Robbie Venter

Robert Eben Venter (7 May 1960 – 6 August 2024) was a South African businessman and professional tennis player.

Robert Venter

Full name	Robert Eben Venter
Country (sports)	South Africa
Born	(1960-05-07)7 May 1960 Boksburg, Transvaal, South Africa
Died	6 August 2024(2024-08-06) (aged 64)
Plays	Left-handed
Singles
Career record	7–19
Highest ranking	No. 148 (2 January 1984)
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon	1R (1983)
Doubles
Career record	15–27
Highest ranking	No. 82 (3 January 1983)
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open	2R (1983)
Wimbledon	1R (1983)

Biography

A left handed player from Boksburg, Venter was the son of South African businessman Bill Venter.^[1]

Venter was a semi-finalist at the Wimbledon Juniors in 1978 and moved to the United States that year to take up a tennis scholarship at UCLA.^[1][2] He was a three-time All-American and captained the UCLA side which won the team title in the 1982 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships.^[3][4] After that triumph he became a tour professional and with former UCLA teammate Blaine Willenborg he was runner-up in the doubles at the 1982 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, a tournament on the Grand Prix circuit held in Indianapolis.^[5] His only singles appearance in the main draw of a grand slam tournament came at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost in the first round to Rodney Harmon, in four sets.^[6] During his tennis career he won six Challenger titles, three in singles and three in doubles.

Venter retired from tennis in 1985 and completed an MBA at UCLA before working at Bear Stearns for three years.^[1] He returned to South Africa in 1990.^[1]

In 2011 he replaced his father Bill as CEO of Altron.^[1]

Venter died on 6 August 2024, at the age of 64.^[7][8]

Grand Prix career finals

Doubles: 1 (0–1)

Result	No.	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1.	1982	Indianapolis, US	Clay	Blaine Willenborg	Sherwood Stewart Ferdi Taygan	4–6, 5–7

Challenger titles

Singles: (3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
1.	1980	Turin, Italy	Clay	Miguel Mir	6–2, 6–1
2.	1983	Solihull, Great Britain	Clay	Broderick Dyke	6–4, 3–6, 6–3
3.	1983	Lee-on-the-Solent, Great Britain	Clay	Jeremy Bates	6–3, 6–1

Doubles: (3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
1.	1980	Royan, France	Clay	Dave Siegler	Jan Gunnarsson Stefan Svensson	6–4, 6–4
2.	1980	Le Touquet, France	Clay	Dave Siegler	Hans Simonsson Tenny Svensson	7–6, 4–6, 6–3
3.	1981	Reus, Spain	Clay	Egan Adams	Junie Chatman Bruce Derlin	6–7, 6–4, 6–4