Federico Luzzi
Encyclopedia
Federico Luzzi was a professional tennis player from Italy who had been ranked as high as 92nd in the world. Luzzi had been suspended from professional tennis in 2008 for six months after a determination was made that he had gambled on the outcome of matches over a three-year span. He was diagnosed with leukemia on a Wednesday and died four days later. While he was on suspension and awaiting the outcome of the case he studied acting in Hollywood with Laura Gardner and her students. He screen tested and was to return to Hollywood in 2009 to begin filming two movies.
Fedelux charity has become world famous in honor of his death, searching for a cure for Cancer.
6'2 (187 cm), 176 lbs (80 kg) Luzzi, coached by Umberto Rianna, turned pro in 1999. His best season was in 2001 when he finished with the year ranked 96, having reached the quarterfinals at the Ciutat de Barcelona Tennis Tournament, won two ATP Challenger Series
titles and made his Davis Cup
debut.
In February 2002, Luzzi attained a world ranking of 92, the highest in his career. A serious shoulder injury plagued him for the remainder of his career.
Officials at the 2007 U.S. Open
would not allow Luzzi to play while wearing a shirt with a Playboy
bunny, as the logo failed a United States Tennis Association
policy that only allows logos for recognized clothing manufacturers. Luzzi had worn the shirt during an opening qualifying match, but the USTA imposed the restriction before his second match, which Luzzi lost to Gabriel Trujillo-Soler
of Spain.
In February 2008, the Association of Tennis Professionals
found him guilty of wagering on the outcome of matches from May 2004 to April 2007. The ATP's Anti-Corruption Program prohibits all gambling on any form of tennis. The ATP banned Luzzi from playing for 200 days and fined him $50,000. The ATP determined that he had "wagered 273 times on 836 tennis matches", including a wager he had placed on himself to win a match, but the ATP stated that it had not uncovered any evidence that he had attempted to influence the result of any tennis match.
in mid-October due to a fever. He went to the hospital and on Wednesday 21 October was diagnosed with cancer. Luzzi had contracted a rapid form of fulmonic leukemia, and died four days later on 25 October 2008 in a hospital in his home town of Arezzo
at age 28.
His funeral was held in his hometown of Arezzo and was attended by over 3500 people including all of the officials of FIT along with previous and current tennis stars of Italy. His pall bearers were his best friends.
Fedelux charity has become world famous in honor of his death, searching for a cure for Cancer.
Tennis career
TheATP Challenger Series
The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments...
titles and made his Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
debut.
In February 2002, Luzzi attained a world ranking of 92, the highest in his career. A serious shoulder injury plagued him for the remainder of his career.
Officials at the 2007 U.S. Open
2007 U.S. Open (tennis)
The 2007 US Open was held from 27 August to 9 September 2007, at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City....
would not allow Luzzi to play while wearing a shirt with a Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
bunny, as the logo failed a United States Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
policy that only allows logos for recognized clothing manufacturers. Luzzi had worn the shirt during an opening qualifying match, but the USTA imposed the restriction before his second match, which Luzzi lost to Gabriel Trujillo-Soler
Gabriel Trujillo-Soler
Gabriel Trujillo Soler is a Spanish professional tennis player.-Titles :-Runner-Up :-External links:*...
of Spain.
In February 2008, the Association of Tennis Professionals
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
found him guilty of wagering on the outcome of matches from May 2004 to April 2007. The ATP's Anti-Corruption Program prohibits all gambling on any form of tennis. The ATP banned Luzzi from playing for 200 days and fined him $50,000. The ATP determined that he had "wagered 273 times on 836 tennis matches", including a wager he had placed on himself to win a match, but the ATP stated that it had not uncovered any evidence that he had attempted to influence the result of any tennis match.
Illness and death
Luzzi was forced to retire from a club match in SardiniaSardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
in mid-October due to a fever. He went to the hospital and on Wednesday 21 October was diagnosed with cancer. Luzzi had contracted a rapid form of fulmonic leukemia, and died four days later on 25 October 2008 in a hospital in his home town of Arezzo
Arezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
at age 28.
His funeral was held in his hometown of Arezzo and was attended by over 3500 people including all of the officials of FIT along with previous and current tennis stars of Italy. His pall bearers were his best friends.
Singles Titles
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (0) |
| Challengers (3) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 12 February 2001 |  MumbaiMumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... |
Hard |  Stefano GalvaniStefano Galvani Stefano Galvani is a professional male tennis player from Italy.- 2008 :In June, Galvani qualified in singles for the 2008 Wimbledon, beating #222 Yeu-Tzuoo Wang, #148 Andrey Golubev, and #197 Ilija Bozoljac.... |
6–7(2), 7–5, 7–6(4) |
| 2. | 27 August 2001 | Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city... |
Clay |  Vasilis Mazarakis |
0–6, 7–6(3), 6–4 |
| 3. | 26 February 2007 |  CherbourgChallenger DCNS de Cherbourg The Challenger DCNS de Cherbourg is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually at the Complexe Sportif Chantereyne in Cherbourg, France, since 1994.-Singles:-Doubles:-External... |
Indoor Hard | Jérôme Haehnel Jérôme Haehnel Jérôme Haehnel is a tennis player who defeated Andre Agassi in the first round of the French Open in 2004. Haehnel's career-high singles ranking is no. 78, which he reached on February 21, 2005. Recently he has been competing in various ATP Challenger Series tournaments around Europe... |
7–5, 7–6(6) |