Coordinates	12 °4 ′″N75 °13 ′″N
Common name	Monaco
Native name	Principatu de Múnegu (Monégasque) Principauté de Monaco (French)
Conventional long name	Principality of Monaco
Map caption
National motto	"Deo Juvante"(Latin)"With God's Help"
National anthem	Hymne Monégasque
Capital	Monaco
Largest settlement type	Most populated quartier
Largest settlement	Monte Carlo
Official languages	French is the only official language. Monégasque, Italian and English are also widely spoken and understood. (See Languages of Monaco)
Government type	Constitutional monarchyPrincipality
Leader title1	Prince
Leader title2	Minister of State
Leader title3	President of the National Council
Leader name1	Albert II
Leader name2	Michel Roger
Leader name3	Stéphane Valeri
Area km2	1.98
Area sq mi	0.76
Area rank	232nd
Area magnitude	1 E6
Percent water	0.0
Population estimate	35,586
Population estimate year	2010
Population estimate rank	211th
Population density km2	15,142
Population density sq mi	39,217
Population density rank	1st
Population census	35,352
Gdp ppp year	2010
Gdp ppp rank	n/a
Gdp ppp per capita	$123,811
Colspan	"7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"| Former municipality of Monaco
05 || monaco-ville || style	"text-align:right;"| 184,750 || style="text-align:right;"| 1,034|| style="text-align:right;"| 5597 || style="text-align:right;"| 19 || Old City with palace
Colspan	"7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"| Former municipality of Monte Carlo
01 || monte carlo/spélugues (bd. des moulins-av. de la madone)|| style	"text-align:right;"| 281,461 || style="text-align:right;"| 3,034 || style="text-align:right;"| 10779|| style="text-align:right;"| 20|| the casino and resort area
02 || la rousse/saint roman (annonciade-château périgord)|| style	"text-align:right;"| 105,215|| style="text-align:right;"| 3,223 || style="text-align:right;"| 30633|| style="text-align:right;"| 15|| in the northeast, incl. Le Ténao
03 || larvotto/bas moulins (larvotto-bd psse grace)|| style	"text-align:right;"| 328,479 || style="text-align:right;"| 5,443 || style="text-align:right;"| 16570|| style="text-align:right;"| 15|| eastern beach area
10 || saint michel (psse charlotte-park palace)|| style	"text-align:right;"| 142,223|| style="text-align:right;"| 3,807 || style="text-align:right;"| 26768|| style="text-align:right;"| 24|| central residential area
Colspan	"7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"| Former municipality of La Condamine
04 || la condamine || style	"text-align:right;"| 237,283 || style="text-align:right;"| 3,847 || style="text-align:right;"| 16213|| style="text-align:right;"| 27|| port area in the northwest
07 || la colle (plati-pasteur-bd charles iii)|| style	"text-align:right;"| 188,073 || style="text-align:right;"| 2,822 || style="text-align:right;"| 15005|| style="text-align:right;"| 15|| on the western border with Cap d'Ail
08 || les révoires (hector otto-honoré labande)|| style	"text-align:right;"| 75,747 || style="text-align:right;"| 2,515 || style="text-align:right;"| 33203|| style="text-align:right;"| 11|| containing the Jardin Exotique de Monaco
09 || moneghetti/ bd de belgique (bd rainier iii-bd de belgique) || style	"text-align:right;"| 107,056 || style="text-align:right;"| 3,003 || style="text-align:right;"| 28051 || style="text-align:right;"| 18||
Colspan	"7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"| New land reclaimed from the sea
06 || fontvieille || style	"text-align:right;"| 324,157|| style="text-align:right;"| 3,292 || style="text-align:right;"| 10156|| style="text-align:right;"| 9|| started 1971
11 || le portier || style	"text-align:right;"| 275,000(1) || style="text-align:right;"| – || style="text-align:right;"| -|| style="text-align:right;"| -|| plans put on hold by Prince Albert II in 2009
- style	"background: #CCC;"
|| monaco || style	"text-align:right;"| 1,974,444 || style="text-align:right;"| 32,020 || style="text-align:right;"| 16217|| style="text-align:right;"| 173||
Colspan	"7" style="background:#fff;"|(1) Area not included in total, as it is only proposed
Date	September 2010

Sport and entertainment

Formula One

Since 1955, the Monaco Grand Prix has been held annually in the streets of Monaco. It is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. The erection of the Circuit de Monaco takes six weeks to complete, and the removal after the race another three weeks. The circuit has many elevation changes and tight corners, along with a tunnel. This together with being incredibly narrow and tight makes it perhaps the most demanding Formula One track. Only two drivers have ever crashed into the harbour, the most famous being Alberto Ascari in the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix, just four days before losing his life at Monza. The other was Paul Hawkins, during the 1965 Monaco Grand Prix.

Monte Carlo Rally

The Monte Carlo Rally has been held since 1911, having originally been held at the behest of Prince Albert I and is, like the principality's Grand Prix, organised by the Automobile Club de Monaco. It has long been considered to be one of the toughest and most prestigious events in rallying and from 1973 to 2008 was the opening round of the World Rally Championship. Since 2009, the rally has served as the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, having most recently been run on the 19th-22 January 2011 in celebration of the event's centenary.

Football

Monaco hosts two major football teams in the principality; men's football club AS Monaco FC and women's football club OS Monaco. AS Monaco plays at the Stade Louis II and competes in the Ligue 2, the second division of French football. The club is historically one of the most successful clubs in France, however suffered relegation in the 2010–11 season. Because of the popular appeal of living in Monaco and the lack of income tax, many international stars have played for the club, such as Marcelo Gallardo, Jürgen Klinsmann, Oliver Bierhoff, George Weah, John Collins, Fernando Morientes, Thierry Henry, Fabien Barthez, Rafael Márquez, Javier Saviola, David Trezeguet, John Arne Riise, Patrice Evra, Shabani Nonda, Emmanuel Adebayor, Eiður Guðjohnsen, Jan Koller, Victor Ikpeba, Park Chu-Young and Mahamadou Diarra.

The club reached the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, led by the likes of Dado Pršo, Fernando Morientes, Akis Zikos, and Ludovic Giuly, losing 3–0 to Portuguese team F.C. Porto. The Stade Louis II also plays host to the annual UEFA Super Cup, which is played between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The women's team, OS Monaco, competes in the women's French football league system. The club currently plays in the local regional league deep down in the league system, however once played in the Division 1 Féminine in the 1994–95 season, but were quickly relegated. Current French women's international goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi had a short stint at the club before going to the Clairefontaine academy.

Rugby

Monaco's national rugby team, as of March 2010, is 91st in the International Rugby Board rankings.

Other sports

, Monaco]] The Monte-Carlo Masters is currently held annually in neighbouring Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, as a professional tournament for men as part of tennis' ATP Masters Series. The tournament has been held since 1897. Golf's Monte Carlo Open was also held at the Monte Carlo Golf Club at Mont Agel in France between 1984 and 1992. Monaco has also competed in the Olympic Games, although, as of 2008, no athlete from Monaco has ever won an Olympic medal.

In 2009, the Tour de France, the world's premier bicycle race, started from Monaco with a 15 km closed-circuit individual time trial starting and finishing there on the first day (4 July) and the 182 km second leg starting there on the following day and ending in Brignoles, France.

Monaco also stage part of the Global Champions Tour (International Show-jumping). Acknowledged as the most glamorous of the series, Monaco will be hosting the world's most celebrated riders, including Monaco's own Charlotte Casiraghi, in a setting facing out over the world's most beautiful yachts, and framed by the Port Hercule and Prince's palace. In 2009, the Monaco stage of the Global Champions tour took place between 25 – 27 June.

The Monaco Marathon is the only marathon in the world to pass through three separate countries, those of Monaco, France and Italy. The 2010 event took place on 21 March. Runners complete the race by returning to the Stade Louis II.

The Monaco Ironman 70.3 triathlon race is an annual event with over 1000 athletes competing and attracts top professional athletes from around the world. The race includes a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike ride and 21.1 km run.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Monaco has ten state-operated schools, including: seven nursery and primary schools; one secondary school, Collège Charles III; one lycée that provides general and technological training, Lycée Albert 1er; and one lycée that provides vocational and hotel training, Lycée technique et hôtelier de Monte-Carlo. There are also two grant-aided denominational private schools, including Institution François d'Assise Nicolas Barré and Ecole des Sœurs Dominicaines, and one international school, the International School of Monaco.

Colleges and universities

There is one university located in Monaco:

International University of Monaco

Demographics

.]] Monaco's population is unusual in that the native Monegasques are a minority in their own country. The largest proportion of residents are French nationals (28%), followed by Monegasque (21.6%), Italians (19%), Anglos (7.5% UK & 1% USA), and Germans, Swiss, and Belgians (2.5% to 3% each); another 15% is labeled as "other" populations. A Monacoian is the term used to describe a person living in Monaco who is not a citizen of Monaco.

Language

The official language of Monaco is French. The traditional national language is Monégasque, now spoken by only a minority of residents. It resembles Ligurian, which is spoken in Genoa. In the old part of Monaco, street signs are printed in both French and Monégasque. Italian is also spoken by the principality's sizeable community from Italy. English is used by British and American residents.

Religion

Christian

Roman Catholic

The official religion is Roman Catholicism, with freedom of other religions guaranteed by the constitution. There are five Roman Catholic parish churches in Monaco and one cathedral, which is the seat of the archbishop of Monaco. The diocese, which has existed since the mid-nineteenth century, was raised to an archbishopric in 1981 as the Archdiocese of Monaco.

Anglican

There is one Anglican church (St. Paul's Church), located in the Avenue de Grande Bretagne in Monte Carlo. In 2007 this had a formal membership of 135 Anglicans resident in the principality, but was also serving a considerably larger number of Anglicans temporarily in the country, mostly as tourists. The church site also accommodates an English-language library of over 3,000 books. The church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe.

Jewish

The Association Culturelle Israélite de Monaco (founded 1948) is a converted house containing a synagogue, a community Hebrew school, and a kosher food shop, located in Monte Carlo. The community (approximately 1,500) mainly consists of retired Jews from Britain (40%) and North Africa. One third of the Jewish population there is Ashkenazi, while the other two thirds are Sephardic.

Security

The wider defence of the nation is provided by France. Monaco has no navy or air force, but on both a per-capita and per-area basis, Monaco has the largest police force (515 police officers for 35,000 people) and police presence in the world. Its police includes a specialist unit which operates patrol and surveillance boats. There is also a small military consisting of a bodyguard unit for the Prince and his palace called the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince which numbers 116 officers and men and is equipped with modern weapons such as M16 rifles and 9 mm pistols, and a militarized (and armed) fire and civil defence Corps.

The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (Prince's Company of Carabiniers) is a military unit of the military force of Monaco. It was created by Prince Honoré IV in 1817 for the protection of the Principality and the Princely family. The company numbers exactly 116 officers and men; while the NCOs and soldiers are local, the officers have generally served in the French Army. Together with the local fire service (Sapeurs-Pompiers), the Carabiniers form Monaco's total public forces. In addition to their guard duties, the company patrols the Principality's beaches and coastal waters, as well as duties around the Palace in Monaco-Ville.

Flag

The flag of Monaco is one of the world's oldest national flag designs. The flag of Monaco is identical to the flag of Indonesia, except for the ratio of height to width.

Transport

Monaco is served by several train systems and the Monte Carlo International Heliport. The closest airport is Côte d'Azur Airport in Nice, France. Some airlines marketed Monaco via Nice Airport.

See also

Association des Guides et Scouts de Monaco

Foreign relations of Monaco

* France–Monaco relations

List of radio stations in Monaco

List of rulers of Monaco

Microstate

Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra

Music of Monaco

Postage stamps and postal history of Monaco

Repossi jewellers

Telecommunications in Monaco

The Princess Grace Hospital Centre

References

External links

; Government

Official Government Portal

Official website of the Prince's Palace of Monaco

Chief of State and Cabinet Members

; General information

Monaco from UCB Libraries GovPubs

Monaco information about Monaco

History of Monaco: Primary documents

; Travel

Official website for Tourism

Your Monaco Monaco travel guide

Principality Monaco Principality Monaco travel and special offers site

maBoum.com Unofficial guide to what's on in Monaco

; Other Order of the doctors of Monaco French Monaco Web portail

La Principauté – Le premier journal d'actualité de Monaco

Monaco Today, a daily newsletter in English, Monaco247.com

Monaco247.com English news portal

The Monaco Times – a regular feature in The Riviera Times is the English language newspaper for the French – Italian Riviera and the Principality of Monaco provides monthly local news and information about business, art and culture, people and lifestyle, events and also the real estate market.

Monaco-IQ Monaco information and news aggregator

Monte-Carlo Italian Monte-Carlo unofficial portal

Category:Capitals in Europe Category:City-states Category:Constitutional monarchies Category:Countries of the Mediterranean Sea Category:European countries Category:French-speaking countries Category:Italian-speaking countries Category:Massalian colonies Category:Member states of La Francophonie Category:Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean Category:Port cities of the Mediterranean Sea Category:Principalities Category:States and territories established in 1297 Category:Western Europe Category:Member states of the United Nations Category:Liberal democracies

Coordinates	12 °4 ′″N75 °13 ′″N
Consort	yes
Title	Prince Consort
Name	Prince Albert
Caption	Portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1842
Succession	Prince Consort of the United Kingdom
Reign	10 February 1840 – 14 December 1861
Spouse	Queen Victoria
Issue	Victoria, German Empress and Queen of PrussiaEdward VII of the United KingdomAlice, Grand Duchess of HesseAlfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and GothaPrincess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-HolsteinPrincess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and StrathearnPrince Leopold, Duke of AlbanyPrincess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg
Full name	Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel
House	House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Mother	Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Birth date	August 26, 1819
Birth place	Schloss Rosenau, Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Germany
Death date	December 14, 1861
Death place	Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England
Date of burial	23 December 1861; 18 December 1862
Place of burial	St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle; Frogmore, Windsor

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (later The Prince Consort; Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

He was born in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld to a family connected to many of Europe's ruling monarchs. At the age of 20 he married his first cousin, Queen Victoria, with whom he had nine children. At first, Albert felt constrained by his position as consort, which did not confer any power or duties upon him. Over time he adopted many public causes, such as educational reform and the abolition of slavery, and took on the responsibilities of running the Queen's household, estates and office. He was heavily involved with the organisation of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Albert aided in the development of Britain's constitutional monarchy by persuading his wife to show less partisanship in her dealings with Parliament—although he actively disagreed with the interventionist foreign policy pursued during Lord Palmerston's tenure as Foreign Secretary.

He died at the early age of 42, plunging the Queen into a deep mourning which lasted for the rest of her life. Upon Queen Victoria's death in 1901, their son, Edward VII, succeeded as the first monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, named after the ducal house to which Albert belonged.

