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- published: 05 Jun 2011
- views: 586577
- author: loklin88
2011 French Open | ||||
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Date: | 22 May – 5 June | |||
Edition: | 110th | |||
Category: | Grand Slam tournament (ITF) | |||
Surface: | Clay | |||
Location: | Paris (XVIe), France | |||
Venue: | Stade Roland Garros | |||
Champions | ||||
Men's Singles | ||||
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Women's Singles | ||||
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Men's Doubles | ||||
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Women's Doubles | ||||
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Mixed Doubles | ||||
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Boys' Singles | ||||
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Girls' Singles | ||||
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Boys' Doubles | ||||
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Girls' Doubles | ||||
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Legends Under 45 Doubles | ||||
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Women's Legends Doubles | ||||
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Legends Over 45 Doubles | ||||
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Wheelchair Men's Singles | ||||
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Wheelchair Women's Singles | ||||
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Wheelchair Men's Doubles | ||||
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Wheelchair Women's Doubles | ||||
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French Open
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The 2011 French Open (also known as Roland Garros, after the famous French aviator) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 22 May to 5 June 2011.[1]
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The 2011 French Open was the one hundred and tenth edition of the French Open. It was held at Stade Roland Garros in Paris. The tournament was an event run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour and the 2011 WTA Tour calendars under the Grand Slam category. The tournament consisted of both men's and women's singles and doubles draws as well as a mixed doubles event. There were singles and doubles events for both boys and girls (players under 18), which is part of the Grade A category of tournaments. There were also singles and doubles events for men's and women's wheelchair tennis players as part of the NEC tour under the Grand Slam category. The tournament was played on clay courts. The tournament took place over a series of twenty courts, including the three main showcourts, Court Philippe Chatrier, Court Suzanne Lenglen and Court 1.
Event | W | F | SF | QF | 4R | 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 | - | - | - | - | - |
Below is a table charting the points that are available to the boys and girls in boy singles and doubles play.
Stage[2][3] | Boys Singles | Boys Doubles | Girls Singles | Girls Doubles |
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Champion | 250 | 180 | 250 | 180 |
Runner up | 180 | 120 | 180 | 120 |
Semifinals | 120 | 80 | 120 | 80 |
Quarterfinals | 80 | 50 | 80 | 50 |
Round of 16 | 50 | 30 | 50 | 30 |
Round of 32 | 30 | – | 30 | – |
Qualifier who loses in first round | 25 | 25 | ||
Qualifying Final Round | 20 | 20 |
Stage[4] | Men's Singles | Men's Doubles | Women's Singles | Women's Doubles |
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Champion | 800 | |||
Runner up | 500 | |||
Semifinals | 375 | 100 | 375 | 100 |
Quarterfinals | 100 | – | 100 | – |
The total amount of prize money available for the 2011 tournament was €17,520,000. The prize money breakdown was as follows:[5]
Event | W | F | SF | QF | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 | |
Singles | Prize money | €1,200,000 | €600,000 | €300,000 | €150,000 | €75,000 | €42,000 | €25,000 | €15,000 | €8,000 | €4,000 | €2,500 |
Doubles | Prize money* | €330,000 | €165,000 | €82,500 | €42,000 | €22,000 | €12,000 | €7,500 | - | - | - | - |
Mixed Doubles | Prize money* | €100,000 | €50,000 | €25,000 | €13,000 | - | - | €7,000 | €3,500 | - | - | - |
* per team
Men's and Women's Wheelchair Singles[link]
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Men's and Women's Wheelchair Doubles[link]
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On the opening day of the tournament, the former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt withdrew due to an ankle injury and was replaced by lucky loser Marc Gicquel, who fell to Albert Montañés. No.19 seed Marin Čilić was upset by Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo with a 7–6, 6–4, 6–4 scoreline. David Ferrer secured a straight-set victory over Jarkko Nieminen losing only seven games. Meanwhile, nine of the 20 Frenchmen to start in this year's main draw were in action on Sunday, with four of them taking victory including 17th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Andreas Seppi, Fabio Fognini and Kei Nishikori all moved safely into the second round.[6]
The women's tournament kicked off on Sunday with a solid win by 2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur. She was joined by No. 10 seed and three-time semi-finalist Jelena Janković, former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, no. 14 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and no. 17 Julia Görges. Upsets of the day saw María José Martínez Sánchez defeat No 19 Shahar Peer 7–6, 6–1, and Varvara Lepchenko upsetting Flavia Pennetta. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the highest-ranked American in the tournament due to the absence of the Williams sisters, came back to best Arantxa Parra Santonja, 2–6, 7–6, 6–3. There was also an emotional win by France's Alize Cornet who wore a black ribbon on her dress in her 6–4, 6–2 win over Renata Voráčová as a tribute to Stephane Vidal, the coach and fiancé of fellow French player Virginie Razzano, who just died due to a brain tumor.[7]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
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Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–3, 6–1 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–2, 6–2 |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–1, 6–4 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–4, 6–2 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–4, 6–4, 6–2 |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–1 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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4–6, 6–1, 6–2, 6–0 |
Novak Djokovic playing near perfect tennis in routing Thiemo de Bakker 6–2, 6–1, 6–3 in the first round. Argentine Juan Martín del Potro took out Ivo Karlović 6–7, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4. Though most seeds did well France's Stephane Robert shocked no. 6 seed and 2010 semifinalist Tomáš Berdych with a 3–6, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2, 9–7 win, and no. 22 seed Michaël Llodra fell to Belgium's Steve Darcis 6–7, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3. France's Richard Gasquet beat Radek Štěpánek 7–5, 6–3, 6–0, and seeds Thomaz Bellucci, Nikolay Davydenko, Gaël Monfils, Janko Tipsarević, Mikhail Youzhny, Viktor Troicki and Mardy Fish also won their matches.[8]
Caroline Wozniacki crushed Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm 6–0, 6–2 in exactly one hour. Other seeds moving on in the draw included no. 9 seed Petra Kvitová and no. 12 seed Agnieszka Radwańska. The highest women's seed lost this day was Nadia Petrova who fell to her doubles partner and Aussie Anastasia Rodionova 7–6, 3–6, 4–6. Also no. 31 seed Klára Zakopalová lost to Chan Yung-jan 5–7, 1–6. The third-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva, Sania Mirza, Jill Craybas and Daniela Hantuchová all won in a scoreline of 6–3, 6–3.[9]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
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Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–0 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–1, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–3) |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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1–6, 6–2, 6–1 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–3 |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–0 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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7–5, 6–3, 6–0 |
In a four hour battle top seed Rafael Nadal finally downed John Isner 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 6–2, 6–4. This great first-round match saw the young American push the world no.1 to five sets, coming within a whisker of a memorable upset.[10] Andy Murray moved into the second round with a relatively easy win over French qualifier Éric Prodon 6–4, 6–1, 6–3 in the Tuesday afternoon session.[11] No.5 seed Robin Söderling, a finalist here for the last two years, was tested by relatively unknown American Ryan Harrison, ranked no.119 in the world. Soderling's experience pulled him through in the third and fourth sets. Elsewhere, Austrian 8th seed Jürgen Melzer eased past Andreas Beck 6–3, 6–4, 6–2, while no.16 seed Fernando Verdasco came through his match against Argentine Juan Mónaco 6–2, 7–5, 4–6, 6–4. Other seeds that progressed to the second round stage included no.18 Gilles Simon, no.24 Sam Querrey, no.21 Alexandr Dolgopolov, and Florian Mayer, the 20th seed. Wildcard Frenchman Arnaud Clement enjoyed a 6–3, 1–6, 7–6, 6–4 win over Filippo Volandri.[12]
Showing great form on the red clay, Maria Sharapova beat Mirjana Lučić 6–3, 6–0 in the first round. No. 2 Kim Clijsters didn't play her best but had a 6–2, 6–3 win over Anastasiya Yakimova. A number of other seeds came through the draw today; Victoria Azarenka, Li Na, Yanina Wickmayer, Jarmila Gajdošová and Alexandra Dulgheru. As for upsets, Vania King beat 2009 semifinalist Dominika Cibulková 6–7, 6–3, 6–2, and Swede Johanna Larsson took out 2008 champion Ana Ivanović 7–6, 0–6, 6–2.[13]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
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Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–1 |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–0 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–4, 6–7(2–7), 6–7(2–7), 6–2, 6–4 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–3, 4–6, 6–1, 6–0 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–4, 6–1, 6–3 |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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7–6(7–3), 0–6, 6–2 |
Men's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–1, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 7–5 |
Women's Singles 1st round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–3 |
Novak Djokovic moved on easily to the third round when Victor Hănescu pulled out with a leg problem while trailing 6–4, 6–1, 2–3. Djokovic's next opponent should be much tougher when he faces 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who walloped Blaž Kavčič 6–3, 6–2, 6–4. Roger Federer, the 2009 champion, had no trouble at all racing past France's Maxime Teixeira 6–3, 6–0, 6–2, and he next faces no.29 Janko Tipsarević. Tipsarević took Federer to five sets at the 2009 Aussie Open. French players did well today as no.9 Gaël Monfils beat Guillaume Rufin 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 6–3, no.13 Richard Gasquet bested Marcel Granollers 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 and no.17 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived Igor Andreev 6–3, 7–6, 6–3. However France's Julien Benneteau was blitzed by No. 7 David Ferrer 6–3, 6–4, 6–2.[15]
Caroline Wozniacki squeaked by Aleksandra Wozniak 6–3, 7–6 and sealed a place in the third round. There she will meet no.28 seed Daniela Hantuchová.[16] Samantha Stosur showed she is a serious threat for the French Open title, producing incredible tennis in crushing Romania's Simona Halep 6–0, 6–2.[17] Defending champion Francesca Schiavone had an easy time reaching the third round with a 6–1, 6–2 win over Russian Vesna Dolonts, but no.3 seed Vera Zvonareva had a very tough fight with German qualifier Sabine Lisicki as the evening sun lowered over Roland Garros. Sabine called a medical time-out at 4–5 in the final set and eventually fell to Zvonareva 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, ending the match in considerable pain. In other results Jelena Janković disposed of the Russian Vera Dushevina 6–3, 6–2 while 2009 Roland Garros champion Svetlana Kuznetsova had smooth sailing against Irina-Camelia Begu 6–1, 6–1. French hopes Marion Bartoli and Alizé Cornet were also in action against qualifiers. While Cornet received a 6–0, 6–2 thrashing at the hands of Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives, compatriot Bartoli fought and finally secured a win over Olga Govortsova 6–4, 6–7, 6–2, a victory that took nearly three hours to complete.[18]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
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Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 7–6(8–6) |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–4, 6–1, 2–3, ret. |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–1, 6–2 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–0, 6–2 |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–0, 6–2 |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–4, 6–7(1–7), 6–2 |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
