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- published: 27 Jun 2008
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- author: intruZo1991
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![[HL] Roger Federer v. Janko Tipsarevic 2008 Australian Open [R3]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121230071859im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dJ-iMgH5Jc4/default.jpg "Longer highlights of this electric match.")
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Argentina
Argentina
i/ˌɑrdʒənˈtiːnə/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina]), is a country in South America, the continent's second largest by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations.
Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentine claims over Antarctica, as well as overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, are suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Argentina also claims the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are administered by the United Kingdom as British Overseas Territories.
A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy, with a "very high" rating on the Human development index. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Analysts have argued that the country has a "foundation for future growth due to its market size, levels of foreign direct investment, and percentage of high-tech exports as share of total manufactured goods", and it is classed by investors as middle emerging economy. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies.
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Australia
Australia (
/əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Australian Open
The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia. First held in 1905, the tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year – the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It features men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles and junior's championships; as well as wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. Since 1988 the tournament has been played on hard courts at Melbourne Park.
The Australian Open typically has very high attendance – second only to the US Open – and was the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its two primary courts, Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena, equipped with retractable roofs.
The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA), and was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1905. This facility is now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] (
listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Belarus
Belarus (i/bɛləˈruːs/ bel-ə-ROOSS; Belarusian: Беларусь, Russian pronunciation: [bʲɛlaˈrusʲ] Russian: Беларусь, Белоруссия, Belarus', Belorussiya), officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno (Hrodna), Gomel (Homiel), Mogilev (Mahilyow) and Vitebsk (Vitsebsk). Over forty percent of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested, and its strongest economic sectors are agriculture and manufacturing.
Until the 20th century, the lands of modern-day Belarus belonged to several countries, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Belarus became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). The borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were incorporated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland. The nation and its territory were devastated in World War II, during which Belarus lost about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945 the Belorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.
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Belgium
Belgium (i/ˈbɛldʒəm/ BEL-jəm), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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Chile
Chile (i/ˈtʃɪliː/ or /ˈtʃɪleɪ/), officially the Republic of Chile (Spanish: República de Chile [reˈpuβlika ðe ˈtʃile] ( listen)), is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Along with Ecuador, it is one of two countries in South America that do not border Brazil. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas and Easter Island. Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.
Chile's distinctive shape—4,300 kilometres (2,700 mi) long and on average 175 kilometres (109 mi) wide—makes it the longest country in the world, north to south, with the fifth lengthiest coastline at over 78 thousand kilometers. The diverse climate of Chile ranges from the world's driest desert in the north—the Atacama—through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, humid subtropical in Easter Island, to an Oceanic climate, including alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and south. The northern desert contains great mineral wealth, principally copper. The relatively small central area dominates in terms of population and agricultural resources, and is the cultural and political center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century when it incorporated its northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands.
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China
China (i/ˈtʃaɪnə/; Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most-populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.
The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Its capital city is Beijing. The PRC also claims Taiwan—which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity—as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War. The PRC government denies the legitimacy of the ROC.
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Croatia
Croatia (i/kroʊˈeɪʃə/ kroh-AY-shə; Croatian: Hrvatska pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]), officially the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Republika Hrvatska listen (help·info)), is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and has diverse, mostly continental and Mediterranean climates. Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The country's population is 4.29 million, most of whom are Croats, with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism.
In the early 7th century the Croats arrived in area of present-day Croatia. They organised the state into two dukedoms by the 9th century. Tomislav became the first king by 925 AD, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Peter Krešimir IV and Dmitar Zvonimir. Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, faced with Ottoman conquest the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918, after World War I, Croatia was included in the short-lived State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs that declared independence from Austria–Hungary and co-founded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A Croatian state briefly existed during World War II as a fascist puppet state. After the war, Croatia became a founding member and a federal constituent of the Second Yugoslavia, a socialist state. In June 1991, Croatia declared independence, which came into effect on 8 October of the same year. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully during the four years following the declaration.
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Cyprus
Cyprusi/ˈsaɪprəs/ (Greek: Κύπρος, Kýpros, IPA: [ˈcipɾos]; Turkish: Kıbrıs, IPA: [ˈkɯbɾɯs]), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía, IPA: [cipɾiaˈci ðimokɾaˈtia]; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti, IPA: [ˈkɯbɾɯs dʒumhuɾijeˈti]), is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria, Lebanon, northwest of Israel and north of Egypt. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the European Union.
The earliest known human activity on the island dates back to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, which has been declared a World Heritage Site with an "enhanced protection" status in the event of armed conflict by UNESCO, along with the archaeological sites of Paphos and the Painted Churches of the Troodos Region. Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world.
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Czech Republic
The Czech Republic (i/ˈtʃɛk/ CHEK;Czech: Česká republika, pronounced [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka] ( listen), short form Česko Czech pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛskɔ]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the north, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants, is Prague.
It is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.
The Czech state, formerly known as Bohemia, was formed in the late 9th century as a small duchy around Prague, at that time under dominance of the powerful Great Moravian Empire (which reached its greatest territorial extent during the reign of Svatopluk I from the House of Mojmír). After the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power was transferred from Moravia to Bohemia, under the Přemyslids. During the rule of Přemyslid dukes/kings and their successors, the Luxembourgs, the country reached its greatest territorial extent (13th–14th century). Life in the country was significantly affected by the Hussite wars, during which it faced economic embargo and crusades from all over Europe. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy as one of its three principal parts alongside the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Bohemian Revolt (1618–20) led to the further centralization of the monarchy including forced recatholization and Germanization. During radical reforms in the 18th century the Bohemian Crown was even de facto abolished (1749). In the 19th century the Czech lands became the industrial powerhouse of the monarchy and the core of the Republic of Czechoslovakia which was formed in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I.
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Finland
Coordinates: 65°N 27°E / 65°N 027°E / 65; 027
Finlandi/ˈfɪnlənd/ ( Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland (help·info)), officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.
Around 5.4 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern region. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in Helsinki and local governments in 336 municipalities, and an autonomous region of the Åland Islands. About one million residents live in the Greater Helsinki area, which consists of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other larger cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti and Kuopio.
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France
France (Englishi/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
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French Open
The French Open, often referred to as Roland Garros (French: Les internationaux de France de Roland-Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros, IPA: [ʁɔlɑ̃ ɡaʁɔs]), named after the famous French aviator Roland Garros, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon. Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam held on clay and ends the spring clay court season.
It is one of the largest events in tennis, and the most watched French event in the world. Because of the slow playing surface and the five-set men's singles matches without a tiebreak in the final set, the event is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world.
Currently, the 2012 French Open is being conducted from May 27 to June 10, 2012 in Paris.
Officially named in French Les internationaux de France de Roland-Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros (the "French Internationals of Roland Garros" or "Roland Garros Tournament" in English), the tournament is often referred to in English as the "French Open" and alternatively as "Roland Garros", which is the designation used by the tournament itself in all languages, including English. In French, a hyphen is inserted after death, hence the French spelling "Roland-Garros".
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Hungary
Hungaryi/ˈhʌŋɡəri/ (Hungarian: Magyarország [ˈmɒɟɒrorsaːɡ] ( listen)) is a country, which is located in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The country's capital, and largest city, is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and is a Schengen state. The official language is Hungarian, also known as Magyar, which is part of the Finno-Ugric group and is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.
Following a Celt (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (AD 9 - c. 430) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian prince Árpád, whose great-grandson Saint Stephen I was crowned with a crown sent by the pope from Rome in 1000 AD. The Kingdom of Hungary lasted for 946 years, and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centres of the Western world. After about 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541–1699), Hungary was integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy, and later constituted half of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy (1867–1918).
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India
India (i/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
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Israel
Coordinates: 31°N 35°E / 31°N 35°E / 31; 35
Israel, officially the State of Israel ( /ˈɪzriːəl/ or /ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [me̞diˈnät jisʁäˈʔe̞l] ( listen); Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
Following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 November 1947 recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including east Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.[neutrality is disputed] Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.
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Italy
Italyi/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.
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Japan
Japan
i/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国 
Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally the State of Japan) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called the Diet.
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Margaret Court Arena
Margaret Court Arena is a tennis venue located in Melbourne, Australia. The capacity of the arena is 6,000 and was built in 1988. It was formerly known as Show Court One, but was renamed on the eve of the 2003 Australian Open to honor the Australian tennis great Margaret Court, who won more Grand Slam titles than any other player in history, male or female. It is the largest capacity fully outdoor court used at the Australian Open Tennis. Future improvements to the Arena include a capacity expansion of 1500 seats, to total 7500, as well as the installation of a retractable roof for the 2015 Australian Open.
Margaret Court Arena is located in Melbourne Park, which is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct.
Coordinates: 37°49′16″S 144°58′39″E / 37.821112°S 144.97741°E / -37.821112; 144.97741
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Melbourne
Melbourne ([ˈmelbən, -bn̩, ˈmæl-],rhotically /ˈmɛlbərn/) is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2010, the greater geographical area had an approximate population of four million. Inhabitants of Melbourne are called Melburnians or Melbournians.
The metropolis is located on the large natural bay known as Port Phillip, with the city centre positioned at the estuary of the Yarra River (at the northernmost point of the bay). The metropolitan area then extends south from the city centre, along the eastern and western shorelines of Port Phillip, and expands into the hinterland. The city centre is situated in the municipality known as the City of Melbourne, and the metropolitan area consists of a further 30 municipalities.
Melbourne was founded in 1835 (47 years after the European settlement of Australia) by settlers from Launceston in Van Diemen's Land. It was named by governor Richard Bourke in 1837, in honour of the British Prime Minister of the day, William Lamb—the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Melbourne was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847. In 1851, it became the capital city of the newly created colony of Victoria. During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it then served as the interim seat of government of the newly created nation of Australia until 1927.
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Melbourne Park
Coordinates: 37°49′22″S 144°58′48″E / 37.82267°S 144.98005°E / -37.82267; 144.98005
Melbourne Park is a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Since 1988, Melbourne Park has been home of the Australian Open in tennis, which is played annually in January. The venue was the home of the Melbourne Tigers basketball team, and can be adapted to host netball, ice skating, concerts, cycling as well as swimming and motorsport events. It is run by Melbourne & Olympic Parks, which also runs the adjacent Olympic Park Stadium. The Yarra Park section of the Sports and Entertainment Precinct is run separately.
Melbourne Park was built in 1988 beside the Jolimont Yards as a new venue to host the Australian Open, as Kooyong, the previous venue, had become too small. It was originally known as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park until 1996, when then-Premier, Jeff Kennett decided to rename it Melbourne Park, mainly to advertise the name "Melbourne" to a wide international audience. The decision was met with strong opposition, and was compared by some to renaming Stade Roland Garros (home to the French Open in Paris) "Paris Park". However, over the years, it has become accepted by the Melbourne community.
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Mexico
Mexico (i/ˈmɛksɨkoʊ/; Spanish: México, IPA: [ˈmexiko] ( listen)), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (help·info)), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States of America; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the thirteenth largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of over 113 million, it is the eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.
In Pre-Columbian Mexico many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory from its base in México-Tenochtitlan, which was administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This territory would eventually become Mexico as the colony's independence was recognized in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, the Mexican-American War and territorial cession to the United States, a civil war, two empires and a domestic dictatorship. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
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Netherlands
The Netherlands (i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdə(r)lɑnt] or [ˈneɪ̯də(r)lɑnt] (
listen); West Frisian: Nederlân; Papiamento: Hulanda) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with some islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").
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Poland
Polandi/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika; Silesian: Polsko Republika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Catalan: [rəˈfɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə]; Spanish: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]) (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of 28 May 2012 (2012 -05-28)[update], he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time.
Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles, including a record six French Open titles (tied with Bjorn Borg), the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 21 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He completed the Career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.
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Romania
Romania (i/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; dated: Roumania; or Rumania;Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.
At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with over 19 million people. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the EU with about two million people.
The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza in 1859. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on 9 May 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania. Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until World War II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania forcibly became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Serbia
Serbiai/ˈsɜrbiə/, officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија / Republika Srbija, pronounced [rɛpǔblika sř̩bija]), is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans. Serbia borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; the Republic of Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the west; additionally, it borders Albania through Kosovo, whose status as part of Serbia is disputed. Serbia covers an area of 88,361 km2 and has a population of just over 7.1 million, while the capital and largest city is Belgrade.
The arrival of the Serbs to the Balkans in the 7th century, established several states, eventually forming the Serbian Empire in the 14th century. By the 16th century, Serbia was conquered and occupied by the Ottoman Empire, at times interrupted by the Habsburgs. In the early 19th century the Serbian revolution re-established the country as the region's first constitutional monarchy, which subsequently expanded its territory and pioneered the abolition of feudalism in the Balkans. The former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina united with Serbia in 1918. Following World War I, Serbia formed Yugoslavia with other South Slavic peoples which existed in several forms up until 2006, when the National Assembly of Serbia declared independence and the legal succession to the former State Union. In February 2008 the parliament of UNMIK-governed Kosovo, Serbia's southern province, declared independence, with mixed responses from international governments.
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Slovakia
The Slovak Republic (short form: Slovakiai/sloʊˈvɑːkiə/ or /sləˈvækiə/; Slovak: Slovensko (help·info), long form Slovenská republika (help·info)) is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi). Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is the capital, Bratislava, and the second largest is Košice. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, OECD and WTO among others. The official language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic language family.
The Slavs arrived in the territory of present day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries during the migration period. In the course of history, various parts of today's Slovakia belonged to Samo's Empire (the first known political unit of Slavs), Principality of Nitra (as independent polity, as part of Great Moravia and as part of Hungarian Kingdom), Great Moravia, Kingdom of Hungary, the Austro-Hungarian Empire or Habsburg Empire, and Czechoslovakia. A separate Slovak state briefly existed during World War II, during which Slovakia was a dependency of Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1944. From 1945 Slovakia once again became a part of Czechoslovakia. The present-day Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
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Slovenia
Slovenia (i/sloʊˈviːniə/ sloh-VEE-nee-ə, Slovene: Slovenija), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija, [reˈpublika sloˈveːnija]) is a Slavic nation state, situated in South-Central Europe, at the crossroad of main European cultural and trade routes. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Croatia to the south and southeast, and Hungary to the northeast. It covers 20,273 square kilometres (7,827 sq mi) and has a population of 2.05 million. It is a parliamentary republic, member of the European Union and NATO. Relative to its geography, history, economy, culture, and language, it is a very diverse country distinguished by a transitional character. It is characterised by a high economic and social level. Its capital and largest city is Ljubljana.
The territory of Slovenia is mainly hilly or mountainous and has an exceptionally high landscape and biological diversity and a mosaic structure, which are a result of natural attributes and the long-lasting presence of humans. Four major European geographic units interweave here: the Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Mediterranean, with a small portion of coastline along the Adriatic Sea, and the Pannonian Plain. The climate is temperate and significantly influenced by the variety of territory, with a strong interaction of the continental climate, the sub-Mediterranean climate and Alpine climate across most of the country. The country is one of the water-richest in Europe, with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karstic underground watercourses. Over half of the territory is covered by forest.
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Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
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Switzerland
Switzerland (German: die Schweiz[ˈʃvaɪts]; French: Suisse [sɥis(ə)]; Italian: Svizzera [ˈzvit͡sːɛra]; Romansh: Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ] or [ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ]), in its full name the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.
The Swiss Confederation has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area.
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Ukraine
Ukraine (i/juːˈkreɪn/ yew-KRAYN; Ukrainian: Україна, transliterated: Ukrayina, [ukrɑˈjinɑ]; Russian: Украина; Crimean Tatar: Ukraina) is a country in Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine borders the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after the Russian Federation.
According to a popular and well established theory, the medieval state of Kievan Rus was established by the Varangians in the 9th century as the first historically recorded East Slavic state which emerged as a powerful nation in the Middle Ages until it disintegrated in the 12th century. By the middle of the 14th century, Ukrainian territories were under the rule of three external powers—the Golden Horde, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kingdom of Poland. After the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Ukraine was divided between a number of regional powers and, by the 19th century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control. A chaotic period of incessant warfare ensued, with several internationally recognized attempts at independence from 1917 to 1921, following World War I and the Russian Civil War. Ukraine emerged from its own civil war, and on December 30, 1922 Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian SSR's territory was enlarged westward during the civil war shortly before, and after World War II, and further south in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the founding members of the United Nations.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwańska [aɡˈɲɛʂka radˈvaɲska] ( listen) (born 6 March 1989 in Kraków) is a Polish professional tennis player. As of 28 May 2012, she is ranked world no. 3. Known for constructing points and making intelligent use of the court, she has won ten WTA singles titles.
In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player to claim a WTA singles title when she won the Nordea Nordic Light Open. The following year, she became the first Polish player to reach the WTA Top 10. Radwańska has won two WTA Awards, being voted Most Impressive Newcomer in 2006, and Fan Favorite Singles Player in 2011. She has also reached five Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Agnieszka Radwańska was born in Kraków. She began playing tennis at the age of four, after her father introduced her to the sport. Her younger sister, Urszula, is also a tennis player. Radwańska has named Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis as inspirations. In 2009, Radwańska became a WTA ambassador for Habitat for Humanity. She has also studied tourism at universities in Kraków.
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Ai Sugiyama
Ai Sugiyama (杉山愛, Sugiyama Ai?) (born July 5, 1975 in Yokohama, Japan) is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992. In her career, she won 6 singles titles and 37 doubles titles, including three Grand Slam women's doubles titles (1 with Frenchwoman Julie Halard-Decugis and 2 partnering Belgian Kim Clijsters). Sugiyama has the all-time record, for both male and female players, for her 62 consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances. She was the first Asian to rank no.1 in either singles or doubles.
In 1993, at age 17, Sugiyama played tennis legend Martina Navratilova in her native city, losing in three sets. The same year, she made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon but lost in the first round to world number 30 Gigi Fernández in three sets.
In 1994, Sugiyama again reached the main draw at Wimbledon but lost in her first round to world number six and compatriot Kimiko Date. Later that year she reached her first singles final in Surabaya but was forced to retire against Elena Wagner. She went on to win the Japan Open doubles at Tokyo, her first tour title. Later that year, she broke into the WTA Top 100.
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Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik (born 27 January 1981) is an Australian professional female tennis player. She was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the Australian Open in 2005 and the French Open in 2007. She retired from the sport in September 2008, however, announced a comeback in 2009. Molik has expressed her intention to focus on her new life as a mother, rather than professional tennis.
Molik was born in Adelaide, South Australia and currently lives in Perth. She attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School in West Pymble, Sydney, before completing her schooling in Adelaide. She married Tim Sullivan in February 2011 and gave birth to their first child, son Yannik Jude Sullivan, on 10 January 2012.
She won her first grand slam doubles title at the 2005 Australian Open with partner Svetlana Kuznetsova. She reached the top ten on the WTA tour for the first time in early 2005 following her first Grand Slam quarterfinal singles appearance, at the Australian Open, where she lost 9–7 in the final set to Lindsay Davenport.
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Alona Bondarenko
Alona Volodymyrivna Bondarenko Dyachok (Ukrainian: Альона Володимирівна Бондаренко, born 13 August 1984 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian tennis player. She has a younger sister Kateryna Bondarenko who also plays on the Tour. She formerly paired with her older sister Valeria in doubles. She is currently ranked World No. 114 in singles and World No. 327 in doubles by the WTA.
Her career high singles ranking was Number 19, achieved on 14 April 2008. She defeated former World No. 1 Jelena Janković in the third round of the 2010 Australian Open. She won the 2008 Australian Open women's doubles tournament with her sister Kateryna, beating Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er in the finals.
Bondarenko started competing in the pro tour in 1999 at the age of 14, were she competed in ITF Circuit, she reached two second rounds in Tallinn, Estonia and Kharkiv, Ukraine, two first-round exits in Bucharest3 in Romania and in Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland, and failed to qualify in two events as well in Tbilisi and Batumi both were held in Georgia.
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Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo French pronunciation: [ameli simɔn moʁɛsmo]; (born 5 July 1979) is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon.
Mauresmo first attained the top ranking on 13 September 2004, holding it for five weeks on that occasion. She was the fifteenth world no. 1 in women's tennis since the computer rankings began. She is well known for her powerful one-handed backhand and strong net play. She officially announced her retirement from professional tennis on 3 December 2009, ending a career of ten years. She returned to Wimbledon in 2010, acting as a grass court advisor for Frenchman and 2007 Wimbledon doubles champion Michaël Llodra.
Mauresmo was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She began playing tennis at the age of four, after being inspired by Yannick Noah's win in the 1983 French Open on television. It was after his win that her parents bought her her first tennis racket. Later on in 1998 Yannick Noah picked her on the French team for the Fed Cup. Her mother, Françoise is a homemaker and her father Francis, who died in March 2004, was an engineer. She also has a brother Fabien who is an engineer.
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André Sá
André Rezende Sá (born May 6, 1977 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil) is a professional Brazilian tennis player. He is (as of October 28, 2007) number 29 for doubles, and 467 for singles.
André Sá atarted playing tennis at the age of eight, encouraged by his older brother. At the age of 12 and ranked number 1 in Brazil, he moved to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, Bradenton, Florida, where he stayed 5 years. In 1996, he graduated from Brandenton Academy, where he played basketball for three years.
André is currently married and living in Blumenau, Santa Caterina, Brazil.
André Sá played his first professional match in 1993, in a Challenger in his hometown of Belo Horizonte, where he lost in the first round at the age of 16. In 1997, he started travelling around South America, reaching his first Challenger Semifinal in Quito, losing to Mariano Puerta. In August, he reached his first final, again in his hometown, losing to Brazilian Roberto Jabali. He also reached the semifinal in Guadalajara, Mexico. In 1997, he played his first Davis Cup match, against Alistair Hunt, from New Zealand, in Florianópolis, for the World Group Qualifying Round. It was the 5th match of the rubber, with a 5–0 win for Brazil. In October, he played his first ATP-Tour match, in Mexico City, where he reached the quarter-final.
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Andy Murray
Andrew "Andy" Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a Scottish professional tennis player, ranked No. 4 in the world, and was ranked No. 2 from 17 to 31 August 2009. Murray achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on 16 April 2007. He has been runner-up in three Grand Slam finals: the 2008 US Open, the 2010 Australian Open and the 2011 Australian Open, losing the first two to Roger Federer and the third to Novak Djokovic. In 2011, Murray became only the seventh player in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year.
Andy Murray was born to Will and Judy in Glasgow, Scotland. His maternal grandfather, Roy Erskine, was a professional footballer who played reserve team matches for Hibernian and in the Scottish Football League for Stirling Albion and Cowdenbeath. Murray's brother, Jamie, is also a professional tennis player, playing on the doubles circuit. Following the separation of his parents when he was nine years old, Andy and Jamie lived with their father. Murray later attended Dunblane High School. Murray is in a five-year relationship with Kim Sears, who is regularly seen attending his matches. The relationship ended briefly in 2009 before they reconciled a short time later in 2010.
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Andy Ram
Andy Ram (Hebrew: אנדי רם; born April 10, 1980) is a professional tennis player from Israel, and the first Israeli tennis player to win a seniors Grand Slam event (mixed doubles title at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, together with Vera Zvonareva). He plays more doubles than singles as he prefers doubles more and wins more matches. He uses a Wilson racquet and is sponsored by Fila for his attire.
He attained his highest doubles ranking through July 2009, # 5, in July 2008. He reached 28 doubles finals and won 15 of them through 2008, mostly with partner Jonathan Erlich; together, they are known in Israel as "AndiYoni".
Ram, born in Montevideo, Uruguay, is Jewish. His father Amiram, a former professional soccer player for Betar Jerusalem in the 1950s, is Israeli. After his father was injured he was sent to Uruguay on "shlihut" ("outreach"), and it was there that he met Ram's mother, who is Uruguayan. He has an older brother and a younger sister. They moved to Jerusalem, Israel when he was 5, which is when he began playing tennis. "It was tough at the beginning because I couldn't speak the language, and was fighting with people in the kindergarten who didn't understand me", said Ram. "My parents decided to send me to the tennis center not long after we arrived."
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Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the third highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish and John Isner.
He became a Grand Slam singles champion when he won the title at the 2003 US Open, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the finals, which currently makes him the last North American male player to win a grand slam singles event. Roddick has reached four other Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon in 2004, 2005 and 2009, and the US Open in 2006), losing to Roger Federer each time. He is married to Brooklyn Decker, a Sports Illustrated swimwear model and actress.
Roddick was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Jerry and Blanche Roddick. Roddick's father was a businessman and his mother was a school teacher. She now directs the Andy Roddick Foundation. Roddick has two older brothers, Lawrence and John (All-American tennis player at University of Georgia (1996–98) and head tennis coach at the University of Oklahoma), who were both promising tennis players at a young age.
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Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Djambulilovna Chakvetadze (Russian: Анна Джамбулиловна Чакветадзе; born March 5, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player (with Georgian and Ukrainian roots). On September 10, 2007, she reached her career-high professional singles ranking of World No. 5. She has won eight WTA Singles Titles and appeared in the 2007 US Open semifinals. As of April 23, 2012, Chakvetadze is ranked World No. 402.
She began playing tennis at the age of eight after being introduced to the sport by her mother, Natalia. She travels for tournaments with her father. She speaks both Russian and English.
Chakvetadze hit her peak of World No. 5 in 2007 after a semifinal appearance at the US Open. Also in that year, she reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the French Open, both of which were career bests for those events. Four of her eight career singles titles also occurred in 2007. She ended 2010 ranked inside the top 60 at number 56. The same year, she won 1 title and her 8th overall.
In 2003, she made it to the final of the Junior Championships at Wimbledon before falling to Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. The same year, she won the International Bavarian Junior Challenge, defeating Marta Domachowska of Poland 7–6, 6–5. Her record as a junior was 67–19 in singles, and 22–14 in doubles. Her highest world ranking as a junior was #22 achieved in December 2003.
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Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus (born 13 December 1990, in Delft, South Holland) is a Dutch female tennis player. In 2008 she won the Australian Open for juniors, defeating Jessica Moore from Australia. With this win she went from the 35th to 2nd place on the junior ranking, ultimately becoming the world junior No.1 player.
Rus' biggest win to date was a second round shocker over #2 seed Kim Clijsters at the 2011 French Open, winning 3–6, 7–5, 6–1, saving two match points in the second set.
At age 14 Arantxa Rus played her first ITF Pro tournament at Alkmaar. She lost in the second round to Julie Coin.
She played 2 more ITF tournaments at Heerhugowaard and Vlaardingen, reaching the semi finals at the latter.
Rus continued playing ITF tournaments and winning her first at Vlaardingen and second at Alphen aan de Rijn. In San Luis Potosi she reached the finals, but lost in 3 sets.
In 's-Hertogenbosch she was granted a wildcard to play her first WTA main draw, she lost to Alona Bondarenko 1–6, 1–6 in the first round.
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Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï (Persian: ارغوان رضایی Arqavān Rezāyi Persian pronunciation: [æɾɣævɒːn(-e) ɾezɒːjiː], Latin alphabet: Aravane Rezaï, born 14 March 1987, in Saint-Étienne) is a professional French tennis player. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis.
Rezaï took up tennis aftere a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl. She has defeated many top players on the WTA circuit, such as Jelena Janković, Justine Henin, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina, Francesca Schiavone, Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, Victoria Azarenka, Flavia Pennetta, and Ai Sugiyama. Her career high rank was No. 15, achieved on 11 October 2010.
Rezaï was born to Iranian parents in Saint-Étienne, France.
Rezaï competed for Iran at the Women's Islamic Games, winning gold in 2001 and 2005.
She also won the Chambon sur Lignon open in 2004.
Rezaï started playing for France. For the second year in a row, Rezaï lost in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. However, her French Open run was more successful. She struggled through to the third round of the tournament, defeating Ai Sugiyama of Japan along the way. She fell to Nicole Vaidišová, in a hard fought three-setter. Her Wimbledon dreams were also put on hold as she fell in the first round of qualifying. At the 2006 U.S. Open, she reached the fourth round, her career best Grand Slam singles result.
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Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément (born 17 December 1977) is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.
Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland. He turned professional in 1996, and his most significant achievement has been to reach the Australian Open men's singles final in 2001, where he was defeated by Andre Agassi, defeating the then-unseeded but future number one Roger Federer and former number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov on his way to the final.
While playing he often wears a bandana and sunglasses. The sunglasses have been medically prescribed for Clement because of severe eye problems he has encountered through his life, which had nearly left him blind as a child. At only 13 months old he was diagnosed with unilateral coloboma, meaning the condition only affects one eye, at that time Clément was only given a 40/60 % chance of having healthy eyesight for the rest of his life[citation needed], throughout his tennis career Clément has worn sunglasses to protect his eyes.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Bernard Tomic
Bernard Tomic (Croatian: Bernard Tomić; born 21 October 1992) is an Australian professional tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Tomic is the highest ranked Australian male tennis player and the youngest player in the top 219. The highlight of Tomic's career thus far has been a quarterfinal appearance at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, which included a straight sets third round victory over the world Number 5 ranked player, Robin Söderling, before losing in four sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Tomic was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on 21 October 1992. Tomic's parents, John (Ivica) and Ady (Adisa), left Croatia, then a part of Yugoslavia, several years before his birth. In an interview, Tomic stated that his parents "have a Croatian background". Other sources, such The Australian and The Guardian, have written that Tomic's parents are also of Bosnian heritage. They were both working in Germany when Tomic was born. The family migrated to Queensland, Australia when Tomic was three years old. His younger sister, Sara, is a junior tennis player.
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Bob Bryan
Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998. The Bryan brothers were named ATP Team of the Decade for 2000–2009.
He finished the year as the number one ranked singles player in the nation in 1998 after winning the clay court nationals and reaching the finals of Kalamazoo. The brothers were back to back Kalamazoo doubles champions in 1995 and 1996 and won the US Open Junior doubles title in 1996.
He played for Stanford University in 1997 and 1998, where he helped the Cardinal win back-to-back NCAA team championships. In 1998, he won the "Triple Crown" by taking the NCAA singles, doubles (with his twin brother Mike), and team titles. He was the first man to accomplish this since Stanford's Alex O'Brien did it in 1992.[citation needed]
Both brothers started their professional careers playing World TeamTennis for teams like the Idaho Sneakers through the current season for the Kansas City Explorers.
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Cara Black
Cara Black (born 17 February 1979 in Salisbury, Rhodesia) is a professional Zimbabwean tennis player. She has won 7 singles titles and 64 women's doubles titles. She has won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and three of the four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles. Black has been one of the foremost doubles players of the early 21st century.
Born in Rhodesia as the daughter of Don and Velia Black, the tennis-playing Cara is the younger sister of Wayne Black and Byron Black, both professional male tennis players. All three compete mostly in doubles; Wayne was the 2001 US Open and 2005 Australian Open champion and Byron was the 1994 French Open winner.
Black partnered with her brother Wayne to win the 2002 French Open and 2004 Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles events. Black has also engaged in long-term partnerships with Elena Likhovtseva, Irina Selyutina, Rennae Stubbs, Liezel Huber, Anastasia Rodionova, and most recently Shahar Peer.
In August 2005, Black announced that she would marry her longtime boyfriend, Australian mental and fitness trainer Brett Stephens.
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Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki (born 11 July 1990) is a Danish professional tennis player. She is a former world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 23 January 2012, she held this position for 67 weeks. She is the first Scandinavian woman to hold the top ranking position and 20th overall.
Since her WTA debut in 2005, she has improved her year-end ranking each year until finishing on top in both 2010 and 2011. She has won 18 WTA singles titles as of August 2011, three in 2008, three in 2009, six in 2010 (the most since Justine Henin's ten in 2007), and six in 2011. She was runner-up at the 2009 US Open and the 2010 WTA Tour Championships in Doha to Kim Clijsters. She won the 2006 Wimbledon Girls' Singles title but has yet to win a women's Grand Slam title. She also holds two WTA titles in doubles.
Wozniacki is the daughter of Polish Roman Catholicimmigrants, Piotr and Anna Wozniacki. Anna played on the Polish women's national volleyball team, and Piotr played professional football. The couple moved to Denmark when Piotr signed for the Danish football club Boldklubben 1909. Wozniacki's older brother Patrik Wozniacki is a professional footballer for Hvidovre IF in Denmark.
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Casey Dellacqua
Casey Dellacqua (born 11 February 1985) is an Australian professional tennis player who currently resides in Perth, Western Australia. She was previously coached by former Australian player Nicole Pratt, before the two decided to part ways prior to the 2009 Australian Open. She won her first Grand Slam title in the 2011 French Open – Mixed Doubles, partnering with American Scott Lipsky.
She is of Italian descent through her father and Irish through her mother.
Dellacqua attended Woodvale Primary School from kindergarten to year 7, and then attended Woodvale Senior High School before moving to Canberra to train with the Australian Institute of Sport at the age of sixteen. Throughout her early life Dellacqua was an active member of local tennis clubs and teams.
In 2007, she won singles tournaments in 2007 Melbourne, Perth, Kalgoorlie, and The Bronx, in New York.
Dellacqua began the year by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and upset 15th-seeded Patty Schnyder and former champion and World No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo but eventually lost to third seed Jelena Janković. The performance meant she surpassed Alicia Molik to become the highest ranked Australian female tennis player.
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Catalina Castaño
Catalina Castaño Alvarez (born July 7, 1979 in Pereira, Risaralda) is a professional female Colombian tennis player. On July 10, 2006, Catalina reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 35. Since November 2006, she is the highest ranked South American female tennis player. She is coached by Peruvian-born British citizen Pablo Giacopelli, who has been her coach since 2004.
She has reached the second round in three of the four Tennis Grand Slams Tournaments (Roland Garros, Australian Open and US Open), but she is yet to claim her first WTA Tour title. She has won six ITF titles in her career.
Castano has defeated top 20 players such as Nicole Vaidišová, Anna-Lena Grönefeld, Patty Schnyder, Paola Suárez and Li Na since 2005.
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Christopher Kas
Christopher Kas (born 13 June 1980 in Trostberg) is a professional German tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is No. 224, which he reached on 4 November 2002. His career high in doubles is No. 23 set at 3 November 2008.
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Croats
Croats (Croatian: Hrvati) are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have migrated throughout the world, and established a notable Croatian diaspora. Large Croat communities exists in The United States, Chile, Argentina, Germany, Austria, Australia, Peru, Canada, Serbia, New Zealand and South Africa. Croats are noted for their culture, which has been influenced by a number of other neighbouring cultures through the ages. The strongest influences came from Central Europe and the Mediterranean where, at the same time, Croats have made their own contribution. The Croats are predominantly Catholic with minor groups of Protestants, Muslims, Orthodox, Jews and secular non religious atheists and agnostics. Their language is Croatian.
Croatia is the nation state of the Croats, while in the adjacent Bosnia and Herzegovina they are one of the three constituent peoples alongside Bosniaks and Serbs.
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Daniel Nestor
Daniel Mark Nestor, CM (Serbian: Данијел Нестор, Danijel Nestor), born on September 4, 1972, in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia, is a Serbian-born Canadian professional tennis player from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In his career thus far he has won 76 men's doubles titles, including a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the ATP World Tour Finals 4 times, and 7 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. In addition, Nestor won the 2007 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Elena Likhovtseva. This pairing also reached the finals of the 2006 Australian Open and the 2006 French Open. Nestor also won the 2011 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Katarina Srebotnik. In June 2011, he captured the 2011 French Open men's doubles title with Max Mirnyi.
His 76 doubles titles make him the third most decorated champion among active doubles players, and fourth all time. He is the only player in tennis history to have won all four Grand Slams, all of the Masters Series events, the Year End Championships and Olympic gold medal in doubles at least once. He was named ATP Doubles Team of the Year in 2002 and 2004 (with Mark Knowles) and 2008 (with Nenad Zimonjić).
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Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈdaɲi̯ɛla ˈɦantuxɔvaː]; born April 23, 1983) is a Slovakian professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.
She is currently coached by Larri Passos. Her WTA Tour mentor in the "Partners for Success" program was Martina Navrátilová, who was her doubles partner for a brief period in early 2005. As of May 28, 2012, Hantuchová is ranked World No. 18 in singles.
In 2005, she became the fifth female tennis player to win the mixed doubles title in all four Grand Slam tournaments during her career.
Hantuchová was born in Poprad, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) to father Igor, a computer scientist, and mother Marianna, a toxicologist.
When her parents split up in 2003, Hantuchová's performances temporarily worsened. At Wimbledon that year, she failed to convert several match points and was seen weeping on court. She also suffered from a weight problem during this period. She was suspected of being anorexic, but denied this.
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David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern (Valencian pronunciation: [daˈvit feˈreɾ ˈɛɾn]; born April 2, 1982 in Xàbia, Marina Alta, Valencian Community) is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently World No. 5 in the ATP Rankings and is the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000. Ferrer is known as a clay-court specialist, although he has had success on hard courts as well, as evidenced by his semifinal appearances at the 2007 US Open and 2011 Australian Open. He was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2008, 2009 and 2011. He was also runner-up at the Tennis Masters Cup in 2007. He first achieved a top–10 ranking in 2006 and reached a career high ranking of no. 4.
Ferrer was born in Xàbia in the province of Alicante, but he moved to Gandia at age 13, followed two years later by a move to Barcelona to attend the Catalan Tennis Federation. He spent nine months at Equelite, Juan Carlos Ferrero's Academy in Villena, before moving back to Xàbia while practicing in Denia.
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David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian (born January 1, 1982) is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.
David Nalbandian was born in the small city of Unquillo in Córdoba Province, Argentina. His mother is of Italian descent and his father is of Armenian descent. He turned a professional tennis player at the age of 18.
He turned professional in 2000. In 2001, he finished in the ATP top 50 for the first time. He finished 2002 as the no. 1 Argentine and South American for the first time in his career, winning two ATP titles and reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Lleyton Hewitt.
Nalbanian was not able to return to the Wimbledon final in 2003, as he was knocked out in the round of 16 by hometown favourite Tim Henman. He did however make an impressive run at the U.S. Open, taking out both of the Wimbledon finalists 20th seed Mark Philippoussis, and the second seed Roger Federer along the way to a semifinal matchup with Andy Roddick. It was the second time in less than a month that he had met Roddick in a high-stakes match, having lost to him in the final of the Rogers Cup a few weeks earlier. Nalbandian started strongly, taking a two sets to love lead, and held a match point in the third-set tiebreak. There was a little bit of controversy during the match, when a fan yelled "out" at 7–7 in the tiebreak, causing Nalbandian to mishit his following shot when he thought the linesman was the one who called it. Roddick took the point and eventually prevailed in the tiebreak. Ultimately, he was unable to finish the match off and eventually lost 6–7, 3–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–3. He finished 2003 ranked #8 in the world.
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David Škoch
David Škoch (born 6 November 1976 in Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, Czechoslovakia) is a professional doubles tennis player from the Czech Republic. He was the Wimbledon boy's singles champion in 1992.
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Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin (born September 7, 1986 in Orenburg, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a professional Uzbekistani tennis player. His career high rank is #39, achieved on August 30, 2010. He is coached by his mother.
Born in Orenburg, Istomin, whose father is Uzbekistani, moved to Tashkent at age 3 months old. His tennis playing mother introduced him to the sport at an early age.
Istomin broke into the top–200 late in 2005 and finished the year at #196. This year, he also wins his first Challenger tournament, in Bukhara.
Istomin received the Asian Wildcard into the 2006 Australian Open where he played world number one Roger Federer. Federer won in three straight sets, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2. He spent much of 2006 in the top–200, reaching a career-high of #186 on May 1, and finished the year at #200 in singles.
Istomin was slightly less successful in 2007, spending the entire year outside the top–200 in singles, but rallying towards the end of the year to finish at #230, again claiming the Asian Wild Card entry spot for the 2008 Australian Open. In any case, he won two Challenger titles, namely Karshi and, for a second time, Bukhara.
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Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina (Russian: Динара Михайловна Сафина, Tatar: Динара Мөбин кызы Сафина, Dinara Möbin kızı Safina), born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1.
Safina was runner up in singles at the 2008 French Open, 2009 Australian Open, and the 2009 French Open, falling to Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, respectively. She has had success at Grand Slam events in women's doubles by winning the 2007 US Open with Nathalie Dechy. She also won the Olympic silver medal in women's singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
She is the younger sister of former World No. 1 men's player Marat Safin. She and her brother are the first brother-sister tandem in tennis history to both achieve No.1 rankings.
Safina was born in Moscow, Russia to ethnic Tatar parents. Her mother, Rauza Islanova, was her trainer when she was younger; while her father is director of the Spartak tennis club in Moscow. Her brother Marat is a former world No. 1 on the ATP Tour. Speaking of growing up in such a successful tennis family, Safina stated: "Being the little sister in such a big tennis family is not an easy situation. Maybe that's why it took me longer to develop. My father is very competitive, but my parents didn't put pressure on me. I wanted to find my identity. I wanted to be something by myself, like being a big player by myself. So at the beginning I was putting too much pressure on myself. But then gradually I found myself, and I learned how to do better with that situation." At age 8, Safina and her family moved to Valencia, Spain, and as a result Safina speaks fluent Spanish as well as Russian and English.
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Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov (Russian: Дми́трий И́горевич Турсу́нов (help·info); born December 12, 1982, in Moscow, Russia) is a Russian professional male tennis player. He was 12 years old when he came to the United States to train and further his prospects of becoming a professional player.
Tursunov is an offensive baseliner with excellent groundstrokes from both sides[citation needed], and prefers to play on faster surfaces; he jokes about his lack of ability and success on clay courts. He is sponsored by Fila and Wilson.
Tursunov helped the Russian Davis Cup team win the 2006 Davis Cup, and reach the finals of the 2007 Davis Cup.
Tursunov began tennis in Moscow when his father made him play a few hours a day at 5. He came to the United States to train with Vitaly Gorin.
I practiced a few hours a day. My dad realized fairly early that I had a lot of potential. A lot of people criticize him for basically choosing that career for me. He understood that I didn’t have many options to make money and since he really liked tennis, he decided that I was to be a tennis player. It just happened that I was naturally good at it.
