Mike Leach (tennis)

Michael E. ("Mike") Leach (born c. 1960) is a former collegiate and ATP Tour professional tennis player who won the NCAA singles championship in 1982 while attending the University of Michigan.

Leach grew up in Weston, Massachusetts outside Boston. He was the third child in a family of six and began playing tennis after he received a racket for his 11th birthday. He earned the No. 1 singles and doubles rankings in New England's 14-and-under division, and upon moving to the 16-18 division, he was ranked No. 11 nationally.

Leach accepted a tennis scholarship to attend the University of Michigan, where he won the 1982 NCAA singles title and was a two-time All-American. He played for Michigan's tennis team from 1979 to 1982. As a sophomore, he was Michigan's top player with a 24-4 singles record, leading to the Big Ten singles and doubles titles. As a junior, Leach won all but two individual matches and made the final 16 in the NCAA Tournament. His performance earned him All-America honors in 1981. In 1982, as an unseeded player, he was a long shot to win the NCAA singles title against future 12-year professional Brad Gilbert of Pepperdine. Leach pressured the usually consistent Gilbert into errors and thrilled the collegiate tennis world by winning the 1982 NCAA singles title in straight sets (7–5, 6–3). He became only the second Wolverine to win the national title, joining Barry MacKay who won the singles title in 1957. He was also a two-time Big Ten Conference doubles champion with Matt Horwitch in 1980 and with Mark Mees in 1982. In four years at Michigan, Leach had a record of 99-19 in singles competition and 80-15 in doubles competition.

Leach played on the ATP Tour from 1982–1987 and had a career-high ranking of World No. 29 in singles and World No. 15 in doubles. He reached the final 16 at Wimbledon in 1983, and his career highlights include victories over Stefan Edberg, Pat Cash and Mats Wilander. During his five-year pro career, Leach also won four doubles titles.

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