On day five of Roland Garros gusty conditions continued late into the evening and a seeds had a rough going. No.8 Jürgen Melzer, a semi-finalist last year, became the biggest casualty of the day when he fell to Lukáš Rosol, ranked 111 in the world. The Austrian smashed a racquet in fury in the fifth set as Rosol edged home 6–7, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6, 6–4. Argentine Leonardo Mayer shocked no.27 seed Marcos Baghdatis 7–5, 6–4, 7–6, while Alejandro Falla, another qualifier from Colombia, ended the hopes of no.20 seed Florian Mayer 4–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2. Elsewhere, Russian Nikolay Davydenko, no. 28 seed, fell at the hands of Antonio Veić. The overjoyed Croat fell flat on his back in disbelief at the 3–6, 6–2, 7–5, 3–6, 6–1 win. Ivan Ljubičić, meanwhile, dispatched another seed, no.24 Sam Querrey 7–6, 6–4, 6–4. No.5 seed Robin Söderling avoided such calamities, easing past Spaniard Albert Ramos 6–3, 6–4, 6–4, while No. 10 seed Mardy Fish beat Robin Haase 7–6, 6–2, 6–1 to reach the third round at Roland Garros for the first time in his career. Fernando Verdasco, no.16, faced a tough second round in the form of Xavier Malisse, Verdasco stood his ground to claim the match 4–6, 6–3, 7–6, 6–4. Arnaud Clement was battling it out with Michael Berrer of Germany. Veteran Clement eventually bowed out in four sets, and Gilles Simon defeated compatriot Jeremy Chardy 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 3–2.[19] Spaniard Pablo Andújar played well before succumbing 7–5, 6–3, 7–6 to Rafael Nadal.[20] Andy Murray was certainly shaky in advancing into the third round with a 7–6, 6–4, 7–5 victory over Italy's Simone Bolelli.[21]
Kim Clijsters, rusty after recovering from a severe ankle injury, was hoping to play herself into the event. But on a cold, windy morning on Philippe Chatrier Court her play was erratic and she was stunned by Dutch 20-year-old Arantxa Rus 3–6, 7–5, 6–1, in the second round. Clijsters lost 11 of the last 12 games despite holding 2 match points. Elswehere, seeds Petra Kvitová, Agnieszka Radwańska, Victoria Azarenka, Kaia Kanepi, Roberta Vinci, Andrea Petkovic, Li Na, Maria Kirilenko and Yanina Wickmayer all won, while Sorana Cîrstea upset no.27 Alexandra Dulgheru 6–2, 7–5 and American Vania King knocked Britain's Elena Baltacha out 4–6, 6–1, 6–4.[22] The Maria Sharapova vs Caroline Garcia match was a good one. 17 year old Garcia led 6–3, 4–1 and seemed to be coasting to a huge upset when reality set in. Garcia eventually fell to Maria Sharapova 3–6, 6–4, 6–0 losing the last 11 games.[23]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
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Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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3–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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7–6(7–3), 6–4, 7–5 |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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3–6, 6–4, 6–0 |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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4–6, 6–4, 6–1, 6–4 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–4, 7–5 |
Men's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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7–5, 6–3, 7–6(7–4) |
Women's Singles 2nd round | ![]() |
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6–0, 6–1 |
It is hard to call a man who is as accomplished on clay courts as David Ferrer a dark horse at Roland Garros, but the Spaniard has yet to reach the semi-finals. At the age of 29, he still has to show he has the legs to go far, but his 6–1, 6–1, 6–3 victory over Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky made it clear that he is capable of doing so.[24] An nearly perfect day for French players turned a little cloudy when Stanislas Wawrinka came back from two sets down to stun Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–2, 6–3. Before that, Gaël Monfils had crushed Steve Darcis 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 and Richard Gasquet dispatched Thomaz Bellucci 6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3. Wawrinka will face his countryman Roger Federer, who cruised past Janko Tipsarević 6–1, 6–4, 6–3. In the other matches of the day, Albert Montañés upset no.12 seed Mikhail Youzhny and will play Fabio Fognini, who overcame Guillermo García-López in four sets.[25] In fading light on Suzanne Lenglen Court, Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro served up a magnificent spectacle of top-class tennis, made all the more enjoyable by the excellent atmosphere of mutual respect between the players. When chair umpire Pascal Maria called time on proceedings there was nothing to separate the two, the 6–3, 3–6 score-line setting things up perfectly for a three-set shootout on Saturday.[26]
Since Samantha Stosur arrived at Roland Garros almost a week ago there has been a sense that the naysayers have been perched on the edge of their seats just waiting for her to bury herself on the surface upon which she has blossomed during the past two seasons. Today, the doubters got their way, as last year's runner-up was bundled out of the tournament in three sets by world no. 51 Gisela Dulko 6–4, 1–6, 6–3.[27] Francesca Schiavone advanced to the fourth round of Roland Garros after her opponent Peng Shuai was forced to retire due to illness.[28] Top seed Caroline Wozniacki sensationally crashed out of the French Open 1–6, 3–6 at the hands of Daniela Hantuchová on Friday afternoon. The world no. 1 was sent packing by her Slovakian opponent who barely put a foot wrong during the entire match, hitting 26 winners to 8 of the Dane. In defeating Wozniacki, the 28-year-old has equalled her best result here. She now faces 2009 French Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, who saw off up-and-coming Canadian teenager Rebecca Marino 6–0, 6–4 in 49 minutes earlier in the day.[29] Marion Bartoli, who last week reached her first clay court final in Strasbourg before being forced to retire injured, fought back from a set down to scoop a 3–6, 6–2, 6–4 victory over dark-horse Julia Görges but was made to work for it. Meanwhile, over on Court 7, no. 14 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova also came back from a set down to defeat Spanish qualifier Nuria Llagostera Vives 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 and set up a round of 16 clash with fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva, after the no. 3 seed sealed a 6–2, 6–3 victory over Anastasia Rodionova. Jelena Janković (no. 10), who is defending semi-final point from last year, eased past an erratic Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6–2, 6–2.[30]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
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Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–4, 1–6, 6–3 |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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3–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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4–6, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 6–3 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 1–2, ret. |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–1, 6–4, 6–3 |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–1, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() ![]() |
3–6, 6–3, suspended[26] |
Novak Djokovic showed all his class to cut down Juan Martin del Potro 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 on Suzanne Lenglen court. In a match carried over from the previous night when the score was one set all.[31] The first time the no. 227-ranked qualifier Antonio Veić had ever faced a top ten player. And while Rafael Nadal went on to polish off the match 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 it was clear the 23-year-old qualifier was intent on savouring every moment of this special experience.[32] No.4 seed Andy Murray overcame a sprained ankle suffered mid-match to record a remarkable straight-sets win, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 over world no.95 Michael Berrer, who had no answer to the immobilised Scotsman's "win or bust" strategy.[33] On paper, Gilles Simon faced a tall order in the form of American Mardy Fish, who is now the leading player in the United States. But defeated the American 6–3, 6–4, 6–2. Like Simon, no.5 seed Robin Söderling also secured a 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 victory over qualifier Leonardo Mayer to set up a clash with Gilles Simon. The complete opposite was true for Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, whose scalp was claimed by the oldest man still in the draw, Ivan Ljubičić losing 6–3, 7–6, 6–4. Elsewhere, qualifiers Alejandro Falla and Lukasz Kubot were also fighting for a fourth round place. Falla, defeated the Pole 7–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4 and will meet Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela, who dispatched another qualifier Lukáš Rosol 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 7–6 earlier in the day. Meanwhile Viktor Troicki justified his no.15 seeding by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. The win means Troicki will meet Brit fourth seed Andy Murray in the round of 16.[34]
Chinese veteran and no.6 seed Li Na started the day by routing Sorana Cîrstea 6–2, 6–2, which was followed by Victoria Azarenka thrashing Roberta Vinci 6–3, 6–2. Petra Kvitová punched her way past Vania King 6–4, 6–2. Maria Sharapova is bidding to complete her career Slam with success here at the French, and after surviving a scare against French teenager Caroline Garcia in the second round she made no mistake against Chan Yung-jan. The Russian emerged a comfortable winner 6–2, 6–3. Maria Kirilenko meanwhile has not enjoyed the same storied career as her fellow Russian of the 1987 vintage, she utterly outclassed Clijster's conqueror Arantxa Rus. Sharapova will face Agnieszka Radwańska, who defeated Yanina Wickmayer 6–4, 6–4, while Kirilenko will take on Andrea Petkovic. The German no.15 seed found herself locked in a battle royal with neo-Australian Jarmila Gajdošová, but emerged victorious 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, her Petkodance moonwalk more relieved than elated after she survived some scary moments in the decider which saw five breaks of service.[35]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
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Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–2 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–1, 6–3, 6–0 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 6–4, 6–2 |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–3 |
Mixed Doubles 1st round | ![]() ![]() |
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7–5, 5–7, [10–1] |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–2 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
Women's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–4, 6–4 |
Men's Singles 3rd round | ![]() |
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6–1, 6–4, 6–3 |
It took Roger Federer a mere one hour and 45 minutes to defeat his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka 6–3, 6–2, 7–5 on Sunday, securing his 28th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final berth in the process and breaking the record set by Jimmy Connors.[36] Fabio Fognini became the first Italian man to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam in 13 years, defeating Albert Montañés 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 11–9 in a four-and-a-half hour epic. The Lenglen crowd booed Fognini in the 95-minute final set as he took a medical time-out then received further treatment at the change-overs for what the fans perceived as cramp – an ailment for which players are not allowed to call out the medical staff. In the end, the 49-ranked player in the world completed the match with heavy strapping on his left thigh and a hang-dog expression on his face as he pleaded with the crowd for clemency.[37] Novak Djokovic had his man now after winning the first set 6–4, and with the pressure off and the crowd becalmed, he moved up another gear. Now we could delight in some of the cleanest hitting you are ever likely to see, and Richard Gasquet could only stand and watch as the ball fizzed by. The second set was won 6–4 in 37 minutes and the third, a formality, snapped up 6–2 in 34 minutes to complete an excellent afternoon's work.[38] When Gaël Monfils and David Ferrer won through to face each other in the fourth round, it was clear that they would engage in long foot race. The match lived up to its billing, but was unable to conclude as the contest was suspended after three hours with Monfils leading 6–4, 2–6, 7–5, 0–2.[39]