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Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova (Russian: Екатерина Валерьевна Макарова, born on 7 June 1988) is a professional tennis player from Russia. She achieved her career high ranking of number 29 on June 6, 2011.
She began playing tennis when she was six years old and joined the senior women's circuit at the age of fifteen.
In her first professional tournament in Elektrostal, Russia as a wildcard, she reached the quarter-finals losing to Olga Savchuk 6–3, 3–6, 0–6. At the Zhukovsky, Russia, she lost in the first round after qualifying. This was her last tournament of 2003.
She then played in Cairo, Egypt, reaching the second round as a qualifying. At Antalya, Turkey a she won her career first title over Kateryna Avdiyenko 6–3, 6–3. Appearing at Felixstowe, Great Britain she lost in the first round. At Târgu Mureş, Romania, she claimed her second $10,000 title without dropping a set, defeating Simona Matei in the finals. In Moscow, she lost in the first round to Tatsiana Uvarova 4–6, 6–4, 6–7. At Balashikha, she lost to Elena Vesnina 3–6, 5–7,in the second round after qualifying. In Moscow as a wildcard in the qualifier, she earned her first top 100 victory over Tatiana Perebiynis 2–6, 6–4, 4–0 ret and Polish World No. 83 Marta Domachowska 7–6, 6–4 but lost to compatriot Anna Chakvetadze. In Minsk, Belarus, she came through qualifying in straight sets, losing to Ekaterina Dzehalevich 2–6, 1–6 in the quarterfinals.
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Elena Bogdan
Elena Bogdan (born March 28, 1992) is a Romanian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking was 151, which she reached on July 18, 2011 whilst her best doubles ranking was 96 on October 24, 2011. She is of no apparent relation to Ana Bogdan.
At the 2008 French Open Girls' Singles tournament, she reached the final but lost to Simona Halep in three sets, 6–4, 6–7(3), 6–2. In 2009 she won the 2009 French Open - Girls' Doubles alongside Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand, against Tímea Babos and Heather Watson, 3–6, 6–3, 10–8.
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Elena Dementieva
Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva (Russian: Елена Вячеславовна Дементьева, Russian pronunciation: [jɪˈlʲenə dʲɪˈmʲentʲjɪvə]; born 15 October 1981) is a retiredRussian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 3, which was accomplished on 6 April 2009. She announced her retirement on 29 October 2010, after her final match at the 2010 WTA Tour Championships. Dementieva ended her career ranked World No. 9.
Dementieva was born in Moscow to Viatcheslav, an electrical engineer, and Vera, a teacher—both recreational tennis players. She was rejected by Dynamo Sports Club and the Central Red Army Tennis Club at the age of 7, before enrolling at Spartak Tennis Club, where she was coached for 3 years by Rauza Islanova, the mother of Marat Safin and Dinara Safina. She then moved to the Central Red Army Club with Sergei Pashkov, when she was 11. She was later coached by her mother Vera and her older brother Vsevolod. She has homes in Monaco, Moscow and Boca Raton, Florida. Dementieva enjoys snowboarding, reading, baseball and traveling. On 16 July 2011, Dementieva married hockey player Maxim Afinogenov in Moscow.
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Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina (Russian: Елена Сергеевна Веснина) (born Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, on 1 August 1986) is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009. She is coached by former ATP tour player Andrei Chesnokov.
In October 2002, aged sixteen years and two months, she gained direct entry into the qualifying draw for her first $10,000 tournament at Giza, Egypt, and succeeded in qualifying for the main draw before losing a close three-set match.
The very next week, once again qualifying at Al-Mansoura to enter the main draw, where she won two further matches in straight sets, beating Hana Šromová of the Czech Republic in Round Two, to reach her first ever $10,000 quarter-final in just her second event played. However, she defaulted her quarter-final tie to her opponent.
In 2003 she began the year entering two successive ITF events India. at Chennai and Bangalore, and not only succeeded in qualifying both times, but also reached her first semi-final and another quarter-final in the main draws, notably losing to future star Akgul Amanmuradova at the quarter-final stage at Bangalore.
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Eric Butorac
Eric "Booty" Butorac (born 22 May 1981 in Rochester, Minnesota) is an American tennis player. He is a doubles specialist, and has achieved some success in partnership with Britain's Jamie Murray, a fellow left-hander known as "Stretch". He was nicknamed 'Booty' by partner Murray. He attended Ball State University in Muncie, IN where he played on the Men's tennis team for one year before transferring to Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN.
Eric's parents, Jan and Tim Butorac, are directors of the Rochester Tennis Connection (Indoor & Outdoor site) in Rochester, Minnesota. Eric's brother, Jeff Butorac, is the Assistant tennis coach to the University of Eau Claire Women's tennis team. Tim is a USPTA Professional, teaching tennis at the Rochester Indoor Tennis Club during the winter and at the Kutzky/Rochester Outdoor Tennis Center during the summer months.
In July 2006 Butorac and Murray reached their first ATP Tour doubles final, in Los Angeles, losing in straight sets to the Bryan brothers who were the world's top-ranked doubles team.
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Esther Vergeer
Esther Vergeer (born 18 July 1981, Woerden) is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. Combining singles and doubles, she has won 39 Grand Slams, 22 year-end championships and 5 Paralympics titles. Vergeer has been the world number one wheelchair tennis player since 1999. In singles, she has not been beaten since January 2003 and is on a winning streak of 454 matches. She is often mentioned as the most dominant player in professional sports.
Vergeer developed paraplegia when she was 8 years old due to an otherwise successful, very risky surgery concerning hemorrhaging blood vessels around her spinal cord. During rehabilitation she learned to play volleyball, basketball, and tennis in a wheelchair. After playing basketball for several years at club level, she was invited to join the national wheelchair basketball team. She played with the Dutch team that won the European championship in 1997.
Vergeer had started playing tennis in parallel with basketball, playing her first international tournament in 1996, and switched to full-time tennis in 1998. Coached by Marc Kalkman, her first big win was at the US Open championships in 1998, moving her from 15th to 2nd in the world ranking. She beat top seed Daniela Di Toro to win the singles title and partnered with Sonja Peters to capture the doubles. Her success led to a photo in the 26 November 1998 TennisWeek issue She continued on and during the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney she did not lose a set to win the gold medal in singles and also won the doubles title with Maaike Smit as her partner. She also won the Wheelchair Tennis masters in 1998.
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Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro (born December 9, 1972) is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other players alike for his winning demeanor and shot-making abilities.
Owing to his longevity on the tour and consistent ranking, Santoro holds several ATP records: the most losses in singles play (444, though he won even more matches), and the most appearances in singles competition at Grand Slam events (70). He is also the only male player to have appeared in Grand Slam singles competition in four different decades, from the 1989 French Open to the 2010 Australian Open.
In singles play, Santoro earned 6 titles but reached the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam only once; however, he was more successful in doubles competition, with two Grand Slam doubles titles, one Grand Slam mixed-doubles title, and 24 doubles championships overall.
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Fernando González
Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi (born July 29, 1980) is a retired professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina ("The La Reina Bomber") and Mano de Piedra ("Stone Hand"). The English-language media has labeled him "Gonzo".
González reached at least the quarterfinal round of all four Grand Slam tournaments. He played his first major final at the 2007 Australian Open, losing to top-ranked Roger Federer. He is the fourth male tennis player in history to have won each Olympic medal (gold in doubles and bronze in singles at Athens 2004, and silver in singles at Beijing 2008). Throughout his career, he has defeated many former no. 1 players, including Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer (all while they held the top spot), Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moyà, Gustavo Kuerten, Marat Safin, and Pete Sampras. González qualified twice for the year-end Masters Cup event and was runner-up at two Masters Series tournaments. He is arguably Chile's best tennis player of the 2000s.
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Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona (born 15 November 1983 in Madrid, Spain) is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 19 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight. As of 2009, Verdasco has been working in Las Vegas with Andre Agassi and his team, including Darren Cahill (Agassi's former coach) and Gil Reyes (Agassi's fitness coach). Verdasco has aided Spain in winning three Davis Cup titles, winning the deciding match in both 2008 and 2009, he was part of the winning team in 2011 as well. His best performance in a Grand Slam was making the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open, where he lost to compatriot and eventual champion Rafael Nadal in five sets in what was the second-longest match in Australian Open history (next to Australian Open 2012 Final).
He turned professional in 2001, finishing as world no. 464. 2002 was a good year for him, as he won his first Futures category title in Spain F1 and was runner-up in Spain F3. He played his second career challenger in Segovia, where he reached the final after beating Belarusian Vladimir Voltchkov in the semifinals. He then reached two additional Challenger semifinals in Kiev and in Eckental, finishing the year in the top 200 at no. 173. 2002 also finished strongly off the court, as Fernando finished runner-up in a closely contested Best Abs in Castilla La Mancha contest..
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Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta (born 25 February 1982 in Brindisi, Apulia) is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 28 May 2012, Pennetta is ranked World No. 20 in singles and World No. 16 in doubles.
Pennetta has won nine career WTA singles titles, including back-to-back titles in Bogotá and Acapulco in 2005. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Francesca Schiavone, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. She was also a member of their winning team in 2009 and 2010, when they beat the United States on both occasions.
Pennetta has defeated multiple Grand Slam singles champions such as Justine Henin, Mary Pierce, Martina Hingis, Francesca Schiavone, Amélie Mauresmo, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Janković. Pennetta is also one of only seven women to beat Williams[who?] three consecutive times. In doubles, Pennetta won her first Grand Slam title at the 2011 Australian Open with partner Gisela Dulko, and also reached the 2005 US Open final partnered with Elena Dementieva. She has also reached the US Open quarterfinals three times in singles.
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Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃeska skjaˈvoːne]; born 23 June 1980 in Milan) is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 28 May 2012, Schiavone's ranking is World No. 12; her career high ranking is World No. 4, achieved on 31 January 2011.
Schiavone employs an all court game and has a very classic approach to her clay game. She uses an extreme eastern grip on her one handed backhand. Chris Fowler and Brad Gilbert described her forehand as a "buggy whip."
Schiavone has won four singles titles on the WTA tour, but has also achieved ten runner-ups in total, eight of them since the autumn of 2005. Schiavone lost her first eight career finals before finally winning her first title in July 2007. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Flavia Pennetta, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. This match was a doubles match and Kirsten Flipkens partnered Henin and Roberta Vinci partnered Schiavone. In 2009 she won the Fed Cup with Italy for the second time against the USA, and also made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time. In 2010 Italy with Schiavone won the Fed Cup for the third time.
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František Čermák
František Čermák (born November 14, 1976, in Valtice, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional tennis player. Čermák turned pro in 1998. He has won 26 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, and has been a finalist 19 times. He reached his career high doubles ranking of World No. 14 on February 1, 2010. He usually plays doubles with Filip Polášek.
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Galina Voskoboeva
Galina Olegovna Voskoboeva (Russian: Галина Олеговна Воскобоева, born December 18, 1984) is a professional Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player. She reached her career-high singles rank of World No. 42 on May 7, 2012. Her career high in doubles is 27th, set at May 14, 2012.
Galina was born in Moscow, Russia. She was introduced to tennis by her mother, a swimming coach, at age six. She attended University RUPF in Moscow, where she graduated from in 2005.
She turned pro in 2002. During her career, she has won two ITF singles titles: in Mont-de-Marsan in 2003, and Cuneo in 2006. She reached her career high in doubles on January 29, 2007. In 2008, Voskoboeva managed to qualify for the Qatar Total Open in Doha,. In the first round she defeated Eleni Daniilidou before taking a set off world number #5 Maria Sharapova before losing 4–6, 6–4, 1–6. That same year, she reached the quarter finals in Quebec City. On February 16, 2009, she reached her singles career high of no. 64 and also reached the quarter finals in Warsaw. At the 2009 US Open she lost in the first round to Caroline Wozniacki 6–4, 6–0.
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Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon (born December 27, 1984) is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a ten-time winner on the ATP World Tour. His coach is French tennis veteran Thierry Tulasne, and his fitness trainer is Paul Quetin.
Simon was born in Nice, France, into a family with no involvement in sport, his mother being a doctor and his father working in insurance. Supported by his parents, he started playing tennis at the age of 6. Due to a growth delay that runs in the family, he was shorter than most kids his age during his early teenage years. This is the reason he cites Michael Chang as a major influence, as his comparatively small frame proved that size was not an important factor in playing tennis.
On September 2, 2010, Simon became a father for the first time. His partner Carine Lauret gave birth to a baby boy. The couple named their first child Timothée. Timothée was born four weeks ahead of schedule, when Simon was competing in the 2010 US Open.
Simon began his professional tennis career in the summer of 2002, competing at multiple Futures tournaments in France before playing in tournaments outside the country of his birth. His first Futures title came in Lisbon, Portugal, in June 2003, and he reached the quarterfinals of three other tournaments. He then captured his second title in Jamaica in September. During 2004, he saw three wins in France and another in Algeria.
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Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko (born January 30, 1985) is an Argentine female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where she has been a World No. 1 player. Partnering with Flavia Pennetta, Dulko won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships and the 2011 Australian Open in doubles.
Dulko was born and raised in Tigre, Buenos Aires Province. Her brother Alejandro, who is seven years her junior, is her coach. Dulko was born to Ana and now deceased Estanislao, who was of Hungarian descent. At the age of twelve, she moved from Argentina to Miami, Florida, in order to pursue a professional tennis career.
Dulko is married to fellow Argentine, Fernando Gago, who is a footballer currently playing for A.S. Roma.
As a Junior, she won three of the four Grand Slam events in doubles, including the 2000 US Open with María Emilia Salerni, the 2002 Australian Open with Angelique Widjaja, and the 2001 Wimbledon Championships with Ashley Harkleroad. As a professional, she has won sixteen doubles championships.
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Greek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek Nationality, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity. The 2006 census recorded 125,849 people of Greek Nationality born in Greece and 21,149 in Cyprus, though it is uncertain how many of the latter are Greek Cypriots. There are also a large number of Greek-Australian citizens that come from the regions of Crete, Macedonia, Mani Peninsula, Messenia, Thessaly, Cyprus, the Greek islands, Pontus and Ionia.
The first ever Greek immigrants to Australia were seven convict sailors convicted of piracy by a British naval court in 1829 and sent to serve out their terms in New South Wales. Though eventually pardoned, two of the seven Greeks stayed and settled in the country. The first known free Greek migrant to Australia was Katerina Georgia Plessos (1809–1907), who arrived in Sydney with her husband Major James Crummer in 1835. They married in 1827 on the island of Kalamos where Crummer, the island's commandant met the young refugee from the Greek independence wars. She is thought to be one of the last people to speak to Lord Byron. They lived in Sydney, Newcastle and Port Macquarie where she is buried. They had 11 children. The first free Greek settler to South Australia was Giorgios Tramountanas who arrived in Port Adelaide in 1842. He was a pastoralist on the west coast of South Australia and eventually became a well-respected sheep farmer and prominent member of the Elliston district. He is revered by the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia as their Pioneering Grandfather. Groups of Greeks then settled in significant numbers during the gold rushes of the 1850s.
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Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Ignacio Cañas (born November 25, 1977), often referred to as Willy Cañas, is a retired Argentine professional tennis player. He was born in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and named after Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas. His highest singles ranking was 8th (June 2005). Upon his retirement from competition, Cañas currently serves as a coach to Ernests Gulbis. He also runs his own tennis academy, the "Cañas Tennis Academy," located at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, Florida.
Cañas played a defensive counter-punching game from the baseline, and utilised his retrieving skills in order to frustrate opponents. He used a double-handed backhand.
After being suspended in August 2005 as a result of a positive drugs test, Cañas returned to the circuit on September 2006 at the challenger of Belém, Brazil.
Cañas holds a record of 5 victories and 2 defeats (3:1 in singles) in Davis Cup matches.
Cañas started playing at age 7. He turned professional in 1995, and began playing on the juniors circuit, enjoying some successes; these included a runner-up appearance at Surbiton, United Kingdom, and a win in the doubles event at the Italian Junior Championships, partnering Martín García.
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Hsieh Cheng Peng
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Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev (Russian: Игорь Валерьевич Андреев; born 14 July 1983) is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.
Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.
At the Moscow ATP tournament later the same month, Andreev defeated the top seed Sjeng Schalken in straight sets, 6–3, 6–1, and made his first ATP quarterfinal appearance, eventually losing to Paul-Henri Mathieu 6–2, 3–6, 5–7. He entered the St. Petersburg tournament in October 2003 as a wildcard, and defeated the number 4 seed Max Mirnyi 6–4, 7–6 before losing to Sargis Sargsian in the second round.
Andreev finished in the top 50 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. During the same year he also reached two ATP finals, Gstaad, Switzerland in July (losing to Roger Federer), and Bucharest, Romania in September (losing to José Acasuso). He won a personal best 28 matches in the year, and also made his Davis Cup debut.
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Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubičić (pronounced [ǐv̞an ʎûbitʃitɕ]; born March 19, 1979) is a retired Croatian tennis player. His career-high ATP ranking was no. 3.
Tall and powerfully built, he was noted for his strong serve. He achieved his best results in indoor tournaments played on carpet or hardcourt. Mostly a baseliner, he approached the net selectively (Ljubičić was a good volleyer and plays doubles occasionally). On his backhand, he used a slice or a drop-shot to great effect to draw a player or put him out of position. Relying heavily on his serve, he held well but was a comparatively weak returner, producing many sets ending in tie-breaks. Ljubičić used the Head Youtek Extreme Pro Racquet, after using the Babolat Pure Drive for most of his professional career.
Ljubičić previously served as the ATP Player Council president and strongly voiced his opinion on many issues, such as the possible downgrading of current Masters Series tournaments in Monte Carlo and Hamburg.[citation needed]
Ljubičić and Mario Ančić are only the second doubles team ever to defeat Bob and Mike Bryan in Davis Cup history, the other team being France's Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra. Ljubičić helped Croatia win the 2005 Davis Cup, where they triumphed over the Slovakian Davis Cup team in the final.
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Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɪvɛta ˈbɛnɛʃovaː]; born on 1 February 1983 in Most, Czechoslovakia) is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.
In the 2006 Australian Open, for the first time, she reached the third round of a Grand Slam by beating 5th seed Mary Pierce 6–3, 7–5. She lost in the next round 6–4, 6–1 to former No.1 Martina Hingis.
Entering as a qualifier in the 2008 French Open, she reached the third round, beating 15th seed and compatriate Nicole Vaidišová 7–6(2), 6–1 in the first round, and losing to compatriate Petra Cetkovská 6–3, 6–3.
Benešová started the year by playing the first edition of the Brisbane International. She lost in the first round to qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva, 1–6, 6–4, 6–2. A week later, Benešová lost in the final of the tournament in Hobart, Australia to fellow-Czech Petra Kvitová. At the Australian Open, Benešová lost in the second round to eventual semifinalist and fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva 6–4, 6–1.
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Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlović (pronounced [ǐːv̞ɔ kâːrlɔv̞itɕ]; born 28 February 1979 in Zagreb) is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm (6 ft 10 in). He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic held the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h (156 mph) and he is considered one of the best servers on tour. His height enables him to serve with high speed and unique trajectory.
Karlović debuted for the Croatian Davis Cup team in 2000 against Ireland, when he won the dead rubber. Karlović appeared in a starting line-up for first time in 2002 against Argentina in Buenos Aires, but he lost to Juan Ignacio Chela in the second rubber and to Gastón Gaudio in fifth and decisive rubber. He has posted a 4–2 career record (2–2 in singles) in three ties since 2000.
Karlović caused a stunning upset at 2003 Wimbledon Championships when he beat defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in his first-ever match in a Grand Slam tournament. He finished the 2003 year in the Top 100 and as the Croatia No. 3, behind Ivan Ljubičić and Mario Ančić. He also averaged an ATP-best of 17.6 aces per match.
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James Blake
James Riley Blake (born December 28, 1979) is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of April 2012, Blake is ranked World No. 74 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances (10–14 record), whilst his career-high singles ranking is World No. 4. His career highlights include reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open (2008) and US Open (2005, 2006). His two titles for the United States at the Hopman Cup are an event record. Blake was a key performer for the United States 2007 Davis Cup championship team, going 2–0 in the championship tie vs. Russia at second singles. In 2005, Blake was presented with the Comeback Player of the Year award for his remarkable return to the tour. Later, in 2008, Blake was awarded another honor by the ATP where he was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year. On July 3, 2007, Blake's autobiography Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life, which discussed his comeback after his unlucky 2004 season, was released and debuted at No. 22 on the New York Times Best Seller list. He co-wrote this book with Andrew Friedman.
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Jamie Murray
Jamie Robert Murray (born 13 February 1986 in Dunblane) is a British tennis player from Scotland who specialises in doubles and is Britain's number 1 doubles player. He is the older brother of Andy Murray. He won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2007 with Jelena Janković. Murray had an early career partnership with Eric Butorac, winning three titles in 2007. Having split with Butorac at the end of 2007, Murray has since played with a large number of players: his six subsequent ATP finals since have been with different partners. He has also competed regularly alongside his brother Andy, with whom he has won two titles.
Jamie Murray was born to Willie and Judy in Dunblane, Scotland. At the age of 11, Jamie finished runner up in the boys under 12 category at the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl. Murray was the junior world #2 when he was about 13 years old and was selected to be educated at The Leys School while being coached by national coaches. Jamie's younger brother Andy said of this experience that the LTA 'ruined' him when he went to Cambridge. In 2004 he partnered his brother to the semi final of the Junior US Open
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Janette Husárová
Janette Husárová (born June 4, 1974 in Bratislava) is a professional female tennis player from Slovakia. She is probably best remembered for winning the WTA Tour Championships women's doubles title in 2002 partenering Russian Elena Dementieva. With Dementieva she reached final of US Open Doubles competition in the same year, losing to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez.
She was a member of the Slovak team winning Fed Cup together with Daniela Hantuchová in 2002.
In her career, Husárová has won 25 WTA Tour doubles titles, including the Season-Ending Championships and 3 Tier I tournaments [Berlin, Moscow (2002) and Tokyo (2005)]. She reached her highest ranking in 2003 (No. 3 in doubles and no. 31 in singles).
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Janko Tipsarević
Janko Tipsarević (Serbian Cyrillic: Јанко Типсаревић, Serbian pronunciation: [jâːŋkɔ tipsǎːrɛʋit͡ɕ]) (born 22 June 1984) is a Serbian tennis player. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 8, achieved on 2 April 2012. He is the 117th player in history to crack the top 10.
In his career, he has won two ATP tour championships, two Futures and nine tournaments in the ATP Challenger Series. Tipsarevic has also won the 2001 Australian Open Junior title.
Tipsarević has achieved two victories over a World No. 1 player, having defeated compatriot Novak Djokovic twice. He also has twelwe (12) victories against other players from the top 10, consisting of four wins against Tomáš Berdych, two against Andy Roddick, and one against Fernando González, Mikhail Youzhny, David Ferrer, James Blake, Gaël Monfils, and Andy Murray. He also has wins against former World No. 1 players, Carlos Moyá, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Arguably his most notable matches to date are his third-round match at the 2008 Australian Open, where he lost to Roger Federer 7–6, 6–7, 7–5, 1–6, 8–10, & reaching the quarter-finals at the 2011 US Open, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets. He has also defeated former top-ten players Andy Roddick and Fernando González at Grand Slam level.
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Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen (born July 23, 1981 in Masku, Finland) is a professional tennis player from Finland.
His highest ranking is World No. 13, which he achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won two ATP singles titles and two doubles titles in his career. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarterfinals of the 2005 US Open, the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2008 Australian Open.
Arguably Finland's best player ever, Nieminen is the highest-ranked Finn ever, and is also the first and so far only Finnish player to have won an ATP singles title and to have reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event.
His wife, Anu Nieminen, is currently Finland's top-ranked badminton women's single player.
Nieminen won the Sydney International for his second career title against Julien Benneteau. He was a finalist in doubles in the same tournament with Matthew Ebden against Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan.
He was a quarterfinalist at the Open Sud de France and in Rotterdam.
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Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković or Jelena Jankovic(Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Јанковић, pronounced [jɛ̌lɛna jǎːnkɔv̞itɕ], born February 28, 1985) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no. 21, being coached by the former Dinara Safina coach, Željko Krajan.[citation needed]
Janković was born in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, as the third child of Veselin and Snežana, both economists.[citation needed]. She has two brothers, Marko and Stefan. She is a student at the Megatrend University in Belgrade, studying economics; however, she has put her course of study on indefinite hold as she continues to pursue her tennis career. Janković learned her first tennis skills at the Tennis Club 'Red Star'. As a nine-and-a-half year old she was introduced to tennis by her elder brother and fitness coach Marko. With 11 years has won the national championship in the competition to 12 years. She was later trained at the Tennis Academy of Nick Bollettieri. As a junior she won the 2001 Australian Open and junior no. 1 in the world. In 2001, she started to play on the WTA Tour; she reached the second round at her first tournament at the Indian Wells Masters.
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Jiske Griffioen
Jiske Griffioen (born 17 April 1985 in Woerden) is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. She was born with Spina bifida. Before she started her career as a wheelchair tennis player, she was a member of the national wheelchair basketball team at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney at the age of 14.
In 2001 she decided to give priority to the wheelchair tennis and performed it on a high performance level from that time on. In 2003 she played in her first international tournament. In November 2011 she was ranked no. 2 of the women´s worldwide wheelchair tennis ranking list. In 2008, she won a silver medal together with Esther Vergeer in the doubles at the Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
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Jonathan Erlich
Jonathan Dario "Yoni" Erlich (Hebrew: יונתן דאריו "יוני" ארליך, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 5, 1977) is a professional Israeli tennis player. Erlich has reached 27 doubles finals and won 15 of them, mostly with partner Andy Ram.
He attained his highest doubles ranking through July 2009, # 5, in July 2008.
Erlich, who is Jewish, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He moved to Haifa, Israel, when he was a one-year-old, and now resides in Tel Aviv and competes as an Israeli.
Erlich first started playing tennis when he was three years old, and he played his first tournament at the age of seven. He was later trained at the Wingate Institute, where he met Andy Ram, his future doubles partner. He turned pro in 1996 at the age of 19.
Erlich is known as a fan of the football team Maccabi Haifa.
Erlich and Ram first competed at Queen's Club in June 2001. In 2002, in singles Erlich defeated world # 64 ranked Adrian Voinea of Romania, 6–2, 6–3, in Indianapolis.
The Israeli duo's best achievement was reaching the semifinal of the Wimbledon championships in 2003. They defeated No. 2 seeded Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in straight sets, 7–6, 7–6, 7–6, before losing in the semifinals to defending Wimbledon champions Jonas Björkman and Todd Woodbridge. They were the first Israelis to ever advance to the semifinals in any Grand Slam event.
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Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (born 12 February 1980) is a professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, became the 21st player to hold the World No. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002 French Open and the 2003 US Open. His nickname is "Mosquito" due to his speed and his slight physical build.
Ferrero began playing tennis at age seven with his father, Eduardo, who often travels with son. He has two sisters, Ana and Laura and admires the play of former No. 1 and two-time Roland Garros champion Jim Courier. Ferrero's inspiration has been his mother, Rosario, who died from cancer when he was 17. In July 2007, he bought an old cottage in Bocairente, 50 minutes south from Valencia and refurbished it into "Hotel Ferrero", which features 12 luxury suites. He is also a joint owner of the Valencia Open 500 tournament together with David Ferrer. His fitness trainer is Miguel Maeso, and he is coached by Antonio Martinez (since 1989) and Salvador Navarro (since May 2008), who travels with him most of the time.
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Juan Ignacio Chela
Juan Ignacio Chela , known as "El Flaco," (born August 30, 1979) is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like most Argentine players he is comfortable on Clay courts and owns all six of his career titles on the surface. He was born in Ciudad Evita, Provincia de Buenos Aires.
In February, he reached the quarterfinals in Salvador, defeating Flavio Saretta and David Ferrer, before falling to Agustin Calleri 3–6, 6–3, 3–6. He won in doubles at Viña del Mar, partnering Gaston Gaudio.
At Acapulco and Indian Wells, he reached the quarterfinals, but lost to Oscar Hernandez Perez and Roger Federer, respectively. In Acapulco, he also reached the final in doubles, partnering Nicolas Massu, but they lost to the Bryan brothers 2–6, 3–6.
In April, Chela won in Estoril against Marat Safin 6–7, 6–3, 6–3. He also won in doubles, partnering Gaston Gaudio.
He reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, where he lost to Tim Henman 2–6, 4–6, 4–6. In doubles, he reached the quarterfinals in Rome, where he and Guillermo Cañas lost to the Bryan brothers, and in Hamburg, where he also partnered with Cañas.
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Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco (born March 29, 1984 in Tandil), nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of world no. 14 on February 4, 2008.
Monaco started playing tennis at the age of six. His father, Héctor, is a businessman, while his mother, Cristina, is an architect. He has two siblings. He enjoys spending time at home in Tandil with family and friends. His favorite sports to follow are football and basketball. His favorite teams are Estudiantes de La Plata and the San Antonio Spurs. His favorite surface is clay. He counts Andre Agassi and countryman Mariano Zabaleta as his heroes. He also enjoys going to the cinema. His favorite movies are Gladiator and 300. He is also a fan of The Lord of the Rings books.
Monaco used to be mentored by Luis Lobo of Argentina. Since the latter part of the 2010 season, Monaco has been coached by Mariano Zabaleta. He added Gastón Etlis to his coaching team in February 2011.
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.
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Julia Vakulenko
Julia Olegovna Vakulenko (Ukrainian: Юлія Оле́гівна Вакуленко) (born July 10, 1983 in Yalta) is a professional Ukraine-born female tennis player. She achieved her career high ranking of No. 31 on January 14, 2008.
In April, 2008, Vakulenko renounced her Ukrainian citizenship announcing her decision to acquire the citizenship of Spain where she's lived for the last ten years.
At the 2006 French Open, Vakulenko reached the third round.
At Wimbledon 2006, she had to pull out during the first round due to injury.
Julia became Kim Clijsters' last opponent in her professional career (before Clijsters' return in 2009). Julia won 7–6(3), 6–3 in the second round of J&S Cup in Warsaw, Poland on May 3, 2007. This earned her the nickname "Kimmie Killer".
A week later, Julia defeated World No. 3 Amélie Mauresmo at the Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin 2–6, 6–1, 6–2 (her career best) and then defeated Dinara Safina 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 to earn a spot in the semifinals against Ana Ivanović.
On August 28, 2007, in the first round of the US Open, Julia defeated number nine seed Daniela Hantuchová 6–4, 3–6, 6–1. She eventually reached the fourth round, her best performance at a major yet, before falling to Ágnes Szávay.
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Julian Knowle
Julian Knowle (born 29 April 1974) is an Austrian male professional tennis player. Being a born left-hander Knowle is one of now only few on the ATP Tour who plays his forehand, backhand and even volleys double-handed. He is Austria's most successful doubles player in history by reaching no. 6 in the ATP doubles ranking in January 2008; this attribute he has to share now with Jürgen Melzer, who reached no. 6 in the ATP doubles ranking in September 2010.
Knowle was a successful player on the ATP Challenger Series, winning the Challenger tournaments in Kyoto (1999), Caracas (2001), Graz (2001) and Andrezieux (2002) and reaching the finals in Yokohama (2000), Bristol (2000), Besançon (2000) and Graz (2003). He also won several Futures tournaments. Knowle's best ATP singles ranking was no. 86 in July 2002. He appeared last in the main draw of a singles tournament in the Graz Challenger in 2005 where he reached the quarter final.
Knowle reached his first of two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon in 2004 together with Nenad Zimonjić of Serbia. Eventually the team was defeated in four sets by Jonas Björkman and Todd Woodbridge. The only Austrian to reach a final at Wimbledon before was Georg von Metaxa in doubles in 1938 where he too lost.
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Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau (born December 20, 1981 in Bourg-en-Bresse) is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva. He is generally regarded as one of the best singles players on the tour who has not won a title.
In the 1996 Orange Bowl Benneteau won the Boys 16s singles title.
At the 2006 French Open, Benneteau reached the quarterfinals by defeating Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis, Radek Štěpánek, and Alberto Martín. There, he was defeated in straight sets 2–6, 2–6, 3–6, by fourth-seeded player Ivan Ljubičić of Croatia.
The Frenchman finished the 2008 season in the top 50 for the second time in three years. During the season, he reached two ATP finals, at Casablanca, where he lost to fellow countryman Gilles Simon, and in his final tournament of the season at Lyon, where he lost to Robin Söderling.
In May 2009, he entered the Interwetten Austrian Open in Kitzbühel as a lucky loser and reached his third career final, falling to Spain's Guillermo García-López 6–3, 6–7, 3–6.
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Justine Henin
Justine Henin (French pronunciation: [ʒys.tin enɛ̃]; born 1 June 1982), known as Justine Henin-Hardenne between 2002 and 2007, is a retired professional Belgian tennis player and former World No. 1.
Henin won 43 WTA singles titles and seven Grand Slam singles titles, including four French Open titles, one Australian Open title, and two US Open titles. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships twice and the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Tennis experts cite her mental toughness, the completeness and variety of her game, her footspeed and footwork, and her one-handed backhand (which John McEnroe has described as the best single-handed backhand in the women's or men's game) as the principal reasons for her success.
Critics and all-time-great players have made testament to Henin's talent. Upon Henin's first retirement from the WTA in the early part of the 2008 season, Billie Jean King said that "pound for pound, Henin is the best tennis player of her generation", as well as that "Justine is the best women's athlete I've ever seen."Andre Agassi said of Henin, "Justine Henin is one of the most talented women ever to have played the game of tennis." In 2007, 18 time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova said that "She is head and shoulders above everyone else right now." John McEnroe concurred, saying that Henin is "The player I most like to watch." Henin made a return to the WTA in early 2010, losing the final of the Australian Open in only her 2nd tournament back.
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Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik (born March 12, 1981 in Slovenj Gradec) is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Srebotnik is right-handed, 1.80 m, weighs 65 kg and lives in Dubai. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on August 7, 2006.
Srebotnik won 4 singles titles on the WTA-tour and was a steady top 30 player for several years. However, she had her best results on the doubles circuit, winning 30 titles (as of January 16, 2012), including one doubles Grand Slam title (Wimbledon 2011), as well as five Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles. She reached the No. 1 position on the WTA doubles ranking on July 4, 2011.
In juniors, she won the 1998 Wimbledon singles title and was singles runner-up at the US Open. Srebotnik attained the second spot on the junior rankings in 1997 and 1998.
Srebotnik made her ITF Debut in 1995. She won the ITF singles tournament in Ismailia (1996), Zadar (1997); Šibenik (1998) and in Dubai (1999). In 1998, Srebotnik won her first Tour doubles title at the Makarska Open (with Tina Križan), and became later that year doubles runner-up at Maria Lankowitz (also with Križan). In 1999, her win at the ITF tournament in Dubai, gave her ‘feed up’ direct entry into her first-ever singles Tour event at Estoril, where she became the fourth player ever to win her Tour debut event by defeating Kuti Kis in the final. She broke into the Top 100 on April 12, 1999 at No.88. Srebotnik reached the semifinal at Palermo, and played in her first Grand Slam main draw at Roland Garros, losing in the second round; but winning the mixed doubles tournament with Norval.
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Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Bondarenko (Ukrainian: Катерина Володимирівна Бондаренко, born 8 August 1986) is a professional female tennis player from Ukraine and a doubles champion at Australian Open 2008.
The younger sister of professional tennis players Valeria and Alona Bondarenko, she was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She was introduced to tennis by her parents at age 4. She plays right-handed and turned pro in 2000. As of 10 January 2011 she is ranked World No. 89 in singles and World No. 104 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association. Her career-high rankings in singles and doubles are World No. 29 and World No. 9, respectively.
She pulled off the biggest singles win of her career so far at the 2009 Rogers Cup held in Toronto, Canada, by beating Venus Williams, the third seed at that event, in three sets. She has also defeated Ana Ivanović twice in professional matches, as well as in the 2004 Wimbledon Championships girls final; and Elena Dementieva at the 2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open.
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Kevin Ullyett
Kevin Ullyett (born 23 May 1972 in Salisbury, now Harare) is a former professional tennis player from Zimbabwe. His primary success on the tour was in men's doubles.
Ullyett won 34 doubles titles during his career, including two Grand Slams at the 2001 US Open and the 2005 Australian Open with countryman Wayne Black. He also competed in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, coming in at fifth place in 2004 with Black. In mixed doubles, Ullyett won the 2002 Australian Open with Daniela Hantuchová. He reached the final of Wimbledon in 2002 with Hantuchová, and the semifinals there in 2003 and 2005 with Hantuchová and Liezel Huber, respectively. He and Huber were also the runners-up at the 2005 Australian Open.
Black, Ullyett's compatriot and long-time doubles partner, retired at the end of 2005. He then played with Paul Hanley for two seasons, then with Jonas Björkman, who retired at the end of 2008, and finally with Brazilian Bruno Soares.
His father, Robert Ullyett, represented Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) at cricket and field hockey. He was part of the national team that competed at the 1964 Olympics (they beat New Zealand 2–1 and came 11th out of 15).
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Korie Homan
Korie Homan (born 16 June 1986 in de Wijk) is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. Homan won the gold medal in women's doubles at the 2008 Paralympics. In 2009 she completed the doubles Grand Slam by winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US titles with Esther Vergeer. In addition Homan has also had success in Grand Slams individually when she won the 2010 Australian Open title. Homan is a two time Masters doubles champion.
Homan was born to Jan Willem and Gina, she is the youngest of three girls, with Geke and Wienke her older sisters. Homan was involved in a Car accident in her first year of Senior school at the age of 12 in 1998. In 2003, when she finished school she had her leg amputated.
Homan started to play wheelchair tennis in May 2000. During her first year of learning she went to an exhibition by Esther Vergeer and had a conversation with her coach Aad Zwaan. In September 2001 Homan started on the juniors and played tournaments in Holland.
Homan finished 2003 with a singles ranking of 23 having been unranked at the start of the year.
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Ksenia Lykina
Ksenia Lykina (Russian: Ксения Лыкина; born June 19, 1990) is a professional Russian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 171, which she reached on April 19, 2010. Her career high in doubles is 217, which she reached on February 22, 2010.
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Květa Peschke
Květoslava "Květa" Peschke (Czech: Květa Peschkeová, née Hrdličková; born July 9, 1975 in Bílovec, Czechoslovakia) is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. She plays mostly on the baseline, with her best shot being the forehand. Her favourite surfaces are hard court and carpet.[citation needed] At Wimbledon 2011 Květa Peschke claimed her first grand slam doubles title alongside Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik. Peschke became the first Czech player to win the Wimbledon women's doubles title since Jana Novotná in 1998. Peschke and Srebotnik also took over the No. 1 ranking in doubles and they won a WTA Award as 'Doubles Team of the Year' in November 2011.
Prior to 2003, Peschke was known as Květa Hrdličková
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Leander Paes
Leander Adrian Paes (Bengali: লিয়েন্ডার পেজ; born 17 June 1973) is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament. He is the sports ambassador of Haryana. Paes completed the career grand slam in men's doubles after winning the Australian Open in 2012. Having won seven doubles and six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles and finishing as runner up in numerous other Grand Slam finals, he is considered to be one of the greatest and most respected contemporary doubles and mixed doubles players in the world. He is among the most successful professional Indian tennis players and is also the former captain of the Indian Davis Cup team. He is the recipient of India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, in 1996–1997; the Arjuna Award in 1990; and the Padma Shri award in 2001 for his outstanding contribution to tennis in India. Paes is the great-grandson of the Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
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Leoš Friedl
Leoš Friedl (born January 1, 1977 in Jindřichův Hradec) is a Czech professional tennis player best known for his doubles play with František Čermák. He is coached by Lubomir Gerla. In his career, he has won 15 top-level doubles titles and $1,027,625 in prize money. Having turned professional in 1997, Friedl won the 2001 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Daniela Hantuchová, where they beat Mike Bryan and Liezel Huber, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2.
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Liezel Huber
Liezel Huber (née Horn; born August 21, 1976, Durban, South Africa) is a professional tennis player who competes for and resides in the United States, having been a naturalized citizen on there since July 2007. Huber has won four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles with partner Cara Black, one with Lisa Raymond, and two mixed doubles titles with Bob Bryan. On November 12, 2007, she became the co-World No. 1 in Doubles with Cara Black. On April 19, 2010, Huber became the sole No. 1 for the first time in her career.
At age 15, she moved to the United States from South Africa to attend the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1992. Huber has since resided in the U.S. She married Tony Huber, an American citizen, in February 2000. In 2005, she started a foundation, Liezel's Cause to raise money and gather basic supplies to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
She competed for the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in doubles, partnering with former world number 1 (both in singles and doubles) Lindsay Davenport; the pair lost in the quarterfinals.
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Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Ann Davenport (born June 8, 1976 in Palos Verdes, California) is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years. She is one of only four women (the others are Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert) since 1975 who has been the year-end world no. 1 at least four times, and was ranked world no. 1 on eight different occasions. Davenport finished 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005 as the top-ranked player. She was coached most of her career by Robert Van't Hof.
Davenport is the daughter of Wink Davenport, who was a member of the U.S. volleyball team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and Ann Davenport. She attended both Chadwick School in Palos Verdes Peninsula, California and Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California.
Davenport married Morgan Stanley investment banker and former University of Southern California All-American tennis player, Jonathan Leach, in 2003. Davenport took a break from competitive tennis in late 2006 and much of 2007 to have a baby. On June 10, 2007, she gave birth to a son, Jagger Jonathan, in Newport Beach, California. She gave birth to a daughter, Lauren Andrus, on June 27, 2009 in Newport Beach, California. She currently owns a home in the Irvine, California neighborhood of Shady Canyon and also in Laguna Beach, California. She gave birth to her third child, daughter Kaya Emory, on January 16, 2012.
