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- published: 31 Oct 2012
- views: 614
- author: Bollywoodhague
Country | India |
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Born | (1953-12-14) December 14, 1953 (age 58) Chennai, India |
Height | 1.93m (6ft. 4in.) |
Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) |
Turned pro | 1970 |
Retired | 1993 |
Plays | Right-handed |
Career prize money | $1,331,913 |
Singles | |
Career record | 391–303[1] |
Career titles | 16 |
Highest ranking | No. 16 (7 July 1980) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (1983, 1984) |
French Open | 3R (1974) |
Wimbledon | QF (1973, 1981) |
US Open | QF (1973, 1974) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 262–217 |
Career titles | 13 |
Highest ranking | No. 23 (24 March 1980) |
Last updated on: 4 June 2007. |
Vijay Amritraj (Tamil: விஜய் அம்ரித்ராஜ், born 14 December 1953) is a former Indian tennis player, sports commentator and actor.[2]
Vijay was born in Chennai, India to Maggie Dhairyam and Robert Amritraj.[3] He and his brothers, Anand Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis. They did their schooling in Don Bosco Egmore, Chennai, and later graduated from Loyola College, Chennai. In 1976, the brothers (Vijay and Anand) were semifinalists in the Wimbledon men's doubles. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1983.
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After playing his first grand prix event in 1970, Amritraj achieved his first significant success in singles in 1973 when he reached the quarter-final stage at two Grand Slam events. At Wimbledon he lost 7–5 in the fifth set to the eventual champion Jan Kodeš and later that summer at the US Open, lost to Ken Rosewall after having beaten Rod Laver two rounds earlier.
Amritraj repeated his feat at Forest Hills in 1974 when he went out in the last eight again to Rosewall after beating a young Björn Borg in the second round. In the years that followed he reached the latter stages of numerous Grand Prix events but failed to meet with success in Grand Slam tournaments. It was not until 1981 when Amritraj again reached the quarterfinals, going out in five sets to Jimmy Connors. This match typified Amritraj's tennis. He was a natural grass-court player who liked to chip-and-charge and serve-and-volley. He could compete against the world's best but often would lose longer matches through a lack of stamina. Against Connors he was up two sets but lost the last two convincingly in a 2–6, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2 loss. A similar Wimbledon result occurred in 1979 in the 2nd round where he looked set to defeat defending champion Borg, up two sets to one and 4–1 in the fourth set, only to lose 2–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6, 6–2.
Amritraj was the captain of the Indian Davis Cup for much of the late 1970s and 1980s, helping India reach the finals in 1974 and 1987. It was here that he revelled as a champion and chalked memorable wins against higher ranked players. A do-or-die five set epic over Martín Jaite of Argentina was the highlight of India's run to the final in 1987.
Amritraj still plays occasionally and has entered the finals of the 2008 Wimbledon Sr. Invitation Gentlemen's Doubles, partnering Gene Mayer. They were seeded number 1. During next years Amritraj participated in Wimbledon Sr. Inviation Gentlemen's Doubles with John Fitzgerald.
Amritaj also had a brief acting career. His most notable appearance is probably as the MI6 agent Vijay in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.[4] He also appeared in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home as a starship captain.
He was also a regular character in the NBC TV series The Last Precinct and the Yakov Smirnoff comedy What a Country, as well as a guest star on various television shows such as Hart to Hart. He has since gone on to become a sports commentator, has been a judge at the Miss Universe pageant, and has developed a successful multimedia business.
On 9 February 2001 Vijay Amritraj was appointed UN Messenger of Peace. He has been a committed advocate to people in need, devoting his time to raising awareness on the issues of drugs and HIV/AIDS and in raising funds to fight the spread of AIDS worldwide.[5]
In 2006, after completing his assignment as a "United Nations Messenger of Peace", Vijay Amritraj founded "The Vijay Amritraj Foundation".[6][7] The foundation's mission is to bring hope, help and healing to the defenseless and innocent victims of disease, tragedy and circumstance in India. Driven by a firm belief that "in giving we receive", the foundation pledges to make a real difference for those who are most in need of the helping hand of humanity. After an extraordinarily successful debut in 2006, the foundation raised enough funds to immediately begin supporting various charitable organizations in India.
Founders: Dr Sunitha Krishnan, Bro Jose Vetticatil
Founding Year: 1996
Location: Hyderabad, India
Mission: To prevent women and children from entering prostitution. The organization is actively involved in second-generation prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, restoration and social reintegration of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.[8]
Founder: Shukla Bose
Founding Year: 2006
Location: Banglore, India
Mission: To create a sustainable model, a clear way for under-served children to transform their lives through top-class education and in the process be a catalyst for effecting fundamental change in the way the poor are educated and marginalized.[9]
Founder: Madhu Singhal
Founding Year: 1990
Location: Banglore, India
Mission: To provide education and life skills to blind women.[10][11]
Founder: Anjali Gopalan
Founding Year: 1994
Location: New Delhi, India
Mission: To raise awareness, educate and provide pediatric HIV/AIDS care.[12]
Founders: Mr. M.K. Kumar, Ms. Lakshmi Kumar, Ms. Geetha Krishnan Kutty, Mr. M. Ramakrishnan, Ms. Treasure Henderson, Dr. M. Annalakshmi, Ms. Mini Shankar
Founding Year: 1997
Location: Chennai, India
Mission: To provide life skills and employment aid for destitute women.[13]
The Foundation aims to have a meaningful presence in all the states of the Indian Union, and to make a positive difference in the lives of the less fortunate citizens of these states. Today, many noteworthy persons are associated with the Foundation, including World Leaders, Statesmen, Business Leaders, and Philanthropists; among them, George H. W. Bush -Former President of the United States, Reddy S. Jay Reddy - Chairman & CEO of The CORBISCO Group, Sashi Tharoor - Former Under Secretary General of the United Nations, and General the Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank - Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom during the Blair Administration.[14]
The foundation puts on events each year in Southern California. Past events have included golf tournaments and gala dinners. In 2005, Indian pop singer, Sonu Nigam performed at the gala dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The success of this concert led the foundation to pursue a series of concert style events that have included performance from top singers Kavita Krishnamurthy and Alanis Morrisette and legendary bands such as The Beach Boys and Kool and the Gang. The foundation had also held a Tennis Event Classic the past three years, during which notable celebrities such as Matthew Perry and Kaley Cuoco have attended and played against guest tennis stars. Lindsey Davenport, Tracy Austin, Jimmy Connors, and Michael Chang are among the attendees.[14]
Amritraj lives in California with wife Shyamala, who is Sri Lankan Tamil, and sons Prakash Amritraj and Vikram. He is a Christian.[3]
Singles Career Titles (16):
Doubles Career Titles (13):
Awards | ||
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First | ATP Most Improved Player 1973 |
Succeeded by Guillermo Vilas |
Persondata | |
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Name | Amritraj, Vijay |
Alternative names | |
Short description | Tennis player and actor |
Date of birth | 1953-12-14 |
Place of birth | Chennai, India |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
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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 | Mark Philippoussis | 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3) |
Winner | 2004 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Marat Safin | 7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 2004 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Andy Roddick | 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 |
Winner | 2004 | US Open (1) | Hard | Lleyton Hewitt | 6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0 |
Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Andy Roddick | 6–2, 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
Winner | 2005 | US Open (2) | Hard | Andre Agassi | 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1 |
Winner | 2006 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Marcos Baghdatis | 5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2006 | French Open (1) | Clay | Rafael Nadal | 6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7) |
Winner | 2006 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Rafael Nadal | 6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3 |
Winner | 2006 | US Open (3) | Hard | Andy Roddick | 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
Winner | 2007 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Fernando González | 7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2007 | French Open (2) | Clay | Rafael Nadal | 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 2007 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | Rafael Nadal | 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2 |
Winner | 2007 | US Open (4) | Hard | Novak Djokovic | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2008 | French Open (3) | Clay | Rafael Nadal | 1–6, 3–6, 0–6 |
Runner-up | 2008 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Rafael Nadal | 4–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(10–8), 7–9 |
Winner | 2008 | US Open (5) | Hard | Andy Murray | 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2009 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Rafael Nadal | 5–7, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 2–6 |
Winner | 2009 | French Open (1) | Clay | Robin Söderling | 6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4 |
Winner | 2009 | Wimbledon (6) | Grass | Andy Roddick | 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14 |
Runner-up | 2009 | US Open (1) | Hard | Juan Martín del Potro | 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
Winner | 2010 | Australian Open (4) | Hard | Andy Murray | 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(13–11) |
Runner-up | 2011 | French Open (4) | Clay | Rafael Nadal | 5–7, 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 1–6 |
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 | Houston | Hard | Andre Agassi | 6–3, 6–0, 6–4 |
Winner | 2004 | Houston | Hard | Lleyton Hewitt | 6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2005 | Shanghai | Carpet (i) | David Nalbandian | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(13–11), 2–6, 1–6, 6–7(3–7) |
Winner | 2006 | Shanghai | Hard (i) | James Blake | 6–0, 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 2007 | Shanghai | Hard (i) | David Ferrer | 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
Winner | 2010 | London | Hard (i) | Rafael Nadal | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
Winner | 2011 | London | Hard (i) | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 6–3, 6–7(6–8), 6–3 |
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2008 | Beijing | Hard | Wawrinka | Aspelin Johansson |
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 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Roger Federer |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Federer |
Book: Roger Federer | |
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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 |
Country | India |
---|---|
Residence | Kolkata, Mumbai |
Born | (1973-06-17) 17 June 1973 (age 39) Calcutta (Kolkata) |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Weight | 78 kg (170 lb; 12.3 st) |
Turned pro | 1991 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Career prize money | $6,826,643 (singles & doubles combined) (as of 2 April 2012) |
Singles | |
Career record | 99–98 |
Career titles | 1 |
Highest ranking | No. 73 (24 August 1998) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | 3 RD (1997, 2000) |
French Open | 2 RD (1997) |
Wimbledon | 2 RD (2001) |
US Open | 3 RD (1997) |
Other tournaments | |
Olympic Games | Bronze (1996) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 606–313 |
Career titles | 50 |
Highest ranking | No. 1 (21 June 1999) |
Current ranking | No. 7 (as of 2 April 2012) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (2012) |
French Open | W (1999, 2001, 2009) |
Wimbledon | W (1999) |
US Open | W (2006, 2009) |
Other Doubles tournaments | |
Tour Finals | F (1997, 1999, 2000, 2005) |
Olympic Games | Fourth place (2004) |
Mixed Doubles | |
Career titles | 6 |
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (2003, 2010) |
French Open | F (2005) |
Wimbledon | W (1999, 2003, 2010) |
US Open | W (2008) |
Last updated on: 30 January 2012 150px Signature of Leander Paes. |
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Competitor for India | ||
Men's Tennis | ||
Olympic Games | ||
Bronze | 1996 Atlanta | Singles |
Commonwealth Games | ||
Bronze | 2010 Delhi | Men's Doubles |
Asian Games | ||
Gold | 2002 Busan | Men's Doubles |
Gold | 2006 Doha | Men's Doubles |
Gold | 2006 Doha | Mixed Doubles |
Bronze | 1994 Hiroshima | Men's Singles |
Bronze | 2002 Busan | Mixed Doubles |
Leander Adrian Paes (Bengali: লিয়েন্ডার পেজ; born 17 June 1973) is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament. He is the sports ambassador of Haryana. Paes completed the career grand slam in men's doubles after winning the Australian Open in 2012. Having won seven doubles and six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles and finishing as runner up in numerous other Grand Slam finals, he is considered to be one of the greatest and most respected contemporary doubles and mixed doubles players in the world. He is among the most successful professional Indian tennis players and is also the former captain of the Indian Davis Cup team. He is the recipient of India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, in 1996–1997; the Arjuna Award in 1990; and the Padma Shri award in 2001 for his outstanding contribution to tennis in India. Paes is the great-grandson of the Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
Apart from his thirteen Grand Slam victories in doubles and mixed doubles events, he is famous for his several memorable Davis Cup performances playing for India and also for winning a bronze medal for India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He also achieved the rare men's doubles/mixed doubles double in the 1999 Wimbledon. His consecutive Olympic appearances from 1992 to 2008[1] make him the third Indian, after shooters Karni Singh and Randhir Singh, to compete at five Olympic Games. After winning the mixed doubles Wimbledon title in 2010, Paes became only the second man (after Rod Laver) to win Wimbledon titles in three different decades.[2] In 2010, he joined the Board of Directors of Olympic Gold Quest,[3] a foundation co-founded by Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone to support talented athletes from India in winning Olympic medals.[4] Apart from the ATP circuit, he also plays in the World TeamTennis competition for Washington Kastles, the team which won the 2009 and 2011 season contest, the latter of which being the first team to complete an undefeated season at 16–0. He was named as MVP of the tournament for the years 2009 and 2011.[5]
Contents |
Leander was born in Goa, India on 17 June 1973. He was born to Vece Paes and Jennifer Paes and was raised in Kolkata. He was educated at La Martiniere Calcutta, Madras Christian College Hr Sec School, Chennai, and the Loyola College, Chennai of the University of Madras. His parents were both sportspersons. His father Vece Paes was a midfielder in the bronze medal-winning Indian field hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics.[6] His mother captained the Indian basketball team in the 1980 Asian basketball championship. Paes enrolled with the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Madras (Chennai) in 1985, where he was coached by Dave O'Meara.[7] The academy played a key role in his early development. Leander shot into international fame when he won the 1990 Wimbledon Junior title and rose to no. 1 in the junior world rankings.
