Jamea Jackson
Encyclopedia
Jamea Jackson is a female American former tennis
player. She reached a singles ranking of 45 in the world at the end of 2006.
Jackson was born in Atlanta, Georgia
and attended the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
in Bradenton, Florida
.
She was announced as the Assistant Coach of the Oklahoma State University Women's Tennis Team in August 2009.http://www.okstate.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/jackson_jamea00.html
She began her tennis career on the ITF Junior Circuit where, in 2003, was ranked in the top 20 in the world in both singles and doubles. She turned professional that same year and competed the next few years on the ITF Women's Circuit
. In 2004, began playing more WTA
events and began a full schedule in 2005, when she cracked the top 100 in the world. In 2006, Jamea had her best year of her career, compiling a 26-22 singles record. Jackson is the first tennis player ever to use the instant replay system in a tour level match, challenging a call in her first round win at the 2006 Nasdaq 100 Open
in Miami, against compatriot Ashley Harkleroad
. The call ended up being wrong, and Harkleroad challenged later in the match, becoming the first person the correctly challenge. Jackson ended up winning in a battle 7-5,6-7(3-7),7-5. She led the United States Fed Cup team
to a victory over Germany
that same year. She won both her matches to notch the win for the U.S. She defeated Anna-Lena Groenfeld and Martina Müller to guide the USA into the next round. Jackson reached her first WTA Tour final on June 17, 2006 when she beat both Jelena Janković
and Maria Sharapova
in Birmingham on grass. However, she was defeated by Vera Zvonareva
in the final match of the DFS Classic
in a tight two-setter. At the tailend of 2006 and her short 2007 seasons, Jamea suffered a recurring hip injury requiring surgery. In April 2008, after 8 months away from the tour, she came back at a $75,000 ITF
event in Dothan, Alabama
. She won 6 consecutive matches, 3 in qualifying and then 3 in the main draw before giving a walkover to Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She did not play her next event until the U.S. Open Series, where she scored an upset win over Marion Bartoli
. She played her final match at the 2008 US Open
, losing to seed Alyona Bondarenko
losing 2-6,6-3,6-2. She officially retired from pro tennis on August 24, 2009 due to her recurring hip injury, as well as her coaching position at Oklahoma State University.
A = did not participate in the main draw of the tournament.
as cornerback for the New Orleans Saints
, the Atlanta Falcons
, and the Detroit Lions
. Her mother, Ruby, wrote Flying High: Diary of a Flight Attendant http://www.amazon.com/dp/1420893432, based on her flight attendant career that lasted over 30 years. She has an older brother, Jarryd Jackson. Jamea was hired as assistant coach at Oklahoma State University with her real emphasis on mentoring the players, as well as recruiting.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. She reached a singles ranking of 45 in the world at the end of 2006.
Jackson was born in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and attended the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
The Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy is located in Bradenton, Florida, and was founded in 1978 by Nick Bollettieri as a full-time tennis boarding school that combines intensive tennis training with an academic curriculum....
in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
.
She was announced as the Assistant Coach of the Oklahoma State University Women's Tennis Team in August 2009.http://www.okstate.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/jackson_jamea00.html
Tennis career
She won two ITF Women's Circuit singles titles. The first was a $10,000 hard-court event in 2003 in Dallas, Texas. The second was a $50,000 hard-court event in 2004 in Tucson, Arizona.She began her tennis career on the ITF Junior Circuit where, in 2003, was ranked in the top 20 in the world in both singles and doubles. She turned professional that same year and competed the next few years on the ITF Women's Circuit
ITF Women's Circuit
The ITF Women's Circuit is a series of professional tennis tournaments run by the International Tennis Federation for female professional tennis players. It serves as the developmental circuit for the WTA Tour, which is run by the independent Women's Tennis Association...
. In 2004, began playing more WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
events and began a full schedule in 2005, when she cracked the top 100 in the world. In 2006, Jamea had her best year of her career, compiling a 26-22 singles record. Jackson is the first tennis player ever to use the instant replay system in a tour level match, challenging a call in her first round win at the 2006 Nasdaq 100 Open
Miami Masters
The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park...
in Miami, against compatriot Ashley Harkleroad
Ashley Harkleroad
Ashley Harkleroad , is an American tennis player. Born in Rossville, Georgia, Harkleroad reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 on June 9, 2003. Her career prize money to date is $1,022,094...
