Education
Born in Southport, Merseyside, Cowan attended the LTA Rover School at Bisham Abbey.
Born in Southport, Merseyside, Cowan attended the LTA Rover School at Bisham Abbey.
Cowan was only to appear regularly in Grand Slams as a Wimbledon wild card. However he was successful in qualifying for the United States. Open at Flushing Meadows in, though he lost in straight sets to Jens Knippschild. Cowan later represented Britain at the Sydney Olympics taking the first set but eventually losing to Daniel Nestor in round one.
As expected Sampras dominated the first two sets on Court 1, leading 6–3, 6–2 before Cowan came back against all expectations, taking an epic third set tie break.
During breaks in play, Cowan would listen to music, notably You"ll Never Walk Alone, which can be heard at Anfield home of his team Liverpool Football Club. Before the match he had sought advice from a top sports psychologist to help prepare himself for the daunting task of facing the world number one. Cowan would once again reach the second round at Wimbledon a year later, bowing out in four sets to Ecuador"s Nicolás Lapentti.
After that defeat, Cowan announced his retirement from professional tennis. Since retiring from the game, Cowan has taken up a commentating role with Sky Sports for their tennis coverage.
Outside the game, Cowan is a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club.
He was also a member of Aughton Tennis Club. A left-hander, Cowan was a versatile sportsman in his junior years. Aside from tennis, Barry represented the North of England at under-15 level hockey and is also a member of Ormskirk Golf Club.