Even from a very young age, Leander was a very coordinated child. Hence, his parents put him to whatever sports they wanted. His sporting abilities were observed right from the beginning by his parents, allowed them to scientifically groom it and develop till such time Leander was enough old to take care of himself.
Lee's mother Jennifer remembers those early days with the same fondness. "His appetite for sports was so much that he could not concrete on anything else. He was quite naughty too," says Jennifer.
Stories of Leander's naughtiness and an impish sense of humour abound, as this one from his mother would show. "I used to take the three children then to Kolkata School of Music for piano lessons. The teacher there would give homework to do, and once she checked Leander's excercise book to find that he hasn't done his work", Jennifer stopped at this for a dramatic pause. The next few lines of conversation went somewhat like this:
Teacher: Where is your homework? Leander: I have done it Madam. Teacher: (pauses, checks the book again) But why can't I find it? Leander: No Madam, I did it, but my ayah rubbed it off.
Thus life went on for Leander – school, alternating between one sport to another and teasing and tormenting his elder sisters. He would often accompany his father to the Mohun Bagan ground and try his hand at hockey with an oversized stick or visit the basketball tent and cheer lustily from the sidelines as his mother strode the courts.
It was tennis where the eight year old Leander took his first steps at the Calcutta (Kolkata) South Club courts under Anwar Ali, brother of former Davis Cupper and national coach Akhtar Ali. As he grew up with everybody, including Akhtar, Jaidip Mukherjee and even Akhtar's son Zeeshan, a few seniors to him who later went to play the Davis Cup.
However, Kolkata did not have any proper coaching system then where the Paes couple could enroll their Lee or Leander. And that is when the BAT (Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy) happened!
Paes showed promise early in his career by winning titles at the Junior US Open and the Junior Wimbledon. He turned professional in 1991.[8] He rose to the number 1 in the world in the junior rankings.[9] In 1992, he reached the quarter finals of the doubles event in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with Ramesh Krishnan.[10]
He went one better at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he beat Fernando Meligeni to win the bronze medal, thus becoming the first Indian to win an individual medal since KD Jadhav won bronze at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics more than four decades earlier.[11] Paes cited the match as one of his greatest performances on the court, in part because his wrist was severely injured.[12] He was awarded the highest sporting honour by the government of India, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1996.[13] His first successful year in the ATP circuit came in 1993, when he partnered Sébastien Lareau to reach the US Open doubles semifinal. After having a moderate season in 1994, he reached the quarterfinals of the 1995 Australian Open doubles with Kevin Ullyett. From 1996, he partnered with fellow-Indian Mahesh Bhupathi, which would prove to be a winning combination. Their first year was not a very successful one, especially in the Grand Slams, with a round of 32 finish at Wimbledon being the best. 1997 proved a much better year for the team of Paes and Bhupathi, with the semifinals of the US Open their best Grand Slam result. Paes climbed the doubles ranking from no. 89 at the beginning of the year to no. 14 at the end of the year.[14]
The doubles team of Paes and Bhupathi grew stronger in 1998, reaching the semifinals of three Grand Slams, the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open. In the same year, Paes had two of his biggest singles results in the ATP tour. The first one came by winning an ATP singles title at Newport, and the second was beating Pete Sampras, 6–3, 6–4, at the New Haven ATP tournament.[15][16][17][18] In 1999, the duo reached the finals of all four Grand Slams, winning Wimbledon and the French Open, thus becoming the first Indian pair to win a doubles event at a Grand Slam. Paes also teamed up with Lisa Raymond to win the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon. The year also marked his ascent to the no. 1 ranking in doubles.[19] The following year, Paes partnered with Sébastien Lareau for the Australian Open and Jan Siemerink for the French Open, losing in the first round on both occasions. Paes teamed up again with Bhupathi for the US Open, but lost in the first round again. The duo had a disappointing second -ound exit to Australian duo of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde at the Sydney Olympics, despite high hopes.[20] Paes was given the honour of carrying the Indian Flag at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.[21] In spite of a winning the French Open in 2001, the team of Bhupathi and Paes had first-round exits in the other three Grand Slams. Paes was awarded the Padmashri by the Government of India in 2001.[22] The duo of Paes and Bhupathi won the gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.[23] In 2002, Leander paired up with Michael Hill for a number of tournaments, with moderate success.
Between 2003 and the present, Paes has increasingly focused on his doubles and mixed doubles game. Leander won the mixed doubles events at the Australian Open and Wimbledon with Martina Navaratilova, both in 2003. Weeks after the win at Wimbledon, Paes was admitted to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando for a suspected brain tumor that was later found to be neurocysticercosis, a parasitic brain infection. While being treated, he had to miss the US Open, but he recovered by the end of that year.[24] In the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, he paired up with Bhupathi, failing again at the semifinals stage. His next Grand Slam success was in the US Open doubles event in 2006 with Martin Damm. Paes led the Indian tennis team at the Doha Asian Games in 2006 and won two golds in the men's doubles (partnering Bhupathi) and mixed doubles (partnering Sania Mirza).[25][26] Paes has maintained his doubles ranking in the top 20 in the world between 2005 and 2007.[27][28] With wins in the Rotterdam and Indian Wells, Paes took his doubles tally to 38.[29][30][31] Paes and Bhupathi took part in the men's doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka,[32] who went on to win the men's doubles gold medal.[33] Later in 2008, with Cara Black, he won the 2008 US Open mixed doubles title. In 2009, he won the French Open and US Open Men's doubles titles with Lukáš Dlouhý and was the runner-up in mixed doubles at the US Open. He began the 2010 season in good form, again winning the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Cara Black. This was the pair's third consecutive Grand Slam final and the fourth overall. The 2010 Wimbledon win with Black made Paes India's leading Grand Slam winner, ahead of his ex-doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi, with a total of 12 grand slam titles.
Leander Paes started his Davis Cup career in 1990 at the young age of 16, when he partnered Zeeshan Ali in doubles to beat the Japanese team in a gruelling five-set encounter. He is considered one of the top Davis cup players for his country, with a record of 86–31 overall, as of January 2012.[34][35] He played an important role in the Indian Davis cup team that reached the World Group from 1991–1998. He was part of the Indian Davis Cup team that reached the semifinals of the 1993 Davis Cup with wins against Switzerland and France, eventually losing to Australia. In singles, his major wins came against French duo of Arnaud Boetsch and Henri Leconte in Frejus, France in 1993, Wayne Ferreira in 1994, and Goran Ivanišević in 1995 when India defeated Croatia, Jan Siemerink in 1995 to defeat Netherlands, and Jiří Novák in 1997.[36][37] He teamed up with Bhupathi to beat Hirszon and Ivanisevic of Croatia in 1995, Martin Damm and Petr Korda of the Czech Republic in 1997, Nicolás Massú and Marcelo Ríos of Chile in 1997, Broad and Tim Henman in 1998, and Simon Aspelin and Jonas Björkman of Sweden in 2005. In 2007, Leander has three wins (two doubles and one singles) and no losses in the Davis Cup.
Paes appeared with Bhupathi in six season finales.
In 2011, they appeared, for the first time since 2002, after securing qualification in mid-October. They were eliminated in the semifinals.
Paes played at the year-end championships with Bhupathi from 1997–2000 and in 2002, reaching three finals. In 1997, they lost the final to Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark. They lost the 1999 final to Sébastien Lareau and Alex O’Brien. In 2000, they lost the final to Donald Johnson and Pieter Norval.