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Lisa Raymond
Lisa Raymond (born August 10, 1973) is an American professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. On June 12, 2000, she reached the world number one ranking in doubles. Her career high singles ranking was fifteenth in October 1997.
Earning more than US$8 million in prize money in her career, Raymond has reached the quarterfinals in singles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon. Raymond, who plays right-handed, has wins over Venus Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. She also is one of the few players to win a career Grand Slam in doubles.
Of her four singles titles, two have come at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee.
Raymond was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team. As a Gator, she won the NCAA singles title in 1992 and 1993 and led the Gators to their first-ever NCAA national team championship in 1992. She was the first player to win all three collegiate Grand Slam titles in a single season (1992). She received the 1992 Volvo Rookie of the Year award, the 1992 Tennis Magazine Collegiate Player of the Year award, the 1992 and 1993 Broderick Award, and the 1993 Honda Award for collegiate tennis.
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Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt ( /ˈleɪtən ˈhjuːɨt/; born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1, who has a current ATP ranking of 176.
Hewitt is the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20. His career achievements include winning the 2000 US Open men's doubles, the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon men's singles, and back-to-back Tennis Masters Cup titles (2001 and 2002). In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put Hewitt in 34th place on its list of the 40 greatest tennis players since 1965.
Hewitt might well have followed in the footsteps of his Australian rules football-playing father Glynn. Instead, he became one of the youngest winners of an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament when, as an almost unknown youngster, he won the 1998 Next Generation Adelaide International, defeating Andre Agassi in the semifinals. Only Aaron Krickstein winning Tel Aviv in 1983 and Michael Chang winning San Francisco in 1988 were younger when claiming their first ATP title. Hewitt then left Immanuel College to concentrate on his tennis career.. He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.
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Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafářová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlutsɪjɛ ˈʃafaːr̝ovaː]) (born 4 February 1987) is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.
Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles, one double title and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en route. She has reached ten singles finals: Estoril (clay), 's-Hertogenbosch (grass), Forest Hills (hard) in 2005; Gold Coast (hard) in 2006; Open GDF Suez, Paris (carpet) in 2007; Forest Hills in 2008; Bell Challenge, Quebec City in 2009; Open GDF Suez, Paris (indoors) in 2010, and the BMW Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur and Danish Open, Copenhagen in 2011. She is ranked world no. 22 as of 28 May 2012.
Šafářová plays left-handed with a two-handed backhand, and possesses a high topspin forehand similar to that of male tennis star Rafael Nadal. Her timing off the ground allows her to project groundstrokes with power, and she is quick to spot opportunities to take the initiative. Šafářová is notorious for having a volatile return, capable of hitting clean winners, as well as unforced errors. Her preferred surface is clay.
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Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý (born April 9, 1983 in Písek) is a professional Czech tennis player on the ATP Tour. A doubles specialist, Dlouhý reached a career-high ranking of World Number 5 on June 22, 2009.
Dlouhý has been part of two long-term doubles partnerships, first with countryman and coach Pavel Vízner and actively with Leander Paes. He has reached numerous grand slam finals with each. At the 2006 French Open, he reached the third round of the men's singles event and the semifinals of the men's doubles tournament with Vízner. In 2007, Dlouhý and Vízner reached two grand slam finals at the 2007 French Open and 2007 U.S. Open.
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Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi is an Indian professional tennis player widely regarded as among the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament (with Rika Hiraki). With his win at the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2006, he joined the elite group of eight tennis players who have achieved a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
Mahesh Bhupathi is best known as one of the top doubles players in the '90s and '00s. In 1999, Bhupathi won three doubles titles with Leander Paes, including Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He and Leander became the first doubles team to reach the finals of all four Grand Slams, the first time such a feat has been achieved in the open era and the first time since 1952. On 26 April of that year, they became the world no. 1 doubles team. Bhupathi also won the US Open mixed doubles with Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
In 2006, Bhupathi teamed with Martina Hingis in the Australian Open mixed doubles competition. Entering the tournament unseeded and as wildcards, the first-time pair defeated four seeded opponents along the way, while only dropping a single set throughout. Bhupathi and Hingis defeated the sixth-seeded team of Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3, to capture the championship. It was the sixth mixed doubles Grand Slam for Bhupathi, and a first for Hingis. By winning the Australian Open, Bhupathi completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
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Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin (Russian: Марат Михайлович Сафин, Tatar: Марат Мөбин улы Сафин, Marat Möbin uğlı Safin) (born January 27, 1980) is a Russian politician and retired tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the World No. 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken racquets in a year with 87. Safin is the older brother of former World No. 1 WTA player Dinara Safina (Dinara Mikhailovna Safina) (Russian: Динара Михайловна Сафина), born April 27, 1986 in Moscow. They are the first brother-sister tandem in tennis history to both achieve No. 1 rankings.
Safin began his professional career in 1997, and held the No. 1 world ranking for a total of 9 weeks between November 2000 and April 2001. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2000 U.S. Open after defeating Pete Sampras, and won the 2005 Australian Open, defeating Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the final. Safin helped lead Russia to Davis Cup victories in 2002 and 2006. Despite his dislike of grass courts, he became the first Russian man to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. At the time of his final Grand Slam appearance at the US Open on September 2, 2009, Safin was No. 58 in the official world men's tennis rankings.
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Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel (born March 30, 1977, in Tunis, Tunisia) is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.
On November 6, 2006, Gicquel broke into the top 50 after reaching his first ATP Tour final in Lyon, where he was defeated by Richard Gasquet, his countryman. On April 30, 2007, Gicquel broke into the top 40 after reaching the semifinals of Casablanca.
He defeated second seed Tommy Robredo at the 2007 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon in the first round, and beat Alejandro Falla in the semifinals to reach the Lyon final for two years running. Gicquel's run, however, was halted by another Frenchman, Sébastien Grosjean.
In a match during the 2007 Halle, Germany tournament, Gicquel was struck directly in the genitals by a 129 mph Benjamin Becker serve. He went on to beat Becker, but spent most of the night vomiting and in pain due to swelling and was forced to retire in his next match versus Jarkko Nieminen.
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Marcelo Melo
Marcelo Melo (born September 23, 1983) is a Brazilian tennis player, currently ranked 22nd in the world in doubles. Alongside regular teammate André Sá, he has reached the Mens Doubles semifinal at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships and the quarterfinal at the 2007 US Open. In 2009, he reached the mixed doubles final at the French Open with American Vania King, becoming only the seventh Brazilian to reach the final of a Grand Slam, and the first since Gustavo Kuerten.
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Marcin Matkowski
Marcin Matkowski (born 15 January 1981 in Barlinek) is a right-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Mariusz Fyrstenberg; they have been playing together since 2003, he occasionally plays mixed doubles with Caroline Wozniacki.
Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth and final contenders in the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup. This was mainly because of the best Grand Slam result in their history, in which they reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open until 2011 when they reached the US Open Men's Doubles Final, losing a controversial decision to Philipp Petzschner and his partner Jurgen Melzer. A ball clearly struck Mr. Petzschner on the left shin during a net exchange and rebounded over the net onto the sideline. When confronted about this, Mr. Petzschner denied this, though instant replay clearly shows the ball ricocheting off his leg.
Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).
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Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis (Greek: Μάρκος Παγδατής, [ˈmarkos paɣðaˈtis]; Arabic: ماركوس بغداتيس; born 17 June 1985 in Limassol) is a Cypriot professional tennis player. He was the runner-up at the 2006 Australian Open and a semifinalist at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships and reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 8 in August 2006.
Marcos Baghdatis is the son of a Lebanese father, Christos, who migrated to Cyprus and a Greek Cypriot mother.
Baghdatis began playing tennis at age five with his father and brothers. He enjoys playing and watching football and is a supporter of Apollon Limassol in Cyprus. He trained at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris on an Olympic Solidarity Youth Development Programme Scholarship since the age of 13 and learned to speak French.
On January 28, 2006, Baghdatis received an exemption from the otherwise mandatory Greek Cypriot national service so that he could concentrate instead on playing tennis.
He received the 2005 Cyprus Male Athlete of the Year award.
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Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.
Fish has won six tournaments on the main ATP Tour, and has reached the final of four Masters Series events: Cincinnati in 2003 and 2010, Indian Wells in 2008, and Montreal in 2011. His best result at a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the quarter final stage at the 2007 Australian Open, the 2008 US Open, and the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.
In April 2011, Fish overtook compatriot Andy Roddick to become the American No. 1 in the ATP rankings. As of 21 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 8. His current career-high singles ranking is World No. 7.
Fish is the son of a tennis teaching professional and a housewife, Tom and Sally Fish. He was born in Edina, Minnesota. In 1984 a Minneapolis TV station ran a profile of Fish, at the age of two, hitting tennis balls from the baseline over the net. In 1986, Fish's family moved to Vero Beach, Florida. He attended Vero Beach High School for tenth grade, then moved to Boca Prep in Boca Raton, Florida for his junior and senior years of high school. He, Andy Roddick, and Jesse Levine all attended Boca Prep International School. During 1999 he lived with Roddick's family, and the two played on the same tennis and basketball teams.
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Maria Elena Camerin
Maria Elena Camerin (born 21 March 1982, in Motta di Livenza) is a professional tennis player from Italy.
On 11 October 2004, Camerin reached her career-high singles ranking of world no. 41.
Camerin made her debut for the Italian Fed Cup team in 2001 against France.
At the 2007 US Open she gave Serena Williams a tough match, but eventually lost 7–5, 6–2.
In the first round at Wimbledon 2009, Camerin lost to Shahar Pe'er of Israel, 6–2, 7–6 (3).
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Maria Kirilenko
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Кириле́нко) (born 25 January 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player. Kirilenko won her first WTA Tour title in 2005, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the China Open. Kirilenko reached no. 16, her career-high singles ranking, on the WTA tour in May 2012. She won the junior event at the 2002 Canadian Open, as well as the 2002 US Open junior tournament. She has reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2010 Australian Open. As of 28 May 2012, Kirilenko is ranked world no. 16.
Born in the Soviet Union of paternal Ukrainian heritage, Kirilenko is a good friend to fellow WTA players Maria Sharapova, Daniela Hantuchová, Victoria Azarenka, Ana Ivanović, Agnieszka Radwańska, Nadia Petrova, and Marta Domachowska.
Kirilenko dated fellow Russian player, Igor Andreev for several[quantify] years. In November 2011, Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals identified Kirilenko as his girlfriend on his Twitter account
Maria Kirilenko started showing a passion for tennis at age 5, but it was difficult to get practice in while still attending school. Her father enrolled her in a tennis school, and hours of training started to pay off as she won several tournaments.
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Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мария Юрьевна Шарапова [mɐˈrʲijə ˈjurʲjɪvnə ʂɐˈrapəvə] ( listen), US: /ʃɑrəˈpoʊvə/, UK: /ʃærəˈpoʊvə/; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and former world no. 1. A United States resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 26 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She has also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in 2004. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked Sharapova world no. 1 in singles on four separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last regained the ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. As of May 28, 2012, Sharapova is ranked world no. 2. She has been in six Grand Slam finals with the final record 3–3.
Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 at age 17, when she defeated two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top 10 of the WTA Rankings with the win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the no. 1 ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-world no. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and world no. 2 Justine Henin in the final.
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Marin Čilić
Marin Čilić (Croatian pronunciation: [mâriːn tʃǐːlitɕ]) (born 28 September 1988) is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semifinals in the 2010 Australian Open. Čilić developed his career at a young age; his potential was realized by local hometown coaches who saw him play and encouraged his move to Zagreb for further training. He was soon befriended by his fellow countryman Goran Ivanišević who introduced him to current coach Bob Brett. He went on to turn professional in 2005. He is known to support Italian Serie A side A.C. Milan.
Čilić was born and grew up in Međugorje, a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was raised Roman Catholic. His father Zdenko was determined that his sons—Marin and older brothers Vinko and Goran—would have the opportunities he lacked in playing sports. When the first tennis courts in the town were built in 1991, Marin and his friends were amongst the first to play on them. At the recommendation of Goran Ivanišević, Čilić moved in 2004 to San Remo, Italy at the age of 15 to work with Ivanišević's former coach Bob Brett.
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Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli (born 2 October 1984) is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.
Bartoli has defeated three reigning world no. 1 players in her career so far. She defeated Justine Henin in the semifinal of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, 1–6, 7–5, 6–1, Jelena Janković in the fourth round of the 2009 Australian Open, 6–1, 6–4 and Victoria Azarenka 6–3, 6–3 in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open. She has also recorded wins over other top players such as Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanović, Lindsay Davenport, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Sam Stosur and Kim Clijsters.
She is known for her unorthodox style of play using two hands on both her forehand and backhand. On January 30th 2012 she rose to a new career high ranking of No.7 in the world.
Bartoli was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire. She is of Corsican, Catalan, and metropolitan French descent. She started playing tennis at the age of six. Bartoli trained in a small facility as a youngster, where there was not much room behind the baseline. Her father, Walter, gave up his career as a doctor to become her full-time coach when Bartoli won the 2001 Junior US Open title, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.
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Mariusz Fyrstenberg
Mariusz Fyrstenberg (born 8 July 1980 in Warsaw) is a left-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Marcin Matkowski; they have been playing together since 2003.
Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth and final contenders in the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup. This was mainly because of the best Grand Slam result in their history, in which they reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open until 2011 when they reached the US Open Men's Doubles Final, losing a controversial decision to Philipp Petzschner and his partner Jurgen Melzer. A ball clearly struck Mr. Petzschner on the left shin during a net exchange and rebounded over the net onto the sideline. When confronted about this, Mr. Petzschner denied this, though instant replay clearly shows the ball ricocheting off his leg.
Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).
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Mark Knowles
Mark Knowles (born September 4, 1971 in Nassau, Bahamas) is a former World number 1 doubles professional male tennis player from the Bahamas, who will go down as one of the greatest athletes of his country for his longevity within his sport and charitable contributions off the court.
After being awarded a scholarship to the Nick Bollettieri's famed academy, Knowles played three seasons at UCLA, where he earned All-American honors in both singles and doubles. His highest ATP singles ranking is World No. 96. He has been very successful in doubles, partnering Daniel Nestor, Mahesh Bhupathi, Brian MacPhie and Mardy Fish. With Nestor, Knowles won the 2002 Australian Open, the 2004 U.S. Open, and the 2007 French Open. He also won the 2009 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Anna-Lena Grönefeld of Germany.
On July 5, 2006, Knowles participated in one of the longest matches in Wimbledon history, lasting 6 hours and 9 minutes.
Knowles played singles and doubles for the Bahamas Davis Cup team for more than 13 years and he is a five-time Olympian, reaching the quarterfinals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
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Mark Philippoussis
Mark Anthony Philippoussis (Greek: Μαρκ Φιλιππούσης; born 7 November 1976) is an Australian tennis player. He turned professional in 1994. His father is Greek, while his mother is of Italian ancestry.
He has had a minor career in modelling and starred in the American reality television dating show Age of Love. He is nicknamed 'the Scud', after the Scud missile. He was educated at Maribyrnong College. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 8.
Philippoussis was born in Melbourne and was educated at Maribyrnong College.
Coached by his father, Nick, the right-hander has played tennis since he was six years of age. He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. He was briefly coached by former 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, which ended in an acrimonious split in 2000. In 1994, he finished third in single ranking for juniors. Philippoussis also finished as junior doubles champion with Ben Ellwood in Australia, Wimbledon, and Italy. He turned professional in 1994.
In 1995, at the age of 19, he was the youngest player in the year-end top 50. In 1996, he reached the 4th round of the Australian Open upsetting Pete Sampras in the 3rd round and in doubles with Patrick Rafter. On 25 May 1997, he recorded a personal best 229.0 km/h (142.3 mph) serve in a game he lost to Albert Costa. During the height of his career, Mark was known as having one of the fastest serves in the game.
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Marta Domachowska
Marta Domachowska (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmarta dɔmaˈxɔfska]; born January 16, 1986 in Warsaw) is a Polish professional tennis player. She began playing at age 7. She reached the semi finals of Australian Open Junior Championships in 2003. Her racquet brand is Wilson. She speaks four languages: Polish, English, Spanish and Russian. Other than tennis, she enjoys sports such as football and swimming. She is engaged to Polish butterfly and freestyle swimmer Paweł Korzeniowski[citation needed].
Marta was born in Warsaw to Wieslaw and Barbara. She started playing tennis at age seven, and reached the semi finals of the Australian Open Junior Championships in 2003.
In her sole appearance at a WTA tournament in 2001, as an unranked wildcard in Sopot qualifying, she lost in the first round. 2002 marked her second Tour appearance, as an unranked wildcard in Warsaw. During the year she reached the doubles semifinals in Sopot and won first her first two ITF singles titles along with her first doubles title. She debuted on Tour Rankings on May 20 at No.745 and amassed a 29-12 ITF singles record (finished as no. 356) and 9–7 doubles record. She again accepted a wildcard at Warsaw, and also at Sopot in 2003, where she in the first round of both. She won her third singles title and finished the season ranked no. 244 in singles.
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Martin Damm
Martin Damm (born 1 August 1972 in Liberec) is a former a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. He is best known as a doubles player (his highest ranking being No. 5 in the world in April 2007). His highest singles ranking was No. 42 in August 1997. Damm won a total of 40 titles in doubles, including one Grand Slam title. He reached 5 singles finals.
Married to Michaela Damm, two sons, one daughter: Maxmillian Martin (born 1 February 2002 i, Martin Joseph (born 30 September 2003), Laura Michelle Damm (born 3 December 2007) all were born in Bradenton, Florida USA. His sons are also playing tennis.
He played his last tournament in September 2011 at the US Open (with Stepanek), lost to Fleming/Hutchins 63 63.
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Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander (born 22 August 1964, in Växjö, Sweden) is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles (three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open), and one Grand Slam men's doubles title (at Wimbledon). He won three of the four Grand Slam singles events in 1988 and finished that year ranked World No. 1. Although he never won the singles title at Wimbledon, Wilander twice won the Australian Open when that tournament was still played on grass courts. This makes Wilander one of only five men (along with Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer) to have won Grand Slam singles titles on grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts. He and Rafael Nadal are the only men in tennis history to have won at least two Grand Slam singles titles on each of the three surfaces. Wilander won his fourth career Grand Slam singles title at the age of 20, the youngest man in history to have achieved that feat. In addition he also won eight Championship Series titles (1983–88) the precursors to the current Masters 1000.
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Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi (Belarusian: Максім Мікалаевіч Мірны; Russian: Максим Николаевич Мирный; born 6 July 1977 in Minsk) is a professional tennis player from Belarus.
Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a record of 47 wins and 27 losses in 35 ties played. He holds eight Grand Slam titles: men's doubles in the 2000 and 2002 US Open and in the 2005, 2006 and 2011 French Open; and mixed doubles in the 1998 and 2007 U.S. Opens and 1998 Wimbledon. He earned the nickname "The Beast" during his time on tour. Mirnyi has played with a host of doubles partners, namely forming long-term partnerships with Mahesh Bhupathi, Jonas Björkman, Lleyton Hewitt, Jamie Murray, Andy Ram, and Daniel Nestor, and short-term partnerships with other top competitors on the doubles tour and the top singles tennis player Roger Federer.
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Michael Jeremiasz
Michael Jeremiasz (born 15 October 1981 in Paris) is a professional wheelchair tennis player from France. He won a gold medal in the men's doubles event at the Paralympic Games in Beijing 2008. Jeremiasz has been World Number 1 for doubles and singles on the wheelchair circuit. Jeremiasz, as of 19 May 2007, is 4th for singles and 1st for doubles. Jeremiasz is right-handed and likes hard courts. He is coached by Jerome Delbert.
Privat: in a relationship with Carolyn Aldridge – she played tennis for Great Britain and works as Physiotherapist. They met each other in Beijing where Michael won the gold medal in Men's doubles. His best friend is the French architect Noel Dominguez-Truchot.[citation needed]
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Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra (born May 18, 1980) is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.
Llodra was born in Paris, where his father Michel played for football club Paris Saint-Germain. A left-hander, his serve-and-volley style is modelled on that of his idol, Stefan Edberg.
Llodra and his wife Camille were married on September 9, 2003, and have two children, a daughter, Manon (born March 23, 2004) and a son, Teo (born September 5, 2007). He is a well-known supporter of French football club Paris Saint-Germain, and has often been seen wearing the club's shirt prior to tennis games.
Llodra reached his first Grand Slam final, the Australian Open Men's Doubles, with Fabrice Santoro. Unseeded, they lost to Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. During the semifinals, Llodra inadvertently hit a bird.
Llodra won his first Grand Slam title, the Australian Open Men's Doubles, with Fabrice Santoro. Their opponents in the final were once again Knowles and Nestor.
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Mike Bryan
Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American professional tennis player. He stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No. 1 doubles player for the last several years.
He played for Stanford University in 1997 and 1998, where he helped the Cardinal win back-to-back NCAA team championships. In 1998, he won the NCAA doubles title with his twin brother Bob.
Both brothers started their professional careers playing World TeamTennis for teams like the Idaho Sneakers through the current season for the Kansas City Explorers.
Together with his twin brother Bob he has been very successful in doubles. They have won 68 doubles titles (winning their record-setting 62nd title at the 2010 Farmers Classic in Los Angeles) including 11 Grand Slam titles. In 2005, he and Bob made it to the finals of all the 4 Grand Slam tournaments, only the second time such a feat has been achieved in the Open era. The Bryan Brothers are currently ranked No.1 in the ATP. Due to their success, they have been nicknamed The Wonder Twins after a fictional comic book duo.
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Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny (Михаил Михайлович Южный [mixaˈil ˈjuʒnɨj] ( listen); born 25 June 1982, in Moscow, Russia, is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years.
The highest singles world ranking of his career was number eight, achieved 28 January 2008 and again on 18 October 2010.
Mikhail began playing tennis at six with his older brother, Andrei, a pro futures player in 1998–2000. At 13, he was a ballboy for the Russia – U.S. Davis Cup matches.
Youzhny has a unique backhand, in which he mainly hits one-handed, but also has somewhat of a hybrid reminiscent to that of Björn Borg. Youzhny at times will follow through his backhand with both hands, but with only his right hand on his racket. Even so, many consider his backhand to be his best shot. From both sides, Youzhny hits the ball on the rise, achieving a flatter trajectory. He has a good court sense and often makes use of dropshots.
Youzhny has a reputation for engaging the crowd, subsequently taking inspiration from it to attempt high-risk winners, especially when facing matchpoints. After each big victory Youzhny gives a military style salute to the spectators. He does it by holding the tennis racquet above his head with his left hand and saluting with his right hand. The racquet imitates a hat, since according to Russian military tradition one must wear a hat to give proper salute.
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Misaki Doi
Misaki Doi (土居美咲, Doi Misaki?) (born April 29, 1991) is a professional Japanese tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 116, which she reached on March 21, 2011 (however, she will likely improve on this ranking after the 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles, where she has currently advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time) Her career high in doubles is 222, which she reached on May 10, 2010.
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Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova (Надежда Викторовна Петрова; born June 8, 1982 in Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Russian professional tennis player.
Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005. In doubles, she won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004 with Meghann Shaughnessy. As of 7 May 2012 (2012 -05-07)[update], Petrova is ranked World No. 31 in singles and World No. 16 in doubles.
Petrova was born in Moscow. Her parents were both very athletic – her father Viktor was a leading hammer thrower, while her mother Nadezhda Ilyina won a bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in the 400 meter relay. Both her parents are still athletics coaches. As a child, Nadia did a lot of travelling around the world with her parents. She eventually settled in Egypt, where she trained with Mohammed Seif and her parents. Petrova states hard courts as her favourite surface, however, she has been most successful on clay courts. She is currently coached by Vladimir Platenik
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Nathalie Dechy
Nathalie Dechy (born on February 21, 1979 in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe) is a French former professional tour tennis player.
Dechy is a three-time doubles Grand Slam champion, winning the 2006 US Open women's doubles title with Vera Zvonareva, the 2007 French Open mixed doubles title with Andy Ram, and the 2007 US Open women's doubles title with Dinara Safina. Her biggest singles achievement is reaching the semifinals of the 2005 Australian Open, where she was just two points away from the final, before eventually losing to Lindsay Davenport.
At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, she faced World No.1 and reigning French Open champion, Ana Ivanović. She took the first set and even had match point during the second before succumbing 6–7, 7–6, 10–8.
She is a member of the notorious "generation 1979" alongside Amélie Mauresmo, Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, Emilie Loit and Séverine Brémond.
Dechy was born to a father from continental France and a Canadian mother from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She holds dual French-Canadian citizenship, but has never, she says, considered representing Canada in tennis competition. On 25 January 2010 she gave birth to a baby boy Lucas
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Nenad Zimonjić
Nenad Zimonjić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ненад Зимоњић, Serbian pronunciation: [nê̞nad zîmo̞ɲit͡ɕ]; born June 4, 1976 in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a professional Serbian tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 3 in men's doubles. He is the second tennis doubles player from Serbia to hold the World No.1, after Slobodan Živojinović.
Zimonjić turned pro in 1995 and remained relatively unknown outside his native country until a surprise victory in the Mixed Doubles at the 2004 Australian Open. Paired for the first time with Russian Elena Bovina, he beat defending champions Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes in straight sets in an hour and nine minutes 6–1, 7–6 . Alongside Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, he won the 2006 French Open crown with a straight-sets victory over Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva, 6–3, 6–4. At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, Zimonjić reached the final of the Men's Doubles (alongside France's Fabrice Santoro) and the quarter-finals of the Mixed Doubles.
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Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut (French pronunciation: [nikɔla may]; born January 21, 1982 in Angers, Maine-et-Loire) is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high was no. 40, achieved on February 18, 2008.
Mahut was runner-up to Andy Roddick at the 2007 Queen's Club Championships, having held a championship point in the second-set tiebreak. Mahut defeated both fifth seed Ivan Ljubičić and top seed Rafael Nadal in straight sets, as well as compatriot and future doubles partner Arnaud Clément, to reach the final.
Mahut holds a number of tennis records and awards for his performance in the longest match in professional tennis history against John Isner in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, where he also broke the record of most points won in a single match (502); and, most games won by a losing player (91).
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Nicole Pratt
Nicole Pratt (born 5 March 1973 in Mackay) is a retired professional female tennis player from Australia.
She is the middle sibling of five children of cane farmers and was taught to play by her father, George, who was a top junior player. She attended school in Calen and received a tennis scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. She turned professional at 18.
She became Australia's no. 1 ranked female player in January 2001. She won her first WTA Title at the Hyderabad Open and reached the third round of the Australian Open in 2004.
In August 2006, at age 33, Pratt reached her first ever Tier I quarterfinal at Toronto. Soon after this she rose back up into the top 100. In 2007, Pratt entered the Sydney Medibank International where she reached the 2nd round after defeating Dinara Safina in the 1st round. She was then beaten by Kim Clijsters in straight sets. At the 2007 Australian Open, she was beaten in 1st round by Virginie Razzano of France and at the 2007 Acapulco Open was beaten by Melissa Torres (es). During 2007 she was drafted by the Boston Lobsters of the WTT pro league.
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Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈnɪkol ˈvajɟɪʃovaː]; born 23 April 1989) is a retired Czech tennis player.
Vaidišová was an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton, Florida. Her serve was considered her biggest weapon. On 9 August 2006, at the age of 17 years, three months, and two weeks, she became the 12th-youngest player in WTA Tour history to be ranked in the top 10. She achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 7 on 14 May 2007. Her form dipped shortly after, and at the time her retirement was announced in 2010, she was ranked at No. 177.
From March 2009, she was coached by her stepfather, Ales Kodat, who replaced David Felgate. By the end of 2009, she had hired top coach Eric van Harpen. Her stepfather announced that she had retired in March 2010, citing "lack of interest in tennis" as the primary reason.
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Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro Sánchez Rolle (Spanish pronunciation: [nikoˈlas alˈmaɣɾo ˈsantʃeθ]; born 21 August 1985 in Murcia, Spain) is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 12 on the ATP World Tour.
Almagro won the gold medal at the 2005 Mediterranean Games by defeating compatriot Guillermo García López 6–2, 7–5 in the final in Almería,Spain.
In April 2006, Almagro won his maiden ATP tournament title – the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana (Valencia, Spain). Almagro was forced to come through the qualification rounds just to make this event, but that did not stop him from winning 8 matches in a row including 3 set victories over former world #1's Juan Carlos Ferrero and Marat Safin.
Following this title, Almagro stated that he was pleased with where his tennis is taking him, and that he expects even bigger and better results in the near future.
After Valencia, Almagro went on an excellent run, reaching the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open before losing to Rafael Nadal, and followed that up by reaching the quarter finals in Rome, where he lost to Roger Federer in 3 tight sets, 7–5 in the 3rd.
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Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko (Russian: Николай Владимирович Давыденко, Mykola Volodymyrovych Davydenko) is a Russiantennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals, and he has also won three ATP Masters Series. He is one of the few players who has a winning record against Rafael Nadal.
Davydenko was born on June 2, 1981, in Volgograd, Russia to Vladimir and Tatyana. At the age of 11, Nikolay left his parents in Ukraine to live with his elder brother Eduard in Volgograd, Russia in the belief that Russia would afford more opportunities to become a professional tennis player.
Years later, Davydenko explained his peripatetic youth, "I stayed four years in Russia. Eduard worked as a tennis coach for kids, and we practised together. He pushed me pretty hard. At 15 we left for Germany. A Russian who lived there convinced Eduard it would be better for me and help me to learn more about my game with better coaches. In Europe I could play more tournaments and earn more money than in Russia."[citation needed]
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Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић or Novak Đoković; pronounced [nɔ̂ʋaːk dʑɔ̂ːkɔʋitɕ] ( listen); born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked World No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) since 4 July 2011. He has won five Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008, 2011 and 2012 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open. By winning three Majors in 2011, Djokovic became the sixth male player in the open era to win three Majors in a calendar year.
He is the first male player representing Serbia to win a Major singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events, separately and consecutively. Amongst other titles, he won the Tennis Masters Cup in 2008 and was on the team which won the 2010 Davis Cup. He also won the bronze medal in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He has won 11 Masters 1000 series titles placing him joint fourth on the all time list. Djokovic has quickly moved up in the rankings of history. Tennis Channel ranked him number 40 , and former player Pat Cash said he is one of the greatest ever.
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Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder (born 14 December 1978 in Basel from Willy and Iris Schnyder ) is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No. 1 players in her career, including Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Amélie Mauresmo, Jelena Janković, Ana Ivanović and Caroline Wozniacki.
During her long career, she reached six Grand Slam singles quarterfinals and one Grand Slam singles semifinal. She won 11 WTA singles titles and 5 WTA doubles titles and earned over US$8.4 million in prize money.
In 1996, Schnyder made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the French Open. In 1997, she quickly rose up through the rankings, and by August 1998 she had entered the WTA Top 10. However, Schnyder fell out of the Top 10 in April 1999, and spent the next 6 years ranked in the 15–30 range before re-entering the Top 10 in May 2005.
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Pavel Vízner
Pavel Vízner (born July 15, 1970 in Prague) is a professional male tennis player from the Czech Republic. Vízner has reached the French Open final twice, having had turned professional in 1990 and achieved a career high doubles ranking of World Number 5 on September 10, 2007.
While Vízner had played tournaments in 1988 and 1989 before professionalism in 1990, he won his first title in Prague in 1993 on the Challenger circuit, defeating Swedes Tomas Nydahl and Mikael Tillström in the final, partnered by David Rikl, also a future superb player with a higher doubles ranking and ultimately more success. He won another minor title in Guayaquil, Ecuador later in 1995.
Pavel broke through in 1996, winning a total of five titles; three of them being major titles. His first major title that he won was at Sankt Pölten, with Sláva Doseděl where they defeated David Adams and Menno Oosting in the final. His next title he won with Paul Kilderry over Anders Järryd and number 7 doubles player Mark Knowles in a tournament in Rosmalen, in The Netherlands. En route, he and partner Kilderry beat the 4th, 7th, 12th, and 14th-ranked doubles players. He won another title yet again in Gstaad, Switzerland, beating David Macpherson and Trevor Kronemann in the final, aside Jiří Novák (a doubles talent in a later day) In Grand Slam men's doubles performance, he participated in the French Open and the U.S. Open, and made the third round at Wimbledon. He ended 1996 ranked 28, having had broken into the top 100 for doubles.
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Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai (born January 8, 1986, in Xiangtan) is a Chinese professional female tennis player. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova in the final.
Peng is known for her stamina and plays with two hands on both sides and hits very flat. She has defeated many top 10 and top 5 players, including Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Kim Clijsters, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Janković, Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwańska, Li Na, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Vera Zvonareva.
She has yet to win a WTA singles title, making four finals and many semifinals. As of May 2012, she is ranked inside the top 30 and is the 2nd ranked Chinese women's player, behind Li Na (out of 3 in the top 100).
Peng began playing at age eight when an uncle (a famous tennis coach in China and the only other family member who plays tennis) introduced her to the game. She favors hard courts and forehand (though her backhand is the better side). Her father Peng Jijun is a police officer and her mother is Zhang Bing. At age 13, Peng Shuai was submitted to a hospital for heart surgery, a situation which she explains in the "Impossible is Nothing" campaign from Adidas.
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Pete Sampras
Peter "Pete" Sampras (/ˈsæmprəs/; born August 12, 1971) is a retired Greek–American tennis player and former world number 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Sampras debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and played his last top-level tournament in 2002 when he won the US Open, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final. He was the year-end world no. 1 for six consecutive years (1993–1998), a record for the open era. His seven Wimbledon singles championships are also an Open Era record. He spent 286 weeks at no. 1, the most of any male player. His five US Open singles titles is an Open Era record shared with former world no. 1 players Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. Sampras is the last American male to win Wimbledon (2000) and the ATP World Tour Finals (1999).
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Peter Norfolk
Peter Robert Norfolk OBE (born 13 December 1960) is a British wheelchair tennis player.
Norfolk suffered a motorbike accident at the age of 19, and was left paraplegic. He subsequently became a Paralympian, and was the first person ever to win a Paralympic medal for Britain in tennis when he took gold in the quads singles at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. He represented Great Britain again at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning gold in the singles event and bronze in doubles with Jamie Burdekin.
Norfolk has won a total of thirteen Super Series titles in all.
As of January 2011, he is ranked second in singles, behind David Wagner of the United States.
Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Norfolk was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
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Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štěpánek ((Czech pronunciation: [ˈradɛk ˈʃcɛpaːnɛk]; born 27 November 1978 in Karviná) is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 8.
Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles. He is known for his after-the-shot grunting, his over-the-top celebrations and his many relationships with WTA players.
Štěpánek first came to mainstream notice when he defeated former world No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in five sets on his way to the third round of the 2003 Australian Open.
2006 was Štěpánek's best year to date; he found himself on the verge of getting into the top ten of ATP rankings, as he defeated José Acasuso in the semi-finals of the Masters Series event in Hamburg. He went on to lose the final in straight sets against Spain's Tommy Robredo. At that point, he achieved a career-high ATP world ranking of No. 11 in singles.
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Catalan: [rəˈfɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə]; Spanish: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]) (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of 28 May 2012 (2012 -05-28)[update], he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time.
Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles, including a record six French Open titles (tied with Bjorn Borg), the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 21 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He completed the Career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.
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Rennae Stubbs
Rennae Stubbs (born 26 March 1971 in Sydney) is an Australian tennis player. She was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. She has won several Grand Slam doubles titles and represented Australia at four successive Olympic Games; Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
Stubbs has recorded more doubles triumphs than any other Australian woman—60 from 1992 to the conclusion of the 2010 WTA Tour—enjoying success with eleven different partners. She also won two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles with male partners. In 2001, Stubbs won the season-ending WTA Championships with regular partner Lisa Raymond and the pair were named ITF World Champions.
Stubbs is the longest-serving member of the Australia Fed Cup team, having played for 17 years since 1992, with a 28–9 win/loss record in doubles; the second highest in Australian Fed Cup Team history behind Wendy Turnbull (29–8). She retired after the 2011 Fed Cup tie with Italy. However, Stubbs suddenly came back to the WTA Tour by playing at the Miami Masters with Jill Craybas.
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Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet (French pronunciation: [ʁiʃaʁ ɡasˈkɛ]) (born 18 June 1986) is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup. Gasquet is best known for his long winding groundstrokes and his one-handed backhand.
Richard Gasquet was born in Béziers in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. He is the only child in the family. He began playing tennis at the age of 4 under the guidance of his father, Francis, who ran a tennis club, the TC Sérignan, along with his mother Maryse. He appeared on the cover of French Tennis Magazine aged only 9, and was touted as an extremely promising prospect even at such an early age. He was coached by his father during his junior career, and by Tarik Benhabiles for a short period. Since turning professional he has been coached by Eric Deblicker and Guillame Peyre. In February 2010, he hired coach Gabriel Markus, who has worked with Marat Safin and David Nalbandian in the past.
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Robin Ammerlaan
Robin Ammerlaan (born 26 February 1968 in Den Haag) is a professional, former world number one in singles and doubles, wheelchair tennis player from the Netherlands. Ammerlaan is also champion of many grand slam titles since 2000. The right-handed player's favorite surface is carpet, and he is coached by Gert Bolk. His wheelchair is manufactured by Invacare. Ammerlaan currently resides in Soest, the Netherlands.
He won the gold medal for Wheelchair tennis men dubbel with Ricky Molier. In the final they plaid against David Johnson and David Hall from Australia.
He won the gold medal for Wheelchair tennis men singles. In the final he played against David Hall from Australia.
He won the silver medal for wheelchair tennis men single. He lost in the final from Shingo Kunieda from Japan
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Robin Haase
Robin Haase (born 6 April 1987 in The Hague) is a Dutch tennis player. Haase is currently the highest-ranked Dutch player, achieving his career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 39 in May 2012. He is left-handed, but plays with right hand. He is endorsed by Robey, Head, Tempo-Team and iTennis.nl.
Haase was a promising player in the Junior level, where he reached as high as no. 3 in the Juniors’ rankings on 14 March 2005. Later on in 2005, he lost the final of the Junior Grand Slam Tournament at Wimbledon to Jérémy Chardy in his last tournament at the Junior level.
Haase started 2006 ranked 665. In June he played his first ATP tournament at Rosmalen losing in the first round against Juan Carlos Ferrero 4-6, 6-3, 2-6.
In September he made his debut for the Dutch Davis Cup team in the World Group Play-offs against the Czech Republic, losing against Tomas Berdych in straight sets and winning from Jan Hernych when the competition already was decided.
In November Haase won his first Challenger tournament in Nashville, beating 2 top-100 players in the process.
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Roger Federer
Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːdəʁɐ]) (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP No. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks from 2 February 2004 to 18 August 2008. Federer has occupied the #1 ranking for 285 overall weeks, one week short of the record 286 weeks held by Pete Sampras. As of 28 May 2012, he is ranked World No. 3. 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 five times and also the final at each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men's record ten in a row, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open, the lone exception being 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. At the 2012 Australian Open, he reached a record 31st consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. During the course of his run at the 2012 French Open in Roland Garros, Federer eclipsed Jimmy Connors long standing record of 233 match wins in Grand Slam tournaments when he defeated Adrian Ungur in a second round match.
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Rogier Wassen
Rogier Wassen (born August 9, 1976 in Roermond) is a Dutch tennis player who competes regularly on the ATP Tour as a doubles player.
Wassen reached his highest doubles ranking on the ATP Tour on 10 September 2007 when he became world no. 24. The right-hander has won three ATP doubles titles. The Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand in 2006 and 2007 teaming up with Andrei Pavel and Jeff Coetzee respectively. In 2007 he won the Ordina Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, again with Jeff Coetzee. In 2009, he reached the finals of the 2009 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, partnering with Michael Kohlmann.
He is nicknamed "Da Professor" by good friend and new doubles partner Dustin Brown.
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Ronald Vink
Ronald Vink (born April 21, 1976) is a professional wheelchair tennis player from the Netherlands. He specializes in doubles but also plays singles. He represented his country at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, where he competed in singles and doubles. In both events he made it to the semifinals but lost there and lost again in the bronze medal match.
Vink has reached five grand slam wheelchair doubles finals, capturing his first title at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships with compatriot Robin Ammerlaan. In 2008, he successfully defended his Wimbledon Wheelchair title by defeating the French duo of Stephane Houdet and Nicoles Peifer.
In singles, he has had less successes. Vink has never captured a singles title nor has he reached a final. His best effort came at the 2008 French Open, when he reached the semifinals.
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Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki (/lɨˈzɪki/; born 22 September 1989 in Troisdorf) is a German professional tennis player.
Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career (one in 2009 and two in 2011) and one doubles tournament (in 2011). She reached the semi-finals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. She achieved her career high rank of World No. 12 on 21 May 2012. After struggling with injuries in 2010, Lisicki rebounded in 2011 and re-entered the top 100 of the world rankings. She is only the second player in Wimbledon history to make it to the semifinals while entering the tournament as a wildcard.
Since 2004 Lisicki has trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA where she is sponsored and managed by IMG. She is coached by her father who studied sport science in Wrocław and Cologne.
Lisicki had a successful year in 2007 on the ITF circuit and climbed from World No. 497 to World No. 198 in the WTA rankings. She won two titles, one in Jersey and the other in Toronto, Canada. She defeated top-seed Katie O'Brien on 2 August 2007 at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open.
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Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey (born October 7, 1987) is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. His current ATP rank is 71, with a career high rank of #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong serve and forehand. Querrey holds the record for most consecutive service aces since the ATP began keeping records of those statistics, with 10 in a 2007 match against James Blake. His regular doubles partner is fellow American John Isner.
Many tennis experts, including Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe, have touted Querrey as America's next great talent.[citation needed]
Querrey turned down a scholarship offer from USC to turn pro. His father Mike Querrey recommended that his son try making it in tennis, as he often regretted his own decision to go to the University of Arizona rather than play baseball for the Detroit Tigers which had drafted him. Sam Querrey said that going pro was "one of the toughest decisions of my life."