. The call ended up being wrong, and Harkleroad challenged later in the match, becoming the first person the correctly challenge. Jackson ended up winning in a battle 7-5,6-7(3-7),7-5. She led the United States Fed Cup team
United States Fed Cup team
The United States Fed Cup team is the most successful national team in Fed Cup competition. The team has won 17 titles and finished second a further 9 times, out of 44 participations.-History:...
to a victory over Germany
Germany Fed Cup team
The Germany Fed Cup team represents Germany in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by Deutscher Tennis Bund. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Tatjana Malek* Julia Görges* Andrea Petkovic* Anna-Lena Grönefeld...
that same year. She won both her matches to notch the win for the U.S. She defeated Anna-Lena Groenfeld and Martina Müller to guide the USA into the next round. Jackson reached her first WTA Tour final on June 17, 2006 when she beat both Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
and Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
in Birmingham on grass. However, she was defeated by Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
in the final match of the DFS Classic
DFS Classic
The AEGON Classic, formerly known as the DFS Classic, is an International series tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tournament is played on outdoor grass courts...
in a tight two-setter. At the tailend of 2006 and her short 2007 seasons, Jamea suffered a recurring hip injury requiring surgery. In April 2008, after 8 months away from the tour, she came back at a $75,000 ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
event in Dothan, Alabama
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately west of the Georgia state line and north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County...
. She won 6 consecutive matches, 3 in qualifying and then 3 in the main draw before giving a walkover to Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She did not play her next event until the U.S. Open Series, where she scored an upset win over Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
. She played her final match at the 2008 US Open
2008 U.S. Open (tennis)
The 2008 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 128th edition of the US Open, and the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year...
, losing to seed Alyona Bondarenko
Alyona Bondarenko
Alona Volodymyrivna Bondarenko Dyachoka is a Ukrainian tennis player. She has a younger sister Kateryna Bondarenko who also plays on the Tour. She formerly paired with her older sister Valeria in doubles. She is currently ranked World No. 114 in singles and World No. 327 in doubles by the WTA.Her...
losing 2-6,6-3,6-2. She officially retired from pro tennis on August 24, 2009 due to her recurring hip injury, as well as her coaching position at Oklahoma State University.
Singles Titles (0 WTA, 2 ITF)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| WTA Championships |
| Tier I (0) |
| Tier II (0) |
| Tier III (0) |
| Tier IV & V (0) |
| ITF Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | June 22, 2003 | ITF International Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913... / Dallas, Texas Dallas, Texas Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States... , United States |
Hard |  Angela HaynesAngela Haynes Angela Haynes is a professional tennis player from the United States. Haynes's top WTA singles ranking is World No. 95 which she attained in August, 2005. Angela is currently ranked World No. 158, race-singles World No. 260 and World No... |
7-6(7-5),6-3 |
| 2. | November 21, 2004 | ITF / Tucson, Arizona Tucson, Arizona Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200... , United States |
Hard |  Stéphanie DuboisStéphanie Dubois Stéphanie Dubois is a Canadian professional tennis player. She turned professional in 2004 and she achieved a career-best ranking of No. 95 in the world on May 26, 2008.-2004–present:... |
7-6(7-5),7-5 |
Singles Finalist (1 WTA, 1 ITF)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| WTA Championships |
| Tier I (0) |
| Tier II (0) |
| Tier III (1) |
| Tier IV & V (0) |
| ITF Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | May 16, 2004 | ITF International Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913... / Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for... , United States |
Clay | Marissa Irvin Marissa Irvin Marissa Irvin is an American former tennis player. She reached her highest singles ranking on August 12, 2002, when she became No. 51 in the world. Her best result at a Grand Slam was the third round of the French Open, which she achieved three straight years from 2003 to 2005... |
6-3,7-6(7-5) |
| 2. | June 18, 2006 | WTA Women's Tennis Association The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of... / Birmingham DFS Classic The AEGON Classic, formerly known as the DFS Classic, is an International series tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tournament is played on outdoor grass courts... , United Kingdom |
Grass |  Vera ZvonarevaVera Zvonareva Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the... |
7-6(14-12),7-6(7-5) |
Grand Slam Singles Timeline
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Career Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | 2R | A | A | 1-1 |
| French Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | 1-2 |
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
A | 2R | 2R | 1R | A | 2-3 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1-5 |
| Yearly Record | 0-1 | 1–2 | 4–4 | 0-3 | 0–1 | 5-11 |
A = did not participate in the main draw of the tournament.
Personal
Jamea started playing tennis at age 8. Her father, Ernest, played in the NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
as cornerback for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. Her mother, Ruby, wrote Flying High: Diary of a Flight Attendant http://www.amazon.com/dp/1420893432, based on her flight attendant career that lasted over 30 years. She has an older brother, Jarryd Jackson. Jamea was hired as assistant coach at Oklahoma State University with her real emphasis on mentoring the players, as well as recruiting.