Early life

Albert was born at Schloss Rosenau, near Coburg, Germany, and was the second son of Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and his first wife, Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Albert's future wife, Queen Victoria, was born in the same year with the assistance of the same midwife. Albert was baptised into the Lutheran Evangelical Church on 19 September 1819 in the Marble Hall at Schloss Rosenau with water taken from the local river, the Itz. His godparents were his paternal grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; his maternal grandfather, the Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg; the Emperor of Austria; the Duke of Teschen; and Emanuel, Count von Mensdorff-Pouilly. In 1825, Albert's great-uncle, Frederick IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, died. The death led to a re-arrangement of the Saxon duchies the following year and Albert's father became reigning duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Albert and his elder brother, Ernest, spent their youth in a close companionship scarred by their parents' turbulent marriage and eventual separation and divorce. After their mother was exiled from court in 1824, she married her lover, Alexander von Hanstein, Count of Polzig and Beiersdorf. She probably never saw her children again and died of cancer at the age of 30 in 1831. The following year, their father married his own niece, his sons' cousin Princess Antoinette Marie of Württemberg, but the marriage was not close, and Antoinette Marie had little, if any, input into her stepchildren's lives.

The brothers were educated privately at home by Christoph Florschütz and later in Brussels, where Adolphe Quetelet was one of their tutors. Like many other princes, Albert studied at the University of Bonn as a young adult. Albert studied law, political economy, philosophy, and art history. He played music and excelled in gymnastics, especially fencing and riding. His teachers in Bonn included the philosopher Fichte and the poet Schlegel.

Marriage

of Prince Albert, 1848]] By 1836, the idea of marriage between Albert and his cousin, Victoria, had arisen in the mind of their ambitious uncle, Leopold, who had been King of the Belgians since 1831. At this time, Victoria was the heir presumptive to the British throne. Her father, Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George III, had died when she was a baby, and her elderly uncle, William IV, was king. Her mother, the Duchess of Kent, Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the sister of both Albert's father – the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – and Leopold, King of the Belgians. Leopold arranged for his sister, Victoria's mother, to invite the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his two sons to visit her in May 1836, with the purpose of meeting Victoria. King William IV, however, disapproved of any match with the Coburgs, and instead favoured the suit of Prince Alexander, second son of William II of the Netherlands. Victoria was well-aware of the various matrimonial plans and critically appraised a parade of eligible princes. She wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; his hair is about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth; but the charm of his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful." Alexander, on the other hand, was "very plain". Although the parties did not undertake a formal engagement, both the family and their retainers widely assumed that the match would take place.

Victoria came to the throne aged just eighteen on 20 June 1837. Her letters of the time show interest in Albert's education for the role he would have to play, although she resisted attempts to rush her into marriage. In the winter of 1838–39, the prince visited Italy, accompanied by the Coburg family's confidential adviser, Baron Stockmar.

Albert returned to England with Ernest in October 1839 to visit the Queen, with the object of settling the marriage. Albert and Victoria felt mutual affection and the Queen proposed to him on 15 October 1839. Victoria's intention to marry was declared formally to the Privy Council on 23 November, and the couple married on 10 February 1840 at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace. Just before the marriage, Albert was naturalised by Act of Parliament, and granted the style of Royal Highness by an Order-in-Council. The British Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, advised the Queen against granting her husband the title of "King Consort". Parliament even refused to make Albert a peer – partly because of anti-German feeling and a desire to exclude Albert from any political role. Melbourne led a minority government and the opposition took advantage of the marriage to weaken his position further. They opposed the ennoblement of Albert and granted him a smaller annuity than previous consorts, £30,000 instead of the usual £50,000. Albert claimed that he had no need of a British peerage; he wrote, "It would almost be step downwards, for as a Duke of Saxony, I feel myself much higher than as a Duke of York or Kent." For the next seventeen years, Albert was formally titled "HRH Prince Albert" until, on 25 June 1857, Victoria formally granted him the title Prince Consort.

Consort of the Queen

The position in which the prince was placed by his marriage, while one of distinction, also offered considerable difficulties; in Albert's own words, "I am very happy and contented; but the difficulty in filling my place with the proper dignity is that I am only the husband, not the master in the house." The Queen's household was run by her former governess, Baroness Lehzen. Albert referred to her as the "House Dragon", and manoeuvred to dislodge the Baroness from her position.

Within two months of the marriage, Victoria was pregnant. Albert started to take on public roles; he became President of the Society for the Extinction of Slavery (slavery had already been abolished throughout the British Empire, but was still lawful in places such as the United States and the colonies of France); and helped Victoria privately with her government paperwork. In June 1840, while on a public carriage ride, Albert and the pregnant Victoria were shot at by Edward Oxford, who was later judged insane. Neither was hurt and Albert was praised in the newspapers for his courage and coolness during the attack. Albert was gaining public support as well as political influence, which showed itself practically when, in August, Parliament passed the Regency Act 1840 to designate him Regent in the event of Victoria's death before their child reached the age of majority. Their first child, Victoria, named after her mother, was born in November. Eight other children would follow over the next seventeen years. All nine children survived to adulthood, a fact which biographer Hermione Hobhouse credited to Albert's "enlightened influence" on the healthy running of the nursery. In early 1841, he successfully removed the nursery from Lehzen's pervasive control, and in September 1842, Lehzen left England permanently – much to Albert's relief.

After the 1841 general election, Melbourne was replaced as Prime Minister by Sir Robert Peel, who appointed Albert as chairman of the Royal Commission in charge of redecorating the new Palace of Westminster. The Palace had burnt down seven years before, and was being rebuilt. As a patron and purchaser of pictures and sculpture, the commission was set up to promote the fine arts in Britain. The commission's work was slow, and the architect, Charles Barry, took many decisions out of the commissioner's hands by decorating rooms with ornate furnishings which were treated as part of the architecture. Albert was more successful as a private patron and collector. Among his notable purchases: early German and Italian paintings – such as Lucas Cranach the Elder's Apollo and Diana and Fra Angelico's St. Peter Martyr – and contemporary pieces from Franz Xaver Winterhalter and Edwin Landseer. Dr. Ludwig Gruner, of Dresden, assisted Albert in buying pictures of the highest quality.

Albert and Victoria were shot at again on both 29 and 30 May 1842, but were unhurt. The culprit, John Francis, was detained and condemned to death, although he was later reprieved. Some of their early unpopularity came about because of their stiffness and adherence to protocol in public, though in private the couple were more easy-going. In early 1844, Victoria and Albert were apart for the first time since their marriage when he returned to Coburg on the death of his father.

, Isle of Wight]] By 1844, Albert had managed to modernise the royal finances and through various economies had sufficient capital to purchase Osborne House on the Isle of Wight as a private residence for their growing family. Over the next few years a house modelled in the style of an Italianate villa was built to the designs of Albert and Thomas Cubitt. Albert laid out the grounds, and improved the estate and farm. Albert managed and improved the other royal estates; his model farm at Windsor was admired by his biographers, and under his stewardship the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall – the hereditary property of the Prince of Wales – steadily multiplied.

Unlike many landowners who approved of child labour and opposed Peel's repeal of the Corn Laws, Albert supported moves to raise working ages and free up trade. In 1846, Albert was rebuked by Lord George Bentinck when he attended the debate on the Corn Laws in the House of Commons to give tacit support to Peel. During Peel's premiership, Albert's authority behind, or beside, the throne became more apparent. He had access to all the Queen's papers, was drafting her correspondence and was present when she met her ministers, or even saw them alone in her absence. The clerk of the Privy Council, Charles Greville, wrote of him: "He is King to all intents and purposes."

Reformer and innovator

In 1847, he was elected Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, but only after a close contest with the Earl of Powis, who was killed accidentally by his own son during a pheasant shoot the following year. Albert used his position as Chancellor to campaign successfully for reformed and more modern university curricula, expanding the subjects taught beyond the traditional mathematics and classics to include modern history and the natural sciences.

That summer, Victoria and Albert spent a rainy holiday in the west of Scotland at Loch Laggan, but heard from their doctor, Sir James Clark, that his son had enjoyed dry, sunny days further east at Balmoral Castle. The tenant of Balmoral, Sir Robert Gordon, died suddenly in early October, and Albert began negotiations to take over the lease of the castle from the owner, the Earl Fife. In May the following year, Albert leased Balmoral, which he had never visited, and in September 1848 he, his wife and the older children went there for the first time. They came to relish the privacy it afforded. was housed in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London.]] Revolutions spread throughout Europe in 1848 as the result of a widespread economic crisis. Throughout the year, Victoria and Albert complained about Foreign Secretary Palmerston's independent foreign policy, which they believed destabilised foreign European powers further. Albert was concerned for many of his royal relatives, a number of whom were deposed. He and Victoria, who gave birth to their daughter Louise during that year, spent some time away from London in the relative safety of Osborne. Although there were sporadic demonstrations in England, no effective revolutionary action took place, and Albert even gained public acclaim when he expressed paternalistic, yet well-meaning and philanthropic, views. In a speech to the Society for the Improvement of the Condition of the Labouring Classes, of which he was President, he expressed his "sympathy and interest for that class of our community who have most of the toil and fewest of the enjoyments of this world". It was the "duty of those who, under the blessings of Divine Providence, enjoy station, wealth, and education" to assist those less fortunate than themselves. The Great Exhibition of 1851 arose from the annual exhibitions of the Society of Arts, of which Albert was President from 1843, and owed the greater part of its success to his efforts to promote it. Albert served as president of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, and had to fight for every stage of the project. In the House of Lords, Lord Brougham fulminated against the proposal to hold the exhibition in Hyde Park. Opponents of the exhibition prophesied that foreign rogues and revolutionists would overrun England, subvert the morals of the people, and destroy their faith. Albert thought such talk absurd and quietly persevered, trusting always that British manufacturing would benefit from exposure to the best products of foreign countries. A surplus of £180,000 was raised, which went to purchase land in South Kensington and establish educational and cultural institutions there – including what would later be named the Victoria and Albert Museum. The area was referred to as "Albertopolis" by sceptics.

Family and public life (1852–1859)

, Arthur, The Prince Consort, The Prince of Wales, Leopold (in front of him), Louise, Queen Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria and Helena]] In 1852, a timely legacy to the Royal Family made it possible for Albert to obtain the freehold of Balmoral, and as usual he embarked on an extensive program of improvements. The same year, he was appointed to several of the offices left vacant by the death of the Duke of Wellington, including the mastership of Trinity House and the colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards. With Wellington out of the picture, Albert was able to propose and campaign for modernisation of the army, which was long overdue. Thinking that the military was unready for war, and that Christian rule was preferable to Islamic rule, Albert counselled a diplomatic solution to conflict between the Russian and Ottoman empires. Palmerston was more bellicose, and favoured a policy which would prevent further Russian expansion. Palmerston was manoeuvred out of the cabinet in December 1853, but at about the same time a Russian fleet attacked the Ottoman fleet at anchor at Sinop. The London press depicted the attack as a criminal massacre, and Palmerston's popularity surged as Albert's fell. Within two weeks, Palmerston was re-appointed as a minister. As public outrage at the Russian action continued, absurd rumours circulated that Albert had been arrested for treason. By March 1854, Britain and Russia were embroiled in the Crimean War. Early British optimism soon faded as the press reported that British troops were ill-equipped and mismanaged by aged generals using out-of-date tactics and strategy. The conflict dragged on as the Russians were as poorly prepared as their opponents. The Prime Minister, the Earl of Aberdeen, resigned and Palmerston succeeded him. A negotiated settlement eventually put an end to the war with the Treaty of Paris. During the war, Albert arranged to marry his fourteen-year-old daughter, Victoria, to Prince Frederick William of Prussia, though Albert delayed the marriage until Victoria was seventeen. Albert hoped that his daughter and son-in-law would be a liberalising influence in the enlarging Prussian state.

Albert involved himself in promoting many public educational institutions. Chiefly at meetings in connection with these he spoke of the need for better schooling. A collection of his speeches was published in 1857. Recognised as a supporter of education and technological progress, he was invited to speak at scientific meetings, such as the memorable address he delivered as president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science when it met at Aberdeen in 1859. His espousal of science spawned opposition from the Church. His proposal of a knighthood for Charles Darwin, after the publication of On the Origin of Species, was rejected.

Albert continued to devote himself to the education of his family and the management of the royal household. His children's governess, Lady Lyttelton, thought him unusually kind and patient, and described him joining in family games with enthusiasm. He felt keenly the departure of his eldest daughter for Prussia when she married her fiancé at the beginning of 1858, and was disappointed that his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, did not respond well to the intense educational programme that Albert had designed for him. At the age of seven, the Prince of Wales was expected to take six hours of instruction, including an hour of German and an hour of French every day. When the Prince of Wales failed at his lessons, Albert caned him. Corporal punishment was common at the time, and was not thought unduly harsh. Albert's biographer Roger Fulford wrote that the relationships between the family members were "friendly, affectionate and normal ... there is no evidence either in the Royal Archives or in the printed authorities to justify the belief that the relations between the Prince and his eldest son were other than deeply affectionate." Philip Magnus wrote in his biography of Albert's eldest son that Albert "tried to treat his children as equals; and they were able to penetrate his stiffness and reserve because they realised instinctively not only that he loved them but that he enjoyed and needed their company."

Final year

During a trip to Coburg in the autumn of 1860, Albert was driving alone in a carriage drawn by four horses which suddenly bolted. As the horses continued to gallop toward a stationary wagon waiting at a railway crossing, Albert jumped for his life from the carriage. One of the horses was killed in the collision, and Albert was badly shaken, though his only physical injuries were cuts and bruises. He told his brother and eldest daughter that he sensed his time had come.

In 1861, Victoria's mother and Albert's aunt, the Duchess of Kent, died and Victoria was grief-stricken; Albert took on most of the Queen's duties, despite being ill himself with chronic stomach trouble. In August, Victoria and Albert visited the Curragh Camp, Ireland, where the Prince of Wales was doing army service. It was there that the Prince of Wales was introduced, by his fellow officers, to Nellie Clifden, an Irish actress.

By November, Victoria and Albert had returned to Windsor, and the Prince of Wales had returned to Cambridge, where he was a student. Two of Albert's cousins, King Pedro V and Prince Ferdinand of Portugal, died of typhoid fever. On top of this news, Albert was informed that gossip was spreading in gentlemen's clubs and the foreign press that the Prince of Wales was still involved with Nellie Clifden. Albert and Victoria were horrified by their son's indiscretion, and feared blackmail, scandal or pregnancy. Although Albert was ill and at a low ebb, he travelled to Cambridge to see the Prince of Wales to discuss his son's indiscreet affair. On 9 December, one of Albert's doctors, William Jenner, diagnosed typhoid fever. Congestion of the lungs supervened, and Albert died at 10:50 p.m. on 14 December 1861 in the Blue Room at Windsor Castle, in the presence of the Queen and five of their nine children. Though the contemporary diagnosis was typhoid fever, modern writers have pointed out that Albert was ill for at least two years before his death, which may indicate that a chronic disease, such as renal failure or cancer, was the cause of death.

Legacy

, London]] , London]]

The Queen's grief was overwhelming, and the tepid feelings the public had felt for Albert previously were replaced by sympathy. Victoria wore black in mourning for the rest of her long life, and Albert's rooms in all his houses were kept as they had been, even with hot water brought in the morning, and linen and towels changed daily. Such practices were not uncommon in the houses of the very rich. Victoria withdrew from public life and her seclusion eroded some of Albert's work in attempting to re-model the monarchy as a national institution setting a moral, if not political, example. Albert is credited with introducing the principle that the British Royal Family should remain above politics. Before his marriage to Victoria, she supported the Whigs; for example, early in her reign Victoria managed to thwart the formation of a Tory government by Sir Robert Peel by refusing to accept substitutions which Peel wanted to make among her ladies-in-waiting.

