Irmo, SC
Inducted December 2003
BRET GARNETT SERVED EARLY NOTICE ON THE TENNIS WORLD BY WINNING 74 CONSECUTIVE MATCHES OVER THREE YEARS AT IRMO HIGH SCHOOL. DURING THAT STRETCH OF VICTORIES, HE WON THREE INDIVIDUAL STATE HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WAS NAMED SOUTH CAROLINA TENNIS ASSOCIATION PLAYER OF THE YEAR AS A 17-YEAR OLD.
BRETT ATTENDED SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY WHERE HE WAS NAMED ALL-AMERICAN THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS. HE WAS RANKED #1 IN THE U.S. IN INTERCOLLEGIATE DOUBLES IN 1987-88.
TURNING PROFESSIONAL IN AUGUST 1988, HE PLAYED TOURNAMENTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, ACHIEVING HIS HIGHEST SINGLES RANKING OF 203. HIS TOP VICTORY AS A PRO WAS OVER PATRICK RAFTER IN THE ’94 U.S. OPEN.
BRET’S BEST SUCCESS CAME IN DOUBLES. HE WON THE WASHINGTON, D.C. DOUBLES TEAMED WITH JARED PALMER. HE TWICE MADE THE FINALS OF THE U.S. CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS AND GOT TO THE SEMIS TWO OTHER TIMES. HE WON FOUR ATP DOUBLES TITLES—IN ITALY, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND BIRMINGHAM, AL.
BRET’S DOUBLES SUCCESSES CAME WITH DIFFERENT PARTNERS AND HIS OPONENTS INCLUDED THE LIKES OF JOHN MCENROE, IVAN LENDL, MICHAEK CHANG, STEFAN EDBERG AND MICHAEL STICH. HE SCORED DIRECT WINS OVER 15 NO. 1-RANKED DOUBLES PLAYERS.
GRAND SLAM EXPERIENCE RANKS AT THE TOP OF ALL PRO CAREERS, AND BRET MADE THE THIRD ROUND OR BETTER IN ALL FOUR SLAM DOUBLES. PLAYING SIX WIMBLEDONS, HE GOT TO THE DOUBLES ROUND OF 16 THREE TIMES. IN SIX TRIES AT THE U.S. OPEN, HE MADE THE DOUBLES ROUND OF 16 ONCE. IN THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN, HE REACHED THE SINGLES ROUND OF 32 TWICE IN FIVE TRIPS. IN ’94, HE WAS A DOUBLES QUARTERFINALIST AT THE FRENCH.
WITH HIS WORLDWIDE SUCCESS BRINGING RECOGNITION TO SOUTH CAROLINA, BRET HAS COME “HOME” TO CONTINUE WORKING IN TENNIS, MOST RECENTLY AS THE HEAD PRO AND DIRECTOR OF TENNIS AT LAKE HICKORY COUNTRY CLUB, HICKORY, NC. HE AND HIS WIFE CHERYL HAVE TWO CHILDREN.
BRET IS ACTIVE IN TENNIS COMMUNITY WORK, INCLUDING SPEAKING AT JUNIOR EVENTS AND PARTICIPATING IN CHARITY EFFORTS SUCH AS PLAYING IN THE FAREWELL FARM TENNIS CLASSIC.