Legend (Singles) |
---|
Grand Slam (0) |
Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
ATP Masters Series (0) |
ATP Tour (1) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 6 July 1998 | Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. | Grass | Neville Godwin | 6–3, 6–2 |
Legend (Doubles) |
---|
Grand Slam (7) |
ATP World Tour Finals (0) |
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (12) |
ATP World Tour 500 Series (6) |
ATP World Tour 250 Series (25) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 7 April 1997 | Chennai, India | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Oleg Ogorodov Eyal Ran |
7–6, 7–5 |
2. | 28 April 1997 | Prague, Czech Republic | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Petr Luxa David Škoch |
6–1, 6–1 |
3. | 28 July 1997 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
7–6, 6–3 |
4. | 11 August 1997 | New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
6–4, 6–7, 6–2 |
5. | 29 September 1997 | Beijing, China | Hard (i) | Mahesh Bhupathi | Alex O'Brien Jim Courier |
7–5, 7–6 |
6. | 6 October 1997 | Singapore | Carpet (i) | Mahesh Bhupathi | Rick Leach Jonathan Stark |
6–4, 6–4 |
7. | 5 January 1998 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Olivier Delaître Fabrice Santoro |
6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
8. | 9 February 1998 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Donald Johnson Francisco Montana |
6–2, 7–5 |
9. | 6 April 1998 | Chennai, India (2) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Olivier Delaître Max Mirnyi |
6–7, 6–3, 6–2 |
10. | 11 May 1998 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach |
6–4, 4–6, 7–6 |
11. | 5 October 1998 | Shanghai, China | Carpet (i) | Mahesh Bhupathi | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde |
6–4, 6–7, 7–6 |
12. | 2 November 1998 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | Mahesh Bhupathi | Jacco Eltingh Paul Haarhuis |
6–4, 6–2 |
13. | 5 April 1999 | Chennai, India (3) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Wayne Black Neville Godwin |
4–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
14. | 24 May 1999 | French Open, France | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Goran Ivanišević Jeff Tarango |
6–2, 7–5 |
15. | 14 June 1999 | 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands | Grass | Jan Siemerink | Ellis Ferreira David Rikl |
Walkover |
16. | 21 June 1999 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | Mahesh Bhupathi | Paul Haarhuis Jared Palmer |
6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 |
17. | 5 July 1999 | Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. | Grass | Wayne Arthurs | Sargis Sargsian Chris Woodruff |
6–7, 7–6, 6–3 |
18. | 1 May 2000 | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Clay | Jan Siemerink | Justin Gimelstob Sébastien Lareau |
6–3, 6–4 |
19. | 9 October 2000 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Michael Hill Jeff Tarango |
6–4, 6–7, 6–3 |
20. | 23 April 2001 | Atlanta, U.S. | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Rick Leach David Macpherson |
6–3, 7–6 |
21. | 30 April 2001 | Houston, Texas, U.S. (2) | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Kevin Kim Jim Thomas |
7–6, 6–2 |
22. | 28 May 2001 | French Open, France (2) | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner |
7–6, 6–3 |
23. | 6 August 2001 | Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Martin Damm David Prinosil |
7–6, 6–3 |
24. | 31 December 2001 | Chennai, India (4) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Tomáš Cibulec Ota Fukárek |
5–7, 6–2, 7–5 |
25. | 29 April 2002 | Majorca, Spain | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Julian Knowle Michael Kohlmann |
6–2, 6–4 |
26. | 24 February 2003 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2) | Hard | David Rikl | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett |
6–3, 6–0 |
27. | 3 March 2003 | Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Raemon Sluiter Martin Verkerk |
7–5, 3–6, 7–5 |
28. | 7 July 2003 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | David Rikl | František Čermák Leoš Friedl |
6–3, 6–3 |
29. | 7 June 2004 | Halle, Germany | Grass | David Rikl | Tomáš Cibulec Petr Pála |
6–2, 7–5 |
30. | 5 July 2004 | Gstaad, Switzerland (2) | Clay | David Rikl | Marc Rosset Stanislas Wawrinka |
6–4, 6–2 |
31. | 26 July 2004 | Toronto, Canada (2) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi |
6–4, 6–2 |
32. | 13 September 2004 | Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. (2) | Hard | Radek Štěpánek | Gastón Etlis Martín Rodríguez |
6–0, 6–3 |
33. | 11 April 2005 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Nenad Zimonjić | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
Walkover |
34. | 18 April 2005 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Nenad Zimonjić | Feliciano López Rafael Nadal |
6–3, 6–3 |
35. | 26 September 2005 | Bangkok, Thailand | Hard (i) | Paul Hanley | Jonathan Erlich Andy Ram |
6–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
36. | 19 June 2006 | 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (2) | Grass | Martin Damm | Arnaud Clément Chris Haggard |
6–1, 7–6 |
37. | 28 August 2006 | US Open, U.S. | Hard | Martin Damm | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi |
6–7, 6–4, 6–3 |
38. | 19 February 2007 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard (i) | Martin Damm | Andrei Pavel Alexander Waske |
6–3, 6–7, [10–7] |
39. | 5 March 2007 | Indian Wells, California, U.S. | Hard | Martin Damm | Jonathan Erlich Andy Ram |
6–4, 6–4 |
40. | 21 September 2008 | Bangkok, Thailand (2) | Hard (i) | Lukáš Dlouhý | Scott Lipsky David Martin |
6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
41. | 6 June 2009 | French Open, France (3) | Clay | Lukáš Dlouhý | Wesley Moodie Dick Norman |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
42. | 13 September 2009 | US Open, U.S. (2) | Hard | Lukáš Dlouhý | Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
43. | 3 April 2010 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Hard | Lukáš Dlouhý | Mahesh Bhupathi Max Mirnyi |
6–2, 7–5 |
44. | 17 October 2010 | Shanghai, China | Hard | Jürgen Melzer | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski |
7–5, 4–6, [10–5] |
45. | 9 January 2011 | Chennai, India (5) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Robin Haase David Martin |
6–2, 6–7(3–7), [10–7] |
46. | 2 April 2011 | Miami, Florida, U.S. (2) | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Max Mirnyi Daniel Nestor |
6–7(5–7), 6–2, [10–5] |
47. | 21 August 2011 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Michaël Llodra Nenad Zimonjić |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2) |
48. | 8 January 2012 | Chennai, India (6) | Hard | Janko Tipsarevic | Andy Ram Jonathan Erlich |
6–4, 6–4 |
49. | 28 January 2012 | Australian Open, Australia | Hard | Radek Štěpánek | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
7–6(7–1), 6–2 |
50. | 31 March 2012 | Miami, Florida, U.S. (3) | Hard | Radek Štěpánek | Max Mirnyi Daniel Nestor |
3–6, 6–1, [10–8] |
By winning the 2012 Australian Open title, Paes achieved the career Grand Slam.
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1999 | Australian Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–7(10–12), 6–4 |
Winner | 1999 | French Open | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Goran Ivanišević Jeff Tarango |
6–2, 7–5 |
Winner | 1999 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mahesh Bhupathi | Paul Haarhuis Jared Palmer |
6–7(10–12), 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
Runner-up | 1999 | US Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
7–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 2001 | French Open (2) | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner |
7–6, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2004 | US Open | Hard | David Rikl | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor |
6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2006 | Australian Open | Hard | Martin Damm | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 2006 | US Open | Hard | Martin Damm | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi |
6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Lukáš Dlouhý | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
7–6(7–5), 7–6(12–10) |
Winner | 2009 | French Open (3) | Clay | Lukáš Dlouhý | Wesley Moodie Dick Norman |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
Winner | 2009 | US Open (2) | Hard | Lukáš Dlouhý | Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2010 | French Open | Clay | Lukáš Dlouhý | Nenad Zimonjić Daniel Nestor |
7–5, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2011 | Australian Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Radek Štěpánek | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
7–6(7–1), 6–2 |
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 1999 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lisa Raymond | Anna Kournikova Jonas Björkman |
6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2001 | US Open | Hard | Lisa Raymond | Rennae Stubbs Todd Woodbridge |
6–4, 5–7, [11–9] |
Winner | 2003 | Australian Open | Hard | Martina Navrátilová | Eleni Daniilidou Todd Woodbridge |
6–4, 7–5 |
Winner | 2003 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Martina Navrátilová | Anastassia Rodionova Andy Ram |
6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2004 | Australian Open | Hard | Martina Navrátilová | Elena Bovina Nenad Zimonjić |
6–1, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 2005 | French Open | Clay | Martina Navrátilová | Daniela Hantuchová Fabrice Santoro |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2007 | US Open | Hard | Meghann Shaughnessy | Victoria Azarenka Max Mirnyi |
6–4, 7–6(8–6) |
Winner | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Cara Black | Liezel Huber Jamie Murray |
7–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2009 | Wimbledon | Grass | Cara Black | Anna-Lena Grönefeld Mark Knowles |
7–5, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Cara Black | Carly Gullickson Travis Parrot |
6–2, 6–4 |
Winner | 2010 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Cara Black | Ekaterina Makarova Jaroslav Levinský |
7–5, 6–3 |
Winner | 2010 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Cara Black | Lisa Raymond Wesley Moodie |
6–4, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Elena Vesnina | Bethanie Mattek-Sands Horia Tecău |
3–6, 7–5, [3–10] |
Tournament | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | A | A | A | 2R | QF | A | 1R | SF | F | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | 1R | A | F | 3R | 2R | SF | QF | F | W | 1 / 17 | 43–16 |
French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | W | 1R | W | SF | SF | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | 3R | W | F | 2R | 3 / 15 | 44–12 | |
Wimbledon | A | A | 1R | 3R | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | W | A | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | QF | SF | QF | SF | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1 / 17 | 31–16 | |
US Open | A | A | SF | 2R | 1R | A | SF | SF | F | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | F | 1R | W | 1R | F | W | 1R | QF | 2 / 17 | 44–15 | |
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 5–4 | 13–4 | 22–2 | 0–3 | 6–3 | 6–4 | 11–3 | 7–4 | 6–3 | 15–3 | 6–4 | 16–4 | 16–2 | 9–4 | 10–4 | 6–0 | 7 / 66 | 162–59 |
Year End Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennis Masters Cup | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | RR | F | F | RR | NH | A | A | F | SF | SF | RR | RR | RR | SF | 0 / 12 | 19–27 | |
Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summer Olympics | NH | QF | Not Held | 2R | Not Held | 2R | Not Held | SF | Not Held | QF | Not Held | 0 / 5 | 9–6 | |||||||||||
Masters Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indian Wells | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | SF | 2R | 1R | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | 2R | W | QF | 2R | 1R | 2R | QF | 1 / 16 | 19–15 |
Miami | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 2R | F | QF | 1R | A | F | QF | 2R | W | W | W | 3 / 17 | 32–14 |
Monte Carlo | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | 2R | A | SF | 1R | 2R | A | W | 2R | A | 2R | SF | 2R | A | 1 / 10 | 11–9 | |
Rome | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | A | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | 2R | SF | 2R | QF | QF | 2R | 1 / 12 | 10–11 | |
Madrid (Stuttgart) | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | F | A | A | QF | 2R | A | 1R | F | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | SF | A | 0 / 10 | 10–10 | |
Canada | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | SF | QF | A | 1R | QF | QF | W | 2R | SF | QF | SF | A | 2R | 2R | 2 / 13 | 19–11 | |
Cincinnati | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | QF | A | 2R | A | W | 1R | 2R | QF | QF | SF | SF | QF | 2R | 2R | W | 2 / 14 | 17–12 | |
Shanghai | Not Held | A | W | SF | 1 / 2 | 6–1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Paris | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | W | A | A | F | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | A | 2R | QF | 2R | 1 / 11 | 9–10 | |
Hamburg | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | 1R | 2R | SF | SF | SF | A | A | SF | NM1 | 0 / 7 | 11–6 | |||
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 9–5 | 16–4 | 3–5 | 1–2 | 12–7 | 5–9 | 9–7 | 11–7 | 12–8 | 6–6 | 12–6 | 11–9 | 5–6 | 12–7 | 11–5 | 11 / 110 | 137–98 | |
Ranking | 481 | 179 | 93 | 142 | 76 | 89 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 84 | 9 | 33 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
Leander Paes is known for changing partnerships and experimenting with it. Alexander Peya will be the 87th men's doubles partner of Paes' career when the two men team up at the 2012 French Open. Paes has also teamed with 19 players in Mixed Doubles. Martina Navratilova, Cara Black, Lisa Raymond are few to name. He's currently playing with Elena Vesnina in Mixed Doubles.
"I would especially like to thank Leander Paes ... he doesn't play for money, but for the sheer love of game."
No. | Partner | Years Played With |
---|---|---|
1 | Charlton Eagle | 1991 |
2 | Juan Rios | 1991 |
3 | Ramesh Krishnan | 1991, 1992, 1993 |
4 | Zeeshan Ali | 1991 |
5 | Andrew Sznajder | 1992 |
6 | Bertrand Madsen | 1992 |
7 | Donald Johnson | 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003 |
8 | Gilad Bloom | 1992, 1994 |
9 | Kevin Ullyett | 1992, 1997 |
10 | Nicklas Utgren | 1992 |
11 | Nicola Bruno | 1992 |
12 | Todd Nelson | 1992, 1993 |
13 | Arne Thoms | 1993 |
14 | Byron Black | 1993, 2000 |
15 | Ellis Ferreira | 1993 |
16 | Fernon Wibier | 1993 |
17 | Jean-Philippe Fleurian | 1993 |
18 | Johan De Beer | 1993 |
19 | Laurence Tieleman | 1993, 1995 |
20 | Oliver Fernandez | 1993 |
21 | Sebastien Lareau | 1993, 1994, 2000 |
22 | Shuzo Matsuoka | 1993 |
23 | Stefan Kruger | 1993 |
24 | Tommy Ho | 1993 |
25 | Vladimir Gabrichidze | 1993 |
26 | Wayne Arthurs | 1993, 1999, 2000 |
27 | Adam Malik | 1994 |
28 | Albert Chang | 1994 |
29 | Daniel Nestor | 1994 |
30 | Gaurav Natekar | 1994, 1995 |
31 | Mahesh Bhupathi | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
32 | Marius Barnard | 1994 |
33 | Mark Kaplan | 1994 |
34 | Mark Knowles | 1994 |
35 | Marten Renstrom | 1994 |
36 | Richard Matuszewski | 1994 |
37 | Stephen Noteboom | 1994 |
38 | Clinton Ferreira | 1995 |
39 | David Adams | 1995 |
40 | Eyal Ran | 1995 |
41 | Kent Kinnear | 1995 |
42 | Lars-Anders Wahlgren | 1995 |
43 | Matt Lucena | 1995 |
44 | Maurice Ruah | 1995 |
45 | Nicolas Pereira | 1995, 1996 |
46 | Oscar Ortiz | 1995 |
47 | Wayne Black | 1995, 1996 |
48 | Chris Haggard | 1996, 2000 |
49 | David Dilucia | 1996 |
50 | Devin Bowen | 1996 |
51 | Jeff Belloli | 1996 |
52 | Neville Godwin | 1996 |
53 | Marcos Ondruska | 1997 |
54 | Mark Keil | 1997 |
55 | Nitten Kirrtane | 1997 |
56 | Roger Smith | 1997 |
57 | Peter Tramacchi | 1998 |
58 | Piet Norval | 1998 |
59 | Jan Siemerink | 1999, 2000 |
60 | Jared Palmer | 1999 |
61 | Jonas Bjorkman | 1999, 2004 |
62 | Olivier Delaitre | 1999 |
63 | Fazaluddin Syed | 2000 |
64 | Nicolas Lapentti | 2000 |
65 | Vishal Uppal | 2000, 2002 |
66 | Mustafa Ghouse | 2001 |
67 | David Rikl | 2002, 2003, 2004 |
68 | John-Laffnie de Jager | 2002 |
69 | Justin Gimelstob | 2002 |
70 | Michael Hill | 2002 |
71 | Michael Llodra | 2002 |
72 | Stephen Huss | 2002 |
73 | Tomas Cibulec | 2002, 2004 |
74 | Nenad Zimonjić | 2003, 2005 |
75 | Jonathan Erlich | 2004 |
76 | Radek Štěpánek | 2004, 2006, 2012 |
77 | Paul Hanley | 2005, 2007, 2008 |
78 | Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi | 2006 |
79 | Martin Damm | 2006, 2007 |
80 | Rohan Bopanna | 2007, 2012 |
81 | Sunil-Kumar Sipaeya | 2007 |
82 | Lukáš Dlouhý | 2008, 2009, 2010 |
83 | Tommy Robredo | 2008 |
84 | Scott Lipsky | 2009 |
85 | Jürgen Melzer | 2010 |
86 | Janko Tipsarević | 2012 |
87 | Alexander Peya | 2012 |
Paes is the great-grandson of the Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Previously having dated Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhary, he is now married to Rhea Pillai (ex-wife of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt) and has a daughter Aiyana.
The duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were nicknamed as "Indian Express". Leander Paes' off-and-on partnership with Bhupathi draws constant media attention in his home country, India.[40][41][42] In the 2006 Asian Games, a loss to the Chinese Taipei team in the team event led Leander to question Bhupathi's commitment to Team India.[43] He once stated in an interview that although he and Bhupathi are friends, he did not consider pairing with his former team-mate.[44] However, for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they decided to play together for their country,[45] and lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champions Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka.[46]
In 2011, the "Indian Express" pair won the doubles title at Chennai Open. They reunited to play in a Grand Slam Tournament after nine years and claimed runners-up in the 2011 Australian Open and reached the semifinals in the year-end championships.[47]
The Indian Duo has a 303–103 career record together. They have higher success rate against various top teams.[48] They have a Davis Cup record of longest winning streak in doubles, with 23 straight wins.[49]
It has been announced that Bhupathi will team with Rohan Bopanna for the 2012 season. Paes will partner Czech Radek Štěpánek.[50]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leander Paes |
Preceded by Karnam Malleswari |
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 1996/1997 Joint with Nameirakpam Kunjarani |
Succeeded by Sachin Tendulkar |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Paes, Leander |
Alternative names | |
Short description | |
Date of birth | 17 June 1973 |
Place of birth | Calcutta (Kolkata) |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
Bhupathi at the 2009 US open |
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Country | India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Residence | Bangalore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1974-06-07) 7 June 1974 (age 38) Madras |
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Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 89 kg (200 lb; 14.0 st) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turned pro | 1995 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career prize money | $5,955,647 (singles and doubles combined) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career record | 10–28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career titles | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | 217 (2 February 1998) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grand Slam Singles results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French Open | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wimbledon | 1R (1997, 1998, 2000) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
US Open | 1R (1995) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Doubles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career record | 639–319 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career titles | 50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | 1 (26 April 1999) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current ranking | 6 (5 September 2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grand Slam Doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | F (1999, 2009, 2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French Open | W (1999, 2001) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wimbledon | W (1999) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
US Open | W (2002) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed Doubles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career titles | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | W (2006, 2009) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French Open | W (1997) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wimbledon | W (2002, 2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
US Open | W (1999, 2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Last updated on: 11 April 2011. |
Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi is an Indian professional tennis player widely regarded as among the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament (with Rika Hiraki).[1] With his win at the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2006, he joined the elite group of eight tennis players who have achieved a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
Mahesh Bhupathi is best known as one of the top doubles players in the '90s and '00s. In 1999, Bhupathi won three doubles titles with Leander Paes, including Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He and Leander became the first doubles team to reach the finals of all four Grand Slams, the first time such a feat has been achieved in the open era and the first time since 1952. On 26 April of that year, they became the world no. 1 doubles team. Bhupathi also won the US Open mixed doubles with Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
In 2006, Bhupathi teamed with Martina Hingis in the Australian Open mixed doubles competition. Entering the tournament unseeded and as wildcards,[2] the first-time pair defeated four seeded opponents along the way, while only dropping a single set throughout. Bhupathi and Hingis defeated the sixth-seeded team of Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3, to capture the championship. It was the sixth mixed doubles Grand Slam for Bhupathi, and a first for Hingis. By winning the Australian Open, Bhupathi completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
In 2007, Bhupathi and Czech Radek Štěpánek reached the 2007 Australian Open men's doubles event's quarterfinals. He teamed with Štěpánek at the 2007 French Open to make the doubles semifinals, defeating two-year defending champions Jonas Björkman and Max Mirnyi in the quarterfinals. The team lost to the eventual champions Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. After Wimbledon, Bhupathi teamed with Pavel Vízner to win the 2007 Canada Masters, defeating the top-ranked doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan en route. After this victory, he won a tournament in New Haven with Nenad Zimonjić. At the 2007 US Open, he and Zimonjić paired in doubles. After the US Open, the team that beat Bhupathi and Štěpánek in the French Open semifinals, Knowles and Nestor, split up. Bhupathi became Knowles' partner,[3] while Zimonjić became Nestor's, but back surgery mean he was out until the end of the year.[4]
In 2009, Bhupathi and doubles partner Sania Mirza won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open, beating Nathalie Dechy (France) and Andy Ram (Israel), 6–3, 6–1, in the final. The ace Indian pair thus made up for the disappointment of the previous year's final when they were beaten by Tiantian Sun and Nenad Zimonjić. With this win, Bhupathi's count in mixed doubles Grand Slam titles increased to seven.
Bhupathi broke up his partnership with Knowles and began playing once again with Max Mirnyi, with whom he played to win the 2002 US Open. In 2011, Bhupathi reunited with former playing partner Leander Paes for the 2011 Australian Open. The team of Bhupathi and Paes reached the final, but lost, 3–6, 4–6, to the Bryan brothers.
Contents |
Bhupathi appeared with Paes in six season finales.
In 2011, they appeared, for the first time since 2002, after securing qualification in mid-October.
Bhupathi played at the year-end championships with Paes from 1997–2000 and in 2002, reaching three finals. In 1997, they lost the final to Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark. They lost the 1999 final to Sébastien Lareau and Alex O’Brien. In 2000, they lost the final to Donald Johnson and Pieter Norval.
Bhupathi also qualified with Max Mirnyi in 2003, 2004, and 2010, when they finished runners-up to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.
He also appeared at the season closer with Mark Knowles in 2008 and 2009. He has partnered with Rohan Bopanna for the 2012 season.
Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
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1999 | French Open | Clay | Leander Paes | Goran Ivanišević Jeff Tarango |
6–2, 7–5 |
1999 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes | Paul Haarhuis Jared Palmer |
6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 |
2001 | French Open (2) | Clay | Leander Paes | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner |
7–6, 6–3 |
2002 | US Open | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Jiří Novák Radek Štěpánek |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
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1999 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter |
3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(12–10), 4–6 |
1999 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
6–7, 4–6 |
2003 | Wimbledon | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge |
6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 3–6 |
2009 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Mark Knowles | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
6–2, 5–7, 0–6 |
2009 | US Open (2) | Hard | Mark Knowles | Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes |
6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
2011 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Leander Paes | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
3–6, 4–6 |
By winning the 2006 Australian Open title, Bhupathi completed the mixed doubles Career Grand Slam. He became the eighth male player in history to achieve this.
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
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Winner | 1997 | French Open | Clay | Rika Hiraki | Patrick Galbraith Lisa Raymond |
6–4, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 1998 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mirjana Lučić | Serena Williams Max Mirnyi |
4–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 1999 | US Open | Hard | Ai Sugiyama | Donald Johnson Kimberly Po |
6–4, 6–4 |
Winner | 2002 | Wimbledon | Grass | Elena Likhovtseva | Daniela Hantuchová Kevin Ullyett |
6–2, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 2003 | French Open | Clay | Elena Likhovtseva | Lisa Raymond Mike Bryan |
3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Mary Pierce | Paul Hanley Tatiana Perebiynis |
6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 2005 | US Open (2) | Hard | Daniela Hantuchová | Katarina Srebotnik Nenad Zimonjić |
6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 2006 | Australian Open | Hard | Martina Hingis | Elena Likhovtseva Daniel Nestor |
6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2008 | Australian Open | Hard | Sania Mirza | Sun Tiantian Nenad Zimonjić |
6–7(4–7), 4–6 |
Winner | 2009 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Sania Mirza | Nathalie Dechy Andy Ram |
6–3, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 2011 | Wimbledon | Grass | Elena Vesnina | Iveta Benešová Jürgen Melzer |
3–6, 2–6 |
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No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
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1. | 14 April 1997 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Oleg Ogorodov Eyal Ran |
7–6, 7–5 |
2. | 5 May 1997 | Prague, Czech Republic | Clay | Leander Paes | Petr Luxa David Škoch |
6–1, 6–1 |
3. | 4 August 1997 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
7–6, 6–3 |
4. | 18 August 1997 | New Haven, U.S. | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
6–4, 6–7, 6–2 |
5. | 6 October 1997 | Beijing, China | Hard (i) | Leander Paes | Jim Courier Alex O'Brien |
7–5, 7–6 |
6. | 13 October 1997 | Singapore | Carpet | Leander Paes | Rick Leach Jonathan Stark |
6–4, 6–4 |
7. | 12 January 1998 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | Leander Paes | Olivier Delaître Fabrice Santoro |
6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
8. | 16 February 1998 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Leander Paes | Donald Johnson Francisco Montana |
6–2, 7–5 |
9. | 13 April 1998 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Olivier Delaître Max Mirnyi |
6–7, 6–3, 6–2 |
10. | 18 May 1998 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Leander Paes | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach |
6–4, 4–6, 7–6 |
11. | 12 October 1998 | Shanghai, China | Carpet | Leander Paes | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde |
6–4, 6–7, 7–6 |
12. | 9 November 1998 | Paris, France | Carpet | Leander Paes | Jacco Eltingh Paul Haarhuis |
6–4, 6–2 |
13. | 12 April 1999 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Wayne Black Neville Godwin |
4–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
14. | 7 June 1999 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Leander Paes | Goran Ivanišević Jeff Tarango |
6–2, 7–5 |
15. | 5 July 1999 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Leander Paes | Paul Haarhuis Jared Palmer |
6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 |
16. | 29 May 2000 | St. Poelten, Austria | Clay | Andrew Kratzmann | Andrea Gaudenzi Diego Nargiso |
7–6, 6–7, 6–4 |
17. | 16 October 2000 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Leander Paes | Michael Hill Jeff Tarango |
6–4, 6–7, 6–3 |
18. | 30 April 2001 | Atlanta, U.S. | Clay | Leander Paes | Rick Leach David Macpherson |
6–3, 7–6 |
19. | 7 May 2001 | Houston, U.S. | Clay | Leander Paes | Kevin Kim Jim Thomas |
7–6, 6–2 |
20. | 11 June 2001 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Leander Paes | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner |
7–6, 6–3 |
21. | 13 August 2001 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Leander Paes | Martin Damm David Prinosil |
7–6, 6–3 |
22. | 7 January 2002 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Tomáš Cibulec Ota Fukárek |
5–7, 6–2, 7–5 |
23. | 6 May 2002 | Majorca, Spain | Clay | Leander Paes | Julian Knowle Michael Kohlmann |
6–2, 6–4 |
24. | 20 May 2002 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Jan-Michael Gambill | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge |
6–2, 6–4 |
25. | 26 August 2002 | Long Island, U.S. | Hard | Mike Bryan | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner |
6–3, 6–4 |
26. | 9 September 2002 | US Open, New York | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Jiří Novák Radek Štěpánek |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
27. | 14 April 2003 | Estoril, Portugal | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Lucas Arnold Ker Mariano Hood |
6–1, 6–2 |
28. | 21 April 2003 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Michaël Llodra Fabrice Santoro |
6–4, 3–6, 7–6 |
29. | 11 August 2003 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge |
6–3, 7–6 |
30. | 6 October 2003 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett |
6–3, 7–5 |
31. | 20 October 2003 | Madrid, Spain | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett |
6–2, 2–6, 6–3 |
32. | 19 January 2004 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett |
4–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
33. | 8 March 2004 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Jonas Björkman Leander Paes |
6–2, 4–6, 6–4 |
34. | 10 May 2004 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Arthurs Paul Hanley |
2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
35. | 12 July 2004 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | Jonas Björkman | Simon Aspelin Todd Perry |
4–6, 7–6, 7–6 |
36. | 2 August 2004 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Leander Paes | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi |
6–4, 6–2 |
37. | 17 January 2005 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Todd Woodbridge | Arnaud Clément Michaël Llodra |
6–3, 6–3 |
38. | 18 September 2006 | Beijing, China | Hard | Mario Ančić | Michael Berrer Kenneth Carlsen |
6–4, 6–3 |
39. | 2 October 2006 | Mumbai, India | Hard | Mario Ančić | Rohan Bopanna Mustafa Ghouse |
6–4, 6–7, [10–8] |
40. | 12 August 2007 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Pavel Vízner | Paul Hanley Kevin Ullyett |
6–4, 6–4 |
41. | 25 August 2007 | New Haven, U.S. | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski |
6–3, 6–3 |
42. | 2 March 2008 | Memphis, U.S. | Hard (i) | Mark Knowles | Sanchai Ratiwatana Sonchat Ratiwatana |
7–6, 6–2 |
43. | 8 March 2008 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Mark Knowles | Martin Damm Pavel Vízner |
7–5, 7–6 |
44. | 18 October 2008 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet | Mark Knowles | Christopher Kas Philipp Kohlschreiber |
6–3, 6–3 |
45. | 16 August 2009 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Mark Knowles | Max Mirnyi Andy Ram |
6–4, 6–3 |
46. | 14 November 2010 | Paris, France | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Andy Ram |
7–5, 7–5 |
47. | 9 January 2011 | Chennai, India | Hard | Leander Paes | Robin Haase David Martin |
6–2, 6–7(3–7), [10–7] |
48. | 2 April 2011 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | Leander Paes | Max Mirnyi Daniel Nestor |
6–7(5–7), 6–2, [10–5] |
49. | 21 August 2011 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Leander Paes | Michaël Llodra Nenad Zimonjić |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2) |
50. | 3 March 2012 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Rohan Bopanna | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski |
6–4, 3–6, [10–5] |
No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 28 July 1997 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Rick Leach | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
6–7, 4–6 |
2. | 23 November 1997 | Doubles Championships, Hartford | Carpet | Leander Paes | Rick Leach Jonathan Stark |
3–6, 4–6, 6–7 |
3. | 19 October 1998 | Singapore | Carpet | Leander Paes | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde |
2–6, 3–6 |
4. | 2 November 1998 | Stuttgart Indoor, Germany | Hard (i) | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
3–6, 6–3, 5–7 |
5. | 1 February 1999 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | Leander Paes | Jonas Björkman Patrick Rafter |
3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
6 | 13 September 1999 | US Open, New York | Hard | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
6–7, 4–6 |
7. | 15 November 1999 | Doubles Championships, Hartford | Carpet | Leander Paes | Sébastien Lareau Alex O'Brien |
3–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
8. | 19 June 2000 | Halle, Germany | Grass | David Prinosil | Nicklas Kulti Mikael Tillström |
6–7, 6–7 |
9. | 17 December 2000 | Doubles Championships, Bangalore | Hard | Leander Paes | Donald Johnson Piet Norval |
6–7, 3–6, 4–6 |
10. | 20 August 2001 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Hard | Sébastien Lareau | Mark Knowles Brian MacPhie |
6–7, 7–5, 4–6 |
11. | 8 October 2001 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Jeff Tarango | Max Mirnyi Sandon Stolle |
3–6, 0–6 |
12. | 29 October 2001 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet | Leander Paes | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach |
6–7, 4–6 |
13. | 5 November 2001 | Paris, France | Carpet | Leander Paes | Ellis Ferreira Rick Leach |
6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
14. | 17 June 2002 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett |
5–7, 3–6 |
15. | 12 August 2002 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Max Mirnyi | James Blake Todd Martin |
5–7, 3–6 |
16. | 19 August 2002 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor |
6–7, 7–6, 4–6 |
17. | 21 October 2002 | Madrid, Spain | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor |
3–6, 5–7, 0–6 |
18. | 13 January 2003 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Joshua Eagle | Paul Hanley Nathan Healey |
6–7, 4–6 |
19. | 19 May 2003 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor |
4–6, 6–7 |
20. | 16 June 2003 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor |
7–5, 4–6, 6–7 |
21. | 7 July 2003 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Max Mirnyi | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge |
6–3, 3–6, 6–7, 3–6 |
22. | 13 October 2003 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Yves Allegro Roger Federer |
6–7, 5–7 |
23. | 18 October 2004 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Jonas Björkman | Igor Andreev Nikolay Davydenko |
6–3, 3–6, 4–6 |
24. | 10 January 2005 | Chennai, India | Hard | Jonas Björkman | Yen-Hsun Lu Rainer Schüttler |
5–7, 6–4, 6–7 |
25. | 5 March 2007 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Radek Štěpánek | Fabrice Santoro Nenad Zimonjić |
5–7, 7–6, [7–10] |
26. | 26 March 2008 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | Mark Knowles | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
2–6, 2–6 |
27. | 27 April 2008 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Mark Knowles | Rafael Nadal Tommy Robredo |
3–6, 3–6 |
28. | 15 June 2008 | s'Hertogenbosch, Netherlands | Grass | Leander Paes | Mario Ančić Jürgen Melzer |
6–7, 3–6 |
29. | 23 August 2008 | New Haven, U.S. | Hard | Mark Knowles | Marcelo Melo André Sá |
5–7, 2–6 |
30. | 13 October 2008 | Madrid, Spain | Hard (i) | Mark Knowles | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski |
4–6, 2–6 |
31. | 31 January 2009 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | Mark Knowles | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
6–2, 5–7, 0–6 |
32. | 26 April 2009 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Mark Knowles | Daniel Nestor Nenad Zimonjić |
3–6, 6–7 |
33. | 13 September 2009 | US Open, New York | Hard | Mark Knowles | Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes |
6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
34. | 3 April 2010 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes |
2–6, 5–7 |
35. | 18 April 2010 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Max Mirnyi | Daniel Nestor Nenad Zimonjić |
3–6, 0–2, RET. |
36. | 22 August 2010 | Cincinnati, Cincinnati | Hard | Max Mirnyi | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
3–6, 4–6 |
37. | 7 November 2010 | Valencia, Spain | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Andy Murray Jamie Murray |
6–7(8–10), 7–5, [7–10] |
38. | 28 November 2010 | ATP World Tour Finals, London | Hard (i) | Max Mirnyi | Daniel Nestor Nenad Zimonjić |
6–7(6–8), 4–6 |
39. | 29 January 2011 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | Leander Paes | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
3–6, 4–6 |
40. | 12 June 2011 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Leander Paes | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
7–6(7–2), 6–7(4–7), [6–10] |
Tournament | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | SF | F | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | QF | 3R | QF | SF | F | 1R | F | 3R | 0 / 15 | |||
French Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | W | 2R | W | SF | QF | SF | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 2 / 15 | ||||
Wimbledon | A | A | A | Q1 | Q2 | 1R | 2R | W | 3R | 1R | QF | F | 3R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | QF | 3R | 2R | 1 / 14 | ||||
US Open | A | A | A | 2R | Q1 | SF | SF | F | 1R | 1R | W | QF | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | F | 2R | QF | 1 / 16 | ||||
Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 2 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 1 | 4 / 60 | |||
Year-End Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennis Masters Cup | A | A | A | A | A | F | RR | F | F | RR | NH | RR | RR | A | A | A | RR | SF | F | SF | 0 / 11 | ||||
Olympic Games | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summer Olympics | A | Not Held | 2R | Not Held | 2R | Not Held | SF | Not Held | QF | Not Held | 0 / 4 | ||||||||||||||
ATP Masters Series | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indian Wells | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 13 | |||
Miami | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | A | QF | 1R | 2R | QF | A | 1R | F | 1R | F | W | SF | 1 / 13 | |||
Monte Carlo | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | 2R | A | SF | 1R | W | QF | QF | SF | 2R | F | QF | F | A | 2R | 1 / 13 | |||
Rome | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | SF | W | SF | 2R | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | 2R | 2 / 14 | ||||
Madrid | A | A | A | A | A | QF | F | A | 2R | QF | F | W | SF | QF | 1R | A | F | 2R | A | A | 1 / 11 | ||||
Canada | A | A | A | A | A | W | SF | A | QF | 1R | 2R | W | W | QF | A | W | QF | W | SF | 2R | 5 / 13 | ||||
Cincinnati | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | W | F | SF | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | SF | SF | F | W | 2 / 15 | ||||
Shanghai | Not Masters Series | SF | QF | SF | 0 / 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Paris | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | W | 2R | 1R | F | 2R | A | SF | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | W | 2R | 2 / 11 | ||||
Hamburg | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | W | F | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | 2R | NMS | 1 / 11 | ||||||
Masters Series SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 1 / 5 | 2 / 8 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 6 | 1 / 8 | 1 / 9 | 3 / 8 | 2 / 9 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 6 | 1 / 7 | 0 / 9 | 1 / 9 | 1 / 8 | 2 / 7 | 0 / 3 | 15 / 117 | |||
Year End Ranking | 668 | 385 | 248 | 162 | 106 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 30 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
Mahesh Bhupathi has donned Indian colors numerous times for the Davis Cup as well as other international fixtures including Asian Games.
Mahesh Bhupathi has played 46 matches for India in the Davis Cup (from 1995 to 2006), winning 28 and losing 18. Out of the 28 matches that he won, 20 of his victories came in doubles matches.
In 2006, Bhupathi won the doubles championship with Leander Paes at the Asian Games in Doha.
Bhupathi is a born-again Christian.[6][7][8] His mother tongue is Telugu.[9][10]
In 2001, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian awards. Bhupathi is an alumnus of the University of Mississippi in the United States. He was married to model Shvetha Jaishankar, but they divorced after being married for seven years.
He then married Lara Dutta, Miss Universe of 2000 in a civil ceremony on 16 February 2011 at Bandra, Mumbai.[11] It was later followed by a Christian ceremony on 20 February 2011 at Sunset Point in Goa.[12] On 1 August 2011 Dutta confirmed that she was pregnant with their first child. Their daughter Saira was born on 20 January 2012.[13] In 2010, the couple started a film production company together, Big Daddy Productions.[14]
From the pinnacle of 1999 to the depths of 2006, the relationship between the two top Indian players, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi has fluctuated, turning from great to bad to worse. The two forged a formidable partnership in the late 90s and steeply climbed the ladder of the doubles rankings. They played so well as a team that it prompted the then top Australian doubles pair of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (known as the Woodies) to predict that Bhupathi and Paes would take their place in tennis doubles after they left the scene. Together with Paes, Bhupathi featured in several memorable Grand Slam matches, Olympic matches, and Davis Cup matches for India. From such a high, the relationship between the pair gradually deteriorated and reached a point of no communication. The exact cause or causes for the rift have never been known so far, though various factors like ego clashes and each player garnering more attention than the other have been rumoured over the years. Just after winning the 2006 Asian games, both players announced that they would never play again together. In spite of the cold relationship between them, they decided to play together in the Beijing 2008 Olympics for a possible medal chance in the doubles event. Bhupathi had initially shot a letter to the AITA stating that he did not want to play with Paes in the Olympic Games, preferring Bopanna instead as his partner.
