Fernando Verdasco
Encyclopedia
Fernando Verdasco Carmona (born 15 November 1983 in Madrid
, Spain) is a professional tennis
player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight. As of 2009, Verdasco has been working in Las Vegas
with Andre Agassi
and his team, including Darren Cahill
(Agassi's former coach) and Gil Reyes
(Agassi's fitness coach). Verdasco has aided Spain in winning two Davis Cup
titles, winning the deciding match in both 2008 and 2009. His best performance in a Grand Slam was making the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open
, where he lost to compatriot and eventual champion Rafael Nadal
in five sets in what was the longest match in Australian Open history.
, where he reached the final after beating Belarus
ian Vladimir Voltchkov
in the semifinals. He then reached two additional Challenger semifinals in Kiev
and in Eckental
, finishing the year in the top 200 at no. 173. 2002 also finished strongly off the court, as Fernando finished runner-up in a closely contested Best Abs in Castilla La Mancha contest.
(Miami Masters
). He joined the main draw as a qualifier, and after defeating Karol Kučera
and Max Mirnyi
, he lost to countryman Carlos Moyà
in the third round. After this good performance, he had a poor season on clay, and then he lost in the first round at Wimbledon
against Finn Jarkko Nieminen
in five sets. Then Verdasco played in Cincinnati
, where he lost to Andy Roddick
in straight sets. He reached the third round at the U.S. Open
, where he lost to Thai
Paradorn Srichaphan
, after defeating countryman Tommy Robredo
in the first round and Italian Davide Sanguinetti
in the second round.
. He defeated defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero
in the semifinals and Albert Montañés
in the final. He also reached the final in Acapulco
, losing to Carlos Moyà
, and the quarterfinals in Halle
and in 's-Hertogenbosch
on grass. He reached the third round in two Masters Series
tournaments: the Hamburg Masters
and the Madrid Masters
. He reached the quarterfinals in Stockholm
and the semifinals in Kitzbühel, and won a doubles title in Stockholm (with countryman Feliciano López
), ending the year ranked no. 36 in the world.
twice, in Miami and in Rome
. In Rome, the match was famous for Roddick being matchpoint up on Verdasco's serve and having the match end with a double fault from Verdasco, but Roddick claimed that the serve wasn't out and the match went on, with Verdasco winning. He also reached the quarterfinals in Valencia (where he was defending the title), Rome, and New Haven
; the semifinals of Saint Petersburg
; and was finalist in Kitzbühel, where he lost to Argentine
Gastón Gaudio
. Verdasco reached his first Grand Slam
fourth round at the U.S. Open, where he lost to Jarkko Nieminen
, after defeating Novak Djoković
. His year-end ranking improved slightly to no. 32 in the world.
and German Benjamin Becker
, and also upsetting third seed and former runner-up David Nalbandián
in straight sets in the third round. Verdasco then lost to Czech
Radek Štěpánek
in five sets. At the U.S. Open, Fernando reached the third round, but lost to eventual runner-up Andy Roddick
in five sets. In previous rounds, Fernando defeated Fabrice Santoro
in four sets and Thiago Alves
in three. Fernando then lost in the quarterfinals of Palermo
to Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo
, and then he lost to Ramírez Hidalgo again the following week in the first round at Metz
. Verdasco did not win a match the rest of year. He lost to Italian Daniele Bracciali
in Moscow
, and then in the last two Masters Series tournaments
of the year, he lost to Tim Henman
in the Madrid Masters and to Michaël Llodra
in the Paris Masters
. Verdasco finished the year ranked no. 35.
