carter Monday|last=Huber|first=Mic|date=February 10, 1980|work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|page=6C|accessdate=16 January 2016}} At the Tulsa that year he made the quarter-finals, his best performance in a Grand Prix tournament. He competed in the main draw of the 1981 Wimbledon Championships and had a two set lead over Kevin Curren in their first round encounter, but lost in five.{{cite book|last=Barclay|first=Simon|title=Wimbledon Singles Championships - Complete Open Era Results |year=2015|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=9781326385958}}

From the 1980s he lived in Japan and appeared in many tournaments in that country, as well as earning a living teaching tennis.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/17/sports/tennis-booms-in-japan-but-like-nowhere-else.html|title=Tennis Booms In Japan, But Like Nowhere Else|last=Shapiro|first=Michael|date=September 17, 1986|work=New York Times|accessdate=16 January 2016}} He twice won the doubles title at the ATP Challenger event in Nagoya.