The 19-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova dispatched No.3 seed Vera Zvonareva 7–6, 2–6, 6–2 in a match whose fluctuations were dictated as much by the vacillations of the 2003 quarterfinalist's mental state as they were by the ebb and flow of the Pavlyuchenkova thumping baseline game.[40] Defending champion Francesca Schiavone kissed the clay once more after navigating her way through an error-strewn match to overcome Jelena Janković 6–3, 2–6, 6–4 in two hours and 38 minutes.[41] Gisela Dulko was in incredible form, having dispatched last year's runner up and no.8 seed Sam Stosur in the previous round. But as Marion Bartoli raced to 5–2 lead it became apparent that all was not well with the Argentinean. Dulko was clutching her hip, the doctor was then called and the 26-year-old lay sprawled on the clay where she received treatment to her upper thigh. Dulko then came back but still lost the set 7–5. Trailing 1–0 in the second set, Dulko decided that discretion was the better part of valour and retired, allowing Bartoli through to her first Grand Slam quarter-final since the 2009 Australian Open. Meanwhile, over on no.1 court, a three-set tussle was taking place between Daniela Hantuchová and 2009 French Open champion Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. Kuznetsova, who had enjoyed a relatively easy run on her road to this match dropping only 11 games along the way, still had plenty left in the tank however. She got stronger as the match went on while her 28-year-old opponent appeared to wilt, and Kuznetsova duly fought back to take the match 6–7, 6–3, 6–2 to set up a quarter-final clash with Bartoli.[42]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
7–6(7–4), 2–6, 6–2 |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
6–3, 6–2, 7–5 |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
6–4, 6–4, 6–2 |
Women's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
7–5, 1–0, ret. |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 11–9 |
Women's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
6–3, 2–6, 6–4 |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() ![]() |
4–6, 6–2, 5–7, 2–0, suspended |
Juan Ignacio Chela did reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals back in 2004 with a mid career flurry, but at the age of the 31, and despite his consistent play over the years, he was not expected to make a second week charge in 2011. But even the most hardened veterans can surprise themselves and the tall Argentine did so when he hung tough, slapped groundstrokes and eventually wore down Colombian Alejandro Falla 4–6, 6–2, 1–6, 7–6, 6–2 for a place in the final eight.[43] Gaël Monfils has a flair for the dramatic, and the last French contender in the men's singles certainly provided plenty of excitement in a charged-up 6–4, 2–6, 7–5, 1–6, 8–6 win over Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer on Monday. Monfils needed four match points to close the match out, but even though the Spaniard is known as one of the toughest men on tour, the 24-year-old out-gutted him when it mattered most. Ferrer, who was attempting to reach his first Roland Garros semi-final, said that failing to convert the break point at 6–6 in the decider was crucial in the outcome of the match.[44] Most people love Paris in the spring and Robin Söderling is certainly no exception. The Swede made light work of Gilles Simon on Monday, winning 6–2, 6–3, 7–6 to set up a third Roland Garros battle with Rafael Nadal in as many years.[45] No.1 seed Rafael Nadal opened the second week of his title defence with a routine 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 win over Ivan Ljubičić. The veteran Croat battled gamely throughout and saved no fewer than 14 break points, coming to the net bravely to try to catch his opponent off-guard, but it takes more than that to rattle the five-time champion on clay over five sets.[46] With the light failing on Suzanne Lenglen court, Andy Murray fought back from two sets down against Serbian no.15 seed Victor Troicki to take the match into a final set. The score is tied at two sets all, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, so Murray and Troicki will be back for a one-set shootout on Tuesday to see who progresses to a quarter-final against Juan Ignacio Chela.[47]
In the absence of the top three women's seeds in the second week – for the first time in the Open Era – Australian Open 2011 finalist Li Na and 2010 Wimbledon semi-finalist Petra Kvitová found themselves two of the more experienced Grand Slam contenders for the French Open title. Perhaps that extra round's worth of experience made the difference for Li on Monday, the Chinese no.6 seed overcoming a steamroller start by her no.9-seeded opponent to advance to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros 2–6, 6–1, 6–3.[48] Victoria Azarenka forged ahead with her French Open campaign by defeating Ekaterina Makarova 6–2, 6–3 in the kind of simple, straight-sets victory that she has made her calling-card at the tournament over the past week.[49] Maria Sharapova overcame a rusty to start to see off Agnieszka Radwańska 7–6, 7–5 in a topsy-turvy match that saw her advance to the French Open quarter-finals for the fifth time in her career. Sharapova will face Andrea Petkovic in the quarter-final after the charismatic German came out on top of a three-set contest against Maria Kirilenko. Petkovic then broke in the ninth game and then with bravery, ferocity and above all focus served out for a 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 win which sees her into her second consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final.[50]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
2–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
7–5, 6–3, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
6–2, 6–3, 7–6(7–5) |
Women's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
7–6(7–4), 7–5 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
4–6, 6–2, 1–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2 |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
6–4, 2–6, 7–5, 1–6, 8–6 |
Women's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
6–2, 6–3 |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() ![]() |
4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, suspended |
Novak Djokovic was scheduled to play however Djokovic's quarterfinal opponent, Fabio Fognini, withdrew from the tournament Monday, one day after his wild and controversial 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 11–9 victory over Albert Montañés.[51] Scotland's Andy Murray came back from the brink to overturn no.15 seed Viktor Troicki 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 7–5 on Tuesday. Two sets all overnight, the Serb had Murray where he wanted him, serving for the match at 5–3, 30–0, but was unable to see it out in the face of some brilliant backs-to-the wall hitting from the fourth seed.[52] The match also included an incident when a ball-boy accidentally ran on the court before the point had been won, causing the point to be retaken, despite Troicki winning the rally.[53] For the first time since 2003, Roger Federer did not come into Roland Garros as one of the top two favorites to win the title. But after his clean and impressive 6–4, 6–3, 7–6 victory over France's Gael Monfils, the Swiss appears ready to give the red hot Djokovic a tussle in the semifinals.[54]
What a difference a year makes. At the quarter-final stage of this tournament 12 months ago nobody gave much thought to crafty Italian Francesca Schiavone as a potential French Open champion. Twelve months on, the no.5 seed demonstrated why she is now many fans' favourite to take the title with a battling 1–6, 7–5, 7–5 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Schiavone served for the matched at 5–2.[55] Marion Bartoli's love affair with the French Open continued this evening when she saw off 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7–6, 6–4 in front of an exhilarated home crowd. The 26-year-old no.11 seed needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch the two time Grand Slam winner and become the first French woman in six years to reach the semifinal stage.[56]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles Quarterfinal | ![]() |
![]() |
1–6, 7–5, 7–5 |
Men's Singles Quarterfinal | ![]() |
![]() |
6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–3) |
Men's Doubles Quarterfinal | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 6–2 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles 4th round | ![]() |
![]() |
4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 7–5 |
Men's Doubles Quarterfinal | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
2–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
Women's Singles Quarterfinal | ![]() |
![]() |
7–6(7–4), 6–4 |
Men's Doubles Quarterfinal | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
6–7(2–7), 6–3, 5–5, suspended |
Rafael Nadal emphatically silenced the doubters by overpowering no.5 seed Robin Söderling for two sets and then repelling a stirring fightback as the huge-hitting Swede desperately tried to save his 2011 French Open campaign. As is so often the case, the tone was set in the early games. Two breaks in three games set him up nicely, even allowing him the luxury of dropping his own serve en-route to the first set, 6–4. As Soderling grew frustrated, Nadal cranked up his forehand and bludgeoned his way to a two-set lead, the second wrapped up 6–1 in only 33 minutes. Nadal will be hugely encouraged by the win, not only in the way he raised his game to old heights in the first two sets, but also in his solidity in the face of some ferocious hitting from Soderling in the third.[57] Andy Murray did not want to spoil the party. For the first time since 2006, the four top seeds will meet in the Roland Garros semi-finals thanks to the Scotsman's impressive 7–6, 7–5, 6–2 victory over Juan Ignacio Chela.[58]
Li Na reached her first ever French Open semi-final with a comfortable 7–5, 6–2 win over Victoria Azarenka on Wednesday. An initially tight match swung in the Chinese sixth seed's favour at the end of the first set, and thereafter she never looked back.[59] Maria Sharapova took a step closer to claiming a career Grand Slam after beating Andrea Petkovic 6–0 6–3 in a one-sided contest on Suzanne Lenglen Court. Sharapova began the match in form so hot, Petkovic didn't so much wilt as completely dissolve under her opponent's intensity. Sharapova was a picture of determination, hitting everything on the front foot to reel off winner after winner.[60]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles Quarterfinals | ![]() |
![]() |
7–5, 6–2 |
Men's Singles Quarterfinals | ![]() |
![]() |
6–4, 6–1, 7–6(7–3) |
Women's Doubles Semifinals | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–3 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles Quarterfinals | ![]() |
![]() |
6–0, 6–3 |
Men's Singles Quarterfinals | ![]() |
![]() |
7–6(7–2), 7–5, 6–2 |
Women's Doubles Semifinals | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 2–6, 6–4 |
Of all the wannabe Grand Slam champions circling this year's French Open women's singles title, few have flown as far below the radar as Li Na. The Chinese woman's personal brand of conservative, carefully-calculated tennis again paid dividends at Roland Garros on Thursday however, helping her overcome testing conditions to demolish Maria Sharapova's campaign for a career Grand Slam 6–4, 7–5, and advance to the second major final of her career. Sharapova striking yet another double fault at match point and her 10th to send her 29-year-old opponent into the French Open final, 6–4, 7–5.[61] Francesca Schiavone treated the fans to a magnificent display of clay-court tennis on Thursday, brushing aside Marion Bartoli 6–3, 6–3 to secure a second straight appearance in the French Open final. Victorious in 90 minutes of play, the Italian will be hoping for a repeat of last year's triumph when she faces Li Na of China in Saturday's showpiece. Schiavone was just too strong for the French no.11 seed, who fought bravely but did not have the variety of shots to trouble the Italian. Schiavone played to her potential and then some, applying her more classical technique to great effect against the unorthodox Frenchwoman.[62]
The unseeded pairing of Casey Dellacqua and Scott Lipsky defeated the reigning champions Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjić to take the 2011 French Open mixed doubles crown, securing the title after a super tie-break, 7–6, 4–6, [10–7].[63]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles Semifinals | ![]() |
![]() |
6–4, 7–5 |
Women's Singles Semifinals | ![]() |
![]() |
6–3, 6–3 |
Mixed Doubles Final | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6(8–6), 4–6, [10–7] |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Legends Doubles Group A | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–5, 6–1 |
Men's Doubles Semifinals | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5) |
Legends Under 45 Doubles Group A | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
Men's Doubles Semifinals | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
Legends Over 45 Doubles Group A | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–2 |
Rafael Nadal survived a hard-fought three-sets win. In a match in windy conditions, the no.1 seed outlasted Andy Murray 6–4, 7–5, 6–4. The two traded blows for over three hours, with almost every rally worthy of the highlight reels. The difference in the end was that five-time champion Nadal did what great players do – he won the big points.[64] As night fell over Roland Garros on Friday, fans were treated to one of the all-time great French Open semi-finals. It ended with Roger Federer triumphing over Novak Djokovic 7–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 in three hours 39 minutes. The Swiss third seed goes on to meet world no.1 and five-time champion Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final. Roger Federer brought Novak Djokovic's 41-match unbeaten run this season to an end in the most dramatic of circumstances. Revelling in his role as the underdog, the Swiss legend was at his vintage best, seizing the initiative at all the right times, winning most of the big points, and hanging tough when he needed to.[65]