In 2007, Verdasco lost in the first round in the three Masters Series tournaments
on clay. He lost to Frenchman Richard Gasquet
in both Monte Carlo Masters and Rome Masters, and to Czech Tomáš Berdych
in the Hamburg Masters. He lost to Novak Đjoković in the fourth round of the French Open. In the previous rounds, he beat Jérôme Haehnel
in the first round, Dmitry Tursunov
in the second round, and David Ferrer
in the third round. In the grass season, he lost in the first round in Queen's
, and he reached the third round at Wimbledon, where he lost to third seed Andy Roddick
after beating Bobby Reynolds
in the first round and Italian Andreas Seppi
in the second round. At the Madrid Masters, Verdasco cruised through to the second round with a win over Albert Montañés
, beating him in straight sets. However, in the second round he faced third seed Novak Đoković and after winning the first set, the Serb player won the second and the third sets by the same score: 6–3. At the St. Petersburg Open
, Verdasco played some brilliant tennis to reach the final without losing a single set. En route to this final, he defeated Marin Čilić
, who defeated Nikolay Davydenko
early on, in the semifinal. However, his quest to win the title ended with a 6–2, 6–3 defeat by Scot
Andy Murray. Still, this solid performance raised Verdasco's position in the ATP rankings to 27 the next week.
as the 25th seed. He won his opening match with a strong performance against Thierry Ascione
6–4, 6–0, 6–3. He lost his second round match in a close battle with Serbian Janko Tipsarević
, who later went on to take Roger Federer
to 5 sets. Fernando entered the Dubai Tennis Championships
with a possible second round opponent of either Roger Federer or Andy Murray, his opponent would be Murray after he beat Federer in three sets. Fernando managed to take Murray to three sets but after a good performance he lost the match 3–6, 6–3, 6–7. In Berlin, Fernando and doubles partner Feliciano López clinched Spain's spot in the Davis Cup
semifinals after defeating Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber
and Philipp Petzschner
in a four hour and 45 minute marathon match, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 2–6, 12–10. At the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco
Fernando lost to Gaël Monfils
in straight sets in the first round. In Barcelona the following week he also lost his first round match in straight sets to Nicolás Lapentti
. His form improved dramatically for the Rome Masters where he reached the third round, en-route he got the better of Carlos Moyà
and Nicolás Lapentti (who had beaten him the week earlier) before losing in a thriller to James Blake
. Fernando continued his run of excellent form into the Hamburg Masters where he beat Mikhail Youzhny
in the first round 6–2, 6–3. In the second round he beat Michaël Llodra 6–2, 6–0. Verdasco then went on to record a remarkable win against compatriot David Ferrer in straight sets, 7–6, 6–2. His run ended when he met the world number 1 Roger Federer, losing 6–3, 6–3. At the French Open Verdasco was seeded No. 22 and enjoyed a good run, ending with a loss to Rafael Nadal
in the last 16.
On 9 June Fernando achieved his career high ranking of No. 20, as a result of his run at the French Open. He reached the final of the Nottingham Open
raising his ranking to a career high of No. 18. At Wimbledon, he lost to Mario Ančić
in a five set thriller in which the last set lasted over 90 minutes and ended 13–11, in the fourth round. His performance at The Wimbledon Championships brought his world ranking up to No. 13. His most recent ATP victory was in Umag
(Studena Croatian Open Umag), Croatia where he defeated Igor Andreev
. Afterwards, he again improved in the rankings to 11th place. Verdasco was the 13th seed at the US Open in 2008, and lost to the 23rd seed Andreev in the third round.
On 23 November, Verdasco won the fourth rubber of Spain
's Davis Cup final match against Argentina
, defeating José Acasuso
. This was enough to ensure the team of victory; Verdasco had also played in the doubles match of the previous day and won, partnering Feliciano López
.
losing to Radek Štěpánek
in three sets. Partnering Mischa Zverev
, he was also the runner-up in the doubles final. At the Australian Open
, in his first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, Verdasco defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2. Verdasco then lost to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal
7–6, 4–6, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6 in the longest match in Australian Open history, lasting 5 hours, 14 minutes. Verdasco's semi-final run earned him No. 9 ranking, lifting the Spaniard into the top 10 for the first time.