Albert's body was temporarily entombed in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The mausoleum at Frogmore, in which his remains were deposited a year after his death, was not fully completed until 1871. The sarcophagus, in which both he and the Queen were eventually laid, was carved from the largest block of granite that had ever been quarried in Britain. Despite Albert's request that no effigies of him should be raised, many public monuments were erected all over the country, and across the British Empire. The most notable are the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial in London. The plethora of memorials erected to Albert became so great that Charles Dickens told a friend that he sought an "inaccessible cave" to escape from them.

All manner of objects are named after Prince Albert, from Lake Albert in Africa to the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, to the Albert Medal presented by the Royal Society of Arts. Four regiments of the British Army were named after him: 11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars; Prince Albert's Light Infantry; Prince Albert's Own Leicestershire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry, and The Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade. He and Queen Victoria showed a keen interest in the establishment and development of Aldershot in Hampshire as a garrison town in the 1850s. They had a wooden Royal Pavilion built there in which they would often stay when attending reviews of the army. Albert established and endowed the Prince Consort's Library at Aldershot, which still exists today.

Biographies published after his death were typically heavy on eulogy. Theodore Martin's five-volume magnum opus was authorised and supervised by Queen Victoria, and her influence shows in its pages. Nevertheless, it is an accurate and exhaustive account. Lytton Strachey's Queen Victoria (1921) was discredited in part by mid-twentieth-century biographers such as Hector Bolitho and Roger Fulford, who (unlike Strachey) had access to Victoria's journal and letters. Other popular myths about Prince Albert – such as the claim that he introduced Christmas trees to Britain – are dismissed by scholars. More recent biographers, such as Stanley Weintraub, portray Albert as a figure in a tragic romance, who died too soon and was mourned by his lover for a lifetime.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Name	Albert, Prince Consort
Dipstyle	His Royal Highness
Offstyle	Your Royal Highness
Altstyle	Sir

Titles and styles

26 August 1819 – 12 November 1826: His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duke of Saxony

12 November 1826 – 6 February 1840: KT: Knight of the Thistle KP: Knight of St Patrick The blazon is written as: "Quarterly, 1st and 4th, the Royal Arms, with overall a label of three points Argent charged on the centre with cross Gules; 2nd and 3rd, Barry of ten Or and sable, a crown of rue in bend Vert". The Prince's peculiar arms was a: "singular example of quartering differenced arms, [which] is not in accordance with the rules of Heraldry, and is in itself an heraldic contradiction." Prior to his marriage the Prince used the arms of his father, undifferenced.

On his stallplate as a Knight of the Garter his arms are ensigned by a royal crown and show the six crests of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; these are from left to right: 1. "A bull's head caboshed Gules armed and ringed Argent, crowned Or, the rim chequy Gules and Argent" for Mark. 2. "Out of a coronet Or, two buffalo's horns Argent, attached to the outer edge of each five branches fesswise each with three linden leaves Vert" for Thuringia. 3. "Out of a coronet Or, a pyramidal chapeau charged with the arms of Saxony ensigned by a plume of peacock's feathers Proper out of a coronet also Or" for Saxony. 4. "A bearded man in profile couped below the shoulders clothed paly Argent and Gules, the pointed coronet similarly paly terminating in a plume of three peacock's feathers" for Meissen. 5. "A demi griffin displayed Or, winged Sable, collared and langued Gules" for Jülich. 6. "Out of a coronet Or, a panache of peacock's feathers Proper" for Berg. However in 1917, during the First World War, King George V abandoned heraldic references to the royal family's German heritage, and the Saxon shield was removed.

Children

{| border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;" |- bgcolor="#cccccc" !width="30%"|Name!! width="14%"|Birth!! width="14%"|Death!! width="64%"|Notes |- |The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal||21 November 1840||5 August 1901||married 1858, Frederick III, German Emperor; had issue |- |Edward VII||9 November 1841||6 May 1910||married 1863, Princess Alexandra of Denmark; had issue |- |The Princess Alice||25 April 1843||14 December 1878||married 1862, Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine; had issue |- |The Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Edinburgh||6 August 1844||30 July 1900||married 1874, Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia; had issue |- |The Princess Helena||23 or 25 May 1846||9 June 1923||married 1866, Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein; had issue |- |The Princess Louise||18 March 1848||3 December 1939||married 1871, John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll; no issue |- |The Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn||1 May 1850||16 January 1942||married 1879, Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia; had issue |- |The Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany||7 April 1853||28 March 1884||married 1882, Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont; had issue |- |The Princess Beatrice||14 April 1857||26 October 1944||married 1885, Prince Henry of Battenberg; had issue |}

Prince Albert's 40 grandchildren included four reigning monarchs: King George V of the United Kingdom; Wilhelm II, German Emperor; Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse; and Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Albert's many descendants include royalty and nobility throughout Europe.

Ancestry

See also

John Brown

List of coupled cousins

Royal Albert Memorial Museum

References

Sources

Ames, Winslow (1968). Prince Albert and Victorian Taste. London: Chapman and Hall.

Bennett, Daphne (1977). King without a crown: Albert, Prince Consort of England, 1819–1861. Heinemann.

Darby, Elizabeth; Smith, Nicola (1983). The Cult of the Prince Consort New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03015-0

Finestone, Jeffrey (1981). The Last Courts of Europe. London; The Vendome Press. ISBN 0-86565-015-2

Fulford, Roger (1949). The Prince Consort. London: Macmillan Publishers.

Hobhouse, Hermione (1983). Prince Albert: His Life and Work. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 0-241-11142-0

Jagow, Kurt (ed.) (1938). The Letters of the Prince Consort, 1831–61 London.

Martin, Theodore (1874–80). The Life of H. R. H. the Prince Consort 5 volumes, authorised by Queen Victoria

Weintraub, Stanley (1997). Albert: Uncrowned King. London: John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-5756-9

Weir, Alison (1996). Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (Revised edition). London: Random House. ISBN 0-7126-7448-9

External links

HDL.handle.net, The collected compositions of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, edited by W. G. Cusins; from Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection

RoyalCollection.org.uk, "Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha" at the Royal Collection

Category:1819 births Category:1861 deaths Category:British Field Marshals Category:Chancellors of the University of Cambridge Category:German immigrants to the United Kingdom Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Category:Knights Companion of the Order of the Star of India Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Knights of St Patrick Category:Knights of the Garter Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece Category:Knights of the Thistle Category:People from Coburg Category:Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Category:Princes of the United Kingdom Category:Royal Fellows of the Royal Society Category:University of Bonn alumni Category:Queen Victoria Category:Honorary Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Category:Presidents of the Zoological Society of London

Coordinates	12 °4 ′″N75 °13 ′″N
Playername	Roger Federer
Caption	Federer at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
Country
Residence	Bottmingen, Switzerland
Birth date	August 08, 1981
Birth place	Basel, Switzerland
Height
Turnedpro	1998
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Careerprizemoney	US$63,343,910
Singlesrecord	777–182 (81.11%)
Singlestitles	67
Highestsinglesranking	No. 1 (2 February 2004)
Currentsinglesranking	No. 3 (21 March 2011)
Australianopenresult	W (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010)
Frenchopenresult	W (2009)
Wimbledonresult	W (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
Usopenresult	W (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Othertournaments	Yes
Masterscupresult	W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010)
Olympicsresult	4th place (losing bronze-finalist) ()
Doublesrecord	115–74 (60.6%)
Doublestitles	8
Othertournamentsdoubles	yes
Grandslamsdoublesresults	yes
Australianopendoublesresult	3R (2003)
Frenchopendoublesresult	1R (2000)
Wimbledondoublesresult	QF (2000)
Usopendoublesresult	3R (2002)
Olympicsdoublesresult	Gold Medal ()
Highestdoublesranking	No. 24 (9 June 2003)
Currentdoublesranking	No. 99 (21 March 2011)
Updated	7 November 2010}}

}}

Roger Federer () (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 13 June 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles. He is one of seven male players to capture the career Grand Slam and one of three (with Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal) to do so on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). He is the only male player in tennis history to have reached the title match of each Grand Slam tournament at least 5 times. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer as the greatest tennis player of all time.

Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam finals, of which 10 were consecutive appearances, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals over the four and a half years from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open, excluding the 2008 Australian Open. He holds the record of reaching the semifinals or better of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments over five and a half years from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. In the 2011 French Open he reached his 28th consecutive quarterfinal in the Grand Slam tournaments, breaking the record set by Jimmy Connors.

Federer has won a record five ATP World Tour Finals (shared with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras) and 17 ATP Masters Series tournaments (tied second all-time). He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. For the past eight years (2003–2010) he has been in the top two in the year-end rankings.

As a result of Federer's successes in tennis, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record four consecutive years (2005–2008). He is often referred to as The Federer Express or abbreviated to Fed Express, the Swiss Maestro In 2011, Federer was ranked #25 in Forbes Celebrity 100 List.

Early life

Childhood and personal life

Federer was born in Binningen, near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette. He holds both Swiss and South African citizenships. He grew up in suburban Münchenstein, near Basel, close to the French-German borders and Federer speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently. He considers German his first language. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome. Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his 'obligations'.

Marriage and family

Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec. They met while both competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Vavrinec retired from the tour in 2002 because of a foot injury and has since been working as Federer's public relations manager. They were married in Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family at Wenkenhof Villa (municipality of Riehen). On 23 July 2009, Mirka gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.

Outreach and charitable efforts

Federer supports a number of charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports. In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006. At the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition involving several top players from the ATP tour and WTA tour called Rally for Relief. The proceeds from the event went to the victims of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Since then, he has visited South Africa and Tamil Nadu, one of the areas in India most affected by the tsunami. He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer responded by arranging a collaboration with fellow top tennis players Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur to forgo their final day of preparation for the 2010 Australian Open to form a special charity event called Hit for Haiti, in which all proceeds will go to the Haiti earthquake victims. He was named as a 2010 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in recognition of his leadership, accomplishments and contributions to society.

Similar to the 2010 event, Hit for Haiti, Federer organized and participated in a charity match called Rally for Relief on 16 January 2011, to benefit those that were affected in the 2010-2011 Queensland floods. Federer is currently number 25 on Forbes top 100 celebrities.

Tennis career

Pre-1998: Junior years

Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon, where he won both the singles tournament over Irakli Labadze 6–4, 6–4 and in doubles teamed up with Olivier Rochus, in which they defeated the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram 6–4, 6–4. In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior tournament in 1998 to David Nalbandian in 3–6, 5–7. He won four other ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl where he defeated Guillermo Coria 7–5, 6–3 in the finals. He ended 1998 as the junior World Number One.

1998–2002: Early career in the ATP

Roger Federer's first tournament as a professional was Gstaad in 1998 (12th grade), where he faced Lucas Arnold Ker in the Round of 32, and he lost 4–6, 4–6. Federer's first final came at the Marseille Open, which was in 2000, and he lost to fellow Swiss Marc Rosset 6–2, 3–6, 6–7(5). Federer won in 2001 the Hopman Cup representing Switzerland, with Martina Hingis. Federer's first win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter by a score of 6–4, 6–7(7), 6–4. In addition, Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay in 6–1, 6–3, 6–4 over Marat Safin; the victory made him a top-10 player for the first time. From 1998 to 2002, Federer made six finals in doubles. Of note are Federer and partner Max Mirnyi's defeat in the final of the Indian Wells Masters in 2002, and their victory in the same year in the final of the Rotterdam 500 series event. Federer had won the latter the year earlier with partner Jonas Björkman. Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 event in Miami with Max Mirnyi, and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost. Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0. Federer would also take four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati (on hard court) and Hamburg (on clay). Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final 6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3, which was the start of their storied rivalry. In the Australian Open, Federer defeated Marcos Baghdatis 5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 Federer made five ATP Masters Series 1000 finals in 2007, winning the Hamburg and Madrid titles. Federer was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, at the French Open 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 and at Wimbledon 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7, when he was going for six straight wins to break Björn Borg's record.

In 2009, Federer won two Grand Slam singles titles, which were the French Open over Robin Söderling 6–1, 7–6(1), 6–4 and the Wimbledon Championships over Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14. Federer reached two other Grand Slam finals, losing to Nadal at the Australian Open 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(3), 3–6, 6–2 and to Juan Martín del Potro at the US Open 3–6, 7–6(5), 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–2. In the final, Federer defeated Andy Murray 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(11), whom he also beat in the 2008 US Open final. Federer was just one week away from equalling Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks as World No. 1. This is the first time since 2001 that Federer has entered Wimbledon having won only one title for the year. In a big surprise, Federer lost in the quarterfinal to Tomáš Berdych 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–4, and fell to World No. 3 in the rankings for the first time in nearly seven years, but he did win his 200th Grand Slam match in the first round. At the 2010 US Open, Federer reached the semifinals, avenging his French Open loss to Söderling in the quarterfinals. Federer lost a five-set match to number three seed and 2008 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic 7–5, 1–6, 7–5, 2–6, 5–7. At the Cincinnati Masters, Federer won his first title in eight months as he became the first player since Agassi to retain the title, as he beat Fish in the final. He also equaled Agassi for the number of Masters wins at 17 and tied Borg's mark for number of total titles won and moved to just one behind Sampras. His next appearance was in Shanghai, where he lost to Andy Murray for the second time this year in a Masters' Series final. Towards the middle of July, Federer hired Pete Sampras' old coach Paul Annacone to put his tennis game and career on the right path on a trial period basis. Federer won two straight titles at the Stockholm Open, an ATP-250 level event, and in Basel, an ATP-500 level contest, which brought his tally to 65 career titles, equaling and surpassing Pete Sampras' total of 64 titles on the ATP Tour. Lastly, Federer won the Year-End Championships (now known as the World Tour Finals) by beating rival Rafael Nadal, for his fifth title at the event. He showed much of his old form, beating all contenders except Nadal in straight sets. After hiring Paul Annacone as his coach, Federer has entered nine tournaments, won five of them, was runner up in two, and reached the semifinals of the other two. Since Wimbledon 2010, Federer has a win loss record of 34–4, and has had multiple match points in two of his losses: to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal of the US Open, and Gael Monfils in the semifinal of the Paris Masters. Federer did not play in the 2010 Davis Cup.