After falling to the eventual champions in 2010, the Czech Republic's Lucie Hradecká and Andrea Hlaváčková won their first Grand Slam title this year by defeating Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina (no.7) 6–4, 6–3 in the women's doubles final, in one hour and twenty-one minutes.[66]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles Semifinals | ![]() |
![]() |
6–4, 7–5, 6–4 |
Men's Singles Semifinals | ![]() |
![]() |
7–6(7–5), 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–5) |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Legends Over 45 Doubles Group B | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–4) |
Legends Under 45 Doubles Group B | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 4–6, [10–8] |
Girls' Singles Semifinals | ![]() |
![]() |
6–2, 1–6, 6–2 |
Women's Doubles Final | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–4 |
Women's Legends Doubles Group A | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 6–2 |
China's Li Na held firm in the face of a ferocious comeback on the part of defending champion Francesca Schiavone to win 6–4, 7–6 and claim the first-ever Grand Slam title for a player from Asia. The sixth seed put in a brilliant display, dominating Schiavone in the opening set and then stymieing the Italian's comeback in the second. Li is a fully deserving champion, having beaten four top ten seeds to claim the crown, and her success should do wonders for the popularity of the sport in China.[67] "Someone was saying I'm getting old," Li said after the match – the first clay court title of her career. "So you know the old woman like the dream to come true. Not easy. At 6–0 in the tie-break I was thinking don't do a stupid thing. Before I have many match points on clay but I never win the match. So I was like, okay, you need one point. Of course, it's exciting. Not so many players can win a Grand Slam." Li, who also made the Australian Open final earlier this year, has been largely responsible for putting Chinese tennis on the map, but she is not convinced everyone will remember her when she gets home. "The next two weeks is Wimbledon, so I don't have time to go back to China right now," she said. "I go back after Wimbledon, maybe people forget me already. These are tough times you know." Meanwhile, members of Li's immediate family – including her mother – are unlikely to have witnessed her historic victory. "I didn't contact her...My mum and sister always say oh she's playing now and then they turn off the TV because it made them nervous. I don't think she watched but I will contact her later." Defending champion Francesca Schiavone praised Li's performance. "She played, really deep so I couldn't play my spin and really high so she could come in," said Schiavone. "She played really high level through one set and 2–1, 3–1, she was playing really good. I tried to push more, to risk more and she went down with the level. But it's normal. Tennis is always like this. I think at the end we were really close and (the set) could be for me or for her. But at the end, she won. She deserve this final. She fight a lot and she played good also on the clay."[68]
No.2 seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor won their first Grand Slam title together on Saturday, defeating their unseeded opponents Juan Sebastian Cabal and Eduardo Schwank 7–6, 3–6, 6–4. The two players have a storied past on the doubles circuit in their own rights, but only came together as a pairing at the start of the year.[69]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Women's Singles Final | ![]() |
![]() |
6–4, 7–6(7–0) |
Men's Doubles Final | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–4 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Legends Over 45 Doubles Group B | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–1, 2–6, [10–8] |
Women's Legends Doubles Group B | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–7(4–7), [10–0] |
Legends Under 45 Doubles Group A | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–6(7–2), 6–3 |
Legends Over 45 Doubles Group A | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 7–5 |
In the final, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer to claim his sixth French Open title. Nadal matched Björn Borg's record of six Roland Garros titles with his win.[70]
Ons Jabeur became the first girl from North Africa to win a junior Grand Slam title, defeating no.5 seed Monica Puig in the girls' singles final. The Tunisian struggled to overcome her Puerto Rican opponent in the first set before cruising away in the second.[71] Bjorn Fratangelo won the boys' singles final over Austria's Dominic Thiem, in a battle that lasted two hours and seven minutes. Fratangelo is the first American to win the boys' singles here at Roland Garros since John McEnroe back in 1977.[72]
Matches on Main Courts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Matches on Court Philippe Chatrier (Center Court) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Men's Singles Final | ![]() |
![]() |
7–5, 7–6(7–3), 5–7, 6–1 |
Matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen (Grandstand) | |||
Event | Winner | Loser | Score |
Legends Over 45 Doubles Final | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 5–7, [10–8] |
Women's Legends Doubles Final | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–1, 6–2 |
Rafael Nadal defeated
Roger Federer 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 5–7, 6–1
Li Na def.
Francesca Schiavone, 6–4, 7–6(7–0)
Max Mirnyi /
Daniel Nestor def.
Juan Sebastián Cabal /
Eduardo Schwank, 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–4
Andrea Hlaváčková /
Lucie Hradecká def.
Sania Mirza /
Elena Vesnina, 6–4, 6–3
Casey Dellacqua /
Scott Lipsky def.
Katarina Srebotnik /
Nenad Zimonjić, 7–6(8–6), 4–6, [10–7]
Bjorn Fratangelo def.
Dominic Thiem, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6
Ons Jabeur def.
Mónica Puig, 7–6(10–8), 6–1
Andrés Artuñedo /
Roberto Carballes def.
Mitchell Krueger /
Shane Vinsant, 5–7, 7–6(7–5), [10–5]
Irina Khromacheva /
Maryna Zanevska def.
Victoria Kan /
Demi Schuurs, 6–4, 7–5
Maikel Scheffers def.
Nicolas Peifer, 7–6(7–3), 6–3
Esther Vergeer def.
Marjolein Buis, 6–0, 6–2
Shingo Kunieda /
Nicolas Peifer def.
Robin Ammerlaan /
Stefan Olsson, 6–2, 6–3
Esther Vergeer /
Sharon Walraven def.
Jiske Griffioen /
Aniek van Koot, 5–7, 6–4, [10–5]
Fabrice Santoro /
Todd Woodbridge def.
Arnaud Boetsch /
Cédric Pioline, 6–2, 6–4
Guy Forget /
Henri Leconte def.
Andrés Gómez /
John McEnroe, 6–3, 5–7, [10–8]
Lindsay Davenport /
Martina Hingis def.
Martina Navratilova /
Jana Novotná, 6–1, 6–2
The following are the seeded players and notable players who withdrew from the event. Rankings are as of 16 May 2011 and the Points are as of 23 May 2011. For the first time since the 2006 French Open, the top four seeds all made it to the semifinals.
Seed | Rank[79] | Player | Points | Points defending | Points won | New points | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Champion, defeated ![]() |
2 | 2 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Semifinal lost to ![]() |
3 | 3 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Runner-Up, lost to ![]() |
4 | 4 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Semifinal lost to ![]() |
5 | 5 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Quarterfinals lost to ![]() |
6 | 6 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
First round lost to ![]() |
7 | 7 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Fourth round lost to ![]() |
8 | 8 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Second round lost to ![]() |
9 | 9 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Quarterfinals lost to ![]() |
10 | 10 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
11 | 12 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
First round lost ![]() |
12 | 13 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
13 | 14 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Fourth round lost to ![]() |
14 | 15 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Fourth round lost to ![]() |
15 | 16 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Fourth round lost to ![]() |
16 | 17 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
17 | 18 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
18 | 19 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Fourth round lost to ![]() |
19 | 20 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
First round lost to ![]() |
20 | 21 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Second round lost to ![]() |
21 | 23 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
22 | 24 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
First round lost to ![]() |
23 | 25 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
24 | 26 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Second round lost to ![]() |
25 | 27 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
26 | 28 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
First round lost to ![]() |
27 | 29 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Second round vs ![]() |
28 | 30 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Second round lost to ![]() |
29 | 32 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
30 | 33 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
31 | 34 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Third round lost to ![]() |
32 | 35 | ![]() |
|
|
|
|
Second round lost to ![]() |
Rank | Player | Points |
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Points won | New points | Withdrew due to |
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11 | ![]() |
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right shoulder injury[84] |
22 | ![]() |
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illness[85] |
31 | ![]() |
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Left leg Injury[86] |
Seed | Rank[87] | Player | Points |
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Points won | New points | Status |
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1 | 1 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
2 | 2 | ![]() |
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Second round lost to ![]() |
3 | 3 | ![]() |
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Fourth round lost to ![]() |
4 | 4 | ![]() |
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Quarterfinals lost to ![]() |
5 | 5 | ![]() |
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Runner-up, lost to ![]() |
6 | 6 | ![]() |
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Champion, defeated ![]() |
7 | 7 | ![]() |
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Semifinal lost to ![]() |
8 | 8 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
9 | 9 | ![]() |
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Fourth round lost to ![]() |
10 | 10 | ![]() |
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Fourth round lost to ![]() |
11 | 11 | ![]() |
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Semifinal lost to ![]() |
12 | 12 | ![]() |
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Fourth round lost to ![]() |
13 | 13 | ![]() |
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Quarterfinals lost to ![]() |
14 | 14 | ![]() |
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Quarterfinals lost to ![]() |
15 | 15 | ![]() |
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Quarterfinals lost to ![]() |
16 | 16 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
17 | 18 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
18 | 19 | ![]() |
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First round lost to ![]() |
19 | 20 | ![]() |
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First round lost to ![]() |
20 | 21 | ![]() |
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First round lost to ![]() |
21 | 22 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
22 | 23 | ![]() |
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First round lost ![]() |
23 | 24 | ![]() |
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24 | 25 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
25 | 26 | ![]() |
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Fourth round lost to ![]() |
26 | 27 | ![]() |
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First round lost to ![]() |
27 | 28 | ![]() |
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Second round lost to ![]() |
28 | 30 | ![]() |
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Fourth round lost to ![]() |
29 | 31 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
30 | 32 | ![]() |
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Third round lost to ![]() |
31 | 33 | ![]() |
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First round lost to ![]() |
32 | 34 | ![]() |
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Second round lost to ![]() |
Rank | Player | Points |
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Points won | New points | Withdrew due to |
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17 | ![]() |
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Pulmonary embolism[93] |
24 | ![]() |
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Illness[90] |
29 | ![]() |
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hip injury[94] |
Below are the lists of the wildcard awardees entering in the main draws.
