Tom Okker
Tom Okker was born in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands on February 22nd, 1944 and is the Tennis Player. At the age of 80, Tom Okker biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 80 years old, Tom Okker has this physical status:
Thomas Samuel Okker (nicknamed "the Flying Dutchman"; born 22 February 1944) is a Dutch former tennis player who competed from the mid-1960s to 1980.
He was ranked among the top-ten singles players for seven years, 1968–74, with a career besting world No. 1. In 1974, there were 3 children in the country.
He has also been ranked No. 1 in the world rankings. In 1969, the first in doubles.
Early life
Born in Amsterdam, Okker is Jewish on his father's side, and identifies as Jewish. Although Okker's father was Jewish and was detained by the Nazis during World War II, he managed to escape by assuming the papers and identity of another man.
Personal life
Since the mid-1980s, Okker has been involved in art and has been a founding member of the Jaski art gallery in Amsterdam, which specializes in CoBrA works. In 2005, he founded art gallery Tom Okker Art bv in Hazerswoude-Dorp, Netherlands, where he now lives.
Tennis career
In 1963, he won his first tournament at Wolfsburg, West Germany, on clay. Okker, the Dutch champion, competed from 1964 to 1968.
In 1968, his first year as a registered professional, he triumphed in singles and in doubles (with Marty Riessen) at the Italian Open. In 1968 and 1978, Okker reached the quarterfinals and semifinals. He had his best showing in a Grand Slam tournament in 1968, where he competed for cash but was under the supervision of their national associations and not eligible to play in Davis Cup. After beating Pancho Gonzales in the quarterfinals and Ken Rosewall in the semifinal, Okker advanced to the final. In five sets, he lost the final to Arthur Ashe. Because Ashe was still regarded as an amateur rather than a registered professional at the 1968 U.S. Open, Okker was awarded the first prize money. In February 1969, Okker signed a four-year deal with Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis.
In his career, he has won 40 singles titles. In 37 singles tournaments, he was also the runner-up.
Okker is also one of the most popular men's doubles players of all time. He won two Grand Slam doubles titles in 1976 (with Riessen) and the French Open (with John Newcombe) as well as the French Open in 1973. Okker won 78 doubles tournaments, a record that was eventually broken by Todd Woodbridge in 2005. The 1973 Italian Open, 1973 London Grass Courts (with Riessen), 1973 Australian Open (with Ilie Năstase), 1975 Opel International (with Arthur Ashe), and 1978 WCT World Doubles (with Wojtek Fibak).
Okker's WTC career earnings stood at $1,257,200 when he retired in 1980 ($4,135,000 today), one of the first tennis professionals to win at least US$1 million in career prize money.
Okker appeared in 13 ties and set a record of 15-20 wins–loss records between 1964 and 1981, representing the Netherlands in the Davis Cup.
At the 1965 Maccabiah Games in Israel, Okker won both singles and mixed doubles titles. Both Israelis and non-Israeli Jews are welcome to this festival.
He was one of the first players of his time to have heavy topspin on the ball.