Murphy Jensen

Murphy Jensen (born October 30, 1968) is an American former professional tennis player and Grand Slam doubles champion. He is the younger brother of former professional tennis player Luke Jensen, with whom he teamed to win the 1993 French Open Doubles title.[1]

Murphy Jensen
Jensen in 2009
Country (sports) United States
Born (1968-10-30) October 30, 1968
Ludington, Michigan
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Turned pro1991
Retired2006
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
CollegeUniversity of Southern California
University of Georgia
Prize money$681,817
Singles
Career record0–5
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 586 (11 January 1993)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenQ2 (1992)
Doubles
Career record125–179
Career titles4
Highest rankingNo. 17 (18 October 1993)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open2R (1993, 1994, 1995)
French OpenW (1993)
Wimbledon2R (1993)
US Open3R (1994, 1995, 1998)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open1R (1994, 1996)
French OpenSF (1993)
Wimbledon2R (1995)
US OpenQF (1994)

He is the co-founder of WEconnect, a healthcare information technology company with a platform designed to aid addiction recovery, and currently the head coach of the Washington Kastles of World TeamTennis.

Early life

Murphy Jensen grew up on a Christmas-tree farm in the summer resort town of Ludington in western Michigan. He is of Danish descent[2] He first saw a tennis net being used to corral salmon along the Pere Marquette River as a boy.[3] His father (whom tried out with the New York Giants as an offensive guard[4] and then became a high school tennis coach) Howard Jensen, taught Murphy and brother Luke to play tennis before they were 5 years old.

Collegiate tennis career

Jensen and his brother Luke both attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.[5] After two years playing for the USC Trojans, Murphy transferred to the University of Georgia for one year and then turned professional to pursue a career in tennis and to join his brother Luke on the ATP Tour.

Business ownership and activism

After winning the 1993 French Open with Luke, the Jensen brothers became a center-court attraction.[6] Murphy turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress of his new-found success and celebrity status. In 1999, after missing a mixed-doubles match at Wimbledon with Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Jensen lost in the first round of the 1999 US Open. Feeling the pressure of work and family responsibilities (his son, William, was born during the tournament), Jensen found himself in the throes of addiction. A hotel manager noticed Jensen's apparent crisis and contacted an interventionist, who asked Jensen to consider treatment for addiction recovery. Jensen agreed, and has since been in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.

In 2014, Jensen met serial entrepreneur Daniella Tudor, also in treatment for addiction recovery. After leaving recovery, the two worked together towards improving addiction recovery awareness. In 2016, Jensen, Tudor, and business owner Jen Mallory co-founded WEconnect, a web application platform designed to assist patients with addiction recovery after treatment. Described as a "social-purpose corporation", WEconnect's business platform is centered around providing "accountability for an individual's recovery activities by closing the gap in communication with their support network." In June 2016, WEconnect won the TechCrunch Seattle Meet-Up, and was then chosen as the wildcard battlefield startup at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco in September later that year.[7]

Personal life

Jensen has a son William (born 1999[8][9]) with actress Robin Givens, whom he dated periodically during the late 1990s.

Jensen has been open about his struggles with addiction, and the factors that led to his recovery.[10] He has been in long-term recovery and sober since June 1, 2006, and he cites his close relationships with recovery mentors as one of the key factors in preventing relapse.[11]

Career finals

Doubles (four titles)
Legend
Grand Slam (1)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP Championship Series (1)
ATP Tour (2)
Titles by Surface
Hard (2)
Clay (1)
Grass (1)
Carpet (0)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
1. June 7, 1993 French Open, Paris Clay Luke Jensen Marc-Kevin Goellner
David Prinosil		 6–4, 6–7, 6–4
2. June 26, 1995 Nottingham, England Grass Luke Jensen Patrick Galbraith
Danie Visser		 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
3. August 26, 1996 Long Island, U.S. Hard Luke Jensen Hendrik Dreekmann
Alexander Volkov		 6–3, 7–6
4. July 21, 1997 Washington, D.C., U.S. Hard Luke Jensen Neville Godwin
Fernon Wibier		 6–4, 6–4

Runners-up (7)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
1. January 18, 1993 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Hard Luke Jensen Sandon Stolle
Jason Stoltenberg		 3–6, 4–6
2. May 24, 1993 Bologna, Italy Clay Luke Jensen Danie Visser
Laurie Warder		 6–4, 4–6, 4–6
3. October 18, 1993 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet Luke Jensen Grant Connell
Patrick Galbraith		 3–6, 4–6
4. February 28, 1994 Mexico City, Mexico Clay Luke Jensen Francisco Montana
Bryan Shelton		 3–6, 4–6
5. September 19, 1994 Bogotá, Colombia Clay Luke Jensen Mark Knowles
Daniel Nestor		 4–6, 6–7
6. May 12, 1997 Coral Springs, U.S. Clay Luke Jensen Dave Randall
Greg Van Emburgh		 7–6, 2–6, 6–7
7. May 26, 1997 St. Poelten, Austria Clay Luke Jensen Kelly Jones
Scott Melville		 2–6, 6–7

Film and television career

Since retiring from the game, Jensen has acted in bit parts in films such as Wimbledon and more recently Tennis, Anyone. He currently hosts several programs on the Tennis Channel, including Open Access and Murphy's Guide.

On Open Access Jensen reports on high-profile tennis events around the world and interviews participating players about their lives and careers.

Each episode of the more comedic Murphy's Guide is a guide for tourists to a particular city where a major tennis tournament is taking place, such as Paris, London, New York, Melbourne etc. At least one major player appears at some point in the episode, and there is usually a brief segment about where enthusiasts of the game can play when in town, but the show's content mainly features Jensen attempting to navigate the city's sights, trying exotic food, and interacting with locals in his unique style. Through his experiences and misadventures, however, specific travel information about local hotels, restaurants, and attractions is conveyed, often with the help of animated maps and graphics. Many episodes also feature a scripted opening sequence, such as Jensen being made to walk the plank by the pirates of Treasure Island in Las Vegas, being psychoanalyzed by Sigmund Freud in Vienna, and impersonating James Bond and Crocodile Dundee in London and Melbourne, respectively.

References
  1. LA Times
  2. Murphy Jensen interview
  3. Only when Murphy Jensen hit rock bottom did he find what he needed
  4. https://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/archives/ludington-s-howard-jensen-will-be-missed/article_f827fe31-f9da-59d5-96b5-0e6b197334eb.html
  5. USC Men's Tennis -- On The Pro Tour Archived August 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, USCTrojans.com, Accessed July 8, 2008.
  6. Rolling Stone Magazine
  8. Robin Givens
  9. Robin Givens Timeline and Biography
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