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Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza (Hindi: सानिया मिर्जा, Telugu: సానియా మీర్జా, Urdu: ثانیہ مرزا ) (born 15 November 1986, in Bombay) is a professional Indian tennis player. She began her tennis career in 2003 and is well known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings in singles and top 10 in doubles. Mirza has defeated many top players, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli and Former World No. 1's Martina Hingis & Dinara Safina.
Mirza has won one WTA singles title so far, at Hyderabad in 2005. She has won one Grand Slam title: the mixed doubles event at the 2009 Australian Open. She was also the runner-up on two other Grand Slam occasions: the mixed doubles event at 2008 Australian Open and the women's doubles event at Roland Garros 2011.
In 2004 she was awarded the Arjuna award by the Indian Government. In 2006, Mirza was awarded a Padma Shri, India's fourth highest honour for her achievements as a tennis player. In March 2010, The Economic Times named Mirza in the list of the "33 women who made India proud". Mirza was also the most searched Indian sportsperson on Google in 2009. In addition, Mirza was one named one of the '50 heroes of Asia' by the Time Magazine (2005).
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Satoshi Saida
Satoshi Saida (斎田 悟司, Saida Satoshi?, born March 26, 1972 in Yokkaichi, Mie) is a Japanese pioneering wheelchair tennis player and 2004 Summer Paralympics gold medalist (Men's doubles with Shingo Kunieda).
Saida, a big baseball enthusiast in his childhood, lost his left leg because of illness. At first, he used to play wheelchair basketball with his friends. At the age of fourteen, he had an opportunity to get to know wheelchair tennis with his basketball teammates at a seminar which took place in his hometown, and started this sport.
As a competitor, his first Paralympics was the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, USA. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia, he got the eighth place. With Shingo Kunieda, he participated in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece, and won the men's doubles event. The two competed together again at the 2008 Beijing Games and took bronze in the doubles event.
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Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on November 2, 2009. She is the only female player to have won over $35 million in prize money.
Her 27 Grand Slam titles places her ninth on the all-time list: 13 in singles, 12 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. She was also the first woman, along with sister Venus Williams, to hold all four Grand Slam doubles titles simultaneously since Martina Hingis did so in 1998. Her 13 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list. Williams ranks fourth in Grand Slam women's singles titles won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each). She has won more Major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active player, male or female.
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Sharon Walraven
Sharon Walraven (born 19 June 1970, Schaesberg) is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. She became paraplegic at age 23 after complications following a fall while she was ice-skating. She has won seven Grand Slams doubles titles partnering compatriot Esther Vergeer. At the 2008 Paralymics in Beijing she won the Gold medal in the women's doubles competition. At the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney she won a Silver medal in the women's singles competition. Walraven has a highest ranking of No.2 in singles and No.1 in doubles.
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Shingo Kunieda
Shingo Kunieda (国枝 慎吾, Kunieda Shingo?, born February 21, 1984 in Tokyo) is a Japanese number one singles wheelchair tennis player. Kunieda is a right-hander whose favorite surface is hard court. His coach is Hiromichi Maruyama. His training base is the Tennis Training Center (TTC) in Kashiwa.
Due to a tumor in his spinal cord from when he was 9, he is paralyzed in the lower half of his body. Kunieda uses an Ox Engineering wheelchair. He graduated from Reitaku University Japan and now works for Reitaku University. He was awarded the International Tennis Federation's wheelchair male world champion for three consecutive years from 2007 to 2009.
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Simon Aspelin
Simon Aspelin (born 11 May 1974 in Saltsjöbaden) is a former professional tennis doubles player from Sweden who turned professional in 1998. Aspelin has achieved a career-high singles ranking relevant as of 23 March 2007, of World Number 436 which he reached on 17 August 1998.
A memorable part of Aspelin's career was when he and doubles partner Todd Perry were playing in the 2006 Wimbledon Championships men's doubles quarterfinals as the eighth-seeded doubles team against third-seeded Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. Knowles and Nestor won the match by winning the final set 23–21.
At the 2007 U.S. Open, seeded tenth with his partner Julian Knowle, Aspelin achieved the greatest triumph of his career by winning the U.S. Open, his first Grand Slam. In the first two rounds, they won over Kubot/Skoch 6–2 6–2 and got a walkover over Calleri/Horna. They went on to upset the eighth seeds Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in the third round. In the quarterfinals, they shocked the top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan 7–5 6–4, having lost to them only weeks before. In the semi-finals, they held off unseeded Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut 7–6(2) 1–6 6–3, before winning the final 7–5 6–4 over the ninth seeds, Pavel Vízner and Lukáš Dlouhý. He had never before reached a Grand Slam semifinal. This win put them into the #5 position in the ATP Doubles Race, and also gave Aspelin his career-high ranking of #13. His Davis cup record in march 2009 is 3–5 in doubles.
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Sofia Arvidsson
Lena Sofia Alexandra Arvidsson (born February 16, 1984) is a Swedish tennis player. As of Mars 5, 2012, she is ranked World No. 56. Her highest career ranking is World No. 29.
Arvidsson began playing tennis at the age of 8 under her neighbor, a tennis coach. Her father, Yngve is a policeman and her mother, a piano teacher.
Arvidsson combined the ITF Junior circuit and ITF Women's Circuit into her schedule and in 1999 made the semi finals of a $10,000 women's event in Båstad, Sweden. In 2000 she made the finals of Nasbypark $10,000 and made her first appearances in the Fed Cup.
Arvidsson was recognised for her talent when she made the finals of the junior Australian Open in 2001, losing to Jelena Janković 6–2 6–1. But her breakthrough came in the same year when she took the titles at the Sunderland $10,000 and Stockholm $10,000. Sofia then won her 3rd ITF Women's title in Buchen, Germany again a $10,000 event. Arvidsson stepped up her tournament game as she played Qualifying at a $50,000 event in Dinan, where she qualified and beat world number 146 in the main draw.
wn.com/Sofia_Arvidsson -
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas "The Manislas" Wawrinka (born 28 March 1985 in Lausanne) is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot. He won the gold medal for Switzerland in the men's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, partnering Roger Federer, by beating Swedish team Simon Aspelin/Thomas Johansson in the final. They were also honoured with the 2008 Swiss Team of the Year Award.
John McEnroe believes Wawrinka has one of the most powerful backhands he has ever seen and describes him as having "the best one-handed backhand in the game today".
Wawrinka stopped attending regular schooling at age 15 to focus full-time on tennis. However, he continued his schooling by distance education with the French organization CNED, which offered him greater flexibility.
Wawrinka started playing international junior events at age 14 and entered the satellite circuit the following year. He compiled an outstanding junior career, winning the 2003 French Open Junior championships and finishing as the no. 14 junior.
wn.com/Stanislas_Wawrinka -
Stefan Koubek
Stefan Koubek (born January 2, 1977 in Klagenfurt) is a tennis player from Austria. Koubek plays left-handed with a double-handed backhand. His idol when growing up was Thomas Muster. Koubek has won three titles, two of which have come on hardcourts; despite this, he says his favorite surface is clay.
His nickname is Cooley or Stef. Koubek's hobbies include sports cars, video games, golf and skiing.
Koubek turned professional in 1994, losing his first match in St Pölten. Between 1994 and 1998, Koubek mostly played in ATP Futures and ATP Challenger Series events.
In 1997 he jumped up 184 positions in the rankings, thanks to good results in Challenger tournaments, reaching finals in Ulm and Alpirsbach. 1998 saw Koubek win his first Challenger event in Alpirsbach; later that same year he lost to Younes El Aynaoui in the final of Maia. Koubek compiled a 33-20 record for the year.
Koubek won his first ATP title in 1999 at Atlanta as a qualifier. He achieved this losing only one set in the whole tournament, overcoming Sébastien Grosjean in the final 6–1 6–2. Koubek reached the fourth round in his French Open debut, losing to Àlex Corretja; to date this is his best performance at this event. Koubek made the final of Bournemouth, losing to Adrian Voinea, and helped his country Austria back into the World Group of Davis Cup by defeating Sweden 3–2 in a promotion tie. Koubek was second only to Albert Costa in wins on clay during the 1999 season, with 28 match victories.
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Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian (simplified Chinese: 孙甜甜; traditional Chinese: 孫甜甜; pinyin: Sūn Tiántián; born 12 October 1981 in Zhengzhou, Henan, China) is a Chinese female tennis player.
In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back.
In 2002, she found repeat success at the next level up, winning two $25,000 tournaments: firstly in April, at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (beating countrywoman Zheng Jie in the semi-final and Korean Jeon Mi-ra in the final); and then in August at Beijing (beating Zheng Jie in the semi-final again, and Rika Fujiwara of Japan in the final)
In 2003, she reached the final of a $50,000 tournament at Modena despite entering as a lucky loser to countrywoman Yan Zi in the final round of qualifying. Having defeated several high-quality opponents in the forms of Martina Suchá, Maret Ani and Gala León García, she lost in the final against Melinda Czink.
This year, she also gained entry into several WTA tournaments, most notably coming through qualifying at Doha by defeating Yuliana Fedak, Ľubomíra Kurhajcová and Maria Sánchez Lorenzo, only to lose in the deciding set of her opening round match against Nicole Pratt; and at the US Open after a narrow victory over Selima Sfar, only to lose to Saori Obata at the first hurdle in the main draw. But she finished the year ranked World No. 141.
wn.com/Sun_Tiantian -
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ( Светла́на Алекса́ндровна Кузнецо́ва (help·info)); born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of May 7, 2012 ranked No. 28 in the WTA singles and No. 31 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in seven doubles finals, winning twice. She has qualified five times for the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships but has never qualified for the semifinals.
Her first Grand Slam title came at the 2004 US Open, making her the third Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title, after Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova who won at the 2004 French Open and 2004 Wimbledon tournaments respectively. Kuznetzova's second Grand Slam title was the 2009 French Open, defeating Serena Williams in the quarterfinal, Samantha Stosur in the semifinal, and compatriot Dinara Safina in the final in straight sets. At the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open singles tournament she was the runner-up, both times to Belgian player Justine Henin. As a result, Kuznetsova obtained her new WTA ranking of No. 2, her best to that date. Kuznetsova has won a total of 13 WTA and 1 ITF singles titles and 15 WTA doubles titles to date and US$16,372,146 in prize money, making her the second top Russian earner on court and number 11 of all female tennis players to date and No. 5 of active players, after only Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, and Maria Sharapova respectively.
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Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer (born 27 April 1980 in Linz, Austria) is a former professional female tennis player from Austria. Her career high ranking is No. 19, achieved on 17 December 2007.
She is one of three mothers on the WTA Tour (Kim Clijsters and Rossana de los Ríos are the others), having taken time off at age 21 to have her daughter Tina before returning to the tour. When she won the 2007 Pattaya Women's Open, it was the first time in eighteen years that a mother won on tour, after Laura Arraya in 1989. Her daughter Tina is a frequent regular in the crowd. Bammer said of her daughter, "She is always telling other people to be quiet because Mummy is concentrating."
Bammer made her WTA Tour main draw debut as a wildcard in 2000 at the Klagenfurt event. She lost to German player Andrea Glass at this event. She failed to qualify for Wimbledon, US Open and her home tournament in Linz.
During 2001 she took a break from tennis to give birth to her daughter Tina. Her boyfriend Christophe Gsthwendtner took a break from his engineering career to take care of Tina. Given that she was still to break into the top 200 at the time, this was a courageous decision for the young couple. It wasn't until two years later that she would break into the top 150.
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Tamira Paszek
Tamira Shelah Paszek (born December 6, 1990 in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg, Austria) is a professional tennis player from Austria. As of July 4, 2011, she is the no.1 ranked tennis player from Austria in the WTA ranking, at No. 41.
She is currently being coached by Andrei Pavel (former coach of Jelena Janković) having previously been coached by Angel Giminez and Larri Passos (former coach of former ATP No.1 Gustavo Kuerten).[citation needed]
Paszek was introduced to tennis by her mother, Françoise Paszek, at age four-and-a-half. Her mother is Chilean born, and her father is Ariff Mohamed, who is Tanzanian-born, Kenya-raised and lived in Canada. Both her paternal grandparents are from India.[citation needed]
She attended Gymnasium Dornbirn-Schoren and Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium Schoren.
As a junior, Paszek was a finalist in the 2005 Girls' Singles Championship at Wimbledon and at the US Open – Girls' Singles in 2006.
In September 2005 she won her first title at an ITF tournament in Sofia. In October of the same year she received a wild card to appear at her first WTA tournament in Linz; she defeated Elena Vesnina in the first round and lost to Ana Ivanović after a tough first set.
wn.com/Tamira_Paszek -
Tathiana Garbin
Tathiana Garbin (born 30 June 1977) is a retired Italian tennis player. Garbin is probably best known for her shocking defeat of the defending champion and the reigning World No. 1 Justine Henin in the second round of the 2004 French Open. The winner of one singles and eleven doubles WTA Tour titles, she reached her highest singles ranking World No. 22 on 21 May 2007, and her highest doubles ranking World No. 25 on 27 August 2001. Other high–ranked players she defeated include Jelena Dokić, Chanda Rubin, Flavia Pennetta, Agnieszka Radwańska, Nadia Petrova, Marion Bartoli and Samantha Stosur.
wn.com/Tathiana_Garbin -
Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin (Russian: Татья́на Голови́н; born January 25, 1988) is an inactive French professional tennis player. She is best known for her explosive forehand, which was said to be one of the best at the time. She notably won the 2004 French Open mixed doubles event with Richard Gasquet, and reached the singles quarterfinal at the 2006 U.S. Open, losing to the eventual champion Maria Sharapova. The 24-year-old's highest singles ranking to date is 12. However, just as she began experiencing success, in 2008, she was diagnosed with lower back inflammation and was forced to stop playing competitive tennis indefinitely.
Golovin spent six years at Nick Bollettieri's tennis camp in Bradenton, Florida. She is currently coached by former World No. 1 Mats Wilander, having previously been coached by Brad Gilbert and Dean Goldfine.
Golovin made her ITF Circuit debut at Cagnes-sur-Mer (France) in 2002. She played in three more ITF events (including one semifinal) later that year, but she failed to qualify for the French Open.
wn.com/Tatiana_Golovin -
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas (born 3 April 1978 as Thomas Mario Haas) is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the World Top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high singles ranking of World No. 2 on 13 May 2002, Haas's career has been interrupted by injuries: whilst a professional, he has twice dropped out of the world rankings due to being inactive for twelve months. His first period of injury saw him miss the whole of the 2003 season, and he did not return to the world's top ten until 2007. He also missed over a year's tennis between February 2010 and June 2011, but has since returned to play on the Tour.
Haas has never won a Grand Slam tournament, his best result being three-time semi-finalist at the Australian Open and one semi-final at Wimbledon. He has won thirteen career titles in singles and doubles, including one Masters tournament, and has a silver medal from the 2000 Summer Olympics.
His equipment include Solfire, Lacoste and Nike for his clothes and shoes, respectively. He switched to using Head racquets in 2009 after using Dunlop Sport racquets for most of his career.
wn.com/Tommy_Haas -
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés (born 1 May 1982 in Hostalric, Girona) is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No. 5, which he first reached on 28 August 2006 soon after winning the Hamburg Masters.
He turned professional in 1998 and was coached by José Manuel "Pepo" Clavet and is now coached by Karim Perona. Robredo considers his forehand to be his best shot, and red clay is his favorite surface.
Robredo began playing tennis regularly when he was five and his family moved to Olot, where his father Ángel became the director of the local tennis club, Club Natació Olot. (Robredo's mother Dolores is herself a former assistant coach.) He was coached by his father until 1996 when he joined the Spanish Tennis Federation at the Centre d'Alt Rendiment ("High Performance Center"), a famous center for professional sports training in Sant Cugat del Vallès. He turned professional in 1998.
As a junior player, Robredo won the Junior Orange Bowl 16–Under in both singles and doubles (with Marc López) in 1998. As a professional he made the singles and doubles finals of a Futures-level event, winning the doubles title with Pedro Cánovas. In 1999 he made the semifinals of the boys' event at the French Open and won a Futures tournament in singles as well as another in doubles. Earlier that year in Robredo's hometown tournament of Barcelona – his first event at the ATP Tour level – he recorded a win over Marat Safin, who was then ranked in the world's top thirty, before going on to lose to top ten player Todd Martin.
wn.com/Tommy_Robredo -
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtomaːʃ ˈbɛrdɪx]; born September 17, 1985, in Valašské Meziříčí) is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semi-finals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters (which is a part of the ATP Masters 1000) in 2005. He has since reached the finals of the Miami Masters in 2010 and the Madrid Open in 2012, losing to Andy Roddick and Roger Federer, respectively. He reached a career high of World No. 6 on October 18, 2010.
Berdych turned pro in 2002, winning two Futures events, both in his country of the Czech Republic, in Czech F8 defeating Pavel Šnobel in the finals 6–2, 6–3, and in Czech F5 defeating Ladislav Chramosta 6–4, 6–3.
In 2003, Berdych won three Futures events in Great Britain F5 over Peter Clarke 6–1, 6–4, in the Challenger in Budaors, Hungary over Ivaylo Traykov 6–2, 6–3, and Challenger of Graz, Austria Julian Knowle 6–4, 5–7, 6–2. He also reached the final of Great Britain F1, losing to Wesley Moodie 6–7, 6–7. He also reached six other semifinals. He won his first ATP Tour match in the 2003 US Open over Tomas Behrend 5–7, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3, but lost in the next round to Juan Ignacio Chela 6–2, 1–6, 4–6, 3–6.
wn.com/Tomáš_Berdych -
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots (Turkish: Kıbrıs Türkleri or Kıbrıslı Türkler Greek: Τουρκοκύπριοι) are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571. About 30,000 Turkish soldiers were given land once they settled in Cyprus, which bequeathed a significant Turkish community; today's Turkish Cypriots.
Ottoman troops landed in Cyprus in mid-May 1570 and conquered it within a year from Venetian rule. The Turkish arrival to the island was welcomed by the Greek Cypriots as it was an improvement on Catholic domination and on the hope that 'anybody was better than the Venetians.' After the defeat of the Venetians in 1571, the Turkish commander, Lala Mustafa Paşa, chose 12,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalrymen to stay behind as colonists. Furthermore, a substantial number of Turkish soldiers and their families from the Mediterranean region of Turkey, approximately 20,000, went to Cyprus and were given fiefs on the island. A fief was a parcel of real estate given by Sultan Selim II to his soldiers in return for their service to him. By the late sixteenth century there was an estimated 40,000-60,000 Turks in Cyprus.
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Vania King
Vania King (traditional Chinese: 金久慈, simplified Chinese: 金久慈, Hanyu Pinyin: Jīn Jiǔcí) (born February 3, 1989 in Monterey Park, California, US) is a Taiwanese American female tennis player. King won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles with Kazakh partner Yaroslava Shvedova.
King's parents moved to the United States from Taiwan in 1982. She is the youngest of four children. Her brother Phillip was a four-time All-American at Duke University and two-time US junior champion.
In 2006 King won her only WTA singles title at the PTT Bangkok Open, a Tier III tournament with $200,000 in total prize money. She defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn in the final. On November 6, 2006, King achieved her career-high singles ranking of 50th overall.
In 2009, she reached the Mixed Doubles final at the French Open, alongside Brazilian player Marcelo Melo, losing to number 1 seeds Liezel Huber/Bob Bryan.
King lost in the second round of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships to No. 15 Flavia Pennetta. She played in the ladies doubles with Anna-Lena Grönefeld, losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Venus and Serena Williams.
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Vasek Pospisil
Vasek Pospisil (born June 23, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. Pospisil has a No. 95 ATP career ranking high in singles and No. 115 in doubles. As Canada's No. 2 in singles and No. 3 in doubles, he is an important member of the Canada Davis Cup team.
Pospisil reached the final of his first ever junior International Tennis Federation event, the 2005 Canadian U18 ITF World Ranking Event, to compatriot Graeme Kassautzki. He and Kassautzki won the doubles event. Partnering another star junior Canadian, Milos Raonic, Pospisil won his second doubles title in December 2006, the Prince Cup in the United States. He also won back-to-back doubles titles in the Czech Republic in January–February, 2007, as well as the Guru Cup in Italy in April–May.
In singles, Pospisil won the ITF Flevoland Junior Championships in Holland in February, the 25th All-Canadian ITF Junior Championships in April, and the Canadian U18 ITF World Ranking Event, the last one without losing more than four games in any set.
wn.com/Vasek_Pospisil -
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980), is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 53 as of May 28, 2012 in singles. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first black woman to achieve this feat during the Open Era.
Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list and is more than any other active female player except for her younger sister Serena Williams. Venus Williams' titles consist of: seven in singles, twelve in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Those seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth place on the all-time list. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. Venus Williams is one of only three women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships through the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.
wn.com/Venus_Williams -
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva (Russian: Вера Игоревна Звонарёва, pronounced [ˈvʲerə zvənɐˈrʲɵvə] ( listen); born September 7, 1984) is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 11. Zvonareva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the finals of the 2008 WTA Tour Championships, 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and 2010 US Open. She also was a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Zvonareva was born September 7, 1984 in Moscow to Igor Zvonarev and Nataliya Zvonareva (née Bykova). Igor played Bandy in the USSR championship with Dynamo Moscow, while Nataliya played field hockey and was the bronze medalist at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Vera was introduced to tennis at the age of six by her mother, although no other members of her family play tennis.
Zvonareva started to compete on the ITF Circuit in 1999, debuting at an ITF tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia. She won three qualifying matches there to reach the main draw before losing in the first round. The next year, she won an ITF event in Moscow, Russia without dropping a set, despite being unranked. The event was just the second event she had played in her professional career. Five weeks later, she made her WTA-level debut at the Tier I tournament in Moscow, beating World No. 148 Elena Bovina, before losing to World No. 11 Anna Kournikova in the second round. In 2001, she failed to qualify for WTA events in Key Biscayne, Florida and Moscow, but reached a semifinal at the ITF Circuit tournament in Civitanova, Italy. During this time, she also showed her adeptness in juniors' competition by winning the Orange Bowl under-18s event in 2000 and 2001.
wn.com/Vera_Zvonareva -
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka (Belarusian: Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка, Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current World No. 1 as of 28 May 2012.
She won the 2012 Australian Open singles title, becoming the first Belarusian player to win a Grand Slam in singles. Her other achievements include winning two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, the 2007 US Open with Max Mirnyi and the 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan.
At age 16, Azarenka moved to Scottsdale, Arizona from Minsk, Belarus, to train. In this she was aided by National Hockey League goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and his wife, who is a friend of Azarenka's mother. In 2010 she briefly considered a break from the sport of tennis to focus on education, however, after a conversation with her grandmother she decided to continue playing. It is the inspiration from her grandmother that is regarded as the key for her continued developments in the sport. Azarenka is romantically involved with tennis player Sergei Bubka Jr, son of former Olympic gold medalist and World Champion, Sergey Bubka.
wn.com/Victoria_Azarenka -
Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano (born May 12, 1983), is a French professional tennis player and the current French No. 4. Razzano, who was born in Dijon, has won two WTA singles titles, both in 2007 in Guangzhou and Tokyo. Razzano reached her career high ranking of World No. 16 on September 14, 2009.
She was chosen by Georges Goven to play in the Fed Cup first round when Tatiana Golovin had an injury and when Marion Bartoli and Émilie Loit were suspended. However, she was replaced by Séverine Brémond Beltrame for injury in quarter final of this tournament.
On August 31, 2006, Razzano upset the number eight seed Martina Hingis 6–2, 6–4 in the second round of the U.S. Open. On January 2, 2007, she upset former world number 5 Daniela Hantuchová 6–1, 7–5 in the second round at the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Later on, on June 27, 2007, she was upset by unseeded Yvonne Meusburger 4–6, 5–7 in the first round at Wimbledon. On August 25, 2007, she lost in her second WTA Tour Final to Gisela Dulko at Forest Hills.
wn.com/Virginie_Razzano -
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie (simplified Chinese: 郑洁; traditional Chinese: 鄭潔; pinyin: Zhèng Jié, Mandarin pronunciation: [tʂə̂ŋ tɕjɛ̌]; born 5 July 1983 in Chengdu, Sichuan) is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on 18 May 2009. As of 7 May 2012, Zheng is ranked World No. 33 in singles and World No. 17 in doubles.
Zheng is one of the most successful tennis players from China. She has won four WTA singles titles – Hobart in 2005 and Estoril, Stockholm in 2006, and Auckland in 2012. She has also won twelve doubles titles, eleven of them with Yan Zi including Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2006. She won the bronze medal in doubles with Yan Zi at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her career high doubles ranking is World No. 3. Zheng has reached the singles semi-finals at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, defeating a World No. 1, Ana Ivanović, in the process, becoming the first Chinese female player to advance to the semi-finals at a Grand Slam. She also advanced to the semi-finals at the 2010 Australian Open.
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Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay (Hungarian: Szávay Ágnes, pronounced [ˈsaːvɒ.i ˈaːɡnɛʃ]; born December 29, 1988) is a professional tennis player from Hungary. She was the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2007. She achieved her career high ranking of World No. 13 on April 14, 2008.
Szávay was born in Kiskunhalas, Hungary and grew up in Soltvadkert, Hungary. She started to play tennis at the age of six, with her parents acting as her first coaches and managers. Her previous coaches were Zoltán Újhidy, Levente Barátosi, Miklós Hornok, József Bocskay, Zoltán Kuharszky, Karl-Heinz Wetter and Gábor Köves. She has a younger sister, Blanka, who is five years younger than her and currently plays on the junior circuit.
In 2006 she made it to the final of the Ashland Challenger tournament, but lost there to Aleksandra Wozniak 6–1, 7–6 (2).
Szávay won her first career WTA-level tournament in singles in Palermo, Italy in July. The win caused her ranking to rise to World No. 37, which was the first time she had been included in the top 40. She also won one doubles tournament, the Tier III Budapest Grand Prix, with Vladimíra Uhlířová.
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Federer Vs Djokovic -- Australian Open 2008 Highlights (HD)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:50
- Updated: 28 Dec 2012
Federer v. Djokovic -- Australian Open 2008 Semi-final I hope that you ENJOY ;)
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Federer v. Djokovic -- Australian Open 2008 Semi-final I hope that you ENJOY ;)
nadal vs tsonga australian open 2008 HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:43
- Updated: 19 Dec 2012
nadal vs tsonga in australian open 2008 semi final tsonga plays impressive in this tournament plese comment and subscribe HD at www.youtube.com
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nadal vs tsonga in australian open 2008 semi final tsonga plays impressive in this tournament plese comment and subscribe HD at www.youtube.com
- published: 31 Oct 2008
- views: 26182
- author: dangho1
Sharapova vs Henin - Australian Open 2008: Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:58
- Updated: 22 Dec 2012
Maria Sharapova vs. Justine Henin - Australian Open 2008 Quarter Finals Highlights (HD) Maria Sharapova def. Justine Henin, 6-4, 6-0 to advance in the Semi Finals of Australian Open 2008. NO COPYRIGHT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. ~ Please avoid duplicating and uploading my Videos that were originally created by me and claiming it as your own, Thank You. ~ Please kindly inform me if someone uploads my videos to YouTube, too. Thank You very much. PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT, AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL, QueenMariaSharapova. MORE TENNIS HIGHLIGHTS TO COME.
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Maria Sharapova vs. Justine Henin - Australian Open 2008 Quarter Finals Highlights (HD) Maria Sharapova def. Justine Henin, 6-4, 6-0 to advance in the Semi Finals of Australian Open 2008. NO COPYRIGHT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. ~ Please avoid duplicating and uploading my Videos that were originally created by me and claiming it as your own, Thank You. ~ Please kindly inform me if someone uploads my videos to YouTube, too. Thank You very much. PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT, AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL, QueenMariaSharapova. MORE TENNIS HIGHLIGHTS TO COME.
- published: 16 Jul 2011
- views: 54252
- author: QueenMariaSharapova
Federer vs Djokovic Semifinal Australian Open 2008
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:33
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
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Sharapova vs Ivanovic ► Australian Open 2008: Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 17:42
- Updated: 29 Dec 2012
Maria Sharapova vs. Ana Ivanovic - Australian Open 2008 Final Highlights (HD) Please watch in HD(720p) for the best video quality output. ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
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Maria Sharapova vs. Ana Ivanovic - Australian Open 2008 Final Highlights (HD) Please watch in HD(720p) for the best video quality output. ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
- published: 16 Dec 2011
- views: 12957
- author: QueenMariaSharapova2
Australian Open 2008 - Men's Final Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:59
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Highlights from Melbourne Park on Day 14.
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Highlights from Melbourne Park on Day 14.
- published: 28 Jan 2008
- views: 77484
- author: australianopentv
2008 Australian Open - Men's Final - Match Point
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:00
- Updated: 15 Dec 2012
Novak Djokovic wins the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
http://wn.com/2008_Australian_Open_Men's_Final_Match_Point
Novak Djokovic wins the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
- published: 01 Feb 2008
- views: 48498
- author: AustralianTV
Australian Open 2008. Final. Maria Sharapova - Ana Ivanovic
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 122:06
- Updated: 14 Dec 2012
Открытый чемпионат Австралии по теннису 2008. Женский финал. Мария Шарапова (Россия) - Анна Иванович (Сербия) Специально для группы: •●•●•●Maria Sharapova | Мария Шарапова●•●•●• vkontakte.ru Источник: rutracker.org
http://wn.com/Australian_Open_2008_Final_Maria_Sharapova_Ana_Ivanovic
Открытый чемпионат Австралии по теннису 2008. Женский финал. Мария Шарапова (Россия) - Анна Иванович (Сербия) Специально для группы: •●•●•●Maria Sharapova | Мария Шарапова●•●•●• vkontakte.ru Источник: rutracker.org
- published: 11 Jul 2011
- views: 19715
- author: Dmitry Shkurgan
Sharapova vs Dementieva ► Australian Open 2008: Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:04
- Updated: 29 Dec 2012
Maria Sharapova vs. Elena Dementieva - Australian Open 2008 4th Round Highlights ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
http://wn.com/Sharapova_vs_Dementieva_►_Australian_Open_2008_Highlights
Maria Sharapova vs. Elena Dementieva - Australian Open 2008 4th Round Highlights ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
- published: 03 Dec 2011
- views: 6478
- author: QueenMariaSharapova2
Australian Open 2008 JWTsonga - R.Nadal SF, full match
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 121:53
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
http://wn.com/Australian_Open_2008_JWTsonga_RNadal_SF,_full_match
Novak Đoković vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2008 Australian Open: Final, 27.01.2008.)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 206:47
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
Novak Đoković (SRB) - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7-2) 2008 Australian Open - Men's singles Final 27.01.2008. Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
http://wn.com/Novak_Đoković_vs_Jo-Wilfried_Tsonga_2008_Australian_Open_Final,_27012008
Novak Đoković (SRB) - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7-2) 2008 Australian Open - Men's singles Final 27.01.2008. Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- published: 14 Dec 2011
- views: 8103
- author: bigwarisland2
[HL] Roger Federer v. Janko Tipsarevic 2008 Australian Open [R3]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 23:33
- Updated: 18 Dec 2012
Longer highlights of this electric match.
http://wn.com/_HL_Roger_Federer_v_Janko_Tipsarevic_2008_Australian_Open_R3_
Longer highlights of this electric match.
- published: 02 Jul 2011
- views: 35337
- author: swissmaestro45
Australian Open 2008 - Women's Final Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Sharapova reigns supreme in the womens singles.
http://wn.com/Australian_Open_2008_Women's_Final_Highlights
Sharapova reigns supreme in the womens singles.
- published: 28 Jan 2008
- views: 103218
- author: australianopentv
2008 Australian Open 3R - Federer vs Tipsarevic - Last Games
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:39
- Updated: 23 Sep 2012
Roger Federer def. Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 7-6 5-7 6-1 10-8 The best match in 2008 Australian Open :)
http://wn.com/2008_Australian_Open_3R_Federer_vs_Tipsarevic_Last_Games
Roger Federer def. Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 7-6 5-7 6-1 10-8 The best match in 2008 Australian Open :)
- published: 21 Dec 2008
- views: 30307
- author: MohammedTennis
Sharapova vs Jankovic Australian Open 2008 Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:20
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Needed. Includes on-court interview after the match.
http://wn.com/Sharapova_vs_Jankovic_Australian_Open_2008_Highlights
Needed. Includes on-court interview after the match.
- published: 26 Aug 2011
- views: 21679
- author: PDWtennisvidz
Australian Open 2008 Djokovic vs Ferrer Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:28
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
Partido entre el serbio Novak Djokovic y David Ferrer que termina con la victoria del serbio por 6-0 6-3 y 7-5
http://wn.com/Australian_Open_2008_Djokovic_vs_Ferrer_Highlights
Partido entre el serbio Novak Djokovic y David Ferrer que termina con la victoria del serbio por 6-0 6-3 y 7-5
- published: 31 Aug 2010
- views: 24538
- author: davidangerous
![Ivanovic vs Wozniacki ► Australian Open 2008: Highlights [1/2]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121230071859im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/juBY51mvbK4/default.jpg "Ivanovic vs Wozniacki ► Australian Open 2008: Highlights [1/2]")
Ivanovic vs Wozniacki ► Australian Open 2008: Highlights [1/2]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:15
- Updated: 29 Dec 2012
Part 2 (non HD): www.youtube.com Ana Ivanovic vs. Caroline Wozniacki - Australian Open 2008 4th Round Highlights Part 1/2 (High Definition) Please watch in HD(720p) for the best video quality output. ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
http://wn.com/Ivanovic_vs_Wozniacki_►_Australian_Open_2008_Highlights_1_2_
Part 2 (non HD): www.youtube.com Ana Ivanovic vs. Caroline Wozniacki - Australian Open 2008 4th Round Highlights Part 1/2 (High Definition) Please watch in HD(720p) for the best video quality output. ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
- published: 28 Jan 2012
- views: 6669
- author: QueenMariaSharapova2
Venus Williams vs Mirza ► Australian Open 2008: Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:56
- Updated: 29 Dec 2012
Venus Williams vs. Sania Mirza - Australian Open 2008 3rd Round Highlights ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
http://wn.com/Venus_Williams_vs_Mirza_►_Australian_Open_2008_Highlights
Venus Williams vs. Sania Mirza - Australian Open 2008 3rd Round Highlights ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights! Hope you guys enjoy, Thanks for Watching!
- published: 11 Feb 2012
- views: 12115
- author: QueenMariaSharapova2
Maria Sharapova vs Lindsay Davenport 2008 AO Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:10
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
Maria Sharapova vs Lindsay Davenport 2008 Australian Open 2nd round Highlights. HD
http://wn.com/Maria_Sharapova_vs_Lindsay_Davenport_2008_AO_Highlights
Maria Sharapova vs Lindsay Davenport 2008 Australian Open 2nd round Highlights. HD
- published: 03 Oct 2010
- views: 28634
- author: JamieOwen03
![[HL] Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer 2008 Australian Open [SF]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121230071859im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9Bsn6ERbKy0/default.jpg "[HL] Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer 2008 Australian Open [SF]")
[HL] Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer 2008 Australian Open [SF]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:23
- Updated: 17 Dec 2012
http://wn.com/_HL_Novak_Djokovic_vs_Roger_Federer_2008_Australian_Open_SF_
2008 Australian Open - Final: Sharapova vs Ivanovic
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:17
- Updated: 30 Nov 2012
www.tennistube.tv - The #1 Source for Online Tennis Videos
http://wn.com/2008_Australian_Open_Final_Sharapova_vs_Ivanovic
www.tennistube.tv - The #1 Source for Online Tennis Videos
- published: 09 Mar 2010
- views: 58806
- author: tennistubetv
Maria Sharapova vs Justine Henin 2008 AO Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:35
- Updated: 30 Nov 2012
Maria Sharapova vs Justine Henin 2008 Australian Open Quarter-Final Highlights. One of the best if not the best performance from Maria.
http://wn.com/Maria_Sharapova_vs_Justine_Henin_2008_AO_Highlights
Maria Sharapova vs Justine Henin 2008 Australian Open Quarter-Final Highlights. One of the best if not the best performance from Maria.
- published: 04 Oct 2010
- views: 31278
- author: JamieOwen03
Novak Djokovic - Belgrade fiesta after Australian Open 2008
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:00
- Updated: 05 Dec 2012
App. 10000 fans gathered in front of Belgrade City Hall to salute Novak Djokovic, after he came back to Serbian capitol week after winning title at Australian Open 2008. These are just some moments from that fiesta..
http://wn.com/Novak_Djokovic_Belgrade_fiesta_after_Australian_Open_2008
App. 10000 fans gathered in front of Belgrade City Hall to salute Novak Djokovic, after he came back to Serbian capitol week after winning title at Australian Open 2008. These are just some moments from that fiesta..
- published: 02 Feb 2008
- views: 10541
- author: serbianhuddle
| 2008 Australian Open | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date: | 14 – 27 January | |||
| Edition: | 96th | |||
| Category: | Grand Slam (ITF) | |||
| Surface: | Hardcourt (Plexicushion) | |||
| Location: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |||
| Venue: | Melbourne Park | |||
| Champions | ||||
| Men's Singles | ||||
 Novak Djokovic |
||||
| Women's Singles | ||||
 Maria Sharapova |
||||
| Men's Doubles | ||||
 Jonathan Erlich / Andy Ram |
||||
| Women's Doubles | ||||
 Alona Bondarenko / Kateryna Bondarenko |
||||
| Mixed Doubles | ||||
 Sun Tiantian / Nenad Zimonjić |
||||
| Boys' Singles | ||||
 Bernard Tomic |
||||
| Girls' Singles | ||||
 Arantxa Rus |
||||
| Boys' Doubles | ||||
 Hsieh Cheng-peng / Yang Tsung-hua |
||||
| Girls' Doubles | ||||
| Ksenia Lykina / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova |
||||
| Wheelchair Men's Singles | ||||
 Shingo Kunieda |
||||
| Wheelchair Women's Singles | ||||
| Esther Vergeer |
||||
| Wheelchair Quad Singles | ||||
 Peter Norfolk |
||||
| Wheelchair Men's Doubles | ||||
| Shingo Kunieda / Satoshi Saida |
||||
| Wheelchair Women's Doubles | ||||
| Jiske Griffioen / Esther Vergeer |
||||
| Wheelchair Quad Doubles | ||||
 Nick Taylor / David Wagner |
||||
Australian Open
|
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The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.
After twenty years of playing on Rebound Ace, the courts were changed to Plexicushion, a marginally faster surface. The new surface is notably thinner, and therefore has lower heat retention. This decision was made in a bid to reduce the "stick" of the court and the frequency of the extreme heat policy being invoked.[1] However, the new surface faced criticism for being too similar to DecoTurf, the surface used at the U.S. Open.[2] Player reaction to the change of surface was generally ambivalent.[3][4]
For the mixed doubles, in every game, the first team to score four points, wins the game. In other words, should a deuce happen in a game, the team who wins the next point wins the game.
Contents |
Notable stories[link]
Surface change[link]
On 30 May 2007, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley announced that as of the 2008 Australian Open, the Rebound Ace surface that had been used since 1988 would be replaced by a newer, faster Plexicushion surface. The Rebound Ace surface had been criticized for several years, from players including Andy Roddick and Mark Philippoussis, who claimed that the "stick" of the court was a contributing factor in many players injuring themselves.[5] This "stick" was a result of the thick rubber mat (10 mm) laid beneath the surface,[2] the high heat retention because of this, and the high temperatures present during the Australian summer, which intermittently resulted in the extreme heat policy being invoked. Conversely, players such as Pete Sampras and Marat Safin put the high number of injuries down to lack of preparation from players; partly due to the fact that the tournament is held so early in the year, but also because there were so few tournaments preceding it. Rebound Ace was also chastised by Lleyton Hewitt for having an inconsistent bounce, in terms of height and pace (shock absorption); and claimed that these factors varied depending on the weather.[6] The heat retention of the surface had also been a point of contention between players.[7]
In announcing the change, Tiley said Plexicushion would have a "lower rubber content than Rebound Ace, was firmer under foot and retained less heat through its thinner top layer."[8] Tiley later said that the change of colour, from green to blue, would also benefit players and officials,[1] although this change was quite arbitrary. The manufacturers of Rebound Ace derided the new surface, with director Paul Bull saying that, "We had an Australian icon event with a unique Australian product and now we are just going to become a clone of the U.S. Open." Bull also said that the inconsistencies in pace were down to the organizers' imperative, who kept asking for the pace to be adjusted to pander for certain players, such as Hewitt. Bull, however, conceded that a change was needed; and said that the suggestion of a Rebound Ace court with a rubber mat thickness of around 5 mm was made.[2]
The Plexicushion surface received a relatively mixed reception from players. Lleyton Hewitt, Justine Henin and Serena Williams were all keen to endorse the new courts; with Hewitt's appraisal focused on the greater consistency of the courts.[1] Henin called it a "good surface" but said she did not find it markedly distinguishable from Rebound Ace, saying the biggest difference was the change of colour. Williams claimed that the court was not as "bouncy" and was causing less physical strain on her feet and ankles.[3] One source of criticism from players was the slower than expected pace, although many of these comments came prior to the event's commencement. Players were exposed to the new courts through other tournaments, played in advance of the Open; and practise on the new surface. Roger Federer described it as slow, with Novak Djokovic, Jelena Janković and James Blake all corroborating this opinion, albeit from experience in preliminary tournaments.[4] Pundit and former World No. 1 Pat Rafter said it was possible that the courts would speed up in time.[9]
Implementation of anti-corruption policing[link]
On 21 December 2007, organizers of the event announced that the tournament would be watched under the scrutiny of anti-corruption officials.[10] A partnership was formed with Victoria Police. This announcement came in the wake of a series of scandals to hit the sport, including World No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko coming under suspicion of match fixing; with at least a dozen other players coming forward about having been approached to influence matches in an unethical manner.[11] Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood commented that, "Match-fixing and illegal gambling are a threat to the integrity of sport. We're putting our policies, procedures and programme in place to protect it."