At the start of the 2011 season, Federer defeated Nikolay Davydenko 6–3 6–4 to win the 2011 Qatar Open without dropping a set, it was his third title following wins in 2005 and 2006. Federer was defeated in straight sets during the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open by Novak Djokovic, marking the first time since July 2003 that he did not win any four of the Grand Slams he appeared in consecutively. He went on to make it to the final in Dubai, losing 3–6 3–6 to Djokovic. Federer then entered the first Masters 1000 event of the year, the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, receiving a first round bye, he faced Igor Andreev of Russia in the first round 7–5 7–6(4), he blitzed 29th seed Juan Ignacio Chela in the third round 6–0 6–2, in the fourth round, he beat American qualifier Ryan Harrison 7–6(4) 6–3, in the quarterfinals, he beat compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka 6–3 6–4. He then fell to world number 3, Novak Djokovic, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 relinquishing the number 2 ranking. Federer also reached the doubles final alongside Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, beating rival Rafael Nadal along the way. Federer and Wawrinka lost to Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse 6–4, 6–7, 10–7 in the doubles final. Federer then entered the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. He defeated Radek Stepanek in the second round 6–3, 6–3. He beat Juan Monaco 7–6, 6–4 and then Olivier Rochus 6–3, 6–1. He then beat Gilles Simon 3–0 retired due to Simon's neck injury. This set up a 23rd match up with arch-rival, Rafael Nadal. Nadal dominated the match and beat Federer 6–3, 6–2 which made the hard court head to head between Federer and Nadal 4–4. Roger Federer then moved on to the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco; after receiving a first round bye Federer played an impressive match showing his intent on winning this event by defeating world number 34 Philipp Kohlschreiber 6–2, 6–1 in the second round of the tournament. Federer then moved onto the third round of the tournament where he faced world number 22 Marin Cilic, and again played an outstanding match defeating the Croat 6–4, 6–3. Federer faced world number 9 Jürgen Melzer in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters but suffered a surprise straight sets loss, 4–6, 4–6, giving Melzer his first victory against Federer in 4 meetings. His next appearance was at the Madrid Masters. He struggled through his opening match and barely came out with a win against Feliciano Lopez after three tiebreak games, finishing with a score of 7–6(13), 6–7(1), 7–6(7). He then flew through the next two rounds, defeating Xavier Malisse and Robin Söderling with tallies of 6–4, 6–3, and 7–6(2), 6–4, respectively. He met Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and fought to advance to the final, winning the first set, but Nadal took control of the rest of the game, defeating Federer 5–7, 6–1, 6–3. Federer then moved to compete in the Rome Masters, where he opened with a victory over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–4, 6–2. He faced Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the third round, but lost a very close match in the third set tiebreak, 6–4, 6(2)-7, 6(4)-7. Federer then competed in the 2011 French Open, expressing relief that some pressure was off of him and more on Novak Djokovic, who had not yet lost to that point in 2011. He won the first round with 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(3) on Feliciano Lopez. He faced Maxime Teixeira on the second round and achieved a straight set victory 6–3, 6–0, 6–2. He defeated Janko Tipsarević of Serbia 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 in the third round to reach the last 16. He then defeated his fellow countryman, Stanislas Wawrinka 6–3,6–2,7–5 to reach his 28th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. In the corresponding quarterfinal, he beat the only French remaining in the tournament Gael Monfils 6–4, 6–3, 7–6 to setup a semifinal with Novak Djokovic. In the semifinal, he ended Novak Djokovic's streak of 43 consecutive wins and hopes of attaining the number 1 ranking by winning 7–6 (7–5), 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 (7–5) to setup a final with Rafael Nadal, which he lost 5-7, 6-7(3), 7-5, 1-6.

Rivalries

Federer vs. Nadal

Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.

They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until 14 September 2009, when Nadal fell to World No. 3 (Andy Murray became the new No. 2). They are the only pair of men to have ever finished four consecutive calendar years at the top. Federer was ranked number 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004. Nadal, who is five years younger, ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008.

Nadal leads their head-to-head 17–8. However, most of their matches have been on clay, which is Nadal's best surface. Federer has a winning record on the other surfaces. Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 19 of their matches have been in tournament finals, including an all-time record 8 Grand Slam finals. From 2006 to 2008 they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final, and then they met in the 2009 Australian Open final and the 2011 French Open final. Nadal won six of the eight, losing the first two Wimbledons. Three of these matches were five set-matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open), and the 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts. They have also played in a record 9 Masters Series finals, including their lone five hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters which Nadal won in a fifth-set tie-break having saved two match points.

Until 14 September 2009, when Juan Martín del Potro beat Nadal in the US Open semifinal on his way to defeating Federer in the final itself, no player had beaten both Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam. Federer was undefeated in US Open finals until losing in five sets to del Potro (5). Both Federer and Nadal have won Grand Slam events on three different surfaces successively (2008 French Open, 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open for Nadal and 2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, 2009 Wimbledon for Federer). Federer lost to Nadal on June 5, 2011 in the French Open final.

Federer vs. Hewitt

Federer and Lleyton Hewitt have played each other on 25 occasions. Early in their careers, Hewitt dominated Federer, winning seven of their first nine meetings, including a victory from two sets down in the 2003 Davis Cup semifinal which allowed Australia to defeat Switzerland. However, from 2004 onward, Federer has dominated the rivalry, winning 15 of the last 16 meetings to emerge with a 17–8 overall head-to-head record. This is Federer's longest rivalry as these two first played each other as juniors in 1996. They have met in one Grand Slam final, the 2004 US Open final, where Federer won 6–0, 7–6, 6–0 to win his first US Open title. Federer is 9–0 against Hewitt in Grand Slams, and has won six of the Grand Slams in which he has defeated Hewitt.

Federer vs. Nalbandian

David Nalbandian was Federer's biggest rival earlier in his career. Both players had an outstanding junior career, Federer won the Wimbledon junior title and Nalbandian won the US Open junior title (beating Federer). Even though Federer has a narrow advantage against Nalbandian, leading their meetings 10–8, Nalbandian beat Federer in their first five meetings after turning professional, including the fourth round of both the Australian Open and US Open in 2003. Their most impressive match was in the 2005 Shanghai Tennis Master Cup, where Nalbandian came back from being two sets to love down against Federer and ultimately prevailed in a fifth set tiebreak. The loss prevented Federer from tying John McEnroe's 82–3 all-time single year record, set in 1984. Nalbandian, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Murray have beaten Federer 8 times, with only Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic recording more victories over Federer.

Federer vs. Djokovic

These two have met 23 times with Federer leading 14–9, and 5–3 in Grand Slam events. Djokovic is the only player besides Nadal to have defeated Federer more than once in a Grand Slam tournament since 2004, and the only player besides Nadal to defeat Federer in consecutive grand slam tournaments (2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open). Djokovic is one of two (the other again being Nadal) players currently on tour to have defeated Federer in straight sets at a Grand Slam (2008 Australian Open and 2011 Australian Open).

Because of the continuously improving game and general rise of Djokovic in the last 3 years, many experts include Djokovic when talking about Nadal and Federer (all 3 have played each other more than 22 times) and Federer has cited his rivalry with Djokovic as his second favorite after his rivalry with Nadal. Experts such as John McEnroe have said that this is the beginning of a new change in tennis and have coined the current situation "The Trivalry" between Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer. Djokovic's recent back-to-back-to-back wins against Federer at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells tournament have made this rivalry even more intense. During that span, Djokovic had gone on a 43–0 winning streak dating back to the Davis Cup final the previous year. Federer ended Djokovic's perfect 41–0 season defeating him in the semifinals of the 2011 French Open.

Federer vs. Murray

These two have met 14 times, all hard courts, with Murray leading 8–6. Federer has won each of their Grand Slam matches (both were in the final) in straight sets at the 2008 US Open and 2010 Australian Open, but Murray leads 5–1 in ATP 1000 tournaments. They have met three times in the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray winning in Shanghai in 2008 and Federer in London in 2009 and 2010. Apart from Nadal, Murray is the only other current top ten player to have a positive head to head record against Federer.

Federer vs. Roddick

One of Federer's longest rivalries is with Andy Roddick. Having met on many occasions, including four Grand Slam finals (three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open), Federer leads 20–2. Federer's dominance on the tour emerged as Roddick rose to World No. 1 ranking in 2003.

In the 2009 Wimbledon final Roddick took Federer to five sets. It included a fifth-set made up of 30 games (a Grand Slam final record) with the match lasting over 4 hours. With that victory, Federer broke Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles.

Playing style

.]] Federer's versatility was summarized by Jimmy Connors: "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer."

Federer is an all-court, all-round player known for his style of play and shot making. Federer mainly plays from the baseline but is also comfortable at the net being one of the best volleyers in the game today. He has a very effective smash and very effectively performs rare elements in today's tennis, such as backhand smash, half-volley and jump smash (slam dunk). David Foster Wallace described Federer's exceptional speed, fluidity and brute force of this forehand motion as "a great liquid whip," while John McEnroe has referred to Federer's forehand as "the greatest shot in our sport." Federer plays with a single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. He employs the slice, occasionally using it to lure the opponent to the net and pass him. Federer can also fire topspin winners and possesses a 'flick' backhand where he can generate pace with his wrist; this is usually used to pass the opponent at the net. however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph). and used this tactic especially frequently in his early career. His speciality is a half-volley from the baseline which enables him to play very near to the baseline and to pick up balls (even deeper ones) very early after their bounce, thus giving his opponents less time to react on his shot. Late in his career Federer also added the drop shot to his game and utilizes a well-disguised one off of both wings. He sometimes uses a between-the-legs shot, which is colloquially referred to as a "tweener." His most notable use of the tweener was in the semifinals of the 2009 US Open against Novak Djokovic, bringing him match point.

Equipment, apparel, endorsements

Federer currently plays with a customised Wilson Six.One Tour BLX tennis racquet, which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 12.5 ounces, and thin beam of 17 millimeters. His grip size is 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3). Federer strings his racquets at 24 to 28 kilograms (52.9 to 61.7 pounds) tension utilizing Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross strings.

Federer is one of the highest-earning athletes in the world. He has a contract with Nike footwear and apparel. For the 2006 championships at Wimbledon, Nike designed a jacket emblazoned with a crest of three tennis racquets, symbolising the three Wimbledon Championships he had previously won, and which was updated the next year with four racquets after he won the Championship in 2006. In Wimbledon 2008 and again in 2009, Nike continued this trend by making him a personalised cardigan. He also has his own logo, an R and F joined together. Federer endorses Gillette, Jura, a Swiss-based coffee machine company, as well as Mercedes-Benz and NetJets. Federer also endorses Rolex watches, although he was previously an ambassador for Maurice Lacroix. Also in 2009 Federer became brand ambassador for Swiss chocolate makers Lindt. In 2010 his endorsement by Mercedes-Benz China was extended into a global Mercedes-Benz partnership deal.

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center;font-size:98% !Tournament!!1998!!1999!!2000!!2001!!2002!!2003!!2004!!2005!!2006!!2007!!2008!!2009!!2010!!2011!!width=65|Career SR!!width=65|Career W-L!!width=65|Career % |- | colspan="18" style="text-align:left;"|'''Grand Slam Tournaments |- | style="background:#efefef; text-align:left;"|Australian Open |A |LQ |style="background: #afeeee"|3R |style="background: #afeeee"|3R |style="background: #afeeee"|4R |style="background: #afeeee"|4R |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: yellow"|SF |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: yellow"|SF |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: yellow"|SF |style="background: #efefef"|4 / 12 |style="background: #efefef"|59–8 |style="background: #efefef"|88.06 |- | style="background:#efefef; text-align:left;"|French Open |A |style="background: #afeeee"|1R |style="background: #afeeee"|4R |style="background: #ffebcd"|QF |style="background: #afeeee"|1R |style="background: #afeeee"|1R |style="background: #afeeee"|3R |style="background: yellow"|SF |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: #ffebcd"|QF |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: #efefef"|1 / 13 |style="background: #efefef"|49–12 |style="background: #efefef"|80.33 |- | style="background:#efefef; text-align:left;"|Wimbledon |A |style="background: #afeeee"|1R |style="background: #afeeee"|1R |style="background: #ffebcd"|QF |style="background: #afeeee"|1R |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: #ffebcd"|QF | |style="background: #efefef"|6 / 12 |style="background: #efefef"|55–6 |style="background: #efefef"|90.16 |- | style="background:#efefef; text-align:left;"|US Open |A |LQ |style="background: #afeeee"|3R |style="background: #afeeee"|4R |style="background: #afeeee"|4R |style="background: #afeeee"|4R |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: yellow"|SF | |style="background: #efefef"|5 / 11 |style="background: #efefef"|56–6 |style="background: #efefef"|90.32 |- | style="background:#efefef; text-align:left;"|Win–Loss |style="background: #efefef"|0–0 |style="background: #efefef"|0–2 |style="background: #efefef"|7–4 |style="background: #efefef"|13–4 |style="background: #efefef"|6–4 |style="background: #efefef"|13–3 |style="background: #efefef"|22–1 |style="background: #efefef"|24–2 |style="background: #efefef"|27–1 |style="background: #efefef"|26–1 |style="background: #efefef"|24–3 |style="background: #efefef"|26–2 |style="background: #efefef"|20–3 |style="background: #efefef"|11–2 |style="background: #efefef"|16 / 48 |style="background: #efefef"|219–32 |style="background: #efefef"|87.25 |}

"A" means that the player did not play at the event.

"LQ" means that the player lost in the qualifying rounds of the tournament.

"*" means that the tournament is ongoing.

;Finals: 23 (16 titles, 7 runner-ups) {|class="sortable wikitable" |- |width=100|'''Outcome |width=50|'''Year |width=200|'''Championship |width=75|'''Surface |width=200|'''Opponent in the final |width=200|'''Score in the final |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2003||Wimbledon (1)||Grass|| Mark Philippoussis||7–6(5), 6–2, 7–6(3) |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2004||Australian Open (1)||Hard|| Marat Safin||7–6(3), 6–4, 6–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2004||Wimbledon (2)||Grass|| Andy Roddick||4–6, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4 |- style="background:#ccf;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2004||US Open (1)||Hard|| Lleyton Hewitt||6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2005||Wimbledon (3)||Grass|| Andy Roddick||6–2, 7–6(2), 6–4 |- style="background:#ccf;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2005||US Open (2)||Hard|| Andre Agassi||6–3, 2–6, 7–6(1), 6–1 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2006||Australian Open (2)||Hard|| Marcos Baghdatis||5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 |- style="background:#ebc2af;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2006||French Open (1)||Clay|| Rafael Nadal||6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4) |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2006||Wimbledon (4)||Grass|| Rafael Nadal||6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3 |- style="background:#ccf;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2006||US Open (3)||Hard|| Andy Roddick||6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2007||Australian Open (3)||Hard|| Fernando González||7–6(2), 6–4, 6–4 |- style="background:#ebc2af;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2007||French Open (2)||Clay|| Rafael Nadal||3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2007||Wimbledon (5)||Grass|| Rafael Nadal||7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2 |- style="background:#ccf;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2007||US Open (4)||Hard|| Novak Djokovic||7–6(4), 7–6(2), 6–4 |- style="background:#ebc2af;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2008||French Open (3)||Clay|| Rafael Nadal||1–6, 3–6, 0–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2008||Wimbledon (1)||Grass|| Rafael Nadal||4–6, 4–6, 7–6(5), 7–6(8), 7–9 |- style="background:#ccf;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2008||US Open (5)||Hard|| Andy Murray||6–2, 7–5, 6–2 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2009||Australian Open (1)||Hard|| Rafael Nadal||5–7, 6–3, 6–7(3), 6–3, 2–6 |- style="background:#ebc2af;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2009||French Open (1)||Clay|| Robin Söderling||6–1, 7–6(1), 6–4 |- style="background:#cfc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2009||Wimbledon (6)||Grass|| Andy Roddick||5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14 |- style="background:#ccf;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2009||US Open (1)||Hard|| Juan Martín del Potro||6–3, 6–7(5), 6–4, 6–7(4), 2–6 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2010||Australian Open (4)||Hard|| Andy Murray||6–3, 6–4, 7–6(11) |- style="background:#ebc2af;" |bgcolor=FFA07A|Runner-up||2011||French Open (4)||Clay|| Rafael Nadal|| 5–7, 6–7(3), 7–5, 1–6 |}