Men's singles wildcard entries[link] |
Women's singles wildcard entries[link] |
Men's doubles wildcard entries[link] |
Women's doubles wildcard entries[link] |
Men's singles qualifiers entries[link]Main article: 2011 French Open – Men's Singles Qualifying
The following players received entry from a lucky loser spot: |
Women's singles qualifiers entries[link]Main article: 2011 French Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
The following player received entry from a lucky loser spot: |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 2011 French Open |
Preceded by 2010 French Open |
French Open | Succeeded by 2012 French Open |
Preceded by 2011 Australian Open |
Grand Slams | Succeeded by 2011 Wimbledon |
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French Open Les internationaux de France de Roland-Garros |
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120px | ||
Official website | ||
Location | Paris(XVIe)![]() |
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Venue | Tennis Club de Paris, at Auteuil (some of the years from 1891–1908) Île de Puteaux (some of the years from 1891–1908) Racing Club de France (some of the years from 1891–1908, then 1910 to 1924, 1926 ) Société Athlétique de la Villa Primrose in Bordeaux (1909) Stade Français (1925, 1927) Stade Roland Garros (1928–present) |
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Surface | Sand – Île de Puteaux Clay – All other venues (Outdoors) |
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Men's draw | 128S / 128Q / 64D | |
Women's draw | 128S / 96Q / 64D | |
Prize money | €18,718,000 (2012)[1] | |
Grand Slam | ||
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Current | ||
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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,[2] and the most watched French event in the world.[3][4] 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.[5][6]
Currently, the 2012 French Open is being conducted from May 27 to June 10, 2012 in Paris.
Contents |
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". [7]
In 1891, a national tennis tournament began to be held, that was open only to tennis players who were members of French clubs. It was known as the Championnat de France, which is commonly referred to in English as the French Championships. The first women's tournament was held in 1897. This "French club members only" tournament was played until 1924. This tournament had four venues during those years:
Another tournament, the World Hard Court Championships held on clay courts at Stade Français in Saint-Cloud from 1912 to 1914, then in 1920, 1921 and 1923, and at Brussels, Belgium in 1922, is sometimes considered as the precursor to the French Open as it was open to international competitors. Winners of this tournament included world no. 1's such as Tony Wilding from New Zealand (1913, 1914) and Bill Tilden from the US (1921). In 1924 there was no World Hard Court Championships due to the tennis being played at the Paris Olympic Games.
In 1925, the French Championships became open to all amateurs internationally. This tournament was held at the Stade Français in Saint-Cloud (site of the previous World Hardcourt Championships) in 1925 and 1927, on clay. In 1926 the Racing Club de France hosted the event in Paris, again on clay (site of the previous "French club members only" Championship). In 1928, the Roland Garros stadium was opened and the event has been held there ever since.[8] After the Mousquetaires or Philadelphia Four (René Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, and Jacques Brugnon) won the Davis Cup on American soil in 1927, the French decided to defend the cup in 1928 at a new tennis stadium at Porte d’Auteuil. The Stade de France had offered the tennis authorities three hectares of land with the condition that the new stadium must be named after the World War I pilot, Roland Garros. The new Stade de Roland Garros, and its Center Court, which was named Court Philippe Chatrier in 1988, hosted that Davis Cup challenge.
From 1946 through 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon, making it the third Grand Slam event of the year.
In 1968, the French Championships became the first Grand Slam tournament to go open, allowing both amateurs and professionals to compete.[8]
Since 1981, new prizes have been presented: the Prix Orange (for the player demonstrating the best sportsmanship and cooperative attitude with the press), the Prix Citron (for the player with the strongest character and personality) and the Prix Bourgeon (for the tennis player revelation of the year).
In another novelty, since 2006 the tournament has begun on a Sunday, featuring 12 singles matches played on the three main courts.
Additionally, on the eve of the tournament's opening, the traditional Benny Berthet exhibition day takes place, where the profits go to different charity associations.
In March 2007, it was announced that the event would provide equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds for the first time.[9] In 2010, it was announced that the French Open was considering a move away from Roland Garros as part of a continuing rejuvenation of the tournament.[10]
Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce when compared to grass courts or hard courts. For this reason, clay courts take away some of the advantages of big serves and serve-and-volleyers, which makes it hard for serve-based players to dominate on the surface. For example, Pete Sampras, a player known for his huge serve, never won the French Open (nor even advanced to the final) in his entire career. Many players who have won multiple Grand Slam events have never won the French Open, including John McEnroe, Venus Williams, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, and Maria Sharapova. Andy Roddick, who once held the record for the second-fastest serve (249 km/hr) in the history of professional tennis and who has reached at least the semifinals of the other three Grand Slams multiple times, has never advanced past the fourth round at the French Open.
On the other hand, players whose games are more suited to slower surfaces, such as Björn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Rafael Nadal, and Mats Wilander, and on the women's side Justine Henin, have found great success at this tournament. In the open era, the only male players who have won both the French Open and Wimbledon, played on faster grass courts, are Rod Laver, Jan Kodeš, Björn Borg, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
In 2009 the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) announced that it had determined that the French Open's venue had become inadequate, compared to other major tennis tournament facilities. As a result, it had commissioned the French architect Marc Mimram (designer of the Passerelle des Deux Rives footbridge across the Rhine River in Strasbourg[11]) to design a significant expansion of Stade Roland Garros. On the current property, the proposal calls for the addition of lights and a roof over Court Philippe Chatrier. At the nearby Georges Hébert municipal recreation area, east of Roland Garros at Porte d'Auteuil, a fourth stadium will be built, with a retractable roof and 14,600 seating capacity, along with two smaller courts with seating for 1,500 and 750.[12]
In 2010, faced with opposition to the proposed expansion from factions within the Paris City Council, the FFT announced it is considering an alternate plan to move the French Open to a completely new, 55-court venue outside of Paris city limits. Three sites reportedly being considered are Marne-la-Vallée (site of the Euro Disney resort), the northern Paris suburb of Gonesse, and a vacant army base near Versailles.[13] Amid charges of bluffing and brinkmanship, a spokesman explained that Roland Garros is less than half the size of other Grand Slam venues, leaving the FFT with only two viable options: expansion of the existing facility or relocation of the event.[14]
In February 2011, the decision was taken to keep the French Open at its current location near the Porte d'Auteuil. The venue will undergo major renovations by 2016. Court n°1 will be demolished, while 2 new courts will be built. In addition, a retractable roof will be installed on the Philippe Chatrier court, and the size of the venue will be expanded by 60%.
At the 2010 French Open there were 250 "ramasseurs de balles" which in English translates literally as "gatherers of balls". They are aged between 12 and 16 years old, and dress in matching shirts and shorts. The 250 ball boys and ball girls are chosen to take part in the French Open by an application and selection process, which in 2010 had approximately 2,500 applicants from across France.[15] Upon selection the ball boys and ball girls participate in preparatory training in the weeks leading up to the French Open to ensure that they are prepared for the day they set foot on the professional tennis court in front of a global audience.
For 2012, the prize money purse was increased to €18,718,000 from €17,520,000 in 2011. The prize money and points breakdown is as follows:[16]
Event | W | F | SF | QF | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | |
Singles | Points (M/F) | 2000 | 1200 / 1400 | 720 / 900 | 360 / 500 | 180 / 280 | 90 / 160 | 45 / 100 | 10/5 |
Prize money | €1,250,000 | €625,000 | €310,000 | €155,000 | €80,000 | €47,000 | €28,000 | €18,000 | |
Doubles | Points (M/F) | 2000 | 1200 / 1400 | 720 / 900 | 360 / 500 | 180 / 280 | 90 / 160 | - | - |
Prize money* | €340,000 | €170,000 | €85,000 | €43,000 | €23,000 | €12,000 | €8,000 | - | |
Mixed Doubles |
Points | NA | NA | NA | NA | - | - | NA | NA |
Prize money* | €100,000 | €50,000 | €25,000 | €13,000 | - | - | €7,000 | €3,500 |
* per team
The trophies are all made of pure silver with finely etched decorations on their side, each new singles winner gets his or her name written on the plate holding the trophy.
Winners receive a replica of the won trophy. Pure silver replicas of the trophies are fabricated and engraved for each winner by the Maison Mellerio, located in the Rue de la Paix, Paris.
Rafael Nadal won his sixth French Open title, and the tenth slam title of his career.
Li Na won her first-ever Grand Slam tennis singles title, and the first-ever Grand Slam singles title for Asia and China.
Daniel Nestor was part of the winning men's doubles team. Nestor won his third French Open Men's Doubles title, and the seventh slam title in that discipline.
Max Mirnyi was part of the winning men's doubles team. Mirnyi won his third French Open Men's Doubles title, and fifth Major title in that discipline.
Andrea Hlaváčková was a member of the victorious Women's Doubles team, claiming her first Major title. She and her partner were unseeded in the Women's Doubles draw.
Lucie Hradecká was a member of the victorious Women's Doubles team, claiming her first Grand Slam tournament title. She and her partner were unseeded in the Women's Doubles draw.
Casey Dellacqua was part of the winning mixed doubles team. Dellacqua won her first French Open Mixed Doubles title, and the first slam title in mixed doubles.
Scott Lipsky was part of the winning mixed doubles team. Lipsky won his first French Open Mixed Doubles title, and his first slam title in mixed doubles.