This was followed by a statement from the wider community of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and organizers of all four Grand Slams that they would review their anti-corruption policies in the future. This announcement came six days prior to the start of the Open, on 8 January 2008.[12]
Crowd trouble[link]
On 15 January, Day 2 of the tournament, Victoria Police had to intervene when Greek Australian supporters, following Greece's Konstantinos Economidis in his match against Chilean Fernando González, became unruly.[13] The match, in progress at the Margaret Court Arena, was suspended for ten minutes as the police attempted stop the "offensive chanting" and eject certain fans. Approximately forty supporters, heavily outnumbered by Chilean fans,[14] were warned of their disorderly conduct prior to the police deploying pepper spray. The police regiment was heavily outnumbered, with a BBC Radio employee commenting that, "[there were] two guys against maybe 70-80, that's not good."[13] Tournament officials said that 3 people had been sprayed and 5 evicted; a small proportion of the Greek fans left the arena, upset at how events were transpiring and fearing for their safety.
Both players said that the trouble was not something they had witnessed before; and Economidis condemned his supporters, saying that, "It was a really nice atmosphere until this moment. I am really unhappy." Some witnesses have implicated Cypriot and Serbian supporters in the trouble.[15]
Australian Open director, Craig Tiley, had announced in the week preceding the event that police and security forces would "impose a 'zero-tolerance' policy on anti-social behaviour". This statement appeared to be a delayed reaction to the trouble that marred the event in 2007, with Australian youths of Greek, Serbian and Croatian origins involved in mutually abusive sparring. However, the problem was much more pronounced in 2007, with violence breaking out and around 150 fans ejected.[16]
Sexual assault[link]
Police were called to investigate a report that a 12-year-old girl was indecently assaulted by a drunk man at the Australian Open.[17]
In a brief statement, Victoria Police said they received a report that the girl was inappropriately touched on the buttocks on Monday.
"The matter was reported to police this morning and the incident is currently being investigated", the statement said. This event mirrors a series of incidents that occurred at last year's event, when several men attending the tournament were arrested for taking upskirt photographs.[18]
Marcos Baghdatis video controversy[link]
During the Open, a video posted on YouTube almost a year earlier made headlines in the Australian media. The video shows the 2008 fifteenth seed, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, at a barbecue hosted by his Greek Australian fans in Melbourne in early 2007. In it, Baghdatis is holding a flare and taking part in chants against the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Melbourne's Turkish Cypriot community called for Baghdatis to be expelled from Australia,[19] but in a statement issued through his manager, the Cypriot player said he was "supporting the interest of my country, Cyprus, while protesting against a situation that is not recognized by the United Nations".[20]
Day by day[link]
Day 1[link]
Day 1 saw few upsets, as favourites Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Tatiana Golovin, Maria Sharapova, Shahar Pe'er, Amélie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidišová, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, and Mikhail Youzhny all advanced. Jelena Janković, world #3, also advanced but was heavily tested by Tamira Paszek, having to win 2–6, 6–2, 12–10 in three hours, saving three match points; the match featured an exceptional 15 breaks of serve.[21] Finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga scored his best victory to that point in a four set win over number 9 seed Andy Murray, 7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 7–6. Home favourite Alicia Molik also advanced in to the second round.
- Seeded players out: Vera Zvonareva, Julia Vakulenko; Andy Murray, Carlos Moyà, Juan Ignacio Chela
Day 2[link]
Favourites Roger Federer, Tomáš Berdych, James Blake, Novak Djokovic, Fernando González, Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis, David Nalbandian, David Ferrer, Marat Safin, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanović, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchová, and Svetlana Kuznetsova all advanced. Other seeded players such as Li Na, Nadia Petrova, Sania Mirza, Agnieszka Radwańska, Dmitry Tursunov, and Juan Carlos Ferrero also advanced. Sofia Arvidsson caused the upset on the women's side, as she defeated #10 Marion Bartoli 6–7, 6–4, 6–3. On the men's side, the upset of the day came when Dutch qualifier Robin Haase defeated #17 Ivan Ljubičić 6–7, 6–3, 6–0, 7–6. Day 2 saw the completion of all the remaining first round matches.
- Seeded players out: Marion Bartoli, Dinara Safina, Ágnes Szávay, Lucie Šafářová; Ivan Ljubičić, Nicolás Almagro, Radek Štěpánek
Day 3[link]
The Australian crowd were treated to an upset from one of their own as Casey Dellacqua sent #15 seed Patty Schnyder crashing out in the women's draw, while #13 Tatiana Golovin and #19 Sybille Bammer also struggled, losing to Aravane Rezaï and Hsieh Su-wei respectively. Maria Sharapova defeated comeback queen Lindsay Davenport in somewhat easy fashion 6–1, 6–3,[22] and Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Janković also advanced with wins. Joining them were numerous lower seeds including Elena Dementieva, Nicole Vaidišová and Amélie Mauresmo. In the men's draw, Mardy Fish dominated #11 seed Tommy Robredo to send him crashing out 6–1, 6–2, 6–3, while Stanislas Wawrinka retired against Marc Gicquel down two sets to one. Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and Richard Gasquet all progressed in straight sets, whilst Mikhail Youzhny was tested before eventually winning 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6. The doubles competition also began on Day 3.
- Seeded players out: Tatiana Golovin, Patty Schnyder, Sybille Bammer; Tommy Robredo, Stanislas Wawrinka
- Doubles seeds out: Maria Elena Camerin / Gisela Dulko
Day 4[link]
In the pick of the second round matches, former finalist Marcos Baghdatis dispatched former champion Marat Safin in five sets; 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2. Seeds Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Fernando González, David Nalbandian, Tomáš Berdych and James Blake all came through unscathed; with Federer dropping only 3 games against Fabrice Santoro. Nineteenth seed and home favorite Lleyton Hewitt came through in typically gritty fashion, defeating Denis Istomin 7–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–1.[23] On the women's side, Ana Ivanović defeated Tathiana Garbin 6–0, 6–3 in the night match preceding Baghdatis vs. Safin. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Venus Williams, Daniela Hantuchová, Nadia Petrova and form player Li Na all navigated their way in to the third round too.
- Seeded players out: Alyona Bondarenko; Fernando Verdasco, Dmitry Tursunov
- Doubles seeds out: Nathalie Dechy / Dinara Safina, Lisa Raymond / Francesca Schiavone, Maria Kirilenko / Ágnes Szávay, Vania King / Nicole Pratt; Max Mirnyi / Jamie Murray, Simon Aspelin / Julian Knowle, Marcelo Melo / André Sá
The total attendance figure for Day 4 was 62,885, setting a new world record for a combined day/night attendance at a Grand Slam event. The previous record was 61,083, set during the 2007 U.S. Open.[24]
Day 5[link]
The first match of the night session on the Rod Laver Arena saw local player Casey Dellacqua, who had previously never progressed beyond the first round at the Australian Open, defeat former champion Amélie Mauresmo 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. Justine Henin struggled to get to grips with Francesca Schiavone before winning; and Nicole Vaidišová and Serena Williams set up an intriguing fourth round match.
In the last match of the day, Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 29th seed of Germany, defeated the 6th seeded Andy Roddick in 232 minutes: 6–4, 3–6, 7–6, 6–7, 8–6; with the match reaching its conclusion past 02:00.[25] Roddick was visibly perturbed during the match, which resulted in his earliest exit at the Australian Open since 2002.[26] During the match, Roddick called umpire Emmanuel Joseph an "idiot" and received a retrospective fine of $500 for racquet abuse.[27] Kohlschreiber entered the tournament in good form, having won the 2008 Heineken Open.[28] Rafael Nadal faced world number 33 Gilles Simon, and had to save six set points in the first set. Simon squandered the first three to unforced errors, but it was Nadal who produced two aces and a drop shot to save himself at 4-5, 0-40.[25] Paul-Henri Mathieu, under the stewardship of Mats Wilander,[29] progressed after surviving a five-set thriller versus Stefan Koubek.[25] Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, Mikhail Youzhny, Jarkko Nieminen and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also advanced.
- Seeded players out: Shahar Pe'er, Amélie Mauresmo, Francesca Schiavone, Victoria Azarenka, Virginie Razzano; Andy Roddick, Ivo Karlović, Gilles Simon, Igor Andreev
- Doubles seeds out: Katarina Srebotnik / Ai Sugiyama
Day 6[link]
Day 6 in Melbourne was plagued by rain and consequently matches could only take place on the indoor courts. In the women's competition, Ana Ivanović made light work of Katarina Srebotnik whilst Venus Williams was more sternly tested by Sania Mirza.[30] However, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze both saw their tournaments ended in the third round by Agnieszka Radwańska and Maria Kirilenko respectively.
The men's competition featured two prolonged five-set matches. In the first, #1 seed Roger Federer was pushed to the limit by Janko Tipsarević before triumphing; 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1, 10–8 in 267 minutes. The second featured Australian hopeful Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Marcos Baghdatis 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–7, 6–3 in a match that provoked discussion about the validity of night matches;[31] the players did not finish play until 04:34,[32] 282 minutes since it started at 11:52. Significantly, the match extended further into the evening than any other in the history of the Australian Open. The Federer-Tipsarević match, which lasted 267 minutes, overlapped in to the night session and this delayed the commencement of the women's singles match between Venus Williams and Sania Mirza until 10:00. Rules had previously been put in place so that a men's singles match would not start if other matches had played past 11:00;[33] however, with the home crowd growing anxious, the organizers decided to go ahead with the Hewitt vs. Baghdatis match.
In other matches, the 2007 finalist Fernando González made an early exit to Marin Čilić; Novak Djokovic, James Blake and Tomáš Berdych all progressed as well.
- Seeded players out: Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Katarina Srebotnik, Sania Mirza; Fernando González, Marcos Baghdatis, Juan Mónaco
Day 7[link]
Nikolay Davydenko became the highest-seeded male player out so far, losing to fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny, setting up a quarter-final tie with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who dumped out No.8-seeded compatriot Richard Gasquet 6–2, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3 in just over three hours. Jarkko Nieminen also advanced to the last eight. Maria Sharapova easily beat Elena Dementieva[34] and she joined Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Jelena Janković, who eliminated home favourite Casey Dellacqua, in the quarter finals. Li Na said goodbye to the tournament, losing to qualifier Marta Domachowska. Rafael Nadal advanced to the quarter finals as opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu retired with an injured left calf muscle; the second-ranked Spaniard was ahead 6–4, 3–0. David Nalbandian, the number 10 seed also suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero.
- Seeded players out: Elena Dementieva, Nicole Vaidišová, Li Na; Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, David Nalbandian, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Philipp Kohlschreiber
- Doubles seeds out: Paul Hanley / Leander Paes, Julien Benneteau / Nicolas Mahut, Leoš Friedl / David Škoch, Christopher Kas / Rogier Wassen, František Čermák / Lukáš Dlouhý, Eric Butorac / Kevin Ullyett; Peng Shuai / Sun Tiantian; Zheng Jie / Daniel Nestor
World number 4 Jelena Janković was handed a US$2,000 fine after allegedly receiving coaching from her mother, Snežana, during her third round match with Virginie Razzano of France. The game took place on Day 3 of the event. Umpire Maria Alves spotted the infringement during the match, and although unable to understand what had been communicated, dealt Janković a code violation for illegal coaching.
Janković denied the allegation, saying that she simply shouted 'C'mon' in Serbian. The practice of coaching during a match is banned at all WTA and Grand Slam events.[35]
Maria Sharapova was fined the same amount at the 2007 Australian Open, also for receiving illegal coaching, with the same umpire, Maria Alves, in the chair.[36]
Day 8[link]
Novak Djokovic powered his way into the quarter-finals, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 in a fourth-round clash. Roger Federer finished Tomáš Berdych's tournament in 1 hour and 59 minutes, 6–4, 7–6, 6–3. He faces James Blake next, who scored a 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 win over 19-year-old Croat Marin Čilić; a victory which saw him advance past the fourth round here for the first time. Venus Williams fought back twice from service breaks in the first set to secure a place in the quarter-finals; with a 6–4, 6–4 win over Marta Domachowska. She next faces #4 seed Ana Ivanović, who put together a 6–1, 7–6 win over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki. No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchová beat No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 and will next play Poland's Agnieszka Radwańska, who upset No. 14 Nadia Petrova 1–6, 7–5, 6–0.
- Seeded players out: Nadia Petrova, Maria Kirilenko; Tomáš Berdych, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero
- Doubles seeds out: Sania Mirza / Alicia Molik, Iveta Benešová / Galina Voskoboeva, Chan Yung-jan / Chuang Chia-jung; Mariusz Fyrstenberg / Marcin Matkowski
Day 9[link]
Jelena Janković survived a straight set win over defending champion Serena Williams, making the semifinals of her 3rd different major. Rafael Nadal won his quarter final match against Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets, putting him into his first semi-final at the Australian Open. Maria Sharapova defeated No. 1 seed Justine Henin in a repeat of the 2007 WTA Tour Championships final. On this occasion, Henin was unable to win even a set as Sharapova eased to victory; 6–4, 6–0.[37][38] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his match against 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny and booked his spot in the semi-finals.
- Seeded players out: Justine Henin, Serena Williams; Mikhail Youzhny, Jarkko Nieminen
- Doubles seeds out: Daniel Nestor / Nenad Zimonjić, Martin Damm / Pavel Vízner; Janette Husárová / Flavia Pennetta, Cara Black / Liezel Huber; Lisa Raymond / Simon Aspelin
In a day that was relatively free of controversy on the court, several media outlets focused on allegedly unsavoury aspects off it. Sharapova's father, Yuri Sharapov, came under intense scrutiny from Australian media after he made a throat-slashing gesture shortly after his daughter's match against the world No. 1 Justine Henin.[39] Sharapova had earlier joked that her father's camouflage hoodie made him look like "an assassin".[40] The WTA claimed that the gesture was simply a joke between the pair, pertaining to this comment.[41]
Day 10[link]
Novak Djokovic defeated David Ferrer 6–0, 6–3, 7–5 in a closely fought third set, which advanced him to his fourth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final.[42] Ana Ivanović progressed to her first Australian Open semi-final after defeating Venus Williams 7–6, 6–4, a result that was Ivanović's first triumph over Williams.[43] She set up a tie with Daniela Hantuchová, who advanced to her first Grand Slam semi-final after dispatching Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2, 6–2. Roger Federer defeated James Blake 7–5, 7–6, 6–4 in just over 2 hours. Federer's progression marked his 15th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, a record.[42]
- Seeded players out: Venus Williams, Agnieszka Radwańska; David Ferrer, James Blake
- Doubles seeds out: Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan; Květa Peschke / Rennae Stubbs, Zi Yan / Jie Zheng
Day 11[link]
In the first women's semi-final match, fifth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova defeated third seeded Serbian Jelena Janković in a two sets, 6–3, 6–1 to clinch the first spot in the finals. Janković later conceded that she "wanted to withdraw", but played on for the crowd's benefit.[44] Fourth seeded Ana Ivanović also progressed to the final after defeating Daniela Hantuchová in three sets, 0–6, 6–3, 6–4. Ivanović had lost the first eight games of the match before rectifying her game.[45] However, Hantuchová was critical of Ivanović's tactics during the latter stages of the match. Hantuchová claimed that Ivanović resorted to gamesmanship by shuffling her feet prior to her serve, thereby causing a distraction. Ivanović said that any possible noise was a result of the new court surface; and tried to offer an explanation of Hantuchová's motives, saying, "Maybe she was just trying to pick on something, to get upset."[46] Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated second seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the first men's semifinal, in straight sets, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 in less than 2 hours. Journalists expressed shock, not only at the victory, but at the comprehensive manner in which the nascent Tsonga won it.[47] Tsonga hit a total of 49 winners to Nadal's 13 and served imperiously: Nadal was unable to force a break point until the third set.
- Seeded players out: Jelena Janković, Daniela Hantuchová; Rafael Nadal
- Doubles seeds out: Cara Black / Paul Hanley, Chuang Chia-jung / Jonathan Erlich; Anabel Medina Garrigues / Virginia Ruano Pascual; Mahesh Bhupathi / Mark Knowles
Day 12[link]
In the second men's semi-final, between #1 Roger Federer and #3 Novak Djokovic, Djokovic won in just over 2 hours; completing the victory in straight sets, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6 to reach the second grand slam final of his career. This broke Federer's record run of appearing in 10 consecutive grand slam finals. In the women's doubles final, Alyona and Kateryna Bondarenko beat Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 to win their first Grand Slam title.
- Seeded players out: Roger Federer
- Doubles seeds out: Victoria Azarenka / Shahar Pe'er; Yan Zi / Mark Knowles, Nathalie Dechy / Andy Ram
Day 13[link]
Maria Sharapova of Russia won the Women's 2008 Australian Open over Ana Ivanović of Serbia in straight sets; 7–5, 6–3. It was Sharapova's third slam title and her third different slam; leaving her needing a French Open title for a career grand slam. Sharapova also achieved the feat of not dropping a set the entire tournament. In the men's doubles final, the Israeli pair, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra of France 7–5, 7–6 to win their first Grand Slam title.
The juniors competition also reached its conclusion on Day 13. Australian Bernard Tomic defeated Taiwanese player Yang Tsung-Hua; 4–6, 7–6, 6–0 to win the boys' event. Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands defeated the other Australian hopeful, Jessica Moore, 6–3, 6–4 to claim the girls' singles crown. In the women's wheelchair event, Esther Vergeer won her third consecutive title, beating fellow Dutchwoman Korie Homan 6–4, 6–3. Shingo Kunieda won his fourth slam in a row in the men's wheelchair competition, defeating former champion Michael Jeremiasz 6–1, 6–4.
- Seeded players out: Ana Ivanović
- Doubles seeds out: Arnaud Clément / Michaël Llodra
Day 14[link]
Third seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in four sets; 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6, becoming the first Serbian man to win a grand-slam singles title. For Djokovic, this was his first slam victory; making him the 2008 Men's Australian Open Champion.
Sun Tiantian of China and Nenad Zimonjić of Serbia were crowned the 2008 Mixed Doubles champions after defeating Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi of India in straight sets; 7–6, 6–4.
Seniors[link]
Men's Singles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Novak Djokovic[49] def. 
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(2)
- It was Djokovic's 1st title of the year, and his 8th overall. It was his 1st career Grand Slam title.
Women's Singles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Women's Singles
Maria Sharapova[50] def. Ana Ivanović, 7–5, 6–3
Men's Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Men's Doubles
Jonathan Erlich / Andy Ram def. Arnaud Clément / Michaël Llodra, 7–5, 7–6(4)
- The duo's first Grand Slam win after numerous ATP titles
- The first ever Grand Slam trophy in Men's Doubles for Israeli players.
Women's Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Alona Bondarenko / Kateryna Bondarenko def. 
Victoria Azarenka / Shahar Pe'er, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4
Mixed Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Mixed Doubles
Sun Tiantian / Nenad Zimonjić def. 
Sania Mirza / Mahesh Bhupathi, 7–6(4), 6–4
Juniors[link]
Boys' Singles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Boys' Singles
Bernard Tomic def Yang Tsung-hua, 4–6, 7–6(5), 6–0
Girls' Singles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Girls' Singles
Arantxa Rus def. Jessica Moore, 6–3, 6–4
Boys' Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Boys' Doubles
Hsieh Cheng Peng / Yang Tsung-hua def. 
Vasek Pospisil / 
César Ramírez, 3–6, 7–5, [10]–[5]
Girls' Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Girls' Doubles
Ksenia Lykina / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. 
Elena Bogdan / Misaki Doi, 6–0, 6–4
Wheelchair[link]
Wheelchair Men's Singles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Wheelchair Men's Singles
Shingo Kunieda def. Michael Jeremiasz, 6–1, 6–4
Wheelchair Women's Singles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Wheelchair Women's Singles
Esther Vergeer def. Korie Homan, 6–3, 6–3
Wheelchair Men's Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Wheelchair Men's Doubles
Shingo Kunieda / Satoshi Saida def. Robin Ammerlaan / Ronald Vink, 6–4, 6–3
Wheelchair Women's Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Wheelchair Women's Doubles
Jiske Griffioen / Esther Vergeer def. Korie Homan / Sharon Walraven, 6–3, 6–1
Wheelchair Quad Singles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Wheelchair Quad Singles
Peter Norfolk def. David Wagner, 6–2, 6–3
Wheelchair Quad Doubles[link]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open – Wheelchair Quad Doubles
Nicholas Taylor / David Wagner def. Sarah Hunter / Peter Norfolk, 5–7, 6–0, [10]–[3]
Seeds[link]
These were the seeds for the 2008 Australian Open.[51]
On the women's side of the draw, all of the world's top thirty-two players were present; whereas in the men's draw Tommy Haas and Guillermo Cañas were both forced to withdraw due to injury.[52] On the date that the seeds were announced, 11 January 2008, Haas was No. 12 in the world and Cañas No. 17.[53]
References[link]
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- ^ a b "Federer unimpressed by Plexicushion". Fox Sports (Australia). 14 January 2008. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23046792-23216,00.html.
- ^ a b "Top players unimpressed by Australian Open surface". London: The Guardian, Simon Cambers. 29 December 2007. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7184355,00.html.
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- ^ "Doubts on new Oz Open surface". Brisbane Times. 23 December 2007. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/sport/doubts-on-new-oz-open-surface/2007/12/22/1198344862355.html?page=2.
- ^ "Aussie Open takes anti-fraud step". BBC SPORT. 21 December 2007. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7155445.stm. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
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- ^ "Tennis launches corruption review". BBC SPORT. 8 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7176539.stm.
- ^ a b "Crowd unrest mars Australian Open". BBC SPORT. 15 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7189615.stm. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Crowd trouble hits Australian Open". Al-Jazeera English. 15 January 2008. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A004AC5A-9B7C-4E16-BD66-2D5F41D4796A.htm. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Crowd trouble at Australian Open". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 2008. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/crowd-trouble-at-australian-open/2008/01/15/1200159452093.html. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Serbs, Croats clash at Open". The Sydney Morning Herald, Jessica Halloran. 15 January 2007. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/serbs-croats-clash-at-open/2007/01/15/1168709659893.html?page=fullpage. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "12-year-old reportedly molested at Australian Open". Herald Sun. 16 January 2008. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23061194-661,00.html.
- ^ "Third up-skirt incident mars Australian Open". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 24 January 2007. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/sports/view_article.php?article_id=45327.
- ^ "Kick out Baghdatis, say Turkish Cypriots". News.com.au. 18 January 2008. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23071537-29277,00.html. [dead link]
- ^ "Ban Baghdatis, say Turks". Melbourne: The Age, Reko Rennie. 18 January 2008. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tennis/banish-baghdatis-say-angry-turks/2008/01/18/1200620184170.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1.
- ^ "Australian Open 2008". BBC SPORT. 14 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7186041.stm. Retrieved 24 February 2008
- ^ Australian Open Day 3 – Sharapova powers past Davenport ITF website
- ^ "Clinical Federer thrashes Santoro". BBC SPORT. 17 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7193182.stm.
- ^ "AO 2008 achieves Grand Slam world record attendance". Tennis Australia. 17 January 2008. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-17/200801171200571304801.html.
- ^ a b c "Roddick dumped out after gruelling duel with Kohlschreiber". London: The Guardian, Paolo Bandini. 18 January 2008. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/australianopen2008/story/0,,2242933,00.html. Retrieved 24 February 2008
- ^ Andy Roddick playing activity ATP Tour website. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- ^ "Roddick's serve for all". Fox Sports (Australia), Leo Schlink. 15 December 2007. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23079412-23216,00.html. Retrieved 21 February 2008
- ^ "Kohlschreiber wins Heineken Open for second ATP singles title". ESPN, Reuters. 12 January 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3192781. Retrieved 21 February 2008
- ^ "Mathieu to team up with Wilander". Yahoo! Sports, Eurosport. 4 December 2007. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04122007/58/atp-tour-mathieu-team-wilander.html. Retrieved 24 February 2008
- ^ "Kuznetsova makes shock early exit". BBC SPORT. 19 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7197439.stm.
- ^ "Organisers defend Hewitt-Baghdatis late late show". Reuters UK. 20 January 2008. http://uk.reuters.com/article/tennisNews/idUKB69007420080120.
- ^ "Saturday Night Fever". Tennis Australia. 20 January 2008. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-20/200801201200788933421.html.
- ^ "Hewitt outlasts Baghdatis in marathon". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 January 2008. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/hewitt-beats-baghdatis-in-thriller/2008/01/20/1200764046417.html.
- ^ "Henin through to face Sharapova". BBC SPORT. 20 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7198553.stm.
- ^ "Jankovic fined despite innocence plea". The Australian. 20 January 2008. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23080328-5010361,00.html.
- ^ "Maria Sharapova Fined for Illegal Coaching". Toronto Daily News. 2007. http://www.torontodailynews.com/index.php/SportsNews/2007012606maria-sharapova.
- ^ "Brilliant Sharapova hammers Henin". BBC SPORT. 22 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7201953.stm.
- ^ Sharapova vs. Henin head-to-head WTA Tour website
- ^ Schlink, Leo (24 January 2008). "Yuri Sharapov needs to face music". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23099557-3162,00.html.
- ^ "Yuri Sharapov pretends to slit throat at Maria's match". Mesh Tennis. http://www.meshtennis.com/blog/2008/01/22/yuri-sharapov-pretends-to-slit-throat-at-marias-match/.
- ^ "Yuri Throat-slit gesture was a joke, claims WTA". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 January 2008. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/throatslit-gesture-was-a-joke-claims-wta/2008/01/23/1201024992628.html.
- ^ a b Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic Australian Open Preview Tennis x, 24 January 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ Ivanovic vs. V. Williams head-to-head WTA Tour website
- ^ "Sharapova too strong for Jankovic". BBC SPORT. 24 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206187.stm. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ "Ivanovic sets up Sharapova final". BBC SPORT. 24 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206194.stm.
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- ^ a b "Tsonga stuns Nadal to reach final". BBC SPORT. 24 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206398.stm.
- ^ "Tsonga advances to Australian Open final in stunning fashion". ESPN, Associated Press. 24 January 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/aus08/news/story?id=3210247.
- ^ Djokovic became the first Serbian player to win a Grand Slam men's singles title.
- ^ title.
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- ^ ATP Rankings for 7 January 2008 ATP website
External links[link]
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Australian_Open
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the Australian Open tennis tournament. For the Australian Open golf tournament, see Australian Open (golf). For the squash tournament, see Australian Open (squash). For the snooker tournament, see Australian Goldfields Open.
| Australian Open | ||
|---|---|---|
| 250px | ||
| Official website | ||
| Location | Melbourne Australia |
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| Venue | Melbourne Park | |
| Surface | Grass (1905–87) Rebound Ace (1988–2007) Plexicushion (2008–present) |
|
| Men's draw | 128S / 128Q / 64D | |
| Women's draw | 128S / 96Q / 64D | |
| Prize money | A$26M (2012)[1] | |
| Grand Slam | ||
|
||
| Current | ||
 2012 Australian Open |
||
The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia. First held in 1905, the tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year – the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It features men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles and junior's championships; as well as wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. Since 1988 the tournament has been played on hard courts at Melbourne Park.
The Australian Open typically has very high attendance – second only to the US Open – and was the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its two primary courts, Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena, equipped with retractable roofs.
Contents |
History[link]
The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA), and was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1905. This facility is now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre.[2]
The tournament was first known as the Australasian Championships and then became the Australian Championships in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969.[3] Since 1905, the Australian Open has been staged in five Australian and two New Zealand cities as follows: Melbourne (55 times), Sydney (17 times), Adelaide (14 times), Brisbane (7 times), Perth (3 times), Christchurch (in 1906), and Hastings (in 1912).[3] In 1972, when it was decided to stage the tournament in the same city each year, the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was selected because Melbourne attracted the biggest patronage.[2] Though started in 1905, the tournament was not designated as being a major championship until 1924, by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) in a 1923 meeting. The tournament committee changed the structure of the tournament to include seeding at that time.[4]
Melbourne Park (formerly Flinders Park) was constructed for the 1988 tournament to meet the demands of a tournament that had outgrown Kooyong's capacity. The move to Melbourne Park was an immediate success, with a 90 percent increase in attendance in 1988 (266,436) on the previous year at Kooyong (140,000).[5]
Because of its geographic remoteness very few foreign players entered this tournament at the beginning. In the 1920s, the trip by ship from Europe to Australia took about 45 days. The first tennis players who came by aircraft were the US Davis Cup players in November 1946.[5] Even inside the country, many players could not travel easily. When the tournament was held in Perth, no one from Victoria or New South Wales crossed by train, a distance of about 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) between the east and west coasts. In Christchurch in 1906, of a small field of 10 players, only two Australians attended, and the tournament was won by a New Zealander.[6]
The first tournaments of the Australasian Championships suffered from the competition of the other Australasian tournaments. Before 1905, all Australian States and New Zealand had their own championships, the first organised in 1880 in Melbourne and called the Championship of the Colony of Victoria (later the Championship of Victoria).[7] In those years, the best two players – the Australian Norman Brookes (whose name is now written on the men's singles cup) and the New Zealander Anthony Wilding – almost did not play this tournament. Brookes came once and won in 1911, and Wilding entered and won the competition twice (1906 and 1909). Their meetings in the Victorian Championships (or at Wimbledon) helped to determine the best Australasian players. Even when the Australasian Championships were held in Hastings, New Zealand, in 1912, Wilding, though three times Wimbledon champion, did not come back to his home country. It was a recurring problem for all players of the era. Brookes went to Europe only three times, where he reached the Wimbledon Challenge Round once and then won Wimbledon twice. Thus, many players had never played the Austral(as)ian amateur or open championships: the Renshaws, the Dohertys, William Larned, Maurice McLoughlin, Beals Wright, Bill Johnston, Bill Tilden, René Lacoste, Henri Cochet, Bobby Riggs, Jack Kramer, Ted Schroeder, Pancho Gonzales, Budge Patty, Manuel Santana, Jan Kodeš and others, while Brookes, Ellsworth Vines, Jaroslav Drobný, Manuel Orantes, Ilie Năstase at 35 years old, and Björn Borg came just once.
Beginning in 1969, when the first Australian Open was held on the Milton Courts at Brisbane, the tournament was open to all players, including professionals who were not allowed to play the traditional circuit.[8] Nevertheless, except for the 1969 and 1971 tournaments, many of the best players missed this championship until 1982, because of the remoteness, the inconvenient dates (around Christmas and New Year's Day), and the low prize money. In 1970, the National Tennis League, which employed Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Andrés Gimeno, Pancho Gonzales, Roy Emerson, and Fred Stolle, prevented its players from entering the tournament because the guarantees were insufficient, and the tournament was ultimately won by Arthur Ashe.[9]
In 1983, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, and Mats Wilander entered the tournament. Wilander won the singles title[10] and both his Davis Cup singles rubbers in the Swedish loss to Australia at Kooyong shortly after.[11] Following the 1983 Australian Open, the International Tennis Federation prompted the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia to change the site of the tournament, because the Kooyong stadium was then inappropriate to serve such a big event, and in 1988 the tournament was first held at Flinders Park (later renamed Melbourne Park) on Rebound Ace.[12] The change of the venue also lead to a change of the court surface from grass to a hard court surface known as Rebound Ace. Mats Wilander was the only player to win the tournament on both grass and hard courts. In 2008, after being used for 20 years, the Rebound Ace was replaced by a cushioned, medium-paced,[13] acrylic surface known as Plexicushion Prestige. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the only players to win the Australian Open on both Rebound Ace and Plexicushion Prestige. The main benefits of the new surface are better consistency and less retention of heat because of a thinner top layer. This change was accompanied by changes in the surfaces of all lead-up tournaments to the Australian Open. The change was controversial because of the new surface's similarity to DecoTurf, the surface used by the US Open.[14]
Before the Melbourne Park stadium era, tournament dates fluctuated as well, in particular in the early years because of the climate of each site or exceptional events. For example, the 1919 tournament was held in January 1920 (the 1920 tournament was played in March) and the 1923 tournament in Brisbane took place in August when the weather was not too hot and wet. After a first 1977 tournament was held in December 1976 – January 1977, the organisers chose to move the next tournament forward a few days, then a second 1977 tournament was played (ended on 31 December), but this failed to attract the best players. From 1982 to 1985, the tournament was played in mid-December. Then it was decided to move the next tournament to mid-January (January 1987), which meant there was no tournament in 1986. Since 1987, the Australian Open date has not changed. However, some top players, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have said that the tournament is held too soon after the Christmas and New Year holidays, thus preventing players from reaching their best form, and expressed a desire to shift it to February.[15] Such a change, however, would move the tournament outside the summer school holiday period, potentially impacting attendance figures.
Another change of venue was proposed in 2008, with New South Wales authorities making clear their desire to bid for hosting rights to the tournament once Melbourne's contract expires in 2016. The proposed relocation is to Glebe Island. In response, Wayne Kayler-Thomson, the head of the Victorian Events Industry Council, was adamant that Melbourne should retain the event, and, in a scathing attack of the New South Wales authorities, said, "It is disappointing that NSW cannot be original and seek their own events instead of trying to cannibalise other Australian cities." Since the proposal was made, a major redevelopment of Melbourne Park has been announced, which is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Melbourne Park will include upgraded and increased seating in major venues, a roof over Margaret Court Arena, improved player facilities, a new headquarters for Tennis Australia, and a partly covered "town square" area featuring large televisions showing current tennis play.[16] A year later, these plans were largely approved, with former Premier of Victoria John Brumby confirming the state government's willingness to commit A$363 million to complete the renovations, a move which guaranteed there will be no change of venue until at least beyond 2036.[17]
Television coverage[link]
In 2010, both live and taped coverage were televised in the United States on ESPN (specifically ESPN 2) and Tennis Channel. The championship match was seen on ESPN2. In Australia, Seven Network covers the complete tournament. Throughout the rest of the world, the tournament can be seen on Eurosport. The BBC provides limited television coverage of certain matches in the United Kingdom. The Australian Open is the least televised Grand Slam event because of time zone differences between Australia and the large population centres of Europe and North America. The Australian Open Final for men is traditionally one of the most watched sports events in Australia.[18]
Recent attendances[link]
- 2011 – 651,127[20]
- 2010 – 653,860[21]
- 2009 – 603,160[22]
- 2008 – 605,735[23]
- 2007 – 554,858[24]
- 2006 – 550,550[25]
- 2005 – 543,873[26]
- 2004 – 521,691[25]
Prize money and trophies[link]
The prize money awarded in the men's and women's singles tournaments is distributed equally. In 2012 the prize money was distributed as follows:[27]
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 | |
| Singles | Prize money | $2,300,000 | $1,150,000 | $437,000 | $218,500 | $109,250 | $54,625 | $33,300 | $20,000 | $11,440 | $5,710 | $2,860 |
| Doubles | Prize money* | $454,500 | $227,250 | $113,000 | $56,000 | - | $31,500 | $17,200 | $9,600 | - | - | - |
| Mixed Doubles | Prize money* | $135,500 | $67,500 | $33,900 | $15,500 | - | - | $7,800 | $3,800 | - | - | - |
* per team
Note: All amounts in Australian dollars. (The winner's prize money approximates to GBP £1,558,212; EUR €1,854,284; USD $2,451,456.)
On 4 October 2011, when they launched Australian Open 2012, the tournament director announced that the prize money was increased to A$26,000,000. It's the highest prize money for a tennis tournament.
The names of the tournament winners are inscribed on the perpetual trophy Cups.
- The women's singles winner is presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
- The men's singles winner is presented with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
Ranking points[link]
Ranking points for the ATP and WTA have varied at the Australian Open through the years but presently singles players receive the following points:
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | 3R | 2R | 1R | Q | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 | ||
| Singles | Points (M) | 2000 | 1200 | 720 | 360 | 180 | 90 | 45 | 10 | 25 | 16 | 8 | 0 |
| Points (F) | 2000 | 1400 | 900 | 500 | 280 | 160 | 100 | 5 | 60 | 50 | 40 | 2 | |
| Doubles | Points (M) | 2000 | 1200 | 720 | 360 | 180 | 90 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Points (F) | 2000 | 1400 | 900 | 500 | 280 | 160 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | |
Champions[link]
Main article: List of Australian Open champions
Main articles listed by event:
Current champions[link]
-
Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the longest Grand Slam final in the Open era, successfully defending his title. The 2012 title is the third Australian Open victory for Djokovic. which also means Novak Djokovic retains his spot at the world number one
-
Victoria Azarenka won her first Australian Open title in 2012. The achievement also serves as her maiden Grand Slam title. She defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets.
-
Leander Paes, part of the Men's Doubles championship team in 2012. This is his first Australian Open Doubles win.
-
Radek Štěpánek, part of the Men's Doubles championship team in 2012. This is his first Australian Open Doubles win.
-
Svetlana Kuznetsova, part of the Women's Doubles championship team in 2012. This is her second Australian Open Doubles win.
-
Vera Zvonareva, part of the Women's Doubles championship team in 2012. This is her first Australian Open Doubles win.
-
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, part of the Mixed Doubles championship team in 2012. This is her first Australian Open Mixed Doubles win.