Year-End Championship performance timeline

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center;font-size:98% !Tournament!!1998!!1999!!2000!!2001!!2002!!2003!!2004!!2005!!2006!!2007!!2008!!2009!!2010!!2011!!width=65|Career SR!!width=65|Career W-L!!width=65|Career % |- | colspan="18" style="text-align:left;"|'''Year-End Championship tournaments |- | style="background:#efefef; text-align:left;"|YEC |NQ |NQ |NQ |NQ |style="background: yellow"|SF |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: thistle"|F |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: lime"|'''W |style="background: #afeeee"|RR |style="background: yellow"|SF |style="background: lime"|'''W | |style="background: #efefef" rowspan=2|5 / 9 |style="background: #efefef" rowspan=2|34–7 |style="background: #efefef" rowspan=2|82.93 |- | style="background:#efefef; text-align:left;"|Win–Loss |style="background: #efefef"|0–0 |style="background: #efefef"|0–0 |style="background: #efefef"|0–0 |style="background: #efefef"|0–0 |style="background: #efefef"|3–1 |style="background: #efefef"|5–0 |style="background: #efefef"|5–0 |style="background: #efefef"|4–1 |style="background: #efefef"|5–0 |style="background: #efefef"|4–1 |style="background: #efefef"|1–2 |style="background: #efefef"|2–2 |style="background: #efefef"|5–0 | |}

;Finals (5 titles, 1 runner-up)

{|class="sortable wikitable" |- |width=100|'''Outcome |width=50|'''Year |width=200|'''Championship |width=75|'''Surface |width=200|'''Opponent in the final |width=200|'''Score in the final |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2003|| Houston||Hard|| Andre Agassi||6–3, 6–0, 6–4 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2004|| Houston||Hard|| Lleyton Hewitt||6–3, 6–2 |- style="background:#ffc;" |style="background: #FFA07A"|Runner-up||2005|| Shanghai||Carpet (i)|| David Nalbandian||7–6(4), 7–6(11), 2–6, 1–6, 6–7(3) |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2006|| Shanghai||Hard (i)|| James Blake||6–0, 6–3, 6–4 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2007|| Shanghai||Hard (i)|| David Ferrer||6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |- style="background:#ffc;" |bgcolor=98FB98|Winner||2010|| London||Hard (i)|| Rafael Nadal||6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |}

Olympic games

;(1 gold medal) {|class="sortable wikitable" |- |width=100|'''Outcome |width=50|'''Year |width=200|'''Championship |width=75|'''Surface |width=95|'''Partner |width=100|'''Opponents |width=200|'''Score in the final |- style="background: gold" |style="background: #98fb98"|Winner || 2008 | Beijing |Hard | Wawrinka | Aspelin Johansson |6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4), 6–3 |}

Records

These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis.

Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.

Records in italics are currently active streaks.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |- ! Time span ! Selected Grand Slam tournament records ! Players matched |- | Wimbledon 2003 — Australian Open 2010 || 16 titles || Stands alone |- | Wimbledon 2003 — French Open 2009 || Career Grand Slam || Rod Laver Andre Agassi Rafael Nadal |- | Wimbledon 2003 — French Open 2011 || 23 finals || Stands alone |- | Wimbledon 2005 — US Open 2007 || 10 consecutive finals || Stands alone |- | Wimbledon 2004 — Australian Open 2010 || 23 consecutive semifinals ||Stands alone |- | Wimbledon 2004 — French Open 2011 || 28 consecutive quarterfinals ||Stands alone |- | 2006–2007 || 2 consecutive years winning 3+ titles || Stands alone |- | 2004 & 2006–2007 || 3 years winning 3+ titles || Stands alone |- | 2004–2007 || 4 consecutive years winning 2+ titles || Stands alone |- | 2004–2007 & 2009 || 5 years winning 2+ titles || Stands alone |- | 2003–2010 || 8 consecutive years winning 1+ title || Björn Borg Pete Sampras |- | Australian Open 2004 — Australian Open 2010 || 9 hard-court titles ||Stands alone |- | Wimbledon 2003 — Australian Open 2006 || First 7 finals won ||Stands alone |- | Australian Open 2004 — US Open 2010 || 7 consecutive years winning 20+ matches || Ivan Lendl |- | French Open 2006 — US Open 2009 || Runner-up finishes at all 4 grand slams || Ivan Lendl |- | US Open 2006 — French Open 2007 || 36 consecutive sets won || Stands alone |- | US Open 2007 || 35 consecutive service points won || Stands alone |- | US Open 2007 || $2.4 million earned at one event || Stands alone |- | Wimbledon 2009 || 50 aces in a final || Stands alone |- | French Open 2004 — Wimbledon 2008 || 18 consecutive No. 1 seeds || Stands alone |- | Wimbledon 2003 — Australian Open 2010 || 4+ titles at 3 different grand slams || Stands alone |- |2003 Wimbledon - 2011 French Open||5+ finals at all 4 grand slams|| Stands alone |- | 2005 Wimbledon — 2007 French Open|| 2 winning streaks of 25+ matches || Stands alone |- | 2005 Wimbledon — 2009 US Open|| 3 winning streaks of 20+ matches || Stands alone |- | 2004 Wimbledon — 2009 US Open|| 5 winning streaks of 15+ matches || Stands alone |}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |- ! Grand Slam tournaments ! Time Span ! Records at each Grand Slam tournament ! Players matched |- | Australian Open || 2004–2010 || 4 titles overall || Andre Agassi |- | Australian Open || 2006–2007 || 2 consecutive titles || Ken Rosewall Guillermo Vilas Johan Kriek Mats Wilander Stefan Edberg Ivan Lendl Jim Courier Andre Agassi |- | Australian Open || 2004–2010 || 5 finals overall || Stefan Edberg |- | Australian Open || 2004–2011 || 8 consecutive semifinals || Stands alone |- | Australian Open || align=center|2007 || Won without dropping a set || Ken Rosewall |- | Australian Open || 2000–2011 || 59 singles match wins || Stands alone |- | French Open || 2006–2009 || 4 consecutive finals || Björn Borg Ivan Lendl Rafael Nadal |- | French Open || 2006–2008, 2011 || 4 runner-ups || Stands alone |- | French Open || 2006–2008 || 3 consecutive runner-ups || Stands alone |- | French Open || 2005–2009 || 5 consecutive semifinals || Stands alone |- | Wimbledon || 2003–2007 || 5 consecutive titles || Björn Borg |- | Wimbledon || 2003–2009 || 7 finals overall || Boris BeckerPete Sampras |- | Wimbledon || 2003–2009 || 7 consecutive finals || Stands alone |- | Wimbledon || 2003–2009 || 7 consecutive semifinals || Stands alone |- | US Open (Tennis)|US Open || 2004–2008 || 5 titles overall || Jimmy ConnorsPete Sampras |- | US Open || 2004–2008 ||5 consecutive titles || Stands alone |- | US Open || 2004–2009 ||40 consecutive match victories || Stands alone |}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |- ! Time span ! Other selected records ! Players matched |- | 2 February 2004 — 17 August 2008 || 237 consecutive weeks at No.1 || Stands alone |- | October 2003 — January 2005 || 26 consecutive match victories vs. top 10 opponents || Stands alone |- | 2005–2006 || 56 consecutive hard-court match victories|| Stands alone |- | 2003–2008 || 65 consecutive grass-court match victories || Stands alone |- | 2003–2005 || 24 consecutive tournament finals won || Stands alone |- | 2006 || 9 hard court titles in 1 season || Jimmy Connors |- | 2006 || 94.12% of tournament finals reached in 1 season || Stands alone |- | 2005–2006 || 2-season match winning percentage of 95.05% || Stands alone |- | 2004–2006 || 3-season match winning percentage of 94.27% || Stands alone |- | 2004–2007 || 4-season match winning percentage of 92.92% || Stands alone |- | 2002–2010 || 29 Masters 1000 finals reached || Rafael Nadal |- | 2005–2006 || 29 consecutive Masters 1000 match victories || Stands alone |- | 2004–2008 || 2 consecutive Olympic games as wire-to-wire No. 1 || Stands alone |- | 2005–2007 || 3 consecutive calendar years as wire-to-wire No. 1|| Stands alone |- | 2005–2007 || 3 calendar years as wire-to-wire No. 1 || Jimmy Connors |- | 2003–2010 || 5 ATP World Tour Finals titles|| Ivan LendlPete Sampras |- | 2007 || $10 million earned in a season || Rafael Nadal |- | 2005–2007 || 2 winning streaks of 35+ matches || Björn Borg |- | 2004–2009 || 6 winning streaks of 20+ matches || Stands alone |}

See also

Roger Federer career statistics

List of career achievements by Roger Federer

List of Grand Slam Men's Singles champions

List of male tennis players

Switzerland Davis Cup team

2008 Summer Olympics national flag bearers

References and notes

Further reading

Video

Wimbledon Classic Match: Federer vs Sampras Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 31 October 2006, Run Time: 233 minutes, ASIN: B000ICLR98.

Wimbledon 2007 Final: Federer vs. Nadal (2007) Kultur White Star, DVD Release Date: 30 October 2007, Run Time: 180 minutes, ASIN: B000V02CU0.

Wimbledon — The 2008 Finals: Nadal vs. Federer Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 19 August 2008, Run Time: 300 minutes, ASIN: B001CWYUBU.

External links

Official Site

Portrait Of The Champion – Roger Federer

Roger Federer Foundation

Roger Federer – Grand Slam History

Sortable list of Grand Slam opponents and stats

Profiles

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Australian Open (tennis) champions Category:French Open champions Category:Wimbledon champions Category:United States Open champions (tennis) Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners Category:Olympic gold medalists for Switzerland Category:Olympic tennis players of Switzerland Category:People from Basel-Stadt Category:Swiss-German people Category:Swiss people of South African descent Category:Swiss Roman Catholics Category:Swiss tennis players Category:Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:UNICEF people Category:World No. 1 tennis players Category:Male tennis players Category:Olympic medalists in tennis

Coordinates	12 °4 ′″N75 °13 ′″N
Playername	Juan Mónaco
Fullname	Juan Mónaco
Nickname	PiquitoPico
Country
Residence	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Birth date	March 29, 1984
Birth place	Tandil, Argentina
Height
Weight
Turnedpro	2002
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Careerprizemoney	$3,824,366
Singlesrecord	163–129
Singlestitles	3
Highestsinglesranking	No. 14 (February 4, 2008)
Currentsinglesranking	No. 37 (May 9, 2011)
Australianopenresult	3R (2008, 2010)
Frenchopenresult	4R (2007)
Wimbledonresult	1R (2005, 2007, 2009)
Usopenresult	4R (2007)
Doublesrecord	40–59
Doublestitles	2
Highestdoublesranking	No. 41 (January 5, 2009)
Grandslamsdoublesresults	yes
Australianopendoublesresult	3R (2009)
Frenchopendoublesresult	1R (2005, 2007)
Wimbledondoublesresult	1R (2005, 2009)
Usopendoublesresult	SF (2008)
Updated	September 28, 2009

Juan Mónaco (born March 29, 1984 in Tandil), nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He dated Argentinian model and actress Luisana Lopilato until May 2009. He is sponsored by adidas and Yonex.

Biography

Started playing at age six. His father, Héctor, is a businessman and mother, Cristina, is an architect. He has two siblings. He enjoys spending time at home in Tandil with family and friends. Favorite sports to follow are soccer and basketball. His favorite teams are Estudiantes de La Plata and the San Antonio Spurs. His favorite surface is clay. He grew up idolizing Andre Agassi and countryman Mariano Zabaleta. He also enjoys going to the cinema. His favorite movies are "Gladiator" and "Lord of the Rings" series. He is coached by former ATP pro Luis Lobo of Argentina. Juan Mónaco clothing and equipment are sponsored by adidas and Yonex.

Career

2002–2003

In 2002 Monaco made his pro circuit debut. On February 12 he won his first Tournament in Jamaica F20, Montego Bay by defeating Francisco Rodriguez of Paraguay. He ended the year ranked no. 470 in the singles.

In 2003 Monaco reached six finals finishing as runner-up in two events in Jamaica F3, Montego Bay losing to American Wayne Odesnik and in Argentina F6, Buenos Aires losing to compatriot Diego Moyano. He however won four which were all in Clay of his six finals he won in Jamaica F4, Montego Bay, in Bolivia F1, La Paz, in Argentina F1, Buenos Aires defeating and in Uruguay F2, Uruguay defeating Dmitri Sitak of Russia, and his fellow compatriots Matias O'Neille, Carlos Berlocq, and Ignacio Gonzalez King respectively. he ended the year ranked at 324 in singles.

2004

Monaco started 2004 by winning in São Paulo–1, Brazil defeating Adrián García of Chile. He also made his ATP Debut in his home of Buenos Aires, Argentina in the 2004 Argentina Open were he reached the Qaurterfinals (l. Guillermo Coria). He followed it up with a Third Round result in his first Master Series event in the 2004 NASDAQ–100 Open losing to Paradorn Srichaphan. He made his Grand Slam debut in the 2004 French Open as a Qualifier losing in the Second Round to eventual finalist and compatriot Guillermo Coria. He also reached the Quarterfinals of 2004 Swedish Open losing to Chilean Fernando González. He got his best result of the year in the ATP circuit reaching his first Semifinals in 2004 Idea Prokom Open in Sopot (l. to José Acasuso) and 2004 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia in Paloma (l. to Filippo Volandri). He also made his 2004 US Open debut but lost to compatriot Gastón Gaudio in the First Round. He ended the year inside the top 100 for the first time ranked no. 73 in singles.

2005

In 2005, Monaco made his 2005 Australian Open debut, losing in the First Round to American Mardy Fish 6–2, 0–6, 4–6, 6–4, 7–9. He reached the Second Round of the 2005 Pacific Life Open and Quarterfinals in 2005 BMW Open, both times losing to compatriot David Nalbandian. He reached his first ATP finals in Casablanca at the 2005 Grand Prix Hassan II but lost to compatriot Mariano Puerta. He reached the second Round of 2005 Internazionali BNL d'Italia and 2005 Hamburg Masters losing to Guillermo Cañas and Jiří Novák respectively. He lost in First Round of the 2005 French Open to Sébastien Grosjean. He made his Wimbledon Debut losing to future Australian Open champion Serbian Novak Djokovic. However he got his first top 20 win, defeating Spaniard David Ferrer, but lost the next Round to Tomáš Zíb in the 2005 Mercedes Cup Open. He reached the Quarterfinals in Vietnam Open losing to Radek Štěpánek. He ended the year 12 places lower than the previous year, at no. 85.

2006

In 2006 Monaco recorded 3 First Round exits at the first 2 months in ATP Buenos Aires, Movistar Open, and Adelaide and Second Round exits at the Australian Open and 2006 Medibank International. However he rebounded by reaching the Semifinals in Brasil Open losing to Nicolás Massú of Chile. Following the Semifinals appearance he lost four straight matches at the ATP circuit in Abierto Mexicano Telcel, 2006 NASDAQ–100 Open, 2006 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships and Grand Prix Hassan II. He also lost in the First Round of 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia losing to veteran French player Fabrice Santoro and lost in the Second Round of the 2006 Hamburg Masters losing to Robin Söderling.