Bhupathi had said, "Leander and I are best option for India but we need to go with some kind of preparation. We need to build a team. It's not about past performances. Rohan Bopanna and I are better prepared as a team", The AITA responded by saying that it would not change the doubles team pairing and that it was up to Paes and Bhupathi to ensure that the differences between them did not come in the way of national glory. (Reuters) However, Bhupathi and Paes decided to once again form a doubles pair, and entered the 2008 Ordina Open together as second seed. They finished as runners up in their comeback tournament. They partnered in the men's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but lost the quarterfinals [15] to Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, who went on to win the gold medal.[16]
Leander and Mahesh decided to team up again at the Australian Open 2011, ending a nine-year separation on the ATP circuit. They reached the finals of the event[17][18] but lost to American twins Bob and Mike Bryan. Paes has stated that the best thing has been to have their friendship back.[19]
The Indian Duo has a 303-103 career record together. They have higher success rate against various top teams.[20] They have a Davis Cup record of longest winning streak in doubles, with 23 straight wins.[21]
Mahesh Bhupathi has also been involved in developing tennis facilities in India and, along with his company Globosport, has played a key role in developing and managing the careers of many Indian athletes including the new Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza[22]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mahesh Bhupathi |
Persondata | |
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Name | Bhupathi, Mahesh |
Alternative names | |
Short description | |
Date of birth | 7 June 1974 |
Place of birth | Chennai, India |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
Tiger Woods | |
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Woods at a Chevron World Challenge charity event (2011) |
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Personal information | |
Full name | Eldrick Tont Woods |
Nickname | Tiger |
Born | (1975-12-30) December 30, 1975 (age 36) Cypress, California |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
Nationality | United States |
Residence | Jupiter Island, Florida |
Spouse | Elin Nordegren (2004–2010) |
Children | Sam Alexis (b. 2007) Charlie Axel (b. 2009) |
Career | |
College | Stanford University (two years) |
Turned professional | 1996 |
Current tour(s) | PGA Tour (joined 1996) |
Professional wins | 99[1] |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 72 (3rd all time) |
European Tour | 38 (3rd all time)[2][3] |
Japan Golf Tour | 2 |
Asian Tour | 1 |
PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 |
Other | 16 |
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 14) |
|
Masters Tournament | Won: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 |
U.S. Open | Won: 2000, 2002, 2008 |
The Open Championship | Won: 2000, 2005, 2006 |
PGA Championship | Won: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007 |
Achievements and awards | |
PGA Tour Rookie of the Year |
1996 |
PGA Player of the Year | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
PGA Tour Player of the Year |
1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
PGA Tour leading money winner |
1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
Vardon Trophy | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 |
Byron Nelson Award | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
FedEx Cup Champion | 2007, 2009 |
(For a full list of awards, see here) |
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975)[4][5] is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No. 1, he is the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned an estimated US$90.5 million from winnings and endorsements in 2010.[6][7]
Woods turned professional in 1996, and by April 1997 he had already won his first major, the 1997 Masters. He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997. Through the 2000s, Woods was the dominant force in golf, spending 264 weeks from August 1999 to September 2004 and 281 weeks from June 2005 to October 2010 as world number one. From December 2009 to early April 2010, Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by several different women, through many worldwide media sources.[8] This was followed by a loss of form, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of #58 in November 2011.[7][9] He snapped a career-long winless streak of 107 weeks when he captured the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011.[9] As of April 8, 2012, he is ranked #8.[10]
Woods has broken numerous golf records. He has been world number one for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any other golfer. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record ten times,[11] the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has the record of leading the money list in nine different seasons. He has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 72 PGA Tour events, third all time behind Sam Snead and Nicklaus.[12] He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer does. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer, after Jack Nicklaus, to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999.
Contents |
Woods was born Eldrick Tont Woods in Cypress, California, to Earl (1932–2006) and Kultida (Tida) Woods (born 1944). He is the only child of their marriage, but does have two half-brothers, Earl Jr. (born 1955) and Kevin (born 1957), and a half-sister, Royce (born 1958) from the 18-year marriage of Earl Woods and his first wife, Barbara Woods Gray.[13] Earl, a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran, was of mixed African American, Chinese, and Native American ancestry. Kultida (née Punsawad), originally from Thailand (where Earl had met her on a tour of duty in 1968), is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry. This makes Woods himself half Asian (one-quarter Chinese and one-quarter Thai), one-quarter African American, one-eighth Native American, and one-eighth Dutch.[14] He refers to his ethnic make-up as "Cablinasian" (a syllabic abbreviation he coined from Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian).[15]
Woods' first name, Eldrick, was coined by his mother because it began with "E" (for Earl) and ended with "K" (for Kultida). His middle name Tont is a traditional Thai name. He was nicknamed Tiger in honor of his father's friend Col. Vuong Dang Phong, who had also been known as Tiger.[16]
Woods has a niece, Cheyenne Woods, who is an amateur golfer on Wake Forest University's golf team.[17]
Woods grew up in Orange County, California. He was a child prodigy, introduced to golf before the age of two, by his athletic father Earl, a single-figure handicap amateur golfer who had been one of the earliest African-American college baseball players at Kansas State University.[18] In 1978, Tiger putted against comedian Bob Hope in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. At age three, he shot a 48 over nine holes over the Cypress Navy course, and at age five, he appeared in Golf Digest and on ABC's That's Incredible.[19] Before turning seven, Tiger won the Under Age 10 section of the Drive, Pitch, and Putt competition, held at the Navy Golf Course in Cypress, California.[20] In 1984 at the age of eight, he won the 9–10 boys' event, the youngest age group available, at the Junior World Golf Championships.[21] He first broke 80 at age eight.[22] He went on to win the Junior World Championships six times, including four consecutive wins from 1988 to 1991.[23][24][25][26][27]
Woods' father Earl wrote that Tiger first beat him when he was 11 years old, with Earl trying his best. Earl lost to Tiger every time from then on.[28][29] Woods first broke 70 on a regulation golf course at age 12.[30]
Woods' first major national junior tournament was the 1989 Big I, when he was 13 years old. Woods was paired with pro John Daly, then relatively unknown, in the final round; the event's format placed a professional with each group of juniors who had qualified. Daly birdied three of the last four holes to beat Woods by only one stroke.[31] As a young teenager, Woods first met Jack Nicklaus in Los Angeles at the Bel-Air Country Club, when Nicklaus was performing a clinic for the club's members. Woods was part of the show, and impressed Nicklaus and the crowd with his skills and potential.[32] Earl Woods had researched in detail the career accomplishments of Nicklaus, and had set his young son the goals of breaking those records.[30]
While attending Western High School in Anaheim at the age of 15, Woods became the youngest ever U.S. Junior Amateur champion (a record which stood until it was broken by Jin Liu in 2010).[33] He was named 1991's Southern California Amateur Player of the Year (for the second consecutive year) and Golf Digest Junior Amateur Player of the Year. In 1992, he defended his title at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming the first multiple winner; competed in his first PGA Tour event, the Nissan Los Angeles Open (he missed the 36-hole cut); and was named Golf Digest Amateur Player of the Year, Golf World Player of the Year, and Golfweek National Amateur of the Year.[34][35]
The following year, Woods won his third consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur Championship; he remains the event's only three-time winner.[36] In 1994, at the TPC at Sawgrass in Florida, he became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, a record that stood until 2008 when it was broken by Danny Lee.[37] He was a member of the American team at the 1994 Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships (winning), and the 1995 Walker Cup (losing).[38][39]
Woods graduated from Western High School in 1994 at age 18, and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" among the graduating class. He had starred for the high school's golf team under coach Don Crosby.[40]
Woods was recruited very heavily by college golf powers, and chose Stanford University, the 1994 NCAA Division I champion. He enrolled at Stanford in the fall of 1994 under a golf scholarship, winning his first collegiate event, the 40th Annual William H. Tucker Invitational, that September.[41] He declared a major in economics, and was nicknamed "Urkel" by college teammate Notah Begay III.[42] In 1995, he successfully defended his U.S. Amateur title at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island[37] and was voted Pac-10 Player of the Year, NCAA First Team All-American, and Stanford's Male Freshman of the Year (an award that encompasses all sports).[43][44] He participated in his first PGA Tour major, the 1995 Masters Tournament, and tied for 41st as the only amateur to make the cut. At age 20 in 1996, he became the first golfer to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles[45] and won the NCAA individual golf championship.[46] In winning the Silver Medal as leading amateur at The Open Championship, he tied the record for an amateur aggregate score of 281.[47] He left college after two years and turned professional.
Woods became a professional golfer in August 1996, and immediately signed deals with Nike, Inc. and Titleist that ranked as the most lucrative endorsement contracts in golf history at that time.[48][49] Woods was named Sports Illustrated's 1996 Sportsman of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.[50] In April 1997, he won his first major, the Masters, becoming the tournament's youngest-ever winner.[51] Two months later, he set the record for the fastest-ever ascent to #1 in the Official World Golf Rankings.[52] After a lackluster 1998, Woods finished the 1999 season with eight wins, including the PGA Championship, a feat not achieved since 1974.[53][54]
In 2000, Woods achieved six consecutive wins, the longest winning streak since 1948. One of these was the 2000 U.S. Open, where he broke or tied nine tournament records in what Sports Illustrated called "the greatest performance in golf history."[55] At age 24, he became the youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam.[56] At the end of 2000, Woods had won nine of the twenty PGA Tour events he entered and had broken the record for lowest scoring average in tour history. He was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, the first and only athlete to be honored twice, and was ranked by Golf Digest magazine as the twelfth-best golfer of all time.[57][58]
Woods' victory in the 2001 Masters Tournament made him the first player to hold all four major professional golf titles at the same time.[59] Following a stellar 2001 and 2002 in which Woods continued to dominate the tour, Woods' career hit a "slump".[53][60] He did not win a major in 2003 or 2004. In September 2004, Vijay Singh overtook Woods in the Official World Golf Rankings, breaking Woods' record streak of 264 weeks at #1.[61] Woods rebounded in 2005, winning six official PGA Tour money events and reclaiming the top spot in July after swapping it back and forth with Singh over the first half of the year.[62]
In 2006, Woods began dominantly, winning his first two PGA tournaments but failing to capture his fifth Masters championship in April.[63][64] Following the death of his father in May, Woods took a nine-week hiatus from the tour and appeared rusty upon his return at the U.S. Open, missing the cut at Winged Foot.[65] However, he quickly returned to form and ended the year by winning six consecutive tour events. At the season's close, with 54 wins and 12 majors wins, Woods had broken the tour records for both total wins and total majors wins over eleven seasons.[66]
He continued to excel in 2007 and the first part of 2008. In April 2008, he underwent knee surgery and missed the next two months on the tour.[67] Woods returned for the 2008 U.S. Open, where he struggled the first day but ultimately claimed a dramatic victory over Rocco Mediate, after which Mediate said, "This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination," and Kenny Perry added, "He beat everybody on one leg."[68][69][70] Two days later, Woods announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to further knee surgery, and that his knee was more severely damaged than previously revealed, prompting even greater praise for his U.S. Open performance. Woods called it "my greatest ever championship."[71][72][73] In Woods' absence, TV ratings for the remainder of the season suffered a huge decline from 2007.[74]
Upon Woods' much-anticipated return in 2009, he performed well, including a spectacular performance at the 2009 Presidents Cup, but failed to win a major, the first year since 2004 that he failed to do so.[75][76][77] After his marital infidelities came to light at the end of 2009 and received massive media coverage, Woods announced in December that he would be taking an indefinite break from competitive golf. In February 2010, he delivered a televised apology for his behavior. During this period, several companies ended their endorsement deals with Woods.
He returned to competition in April at the 2010 Masters Tournament, where he finished in a tie for fourth place.[78] He followed the Masters with poor showings at the Quail Hollow Championship and the Players Championship, where he withdrew in the fourth round citing injury.[79] Shortly afterward, Woods' coach since 2003, Hank Haney, resigned the position; he was replaced in August by Sean Foley. The rest of the season went badly for Woods, who failed to win a single event for the first time since turning professional, while nevertheless finishing the season ranked #2 in the world.