-
Horia Tecău, part of the Mixed Doubles championship team in 2012. This is his first Australian Open Mixed Doubles win.
| Event | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Men's Singles | Novak Djokovic |
 Rafael Nadal |
5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 |
| 2012 Women's Singles | Victoria Azarenka |
Maria Sharapova |
6–3, 6–0 |
| 2012 Men's Doubles | Leander Paes Radek Štěpánek |
Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
7–6(7–1), 6–2 |
| 2012 Women's Doubles | Svetlana Kuznetsova Vera Zvonareva |
 Sara Errani Roberta Vinci |
5–7, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 2012 Mixed Doubles | Bethanie Mattek-Sands Horia Tecău |
Elena Vesnina Leander Paes |
6–3, 5–7, [10–3] |
Records[link]
Unlike the other three Grand Slam tournaments, which became open in 1968, the Australian tournament opened to professionals in 1969. Thus, the records here break at the 1969 tournament. Citations for these records.[28]
| Record | Open Era* | Player(s) | Count | Years | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men since 1905 | ||||||
| Winner of most Men's Singles titles |
Before 1969: | Roy Emerson |
6 | 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 | ||
| After 1968: | Andre Agassi Roger Federer |
4 | 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 |
|||
| Winner of most consecutive Men's Singles titles |
Before 1969: | Roy Emerson |
5 | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 | ||
| After 1968: | Ken Rosewall Guillermo Vilas Johan Kriek Mats Wilander Stefan Edberg Ivan Lendl Jim Courier Andre Agassi Roger Federer Novak Djokovic |
2 | 1971, 1972 1978, 1979 1981, 1982 1983, 1984 1985, 1987[29] 1989, 1990 1992, 1993 2000, 2001 2006, 2007 2011, 2012 |
|||
| Winner of most Men's Doubles titles |
Before 1969: | Adrian Quist |
10 | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 | ||
| After 1968: | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
5 | 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
|||
| Winner of most consecutive Men's Doubles titles |
Before 1969: | Adrian Quist |
10 | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950[30] | ||
| After 1968: | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
3 | 2009, 2010, 2011 2009, 2010, 2011 |
|||
| Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles - Men |
Before 1969: | Harry Hopman Colin Long |
4 | 1930, 1936, 1937, 1939 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948 |
||
| After 1968: | Jim Pugh |
3 | 1988, 1989, 1990 | |||
| Winner of most Championships (total: singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles) – Men |
Before 1969: | Adrian Quist |
13 | 1936–1950 (3 singles, 10 men's doubles, 0 mixed doubles) | ||
| After 1968: | Mark Edmondson Jim Pugh Rick Leach |
5 | 1976–1984 (1 singles, 4 men's doubles) 1988–1990 (2 men's doubles, 3 mixed doubles) 1988–2000 (3 men's doubles, 2 mixed doubles) |
|||
| Women since 1922 | ||||||
| Winner of most Women's Singles titles |
Before 1969: | Margaret Court |
7 | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 | ||
| After 1968: | Serena Williams |
5 | 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 | |||
| Winner of most consecutive Women's Singles titles |
||||||
| Before 1969: | Margaret Court |
7 | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 | |||
| After 1968: | Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong Cawley Steffi Graf / Monica Seles Martina Hingis |
3 | 1969, 1970, 1971 1974, 1975, 1976 1988, 1989, 1990 1991, 1992, 1993 1997, 1998, 1999 |
|||
| Winner of most Women's Doubles titles |
||||||
| Before 1969: | Thelma Coyne Long |
12 | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1958 | |||
| After 1968: | Martina Navratilova |
8 | 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 | |||
| Winner of most consecutive Women's Doubles titles |
||||||
| Before 1969: | Thelma Coyne Long Nancye Wynne Bolton |
5 | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 |
|||
| After 1968: | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver |
7 | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
|||
| Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles - Women |
Before 1969: | Daphne Akhurst Cozens Nell Hall Hopman Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long |
4 | 1924, 1925, 1928, 1929 1930, 1936, 1937, 1939 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955 |
||
| After 1968: | Jana Novotná Larisa Savchenko Neiland |
2 | 1988, 1989 1994, 1996 |
|||
| Winner of most Championships (total: singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles) – Women |
Before 1969: | Nancye Wynne Bolton |
20 | 1936–1952 (6 singles, 10 women's doubles, 4 mixed doubles) | ||
| After 1968: | Martina Navratilova |
12 | 1980–2003 (3 singles, 8 women's doubles, 1 mixed doubles) | |||
| Miscellaneous | ||||||
| Youngest winner | Men's singles: | Ken Rosewall |
18 years and 2 months (1953) | |||
| Men's doubles: | Lew Hoad |
18 years and 2 months (1953) | ||||
| Women's doubles: |  Mirjana Lučić |
15 years and 10 months (1998) | ||||
| Women's singles: | Martina Hingis |
16 years and 4 months (1997) | ||||
| Oldest winner | Men's singles: | Ken Rosewall |
37 years and 8 months (1972) | |||
| Men's doubles: | Norman Brookes |
46 years and 2 months (1924) | ||||
| Women's doubles: | Thelma Coyne Long |
37 years and 7 months (1956) | ||||
| Women's singles: | Thelma Coyne Long |
35 years and 8 months (1954) | ||||
| Mixed doubles (men): | Horace Rice |
52 years (1923) | ||||
| Mixed doubles (women): | Martina Navratilova |
46 years and 3 months (2003) | ||||
References[link]
- ^ "Prize Money". australianopen.com. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/prize_money.html. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Australian Tennis Open History". Jazzsports. http://www.jazzsports.com/tennis-odds-grand-slam-events/australian-open-tennis-odds/australian-open-tennis-history.php. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
- ^ a b Tristan Foenander. "History of the Australian Open – the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific". Australian Open. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/history.html. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
- ^ Unknown (9 November 1923). "Australasian Championships". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/16104993?searchTerm=Tennis. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ a b Frank Cook (14 February 2008). "Open began as Aussie closed shop". The Daily Telegraph (news.com.au). http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23049738-5015682,00.html. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
- ^ "Anthony Frederick Wilding "Tony"". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930182502/http://www.tennisfame.com/famer.aspx?pgID=867&hof_id=100. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^ "History of Tennis – From humble beginnings". Tennis Australia. http://www.tennis.com.au/pages/default.aspx?id=21&pageId=878. Retrieved 25 January 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Milton Tennis Centre". Australian Stadiums. http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/special/milton.php. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
- ^ Nikki Tugwell (14 January 2008). "Hewitt chases amazing slam win". The Daily Telegraph (news.com.au). http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23047855-5001023,00.html. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
- ^ Alan Trengove. "Australian Open 1983". wilandertribute.com. http://www.wilandertribute.com/22.html. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
- ^ "World Group 1983 Final". Davis Cup. http://www.daviscup.com/en/results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=10000700. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
- ^ "Rebound Ace under review". The Daily Telegraph (news.com.au). 29 January 2007. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21131668-5001023,00.html. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
- ^ List of Classified Court Surfaces
- ^ Tennis court surfacer serves up two major deals
- ^ Schlink, Leo (17 January 2009). "Rafael Nadal keen to call time on early slam". Herald Sun (Australia). http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24922806-3162,00.html. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
- ^ "Brumby Government announces Melbourne Park redevelopment". Herald Sun (Australia). 26 January 2009. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24964166-661,00.html. Retrieved 22 April 2009. [dead link]
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Australian Open Finals Coverage
- ^ "Top 10: Memorable AO2012 moments". 29 January 2012. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2012-01-29/201201291327831467543.html. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Closing notes: Australian Open 2011". 30 January 2011. http://www.thesportscampus.com/2011013010063/grand-slams/closing-notes-australian-open-2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Federer wins fourth Australian Open, 16th major singles title". 31 January 2010. http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2010/01/4th-Week/Australian-Open-Sunday2-Federer-Takes-Fourth-Australian-Open-Title.aspx. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ^ Australian Open 2009 – the final word[dead link]
- ^ "The Australian Open – History of Attendance" (PDF). Australian Open. Archived from the original on 5 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070905123308/http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/attendance_history.pdf. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
- ^ "AO 2007: The Final Word". Tennis Australia. http://www.tennisaustralia.com.au/pages/News.aspx?id=4&pageId=11478&HandlerId=2&archive=false&newsid=2696. Retrieved 25 January 2008. [dead link]
- ^ a b Australian Open Tennis Attendance History – Altius Directory
- ^ "Safin credits Lundgren for resurgence". Sports Illustrated (CNN). 30 January 2005. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/tennis/specials/australian_open/2005/01/30/notebook.sunday.ap/. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
- ^ "Prize Money". AustralianOpen.com. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/prize_money.html. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ "Australian History and Records". TennisTours.com. http://www.tennistours.com/event_pages/australian/history.asp. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
- ^ In 1986 there was no Australian Open held
- ^ From 1941 through 1945, no Australian Championships were held because of World War II
External links[link]
- Official website
- Tennis Australia website
- Australian Open Tennis
- Australian Open Live Stream
- Satellite image of the venue (Google Maps)
- Australian Open – All winners and runners-up. Reference book
| Preceded by US Open |
Grand Slam Tournament January |
Succeeded by French Open |
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Coordinates: 37°49′18″S 144°58′42″E / 37.82167°S 144.97833°E / -37.82167; 144.97833
http://wn.com/Australian_Open
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Australian Open
http://cs.wn.com/Australian Open
http://id.wn.com/Australia Terbuka
http://es.wn.com/Abierto de Australia
http://ru.wn.com/Открытый чемпионат Австралии по теннису
http://pt.wn.com/Open da Austrália
http://pl.wn.com/Australian Open
http://fr.wn.com/Open d'Australie
http://de.wn.com/Australian Open
http://nl.wn.com/Australian Open (tennis)
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Open
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 |
|
| Country | Russia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Bradenton, Florida, United States |
| Born | (1987-04-19) April 19, 1987 (age 25) Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] |
| Weight | 59 kilograms (130 lb)[1] |
| Turned pro | April 19, 2001 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | $ 19,323,417[2] |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 441–109 |
| Career titles | 26 WTA, 4 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (August 30, 2005) |
| Current ranking | No. 2 (May 28, 2012)[3] |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2008) |
| French Open | SF (2007, 2011) |
| Wimbledon | W (2004) |
| US Open | W (2006) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Championships | W (2004) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 23–17 |
| Career titles | 3 WTA |
| Highest ranking | 41 (January 30, 2012) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2003, 2004) |
| US Open | 2R (2003) |
| Last updated on: May 28, 2012. | |
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мария Юрьевна Шарапова [mɐˈrʲijə ˈjurʲjɪvnə ʂɐˈrapəvə] ( listen), US: /ʃɑrəˈpoʊvə/, UK: /ʃærəˈpoʊvə/; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and former world no. 1. A United States resident since 1994,[4] Sharapova has won 26 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She has also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in 2004. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked Sharapova world no. 1 in singles on four separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last regained the ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. As of May 28, 2012, Sharapova is ranked world no. 2. She has been in six Grand Slam finals with the final record 3–3.
Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 at age 17, when she defeated two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top 10 of the WTA Rankings with the win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the no. 1 ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-world no. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and world no. 2 Justine Henin in the final.
Sharapova's 2007 season was plagued with a chronic shoulder injury and saw her ranking fall out of the top 5 for the first time in two years. She won her third Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Henin in the quarterfinals and Ana Ivanović in the final. After reclaiming the no. 1 ranking in May 2008, Sharapova's shoulder problems re-surfaced, requiring surgery in October and forcing her out of the game for 10 months. Sharapova returned in May 2009 and was ranked no. 126 in the world due to her extensive lay-off. Since her comeback, Sharapova has won seven singles titles (bringing her career total to 26) and improved her ranking to no. 2 in the world.
Sharapova has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She has been featured in many advertisements, including for Nike, Prince and Canon, and is the face of several fashion houses, most notably Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in 2005 and 2008.[5][6][7] Since February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme. In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.[8]
Contents |
Early life[link]
Maria Sharapova's parents, Yuri and Elena, are from Gomel, Belarus. Concerned about the regional effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, they left their homeland shortly before Sharapova was born.[9] When Sharapova was two, the family moved to Sochi. There her father befriended Aleksandr Kafelnikov, whose son Yevgeny would go on to win two Grand Slam singles titles and became Russia's first no. 1 world-ranked tennis player. Aleksandr gave Sharapova her first tennis racket at the age of four, whereupon she began practicing regularly with her father at a local park.[10] She took her first tennis lessons with veteran Russian coach Yuri Yutkin, who was instantly impressed when he saw her play, noting her "exceptional hand-eye coordination."[11]
At the age of seven, Sharapova attended a tennis clinic in Moscow run by Martina Navratilova, who recommended professional training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, which had previously trained players such as Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, and Anna Kournikova.[10] With money tight, Yuri was forced to borrow the sum that would allow him and his daughter, neither of whom could speak English, to travel to United States, which they finally did in 1994.[11] Visa restrictions prevented Sharapova's mother from joining them for two years.[9] Arriving in Florida with savings of US$700,[11] Sharapova's father took various low-paying jobs, including dish-washing, to fund her lessons until she was old enough to be admitted to the academy. In 1995, she was signed by IMG, who agreed to pay the annual tuition fee of $35,000 for Sharapova to stay at the academy, allowing her to finally enroll at the age of 9.[10]
Tennis career[link]
2001–03[link]
Sharapova first gained attention on the tennis scene in November 2000, when she won the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in the girls' 16 division at the age of just 13.[12] She was then given a special award, the Rising Star Award, which is awarded only to players of exceptional promise.[13] She made her professional debut in 2001 on her birthday on April 19, and played her first WTA tournament at the Pacific Life Open in 2002, winning a match before losing to Monica Seles. Due to restrictions on how many professional events she could play, Sharapova went to hone her game in junior tournaments, where she reached the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2002. She was the youngest girl ever to reach the final of the Australian Open junior championship at 14 years and 9 months.[14]
From 2003, Sharapova played a full season, and made a rapid climb into the top 50 by the end of the year.[15] She made her debuts at both the Australian Open and the French Open, but failed to win a match in either.[16] It was not until the grass season that she began to fulfill her promise, beating a top-20 player for the first time and reaching her first semifinal at the WTA level. Then, as a wildcard at Wimbledon, she defeated 11th seed Jelena Dokić to reach the fourth round, where she lost in three sets to Svetlana Kuznetsova.[16]
By the end of September, Sharapova had already captured her first WTA title at a smaller event, the Japan Open Tennis Championships, before winning her second in her final tournament of the season, the Bell Challenge. To cap off her first full season as a professional, she was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year honor.
2004[link]
Sharapova was defeated in the third round of the Australian Open by seventh seed Anastasia Myskina.[17] The highlight of the remainder of her spring hard-court season was a run to the semifinals at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup, where she ultimately lost to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva.[17]
During the spring clay-court season, Sharapova entered the top 20 on the WTA world rankings as a result of reaching the third round of the Qatar Telecom German Open[17] and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, both of which were Tier I events.[17] At the latter event, she defeated a player ranked in the top 10 for the first time with a straight-sets win over world no. 10 and 2004 French Open finalist Elena Dementieva. Later that clay-court season, she went on to make the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time at the French Open, losing there to Paola Suárez.
Sharapova won the third title of her career at the Wimbledon warm-up DFS Classic, defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final.[17] Seeded 13th and aged 17 at Wimbledon, she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal by defeating Ai Sugiyama. There, she came back from a 6–2, 3–1 deficit to defeat fifth seed and former champion Lindsay Davenport. In the final, Sharapova upset top seed and defending champion Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam singles title, and become the third youngest woman to win the Wimbledon title, behind only Lottie Dod and Martina Hingis. Sharapova also became the second Russian woman (after Anastasia Myskina had won the year's previous major at Roland Garros) to win a Grand Slam singles title. The victory was hailed by the media as "the most stunning upset in memory",[18] with other writers commenting on her arrival as a serious challenger to the Williams' dominance at Wimbledon.[19] She entered the top 10 in the rankings for the first time as a result of the win.[17]
Following her Wimbledon win, attention and interest in Sharapova in the media greatly increased, a rise in popularity dubbed as "Maria Mania."[20] However, on court, she was struggling to achieve results, winning just three of six matches in her preparations for the US Open. At the US Open itself, she reached the third round, before being eliminated by Mary Pierce. In order to regain confidence, Sharapova played and won consecutive titles in Asia in the fall, the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships and the Japan Open Tennis Championships.
In October, Sharapova defeated Venus Williams en route to making the final of a Tier I event for the first time at the Zurich Open, losing in the final to Alicia Molik. She then made her debut at the year-ending WTA Tour Championships. There, she won two of her three round-robin matches (including a win over US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova) in order to advance to the semifinals, where she defeated Myskina. In the final, she defeated Serena Williams, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, after trailing 4–0 in the final set.[17]
World No 1[link]
Sharapova started the year at the Australian Open, where she defeated fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the second Grand Slam semifinal of her career. Sharapova held match points in the third set of her semifinal match, before losing to eventual champion Serena Williams.[21] In February, Sharapova won back-to-back tournaments, the Toray Pan Pacific Open and the Qatar Total Open,[21] allowing her to reach the top 3 in the world rankings for the first time.
In the semifinals of the Tier I Pacific Life Open, Sharapova was defeated by Lindsay Davenport, 0–6, 0–6, the first time she had failed to win a game in a match.[21][22] The following fortnight, she defeated former world no. 1 players Justine Henin and Venus Williams to reach the final at the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open, where she lost to Kim Clijsters.[21]
Sharapova made the semifinals of a clay-court tournament for the first time at the Italian Open, where she lost to Patty Schnyder.[21] Sharapova would have become world no. 1 for the first time had she won the tournament.[23] Sharapova then reached the quarterfinals of the French Open for the second consecutive year, before losing to eventual champion Henin.[21] On grass, Sharapova won her third title of the year when she successfully defended her title at the DFS Classic, defeating Jelena Janković in the final. As the defending champion at Wimbledon, Sharapova reached the semifinals without dropping a set and losing a service game just once, extending her winning streak on grass to 24 matches. However, she was then beaten by eventual champion Venus Williams.[21]
A back injury sustained by world no. 1 Davenport at Wimbledon prevented her from playing tournaments during the summer hard-court season, which meant she could not earn new ranking points to replace those that were expiring from the previous year. Sharapova, although also injured for much of this time, had far fewer points to defend, and so she became the first Russian woman to hold the world no. 1 ranking on August 22, 2005.[24] Her reign lasted only one week, however, as Davenport reclaimed the top ranking after winning the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament.[24]
As the top seed at the US Open, Sharapova lost in the semifinals to Kim Clijsters, meaning she had lost to the eventual champion in every Grand Slam of the season. However, she once again leapfrogged Davenport to take the world no. 1 ranking on September 12, 2005. She retained it for six weeks, but after playing few tournaments while injured, she again relinquished the ranking to Davenport.[24] To conclude the year, Sharapova failed to defend her title at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Los Angeles, defeating Davenport in one of her round-robin matches, but ultimately losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Amélie Mauresmo.[21]
2006[link]
Sharapova started 2006 by losing in the semifinals of the Australian Open in three sets to Henin,[25] also losing a rematch several weeks later at the Dubai Tennis Championships, having defeated former world no. 1 Martina Hingis and world no. 3 Lindsay Davenport in earlier rounds of the tournament.[25] Sharapova claimed her first title in nine months at the Tier I tournament in Indian Wells, defeating Hingis in the semifinals and Elena Dementieva in the final.[25] The following fortnight, she reached the final in Miami before losing to Kuznetsova.[25]
Missing the entire clay-court season with injury, Sharapova returned for the French Open. There, after saving match points in defeating Mashona Washington in the first round, she was eliminated by Dinara Safina in the fourth round.[25]
On grass, Sharapova was unsuccessful in her attempt to win in Birmingham for the third consecutive year, losing in the semifinals to Jamea Jackson.[25] Despite that, she was among the title favorites at Wimbledon, where the eventual champion Mauresmo ended up beating her in the semifinals.[25]
Sharapova claimed her second title of the year at the Tier I Acura Classic, defeating Clijsters for the first time in the final.[25] As the third seed at the US Open, Sharapova defeated top seed Mauresmo for the first time in the semifinals, and then followed up by beating second seed Justine Henin[25] in order to win her second Grand Slam singles title.[25]
That autumn, Sharapova won titles in back-to-back weeks at the Zurich Open and the Generali Ladies Linz.[25] By winning all three of her round-robin matches at the WTA Tour Championships, she extended her win streak to 19 matches, before it was snapped in the semifinals by eventual champion Henin.[25] Sharapova would have finished the season as world no. 1 had she won the event. As it was, she finished ranked world no. 2, her best year-end finish yet.
2007[link]
Sharapova was the top seed at the Australian Open due to top-ranked Justine Henin's withdrawal. After being two points away from defeat in the first round against Camille Pin, rallying for a 6–3, 4–6, 9–7 victory, she went on to reach the final of the tournament for the first time, but was routed there by Serena Williams, 1–6, 2–6, ranked world no. 81 at the time.[26] After reaching the final, Sharapova recaptured the world no. 1 ranking.[24] She held it for seven weeks, surrendering it back to Henin after failing to defend her title at the Pacific Life Open, instead losing in the fourth round to Vera Zvonareva after struggling with a hamstring injury. The following fortnight, she defeated Venus Williams in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open, before suffering another defeat, 1–6, 1–6, to Serena Williams.
A shoulder injury forced Sharapova to miss most of the clay-court season for the second consecutive year, resulting in her only tune-up for the French Open being the Istanbul Cup, where she lost in the semifinals to Aravane Rezaï.[26] Despite her lack of preparation, she reached the semifinals of the French Open for the first time in her career (having saved match points against Patty Schnyder in the fourth round), before losing to Ana Ivanović.[26]
On grass, Sharapova was runner-up to Jelena Janković at the DFS Classic.[26] Following that, she experienced her earliest Wimbledon loss since 2003 by losing in the fourth round to eventual champion Venus Williams.[26]
Sharapova clinched the US Open Series by defending her title at the Acura Classic, her only championship of the year, and reaching the semifinals in Los Angeles.[24] In her US Open title defense, Sharapova was upset in her third round match to 30th seed Agnieszka Radwańska,[27] making it her earliest exit at a Grand Slam singles tournament since the 2004 US Open, where she lost in the same round.[24]
Following the US Open loss, Sharapova did not play again until the Kremlin Cup in October, where she lost her opening match to Victoria Azarenka.[26] Shortly after this, she fell out of the top 5 in the world rankings for the first time since 2004. She qualified for the eight-woman year-end Sony Ericsson Championships due to a withdrawal by Venus Williams before the start of the tournament.[24] Despite having not previously won a match in two months, Sharapova topped her round-robin group at the tournament, after winning all three of her matches, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanović, and Daniela Hantuchová. She then defeated Anna Chakvetadze in the semifinals.[26] In the final, she lost to world no. 1 Henin in a match that lasted 3 hours and 24 minutes. Sharapova reached the top five again to end the year.
===2008=== Shoulder Injury Sharapova was seeded fifth at the Australian Open,[28] but was not considered a favorite. Nevertheless, she defeated former world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport in the second round, and then world no. 1 Henin in the quarterfinals,[29] ending the latter's 32-match winning streak.[30] She proceeded to the finals by defeating Jelena Janković in the semifinals, where she defeated Ana Ivanović to win her third Grand Slam title,[31] having not dropped a set all tournament.
After the Australian Open, Sharapova extended her winning streak to 18 matches.[31] This run encompassed two wins in singles rubbers when making her debut for Russia in the Fed Cup[32] against Israel[31] and victory at the Tier I Qatar Total Open.[31] Her winning streak was ended in the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open by Kuznetsova.[31] In April, Sharapova won the Bausch & Lomb Championships, having survived her longest-ever match, at 3 hours and 26 minutes long, in the third round against Anabel Medina Garrigues.[33][34] The following week, at the Family Circle Cup, she lost in the quarterfinals to Serena Williams, her fourth consecutive loss to the American.[35]
In May, Sharapova regained the world no. 1 ranking because of Henin's sudden retirement from professional tennis and request to the WTA that her own ranking be removed immediately.[36] As the top-seeded player at the French Open[31] Sharapova was within two points[37] of being knocked out by Evgeniya Rodina in the first round, before eventually winning.[38] As a result of losing to eventual finalist Dinara Safina in the fourth round (after serving for the match),[39] she relinquished her no. 1 ranking.[40] Her dip in form continued at Wimbledon, where she lost in the second round to world no. 154 Alla Kudryavtseva.[31] This was her earliest loss ever at Wimbledon, and at any Grand Slam in almost five years.[41]
Sharapova withdrew from the Rogers Cup tournament in August due to a shoulder injury.[42][43] An MRI scan revealed that she had been suffering from a rotator cuff tear since April, forcing her out of all tournaments for the rest of the season, including the Beijing Olympics, the US Open, and the WTA Tour Championships. In spite of that, she still finished the year ranked world no. 9.[44] In October, after a failed attempt to rehabilitate the shoulder, Sharapova had surgery to repair the tear.
2009[link]
Sharapova did not attempt to defend her Australian Open title, as she continued to recover from surgery.[45][46] She returned to the sport in March, in the doubles tournament at the BNP Paribas Open, but she and partner Elena Vesnina lost in the first round. After this, Sharapova withdrew from further singles tournaments, resulting in her standing in the world rankings being severely affected. She dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in six years in May, the nadir being world no. 126.
Playing her first singles tournament in nearly ten months, Sharapova made the quarterfinals of the clay-court Warsaw Open in May, losing to finalist Alona Bondarenko. The following week, in the first Grand Slam appearance since her surgery, she reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, before her run was ended by Dominika Cibulková.
During the summer grass-court season, Sharapova played in Birmingham, losing in the semifinals. Sharapova then played at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships as the 24th seed. She was upset in the second round by Gisela Dulko in three sets.
Sharapova enjoyed considerable success in the summer months, reaching the quarterfinals at the Bank of the West Classic, the semifinals at the LA Women's Tennis Championships, and finishing runner-up at the Rogers Cup to Elena Dementieva. At the 2009 US Open, Sharapova was seeded 29th. She entered her way into the third round defeating Tsvetana Pironkova and Christina McHale all in straight sets. She was stunned in the third round by American teenager Melanie Oudin 3–6, 6–4, 7–5. It was the first time in Sharapova's career that she lost to a teenager at a Grand Slam event. The devastating loss made Sharapova's ranking go down to no. 32.
The final stretch of the season brought Sharapova her first title of the year in Tokyo, after opponent Jelena Janković retired after being down 2–5 to Sharapova in the final. By virtue of that result, she was the recipient of a bye at the China Open, but failed to capitalize on it, losing to Peng Shuai in the third round. She ultimately finished the season at world no. 14, having improved from no. 126 when she starting her comeback from injury.
2010[link]
After playing two exhibition tournaments in Asia, Sharapova officially began her season at the Australian Open, where she was upset in her first-round match against Maria Kirilenko. The loss meant that for the first time since 2003, Sharapova had lost her opening match at a Grand Slam event.[47] She then rebounded by winning a smaller American event, the Cellular South Cup, her 21st career WTA title and first of the year.[48]
At the BNP Paribas Open, Sharapova lost in the third round to Zheng Jie, aggravating a bruised bone on her right elbow in the process, which resulted in her eventual withdrawal from the Sony Ericsson Open[49] and the Family Circle Cup.[50]
Returning at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, Sharapova lost in the first round to Lucie Šafářová. She continued her French Open preparation at the Internationaux de Strasbourg as a wildcard, advancing to the final, where she beat Kristina Barrois. This was her first title on red clay and 22nd overall title.[51] At the French Open, Sharapova's brief clay season culminated with a third-round loss to four-time champion Justine Henin.
Sharapova began her preparations for Wimbledon at the AEGON Classic. She advanced to the final for the fourth time, where she lost to Li Na. As the 16th seed at Wimbledon, Sharapova lost in the fourth round to world no. 1 and eventual champion Serena Williams, 6–7, 4–6, despite having three set points in the opening set.[52] The match was seen as another encouraging performance for Sharapova, with some stating their belief that she was approaching the form that would see her contending for Grand Slams once more,[53] and Sharapova herself that stating she felt that she was "in a much better spot than I was last year."[54]
During the US Open Series, Sharapova made two straight finals, losing to Victoria Azarenka at the Bank of the West Classic, and to Kim Clijsters at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. In the latter match, Sharapova held three match points while leading 5–3 on Clijsters's serve late in the second set, but could not convert them.
At the U.S. Open, Sharapova was the 14th seed. She made it to the fourth round, where she played top seed and 2009 finalist Caroline Wozniacki and lost, 3–6, 4–6.
Sharapova's last two tournaments of the season ended in disappointment. She played in the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she was upset in the first round by 39-year-old former world no. 4 Kimiko Date-Krumm.[55] Her last tournament of the year was the China Open, where she lost in the second round to fellow Russian Elena Vesnina.[56] Days later, she announced the end of her 2010 season.[57] She ended the year at number 18 in the world.[58]
Back to Form[link]
It was announced that Sharapova would bring in Thomas Hogstedt as a coach for the 2011 season, joining Michael Joyce.[59] On December 5, Sharapova played an exhibition match against world no. 2 Vera Zvonareva in Monterrey, Mexico. She won the match 6–1, 7–5.[60] It was also announced that Maria would start endorsing the Head YOUTEK IG Instinct Racquet range. This ended her career long use of Prince racquets.
In Sharapova's first ever official Australian Open warm-up tournament at the 2011 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, she was seeded 1st. She lost to the Hungarian veteran and eventual champion Gréta Arn 2–6, 5–7 in the quarterfinals. After the ASB Classic, Sharapova decided to take a hiatus from Joyce's coaching, despite having worked together for a number of years, including during her successful years where she became a multiple Grand Slam champion.[61]
Sharapova participated in the first Grand Slam of the season at the Australian Open, where she was the 14th seed, but lost to Andrea Petkovic, 2–6, 3–6 in the fourth round.[62]
Sharapova's next appearance was at the 2011 Fed Cup tie against France, which she lost to Virginie Razzano, 3–6, 4–6. She then withdrew from the 2011 Open GDF Suez in Paris because of viral illness.[63] She also had to pull out of the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships and 2011 Qatar Ladies Open due to an ear infection.
Sharapova returned to the tour in March by taking part in the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, where she was seeded 16th. She defeated former world No. 1 Dinara Safina, 6–2, 6–0, in the fourth round en route to the semifinal, where she lost to world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 1–6, 2–6. With this result, Sharapova returned to the top 10 for the first time since February 2009.
At the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Sharapova upset fourth seed Samantha Stosur in the fourth round. She then defeated 26th seed Alexandra Dulgheru 3–6, 7–66, 7–65 in the quarterfinals in a match that lasted 3 hours and 28 minutes, the longest match of her career. In the semifinals, Sharapova took her Australian Open reprisal on Germany's Andrea Petkovic by defeating her 3–6, 6–0, 6–2. In the final, she was defeated by Victoria Azarenka, 1–6, 4–6, despite a late comeback in the second set.
During the clay-court season, Sharapova participated in 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where she lost to Dominika Cibulková 5–7, 4–6, in the third round and the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where she was seeded seventh. She defeated top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals and sixth seed Samantha Stosur, 6–2, 6–4, in the final to take home the title, marking her biggest clay-court victory to date.[64]
At the 2011 French Open, Sharapova was seeded seventh. She defeated French wildcard Caroline Garcia in the second round, despite trailing 3–6, 1–4, before winning the last 11 games of the match. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 15th seed Andrea Petkovic, 6–0, 6–3, marking her first Grand Slam semifinal since her comeback from the career-threatening shoulder injury. She then lost to sixth seed and eventual champion Li Na, 4–6, 5–7, in the semifinals, ending her clay season with a win-loss record of 12–2.[65] This marks her most successful clay season to date.
At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, Sharapova had not dropped a set entering the final, before losing to eighth seed Petra Kvitová in straight sets, 3–6, 4–6.[66] This marked her first final in over three years at a Grand Slam event.
Sharapova started her summer hard court season at the 2011 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, USA. In a highly anticipated match, Sharapova lost to the eventual champion Serena Williams 1–6, 3–6, in the quarterfinals.[67] In her next event at 2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, Sharapova lost to Galina Voskoboeva in the third round, marking her 100th career loss.[68]
Sharapova then contested at the 2011 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio. As the fourth seed, she received a bye into the second round. On the way to her fourth final of the year, she beat Anastasia Rodionova, 6–1, 6–3,[69] 14th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–2, 6–3,[70] 10th seed Samantha Stosur, 6–3, 6–2,[71] and 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva 2–6, 6–3, 6–3.[72] In the final, she defeated fellow former world no. 1 Jelena Jankovic, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3, in 2 hours and 49 minutes, making it the longest WTA tour final of the year.[73] She subsequently moved up to world no. 4, her highest ranking since August 2008 and the highest since her comeback from her shoulder injury.[74]
Sharapova entered the US Open in fine form, where she was seeded third. She beat British up-and-comer Heather Watson, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, and Anastasiya Yakimova, 6–1, 6–1, to reach the third round. She was then upset by Flavia Pennetta, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6. However, because of the fall of Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva in the rankings, Sharapova climbed to world no. 2.[75]
Sharapova's next tournament was the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan. As second seed, she received a bye into the second round, where she beat Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6–2, 7–5. She then beat 13th seed Julia Goerges 7–6, 7–6, before retiring against Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinal, 3–4, after slipping on the baseline, suffering an ankle injury. This also forced her to withdraw from the 2011 China Open the following week. Sharapova then flew to Istanbul to prepare for the 2011 WTA Tour Championships, her first time qualifying since 2007. During the WTA Tour Championships, Sharapova withdrew during the round-robin stage after defeats against Samantha Stosur, 1–6, 5–7, and Li Na, 6–7, 4–6, due to the ankle injury she had suffered in Tokyo.
Sharapova ended the year as number 4 in the world, her first top-10 finish since 2008 and first top-5 finish since 2007.
2012[link]
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Sharapova withdrew from the 2012 Brisbane International because of her ongoing ankle injury.[76] Her first tournament of the season was the 2012 Australian Open, where she was seeded fourth. Sharapova advanced to the fourth round conceding just five games, defeating Gisela Dulko, Jamie Hampton and the 30th seed Angelique Kerber en route. In the fourth round, Sharapova defeated the fourteenth seed, Sabine Lisicki in three sets, 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 to reach her first hardcourt Grand Slam quarterfinal in 4 years. She then defeated compatriot, Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets, 6–2, 6–3 to reach the semifinals. There she defeated the world no. 2 Petra Kvitová, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4 to reach her third Australian Open final, and her sixth grand slam singles final overall. She lost to Victoria Azarenka in the final 3–6, 0–6. As a result her ranking improved to world no. 3.
In February, Sharapova aided Russia to a 3–2 victory over Spain during the 2012 Fed Cup quarterfinal with a 6–2, 6–1 win over Silvia Soler-Espinosa.[77] She then played in Paris, where she lost in the quarterfinal to eventual champion Angelique Kerber 4–6, 4–6. As a result her ranking improved to World No. 2. At Indian Wells, Sharapova faced Gisela Dulko in the first round and won 6–2, 6–0. Sharapova defeated Simona Halep and Roberta Vinci en route to reaching the quarterfinals. After battling for over 3 hours, she defeated compatriot Maria Kirilenko 3–6 7–5 6–2, to set up a semifinal meeting with Ana Ivanovic. Sharapova won the first set 6–4 and advanced to the final after Ivanovic retired due to a hip injury. In the final she played world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka in a rematch of the Australian Open final, but lost again 2–6, 3–6.
Sharapova's next tournament was the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was seeded 2nd. She received a bye to the second round where she faced Shahar Peer and won in three sets 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. Her next opponent was Sloane Stephens. Sharapova won in straight sets 6–4, 6–2. In the fourth round she won in straight sets, 6–4, 7–6 against countrywoman Ekaterina Makarova and advanced to the quarterfinals where she faced Li Na, whom she beat 6–3, 6–0. Her semifinal opponent was fellow former world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. After an inconsistent first set, Sharapova won the match 4–6, 6–2, 6–4. In the final, Maria lost in straight sets to 5th seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 7–5, 6–4. This was her third loss of the year in finals out of four tournaments played so far. Sharapova's next tournament was the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she was seeded second. She had a bye in the first round, and advanced to the third round after Alize Cornet retired in the second set. In the quarterfinal, she defeated No. 5 Samantha Stosur 6–75, 7–65, 7–5 after saving a match point in the second set, and advanced to the final with a 6–4, 7–63 win over No. 3 Petra Kvitova. She won her first title of the year in Stuttgart after defeating world number one Victoria Azarenka 6–1, 6–4. In doing so, Sharapova defeated three current Grand Slam title holders to win the tournament. It was also her first win against Azarenka in five finals, and the third of such this season.
Sharapova's next tournament was a premier mandatory event, the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open. She eased through the first round in straight sets against Irina-Camelia Begu 6–0, 6–3. In the next round she faced Klara Zakopalova and also won in straight sets with 6–4, 6–3. In the third round Sharapova's opponent Lucie Safarova was unable to compete and with drew from the tournament, earning Sharapova a walkover into the quarter finals. She was then beaten by eventual champion Serena Williams in straight sets 6–1, 6–3.
As the defending champion and number two seed at the Italian Open, Sharapova had a bye in the first round. She battled through the first round against 20 year-old Christina McHale and prevailed 7–5, 7–5. She then faced thirteenth seed Ana Ivanovic and won 7–64, 6–3 in 1 hour 47 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals. Sharapova then defeated former world no. 1 Venus Williams 6–4, 6–3, meaning that Sharapova has reached the quarterfinals or better in all nine tournaments she has played this year. In the semifinals, Sharapova avenged her defeat to Angelique Kerber in Paris earlier in the year by beating her 6–3, 6–4 to advance to the final for the second year in a row. In the final, Maria saved match point for a 2 hour 52 minute, 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(5) win over Li Na for her 26th career title.[78] This marked the fourth time Sharapova had successfully defended a title.
Sharapova's currently in action at the French Open, where she is seeded 2nd. She moved through to the second round by defeating Alexandra Cadantu 6-0, 6-0 in 48 minutes. She defeated Ayumi Morita 6-1, 6-1 to reach the third round, where she will face Peng Shuai.
Fed Cup participation[link]
Sharapova has lived in the United States since moving there at the age of seven, but retains her Russian citizenship, and is therefore eligible to play in the Fed Cup for Russia.[79] However, the behavior of Sharapova's father during her matches on the WTA Tour, combined with a perceived lack of commitment by her to the Fed Cup, has made her selection for the Russian Fed Cup team cause controversy in the past.
After Sharapova had beaten fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina at the 2004 WTA Tour Championships, Myskina criticized Sharapova's father, saying: "He was just yelling and screaming instructions to her and I thought he just might jump right on the court at one point in the match." At the Fed Cup semi-finals two weeks later, Myskina stated she would stop playing for Russia if Sharapova joined the Russian team the following season: "If she joins our team next season you won't see me there for sure. His behaviour is totally incorrect, simply rude. I don't want to be around people like him." Larisa Neiland, assistant to Russia Fed Cup captain Shamil Tarpishchev, added: "Her father's behaviour (at the WTA Tour Championships) was simply outrageous. I just don't see how he could work with the rest of us." However Tarpishchev himself played down the problem, insisting: "I feel that things will calm down soon and we'll have Myskina, Sharapova, Kuznetsova and everyone else playing for Russia."[80]
At the end of 2005, Sharapova stated she was now keen to make her Fed Cup debut[81] and was set to play against Belgium in April 2006, but withdrew.[82] She later withdrew from ties against Spain in April 2007[83] and against the United States in July 2007 because of injuries.[84] The latter withdrawal led to Russia's captain saying she would be "ineligible for selection" for the Fed Cup final in September.[85] However, Sharapova attended the final, cheering from the sidelines and acting as a "hitting partner" in practices, resulting in some of her Russian teammates implying that she was attending only to enable her to play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (rules state that players must have "shown commitment" to Fed Cup in order to play). Svetlana Kuznetsova said, "She said she wanted to be our practice partner but if you can't play how then can you practice?"[86]
Sharapova finally made her Fed Cup debut in February 2008, in Russia's quarterfinal tie against Israel.[32] She won both her singles rubbers, against Tzipora Obziler and Shahar Pe'er, helping Russia to a 4–1 victory.[87] For the semifinals, she was given permission to skip the tie, with Tarpishchev announcing that she will be on the team for the final.[88] However, the date of the final coincided with the lay-off from her shoulder injury, and thus she did not play.[89]
In the 2011 first round tie, Maria played Virginie Razzano of France and lost. Maria was supposed to play Alize Cornet, but Sharapova was suffering from a viral illness. So teammate, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova played instead of Sharapova where she would go to help Russia come back from their 0–2 deficit by beating Alize Cornet 3–6 6–3 6–2 and secure the win for Russia against France 3–2. Maria continued to participate in 2012 and helped Russia to a 3–2 win against Spain in the first round tie. Sharapova defeated Silver Soler Espinosa in the first rubber, but was unable o play her second rubber due to illness.
Playing style[link]
Sharapova is an aggressive baseliner, with power, depth, and angles on her forehand and backhand.[90] She is one of the few players on the WTA who uses the reverse forehand a lot. Instead of using a traditional volley or overhead smash, she often prefers to hit a powerful "swinging" volley when approaching the net or attacking lobs.[91] Sharapova is thought to have good speed around the court, especially considering her height.[90] At the beginning of 2008, some observers noted that Sharapova had developed her game, showing improved movement and footwork and the addition of a drop shot and sliced backhand to her repertoire of shots.[92][93] Despite her powerful game, Sharapova's greatest asset is considered to be her mental toughness and competitive spirit, with Nick Bollettieri stating that she is "tough as nails". Hall-of-famer John McEnroe said of Sharapova, "she's one of the best competitors in the history of the sport."[94] Sharapova is known for on-court "grunting", which reached a recorded 101 decibels during a match at Wimbledon in 2005.[95] During her second round match in Birmingham in 2003, Sharapova was asked to tone down the level of her grunt after opponent Nathalie Dechy complained to the umpire, with Sharapova's response saying that her grunting was "a natural instinct."[96] Monica Seles suggested that grunting is involuntary and a part of tennis.[97] When questioned by the media about her grunting, Sharapova urged the media to "just watch the match."[98] Her defensive game has been worked on by her new coach, and this has reflected in her results, making consecutive semi-finals at premier mandatory events on the tour.
Serve[link]
Early in her career Sharapova's first and second serves were regarded as powerful,[90] and she was believed to possess one of the best deliveries on the Tour.[99] Since the beginning of 2007, however, problems with her shoulder have reduced the effectiveness of her serve.[99] The shoulder injury not only resulted in her inconsistent first serves, but also her hitting high numbers of double faults.[100] Two-time US Open singles champion Tracy Austin believes that Sharapova often loses confidence in the rest of her game when she experiences problems with her serve and consequently produces more unforced errors and generally plays more tentatively,[101] while tennis writer Joel Drucker remarked that her serve was the "catalyst for her entire game", and that her struggles with it left her "unmasked."[99]
In her return from layoff in 2008 to 2009, she used an abbreviated motion, which was somewhat less powerful, and though producing aces also gave a very high number of double faults. After her early loss at the 2009 US Open, Sharapova returned to a more elongated motion, similar to her pre-surgery serve. She has since been able to produce speeds greater than before, including a 121 mph serve hit at the Birmingham tournament in 2010 – the fastest serve of her career.[102]
However since her shoulder operation Sharapova has been unable to control her serve. This has led to numerous faults, as she can't feel how much power she is generating.[103] The new action led to an elbow injury, but under Thomas Hogstedt it has improved but can still be erratic.[104]
Surfaces[link]
Because she predicates her game on power, Sharapova's preferred surfaces are the fast-playing hard and grass courts, as evident through her 24 victories on hard court and grass court. This is most notable when she won the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 U.S. Open and 2008 Australian Open crowns, where she had her career breakthrough and played her peak tennis level, respectively.
Sharapova, however, is not as well-suited to the slower clay courts as she is on hard and grass courts. Sharapova has admitted that she is not as comfortable with her movement on clay compared with other court surfaces and once described herself as like a "cow on ice" after a match on clay,[105] due to her inability to slide. Despite this, she has shown improvement on this surface with respect to experience, as evident with her first WTA red clay title at the 2010 Internationaux de Strasbourg, 7 years since playing on the WTA circuit. Less than a year later, she won her biggest red clay title at the Tier I 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. Sharapova is still showing rapid improvement on clay courts as evident by winning the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and then a month later being able to successfully defend her 2011 title in Rome, by winning the 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, these results are making Sharapova an obvious favourite for the 2012 French Open.
Ground strokes and net-play[link]
Sharapova is also known for her phenomenally accurate and powerful groundstrokes. She has a powerful forehand which tends to set up points and create successful winners. Sharapova occasionally utilizes a reverse follow-through on her forehand, similar to that of Lindsay Davenport and Rafael Nadal, which allows her to hit the ball later than normal and add top-spin, while it can also lead to timing issues resulting in errors. The backhand, although not as dominant in setting points up, is her more reliable shot with many tennis analysts[who?] considering this to be her best asset, and one of tennis' great shots. Her net play is good when on the attack, often she will choose to drive the volley instead of slice volleys, but this is not seen as a strength—this seems to be continually worked on.