Following the lost Monaco achieved great results the next four weeks. Reaching the quarterfinals in Poertschach (l. to Luis Horna), the Third Round of 2006 Roland Garros (l. to Ivan Ljubičić), Semifinals of the 2006 Mercedes Cup (l. to José Acasuso). Following the Semifinals appearance he lost four matches in a row again a Second Round lost in the Orange Warsaw Open (l. to Nikolay Davydenko) and First Round lost in the 2006 US Open, BCR Open Romania, and Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open. He reached the Third Round of AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships losing to Jarkko Nieminen. He ended the year ranked number 69 in singles.

In the doubles he made two Semifinals appearance in the 2007 Brasil Open partnering compatriot Agustín Calleri and in the 2007 Mercedes Cup partnering José Acasuso.

2007

2007 was Monaco's most successful year. Monaco started the year with a Quarterfinal appearance of the 2007 Heineken Open losing to compatriot Agustín Calleri. He also reached the Quarterfinals of the 2007 Brasil Open losing to another compatriot Juan Ignacio Chela. Monaco enters his home tournament of 2007 Copa Telmex in Buenos Aires as world ranked no. 66, and exited with his first ATP title dominating Alessio di Mauro in the finals in straight sets with the score 6–1 6–2.

However he exited in the First Rounds of his next three tournament in the 2007 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, 2007 Indian Wells Masters and a challenger event Sunrise. He reached the second round of the 2007 Miami Masters losing to David Ferrer. He also reached the Quarterfinals in 2007 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships losing to American James Blake and in 2007 Estoril Open (l. to Paul-Henri Mathieu). He qualified for Hamburg Masters but lost to no. 1 seed and eventual champion Roger Federer in the Second Round in three tight sets 3–6 6–2 4–6. Following his good performance against Federer, he went to compete in 2007 Hypo Group Tennis International and won the title against French Player Gaël Monfils 7–6(3) 6–0. In the 2007 Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets 1–6 3–6 in the Quarterfinals.

He won his third title of the year in the 2007 Austrian Open after defeating the no. 1 seed Tommy Robredo in the Quarterfinals 6–2 2–6 6–2 and Potito Starace in the Finals 5–7, 6–3, 6–4. in 2007 Cincinnati Masters he defeated a player in the top 5 for the first time and the highest ranked player he has defeated the world ranked no. 2 at the time Rafael Nadal 7–6(5), 4–1 RET, before losing to Sam Querrey in the Third Round. He also reached the Quarterfinals of 2007 Stockholm Open were he lost to Tommy Haas and the Third Round of 2007 Madrid Masters after revenging his lost against Tommy Haas in the Second Round winning 6–4 7–5.

In the Grand Slams, Monaco lost in the First Rounds of the 2007 Australian Open and 2007 Wimbledon losing to Nicolas Mahut and Kristof Vliegen respectively. Although, he reached the Fourth Round in the 2007 French Open and 2007 US Open, losing to former French Open Champion Guillermo Cañas and Novak Djokovic. These results are the farthest he has gone at Grand Slams. He ended the year ranked 23, his highest year-end rank.

2008

In 2008 Monaco started the year with a Semifinal appearance in 2008 Heineken Open losing to German Philipp Kohlschreiber. He also reached the Third Round of the 2008 Australian Open the furthest he has reached so far, losing to Tomáš Berdych. in his post Australian Open tournament, he reached the finals of 2008 Movistar Open before forcing to withdrew from the match against Fernando González before it even took place due to injuring his left ankle in his doubles match which was held before the Semifinal match of Fernando González even forcing to retire in the said doubles finals match. Following his performance in the said tournament and finals withdrawal he reached a career high world ranked number 14.

His next tournament was at 2008 Copa Telmex were he was the defending Champion but end up losing in the very First Round. He lost in the second Round of 2008 Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco continuing his bad record on the said tournament. He also reached the Third Round of both 2008 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells (l. to Guillermo Cañas) and 2008 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (l. to Mario Ančić). He represented Argentina in the Davis Cup Quarterfinal Clash against Sweden and won his only match against Thomas Johansson 6–3 6–3.

He reached the Quarterfinals of 2008 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana and Second Round of 2008 Monte Carlo Masters and 2008 Rome Masters losing to Nicolás Almagro and Igor Andreev respectively. He also reached the Third Round of 2008 Hamburg Masters (l. to Andreas Seppi) and the Finals of 2008 Hypo Group Tennis International losing to no. 1 seed Nikolay Davydenko. He reached the Semifinals of 2008 Orange Warsaw Open losing to Tommy Robredo. He then lost three matches in a row in the Beijing Olympics losing to Marin Čilić 4–6 7–6(5) 3–6, 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis and the 2008 US Open. He fell in the first rounds of 2008 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid (l. to Radek Štěpánek) and 2008 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon (l. to Gilles Simon). He reached the Second Round of both 2008 Stockholm Open and 2008 BNP Paribas Masters after qualifying in both tournaments. He ended the year 23 places lower at 46.

In the doubles Monaco started the year with a win in the 2008 Heineken Open partnering Luis Horna. He reached the Semifinals of 2008 US Open losing to Lukáš Dlouhý & Leander Paes, Finals of 2008 Movistar Open and Won in 2008 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana all partnering fellow Argintenian Máximo González.

2009

In 2009 Monaco started the year in 2009 Heineken Open losing to Serbian Viktor Troicki in the Second Round and a Quarterfinal appearance in the 2009 Movistar Open. He lost in the First Rounds of 2009 Brasil Open, the 2009 Australian Open and Acapulco. He reached his first finals of the year in Buenos Aires at the 2009 Copa Telmex losing to Tommy Robredo in a tight three setter 5–7 6–2 6–7(5). In the doubles He reached the Third Round of the 2009 Australian Open and the Finals of 2009 Brasil Open both partnering Lucas Arnold Ker

He represented Argentina in the Davis Cup defeating Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands. He also reached the Second Round of the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open losing to Andy Murray after winning the first set 6–4 3–6 2–6. He also reached the third round of 2009 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters losing to German Andreas Beck 6–3 2–6 5–7 after defeating Tommy Robredo 6–2, 6–4 in the Second Round and the 2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell losing to Fernando González after defeating Marat Safin in the First Round. He reached his first Masters Quarterfinals at the 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia entering as a Qualifier beating Andy Murray in the Second Round 1–6 6–3 7–5, Marin Čilić in the Third Round 6–4 6–4 then losing to Fernando González 6–2 3–6 4–6. He also reached the Round of 16 at the 2009 Estoril Open and the 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open were he faced three Spaniards losing to Fernando Verdasco after defeating Feliciano López and David Ferrer. He also represented Argentina along with Juan Martín del Potro and Máximo González at the 2009 ARAG World Team Cup were he won his only singles match aganist Serbian Janko Tipsarević. He reached the Second Round of Roland Garros losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

He lost in the First Round of Wimbledon still failing to capture his first win at the Slam losing to Nicolás Almagro 7–6(3) 7–6(7) 6–7(5) 4–6 6–8 a match that lasted almost four hours long. He represented Argentina once again in the Quarterfinal of the 2009 Davis Cup against Czech Republic losing both his matches. He then competed in the 2009 Swedish Open defeating eight seed Máximo González 7–6(4) 3–6 6–1, and dominating his next three matches against Victor Crivoi 6–0 7–6(1), no. 1 seed Fernando Verdasco 6–1 3–1RET, and no. 3 seed and defending Champion Tommy Robredo 6–0 6–2 before losing to Robin Söderling in the Finals 3–6 6(4)–7. In the 2009 International German Open he defeated Mikhail Youzhny 7–6(4) 6–3 and José Acasuso 6–1 1–1ret. He then lost to David Ferrer in the Third Round 6–4 5–7 2–6. Monaco will compete directly in the 2009 US Open without competing in any events in 2009 US Open Series. He lost to eventual champion Juan Martín del Potro 6–3 6–3 6–1 in the first Round of the 2009 US Open. At the 2009 BCR Open Romania Monaco reached his 3rd finals of the year but once again ending as runner-up to Albert Montañés 7–6(2) 7–6(5) after defeating qualifiers Júlio Silva and Pere Riba, 8th seed Pablo Cuevas and German Simon Greul respectively. respectively. Because of this final appearance he will end the year with 29 wins in clay, the most wins in the year in Clay out of any other players. In the 2009 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships and retired against Ernests Gulbis 6–3 4–1 ret in the second round after defeating Guillermo García López 5–0 ret. He the lost to Victor Troicki 6–1 6–2 in the first round of 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000. He lost to Joachim Johansson 6–4 6–4 after defeating Jan Hernych 6–2 5–7 7–5 in the first round of the 2009 If Stockholm Open.He is currently competing in the 2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon as the fourth seed he was upsetted by Michaël Llodra 6–3 6–4 in the second round after defeating Frenchman Josselin Ouanna 6–3 6–2 in 60 minutes converting 6 of 10 break points in the first round. He lost in the second round of 2009 Valencia Open 500 to Nikolay Davydenko 6–3 7–5 after failing to convert of his breaks of serve, He defeated Martín Vassallo Argüello in the match prior 6–3 6–2. He then lost to Novak Djokovic 6–3 7–5 despite leading 5–3 in the second set, after defeating Jérémy Chardy 7–6(6) 7–5 in the 2009 BNP Paribas Masters. This was his last tournaments, reaching three finals the most since winning 3 titles in 2007, He ended the year at no. 30 and the most clay court wins.

2010

Monaco started 2010 with the Heineken Open, where he defeated Horacio Zeballos 6–3, 6–0 in the first round but lost to eventual champion John Isner in three sets 5–7, 6–4, 6–3. He lost to 6th seed Nikolay Davydenko in the third round of the 2010 Australian Open 6–0, 6–3, 6–4, having defeated Ernests Gulbis 6–3 7–6(5) 6–1 and Michaël Llodra 3–6 3–6 7–6(5) 6–1 6–3. He lost to Thomaz Bellucci 6–2, 0–6, 6–4 in the Finals of the 2010 Movistar Open after defeating Nicolas Massú 6–3, 6–4, Juan Ignacio Chela 6–3, 7–5, Peter Luczak 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, and João Souza 6–1, 6–4 respectively. He lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Semifinals of the 2010 Copa Telmex 6–2, 7–6(7) just hours after defeating Horacio Zeballos 7–5, 6–1 in the Quarterfinals where he did not face a single break point, he also defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 7–6(3), 4–6, 6–2 in the 2nd round and Łukasz Kubot 6–4, 7–6(1). He lost Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semifinals of the 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel retiring with a abdominal strain after losing the first set 7–5 after receiving treatment at 5–4 Monaco, Monaco lead 4–2 in one stage of the first set. He defeated top seed Fernando Verdasco 7–5, 6–3 in the Quarterfinals, Juan Ignacio Chela 6–4, 7–6(4) for the second time in as many weeks and Alberto Martín 6–7(6), 7–5, 6–2.

He defeated Fabio Fognini 6–4, 7–5 in the second round of the 2010 BNP Paribas Open. He then faced Juan Carlos Ferrero in the third round, this was their 3rd straight meeting in a row with Ferrero prevailing in the other two. He upset Ferrero for the first time as he won 7–6(2), 3–6, 6–3 in a match than lasted over 3 hours. He then defeated Guillermo García López 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 converting 6 of 6 break points thus reaching his first hardcourt Master Series quarterfinals. He then lost to eventual champion Ivan Ljubičić in a three sets match by 4–6, 6–2, 6–1. In the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open where he lost to Fernando González 6–7(4), 6–4, 6–2, failing to convert several break points in the second set after defeating Marsel Ilhan 6–2, 7–5 in the second round.

In the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters he defeated qualifier Jarkko Nieminen 7–5, 7–5 for the first time in three meetings and was upset by Michael Berrer 6–4, 6–4 in the second round. His bad run continued as he was upset by Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the first round as the tenth seed of the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell 6–2, 3–6, 6–2 cause by failing to convert 12 of 13 break opportunities he had in the match. He defeated Igor Andreev 7–6(4), 7–5 but lost to Victor Hănescu 7–6(4), 6–4 in the second round of the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. In the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open he defeated Simon Greul 6–1, 6–1 and Thomaz Bellucci 6–2, 6–2. He lost to Nicolás Almagro 6–4, 6–1. He the lead Argentina to their second ARAG World Team Cup, at the Round Robin he defeated Serbia's Viktor Troicki 1–6, 6–3, 7–6(3) and lost to Jérémy Chardy 6–3, 6–4. In the finals he defeated American Sam Querrey 1–6, 6–2, 6–3. At the 2010 French Open he was upset by Qualifier Grega Žemlja in four sets in the first round. He then withdrew from the 2010 Wimbledon Championships due to a wrist injury and will miss 2 months of action. He made his return in the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in a losing effort to Thiemo de Bakker 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–3. He then lost in the first rounds of 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis, 2010 US Open and 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

In October, he reached an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final for the first time in the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000 by defeating Florent Serra 6–4, 7–6(3), Thiemo de Bakker 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, Mischa Zverev 6–2, 6–0 and Jürgen Melzer 6–7, 7–5, 6–2, but then lost to World No. 4, Andy Murray 6–4, 6–1. At the 2010 Valencia Open 500 he upset defending champion Andy Murray 6–2, 3–6, 6–2 in the second round but was then upset by Marcel Granollers 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the following round. Monaco, played his last tournament of the year at the BNP Paribas Masters where he defeated Sam Querrey 6–2, 7–6(7) but fell to no. 2 seed Novak Djokovic 6–4, 6–3 in the second round after failing to convert 7 of 8 break points.

2011

Monaco is set to begin his 2011 at the 2011 Heineken Open as the 5th seed, but was upset by Adrian Mannarino 6–4, 6–3. At the first Grand Slam of the year the Australian Open, he was upset by Robin Haase 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 in the second round. At the South American Clay season, he fell in the first round of 2011 Movistar Open to Maximo Gonzalez 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 and the quarterfinals of the 2011 Copa Claro and 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel losing to Stanislas Wawrinka and David Ferrer respectively. At the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, he was upset by American qualifier Ryan Sweeting 6–1, 0–6, 6–1 in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round. At the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, he fell to 3rd seed Roger Federer 7–6(4), 6–4 in the third round.