Event | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
2011 Men's Singles | ![]() |
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7–5, 7–6(7–3), 5–7, 6–1 |
2011 Women's Singles | ![]() |
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6–4, 7–6(7–0) |
2011 Men's Doubles | ![]() ![]() |
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7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–4 |
2011 Women's Doubles | ![]() ![]() |
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6–4, 6–3 |
2011 Mixed Doubles | ![]() ![]() |
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7–6(8–6), 4–6, [10–7] |
Record | Era | Player(s) | Num. | Years |
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Men since 1891 | ||||
Winner of most men's singles titles | Before 1925: | ![]() |
8 | 1903, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, 1914 |
1925–1967: | ![]() |
4 | 1926, 1928, 1930, 1932 Note: Also won World Hard Court Championship in 1922 | |
After 1967: | ![]() ![]() |
6 | 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 |
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Winner of most consecutive men's singles titles | Before 1925: | ![]() |
4 | 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900 |
1925–1967: | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2 | 1948, 1949 1951, 1952 1954, 1955 1959, 1960 |
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After 1967: | ![]() ![]() |
4 | 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 |
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Winner of most men's doubles titles | Before 1925: | ![]() |
14 | 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1920 |
1925–1967: | ![]() |
6 | 1960, 1962 with Neale Fraser; 1961 with Rod Laver; 1963 with Manuel Santana; 1964 with Ken Fletcher; 1965 with Fred Stolle | |
After 1967: | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | 1995, 1998 with Jacco Eltingh; 2002 with Yevgeny Kafelnikov 1996, 1997 with Daniel Vacek; 2002 with Paul Haarhuis 1999; 2001 with Mahesh Bhupati; 2009 with Lukáš Dlouhý |
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Winner of most consecutive men's doubles titles | Before 1925: | ![]() |
13 | 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914 |
1925–1967: | ![]() |
6 | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 | |
After 1967: | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
2 | 1978 with Hank Pfister; 1979 with Sandy Mayer 1996, 1997 2005, 2006 2010, 2011 |
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Winner of most mixed doubles titles – Men | Before 1925: | ![]() |
7 | 1904, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1909, 1914 and 1920 with Suzanne Lenglen |
1925-today: | ![]() |
4 | 1968, 1971, 1973 with Françoise Durr | |
Winner of most titles (total: singles, doubles, mixed) – men | Before 1925: | ![]() |
29 | 1902–1920 (8 singles, 14 doubles, 7 mixed) |
1925-today: | ![]() |
8 | 1960–1967 (2 singles, 6 doubles) | |
Women since 1897 | ||||
Winner of most women's singles titles | Before 1968: | ![]() |
6 | 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926 Note: Also won World Hard Court Championship in 1914, 1921, 1922 & 1923 |
After 1967: | ![]() |
7 | 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986 | |
Winner of most consecutive women's singles titles | Before 1968: | ![]() ![]() |
4 | 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 |
After 1967: | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | 1990, 1991, 1992 2005, 2006, 2007 |
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Winner of most women's doubles titles | Before 1968: | ![]() |
6 | 1933, 1934 with Elizabeth Ryan; 1936, 1937, 1938 with Billie Yorke; 1939 with Jadwiga Jędrzejowska |
After 1967: | ![]() ![]() |
7 | 1975 (with Chris Evert); 1982 with Anne Smith; 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 with Pam Shriver; 1986 with Andrea Temesvári | |
Winner of most consecutive women's doubles titles | Before 1968: | ![]() |
5 | 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 |
After 1967: | ![]() ![]() |
5 | 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 with Pam Shriver; 1986 with Andrea Temesvári 1991 with Jana Novotná; 1992–95 with Natasha Zvereva |
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Winner of most mixed doubles titles – women | Before 1968: | ![]() |
7 | 1914, 1920 with Max Decugis 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926 with Jacques Brugnon |
After 1967: | ![]() |
3 | 1968, 1971, 1973 with Jean-Claude Barclay | |
Winner of most titles (total: singles, doubles, mixed) – women | Before 1968: | ![]() |
15 | 1919–1926 (6 singles, 2 doubles, 7 mixed) |
After 1967: | ![]() ![]() |
11 | 1974–88 (2 singles, 7 doubles, 2 mixed) | |
Miscellaneous | ||||
Youngest winner | Men: | ![]() |
17 years and 3 months | |
Women: | ![]() |
16 years and 6 months | ||
Oldest winner | Men: | ![]() |
34 years and 10 months | |
Women: | ![]() |
31 years and 6 months | ||
Unseeded Winners | Men: | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
1946 1982 1997 2004 |
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Women: | ![]() |
1933 |
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roland Garros |
Preceded by Australian Open |
Grand Slam Tournament May–June |
Succeeded by Wimbledon |
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Coordinates: 48°50′49.79″N 2°14′57.18″E / 48.8471639°N 2.2492167°E / 48.8471639; 2.2492167
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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]
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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]
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]
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]
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.
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]
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]
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]
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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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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]
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]
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 |
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2003 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | ![]() |
7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3) |
Winner | 2004 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | ![]() |
7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 2004 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | ![]() |
4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 |
Winner | 2004 | US Open (1) | Hard | ![]() |
6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0 |
Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | ![]() |
6–2, 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
Winner | 2005 | US Open (2) | Hard | ![]() |
6–3, 2–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1 |
Winner | 2006 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | ![]() |
5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2006 | French Open (1) | Clay | ![]() |
6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7) |
Winner | 2006 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | ![]() |
6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3 |
Winner | 2006 | US Open (3) | Hard | ![]() |
6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
Winner | 2007 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | ![]() |
7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2007 | French Open (2) | Clay | ![]() |
3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 2007 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | ![]() |
7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2 |
Winner | 2007 | US Open (4) | Hard | ![]() |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2008 | French Open (3) | Clay | ![]() |
1–6, 3–6, 0–6 |
Runner-up | 2008 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | ![]() |
4–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(10–8), 7–9 |
Winner | 2008 | US Open (5) | Hard | ![]() |
6–2, 7–5, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2009 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | ![]() |
5–7, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 2–6 |
Winner | 2009 | French Open (1) | Clay | ![]() |
6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4 |
Winner | 2009 | Wimbledon (6) | Grass | ![]() |
5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14 |
Runner-up | 2009 | US Open (1) | Hard | ![]() |
6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
Winner | 2010 | Australian Open (4) | Hard | ![]() |
6–3, 6–4, 7–6(13–11) |
Runner-up | 2011 | French Open (4) | Clay | ![]() |
5–7, 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 1–6 |
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 |
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2003 | ![]() |
Hard | ![]() |
6–3, 6–0, 6–4 |
Winner | 2004 | ![]() |
Hard | ![]() |
6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2005 | ![]() |
Carpet (i) | ![]() |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(13–11), 2–6, 1–6, 6–7(3–7) |
Winner | 2006 | ![]() |
Hard (i) | ![]() |
6–0, 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 2007 | ![]() |
Hard (i) | ![]() |
6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
Winner | 2010 | ![]() |
Hard (i) | ![]() |
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
Winner | 2011 | ![]() |
Hard (i) | ![]() |
6–3, 6–7(6–8), 6–3 |
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2008 | ![]() |
Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–3 |
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 |
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Persondata | |
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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 |
Lee Chong Wei | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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200px | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Birth name | 李宗伟 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1982-10-21) October 21, 1982 (age 29) George Town, Penang, Malaysia |
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Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 60 kg (130 lb; 9.4 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | ![]() |
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Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coach | Tey Seu Bock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Men's singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest Ranking | 1 (29 June 2006 – 20 July 2006, 24 August 2006 – 21 September 2006, 21 August 2008 –) |
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Current Ranking | 1 (Thursday, January 05, 2012[1]) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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BWF Profile |
Datuk Lee Chong Wei (simplified Chinese: 李宗伟; traditional Chinese: 李宗偉; pinyin: Lǐ Zōngwěi; born October 21, 1982 in Georgetown, Penang[2]) is a professional badminton player from Malaysia who resides in Bukit Mertajam.[3] Lee won the silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games, thus becoming the first Malaysian to reach the final of the men's singles event and ending Malaysia's Olympic medal drought since the 1996 Games. This achievement also earned him the title Datuk, and a description by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as a national hero.[4]
As a singles player, Lee was ranked first worldwide on August 21, 2008.[5] He is the third Malaysian men's singles shuttler after Rashid Sidek and Roslin Hashim to achieve such a ranking (since official rankings were first kept in the 1980s), and is the only Malaysian shuttler to hold the ranking for more than two weeks.
Lee is one of the most accomplished Malaysian badminton players having won two All-England championships. However, he is still searching for his first Olympic Games, World Championship and Asian Games titles as the world number 1.