Personal life[link]
Sharapova has lived in the United States since moving there at the age of seven. She has a residence in Manhattan Beach, California and in Netanya, Israel.[106][107] Sharapova is engaged to Slovenian professional basketball player Sasha Vujačić, who plays for the Anadolu Efes S.K. in Istanbul, Turkey.[108][109] The two have been dating since 2009.[110] In 2011, Sharapova was named in Forbes Celebrity 100. This lists her as one of the top 100 most powerful celebrities of the year.[111] Sharapova has made varying remarks on how long she intends to maintain her tennis career. Following the retirement of 25-year-old Justine Henin in 2008, Sharapova said, "If I was 25 and I'd won so many Grand Slams, I'd quit too."[112] In an interview after the 2008 Australian Open, she balked at the idea of playing for another ten years, saying that she hoped to have a "nice husband and a few kids" by then.[113] However in an interview before her 2012 Australian Open semifinal, Sharapova changed her stance, claiming she intended to continue playing tennis for as long as she enjoyed playing the game. Sharapova stated "I'm sure when I was 17 years old and someone said, you'll be playing for another eight years, it would be like, you're not going to see me at a press conference at 25 years old. But years go on. I missed a year in my career—I didn't play that year. I've said this, just before the tournament, a few weeks before, I woke up and I was just so happy to be going back on the court. I felt so fresh, full of energy, just with a really good perspective. Times change, obviously. I see myself playing this sport for many more years because it's something that gives me the most pleasure in my life. I think it helps when you know you're good at something, and you can always improve it. It obviously helps with the encouragement."[114]
At the 2004 US Open, Sharapova, along with several other Russian female tennis players, wore a black ribbon in observance of the tragedy after the Beslan school hostage crisis, which took place only days before.[115] In 2005, she donated around US$50,000 to those affected by the crisis.[24] On February 14, 2007, Sharapova was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and donated US$210,000 to UNDP Chernobyl-recovery projects. She stated at the time that she was planning to travel back to the area after Wimbledon in 2008,[116] though it didn't happen as she had to travel back to the US because of shoulder injury.[117] She fulfilled the trip in late June – early July 2010. Sharapova has helped to promote the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.[118] In addition, with Angela Haynes, Maria Kirilenko, Nicole Vaidišová, Rennae Stubbs, Governor Jeb Bush and Jennifer Capriati, Sharapova participated in an exhibition in Tampa in December 2004, raising money for the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund.[119] In July 2008, Sharapova sent a message on DVD to the memorial service of Emily Bailes, who had performed the coin toss ahead of the 2004 Wimbledon final that Sharapova had gone on to win.[120]
Endorsements[link]
Sharapova's tennis success and appearance have enabled her to secure commercial endorsements that greatly exceed the value of her tournament winnings.[121][122] In March 2006, Forbes magazine listed her as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of over US $18 million,[123] the majority of which was from endorsements and sponsorships. She has topped that list every year since, even after her 2007 shoulder injury.[124][125][126] In April 2005, People named her one of the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world.[127] In 2006, Maxim ranked Sharapova the hottest athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year. She posed in a six-page bikini photoshoot spread in the 2006 Valentine's Day issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, alongside 25 supermodels.[128] In a poll run by Britain's FHM magazine, she was voted the seventh most eligible bachelorette,[129] based on both "wealth and looks."
Immediately after her win at the 2004 Wimbledon Championship, mobile phone company Motorola signed Sharapova to endorse their mobile phone line.[130] Additionally, she appeared in commercials for Land Rover and Canon, as well as approved of namesake items by watch brand Tag Heuer and jeweller Tiffany.[130] Tiffany also provides Sharapova with earrings from the "Tiffany for Maria Sharapova" collection at the four major events, that are also retailed globally.[131] She also starred in an award winning campaign for the sports clothing brand Nike, "Pretty", in the summer of 2006. She signed a sponsorship deal in January 2007 with Gatorade and Tropicana.[132] In 2007, Sharapova was featured in a number of Canon USA's commercials for the PowerShot.[133] Sharapova has also been depicted in many tennis-related video games. Some of the titles include the Top Spin series, Virtua Tennis series, and Grand Slam Tennis series. During the layoff due to her shoulder surgery, sensing the fleeting nature of a professional athlete's career, Sharapova decided to focus on developing her name as a brand, beginning with meeting with her sponsors more extensively to further her brand.[130] In January 2010, it was announced that Sharapova had renewed her contract with Nike, signing an 8 year deal for $70 million. This is the most lucrative deal ever for a sportswoman, dwarfing the previous record, which was Venus Williams' $43 million deal with Reebok.[134]
Following in the footsteps of tennis players who started clothing lines such as Fred Perry and René Lacoste, Sharapova launched her own tennis apparel line, the "Nike Maria Sharapova Collection", in 2010. The collection includes dresses that she designed for all the major tournaments, in collaboration with Nike and Cole Haan.[135] She had previously found that the outfits given to her by Nike did not suit her frame and were worn by too many other players.[130] She comes up with design ideas and sketches in a process that begins 18 months before the event[135] and receives royalties from the sale of the collection, of which the corresponding dresses are coordinated to be available simultaneously with the corresponding major tournament.[130] The collection is worn by other WTA players, including Sofia Arvidsson, Kai-Chen Chang, Andrea Hlavackova, Madison Keys, Anastasia Pivovarova as well as junior players such as Indy De Vroome.[135] Sharapova had earlier collaborated with Nike on the "little black dress" that she wore for her night matches at the 2006 US Open.[130] The dress featured a round crystal studded collar and was inspired by Audrey Hepburn[130] The dress was well publicized and received but was not mass produced.[130][135][136] Additionally, she designs shoes and handbags for Cole Haan, for which her signature ballerina flats are one of the biggest sellers of the entire brand.[130]
Sharapova used the Prince Triple Threat Hornet for part of 2003 and then used several different Prince racquets until the US Open. She gave the racquet she used in the 2004 Wimbledon final to Regis Philbin when taping Live with Regis and Kelly. Sharapova began using the Prince Shark OS at that tournament and had a major part in the production of the Shark racquet.[citation needed] She then switched to the Prince O3 White racquet in January 2006. She switched to the Prince O3 Speedport Black in July 2008.[137][138] After being with Prince for ten years,[139] Sharapova began endorsing Head racquets in 2011 and uses the Head YOUTEK IG Instinct.[140][141]
Career statistics and awards[link]
Main article: Maria Sharapova career statistics
Grand Slam Finals[link]
Singles: 6 (3–3)[link]
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2004 | Wimbledon | Grass | Serena Williams |
6–1, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2006 | US Open | Hard |  Justine Henin |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2007 | Australian Open | Hard | Serena Williams |
1–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 2008 | Australian Open | Hard | Ana Ivanović |
7–5, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Wimbledon | Grass | Petra Kvitová |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Victoria Azarenka |
3–6, 0–6 |
Single's timeline[link]
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | |||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 1R | 3R | SF | SF | F | W | A | 1R | 4R | F | 1 / 8 | 34–8 | 81% |
| French Open | A | A | 1R | QF | QF | 4R | SF | 4R | QF | 3R | SF | 0 / 9 | 30–9 | 77% | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 4R | W | SF | SF | 4R | 2R | 2R | 4R | F | 1 / 9 | 34–8 | 81% | |
| US Open | A | A | 2R | 3R | SF | W | 3R | A | 3R | 4R | 3R | 1 / 8 | 24–7 | 77% | |
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–4 | 15–3 | 19–4 | 20–3 | 16–4 | 11–2 | 7–3 | 8–4 | 16–4 | 6–1 | 3 / 34 | 122–32 | 79% |
Awards[link]
- 2003
- Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Newcomer of the Year[142]
- 2004
- 2005
- ESPY Best Female Tennis Player[143]
- Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
- Master of Sports of Russia
- Prix de Citron Roland Garros[144]
- 2006
- Named the country's best female player for the year by Russia's tennis federation
- Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year[143]
- 2007
- ESPY Best Female Tennis Player[143]
- ESPY Best International Female Athlete[143]
- ESPN Hottest Female Athlete
- 2008
- Named the January 2008 female Athlete of the Month by the United States Sports Academy for her performance at the Australian Open
- ESPY Best Female Tennis Player[145]
- 2010
References[link]
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- ^ "Sharapova set to make Fed Cup debut". The Age (Melbourne: The Age Company Ltd.). January 23, 2008. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tennis/sharapova-set-to-make-fed-cup-debut/2008/01/22/1200764265448.html. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ a b c Jeff Cooper. Maria Sharapova – Tennis Game Profile, About.com. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ Douglas Robson. Swinging, midcourt volley becomes key weapon among pros, USA Today, June 25, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
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- ^ "Maria Sharapova Scouting report". Thetennistimes.com. http://thetennistimes.com/maria-sharapova/. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ Linda Pearce (July 5, 2004). "Sharapova's arrival a victory for mental toughness". The Age (Melbourne). http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/04/1088879371559.html. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Megan Lane, Why do women tennis stars grunt?, BBC News, June 22, 2005. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ "Scream queen Sharapova warned to silence screams". June 12, 2003. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2003/06/12/878185.htm. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- ^ Catriona Davies (September 24, 2008). "Grunting is just part of my game, claims Sharapova". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1523117/Grunting-is-just-part-of-my-game-claims-Sharapova.html. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
- ^ Beaten Sharapova turns on media, BBC News, January 26, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
- ^ a b c Joel Drucker (October 3, 2007). "Lingering injuries or limitations coming to light for Sharapova". ESPN Tennis. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3046996. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ "Bottom line for the top women, 2007", Tennis.com. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ Tracy Austin (June 27, 2008). "Austin: Sharapova loss a win for Venus and Serena". NBC Sports. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25396610/. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ Mark Hodgkinson (June 21, 2010). "Wimbledon 2010: Maria Sharapova fighting fit at last and ready to reclaim her SW19 crown". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/7841792/Wimbledon-2010-Maria-Sharapova-fighting-fit-at-last-and-ready-to-reclaim-her-SW19-crown.html. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
- ^ Pucin, Diane (August 9, 2009). "Maria Sharapova can't control her serve". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/09/sports/sp-la-women-tennis9.
- ^ "Maria Sharapova Serve Analysis – A Look Behind the Sharapova Serve Technique". Optimumtennis.net. http://www.optimumtennis.net/maria-sharapova-serve.htm. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ Barry Flatman. Sharapova: a cow on ice?, The Times, May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ Kathy Ehrich-Dowd (April 17, 2006). "Celebrity Q & A – Maria Sharapova". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1183711,00.html.
- ^ Netanya, Hadashot (January 25, 2011). "Maria Sharapova, Netanya resident – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News". Haaretz. Israel. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/maria-sharapova-netanya-resident-1.239342. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ "Maria Sharapova & Sasha Vujacic – Engaged". TMZ. October 21, 2010. http://www.tmz.com/2010/10/21/maria-sharapova-sasha-vujacic-engaged-proposed-los-angeles-lakers/. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ "Maria Sharapova betrothed to guard". Associated Press. October 21, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=5713080. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "The Fabulous Forum: Are Sasha Vujacic and Maria Sharapova dating?". The Los Angeles Times. November 3, 2009. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/11/lakers-sasha-vujacic-maria-sharapova-dating.html. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ^ "The Celebrity 100". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/profile/maria-sharapova. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ "Henin is best of her generation". BBC Sports. May 15, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7401565.stm. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ "Billie Jean King's text inspired Sharapova". NBC Sports. January 26, 2008. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22856899/. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
- ^ http://www.sportal.com.au/tennis-opinion-display/maria-not-ready-for-veterans-list-158083
- ^ Sharapova puts loss in perspective, ESPN. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ Maria Sharapova plans 1st trip back to Chernobyl since family fled, USAToday. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ [2][dead link], wimbledon.org. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
- ^ "Interview with Maria Sharapova". Russia Today. May 11, 2007. http://rt.com/sport/interview-with-maria-sharapova/. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ "wtatour.com -> Player Profiles -> Maria Sharapova -> Info". WTA. http://www.wtatennis.com/player/maria-sharapova_2257889_9499. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ Service held for Wimbledon girl, BBC News. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ Marc Ganis, the president of SportsCorp Ltd., a sports-industry consultant in Chicago, said, "Never underestimate the importance of physical beauty to an athlete's endorsement opportunities. Other than performance on the court, it may be the single most important asset." The New York Times. Serving Their Clients, September 7, 2006
- ^ "It does not hurt that Sharapova is regarded as one of the most beautiful athletes in the world." Marketing Maria: Managing the Athlete Endorsement, Harvard Business School Lessons from the classroom, Sara Jane Gilbert, October 29, 2007. Retrieved on June 1, 2008.
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External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maria Sharapova |
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1)| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sharapova, Maria Yuryevna |
| Alternative names | Шара́пова; Мари́я Ю́рьевна |
| Short description | Russian tennis player |
| Date of birth | April 19, 1987 |
| Place of birth | Nyagan', Siberia, Russia |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Maria_Sharapova
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Marija Šarapova
http://cs.wn.com/Maria Šarapovová
http://es.wn.com/María Sharápova
http://ru.wn.com/Шарапова, Мария Юрьевна
http://nl.wn.com/Maria Sjarapova
http://id.wn.com/Maria Sharapova
http://pl.wn.com/Marija Szarapowa
http://fr.wn.com/Maria Sharapova
http://de.wn.com/Marija Jurjewna Scharapowa
http://hi.wn.com/मारिया शरापोवा
http://pt.wn.com/Maria Sharapova
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Sharapova
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 Ivanovic at the 2011 Hopman Cup. |
|
| Country |  Serbia and Montenegro(2003–2006) Serbia (2006–present) |
|---|---|
| Residence | Basel, Switzerland |
| Born | (1987-11-06) November 6, 1987 (age 24) Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)[1][2] |
| Weight | 69 kg (150 lb) |
| Turned pro | August 17, 2003 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | US$ 9,205,362 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 320 – 140 (69,8%) |
| Career titles | 11 WTA, 5 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (June 9, 2008) |
| Current ranking | No. 14 (May 28, 2012) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2008) |
| French Open | W (2008) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2007) |
| US Open | 4R (2007, 2010, 2011) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Championships | SF (2007) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 25–30 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 50 (September 25, 2006) |
| Current ranking | No. 239 (May 28, 2012) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| French Open | 1R (2005, 2007) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2005) |
| US Open | 3R (2006) |
| Last updated on: May 28, 2012. | |
Ana Ivanovic (Serbian Cyrillic: Ана Ивановић, Ana Ivanović[3][4]; Serbian pronunciation: [âna iʋǎːnoʋitɕ] ( listen)) (born November 6, 1987, in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of May 28, 2012, she is ranked 14th on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.[5] She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open[6] and the 2008 Australian Open.[7] Competing as a professional since 2003, she has won 11 WTA Tour singles titles. When on form, Ivanovic is known for her aggressive style of play.
Contents |
Early life[link]
Ivanovic's mother Dragana (Драгана), a lawyer, supports her daughter during most of her matches. Her father Miroslav (Мирослав), a self-employed businessman, attends as many events as he possibly can. Ana has a younger brother, Miloš (Милош), with whom she loves to play basketball.[8]
Personal life[link]
Aside from her tennis career, Ivanovic also studies finance at a university in Belgrade and Spanish in her spare time.[9] Her inspiration to begin playing was Monica Seles, who at that time played for Yugoslavia.[10]
On September 8, 2007, Ivanovic became a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia, alongside Aleksandar Đorđević, Jelena Janković and Emir Kusturica. She takes a special interest in the fields of education and child protection. Ivanovic visited a primary school in Serbia during her inauguration and said that she is "also looking forward to going into the classroom and meeting many kids."[11]
Career[link]
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009) |
Ivanovic picked up a racket at the age of five after watching Monica Seles, a fellow Yugoslav, on television.[2] She started her career after memorizing the number of a local tennis clinic from an advertisement. At the time, she was forced to train during the morning to avoid bombardments. Later, she admitted that she trained in an abandoned swimming pool in the winter, as there were no other facilities. When she was 15, Ivanovic spent four hours in the locker room crying after a defeat – the first that her new manager had watched. She thought that Dan Holzmann, the manager in question, would drop her, thinking that she was not good enough to become a professional tennis player. He has stayed her manager to this day.
2004[link]
Ivanovic reached the final of the Junior Wimbledon tournament in 2004, losing to Kateryna Bondarenko.[12] In 2004, she went 26–0 on the ITF circuit, and won all five events that she entered, two of them as a qualifier. As a qualifier in Zürich, she overcame a 5–1 third set deficit along with two match points to defeat world no. 29 Tatiana Golovin 7–5,6–7,7–6. She then debuted in the qualifying draw of a Grand Slam at the US Open, where she was defeated by Lioudmila Skavronskaia after winning the first set 6–1 and having two match points on 5–4 in 3rd set. She eventually fell to a close loss, 6–1, 4–6, 5–7. Her first professional breakthrough occurred in the next match, when she took Venus Williams to two tiebreaks, before losing in straight sets in the second round of the Zürich Open. She had held several set points in both sets. She followed up her run in Zürich with a quarterfinal showing at Luxembourg the next week.
2005[link]
Ivanovic won her first career singles title, as a qualifier, in Canberra, Australia, after defeating Melinda Czink in the final. Her ranking continued to rise after wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–3,3–6,7–5 in Miami, Nadia Petrova 6–4,7–5 also in Miami 6–2,6–4, and Vera Zvonareva in Warsaw, all of whom were top-10 players. Ivanovic lost to Amélie Mauresmo at the Australian Open in third round, Doha in third round after Ivanovic had 6–2,2–0 lead and in 3rd set had three break points for 5–2 lead, and Miami Masters in quarterfinals, before defeating her in the third round of the French Open 6–4,3–6,6–3. At that stage in her career it was arguably her biggest win.[13] Ivanovic eventually reached the quarterfinals of that tournament, where she lost to Petrova.[14] Later in the year, Ivanovic reached the semifinals of the Zurich Open and Generali Ladies Linz, losing to Patty Schnyder in both tournaments.Ivanovic finished the year as no. 16.
2006[link]
Ivanovic started the year at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia with fellow Serbian Novak Djoković, where the pair narrowly missed the final.[15] To start off her WTA year, she played at the Medibank International in Sydney where she once again defeated Amélie Mauresmo, this time in straight sets 6–2,7–5, before falling to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals 7–6,6–3 after having 5–2 lead in first set. A week later, she lost to Samantha Stosur in the second round of the Australian Open 6–3,7–5.
Ivanovic made it to the third round of the French Open, before losing to Anastasia Myskina. She progressed to the fourth round at Wimbledon, but lost to eventual champion and world no. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in straight sets 7–5,6–3 after beating no. 14 seed Dinara Safina 3–6,7–6,6–1.
Ivanovic made her breakthrough in August when she defeated former world no. 1 Martina Hingis 6–2,6–3 in the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal before beating Jelena Janković 6–1,6–2, no. 14 seed Katarina Srebotnik 6–4,6–4 and top 10 player Dinara Safina 6–1,6–4. This ultimately led to her winning the United States Open Series, ahead of Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova. At the US Open, she lost to Serena Williams.
Ivanovic also played nine tournaments in doubles in 2006, teaming up with Maria Kirilenko and Sania Mirza. Ivanovic and Kirilenko made two semifinals and a final; they ended the year at number 17 in the annual race to the Championships. Ivanovic finished the year ranked world no. 14 in singles and world no. 51 in doubles.
2007[link]
Ivanovic started the year at the 2007 Medibank International where she beat no. 5 Nadia Petrova but lost to Nicole Vaidišová. Seeded 13th at the Australian Open, Ivanovic defeated Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2,3–6,6–2 in the second round, but later lost in the third round to Vera Zvonareva after she missed some opportunities. Immediately after this tournament, she announced that she had split with her coach David Taylor. Ivanovic then played in the 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open. In the quarterfinals she beat no. 10 Jelena Janković 3–6,6–4,6–2, and in the semifinals she beat No. 1 Maria Sharapova 6–1, 0–1 when Sharapova was forced to retire, but she lost in the Final to Martina Hingis 4–6, 2–6.
At the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, she was defeated in the fourth round by Sybille Bammer 6–7,6–0,3–6 after easy wins over Vania King and Alicia Molik. Yaroslava Shvedova then defeated Ivanovic in the second round of the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Miami Masters. Later she played a tournament at Amelia Island where she lost in the semifinals to no. 19 and eventual champion Tatiana Golovin 4–6,6–3,4–6 after Ivanovic had break points in all games of serve for Tatiana. It was the first win for her in seven meetings. After she lost in the semifinals she won no. 9 Jelena Janković 7–5,6–3 in quarterfinals.
Ivanovic then returned to Europe to play two clay-court tournaments in preparation for the French Open. In Berlin at the Qatar Telecom German Open, she won her first Tier I clay court title, defeating world no. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final 3–6,6–4,7–6.It was very long and interesting match, in first set Kuznetsova was leading 5–1 and she officially won the set 6–3.In second set Ivanovic had 2–0 lead, after Kuznetsova equalized on 2–2, Ivanovic again broke for 4–2, but Kuznetsova equalized on 4–4 and Ivanovic officially won the second set 6–4.Third set was the longest one, Kuznetsova first broke Ana's serve for 2–1 lead, but Ana was strong and pulled for 5–3, even then the match wasn't finished because Ivanovic needed tie-break to finally finish the match.However, Ivanovic injured her ankle during the final, which forced her to withdraw from the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. The win in Berlin propelled her into the top ten of the WTA Rankings for the first time, at world no. 8.
Ivanovic had a six-match winning streak heading into the French Open and increased this streak to twelve by reaching the final. She won her first three matches with the loss of only nine games. In her second career quarterfinal at Roland Garros, Ivanovic defeated world no. 3 Kuznetsova 6–0,3–6,6–1, and she then beat world no. 2 Sharapova 6–2,6–1 in less than one hour in the semifinals. In the final, Ivanovic attempted to win her first Grand Slam singles title and complete a sweep of the top three players in the world. However, world no. 1 and two-time defending champion Justine Henin won the match.
At Wimbledon, Ivanovic defeated world no. 9 Nadia Petrova 6–1,2–6,6–4 in the fourth round, and saved three match points to defeat Nicole Vaidišová 4–6,6–2,7–5 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, three-time former Wimbledon champion Venus Williams defeated Ivanovic 6–2,6–4 after Ivanovic had a break of lead in the second set.
A persistent knee injury sustained at Wimbledon caused Ivanovic to withdraw from Serbian Fed Cup competition against Slovakia and two lead-up events to the US Open.[16] She returned to the tour at the East West Bank Classic in Carson, California, saving two match points in the semifinals with huge winner before defeating no. 3 Janković 4–6,6–3,7–5 in trilling match. In the final, Ivanovic defeated top 10 player Petrova to win the fourth singles title of her career, which raised her ranking to a career-high of world no. 4.
In Ivanovic's first three matches at the US Open, she lost only 10 games. Venus Williams then eliminated her for the second consecutive time at a Grand Slam tournament.
Ivanovic returned to Europe for three tournaments. At the Tier II Luxembourg Championships, Ivanovic qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships by virtue of reaching the semifinals. In the final, Ivanovic rallied from 6–3, 3–0 down to defeat Daniela Hantuchová 3–6,6–4,6–3 in two hours and 25 minutes. This was her fifth career title. In the quarterfinals and semifinals she beat Tatiana Golovin 6–1,6–2 and Vera Zvonareva 6–4,6–2.
To end the year, Ivanovic played in the Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid, Spain. Seeded fourth and assigned to the Red Group during the round-robin phase, she defeated world no. 2 Kuznetsova 6–1,4–6,7–5, after she had 4–0 and three break points for 5–0 in the third set she eventually won the set 7–5 and Hantuchová in straight sets 6–2,7–6.She qualified to semifinals and then Sharapova defeated Ivanovic in the final match of the round-robin stage. Because she finished second in her group, Ivanovic played world no. 1 Henin in the semifinals, in which the Belgian won 6–4,6–4.
Ivanovic finished the year with a career-high ranking of world no. 4.
2008[link]
Ivanovic started the year at the 2008 Medibank International where she made the quarterfinals, eventually losing to world no. 1 Justine Henin 2–6,6–2,4–6 despite having had break points on 4–4 in third set.As the fourth seed at the Australian Open, Ivanovic made it all the way to the finals, beating top 10 players Venus Williams for the first time in her career, 7–6,6–4, and coming back from a 0–6, 0–2 deficit against Daniela Hantuchova, eventually winning 0–6, 6–3, 6–4. She fell against world no.5 Maria Sharapova in a tight match 7–5,6–3 in the final. Her ranking rose to world no. 3 as a result of her performance at the tournament, the highest of her career at the time.
In Serbia's Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I D round-robin tie against Poland in Budapest, Ivanovic defeated Urszula Radwańska in straight sets 6–3,6–1. In Serbia's second round-robin tie against Romania, Ivanovic defeated Monica Niculescu 5–7,6–4,7–5 and then teamed with Jelena Janković to win the deciding doubles rubber against the Romanian team 2–6,7–6,7–6, after Janković lost her singles match. In the promotion playoff, Ivanovic beat Renée Reinhard 6–2,3–6,6–3 of the Netherlands, as Serbia advanced to the World Group II playoffs in April.
In March, Ivanovic defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California 6–4,6–3 before wins over top 15 players Francesca Schiavone 2–6,7–5,6–2 and Vera Zvonareva 6–1,6–4 and world no. 4 Jelena Janković 7–6,6–3 in the semifinals.In first set against Jelena she had 5–3 lead and even some set points on 6–5, but eventually won the set 7–6. She lost to Lindsay Davenport in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami the following week in straight sets 6–4, 7–6
Ivanovic started her clay-court season as defending champion at the Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin. She lost to Elena Dementieva 6–2,7–5 for the fourth time in four meetings in the semifinals after beating no. 9 Ágnes Szávay 3–6,6–4,6–3 in the quarterfinals. Ivanovic was seeded second at the 2008 French Open, where she defeated Petra Cetkovská 6–0,6–0 in fourth round, world no. 10 Patty Schnyder 6–3,6–2 in quatrefinals and world no. 3 Jelena Janković in a thrilling encounter in the semifinals 6–4,3–6,6–4. First Jelena had 4–2 lead, then Ivanovic was very near to winning match after 6–4,3–1 lead, then Janković had 4–6,6–3,3–1 after Ana came for 3–3 in third set and again lost her serve, but was able to win the set 6–4.The win guaranteed Ivanovic's ascent to world no. 1 the following week, regardless of her performance in the final. Nonetheless, she went on to defeat Dinara Safina in straight sets 6–4,6–3 in the final, winning her first (and to date, only) Grand Slam singles title.
At Wimbledon, Ivanovic had quick work of her first round match 6–1,6–2, only to encounter an inspired Nathalie Dechy in the second round. Ivanovic looked to be headed for a straight-sets win after having a 5–3 lead in first set, before Dechy eventually launched a comeback that saw her produce two match points, Ivanovic swept the first away, then saved the second matchpoint with a netcord ball, eventually prevailing 6–7,7–6,10–8. She fell against unseeded wildcard Zheng Jie of China in straight sets.
Ivanovic started the summer hard-court season with a third-round loss at the Rogers Cup in Montreal to Tamira Paszek 2–6,6–1,2–6. Ivanovic, bothered by a sore thumb sustained during practice two weeks before Montreal,[17] withdrew from the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles. Her withdrawal saw her lose the world no. 1 ranking to Janković. The thumb injury also caused her to withdraw from the Summer Olympics in Beijing, which Ivanovic described as "one of the worst moments of her career."[18] Ivanovic, having reclaimed her world no. 1 ranking on August 18, was the top-seeded player at the US Open,[19] but lost to Julie Coin 3–6,6–4,3–6 in very exciting and high-quality second round match. The loss was the earliest defeat of the top-seeded player at the US Open since the 1973 tournament.[20]
In her first match after the US Open, at the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Ivanovic was defeated by Nadia Petrova 1–6,6–1,2–6 of Russia in three sets, bringing her win-loss record since the French Open to 4–4. Ivanovic later told the press that she was "just happy to be back injury-free" and that she needed to "play more matches get back into rhythm."[21] Ivanovic then played in Beijing and after two great results she lost to Zheng Jie 6–7(6),6–2,4–6 match after having a break in first and third set and winning 16 more points than her opponent.
Then she came back to Europe to play three more tournaments, first in Moscow where she lost to Dominika Cibulkova 6–2,2–6,7–6 after having two match points.In Zurich open she lost in semifinal to Venus Williams 6–4,3–6,4–6 after leading 3–1 in third set before two easy wins over Marion Bartoli 6–2,6–4 and Petra Kvitova 6–1,6–4.Ivanovic played the Generali Ladies Linz in Linz torunament and was the top seed. She won the tournament by crushing top 10 players Vera Zvonareva 6–2,6–1 and Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2,3–6,7–5 in final and semifinal.
At the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar, Ivanovic was seeded fourth. In her first round-robin match, she was defeated by world no. 1 Janković after she won the best point of the year[citation needed], hot shot. Her next match was against Zvonareva, to whom she also lost in three exciting sets. She withdrew from her final match against Kuznetsova because of a virus.[22]
2009[link]
At the Australian Open, Ivanovic was seeded fifth and won her first two matches in straight sets before losing to 29th seed Russian Alisa Kleybanova in the third round.
Ivanovic took part in Serbia's Fed Cup win in the World Group II tie against Japan. She defeated Ai Sugiyama and Ayumi Morita to help Serbia to a 4–1 win. At the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, a Premier 5 event, she lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. Around this time, Ivanovic began working with her new coach Craig Kardon, after parting with former coach Sven Groeneveld.[23]
At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, where she was defending champion, Ivanovic advanced to the finals, before losing to Vera Zvonareva. In Miami, Ivanovic lost in the third round to Ágnes Szávay. In April, Ivanovic took part in Serbia's Fed Cup World Group Play-offs against Spain. She defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues to help Serbia gain promotion to the World Group with a 4–0 win.
At the 2009 French Open, Ivanovic won her first three matches in straight sets, before losing to Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round. This early loss caused Ivanovic to fall out of the top ten for the first time since May, 2007. After the loss, Ivanovic announced that she would cease working with Craig Kardon, and would be participating in the adidas Player Development Program, where she would be coached by Sven Groeneveld, Darren Cahill, Mats Merkel and Gil Reyes.[24]
At Wimbledon, Ivanovic was seeded 13th. She faced two match points against Lucie Hradecká, before prevailing. She then took down Sara Errani and 18th seed Samantha Stosur in the second and third rounds in straight sets, before retiring against third seed and eventual finalist Venus Williams.
At the U.S. Open, Ivanovic lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career by succumbing to Kateryna Bondarenko. After the match, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash criticized Ivanovic's new service motion, stating that watching it was a "painful experience" and that it "[weakened] her threat." He also felt that Ivanovic was "over-analysing" her game and that her main problem was "her lack of confidence."[25]
At the Premier 5 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Ivanovic suffered her third successive defeat by losing to Lucie Šafářová in the first round. Citing an upper respiratory tract infection, Ivanovic pulled out of the China Open and announced on her website that she was taking the rest of the year off.
She finished the year with a 24–14 match record, her worst since she turned pro, and did not win any titles. Ivanovic only reached three quarterfinals, one semifinal, and one final, and only won back-to-back matches six times. Ivanovic ended the year ranked 21, the first time she had been ranked outside the top 20 since July 2005.
2010[link]
Ivanovic started the year at the 2010 Brisbane International. Seeded third, Ivanovic reached her first semifinal since Indian Wells in 2009. She eventually bowed out to wildcard Justine Henin in Henin's first tournament since her return from retirement. Ivanovic was seeded 20th at the 2010 Australian Open, but lost to Gisela Dulko in the second round in three sets.
Ivanovic then participated in the opening round of the 2010 Fed Cup in Serbia's tie against Russia. She went 0–2 in her singles matches, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Alisa Kleybanova, both in straight sets. She partnered with Jelena Janković in the deciding doubles match, but they fell to Kuznetsova and Kleybanova. Ivanovic then withdrew from Dubai with shoulder tendinitis.
Ivanovic announced that she would be working with Steffi Graf's former coach Heinz Gunthardt on a trial basis during the spring North American hard-court season, suspending her relationship with the Adidas Player Development Program indefinitely. In her first match as Gunthardt's pupil, a one-set semifinal against reigning US Open champion Kim Clijsters in the 2010 Billie Jean King Cup at Madison Square Garden, Ivanovic lost in a tiebreak, despite having held match point. After the match, Ivanovic stated that she had noted improvements in her game.
Despite her improvements reflected in the BNP Paribas Showdown, Ivanovic lost her opening match to world no. 63 Anastasija Sevastova at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open. Never before had she suffered four consecutive losses. By also losing a huge number of ranking points, Ivanovic dropped out of the top 50 for the first time since March 2005. Seeded 25th at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Ivanovic won her first match since the Australian Open, but then lost to Agnieszka Radwańska in the third round.
In her first clay-court event of the year at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Ivanovic suffered a second consecutive loss to Radwańska. In her first doubles match since June 2009, partnering Andrea Petkovic, she lost to Borwell and Kops-Jones.
Unseeded at the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Ivanovic had her best week of tennis in nearly two years. She stunned top-10 players Victoria Azarenka and Elena Dementieva, and top-20 player Nadia Petrova, all in straight sets, before losing to eventual champion María José Martínez Sánchez in the semifinals. She was granted a wildcard into the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open in Madrid, and received a bye in the first round due to her semifinal appearance at the Italian Open. She was the first unseeded wildcard to receive a first-round bye in the history of the WTA Tour. She lost in the second round to Jelena Janković, despite leading by a set and a break. Ivanovic entered the 2010 French Open unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2005. She fell to Alisa Kleybanova in the second round.
In the UNICEF Open, Ivanovic fell to seventh-seeded German Andrea Petkovic in the second round. Ivanovic was defeated in the first round of Wimbledon by 13th seed Shahar Pe'er, and as a consequence saw her ranking drop to world no. 64.
In the opening round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University, Ivanovic avenged her 2009 Australian Open and 2010 French Open defeats to Alisa Kleybanova, before losing in the next round to Marion Bartoli in straight sets. At the Mercury Insurance Open, Ivanovic once again suffered a first-round loss to Shahar Pe'er. At the Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Open, she rallied from a set and a break down to beat Victoria Azarenka in three sets. Ivanovic retired against Kim Clijsters in the semifinals due to a foot injury. Her ranking dramatically improved to world no. 39. The injury caused her to withdraw from the Pilot Pen tournament held in New Haven.
Unseeded at the 2010 US Open, Ivanovic breezed into the fourth round with straight-set victories, before losing to defending and eventual champion Kim Clijsters.
Ivanovic went into the Hansol Korea Open as the seventh seed, but lost her opener to Vera Dushevina. Ivanovic then defeated Kleybanova, the Korea Open champion, in the first round of the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open, before again losing to Bartoli in straight sets. Ivanovic avenged her losses to Bartoli at the 2010 China Open, beating the Frenchwoman in straight sets in the first round. On her way to the quarterfinals, Ivanovic scored another top-10 victory by defeating Elena Dementieva for the second time in 2010. Ana fell to world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. By virtue of her quarterfinal finish, Ivanovic re-entered the top 30.
Entering the 2010 Generali Ladies Linz as a wildcard, Ivanovic defeated Patty Schnyder in the finals, 6–1, 6–2, in just 47 minutes of play. Ana headed to the 2010 BGL Luxembourg Open as the fourth seed, where she breezed right through to the quarterfinals, before falling to eighth seed Julia Görges. Meanwhile, after making the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament with Yanina Wickmayer, they fell to fourth seeds Lucie Hradecká and Renata Voráčová.
Ivanovic revealed that she had ended her coaching relationship with Swiss star Heinz Gunthardt, because Gunthardt mixed his interest in tennis with being a Swiss television commentator.
By virtue of her title in Linz, Ivanovic qualified for the last tournament of the season, the 2010 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions. She made it to the finals, where she defeated Russian Alisa Kleybanova for her tenth career title and her second of the year. With her title in Bali, Ivanovic achieved a year-end ranking of no. 17, her fifth finish in the top 20.
2011[link]
Ivanovic started the year with the 2011 Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia. She competed along with Novak Djokovic under the Serbian flag. Ana and Djokovic swept their first two ties against Kazakhstan and Australia, 3–0, but fell against Belgium, 1–2. They did qualify for the final, but due to an injury sustained during Ivanovic's match against Justine Henin, Serbia was forced to withdraw. Along with the Hopman Cup, Ivanovic also withdrew from Sydney.
Ivanovic was seeded 19th at the 2011 Australian Open, where she lost to Ekaterina Makarova, 6–3, 4–6, 8–10, in the first round in 2 hours and 47 minutes. Ivanovic then played in the PTT Pattaya Open, where she fell in the quarterfinals to fifth seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets, 5–7, 3–6. She headed to Dubai as the 14th seed, where she lost against Patty Schnyder in three sets. She stated the loss was in part because of the abdominal injury sustained in the beginning of the season, and she subsequently withdrew from Doha.
Ivanovic then headed to Indian Wells, where she was seeded 19th. After losing her doubles match with Petkovic in a tight three-setter, she lost to Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals.
Ivanovic then played in the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was seeded 19th. She lost against defending champion Kim Clijsters in her fourth-round match, despite having a 5–1, 40–0 lead in the third set and having five match points. She partnered with Petkovic in doubles where, after scoring a first round win, they stunned sixth-seeded Benesova and Zahlavova Strycova. They withdrew from the doubles competition after Ivanovic lost to Clijsters.
Ivanovic withdrew from the 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience tournament to better prepare herself for the upcoming clay-court season.[citation needed] However, she joined Serbia in the 2011 Fed Cup event. Ivanovic scored a point for Serbia by beating Daniela Hantuchová in straight sets, 6–2, 6–4, but had to retire in her next match against Dominika Cibulková, as she renewed an injury from the beginning of the season. Despite that, Serbia beat Slovakia in the deciding doubles rubber, 3–2.[citation needed]
Ivanovic's next scheduled tournament was the 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where she was seeded 15th. After her early exit in the first round, losing to Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Ivanovic headed to 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where she was 13th seed. Ivanovic lost in the second round to Yanina Wickmayer in three sets. Ivanovic withdrew from Strasbourg due to a minor wrist injury. Ana then lost to Johanna Larsson, 6–7, 6–0, 2–6, in her first round match at the 2011 French Open. Ivanovic had a slight resurgence in Birmingham, reaching the semifinals, but lost to Daniela Hantuchová in three sets. Ivanovic lost to Venus Williams in the second round at Eastbourne.
She beat Melanie Oudin in the first round at Wimbledon in straight sets. After her win over Eleni Daniilidou in the second round, also in straight sets, she fell in the third round. She was beaten by Petra Cetkovská who had beaten 13th seed Agnieszka Radwańska in round two. After Wimbledon, Ivanovic hired Nigel Sears, the head of women's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association, as her coach.[26] In Stanford, Ivanovic fell against Japan's Ayumi Morita in her opening match, 3–6, 5–7. As the fifth seed in Carlsbad, she received a first-round bye. In round two, she avenged the previous week's loss by beating Ayumi Morita, 6–1, 7–6, despite trailing 0–5 in the second set. In the third round, Ana cruised past Alberta Brianti of Italy, 6–1, 6–2. Ivanovic then took on Shuai Peng in the quarterfinals and won in two sets. In the semifinals, she lost against top seed Vera Zvonareva, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6. After losing to Roberta Vinci in her third round match at the Roger's Cup, Ana, who teamed with Andrea Petkovic, had to withdraw in the middle of her doubles match while playing against fourth-seeded Azarenka and Kirilenko. At the US Open, Ivanovic defeated Ksenia Pervak of Russia in the first round. She received a walkover from Petra Cetkovská and advanced to the third round. In the third round, Ivanovic defeated Sloane Stephens, 6–3, 6–4, to advance to the fourth round, where she faced Serena Williams, losing in straight sets 3–6, 4–6, in just 74 minutes. She also played alongside fellow countryman Nenad Zimonjic in the mixed doubles competition for the first time, but fell against Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Yung-jan Chan, 3–6, 4–6.
During the Toray Pan Pacific Open Ivanovic recorded victories in straight sets over Anastasia Rodionova and wildcard Laura Robson, before losing to Maria Kirilenko in the third round.
At the China Open Ivanovic defeated Kimiko Date-Krumm and Svetlana Kuznetsova in straights to reach the third round, where she beat third seed and world no. 4 Vera Zvonareva, 6–2, 6–1. She then faced Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarter-finals. She lost the first set 3–6 and was down 2–3 when she had to retire because of a back injury. Ivanovic received a wild card to play in the 2011 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, which she won last year. In her first round she played Italy's Roberta Vinci and defeated her 6–3 6–3. In the semi-finals she beat Russian Nadia Petrova 6–1, 7–5. In the final, she captured her 11 WTA title by beating Anabel Medina Garrigues in straights sets, 6–3, 6–0. This is the first time she had ever defended her title in a tournament.
2012[link]
Ivanovic began her season at the 2012 Brisbane International where she was defeated in the second round by fifth seed Kim Clijsters in three sets, 1–6, 6–1, 3–6 despite leading 3–0 in the final set. Ivanovic's next event was the Apia International Sydney but she lost in the first round to Lucie Šafářová in straight sets, 6–7, 2–6.
Ana then headed over to the 2012 Australian Open where she was seeded 21st. She did not drop a set en route to the fourth round, defeating Lourdes Domínguez Lino, Michaella Krajicek and Vania King along the way. Ana lost in straight sets to World No. 2 Petra Kvitová, 6–2, 7–6 in the fourth round. She cracked the Top 20 after her Round of 16 run.
Ivanovic's next tournament was the 2012 Qatar Total Open. She fell in the second round to Petra Cetkovska in straight sets. Ana then went on unseeded in Dubai, where she upset Francesca Schiavone, and beat Maria Kirilenko, before falling to 3rd seed Caroline Wozniacki.
Ana went over to the 2012 BNP Paribas Open as the 15th seed. She was able to make a run all the way to the semifinals, posting victories over Caroline Wozniacki and Marion Bartoli, who were both in the Top 7. She fell against Maria Sharapova, retiring after being down 4–6, 1–0 in the semifinals. This caused her to enter the Top 10 for the race to the 2012 WTA Tour Championships. She then headed over to Miami, for the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open as the 15th seed, where she made it to the Round of 16, beating Daniela Hantuchova and Vania King in straight sets en route, before eventually falling to seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams, despite holding a one set lead. She still cracked the Top 15 for the first time since 2009 and became Serbian No.1 for the first time since 2008, this time placing 14th after Miami.
She will now head over to Moscow for the 2012 Fed Cup semifinals, before resuming her 2012 season at the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. During the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix she fell to Mona Barthel in two tight sets. She than headed over to the newly blue clayed Madrid where she defeated qualifier Mathilde Johannson 6–4 6–1 in the first round. Next up is Russia's Nadia Petrova.
In Roland Garros 2012, she defeated Lara Arruabarrena Vecino (6-1, 6-1) in straight sets in first round and defeated Shahar Peer in the second round.
Equipment[link]
Ivanovic endorsed Nike apparel and shoes at the beginning of her professional career,[27] but at the beginning of 2006 switched to rival Adidas.[28] Ivanovic then signed a lifetime contract with the company. Ivanovic will become an Ambassador for Adidas once she retires from competitive tennis. She is believed to be the youngest athlete, male or female, to sign a contract of such longevity.[29] She started with the Wilson racquets, eventually using the nCode nBlade.[30] Since the beginning of 2008, Ivanovic has used Yonex racquets. She previously used the RQiS 1 Tour XL 95, but at the beginning of the Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Open 2010 in Cincinnati switched to a prototype version of a new Yonex racket.[31] Ivanovic plays with the Yonex EZONE 100 model.