Singles titles (3)

{|class="wikitable" |-bgcolor="#efefef" |Legend (Singles) |-bgcolor="#e5d1cb" |Grand Slam (0) |-bgcolor="ffffcc" |Tennis Masters Cup / ATP World Tour Finals (0) |-bgcolor="#dfe2e9" |ATP Masters Series / ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0) |-bgcolor=#d0f0c0 |ATP International Series Gold / ATP World Tour 500 Series (1) |- |ATP International Series / ATP World Tour 250 Series (2) |}

{|class="wikitable" |-bgcolor="#efefef" |No. |Date |Tournament |Surface |Opponent in the final |Score |- |1. |February 19, 2007 |Buenos Aires, Argentina |Clay | Alessio di Mauro |6–1, 6–2 |- |2. |May 20, 2007 |Pörtschach, Austria |Clay | Gaël Monfils |7–6(3), 6–0 |-bgcolor=#d0f0c0 |3. |July 23, 2007 |Kitzbühel, Austria |Clay | Potito Starace |5–7, 6–3, 6–4 |}

Singles finalist (7)

{|class="wikitable" |-bgcolor="#efefef" |No. |Date |Tournament |Surface |Opponent in the final |Score |- |1. |April 4, 2005 |Casablanca, Morocco |Clay | Mariano Puerta |4–6, 1–6 |- |2. |January 28, 2008 |Viña del Mar, Chile |Clay | Fernando González |w/o |- |3. |May 19, 2008 |Poertschach, Austria |Clay | Nikolay Davydenko |2–6, 6–2, 2–6 |- |4. |February 16, 2009 |Buenos Aires, Argentina |Clay | Tommy Robredo |5–7, 6–2, 6–7(5) |- |5. |July 19, 2009 |Båstad, Sweden |Clay | Robin Söderling |3–6, 6–7(4) |- |6. |September 27, 2009 |Bucharest, Romania |Clay | Albert Montañés |6–7(2), 6–7(5) |- |7. |February 7, 2010 |Santiago, Chile |Clay | Thomaz Bellucci |2–6, 6–0, 4–6 |}

Doubles wins (2)

{|class="wikitable" |-bgcolor="#efefef" |No. |Date |Tournament |Surface |Partner |Opponents in the final |Score |- |1. |January 11, 2008 |Auckland, New Zealand |Hard | Luis Horna | Xavier Malisse Jürgen Melzer |6–4, 3–6, [10–7] |- |2. |April 19, 2008 |Valencia, Spain |Clay | Máximo González | Travis Parrott
Filip Polášek |7–5, 7–5 |}

Singles performance timeline

''To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only after a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. Davis Cup matches are included in the statistics. This table is current through the 2011 French Open. {|class=wikitable style=text-align:center;font-size:97% |- !Tournament!!2002!!2003!!2004!!2005!!2006!!2007!!2008!!2009!!2010!!2011!!W–L |- |colspan=15 align=left|'''Grand Slam tournaments |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Australian Open |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#efefef|6–7 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|French Open |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|4R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#efefef|7–8 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Wimbledon |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |A |bgcolor=#afeeee| |bgcolor=#efefef|0–3 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|US Open |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|4R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R | |bgcolor=#efefef|3–7 |- !style=text-align:left|Win–Loss !0–0 !0–0 !1–2 !0–4 !3–3 !6–4 !2–3 !1–4 !2–3 !1–2 !16–25 |- |colspan=15 align=left|'''Olympic Games |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Summer Olympics |colspan=2 style=color:#ccc|NH |A |colspan=3 style=color:#ccc|Not Held |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |colspan=3 style=color:#ccc|Not Held !0–1 |- |colspan=15 align=left|'''ATP Masters Series |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Indian Wells Masters |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|4R |A |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#efefef|7–5 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Miami Masters |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#efefef|7–8 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Monte-Carlo |A |A |A |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#efefef|4–4 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Rome |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#efefef|7–6 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Madrid |A |A |A |LQ |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#efefef|8–5 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Canada Masters |A |A |A |A |A |A |A |A |A | |bgcolor=#efefef|0–0 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Cincinnati |A |A |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R | |bgcolor=#efefef|2–2 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Shanghai |colspan=3 style=color:#ccc|NH |colspan=4 style=color:#ccc|Not ATP Masters Series |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=yellow|SF | |bgcolor=#efefef|4–2 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Paris Masters |A |A |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R | |bgcolor=#efefef|3–4 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Hamburg Masters |A |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |colspan=3 style=color:#ccc|NM1 |bgcolor=#efefef|5–4 |- |colspan=15 align=left|'''Career statistics |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Tournaments Played |0 |0 |13 |25 |23 |22 |22 |25 |20 |15 |bgcolor=#efefef|160 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Titles–Finals !0–0 !0–0 !0–0 !0–1 !0–0 !3–3 !0–2 !0–3 !0–1 !0–0 !3–10 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Hardcourt Win–Loss |0–0 |0–0 |2–3 |1–8 |3–8 |12–9 |9–10 |7–11 |14–11 |2–4 |bgcolor=#efefef|50–65 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Clay Win–Loss |0–0 |0–0 |13–9 |14–13 |15–15 |28–8 |19–9 |29–13 |16–9 |11–11 |bgcolor=#efefef|146–87 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Grass Win–Loss |0–0 |0–0 |0–0 |0–1 |0–0 |0–1 |0–0 |0–1 |0–0 |0–0 |0–3 |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Carpet Win–Loss |0–0 |0–0 |0–2 |2–2 |0–0 |1–1 |0–1 |0–0 |0–0 |0–0 |bgcolor=#efefef|3–6 |- !style=text-align:left|Overall Win–Loss !0–0 !0–0 !16–13 !17–25 !18–23 !41–19 !28–20 !36–26 !30–20 !13–14 !199–160 |- !style=text-align:left|Win % !0% !0% !55% !41% !44% !68% !58% !58% !60% !48% !% |- |bgcolor=#efefef align=left|Year End Ranking |605 |319 |73 |85 |69 |23 |46 |30 |26 | !– |}

Head-to-head against other players

Monaco's win-loss record against certain players who have been ranked World No. 10 or better is as follows:

Players who have been ranked World No. 1 are in boldface.

Mario Ančić 0–1

Marcos Baghdatis 1–0

James Blake 0–2

Tomáš Berdych 0–2

Jonas Björkman 1–0

Guillermo Cañas 0–3

Marin Čilić 1–1

Arnaud Clément 0–2

Guillermo Coria 0–2

Albert Costa 1–0

Nikolay Davydenko 1–4

Juan Martín del Potro 1–1

Novak Djoković 0–4

Roger Federer 0–2

David Ferrer 3–2

Juan Carlos Ferrero 1–2

Gastón Gaudio 0–2

Fernando González 0–6

Tommy Haas 1–1

Lleyton Hewitt 0–0

Joachim Johansson 1–2

Thomas Johansson 2–0

Nicolas Kiefer 1–0

Gustavo Kuerten 1–0

Nicolás Lapentti 2–0

Ivan Ljubičić 1–2

Nicolás Massú 3–2

Gaël Monfils 2–2

Carlos Moyá 1–1

Andy Murray 2–2

Rafael Nadal 1–2

David Nalbandian 1–2

Tommy Robredo 3–2

Andy Roddick 0–0

Marat Safin 2–0

Gilles Simon 1–3

Robin Söderling 1–4

Paradorn Srichaphan 2–1

Radek Štěpánek 0–3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 0–2

Fernando Verdasco 6–2

Mikhail Youzhny 1–0

Jürgen Melzer 5–1

ATP Tour career earnings

{|class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width=50% |- ! Year !! Majors !! ATP wins !! Total wins !! Earnings ($) !! Money list rank |- ! 2004 |0||0||0 |align="right"|$194,712 |118 |- ! 2005 |0||0||0 |align="right"|$284,361 |86 |- ! 2006 |0||0||0 |align="right"|$267,330 |94 |- ! 2007 |0||3||3 |align="right"|$695,945 |25 |- ! 2008 |0||0||0 |align="right"|$555,206 |50 |- ! 2009* |0||0||0 |align="right"|$689,637 |34 |- ! 2010* |0||0||0 |align="right"|$739,989 |29 |-class="sortbottom" ! Career* ! 0 !! 3 !! 3 ! $3,451,417 ! 151 |}

As of November 8, 2010

Reference

External links

Monaco Recent Match Results

Monaco World Ranking History

Mónaco celebrated the first ATP title of his career (Juan Mónaco, Guillermo Vilas and Gabriela Sabatini together in Buenos Aires) at Clarín

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:People from Tandil Category:Argentine tennis players Category:Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic tennis players of Argentina

Coordinates	12 °4 ′″N75 °13 ′″N
Name	Jean Michel Jarre
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Born	August 24, 1948
Origin	Lyon, France
Instrument	Synthesizer, Piano, Organ, Laser harp, accordion, guitar, bass guitar
Genre	Electronic music, instrumental music, New Age, ambient, Electronic rock
Occupation	Composer, musician, artist, producer
Years active	1969–present
Label	Disques Dreyfus, Polydor/PolyGram, Epic/SME, Warner Bros., EMI
Url

Jean-Michel André Jarre (born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, synthpop, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.

Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and grandparents, and trained on the piano. From an early age he was introduced to a variety of art forms, including those of street performers, jazz musicians, and the artist Pierre Soulages. He played guitar in a band, but his musical style was perhaps most heavily influenced by Pierre Schaeffer, a pioneer of musique concrète at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales.

His first mainstream success was the 1976 album Oxygène. Recorded in a makeshift studio at his home, the album sold an estimated 12 million copies. Oxygène was followed in 1978 by Équinoxe, and in 1979 Jarre performed to a record-breaking audience of more than a million people at the Place de la Concorde, a record he has since broken three times. More albums were to follow, but his 1979 concert served as a blueprint for his future performances around the world. Several of his albums have been released to coincide with large-scale outdoor events, and he is now perhaps as well known as a performer as a musician.

Jarre has sold an estimated 80 million albums and singles. He was the first Western musician to be allowed to perform in the People's Republic of China, and holds the world record for the largest-ever audience at an outdoor event.

Early life, influences, and education

Jean Michel Jarre was born on 24 August 1948 in Lyon, the son of composer Maurice Jarre and French Resistance member and concentration camp survivor France Pejot. The two separated when Jarre was five years old; his father moved to the United States, while his mother remained in the suburbs of Paris to look after their son. Jarre did not meet his father again until he was eighteen. For the first eight years of his life, Jarre spent six months of each year at his grandparent's flat along the Cours de Verdun, in the Perrache district of Lyon. Jarre has cited the street performers he watched from his window there as an influence on his art (traces of this can be found on his album Équinoxe, particularly "Équinoxe Part 8").

Jarre struggled with his classical piano studies, although he later changed teacher and began work on his scales. A more general interest in musical instruments was sparked by the discovery at the Saint-Ouen flea market of a Boris Vian Trumpet Violin. He often accompanied his mother to Le Chat Qui Pêche (The Fishing Cat), a friend's Paris jazz club, where saxophonists Archie Shepp and John Coltrane, and trumpet players Don Cherry and Chet Baker were regular performers. Jarre cites these early experiences of Jazz as introducing him to the idea that music may be "descriptive, without lyrics". He was also influenced by the work of French artist Pierre Soulages, whose exhibition at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris he attended. Soulages' paintings used multiple textured layers, and Jarre realised that "for the first time in music, you could act as a painter with frequencies and sounds." He was also influenced by more traditional music; in a 2004 interview for The Guardian, he spoke of the effect that a performance of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring had upon him:

As a young man he funded his lifestyle by painting, exhibiting some of his works at the Lyon Gallery – L'Oeil Ecoute. He also played in a band called Mystère IV (Mystery 4). While he studied at the Lycée Michelet his mother arranged for him to take lessons in harmony, counterpoint and fugue with Jeannine Rueff of the Conservatoire de Paris. and he spent time working at the studio of influential German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne. In the kitchen of his flat on Rue de la Trémoille, near the Champs-Élysées in Paris, he set up a small recording studio, which included EMS VCS 3 and EMS Synthi AKS synthesisers, and two linked Revox tape machines. In 1971 he was commissioned by choreographer Norbert Schmucki to perform a ballet at the Palais Garnier, named AOR (in Hebrew, "light")). Jarre also composed music for ballet, theatre, advertisements and television programs, and in 1972 wrote music for the International Festival of Magic.

Mainstream success: 1976–1982

Jarre's achieved international stardom with his 1976 solo album, Oxygène. It comprises six numbered synthesiser tracks that make strong use of melody, rather than rhythm or dissonance. Recorded at his home studio on a Scully eight-track recorder, on a small budget, Oxygène was composed with such instruments as the Eminent 310 (with an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone phaser on its string pads), the Korg Minipops drum machine, and liberal use of echo on the various sound effects generated by the VCS3 synthesiser. and by April 1977 the album had sold 70,000 copies in France. When interviewed in Billboard magazine Dreyfus's director Stanislas Witold said "In a sense we're putting most of our bets on Jean Michel Jarre. He is quite exceptional and we're sure that by 1980 he will be recognised worldwide." Oxygène has since sold an estimated 12 million copies, and is the best-selling French record of all time. Although not as commercially successful as Oxygène its release was followed in 1979 by a large open-air concert at the Place de la Concorde, on Bastille Day. The event's success was not fully anticipated; the crowds were so large that Jarre's wife, Charlotte Rampling, found it difficult to access the venue. Although it was not the first time that Jarre had performed in concert (he had already played at the Paris Opera Ballet), the 40 minute-long event, which used projections of light, images and fireworks, served as a blueprint for Jarre's future concerts. It also served as Jarre's introduction to Francis Rimbert – brought together by Michel Geiss, Jarre used Rimbert's sythesizer setup for the performance. Today Rimbert works for Jarre on a full-time basis.

By the time that Les Chants Magnétiques was released on 20 May 1981, Oxygène and Équinoxe had achieved global sales of about 6 million units; in its first two months Les Chants Magnétiques sold a reported 200,000 units in France alone. The sounds used are primarily those of the Fairlight CMI, which gave Jarre the chance to continue his earlier sonic experimentation, using digital technology to make the collection and processing of sounds much easier. Jarre and Peter Gabriel were among the first artists to take delivery of the Fairlight platform and make heavy use of it. The album's release coincided with Jarre's first foreign tour. In 1981 the British Embassy in Beijing gave Radio Beijing copies of Oxygène and Équinoxe, which became the first pieces of foreign music to be played on Chinese national radio in decades. Jarre was then invited by the republic to perform The Concerts in China, the first western musician to perform a concert there. The performances were scheduled to run from 18 October to 5 November 1981. To boost the audience attendance for the second night, Jarre and his production team purchased some of the concert tickets and gave them to children on the streets (Jarre originally intended for the concerts to be free, but the Chinese authorities charged between £0.20 and £0.50 per ticket). The concert was notable for the lack of audience involvement during the performance; the Chinese were apparently nonplussed by both the music and the light show, and applause was muted. The second venue in Shanghai was a different matter – Jarre actively encouraged audience participation by stepping into the crowd, which became much more exuberant than that in Beijing.

1983–1989

On 5 July 1983 Jarre auctioned the only existing vinyl print of his newest album, Musique pour Supermarché, Despite their destruction, much of the music on these tapes was reworked into his 1984 album Zoolook. It combines analogue synthesis with ethnic and vocal music, and makes heavy use of the sampling capabilities of the Fairlight CMI. Zoolook also features samples of words and speech in different languages from around the globe, creating a diverse range of sounds and effects. The album was somewhat less successful than Jarre's previous works, reaching only no.47 in the UK album charts and no.86 in Canada.

}}

In 1985 Jarre was invited by the musical director of the Houston Grand Opera in Texas to perform a concert to celebrate the city and state's 150th anniversary. Although he was busy with other projects and was initially unimpressed by the proposal, he later visited the city. He was immediately impressed by the visual grandeur of the city's skyline, and agreed to perform. That year also marked the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, "Ron's Piece" was performed by Kirk Whalum.