Contents |
In his early years, Lee favoured basketball, however his mother soon banned him from that activity due to the searing heat of the outdoor basketball court. Lee began to learn badminton at the age of 11, when his father, who liked to play the game, brought him to the badminton hall. Attracting the attention of a local coach, the coach asked Lee's father if he could take him as a student. After receiving the nod from his father, the coach began to train Lee after school.[6] Discovered by Misbun Sidek, he was drafted into the national squad when he was seventeen years old.[7]
On November 3, 2006, Lee was involved in a car accident. On his way to Bukit Jalil after dinner, he was knocked from behind by a vehicle which had lost control after a tire burst. He was then sent to the Sunway Medical Centre and treated with six stitches for his head injury.[8]
Lee received RM300,000 on August 21, 2008, as a reward for his silver medal effort in the 2008 Olympic Games. Also, he received RM3,000 a month as a lifetime pension beginning in August 2008.[9] For the same achievement, he was conferred with a Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which carries the title Datuk by Governor of Penang, Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas on August 30, 2008.[10]
On June 6, 2009, Lee received the Darjah Bakti (DB) award, from Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, in conjunction with the Birthday of Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, for his achievements in the 2008 Olympics.[11] He was in a relationship with Wong Mew Choo, his teammate.[12] However, Lee and Wong announced they are no longer together during the 2009 World Championships in Hyderabad, India.[13]
On March 16, 2011, Lee received Permodalan Nasional Berhad shares worth MYR100,000 from Najib Tun razak soon after his triumph in All England Open.[14] He appointed as KDU University College ambassador on July 31, 2011.[15]
He has hinted he could retire following the 2012 Olympics.[16]
Lee autobiography "Dare to be a Champion" was officially published on January 18, 2012.[17]
Lee picked up only one title in 2002 and 2003, the major achievement being, reaching the final of the 2003 Malaysia Open, his first final of a major tournament, where was defeated by Chen Hong of China.[18]
Lee then secured two titles in 2004, the Malaysia Open and Chinese Taipei Open. Lee gained a spot for 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. In his first Olympics appearance, Lee defeated Ng Wei of Hong Kong in the first round. His journey ended in the second round when he was beaten by Chen Hong.[19] Lee then bagged another two titles in 2005, his second Malaysia Open title and Denmark Open. Lee bagged bronze in his first appearance in the world meet, the 2005 World Championships after losing to eventual winner Taufik Hidayat in the semifinal.[20]
Lee then wrapped up three titles out of six finals in 2006. He was crowned as the winner of Swiss Open,[21] Asian Badminton Championships and his third Malaysia Open title. He also reached the final of the Chinese Taipei Open, Macau Open and Hong Kong Open. In the Malaysia Open, Lee pulled an amazing comeback, as he fought back from 13–20 down in the rubber game and saved eight match points against Lin Dan, and finally wrapped up the game 23–21 to secure the title.[22] Lee helped Malaysia bagged two gold medals in the badminton event for 2006 Commonwealth Games in March, in both men's singles and mixed team event.[23] Lee reaches top spot twice in Badminton World Federation's world rankings in 2006,[24] and he participated in the World Championships as top seed.[25] However, he was upset by Bao Chunlai of China in the quarterfinal despite Lee holds all win in previous meeting. The match was also marred by two controversial line calls that were not in favour of Lee.[26]
The 2007 season saw Lee failing to reach the final for the first time in five years in Malaysia Open, he also suffered an early exit in five competitions afterward and only saw him bounce back and took the Indonesia Open crown, his first title since the 2006 Malaysia Open after reuniting with former coach Misbun Sidek from Li Mao.[27] His performance at the second half of the year was solid, as he achieved three titles in Philippines Open, Japan Open, and French Open. He also managed to reach the final of the China Open and Hong Kong Open, despite his knee injury haunting him on both occasions.[28] Lee won all matches he played in Sudirman Cup in June, despite Malaysia finished only fifth in the tournament.[29] Lee's lowlight of the year was in World Championships, despite the tournament held in front of his home crowd and his solid performance during the second half of the year, he was upset in the third round to Indonesian's Sony Dwi Kuncoro.[30] Lee took a swipe at chief coach Yap Kim Hock soon after the defeat by claiming that Yap treated him indifferently and was putting pressure in his preparation for the championships.[31]
Lee kicked off year 2008 in success, capturing his fourth Malaysia Open title in five years.[32] However, Lee only captured his second title of the year in Singapore Open,[33] also the final tournament in his pre-Olympic preparations, just after five tournaments he took part, in Korea Open;[34] All England Open;[35] Swiss Open;[36] Badminton Asia Championships;[37] and Thomas Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia where Lee helped Malaysia advanced through to the semifinal where he defeated Lin Dan to give Malaysia a 1–0 lead in its clash with defending champion China. However, Malaysia eventually lost 2–3 due to the defeat of its first doubles team in the vital final match.[38]
In the 2008 Olympic Games, Lee was given a bye in the first round. He cruised to straight game victories over Ronald Susilo in the second round, Kęstutis Navickas in the third round,[39] and Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the quarterfinals.[40] He had a scare in the semifinals where Lee Hyun-il gave him a tough fight, but eventually Chong Wei was able to beat the South Korean and reach the final.[41] However, it was a one-sided final, as Lee was completely outplayed by Lin Dan and salvaged only 20 points, losing 12–21, 8–21.[42] He came second place overall.
Lee participated in several tournaments after the Olympic Games, without capturing a title. He advanced to the finals of the Japan Open, the Macau Open and China Open, but lost to Sony Dwi Kuncoro,[43] Taufik Hidayat,[44] and Lin Dan respectively.[45] In the French Open Lee was eliminated in the semifinals.[46] His coach, Misbun Sidek, cited the pressure of being ranked world number one to explain Lee's recent failure to capture a title.[47]
Lee ended his last Super Series tourney of the year, the Hong Kong Open, with a sudden withdrawal due to a knee injury, conceding a walkover to Germany’s Marc Zwiebler.[48] His last minute withdrawal led to the Chinese media to tag him as the "weakest world number one".[49] The Chinese media also speculated that the three factors had hampered Lee's performance since the Olympic Games. They listed these as the stress of the Olympic final, a phobia of Lin Dan due to his lopsided Olympic defeat at Lin's hands, and (echoing Misbun Sidek's conjecture) the pressure of being the world number one.[50]
Despite Lee's recent difficulties in international play, he recorded his seventh consecutive victory at the National Badminton Grand Prix Final in Kedah on December 12, 2008, thus breaking the record of six consecutive titles set by Misbun Sidek.[51] Lee ended the year with a title in the Super Series Masters Finals, however, Lin Dan and China's other top players did not compete, their association citing injuries and fatigue.[52]
Lee Chong Wei started 2009 season with his fifth Malaysia Open title.[53] He failed to secure his first Korea Open and All England Open title despite marching into the final.[54][55] However, he secured his second title of the year in the Swiss Open which was held in Basel, defeating Lin Dan in straight sets and marking his first win in the finals against the Chinese opponent outside home turf.[56] Next, Lee surprisingly was defeated by Chen Long of China in the India Open.[57] He cited that the loss was due to food poisoning and insisted the authorities to improve the conditions before the World Championships.[58] In May, Lee helped Malaysia reached the semi-finals of the Sudirman Cup, the first in national history, despite his unbeaten record in the tournament being blown out by Lin Dan.[59] He bagged another two titles in June, the Indonesia Open,[60] and the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold,[61] despite failing to defend his Singapore Open title when he was surprised by Nguyen Tien Minh in the second round.[62]
Lee kicks off second half of the season with defeat to Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the world meets,[63] but recovery to won the Macau Open in August.[64] He reached semi-final in the China Masters, but once again failed to beat his all time rivalry Lin Dan.[65] Then, Lee participated in the Japan Open, he only manage into second round of the Open,[66] before won the Hong Kong Open in November.[67] His inconsistency saw him tumbles down in the first round of the China Open.[68] In December, Lee defended his Super Series Masters Finals title, which saw the competition played without the top badminton players in the world.[69]
Lee started the year with the title in all events he took part, his first treble in the Super Series titles. His first ever Korea Open crown,[70] sixth Malaysia Open,[71] and defeated Kenichi Tago to win the oldest and prestigious badminton championship in the world, the All England Open, his first one since he took part in 2004.[72]
Lee participated in the Thomas Cup in his home ground. He managed to defeat Kenichi Tago and take the first point, despite Malaysia's eventual loss (2–3) to Japan.[73] In the quarter finals, he beat Peter Gade, thus helping to secure Malaysia's place in the semi-finals.[74] In the semi finals against China, Lee was defeated by Lin Dan, which ended his 18-match unbeaten record since the start of the year.[75]
In June, Lee participated in Singapore Open losing in the quarter-finals.[76] However, Lee bounced back winning the Indonesia Open,[77] Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold in July,[78] and Macau Open in August.[79] In late August, Lee suffered a shock exit in his another attempt for World Championships, beaten by Taufik Hidayat in the quarterfinals.[80] Misbun cited that the lost was due to the back injury he picked-up after the match against Rajiv Ouseph in the third round.[81] On September 26, Lee beat his arch rival Lin Dan in Japan Open, the only title not grabbed by Chinese players in the tournament.[82]
In October, he helped Malaysia to beat India to defend the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games mixed team event, then he also successfully defended his gold medal once again in the singles event a few days later.[83] The following month he won a silver medal at the Asian Games. Despite beating reigning World Champion Chen Jin in the semi-final, Lee once again tasted defeat at the hands of his great rival, Lin Dan, in the final.[84] In season end, He bagged the second consecutive Hong Kong Open title,[85] and third consecutive Super Series Master Finals title, where the tournament was held in January 2011.[86]
In January, Lee won his seventh Malaysia Open title by defeating Taufik Hidayat from Indonesia in the final.[87] However, he failed to defend the Korea Open title, the world's first ever million-dollar badminton tournament, after being beaten by Lin Dan from China in three games.[88] In March, Lee cruised into the final of the All England Open for the third consecutive time and retained his title successfully with a convincing straight games victory over Lin Dan, and was praised by prime minister Najib Tun Razak.[89]
On Labour Day, he won his first ever India Open,[90] and also his third consecutive Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold title a week later.[91] Despite the fact that Lee won all his matches he played during the Sudirman Cup, Malaysia's journey ended in quarterfinals, after being beaten by South Korea 2–3.[92][93][94] In late June, he won the Indonesia Open, becoming the first non-Indonesian player to complete the hat-trick in the tournament.[95]
