The 30s have started out quite well for Jared Palmer.
On July 8, six days after turning the big three-oh, Palmer, ’93, teamed with Don Johnson to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles title, defeating the Czech team of Jiri Novak and David Riki, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
The NCAA singles champion in 1991, Palmer has concentrated on doubles competition in recent years, rising to the top of the atp rankings in 2000 and representing the United States at the Sydney Olympics.
The victory at Wimbledon is Palmer’s second Grand Slam title—in 1995, he and Richey Reneberg won the men’s doubles championship at the Australian Open. It’s also the culmination of a comeback from a string of injuries—torn cartilage in both knees, a strained rotator cuff and a pulled hamstring.
Palmer (left) and Johnson (right), who have won five tournaments since they began playing together in March, are the first all-American pairing to win in men’s doubles at Wimbledon since 1990.