Several months later about one million people before eventually refusing the licence application. The local fire service were also concerned that in the event of a fire, they would be unable to gain access. Work continued on the site, and Jarre's team looked at other locations around the UK, but following improvements to both on and off-site safety Jarre eventually won conditional approval on 28 September to stage two separate performances from 8–9 October.

Along with thousands in the surrounding streets and parks, 200,000 people watched Jarre perform with guests such as guitarist Hank Marvin. The performances were not without issues; inclement weather had threatened to break the stage from its moorings, and although the original plan was to have Jarre float across the Royal Victoria Dock on the first evening, winds of over 30 knots meant that it was deemed unsafe – the winds were so strong that television cameras were blown over. The audience, which included Diana, Princess of Wales, He later promoted a concert near the Pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico, to be held during the solar eclipse of 11 July 1991, but the project stalled. Several weeks before the scheduled performance, important equipment had not arrived and the sinking in the Atlantic Ocean of a cargo ship containing the purpose-built pyramidal stage and other technical equipment made the staging of the concert impossible. Jarre's disappointment was such that he "could not cope with Mexican food for two years".

Along with Jarre's traditional collection of instruments, such as the ARP 2600 and Mini Moog, Jarre used newer state-of-the-art equipment such as the Roland JD-800 and the Kurzweil K2000. This album features sampled clocks and contemporary rhythms, driving the tempo. Its release was followed by Jarre's first large scale tour. A series of 16 performances across Europe, Europe In Concert occurred on a smaller scale than his previous concerts. Chronologie was central to the tour's repertoire. The set featured a miniature skyline, laser imaging, and fireworks. Locations included Lausanne, Mont St Michel, London, Manchester, Barcelona, Sevilla and the Versailles Palace near Paris. Jarre performed in Hong Kong on 11 March 1994, to mark the opening of the city's new stadium, as a continuation of the tour. The sold-out event included a range of entertainers, including bikini-clad Brazilians.

Jarre performed at the Concert for Tolerance on Bastille Day in 1995 (he had in 1993 accepted the offer to become a Goodwill Ambassador of Tolerance and Youth for UNESCO The following December he created a website called "A Space for Tolerance". The site featured music from En Attendant Cousteau, played while the user browsed a variety of "visual worlds".

After years of experimenting with new technology, with Oxygène 7–13 he returned to the analogue synthesisers of the 1970s. The album was released in 1997, more than 20 years after Oxygène, and was dedicated to his mentor at the GRM, Pierre Schaeffer, who had died in 1995. Eschewing the digital techniques developed in the 1980s, in an interview for The Daily Telegraph he said:

On 6 September that year the Moscow State University became the backdrop for a spectacular display of image projections, skytrackers and fireworks. The event, celebrating the 850th anniversary of Moscow, was viewed by an audience of about 3.5 million, his fourth record for the largest ever outdoor concert audience. The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, had taken place on the same day, and the composer dedicated "Souvenir of China" to her memory, followed by a well-observed minute's silence.

In July 1998 he became the first artist spokesman for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. He rallied hundreds of musicians in a petition to the European Parliament over the proposed European Union Copyright Directive. He was succeeded in the post by The Corrs, in July 2000. On 31 December 1999 Jarre held a three-hour music and light show in the Egyptian desert near Giza. The Twelve Dreams of the Sun celebrated the new millennium and offered a preview of his next album, Métamorphoses. Beginning on New Year's Eve, the show featured performances from more than 1,000 local artists and musicians, and was based on ancient Egyptian mythology about the journey of the sun and its effect upon humanity. Addressing the audience, Jarre said "I hope the new millennium will witness international understanding". Jarre's anthemic work melded electronic music with Western jazz and Arabic rhythms and melodies, and was accompanied by lasers projected onto the backdrop of the pyramids and the Sahara Desert. The compositions and their arrangement on this techno-based album co-produced with Joachim Garraud marked a departure from Jarre's previous style. Sound effects used include radio interference from mobile phones (used on the track "Tout est Bleu"), and Macintalk, a Macintosh program used to generate lyrics on the track "Love, Love, Love". Laurie Anderson makes her second guest appearance in the Jarre discography (her first was on Zoolook on the track "Diva". Other contributors include Natacha Atlas and Sharon Corr. Later that year, Jarre gave a charity concert for the Elpida Foundation at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

In 2001 he composed Interior Music, a demonstration piece for Bang and Olufsen. The album has not had a commercial release. On 6 September 2002 Jarre performed a concert at a windfarm near Gammel Vrå Enge, outside Aalborg in Denmark. A rain-soaked audience of between 35–40,000 watched him perform in front of a windfarm illuminated by lights and fireworks. The event was beset with problems, caused mainly by the 22mm of rain that fell on the venue – the organisers had anticipated only 4mm. Some fans reported a wait of six hours to leave the site, and one fan reported that a bus had blocked traffic when it slid into a ditch, and also that many ticket-holders were not allowed into the arena because thousands of gatecrashers had broken through a fence. The concert was however generally viewed as a success.

in Helsinki]] The event marked a change in direction in Jarre's live concerts; from Rendez-vous Houston onwards he had been accompanied by a full complement of live musicians, however the concert in Aalborg demonstrated a marked reduction in the number of musicians on stage; Jarre was accompanied only by the Klarup Girls Choir, Francis Rimbert, Safri Duo, and the Aalborg Symphonic Orchestra.

In 2003, Jarre released Geometry of Love. The album was commissioned by Jean Roch, as a soundtrack for his 'V.I.P. Room' nightclub in France, and contains a mix of 'electro-chill' music, with touches of his more traditional style. The following year, on 10 October, he returned to China for two performances, one in the Forbidden City at the Meridian Gate, followed immediately by a smaller concert in Tiananmen Square. Both were designed to open China’s "Year of France" cultural exchange. The concert was transmitted live across the country, and was also watched on large television screens at shopping centres in Beijing. Jarre opened the concert with a collaboration with Chen Lin, who played an Erhu. Accompanying his traditional musical repertoire, 600 projectors shone coloured light and images across various screens and objects. More than 15,000 spectators watched the concert at the Meridian Gate. A combined DVD/CD of these concerts, Jarre in China was released in 2004.

In September 2004, Jarre released AERO, both a DVD and a CD in one package. Purportedly the world's first album released for 5.1 systems, with it being fully "constructed" in 5.1 surround sound, it contains re-recorded versions of some of his most famous tracks, including tracks from Oxygène and Équinoxe. Accompanying the audio, the DVD features a visual image of Anne Parillaud's eyes, recorded in real time as she listened to the album. The CD was mixed in super-stereo.

In his role of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Jarre performed a concert named Water for Life in Morocco, on 16 December 2006, to celebrate the year of desertification in the world. The performance was in front of the Erg Chebbi Dunes of Merzouga, in the Sahara. A free event, it was attended by about 25,000 people. Images of water and the environment were projected onto nine vertical screens, held in place by sand which was watered to keep it hard. Several permanent drinking fountains were built on the site, along with a permanent electricity installation. Jarre was accompanied by over 60 Moroccan artists.

Jarre released Téo & Téa on 26 March 2007. He described the two computer-generated characters in the video clip of the title track as being "like twins", one female, one male. The album is supposed to describe the different stages of a loving relationship, and explores the idea that the length of such relationships is unpredictable. Its release demonstrated a move away from virtual instruments and computers that Jarre had been using up to that point; he instead chose to use a simplified range of devices, including several new prototype instruments. The album's cover was inspired by the David Lynch film Wild at Heart.

In August 2007 Jarre signed for EMI France. He released an anniversary package containing a special live recording of his classic work, Oxygène, in 3D DVD, live CD and normal 2D DVD formats in November 2007, named . A first for Jarre, the album was recorded live, without tape or hard disk playback, with help from Francis Rimbert, Claude Samard, and Dominique Perrier. The album also contains three extra tracks not found on either the original or remake, which form links between the main movements. Jarre plans to integrate the original analog synthesizers from Oxygène into his next album, and is building a new private recording studio on the outskirts of Paris. In the same year Disques Dreyfus released The Complete Oxygène, containing the original versions of Oxygène and Oxygène 7–13, and remixes of tracks from Oxygène 7–13.

Jarre performed 10 concerts (Oxygène Live) in Paris, from 12–26 December 2007, held in the Théâtre Marigny, a small 1000-seat theatre in the Champs-Élysées. Later in 2008 Jarre performed several concerts to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Oxygène, in theatres in Europe. Following one such performance at the Royal Albert Hall Jarre met Brian May, who proposed he create a concert in Tenerife for the International Year of Astronomy, but a lack of sponsorship meant that the concert did not take place.

In 2009 he was selected as the artistic director of the World Sky Race, and also accepted a role as Goodwill Ambassador for the International Year of Astronomy. In 2009 he started an indoor tour in arenas throughout Europe.

On 1 March 2010, Jean Michel Jarre started the second leg of his 2009–2010 indoors tour, and on 10 June he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Mojo magazine.

Personal life

Jarre has been married three times. He was married to Flore Guillard from 20 January 1975 until 1977, their daughter Émilie Charlotte was born in 1975 (or 1976) and became a fashion model. Both were in failing marriages, but they each obtained a divorce (Rampling was married to New Zealander Bryan Southcombe). The two married, Jarre gaining custody of his daughter Émilie Charlotte, They divorced in 2002. He had a brief relationship with Isabelle Adjani, but married French actress Anne Parillaud in May 2005. In November 2010 the couple announced their divorce.

Jarre has a half-sister Stéphanie Jarre, from Maurice Jarre's other marriages. His half-brother, Kevin Jarre, died in 2011. Although Maurice and Jean-Michel remained estranged, following Maurice's death in 2009 Jarre paid tribute to his legacy:

Awards and recognition

1976 – Grand Prix du Disque by L'Académie Charles Cros, for Oxygène 1978 – Midem award 1979 – Guinness Book of Records entry for the biggest concert ever (La Concorde) 1986 – Instrumental album of the year, at the Victoires de la Musique, for Rendez-vous 2010 – MOJO Lifetime Achievement Award. 2010 – Grand Prix des Musiques Electroniques SACEM 2011 - International Cavalchina Award.

An asteroid, 4422 Jarre, has been named in his honour. He is honorary citizen of Gdansk.

Discography

Jarre has sold an estimated 80 million albums and singles, the first of which was the 1969 single "La Cage/Erosmachine". His first solo album, Deserted Palace, was released in 1972, but it was the success of his 1976 album, Oxygène, that catapulted him to international stardom. Until 2000 Jarre's output was entirely instrumental, but that year he released Métamorphoses, his first vocal album.

See also

List of Jean Michel Jarre concerts

List of Jean Michel Jarre compositions with multiple titles

References

;Notes

;Bibliography

External links

Official blog

Jean Michel Jarre – live@ Bucharest (review+photos)

Official collaborative photobase

Jarre Discography

Jarre Technologies Official Website with AeroSystem One IPhone Speaker Dock

Category:People from Lyon Category:French electronic musicians Category:New Age synthesizer players Category:New Age musicians Category:French keyboardists Category:French bloggers Category:Polydor Records artists Category:Epic Records artists Category:Rock keyboardists Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:1948 births Category:Living people

Coordinates	12 °4 ′″N75 °13 ′″N
Name	Charlene Wittstock
Birth name	Charlene Lynette Wittstock
Birth date	January 25, 1978
Birth place	Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Known for	Olympic backstroke swimmer (Olympics 2000, Olympics 2008)
Partner	Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Parents	Michael Kenneth WittstockLynette Humberstone
Religion	Roman Catholic

Charlene Lynette Wittstock (born 25 January 1978) is a South African Olympic backstroke swimmer and fiancée of Albert II, Prince of Monaco.

Born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, she is the daughter of Michael Kenneth Wittstock, a sales manager, and Lynette Humberstone, a former competitive diver and swimming coach. Charlene is of South African, German and British ancestry.

Swimming career

Wittstock was a member of the women's 4×100 m medley South African team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, which finished fifth. She finished sixth at the 2002 FINA Short Course World Championships for the 200 m breaststroke. She left her Durban-based team (the Seagulls) to join the Tuks Swimming Club at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria. She was never enrolled for any academic courses at the University of Pretoria and therefore never graduated from the University; the Club sponsored her by providing her with free access to their pools, free coaching, accommodations, and gymnasium access.

She decided to leave Pretoria in January 2005 and returned to Durban; she then went to the north coast of KwaZulu Natal, where she joined a former Tuks Swimming coach, Brannislav Ivkovic. On 13 April 2007 Wittstock regained her title as South Africa’s 50 m women’s backstroke champion when she completed the 50 m backstroke final at the Telkom SA National Aquatic Championships in 30:16 seconds, to finish third behind Australia’s Sophie Edington and Brazil’s Fabíola Molina.

She has won several national titles over the years. She planned to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, which she said would be her swansong, but she did not qualify. Previously she had been out of competitive swimming for 18 months with a shoulder injury. Wittstock said she would be swimming in Europe in the near future, hoping to better her times. "I have a year left of competitive swimming, and I just want to be the best I can be in that time. After that I want to get involved in charity work, and development work with athletes' commissions." Charlene has said that the Special Olympics movement is close to her heart because as a former athlete she values its role in "using the power of sport to change lives".

Relationship with the Prince

Wittstock met Prince Albert II, the sovereign of Monaco, in 2000, when she traveled to Monaco for a swimming competition. They had been seen together since 10 February 2006, at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics when the Prince was accompanied by Wittstock. They were seen again together at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Prince and Wittstock attended the "Bal de la Rose" and the Princess Grace Awards Gala in 2009. They attended as a couple the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling in Stockholm on 19 June 2010, as well as the Royal Wedding of Prince William of Wales to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England.

Engagement

On 23 June 2010, the couple became officially engaged. Wittstock, who was raised a Protestant, converted to Roman Catholicism, even though it was not a requirement by the Constitution of Monaco. The future princess also learned to speak French and the Monégasque dialect, and to become acquainted with European court protocol.

The civil marriage ceremony had been scheduled for 8 July 2011. The date was changed to 2 July 2011, followed by the religious ceremony on 3 July. The change was made because the Olympic Committee meeting is scheduled to take place in Durban from 5 July to 9 July; the Prince and Wittstock want the Olympic family to be present at their wedding. They also wanted Wittstock to make her first visit as Princess of Monaco to South Africa.

A final wedding date change was to 1 July and 2 July. The civil ceremony will take place on 1 July at 5pm Monaco Time in the Palace Throne Room. The religious ceremony will take place on 2 July at 5pm in the Palace Courtyard. Both July 1 and 2 will be public holidays in Monaco. Other events surrounding the wedding include: an appearance on the balcony, a buffet cocktail in the Palace Square, a gala concert by Jean-Michel Jarre, all after the civil ceremony; and a ball and fireworks display will follow the religious ceremony.

On her marriage, Wittstock will become Princess consort of Monaco and gain the title and style of Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, a position once occupied by the Prince's mother, Grace Kelly. Also on her marriage, she will gain two step children, Albert's illegitimate children, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Coste.

References

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Bulawayo Category:White South African people Category:South African people of British descent Category:Backstroke swimmers Category:Olympic swimmers of South Africa Category:South African people of German descent Category:South African Roman Catholics Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Protestantism Category:Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:South African female models Category:People from Gauteng Category:South African swimmers Category:House of Grimaldi Category:Monegasque Roman Catholics Category:Naturalized citizens of Monaco