Lee's hopes of becoming the first Malaysian to win gold in the World Championships were dashed after defeat by Lin Dan in the final. Lee led for most of the match but lost two important match points in the rubber game.[96] In September, Lee also failed to defend his Japan Open crown after defeated by China's rising star Chen Long.[97] In October, he lost to Chen Long again in bid of winning his second Denmark Open title.[98] He won the French Open a week later.[99] This was followed by triple semi-finals exit in Hong Kong Open,[100] China Open,[101] and Super Series Master Finals.[102]
Lee started the Olympic year with the first Super Series tournament of the season, the Korea Open. In a repeat of last year's final, he avenged his loss to Lin Dan by defeating him in three sets.[103] A week later, he captured his fifth straight and eighth Malaysia Open title, thus equalling the number of home titles held by Wong Peng Soon who won between 1940 and 1953.[104]
In March, Lee lost in the All England Open when he was retired in the second game after received medical for three times. This also dashed Lee hopes to become first man in open era to win three successive All England Open title.[105] In April, he was upset by South Korean Shon Wan-ho in the final of India Open,[106] but he retained Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold title for fourth time in a row in May.[107] Lee out for three to four weeks after suffered ankle injury during Thomas Cup Group C tie against Denmark.[108]
Below is the list of awards won by Lee, also he was appointed as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2009.[109]
Date | Awards | Reason |
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5 April 2006 | 2005 National Sportsman[110] | Consistency and focus in game |
29 April 2006 | 2005 Penang Sportsman[111] | Performance in the 2005 IBF World Championships and 2005 All England Open Badminton Championships. |
18 November 2008 | 2007 Penang Sportsman[112] | |
12 December 2008 | Malaysia's Male Olympian 2008[113] | The only Malaysian to win a silver medal in 2008 Summer Olympics. |
2008 | BWF Player of the Year[114] | |
23 March 2009 | 2008 National Sportsman[115] | |
12 June 2009 | Winner of the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM) awards[116] | |
9 August 2009 | 2008 Penang Sportsman[117] | |
17 October 2010 | 2009 Penang Sportsman[118] | |
12 December 2011 | BWF Player of the Year[119] |
Outcome | Year | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
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1 | 2012 | Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold (4) | ![]() |
17–21, 21–8, 21–10 |
2 | 2012 | India Open | ![]() |
18–21, 21–14, 19–21 |
2 | 2012 | All England Open | ![]() |
19–21, 2–6 (retired) |
1 | 2012 | Malaysia Open (8) | ![]() |
21–6, 21–13 |
1 | 2012 | Korea Open (2) | ![]() |
12–21, 21–18, 21–14 |
1 | 2011 | French Open (2) | ![]() |
21–16, 21–11 |
2 | 2011 | Denmark Open | ![]() |
15–21, 18–21 |
2 | 2011 | Japan Open | ![]() |
8–21, 21–10, 19–21 |
2 | 2011 | World Championships | ![]() |
22–20, 14–21, 21–23 |
1 | 2011 | Indonesia Open (4) | ![]() |
21–11, 21–7 |
1 | 2011 | Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold (3) | ![]() |
21–9, 21–19 |
1 | 2011 | India Open | ![]() |
21–12, 12–21, 21–15 |
1 | 2011 | All England Open (2) | ![]() |
21–17, 21–17 |
2 | 2011 | Korea Open | ![]() |
19–21, 21–14, 16–21 |
1 | 2011 | Malaysia Open (7) | ![]() |
21–8, 21–17 |
1 | 2010 | Super Series Masters Finals (3) | ![]() |
21–9, 21–14 |
1 | 2010 | Hong Kong Open (2) | ![]() |
21–19, 21–9 |
2 | 2010 | Asian Games | ![]() |
13–21, 21–15, 10–21 |
1 | 2010 | Commonwealth Games (2) | ![]() |
21–10, 21–8 |
1 | 2010 | Japan Open (2) | ![]() |
22–20, 16–21, 21–17 |
1 | 2010 | Macau Open (2) | ![]() |
No match |
1 | 2010 | Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold (2) | ![]() |
21–8, 14–21, 21–15 |
1 | 2010 | Indonesia Open (3) | ![]() |
21–19, 21–8 |
1 | 2010 | All England Open (1) | ![]() |
21–19, 21–19 |
1 | 2010 | Malaysia Open (6) | ![]() |
21–13, 21–7 |
1 | 2010 | Korea Open (1) | ![]() |
21–12, 21–11 |
1 | 2009 | Super Series Masters Finals (2) | ![]() |
21–17, 21–17 |
1 | 2009 | Hong Kong Open (1) | ![]() |
21–13, 13–21, 21–16 |
1 | 2009 | Macau Open (1) | ![]() |
21–15, 21–19 |
1 | 2009 | Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold (1) | ![]() |
21–16, 21–9 |
1 | 2009 | Indonesia Open (2) | ![]() |
21–9, 21–14 |
1 | 2009 | Swiss Open (2) | ![]() |
21–16, 21–16 |
2 | 2009 | All England Open | ![]() |
19–21, 12–21 |
2 | 2009 | Korea Open | ![]() |
18–21, 21–10, 17–21 |
1 | 2009 | Malaysia Open (5) | ![]() |
21–14, 21–13 |
1 | 2008 | Super Series Masters Finals (1) | ![]() |
21–8, 21–16 |
2 | 2008 | China Open | ![]() |
18–21, 9–21 |
2 | 2008 | Macau Open | ![]() |
19–21, 15–21 |
2 | 2008 | Japan Open | ![]() |
17–21, 11–21 |
2 | 2008 | Olympic Games | ![]() |
12–21, 8–21 |
1 | 2008 | Singapore Open | ![]() |
21–13, 21–5 |
2 | 2008 | Swiss Open | ![]() |
13–21, 18–21 |
1 | 2008 | Malaysia Open (4) | ![]() |
21–15, 11–21, 21–17 |
2 | 2007 | Hong Kong Open | ![]() |
21–9, 15–21, 15–21 |
2 | 2007 | China Open | ![]() |
12–21, 13–21 |
1 | 2007 | French Open (1) | ![]() |
21–11, 21–14 |
1 | 2007 | Japan Open (1) | ![]() |
22–20, 19–21, 21–19 |
1 | 2007 | Philippines Open | ![]() |
21–9, 21–15 |
1 | 2007 | Indonesia Open (1) | ![]() |
21–15, 21–16 |
2 | 2006 | Hong Kong Open | ![]() |
19–21, 21–8, 16–21 |
2 | 2006 | Macau Open | ![]() |
18–21, 21–18, 18–21 |
2 | 2006 | Chinese Taipei Open | ![]() |
18–21, 21–12, 11–21 |
1 | 2006 | Malaysia Open (3) | ![]() |
21–18, 18–21, 23–21 |
1 | 2006 | Asian Badminton Championships | ![]() |
21–12, 21–16 |
1 | 2006 | Commonwealth Games (1) | ![]() |
21–13, 21–12 |
1 | 2006 | Swiss Open (1) | ![]() |
15–8, 15–0 |
1 | 2005 | Denmark Open | ![]() |
17–14, 15–8 |
1 | 2005 | Malaysia Open (2) | ![]() |
17–15, 9–15, 15–9 |
1 | 2004 | Chinese Taipei Open | ![]() |
15–4, 15–10 |
2 | 2004 | Singapore Open | ![]() |
15–17, 4–15 |
1 | 2004 | Malaysia Open (1) | ![]() |
15–13, 15–12 |
1 | 2003 | Malaysia Satellite | ![]() |
15–7, 15–9 |
2 | 2003 | Asian Satellite | ![]() |
5–15, 13–15 |
2 | 2003 | Malaysia Open | ![]() |
9–15, 5–15 |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Lee, Chong Wei |
Alternative names | |
Short description | Professional badminton player |
Date of birth | October 21, 1982 |
Place of birth | Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
Chen Long | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Birth name | 谌龙 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1989-01-18) January 18, 1989 (age 23)![]() |
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Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 79 kg (170 lb; 12.4 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | ![]() |
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Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Men's singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest Ranking | 2 (October 27, 2011) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current Ranking | 3 (January 12, 2012[1]) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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BWF Profile |
Chen Long (Chinese: 谌龙; born January 18, 1989 in Shashi, Jingzhou, Hubei) is a male badminton player from China.
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Chen participated in the Korea Open Super Series in January. He made it through to the semi-finals before losing to Danish player Peter Gade, 13–21 21–10 17–21. A week later, in the Malaysia Open, he lost in the opening round to Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand.
At the prestigious All England Open in March, he registered an impressive victory over 8th seed Jan Jorgensen in the first round but fell to Korea's Shon Wan-ho 18–21 21–18 19–21 in the second round. He followed up this disappointment with his best ever performance in a Super Series event by making it through to the final of the Swiss Open, where he finished runner-up to compatriot Chen Jin.
Chen was part of the Chinese team that won gold at the 2010 Thomas Cup in Kuala Lumpur. He only featured in their opening match against Peru, taking just 31 minutes to beat his opponent, before being replaced in the team by Bao Chunlai for the later rounds. Chen's first individual title of 2010 came at the Bitburger Open in Germany, where he beat Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus 21–3 12–21 21–9 in the final of the GP Gold event. His good form continued when he finished runner-up to Lin Dan at the China Masters two weeks later, going down 15–21 21–13 14–21 to the reigning Olympic champion.
Chen obtained a second team gold medal of the year with China at the Asian Games held in Guangzhou, but did not feature in the individual event. More success followed when he won the China Open Super Series two weeks later. His passage to the final included a controversial walkover by Lin Dan in the quarter-finals and a hard fought victory over current World champion Chen Jin in the semi-finals. In the final, he squared off against teammate Bao Chunlai, emerging the victor after 75 minutes of play. Chen's attempt at back-to-back Super Series titles came to an end at the hands of former Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat in the semi-final of the Hong Kong Open the following week. Chen's strong finish to the year saw his world ranking rise to a career high of 3rd, briefly becoming the top ranked Chinese player.
In the first tournament of the new season, Chen Long was convincingly beaten by world No 1 Lee Chong Wei in the semi-final of the Malaysia Open. It took just 39 minutes for the Malaysian to blow away the upcoming Chinese star with a score of 21–9 21–9. The effects of the demoralising defeat were still evident a week later when Chen lost in the second round of the Korea Open to Japanese player Kenichi Tago. His first individual title of the year came at the Thailand Open, where he beat experienced Korean player Lee Hyun-il in the final.
In August, Chen was eliminated in the first round of the World Championships by unheralded Guatemalan player Kevin Cordón in what was one of the shock results of the tournament. Cordón emerged the victor after clinching the third set 27–25 in a thrilling encounter. Chen sprang back from his shock exit from the World Championships by winning his first China Masters title after defeating his compatriot Chen Jin in the final. A week later, he won his first Japan Open by avenging world No 1 Lee Chong Wei in the final. In October, Chen won his third consecutive Super Series tournament with another victory over Lee Chong Wei, this time in the final of the Denmark Open in its first year as a Premier Super Series event.
His highlights of the season were followed by an exit from semi-finals of Hong Kong Open and failure to defend his China Open title after losing to his compatriot, Lin Dan, in the final. He ended year 2011 with another runner-up in Super Series Master Finals, being beaten by Lin Dan again.
Rank | Year | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
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2 | 2011 | BWF Super Series Masters Finals | ![]() |
12–21, 16-21 |
2 | 2011 | China Open | ![]() |
17–21, 24–26 |
1 | 2011 | Denmark Open | ![]() |
21–15, 21–18 |
1 | 2011 | Japan Open | ![]() |
21–8, 10–21, 21–19 |
1 | 2011 | China Masters | ![]() |
21–16, 22–20 |
1 | 2011 | Thailand Open | ![]() |
21–8, 21–19 |
1 | 2010 | China Open | ![]() |
9–21, 21–14, 21–16 |
2 | 2010 | China Masters | ![]() |
15–21, 21–13, 14–21 |
1 | 2010 | Bitburger Open | ![]() |
21–3, 12–21, 21–9 |
2 | 2010 | Swiss Open | ![]() |
21–12, 15–21, 17–21 |
2 | 2010 | German Open | ![]() |
13–21, 10–21 |
1 | 2009 | Philippine Open | ![]() |
21–13, 21–6 |
2 | 2009 | Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold | ![]() |
16–21, 9–21 |
2 | 2009 | Badminton Asia Championships | ![]() |
21–16, 10–21, 16–21 |
Junior Tournaments | ||||
1 | 2007 | World Junior Championships | ![]() |
21–16, 21–14 |
1 | 2007 | Asian Junior Championships | ![]() |
18–21, 21–18, 22–20 |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Chen, Long |
Alternative names | |
Short description | Chinese badminton player |
Date of birth | January 18, 1989 |
Place of birth | Shashi, Jingzhou, Hubei, China |
Date of death | |
Place of death |