Woods' performance continued to suffer in 2011, taking its toll on his ranking. After falling to #7 in March, he rebounded to #5 with a strong showing at the 2011 Masters Tournament, where he tied for fourth place.[80][81][82] Due to leg injuries incurred at the Masters, he missed several summer events; in July he fired his longtime caddy Steve Williams, replacing him temporarily with friend Bryon Bell.[83][84] After returning to tournament play in August, Woods continued to falter, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of #58.[9] He rose to #50 in mid-November after a third-place win at the Emirates Australian Open, and broke his winless streak with a victory at December's Chevron World Challenge.[9][85]
His 2012 season started at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on the European Tour in late January. For the first two days of play Tiger was grouped with Rory McIlroy and world No.1 Luke Donald. He shot under par rounds of 70 and 69 on Thursday and Friday respectively, which left him in joint 4th place at 5-under par. His low round of the week came on Saturday, shooting a 6-under par 66, giving him the joint lead with England's Robert Rock. Woods struggled on Sunday and couldn't mount a big enough charge, shooting a level par 72 and settling for joint 3rd place. Woods' second tournament of the year came at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in early February which he had not played since 2002. His amateur partner for the week was Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Woods shot solid rounds of 68-68-67 on the first three days, and began Sunday in third place, four shots behind leader Charlie Wi. However, he struggled with his putting and shot a final round 75 while his playing partner Phil Mickelson shot a 64 and won the tournament.
His next tournament was the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. Woods battled to win his first round match against Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, 1-up, and then played Nick Watney in the second round. On the 18th hole, Woods had to make birdie to extend the match, however his 5 foot putt missed and he was knocked out of the tournament. Woods commented that his putting was hindered technically and required some work after battling with it throughout the round.[86] The following week Woods teed off at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Woods commented that he had referred back to putting basics instead of new technique he had been applying. Woods' putting over the first three days of tournament play was noticeably better, but the ball was struggling to fall into the hole. Tiger began the fourth round on 2-under par, 9 shots behind leader Rory McIlroy. After parring the first hole and being delayed by adverse weather, Woods returned and played the remaining 17 holes in 8-under par including two eagles and no bogeys. A birdie-eagle finish set up Woods to possibly claim the title, however McIlroy kept his cool and won the tournament. Tiger finished joint second, and the round also marked his lowest final round score in his PGA Tour career.
Woods played the following week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami, Florida. Tiger spent the first three days near the top of the leaderboard and shot 72-67-68 to start the fourth round in tied 8th place at 9-under par, 8 shots behind leader Bubba Watson. Woods struggled on the front 9 and shot 2-over par going out. He then began to noticeably limp on the next three holes and went on to withdraw from the tournament with an apparent left leg injury, which was later confirmed as a strain on his left Achilles tendon that had been injured previously at the 2011 Masters Tournament. After a short time off, Woods played in the Tavistock Cup at the Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, representing Team Albany, finishing 4th. The same week, Woods began the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After three rounds of 69, 65 and a 71, he began Sunday in the lead at 11-under par, one shot ahead of Graeme McDowell. Woods remained in the lead throughout the round and shot a 2-under par 70 to claim his seventh win at Bay Hill and also marked his first win on the PGA Tour since the BMW Championship in September 2009. After a week off, he returned to Augusta for the Masters Tournament. Over the four days, Woods was never close to contending the title, and shot rounds of 72-75-72-74 to finish tied 40th. After a 3 week break from competition, Woods traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Wells Fargo Championship. Although starting positively with a 1-under par 71, Woods' second round of 73 (1-over) derailed his tournament hopes and resulted in him missing his eighth cut as a professional by 1 shot and second in as many years for the tournament. The following week, Woods played The Players Championship. After an opening round of 74 (2-over), he was in threat of missing a second consecutive cut, a first for his professional career, however after a 4-under 68, he was firmly staying in the tournament as well as being in the hunt for the weekend. However, a weekend charge never mounted despite good ball striking and he settled for T40th at 1-under par.
Woods has been called the world's most marketable athlete.[87] Shortly after his 21st birthday in 1996, he began signing endorsement deals with numerous companies, including General Motors, Titleist, General Mills, American Express, Accenture, and Nike, Inc. In 2000, he signed a 5-year, $105 million contract extension with Nike. It was the largest endorsing deal ever signed by an athlete at that time.[88] Woods' endorsement has been credited with playing a significant role in taking the Nike Golf brand from a "start-up" golf company earlier in the past decade, to becoming the leading golf apparel company in the world, and a major player in the equipment and golf ball market.[87][89] Nike Golf is one of the fastest growing brands in the sport, with an estimated $600 million in sales.[90] Woods has been described as the "ultimate endorser" for Nike Golf,[90] frequently seen wearing Nike gear during tournaments, and even in advertisements for other products.[88] Woods receives a cut from the sales of Nike Golf apparel, footwear, golf equipment, golf balls,[87] and has a building named after him at Nike’s headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon.[91]
In 2002, Woods was involved in every aspect of the launch of Buick's Rendezvous SUV. A company spokesman stated that Buick is happy with the value of Woods' endorsement, pointing out that more than 130,000 Rendezvous vehicles were sold in 2002 and 2003. "That exceeded our forecasts," he was quoted as saying, "It has to be in recognition of Tiger." In February 2004, Buick renewed Woods' endorsement contract for another five years, in a deal reportedly worth $40 million.[88]
Woods collaborated closely with TAG Heuer to develop the world's first professional golf watch, released in April 2005.[92] The lightweight, titanium-construction watch, designed to be worn while playing the game, incorporates numerous innovative design features to accommodate golf play. It is capable of absorbing up to 5,000 Gs of shock, far in excess of the forces generated by a normal golf swing.[92] In 2006, the TAG Heuer Professional Golf Watch won the prestigious iF product design award in the Leisure/Lifestyle category.[93]
Woods also endorses the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of video games; he has done so since 1999.[94] In 2006, he signed a six-year contract with Electronic Arts, the series' publisher.[95]
In February 2007, along with Roger Federer and Thierry Henry, Woods became an ambassador for the "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette did not disclose financial terms, though an expert estimated the deal could total between $10 million and $20 million.[96]
In October 2007, Gatorade announced that Woods would have his own brand of sports drink starting in March 2008. "Gatorade Tiger" was his first U.S. deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement. Although no figures were officially disclosed, Golfweek magazine reported that it was for five years and could pay him as much as $100 million.[97] The company decided in early fall 2009 to discontinue the drink due to weak sales.[98]
According to Golf Digest, Woods made $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007,[99] and the magazine predicted that by 2010, Woods would pass one billion dollars in earnings.[100] In 2009, Forbes confirmed that Woods was indeed the world's first athlete to earn over a billion dollars in his career (before taxes), after accounting for the $10 million bonus Woods received for the FedEx Cup title.[101][102] The same year, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $600 million, making him the second richest "African American" behind only Oprah Winfrey.[103]
On August 20, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced that Woods would be inducted into the California Hall of Fame. He was inducted December 5, 2007 at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento.[104][105]
He has been named "Athlete of the Decade" by the Associated Press in December 2009.[106] He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, and is the only person to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once.
Since his record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters Tournament, golf's increased popularity is commonly attributed to Woods' presence. He is credited by some sources for dramatically increasing prize money in golf, generating interest in new audiences, and for drawing the largest TV audiences in golf history.[50][107][108][109][110][111]
Early in Woods' career, a small number of golf experts expressed concern about his impact on the competitiveness of the game and the public appeal of professional golf. Sportswriter Bill Lyon of Knight-Ridder asked in a column, "Isn't Tiger Woods actually bad for golf?" (though Lyon ultimately concluded that he was not).[112] At first, some pundits feared that Woods would drive the spirit of competition out of the game of golf by making existing courses obsolete and relegating opponents to simply competing for second place each week.
A related effect was measured by economist Jennifer Brown of the University of California, Berkeley who found that other golfers played worse when competing against Woods than when he was not in the tournament. The scores of highly skilled (exempt) golfers are nearly one stroke higher when playing against Woods. This effect was larger when he was on winning streaks and disappeared during his well-publicized slump in 2003–04. Brown explains the results by noting that competitors of similar skill can hope to win by increasing their level of effort, but that, when facing a "superstar" competitor, extra exertion does not significantly raise one's level of winning while increasing risk of injury or exhaustion, leading to reduced effort.[113]
Many courses in the PGA Tour rotation (including Major Championship sites like Augusta National) began to add yardage to their tees in an effort to slow down long hitters like Woods, a strategy that became known as "Tiger-Proofing". Woods himself welcomed the change as he believes adding yardage to the course does not affect his ability to win.[114]
When Woods first joined the professional tour in 1996, his long drives had a large impact on the world of golf.[115][116] However, when he did not upgrade his equipment in the following years (insisting upon the use of True Temper Dynamic Gold steel-shafted clubs and smaller steel clubheads that promoted accuracy over distance),[117] many opponents caught up to him. Phil Mickelson even made a joke in 2003 about Woods using "inferior equipment", which did not sit well with Nike, Titleist or Woods.[118][119] During 2004, Woods finally upgraded his driver technology to a larger clubhead and graphite shaft, which, coupled with his clubhead speed, made him one of the Tour's lengthier players off the tee once again.
Despite his power advantage, Woods has always focused on developing an excellent all-around game. Although in recent years he has typically been near the bottom of the Tour rankings in driving accuracy, his iron play is generally accurate, his recovery and bunker play is very strong, and his putting (especially under pressure) is possibly his greatest asset. He is largely responsible for a shift to higher standards of athleticism amongst professional golfers, and is known for putting in more hours of practice than most.[120][121][122]
From mid-1993, while he was still an amateur, until 2004, Woods worked almost exclusively with leading swing coach Butch Harmon. From mid-1997, Harmon and Woods fashioned a major redevelopment of Woods' full swing, achieving greater consistency, better distance control, and better kinesiology. The changes began to pay off in 1999.[123] From March 2004 to 2010, Woods was coached by Hank Haney, who worked on flattening his swing plane. Woods continued to win tournaments with Haney, but his driving accuracy dropped significantly. Haney resigned in May 2010 and was replaced by Sean Foley. [124]
Mike "Fluff" Cowan served as Woods' caddy from the start of his professional career until March 1999.[125] He was replaced by Steve Williams, who became a close friend of Woods and is often credited with helping him with key shots and putts.[126] In June 2011, Woods fired Williams and replaced him with Woods' friend Bryon Bell, on an interim basis. Joe LaCava, a former caddy of both Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson, was hired by Woods shortly after.[citation needed]
Woods has won 72 official PGA Tour events including 14 majors. He is 14–1 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead. He has been heralded as "the greatest closer in history" by multiple golf experts.[132][133][134] He owns the lowest career scoring average and the most career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history.
He has spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings. He is one of five players (along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus) to have won all four professional major championships in his career, known as the Career Grand Slam, and was the youngest to do so.[135] Woods is the only player to have won all four professional major championships in a row, accomplishing the feat in the 2000–2001 seasons.
Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Masters Tournament | 099 shot lead | -18−18 (70–66–65–69=270) | 1212 strokes | Tom Kite |
1999 | PGA Championship | 00Tied for lead | -11−11 (70–67–68–72=277) | 011 stroke | Sergio García |
2000 | U.S. Open | 1010 shot lead | -12−12 (65–69–71–67=272) | 1515 strokes | Ernie Els, Miguel Ángel Jiménez |
2000 | The Open Championship | 066 shot lead | -19−19 (67–66–67–69=269) | 088 strokes | Thomas Bjørn, Ernie Els |
2000 | PGA Championship (2) | 011 shot lead | -18−18 (66–67–70–67=270) | 00Playoff 1 | Bob May |
2001 | Masters Tournament (2) | 011 shot lead | -16−16 (70–66–68–68=272) | 022 strokes | David Duval |
2002 | Masters Tournament (3) | 00Tied for lead | -12−12 (70–69–66–71=276) | 033 strokes | Retief Goosen |
2002 | U.S. Open (2) | 044 shot lead | -03−3 (67–68–70–72=277) | 033 strokes | Phil Mickelson |
2005 | Masters Tournament (4) | 033 shot lead | -12−12 (74–66–65–71=276) | 00Playoff 2 | Chris DiMarco |
2005 | The Open Championship (2) | 022 shot lead | -14−14 (66–67–71–70=274) | 055 strokes | Colin Montgomerie |
2006 | The Open Championship (3) | 011 shot lead | -18−18 (67–65–71–67=270) | 022 strokes | Chris DiMarco |
2006 | PGA Championship (3) | 00Tied for lead | -18−18 (69–68–65–68=270) | 055 strokes | Shaun Micheel |
2007 | PGA Championship (4) | 033 shot lead | -08−8 (71–63–69–69=272) | 022 strokes | Woody Austin |
2008 | U.S. Open (3) | 011 shot lead | -01−1 (72–68–70–73=283) | 00Playoff 3 | Rocco Mediate |
1 Defeated May in three-hole playoff by 1 stroke: Woods (3–4–5=12), May (4–4–5=13)
2 Defeated DiMarco with birdie on first extra hole
3 Defeated Mediate with a par on 1st sudden death hole after 18-hole playoff was tied at even par
Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | T41 LA | CUT | 1 | T8 | T18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | T15 | T22 | 1 | T3 | T2 | 2 | T6 | T4 | T4 | T40 |
U.S. Open | WD | T82 | T19 | T18 | T3 | 1 | T12 | 1 | T20 | T17 | 2 | CUT | T2 | 1 | T6 | T4 | DNP | |
The Open Championship | T68 | T22 LA | T24 | 3 | T7 | 1 | T25 | T28 | T4 | T9 | 1 | 1 | T12 | DNP | CUT | T23 | DNP | |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | T29 | T10 | 1 | 1 | T29 | 2 | T39 | T24 | T4 | 1 | 1 | DNP | 2 | T28 | CUT |
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | WGC-NEC Invitational | 055 shot lead | -10-10 (66–71–62–71=270) | 011 stroke | Phil Mickelson |
1999 | WGC-American Express Championship | -031 shot deficit | -06-6 (71–69–70–68=278) | 00Playoff 1 | Miguel Ángel Jiménez |
2000 | WGC-NEC Invitational (2) | 099 shot lead | -21-21 (64–61–67–67=259) | 1111 strokes | Justin Leonard, Phillip Price |
2001 | WGC-NEC Invitational (3) | -022 shot deficit | -12-12 (66–67–66–69=268) | 00Playoff 2 | Jim Furyk |
2002 | WGC-American Express Championship (2) | 055 shot lead | -25-25 (65–65–67–66=263) | 011 stroke | Retief Goosen |
2003 | WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship | n/an/a | n/a2 & 1 | n/an/a | David Toms |
2003 | WGC-American Express Championship (3) | 022 shot lead | -06-6 (67–66–69–72=274) | 022 strokes | Stuart Appleby, Tim Herron, Vijay Singh |
2004 | WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2) | n/an/a | n/a3 & 2 | n/an/a | Davis Love III |
2005 | WGC-NEC Invitational (4) | 00Tied for lead | -06-6 (66–70–67–71=274) | 011 stroke | Chris DiMarco |
2005 | WGC-American Express Championship (4) | -022 shot deficit | -10-10 (67–68–68–67=270) | 00Playoff 3 | John Daly |
2006 | WGC-NEC InvitationalWGC-Bridgestone Invitational (5) | -031 shot deficit | -10-10 (67–64–71–68=270) | 00Playoff 4 | Stewart Cink |
2006 | WGC-American Express Championship (5) | 066 shot lead | -23-23 (63–64–67–67=261) | 088 strokes | Ian Poulter, Adam Scott |
2007 | WGC-American Express ChampionshipWGC-CA Championship (6) | 044 shot lead | -10-10 (71–66–68–73=278) | 022 strokes | Brett Wetterich |
2007 | WGC-NEC InvitationalWGC-Bridgestone Invitational (6) | -031 shot deficit | -08-8 (68–70–69–65=272) | 088 strokes | Justin Rose, Rory Sabbatini |
2008 | WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (3) | n/an/a | n/a8 & 7 | n/an/a | Stewart Cink |
2009 | WGC-NEC InvitationalzWGC-Bridgestone Invitational (7) | -013 shot deficit | -12-12 (68–70–65–65=268) | 044 strokes | Robert Allenby, Pádraig Harrington |
1 Won on the first extra hole of a sudden-death playoff.
2 Won on the seventh extra hole of a sudden-death playoff.
3 Won on the second extra hole of a sudden-death playoff.
4 Won on the fourth extra hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Accenture Match Play Championship | QF | 2 | DNP | R64 | 1 | 1 | R32 | R16 | R16 | 1 | R32 | DNP | R64 | R32 |
Cadillac Championship | 1 | T5 | NT1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | T9 | DNP | T10 | WD |
Bridgestone Invitational | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | T4 | T2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | DNP | 1 | T78 | T37 | |
HSBC Champions | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | T6 | T6 | DNP |
1Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Year | Wins (Majors) | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | 2 | 790,594 | 24 |
1997 | 4 (1) | 2,066,833 | 1 |
1998 | 1 | 1,841,117 | 4 |
1999 | 8 (1) | 6,616,585 | 1 |
2000 | 9 (3) | 9,188,321 | 1 |
2001 | 5 (1) | 6,687,777 | 1 |
2002 | 5 (2) | 6,912,625 | 1 |
2003 | 5 | 6,673,413 | 2 |
2004 | 1 | 5,365,472 | 4 |
2005 | 6 (2) | 10,628,024 | 1 |
2006 | 8 (2) | 9,941,563 | 1 |
2007 | 7 (1) | 10,867,052 | 1 |
2008 | 4 (1) | 5,775,000 | 2 |
2009 | 6 | 10,508,163 | 1 |
2010 | 0 | 1,294,765 | 68 |
2011 | 0 | 660,238 | 128 |
2012* | 1 | 1,848,050 | 17 |
Career* | 72 (14) | 96,665,592 | 1 |
The Tiger Woods Foundation was established in 1996 by Woods and his father Earl, with the primary goal of promoting golf among inner-city children.[136][137] The foundation has conducted junior golf clinics across the country, and sponsors the Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team in the Junior World Golf Championships.[138][139] As of December 2010, TWF employed approximately 55 people.[140][141]
The foundation operates the Tiger Woods Learning Center, a $50 million, 35,000-square-foot facility in Anaheim, California, providing college-access programs for underserved youth.[138][140][142] The TWLC opened in 2006 and features seven classrooms, extensive multi-media facilities and an outdoor golf teaching area.[138] The center has since expanded to four additional campuses: two in Washington, DC; one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and one in Stuart, Florida.[142]
The foundation benefits from the annual Chevron World Challenge and AT&T National golf tournaments hosted by Woods.[140] In October 2011, the foundation hosted the first Tiger Woods Invitational at Pebble Beach.[143] Other annual fundraisers have included the concert events Block Party, last held in 2009 in Anaheim, and Tiger Jam, last held in 2011 in Las Vegas after a one-year hiatus.[140][144][145][146]
In November 2006, Woods announced his intention to begin designing golf courses around the world through a new company, Tiger Woods Design.[147] A month later, he announced that the company's first course would be in Dubai as part of a 25.3 million-square-foot development, The Tiger Woods Dubai.[148] The Al Ruwaya Golf Course was initially expected to finish construction in 2009.[148] As of February 2010, only seven holes had been completed; in April 2011, the New York Times reported that the project had been shelved permanently.[149][150]
Tiger Woods Design has taken on two other courses, neither of which has materialized. In August 2007, Woods announced The Cliffs at High Carolina, a private course in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.[151] After a groundbreaking in November 2008, the project suffered cash flow problems and suspended construction.[150] A third course, in Punta Brava, Mexico, was announced in October 2008, but incurred delays due to issues with permits and an environmental impact study.[152][150] Construction on the Punta Brava course has not yet begun.[150]
The problems encountered by these projects have been credited to factors including overly optimistic estimates of their value; declines throughout the global economy, particularly the U.S. crash in home prices; and decreased appeal of Woods following his 2009 infidelity scandal.[150]
Woods wrote a golf instruction column for Golf Digest magazine from 1997 to February 2011.[153] In 2001 he wrote a best-selling golf instruction book, How I Play Golf, which had the largest print run of any golf book for its first edition, 1.5 million copies.[154]
In November 2003, Woods became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish former model and daughter of former minister of migration Barbro Holmberg and radio journalist Thomas Nordegren.[155] They were introduced during The Open Championship in 2001 by Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, who had employed her as an au pair. They married on October 5, 2004, at the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados, and lived at Isleworth, a community in Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, Florida.[156][157] In 2006, they purchased a $39 million estate in Jupiter Island, Florida, and began constructing a 10,000-square-foot home; Woods moved there in 2010 following the couple's divorce.[157][158]
Woods and Nordegren's first child, a daughter named Sam Alexis Woods, was born on June 18, 2007. Woods chose the name because his own father had always called him Sam.[159] Their son, Charlie Axel Woods, was born on February 8, 2009.[160]
On November 25, 2009, supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer published a story claiming that Woods had an extramarital affair with New York City nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel, a claim she denied.[161] Two days later, around 2:30 AM on November 27, Woods left home in his Cadillac Escalade SUV and, while still on his street, collided with a fire hydrant, a tree, and several hedges.[162] He was treated for minor facial lacerations and received a ticket for careless driving.[162][163] Following intense media speculation about the accident, Woods released a statement on his website taking sole responsibility for the accident, calling it a "private matter" and crediting his wife for helping him from the car.[164][165] On November 30, Woods announced that he would not be appearing at his own charity golf tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, nor any other tournaments in 2009, due to his injuries.[166]
On December 2, following the release by US Weekly of a voicemail message allegedly left by Tiger for a mistress, Woods released another statement in which he admitted "transgressions" and apologized to "all of those who have supported [him] over the years", while reiterating his and his family's right to privacy.[161][167] Over the next several days, more than a dozen women claimed in various media outlets to have had affairs with Woods.[8] On December 11, he released a third statement admitting to infidelity and apologizing again, as well as announcing that he would be taking "an indefinite break from professional golf."[8]
In the days and months following Woods' admission of infidelity, several companies re-evaluated their relationships with him. Accenture, AT&T, Gatorade and General Motors completely ended their sponsorship deals, while Gillette suspended advertising featuring Woods.[168][169][170] TAG Heuer dropped Woods from advertising in December 2009 and officially ended their deal when his contract expired in August 2011.[168][171] The magazine Golf Digest suspended Woods' monthly column beginning with the February 2010 issue.[172] In contrast, Nike continued to support Woods, as did Electronic Arts, which was working with Woods on the game Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online.[173] A December 2009 study estimated the shareholder loss caused by Woods' affairs to be between $5 billion and $12 billion.[174][175]
On February 19, 2010, Woods gave a televised statement in which he said he had been in a 45-day therapy program since the end of December. He again apologized for his actions. "I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to," he said. "I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish." He said he did not know yet when he would be returning to golf.[176][177] He announced a few weeks later on March 16 that he would be returning at the 2010 Masters Tournament on April 8.[178]
Woods and Nordegren officially divorced on August 23, 2010.[179]
From childhood Woods was raised as a Buddhist, and actively practised this faith from childhood until well into his adult professional golf career.[180] In a 2000 article, Woods was quoted as saying he "believes in Buddhism... Not every aspect, but most of it."[181] He has attributed his deviations and infidelity to his losing track of Buddhism. He said that "Buddhism teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."[182]
Tiger Woods is registered as an independent.[183] In January 2009, Woods delivered a speech commemorating the military at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.[184][185] In April 2009, Woods visited the White House while in the Washington, D.C. area promoting the golf tournament he hosts, the AT&T National.[186]
Woods underwent laser eye surgery in 1999. Before this surgery, Woods eyesight was minus 11, meaning he was almost legally blind. He considered the surgery a big help in his career and a good alternative to the glasses and contact lenses.[187] He immediately started winning tour events after the surgery. He received money from TLC Laser Eye Centers to endorse them.[188] In 2007, he had a second laser eye surgery when his vision began to deteriorate again.[189]
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Name | Woods, Tiger |
Alternative names | Woods, Eldrick Tont |
Short description | Professional golfer |
Date of birth | December 30, 1975 |
Place of birth | Cypress, California, U.S. |
Date of death | |
Place of death |