Ismail El Shafei
![]() Isamil El Shafei (1982) | |
Country (sports) | ![]() |
---|---|
Residence | Cairo |
Born | Cairo | 15 November 1947
Turned pro | 1968 (amateur from 1964) |
Retired | March 1983 |
Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Singles | |
Career record | 293–329 (47.1%)[1] |
Career titles | 6[1] |
Highest ranking | No. 34 (8 April 1975) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | 3R (1971) |
French Open | 3R (1969) |
Wimbledon | QF (1974) |
US Open | 4R (1974) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 232–216 (Open era) |
Career titles | 9 |
Highest ranking | No. 26 (30 August 1977) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | QF (1978) |
French Open | 3R (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978) |
Wimbledon | QF (1981) |
US Open | 4R (1970) |
Ismail El Shafei (Arabic: إسماعيل الشافعي) (born 15 November 1947) is a former men's professional tennis player and president of the Egyptian Tennis Federation. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the International Tennis Federation and is chairman of the ITF juniors circuit.[2] He won six career singles titles and reached eleven finals. In doubles, he won nine career titles.
Career[]
El Shafei played his first tournament in March 1962 at the Egyptian Championships losing in straight sets to Italian player Giuseppe Merlo in the round of 32.[3] He reached his first tournament final in Ostordorf, West Germany in 1963 before losing to Harald Elschenbroich. In 1964, he won the boys' singles tournament at Wimbledon. He won his first senior's tournament in San Jose, Costa Rica in January 1966. He won the Egyptian Open in Cairo three times (1969, 1974–1974). An adaptable player, he competed on all surfaces, (grass, clay, hard, and carpet). El Shafei is the only Egyptian player to make the top 40 in Grand Prix/ATP ranking history. He is one of only four players to beat Björn Borg at Wimbledon,[2] knocking him out in the third round in 1974 (the other three were John McEnroe, Roger Taylor and Arthur Ashe.) He reached his last professional singles final (exhibition) at the Cairo Invitational losing to Bjorn Borg in two sets in December 1979 and played his last singles tournament in June 1982 at the Bristol Open losing to then South African player Johan Kriek,[3] he retired in 1983.
Post playing career[]
Following his playing career El Shafei remained involved in tennis in an administrative role: he was elected president of the Egyptian Tennis Federation on two occasions (1994–96 and 2005–08).[4] In 1998, he was elected to the board of directors of the International Tennis Federation until 2001. He would serve a second term as director of the ITF (2003–2013).[4] In September 2015, he was elected for a third term as a director and is currently chairman of coaching and chairman of the juniors circuit.[4]
Personal[]
He was educated at Cairo University[4] and is the son of Adli El Shafei and father of Adli El Shafei II.
Career finals[]
Singles (6 titles, 11 runner-ups)[]
Result | No. | Year | Tournament | Location | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | Sep 1963 | Ostordorf | Clay | ![]() |
0–6, 0–6 | |
Win | 1. | Jan 1966 | San José | Clay | ![]() |
6–2, 6–2, 6–4[5] | |
Loss | 2. | Jan 1967 | Kalkutta | Grass | ![]() |
3–6, 6–8, 4–6 | |
Loss | 3. | Mar 1967 | Egyptian Championships | Cairo | Clay | ![]() |
4–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
Win | 2. | Jan 1968 | Bremen | Hard (i) | ![]() |
6–2, 6–2, 9–7 | |
Loss | 4. | Mar 1968 | Egyptian Championships | Cairo | Clay | ![]() |
6–4, 3–6, 1–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 5. | Mar 1968 | Cairo | Clay | ![]() |
1–6, 2–6, 3–6 | |
Loss | 6. | Feb 1969 | U.S. National Indoor Championships | Salisbury | Hard (i) | ![]() |
3–6, 8–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
Win | 3. | Mar 1969 | Egyptian Open | Cairo | Clay | ![]() |
6–2, 6–2, 9–7 |
Loss | 7. | Mar 1969 | Alexandria | Clay | ![]() |
1–6, 6–3, 3–6, 5–7 | |
Loss | 8. | Oct 1969 | Dewar Cup Perth | Perth | Carpet (i) | ![]() |
6–3, 12–14, 1–6 |
Loss | 9. | Mar 1971 | Egyptian Open | Cairo | Clay | ![]() |
6–8, 9–7, 4–6 |
Win | 4. | Mar 1973 | Egyptian Open | Cairo | Clay | ![]() |
6–4, 6–8, 6–3, 6–3 |
Win | 5. | Mar 1974 | Egyptian Open | Cairo | Clay | ![]() |
6–0, 4–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
Win | 6. | Nov 1974 | Philippine Open | Manila | Hard | ![]() |
7–6, 6–1[5][6] |
Loss | 10. | Aug 1975 | Brummana | Clay | ![]() |
6–7, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6 | |
Loss | 11. | Nov 1977 | Taipei Summit Championships | Taipei | Hard (i) | ![]() |
6–7, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6[7] |
Doubles (9 titles)[]
Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | St. Louis WCT, U.S. | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6, 6–7, 7–6 |
1974 | Christchurch, New Zealand | N/A | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
w/o |
1974 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–5, 6–3 |
1976 | ATP Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–5, 6–7, 7–6 |
1977 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–7, 6–3, 7–6 |
1978 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 7–5, 6–2 |
1980 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
1980 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 6–4 |
1981 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–7, 6–3, 6–1 |
Grand Slam singles performance timeline[]
Won Wimbledon Championship for Boys 1964 & was runner-up in 1963
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Tournament | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | Career SR | Career W–L | Career Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 33.33 |
French Open | A | 3R | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 7 | 4–7 | 36.36 |
Wimbledon | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | A | QF | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 11 | 10–11 | 47.61 |
US Open | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | A | 3R | 4R | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 6 | 8–6 | 53.33 |
Win–Loss | 1–1 | 4–3 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 8–3 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0 / 26 | 24–26 | 48.00 |
Davis Cup[]
El Shafei participated in 17 ties for Egypt, where he played 42 matches, winning 23, losing 19 he also served as team captain in the 1980s.[8]
References[]
- ^ a b "Ismail El Shafei: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ a b Harwitt, Sandra (30 September 2016). "ITF Junior Chairman El Shafei on the scene in Budapest". itftennis.com. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Ismail El Shafei: Player Activity". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Meet the Board". itftennis.com. International Tennis Federation, 25 September 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Ismail El Shafei: Tournament results". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ "Manila Results Grand Prix Tour 1974". ATP World Tour. ATP. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ "Taipei Results Grand Prix Tour 1977". ATP World Tour. ATP. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ ""Meet the Board" ITF Board of Directors for 2015–2019". ktf.kz. Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
External links[]
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Egyptian male tennis players
- Sportspeople from Cairo
- Wimbledon junior champions
- Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Egypt
- Mediterranean Games medalists in tennis
- Competitors at the 1963 Mediterranean Games
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' singles
- African Games medalists in tennis
- African Games bronze medalists for Egypt
- Competitors at the 1965 All-Africa Games