Playing style[link]
Ivanovic is an offensive baseliner who is notable for her aggressive play. In 2007 and 2008, Ivanovic was regarded as one of the best competitors on the women's tour.[citation needed] After winning the 2008 French Open and becoming no. 1, Ivanovic endured a decline in form. Many critics attributed this to lack of confidence. At the 2010 Australian Open, Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova commented that, "while she has absolutely no confidence in herself, she still fights till the last point." She has since made some improvements to her playing style after appointing a new coach in 2010. As a result, she started to play with more confidence and won matches more consistently.
Serve[link]
Ivanovic's serve is a powerful weapon. She hit a 124.9 mph (201.0 km/h) serve at the French Open in 2007, the fifth fastest serve of all time on the WTA Tour.[32] As of late, however, her serve has become unreliable, mostly due to technical issues with her ball toss. The success of her ball toss is directly associated with her nerves. During the French Open final in 2007, Ivanovic was overcome with nerves and her toss went astray. During Ivanovic's slump in play in 2009, her serve became gradually less effective as her confidence diminished. Ana indicated in 2010 she is confident she has rectified these problems.[33]
Groundstrokes[link]
Another one of Ivanovic's strengths is her powerful forehand. A flat stroke, hit with not a lot of topspin which gives it its power,[34] it has been considered to be one of the best forehands in the game.[35] Ivanovic tends to hit more winners of this wing. Her backhand, although not as big as her forehand, has improved over the years. Ivanovic's movement and net play were once considered to be her weaknesses, but they have both improved over the years. She is considered now to be considerably faster than when she started playing professional tennis.[citation needed]
Surfaces[link]
Ivanovic's best surface is the clay court, where her height allows her to strike clean winners off of high-bouncing balls. Nonetheless, she is capable of performing well on hard and grass courts as well. When she launched her re-branded site during 2010, she stated in her bio that she likes all surfaces.[10]
Awards[link]
Ivanovic has won the following awards:[10]
- Sony Ericsson WTA Tour most Improved player (2005)
- Sony Ericsson WTA Tour most Improved player (2007)
- Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award (2007)
- Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Diamond ACES Award (2008)
- Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Humanitarian Award (2009)
- Nominated for U.S. Secretary of State's 2007 International Women of Courage Award (2007)
- Michael Westphal Award (2008)
Singles performance timeline[link]
- Key
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | P | Z# | PO | SF-B | F | NMS |
Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 3R | 2R | 3R | F | 3R | 2R | 1R | 4R | 0 / 8 | 17–8 | ||||||
| French Open | A | A | QF | 3R | F | W | 4R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1 / 8 | 25–7 | ||||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | 3R | 4R | SF | 3R | 4R | 1R | 3R | 0 / 7 | 17–7 | |||||||
| US Open | A | LQ | 2R | 3R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 4R | 4R | 0 / 8 | 13–8 | |||||||
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 9–4 | 8–4 | 16–4 | 16–3 | 8–4 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 1 / 31 | 71–30 | ||||||
| Year-End Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
| WTA Tour Championships | A | A | A | A | SF | RR | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | 2–4 | |||||||
| Tournament of Champions | Not Held | A | W | W | 2 / 2 | 6–0 | ||||||||||||
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Titles–Finals | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–5 | 3–4 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | N/A | 11–15 | ||||||
| Overall Win–Loss | 12–5 | 37–5 | 40–14 | 35–18 | 51–18 | 38–15 | 24–14 | 33–20 | 32–20 | 20–12 | N/A | 322–141 | ||||||
| Year End Ranking | 705 | 97 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 17 | 22 | – | ||||||||
Career statistics[link]
Main article: Ana Ivanovic career statistics
Video games[link]
Ivanovic has appeared as a character in Smash Court Tennis 3, released in 2007, Virtua Tennis 2009, released in 2009, Grand Slam Tennis for Wii, also released in 2009, Top Spin 4 and Virtua Tennis 4 both released in 2011. She is also featured in Grand Slam Tennis 2, released in 2012.[36] She stars, among others, alongside Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lindsay Davenport, Anna Chakvetadze, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Other ventures[link]
Ana has appeared in a song called "Hurricane Ana," produced by Serbian rapper Filip Filipi and Collie Buddz.[37] Also, she appeared on a number of international magazines like FHM (Germany, United Kingdom, Australia), Cosmopolitan (Serbia), Vanidades (Mexico), Grazia (Serbia), The Best Shop (Serbia), Sports Illustrated (South Africa) and others.
See also[link]
- Tennis performance timeline comparison (women)
- Serbia Fed Cup team
- List of Grand Slam women's singles champions
- List of WTA number 1 ranked players
References[link]
- ^ Bio on Official Website
- ^ a b WTA profile
- ^ vesti.rs Ana Ivanović 23.Apr.2012
- ^ John Grasso Historical Dictionary of Tennis 2011 Page 225
- ^ "WTA Rankings". Women's Tennis Association. http://www.wtatennis.com/page/RankingsSingles/0,,12781~0~1~100,00.html. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Henin seals French title hat-trick". CNN. June 9, 2007. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SPORT/06/09/tennis.henin/index.html. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ "Sharapova stuns Serb in Aussie final". CNN. January 26, 2008. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/01/26/tennis.australiawomen/index.html/. Retrieved July 1, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Ana Ivanovic – the fastest mover in the world" (PDF). Ana Ivanovic.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070703163437/http://www.anaivanovic.com/media/press/6/anaivanovic_pressrelease_english.pdf. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
- ^ Ivanovic grows into role of Australia's adopted daughter
- ^ a b c "Learn more about Ana...". anaivanovic.com. http://www.anaivanovic.com/bio/learn-more-about-ana. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Ivanovic Becomes UNICEF Ambassador". WTA Tour. September 8, 2007. http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=1684. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
- ^ "Wimbledon 2004". Tennis Europe. http://www.tenniseurope.org/MediaInfocentre/Med_Info_Archive_Wimbledon2004.aspx. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ Serbian starlet shocks Mauresmo
- ^ "BBC SPORT | Tennis | Brave Henin-Hardenne battles on". BBC News. May 30, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/tennis/4592641.stm. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Hyundai Hopman Cup (Official Mixed Teams Competition of the International Tennis Federation) :: News Item". Hopmancup.com. January 5, 2006. http://hopmancup.com/?id=103&NewsId=124. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ Ana's diary – I have to rest for two weeks, July 12, 2007
- ^ "World No. 1 Ivanovic crashes out in Montreal". CNN. August 10, 2008. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/08/01/tennis.ivanovic.ap/index.html. Retrieved August 1, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Injured Ivanovic out of Olympics". BBC Sport. August 10, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/tennis/7548997.stm. Retrieved August 10, 2008.
- ^ "Injury update". anaivanovic.com. August 15, 2008. http://www.anaivanovic.com/?path=start/news&detailpage=1265. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
- ^ "Ivanovic beaten by qualifier coin". BBC Sport. August 28, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7586573.stm. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
- ^ "Ana suffers Petrova lost". anaivanovic.com. September 15, 2008. http://www.anaivanovic.com/?path=start/news&detailpage=1295. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
- ^ "Ill Ana Pulls Out". anaivanovic.com. 7 Nov 2008. http://www.anaivanovic.com/news/ill-ana-pulls-out. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ Ivanovic Selects Craig Kardon as New Coach Tennis.com, February 10, 2009
- ^ Coaching update anaivanovic.com June 9, 2009
- ^ Cash, Pat (September 6, 2009). "Tearful Ana Ivanovic tortured by overanalysis". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6823114.ece. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ "Nigel Sears quits LTA to coach Ana Ivanovic". The Daily Telegraph (London). June 30, 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/8607772/Nigel-Sears-quits-LTA-to-coach-Ana-Ivanovic.html.
- ^ "The Ana Ivanovic official website". Anaivanovic.com. http://www.anaivanovic.com/?path=media/gallery/wimbledon_2005&detailpage=ana_wimbledon_2005_0.jpg. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "The Ana Ivanovic official website - Adidas 2006". Anaivanovic.com. http://www.anaivanovic.com/galleries/adidas-2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ana Ivanovic Relaunches Website, Signs Career-long adidas Contract". On The Baseline. Feb 8, 2010. http://www.onthebaseline.com/2010/02/08/ana-ivanovic-relaunches-website-signs-career-long-adidas-contract/. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "The Ana Ivanovic official website". Anaivanovic.com. http://www.anaivanovic.com/?path=media/gallery/roland_garros_2007_by_doublexposure.com&tablepage=3&detailpage=044.jpg. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "My Recovery is Going Well". anaivanovic.com. http://www.anaivanovic.com/diary/my-recovery-going-well. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "IDS Serve Speed Leaders". sonyericssonwtatour.com. http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/news/20100323/ids-serve-speed-leaders_2256076_1978722. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
- ^ "Ana Marches On". anaivanovic.com. http://www.anaivanovic.com/news/ana-marches-1. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ Ana's Guide to the Forehand Accessed April 28, 2011
- ^ Favourite shotmakers: Women's forehand Accessed April 28, 2011
- ^ http://www.ea.com/grand-slam-tennis-2/1/shots-to-rule-them-all
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lI4sWgxdyY
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ana Ivanović |
- Official website
- Ana Ivanovic at the Women's Tennis Association
- Ana Ivanovic at the International Tennis Federation
- Ana Ivanovic at the Fed Cup
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ivanovic, Ana |
| Alternative names | Ивановић, Ана |
| Short description | Serbian tennis player |
| Date of birth | November 6, 1987 |
| Place of birth | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Ana_Ivanovic
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"Federer" redirects here. For other uses, see Federer (disambiguation).
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Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːdəʁɐ]) (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP No. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks from 2 February 2004 to 18 August 2008.[2] Federer has occupied the #1 ranking for 285 overall weeks, one week short of the record 286 weeks held by Pete Sampras. As of 28 May 2012, he is ranked World No. 3. 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 five times and also the final at each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men's record ten in a row, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open, the lone exception being 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.[10] At the 2012 Australian Open, he reached a record 31st consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. During the course of his run at the 2012 French Open in Roland Garros, Federer eclipsed Jimmy Connors long standing record of 233 match wins in Grand Slam tournaments when he defeated Adrian Ungur in a second round match.
Federer has won a record six ATP World Tour Finals and 20 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments. He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. He spent eight years (2003–2010) continuously in the top 2 in the year-end rankings and nine (2003–2011) in the Top 3, also a record among male players. His rivalry with Rafael Nadal is considered one of the greatest of all time in the sport. Federer is greatly respected by fans and by fellow players alike as shown by the fact that he has won the ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favorite Award a record nine consecutive times (2003–2011) and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (which is voted for by the players themselves) a record seven times overall and six times consecutively (2004–2009, 2011). Federer also won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2006. In 2011, he was voted the second most trusted and respected person in the world, second only to Nelson Mandela.[11][12]
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)[13] and in 2012 he topped a list of the "100 greatest tennis players of all time" (male or female) by Tennis Channel.[14] He is often referred to as the Federer Express[15] or abbreviated to Fed Express, or FedEx, the Swiss Maestro,[15] or simply Maestro.[15][16][17][18]
Contents |
Personal life[link]
Childhood and early life[link]
Federer was born in Binningen, Arlesheim near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette Durand.[19] He holds both Swiss and South African citizenships.[20] He grew up in nearby Münchenstein, close to the French and German borders and speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently, Swiss German being his native language.[19][21][22] He was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome.[23] 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 military obligation.[24] Federer himself also credits the range of sports he played as a child—he also played badminton and basketball—for his hand-eye coordination. "I was always very much more interested if a ball was involved," he says. Most tennis prodigies, by contrast, play tennis to the exclusion of all other sports.[25]
Marriage and family[link]
Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec. He met her while both were 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.[26] 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).[27] On 23 July 2009, Mirka gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.[28]
Outreach and charitable efforts[link]
Federer supports a number of charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports.[29][30] In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.[31] He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006.[32] 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.[33] He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer arranged 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 went to Haiti earthquake victims.[34] He was named a 2010 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in recognition of his leadership, accomplishments, and contributions to society.[35]
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 by the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.
Federer is currently number 31 on Forbes top 100 celebrities as of May 2012. [36]
Tennis career[link]
Pre-1998: Junior years[link]
Main article: Roger Federer juniors years
Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon in 1998, where he won both the boys' singles tournament over Irakli Labadze,[37] and in doubles teamed up with Olivier Rochus, defeating the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram.[38] In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior tournament in 1998 to David Nalbandian. He won four ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl, where he defeated Guillermo Coria, in the finals.[39] He ended 1998 as the junior world no. 1.
1998–2002: Early career in the ATP[link]
Main article: Roger Federer's early career
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 lost.[40] Federer's first final came at the Marseille Open in 2000, where he lost to fellow Swiss Marc Rosset.[41] Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland along with Martina Hingis. The duo defeated the American pair of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill in the finals. Federer's first win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter.[41] Although he won his first ever title already in 1999 on the challenger tour, winning the doubles event in Segovia, Spain together with Dutchman Sander Groen, the finals was played on Federer´s 18th birthday. In 2001, Federer made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, and at Wimbledon that same year defeated four-time defending champion Pete Sampras to reach the quarterfinals. The most prestigious event final he reached during this period was the 2002 Miami Masters event, where he lost to Andre Agassi, on hard court.[42] In addition, Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay, over Marat Safin; the victory made him a top-10 player for the first time.[42] Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.[40][41][42][43][44] He also 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 a year earlier with partner Jonas Björkman.[42][44]
2003–2007: Breakthrough and dominance[link]
In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Mark Philippoussis.[45] Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 event in Miami with Max Mirnyi,[46] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost.[45] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.[45] Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships over Andre Agassi.[45]
During 2004, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles for the first time in his career and became the first person to do so since Mats Wilander in 1988. His first Grand Slam hard-court title came at the Australian Open over Marat Safin. He then won his second Wimbledon crown over Andy Roddick.[47] Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there.[47] Federer won three ATP Masters Series 1000 events. One was on clay in Hamburg, and the other two were on hard surfaces at Indian Wells and in Canada.[47] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.[47]
In 2005, Federer failed to reach the finals of the first two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the Australian Open semifinal to eventual champion Safin and the French Open semifinal to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.[48] However, Federer quickly reestablished his dominance on grass, winning the Wimbledon Championships over Andy Roddick. At the US Open, Federer defeated Andre Agassi in the latter's last Grand Slam final.[48] Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay.[48] Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai.[48] Federer lost the year-end championships to David Nalbandian in the final.[48]
In 2006, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached the final of the other, with the only loss coming against Nadal in the French Open. This was the two men's first meeting in a Grand Slam final.[49] Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final. In the Australian Open, Federer defeated Marcos Baghdatis,[49] and at the US Open, Federer defeated Roddick (2003 champion).[49] In addition, Federer made it to six ATP Masters Series 1000 finals, winning four on hard surfaces and losing two on clay to Nadal. Federer won one ATP 500 series event in Tokyo and captured the year-end championships for the third time in his career.[49]
In 2007, Federer reached all four Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of them. He won the Australian Open over Fernando González, Wimbledon over Rafael Nadal for the second time, and the US Open over Novak Djokovic. Federer lost the French Open to Nadal.[50] Federer made five ATP Masters Series 1000 finals in 2007, winning the Hamburg and Cincinnati titles.[50] Federer won one 500 series event in Dubai and won the year-end championships.[50]
2008 to present[link]
In 2008, Federer won one Grand Slam singles title, which came at the US Open over Briton Andy Murray.[51] Federer was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, at the French Open, and at Wimbledon, when he was going for six straight wins to break Björn Borg's record.[51] At the Australian Open, Federer lost in the semifinals to Djokovic, which ended his record of 10 consecutive finals.[51] Federer lost twice in Master Series 1000 finals on clay to Nadal, at Monte Carlo and Hamburg.[51] However, Federer captured two titles in 250-level events at Estoril and Halle and one title in a 500 level event in Basel. In doubles, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka won the gold medal at the Olympic Games.[52]
 External images |
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Federer on the Cover of Sports Illustrated After 2009 French Open Victory |
In 2009, Federer won two Grand Slam singles titles, the French Open over Robin Söderling, and Wimbledon over Andy Roddick.[53] Federer reached two other Grand Slam finals, losing to Nadal at the Australian Open, and to Juan Martín del Potro at the US Open.[53] Federer won two more events, the first at the Madrid Masters over Nadal in the final on clay.[53] The second was in Cincinnati over Djokovic, although Federer lost to Djokovic in Basel, later in the year.[53] Federer completed a career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open title and won a men's record fifteenth Grand Slam singles title, surpassing Pete Sampras's mark of fourteen.[53]
In 2010, Federer slowed down in his milestones and achievements. The year started with a win at the Australian Open,[54] where he defeated Andy Murray in the final and improved his Grand Slam singles record to sixteen titles.[51] But at the French Open, Federer failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2004 French Open, losing to Söderling, in the quarterfinals, and losing his no. 1 ranking.[54] At the French Open, Federer won his 700th tour match and 150th tour match on clay.[54][55] Federer was just one week away from equaling Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks as world no. 1. In a big surprise at Wimbledon, Federer lost in the quarterfinal to Tomáš Berdych, and fell to world no. 3 in the rankings.[54][56][57] At the 2010 US Open, Federer reached the semifinals, avenging his French Open loss to Söderling in the quarterfinals, but then lost a five-set match to third seed Novak Djokovic.[54] Federer made it to four Masters 1000 finals, losing three of them (the Madrid Open, the Canadian Masters, and the Shanghai Masters) while winning the Cincinnati Masters against Mardy Fish.[58] In 2010 Federer equaled Agassi for the number of Masters wins at 17 and tied Bjorn Borg's mark for number of total titles won, moving to just one behind Sampras. 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 basis.[59] Federer won two lesser titles at the Stockholm Open and the Davidoff Swiss Indoors which brought his tally to 65 career titles. Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships 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. Since Wimbledon 2010, Federer had a win-loss record of 34–4 and had multiple match points in two of his losses: to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal of the US Open, and to Gaël Monfils in the semifinal of the Paris Masters. Federer did not play in the 2010 Davis Cup.
The year 2011, although great by most players' standards, was a lean year for Federer. He was defeated in straight sets in the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open by eventual champion Novak Djokovic, marking the first time since July 2003 that he did not hold any of the four Major titles. In the French Open semifinal, Federer ended Djokovic's undefeated streak of 43 consecutive wins with a stunning four-set victory. However, Federer then lost in the final to Rafael Nadal. At Wimbledon, Federer advanced to his 29th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, but lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It marked the first time in his career that he had lost a Grand Slam match after winning the first two sets. At the US Open, Federer lost a much-anticipated semifinal match with Novak Djokovic, after squandering two match points in the fifth set which repeated his previous year's result against Djokovic and added a second loss from two sets up in Grand Slam play to his record. The loss at Flushing Meadows meant that Federer did not win any of the four Majors in 2011, the first time this has happened since 2002.
During this 2011 season, Federer won the Qatar Open, defeating Nikolay Davydenko in the final. However, he lost the final in Dubai to Djokovic and lost in the Miami Masters and Madrid Open semifinals to Rafael Nadal. In pulling out of the 2011 Shanghai Masters, Federer dropped out of the top 3 for the first time since June 2003.[60] Later in the season, things picked up for Federer. He ended a 10-month title drought and won the Swiss Indoors for the fifth time, defeating youngster Kei Nishikori, who had defeated an ailing Djokovic in the semifinals. Federer followed this up with his first win at the Paris Masters, where he reached his first final at the event and defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. At the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals, Federer crushed Rafael Nadal in exactly one hour en route to the semifinals,[61] where he defeated David Ferrer to reach the final at the year-end championships for the seventh time, his 100th tour-level final overall. As a result of this win, Federer also regained the world no. 3 ranking from Andy Murray. In the final, he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the third consecutive Sunday and, in doing so, claimed his record sixth ATP World Tour Finals title.[62]
Federer began his 2012 season with the Qatar Open, where he withdrew in the semifinals. He then played in the 2012 Australian Open, where he reached the semifinals, setting up a 27th career meeting with Nadal, a match he lost in four tight sets. He then participated in the Davis Cup representing Switzerland in the 2012 Davis Cup World Group, but Switzerland was eliminated in a home tie against the United States played on indoor clay in Fribourg. The loss included a four-set defeat for Federer at the hands of John Isner as well as a tight four-set loss with Stanislas Wawrinka in the doubles rubber against Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan. He then played the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament for the first time since winning the title in 2005. He beat del Potro in the final to clinch his second title in Rotterdam. Federer then played in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships where he defeated Andy Murray in the final, improved his record against him to 7–8, and won the championship title for the fifth time in his career. Federer then moved on to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinal, and defeated John Isner in the final. Federer won the title for a record fourth time, and, in doing so, equalled Rafael Nadal's record of 19 ATP Masters 1000 titles. Federer then lost in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open to Andy Roddick in three sets. Federer went on to compete at the Madrid Masters on new blue clay, where he beat Milos Raonic, Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer, Janko Tipsarevic and Tomáš Berdych in the final and regained the world no. 2 ranking from Rafael Nadal in the process. Federer then participated in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome where he won over Carlos Berlocq, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Andreas Seppi en route to the semifinal, where he was defeated in straight sets by the defending champion and 2012 runner up Novak Djokovic.
Rivalries[link]
Federer vs. Nadal[link]
Main article: Federer–Nadal rivalry
Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.[63][64][65][66][67]
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).[68] 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.[69]
Nadal leads their head-to-head 18–10. However, most of their matches have been on clay. Federer has a winning record on grass (2–1) and indoor hard courts (4–0) while Nadal leads the outdoor hard courts by 5–2 and clay by 12–2.[70] 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.[71] 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.[72][73][74][75] 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.
Federer vs. Djokovic[link]
Main article: Djokovic–Federer rivalry
The two have met 25 times with Federer leading 14–11, and 5–4 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, the only player besides Nadal to defeat Federer in consecutive grand slam tournaments (2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open) and the only player besides Nadal who has "double figure" career wins over Federer. Djokovic is one of two players (the other again being Nadal) currently on tour to have defeated Federer in straight sets at a Grand Slam (2008 Australian Open and 2011 Australian Open) and the only player to do it two times.
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 at least 25 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. 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, but Djokovic was able to avenge his loss at the 2011 US Open, and Federer lost with a score of 6–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 7–5.[76] Federer cited this as one of the greatest losses in his career, as he had 2 consecutive match points in set five, with his serve, and was 2 sets up before Djokovic came back in what has become one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history (according to John McEnroe). McEnroe claimed that Djokovic's crosscourt forehand return was "one of the great all-time shots in tennis history" and that the semifinal was one of the greatest matches in history. Djokovic contributed to ending Federer's eight-year streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title per year and Djokovic became the second male tennis player to have at least 10 wins against Federer (the other being Nadal).
Many experts have included the rivalry between Federer and Djokovic as one of the best hard-court rivalries in the Open Era.[77]
Federer vs. Murray[link]
Federer and Murray have met 15 times, all hard courts, with Murray leading 8–7.[78] Federer has won each of their Grand Slam matches (both were in the final) in straight sets at the 2008 US Open[79] and 2010 Australian Open,[80] 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[81] and Federer in London in 2009 and 2010.[82] Their most recent encounter was in the 2012 Dubai final where Federer was victorious. Apart from Nadal, Murray is the only other active player to have a positive head to head record against Federer.
Federer vs. Hewitt[link]
Federer and Lleyton Hewitt have played each other on 26 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 16 of the last 17 meetings to emerge with a 18–8 overall head-to-head record.[83] 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 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. Roddick[link]
Main article: Federer–Roddick rivalry
One of Federer's longstanding rivalries is with American Andy Roddick. Federer and Roddick have met on many occasions, including in four Grand Slam finals (three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open). Federer leads 21–3, making Roddick the ATP player with the most tournament losses to Federer. Roddick lost his World No. 1 ranking to Federer after Federer won his first Australian Open in 2004.
In the 2009 Wimbledon final, Roddick lost to Federer in five sets. It included a fifth set made up of 30 games (a Grand Slam final record) and a match that was over 4 hours long. With that victory, Federer broke Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles.
Federer vs. Nalbandian[link]
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 11–8, 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.
Playing style[link]
Federer's versatility was summarised 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."[84]
Federer is an all-court, all-round player known for his speed, fluid style of play, and exceptional 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 powerful, accurate 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 compared the brute force of Federer's forehand motion with that of "a great liquid whip,"[85] while John McEnroe has referred to Federer's forehand as "the greatest shot in our sport."[86] Federer is also known for his efficient movement around the court and excellent footwork, which enables him to run around shots directed to his backhand and instead hit a powerful inside-out or inside-in forehand, one of his best shots. Though Federer plays with a single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. Federer's forehand and backhand slice are both known as the best ever to enter the game. 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.[85] His serve is difficult to read because he always uses a similar ball toss regardless of what type of serve he is going to hit and where he aims to hit it, and turns his back to his opponents during his motion. He is often able to produce big serves on key points during a match. His first serve is typically around 200 km/h (125 mph);[87][88][89] however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph).[87][88] Federer is also accomplished at serve and volleying,[90] and employed this tactic especially frequently in his early career.[91] His speciality is a half-volley from the baseline which enables him to play close to the baseline and to pick up even the deeper shots very early after they bounce, giving his opponents less time to react.[citation needed] Later in his career Federer added the drop shot to his arsenal, and can perform a well-disguised one off 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 triple match point, on which he capitalised for a straight-set victory over the Serb.[92]
Equipment, apparel, endorsements[link]
Federer currently plays with a customised Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 90 BLX tennis racquet,[93] which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 357.2 grams, and thin beam of 17.5 millimeters. His grip size is 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3).[94] Federer strings his racquets at 21.5 kg mains/20 kg crosses pre stretched 20%, utilizing Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross strings.[94] When asked about string tensions, Federer stated "this depends on how warm the days are and with what kind of balls I play and against who I play. So you can see – it depends on several factors and not just the surface; the feeling I have is most important."[95]
Federer is one of the highest-earning athletes in the world. He has a contract with Nike footwear and apparel.[96] 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.[97] In Wimbledon 2008 and again in 2009, Nike continued this trend by making him a personalised cardigan.[98] He also has his own logo, an R and F joined together.[99] Federer endorses Gillette,[100] Jura, a Swiss-based coffee machine company,[101] as well as Mercedes-Benz and NetJets. Federer also endorses Rolex watches,[102] although he was previously an ambassador for Maurice Lacroix.[103] Also in 2009 Federer became brand ambassador for Swiss chocolate makers Lindt.[104] In 2010 his endorsement by Mercedes-Benz China was extended into a global Mercedes-Benz partnership deal.[105]
Career statistics[link]
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline[link]
Main article: Roger Federer career statistics
Information in these tables is updated only once the player's participation in the tournament has concluded.
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | LQ | 3R | 3R | 4R | 4R | W | SF | W | W | SF | F | W | SF | SF | 4 / 13 | 63–9 | 87.50 |
| French Open | A | 1R | 4R | QF | 1R | 1R | 3R | SF | F | F | F | W | QF | F | 1 / 14 | 52–12 | 81.25 | |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | W | W | W | W | W | F | W | QF | QF | 6 / 13 | 59–7 | 89.39 | |
| US Open | A | LQ | 3R | 4R | 4R | 4R | W | W | W | W | W | F | SF | SF | 5 / 12 | 61–7 | 89.71 | |
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–2 | 7–4 | 13–4 | 6–4 | 13–3 | 22–1 | 24–2 | 27–1 | 26–1 | 24–3 | 26–2 | 20–3 | 20–4 | 7–1 | 16 / 52 | 235–35 | 87.04 |
- Finals: 23 (16 titles, 7 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2003 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Mark Philippoussis |
7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3) |
| Winner | 2004 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Marat Safin |
7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2004 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Andy Roddick |
4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 |
| Winner | 2004 | US Open (1) | Hard | Lleyton Hewitt |
6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0 |
| Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Andy Roddick |
6–2, 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
| Winner | 2005 | US Open (2) | Hard | Andre Agassi |
6–3, 2–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1 |
| Winner | 2006 | Australian Open (2) | Hard |  Marcos Baghdatis |
5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2006 | French Open (1) | Clay | Rafael Nadal |
6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Winner | 2006 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Rafael Nadal |
6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3 |
| Winner | 2006 | US Open (3) | Hard | Andy Roddick |
6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2007 | Australian Open (3) | Hard |  Fernando González |
7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2007 | French Open (2) | Clay | Rafael Nadal |
3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2007 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | Rafael Nadal |
7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2007 | US Open (4) | Hard | Novak Djokovic |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2008 | French Open (3) | Clay | Rafael Nadal |
1–6, 3–6, 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 2008 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Rafael Nadal |
4–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(10–8), 7–9 |
| Winner | 2008 | US Open (5) | Hard | Andy Murray |
6–2, 7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2009 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Rafael Nadal |
5–7, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 2–6 |
| Winner | 2009 | French Open (1) | Clay | Robin Söderling |
6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4 |
| Winner | 2009 | Wimbledon (6) | Grass | Andy Roddick |
5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14 |
| Runner-up | 2009 | US Open (1) | Hard | Juan Martín del Potro |
6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
| Winner | 2010 | Australian Open (4) | Hard | Andy Murray |
6–3, 6–4, 7–6(13–11) |
| Runner-up | 2011 | French Open (4) | Clay | Rafael Nadal |
5–7, 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 1–6 |
Year-End Championship performance timeline[link]
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEC | NQ | NQ | NQ | NQ | SF | W | W | F | W | W | RR | SF | W | W | 6 / 10 | 39–7 | 84.78 | |
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 5–0 | 4–1 | 5–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 5–0 |
- Finals: 7 (6 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2003 | Houston |
Hard | Andre Agassi |
6–3, 6–0, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2004 | Houston |
Hard | Lleyton Hewitt |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2005 | Shanghai |
Carpet (i) | David Nalbandian |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(13–11), 2–6, 1–6, 6–7(3–7) |
| Winner | 2006 | Shanghai |
Hard (i) | James Blake |
6–0, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2007 | Shanghai |
Hard (i) | David Ferrer |
6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2010 | London |
Hard (i) | Rafael Nadal |
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2011 | London |
Hard (i) | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
6–3, 6–7(6–8), 6–3 |
Olympic games[link]
- Finals: 1 (1 gold medal)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2008 | Beijing |
Hard | Wawrinka |
Aspelin Johansson |
6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–3 |
Records[link]
Main article: List of career achievements by Roger Federer
- These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis.
- Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
- Records in italics are currently active streaks.
| Time span | Selected Grand Slam tournament records | Players matched |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2009 French Open |
Career Grand Slam | Rod Laver Andre Agassi Rafael Nadal |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2010 Australian Open |
16 titles | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2011 French Open |
23 finals | Stands alone |
| 2005 Wimbledon — 2007 US Open |
10 consecutive finals | Stands alone |
| 2004 Wimbledon — 2010 Australian Open |
23 consecutive semifinals[106][107] | Stands alone |
| 2004 Wimbledon — 2012 Australian Open |
31 consecutive quarterfinals | Stands alone |
| 2004 & 2006–2007 | 3 years winning 3+ titles | Stands alone |
| 2004–2007 & 2009 | 5 years winning 2+ titles | Stands alone |
| 2006–2007 | 2 consecutive years winning 3+ titles | Stands alone |
| 2004–2007 | 4 consecutive years winning 2+ titles | Stands alone |
| 2003–2010 | 8 consecutive years winning 1+ title[107] | Björn Borg Pete Sampras |
| 2004 Australian Open — 2011 US Open |
8 consecutive years winning 20+ matches | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2010 Australian Open |
4+ titles at 3 different Majors | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2011 French Open |
5+ finals at all 4 Majors | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2011 French Open |
6+ semifinals at all 4 Majors | Stands alone |
| 2001 French Open — 2011 US Open |
8+ quarterfinals at all 4 Majors | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2008 US Open |
5 consecutive titles at 2 different Majors[107] | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2007 French Open |
2+ consecutive finals at all 4 Majors | Ivan Lendl |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2009 French Open |
5+ consecutive semifinals at all 4 Majors | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2011 US Open |
7+ consecutive quarterfinals at all 4 Majors | Stands alone |
| 2003 Wimbledon — 2006 Australian Open |
First 7 finals won | Stands alone |
| 2004 Australian Open — 2010 Australian Open |
9 hard-court titles | Stands alone |
| 2006–2007 & 2009 | All 4 Major finals in 1 season | Rod Laver |
| 2006 French Open — 2009 US Open |
Runner-up finishes at all 4 Majors | Ivan Lendl |
| 2000 Australian Open — 2012 French Open |
235 match wins overall[108] | Stands alone |
| 2000 Australian Open — 2012 French Open |
50+ match wins at all 4 Majors[109] | Stands alone |
| 2006 | 27 match wins in 1 season | Stands alone |
| 2004 French Open — 2008 Wimbledon |
18 consecutive No. 1 seeds | Stands alone |
| 2006 US Open — 2007 French Open |
36 consecutive sets won | Stands alone |
| 2007 US Open | 35 consecutive service points won | Stands alone |
| 2009 Wimbledon | 50 aces in a final | Stands alone |
| 2007 US Open | $2.4 million earned at one event | 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 |
| 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 Novak Djokovic |
| Australian Open | 2004–2007 | 3 titles in 4 years | Andre Agassi |
| Australian Open | 2004–2010 | 5 finals overall | Stefan Edberg |
| Australian Open | 2004–2012 | 9 consecutive semifinals | Stands alone |
| Australian Open | 2007 | Won without dropping a set[110] | Ken Rosewall |
| Australian Open | 2000–2012 | 63 match wins overall[110] | Stands alone |
| French Open | 2006–2009 | 4 consecutive finals | Björn Borg Ivan Lendl Rafael Nadal |
| French Open | 2006–2008, 2011 | 4 runner-ups[111] | Stands alone |
| French Open | 2006–2008 | 3 consecutive runner-ups | Stands alone |
| French Open | 2005–2009 | 5 consecutive semifinals | Stands alone |
| French Open—Wimbledon | 2009 | Accomplished a "Channel Slam": Winning both tournaments in the same year | Rod Laver Björn Borg Rafael Nadal |
| Wimbledon | 2003–2007 | 5 consecutive titles[112] | Björn Borg |
| Wimbledon | 2003–2009 | 7 finals overall | Boris Becker Pete Sampras |
| Wimbledon | 2003–2009 | 7 consecutive finals | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon | 2003–2009 | 7 consecutive semifinals | Stands alone |
| US Open | 2004–2008 | 5 titles overall | Jimmy Connors Pete Sampras |
| US Open | 2004–2008 | 5 consecutive titles | Stands alone |
| US Open | 2004–2009 | 40 consecutive match wins[113] | Stands alone |
| US Open | 1999–2011 | 89.71% (61–7) match winning percentage | Stands alone |
| Time span | Other selected records | Players matched |
|---|---|---|
| 2 February 2004 — 17 August 2008 |
237 consecutive weeks at No. 1[107] | Stands alone |
| 2003–2005 | 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[107] | Stands alone |
| 2003–2005 | 24 consecutive tournament finals won[107] | Stands alone |
| 2001–2012 | 10+ titles on grass, clay and hard courts | Stands alone |
| 2003–2009 | 11 grass court titles | Stands alone |
| 2002–2012 | 51 hard court titles | Stands alone |
| 2006 | 9 hard court titles in 1 season | Jimmy Connors |
| 1998–2012 | 315 tiebreaks won[114] | Stands alone |
| 1999–2011 | 87.18% (102–15) grass court match winning percentage[115] | Stands alone |
| 1998–2012 | 83.20% (515–104) hard court match winning percentage[116] | Stands alone |
| 2006 | 94.12% of tournament finals reached in 1 season | Stands alone |
| 2003–2011 | 6 ATP World Tour Finals titles overall[117] | Stands alone |
| 2002–2011 | 39 ATP World Tour Finals match wins[117] | Ivan Lendl |
| 2002–2012 | 32 combined Championship Masters Series finals | Stands alone |
| 2002–2012 | 44 Masters 1000 semifinals | Stands alone |
| 2000–2012 | 261 Masters 1000 match wins | Stands alone |
| 2004–2012 | 14 Masters 1000 hard court titles | Andre Agassi |
| 2004–2012 | 4 Indian Wells Masters titles[118] | 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 | Ended 8 years ranked inside the top 2 | Jimmy Connors |
| 2007 | $10 million prize money earned in a season | Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic |
| 2005–2007 | 2 winning streaks of 35+ matches | Björn Borg |
| 2004–2012 | 7 winning streaks of 20+ matches | Stands alone |
See also[link]
- Roger Federer career statistics
- List of career achievements by Roger Federer
- ATP World Tour records
- ATP World Tour Awards
- List of Grand Slam Men's Singles champions
- List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players
- 2004 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
- 2008 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
References and notes[link]
- ^ "ATP website profile of Roger Federer". ATP World Tour. http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/3/en/players/playerprofiles/?playernumber=F324. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ "Profile: Roger Federer – The greatest ever". CNN. 6 July 2009. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/07/04/roger.federer.profile.wimbledon/index.html. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
- ^ Richard Evans (24 June 2007). "Jack the Lad". The Observer (UK). http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport/story/0,,2110101,00.html. Retrieved 15 February 2009. "Jack Kramer 'is ready to anoint Roger Federer as the best he has seen'."
- ^ "Federer the greatest ever — Lloyd". BBC Sport. 7 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8088191.stm. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
- ^ Jago, Richard (5 June 2009). "'Roger Federer is the greatest' says Pete Sampras after record broken". The Guardian. London. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jul/05/pete-sampras-roger-federer-wimbledon. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ Barnes, Simon (8 June 2009). "Roger Federer, greatest of all time, ensures statistics back up unrivalled artistry". The Times (UK). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/simon_barnes/article6451942.ece. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- ^ "Top 10 Men's Tennis Players of All Time". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1009/top.ten.tennis/content.1.html. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ^ Federer the best of all time, says Agassi
- ^ Federer the best of all time, says Ivan Lendl
- ^ Greg Garber. "Soderling rocks tennis world again". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french10/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&id=5236156. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "Federer, Mandela are world's most respected & trusted". ATP World Tour. 19 September 2011. http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2011/09/Features/Federer-Mandela-Most-Respected.aspx.
- ^ "Mandela pips Federer". Times LIVE South Africa. 21 September 2011. http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2011/09/21/mandela-pips-federer.
- ^ "Winners Archive Roger Federer". Laureus World Sports Awards. http://www.laureus.com/winners?id=418. Retrieved 10 July 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Associated Press (2012-03-19). "Federer named greatest player ever by Tennis Channel, edging Laver and Graf". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/federer-named-greatest-player-ever-by-tennis-channel-edging-laver-and-graf/2012/03/23/gIQAnRdzWS_story.html. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ^ a b c "Federer Express Cruises To 16th Grand Slam Title, Tops Murray In Australia". All Headline News. 31 January 2010. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7017679597?Federer%20Express%20Cruises%20To%2016th%20Grand%20Slam%20Title,%20Tops%20Murray%20In%20Australia. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ Walsh, Courtney (26 January 2010). "Roger Federer express rolls Lleyton Hewitt". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/roger-federer-express-rolls-lleyton-hewitt/story-e6frg7mf-1225823460917. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ Cohen, Brandon (25 January 2010). "Fed Express steamrolls Lleyton". Sportal.com.au. http://sportal.com.au/tennis-news-display/hewitt-eclipsed-by-fed-84756. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ "Fed Express powers through". ESPN.co.uk. 23 January 2010. http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/3174.html. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ a b René Stauffer (2007). The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection. New Chapter Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-942257-39-1.
- ^ Für wen schlägt Federers Fussball-Herz?, Blick.ch, 11 September 2009
- ^ "Ask Roger — Official website". Roger Federer Official Website. http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/fanzone/askroger/index.cfm. Retrieved 2 March 2007. [dead link]
- ^ Roger Federer. "Ask Roger". Roger Federer Official Website. http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/fanzone/askroger/index.cfm. Retrieved 30 June 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Roger Meets With Pope". Roger Federer Official Website. http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/news/newsdetail.cfm?uNewsID=327. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
- ^ Fabian Muhieddine (13 July 2009). "Roger Federer: le voici exempté de PC..." (in French). Le Matin. http://www.lematin.ch/actu/suisse/roger-federer-exempte-pc-143403. Retrieved 14 October 2009. [dead link]
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- ^ Company > Lindt & Sprüngli, Maître chocolatier suisse depuis 1845
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Further reading[link]
- Bowers, Chris (2007). Fantastic Federer: The Biography of the World's Greatest Tennis Player. John Blake. ISBN 1-84454-407-9.
- Stauffer, René (2007). The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. ISBN 0-942257-39-1.
Video[link]
- 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[link]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Roger Federer |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Federer |
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Book: Roger Federer |
| Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. | |
- Official Site
- Roger Federer Foundation
- Roger Federer on Facebook
- Roger Federer – Grand Slam History
- Sortable list of Grand Slam opponents and stats
Profiles[link]
- Roger Federer at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Roger Federer at the International Tennis Federation
- Roger Federer at the Davis Cup
- Roger Federer at the Internet Movie Database
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Federer, Roger |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Swiss tennis professional |
| Date of birth | 8 August 1981 |
| Place of birth | Binningen (near Basel), Switzerland) |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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Wiki Summary
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.
After twenty years of playing on Rebound Ace, the courts were changed to Plexicushion, a marginally faster surface. The new surface is notably thinner, and therefore has lower heat retention. This decision was made in a bid to reduce the "stick" of the court and the frequency of the extreme heat policy being invoked. However, the new surface faced criticism for being too similar to DecoTurf, the surface used at the U.S. Open. Player reaction to the change of surface was generally ambivalent.
For the mixed doubles, in every game, the first team to score four points, wins the game. In other words, should a deuce happen in a game, the team who wins the next point wins the game.