After being sidelined by injury since the Australian Open
, he reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, where he lost to Roger Federer
6–3, 7–6. At the 2009 Miami Masters, Verdasco recorded his 200th ATP match win by defeating qualifier Benjamin Becker
in the second round. He would go on to reach the quarterfinals, losing to Andy Murray 6–1, 6–2. His run at this tournament earned him a further career-high ranking of No. 8.
During the clay court season, Verdasco again reached quarterfinal stage, where he lost to Novak Djokovic
2–6, 6–4, 3–6. Following this tournament, his ranking rose further to No. 7. In Barcelona
, he lost in the quarter-finals to Fernando González
3–6, 6–4, 4–6. At the 2009 Rome Masters, he advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Rafael Nadal
6–3, 6–3. At the 2009 Madrid Masters, Verdasco reached the quarterfinals, Verdasco again lost to Nadal for the ninth time 6–4, 7–5. Competing as the 8th seed at the 2009 French Open
, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko
6–2, 6–4, 6–4.
On his first tournament on grass that season, Verdasco lost in the first round of the 2009 Gerry Weber Open
to Philipp Petzschner
. At the 2009 Ordina Open
, he lost in the second round to eventual title winner Benjamin Becker
7–5, 7–6. At the third Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon
, he matched his best result at that tournament by reaching the fourth round, where he was ousted by the big-serving Croat, Ivo Karlović
7–6, 6–7, 6–3, 7–6.
Verdasco competed in the Swedish Open
as the top seed, advancing to the quarterfinals where he retired against Juan Mónaco
. After a small break he played in the Rogers Cup and was defeated by Andy Roddick
in the third round 7–6, 4–6, 7–6. He was then upset by compatriot Guillermo García-López in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters in two tiebreaks. In New Haven, Verdasco defeated Igor Andreev
in two tiebreak sets in the semi-finals. Due to rain delays in the previous days, Verdasco returned later the same day for the final against Sam Querrey
, winning in straight sets. He did not lose a set in the entire tournament. He was seeded 10th at the US Open, the year's final Grand Slam, losing in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic
7–6,1–6, 7–5, 6–2.
Verdasco's first indoor tournament of the season was the 2009 Malaysian Open, where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko
in straight sets in the final. At the China Open, Verdasco was seeded fifth, losing to Djokovic in the quarterfinals for the third time in that year. In Shanghai, a Masters 1000 tournament, he lost his opening match to Ivan Ljubičić
6–4, 7–6.
He next competed at the Valencia Open 500. He advanced to the semifinals where he lost to top seed Andy Murray 6–3, 2–6, 6–3.
He next competed at the Paris Masters as the seventh seed. In the third round, Verdasco lost to Marin Čilić
6–3, 3–6, 4–6. His bid in qualifying for the ATP World Tour finals depended on the results of other players because of this loss. However, Robin Söderling
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to pass the quarterfinals, allowing Verdasco to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup for the first time in his career.
At the ATP Tour Finals, Verdasco lost to Roger Federer
in his first Round Robin match 6–4, 5–7, 1–6 and to Juan Martín del Potro
4–6, 6–3, 6–7 in his second match. He then lost his third match against Andy Murray in the round robin 4–6, 7–6, 6–7 hence ending his run at the tournament. Verdasco finished 2009 with a 52–25 record in singles, his best record to date, and finished the year at No. 9, the first time he has finished the year in the top 10.
To close 2009, Verdasco partnered Feliciano López
in the 2009 Davis Cup Final doubles match against the Czech Republic
. Playing against Radek Štěpánek
and Tomáš Berdych
, Verdasco and Lopez saved a set point to win the first set, and eventually the match 7–6, 7–5, 6–2. This victory retained the Davis Cup for Spain, and was a fitting end to Verdasco's most successful season on the tour so far.
in Melbourne, in preparation for the upcoming Australian Open
. He beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final 7–5, 6–3. His first official tournament for the year was in the Australian Open
. As the 9th seed, he lost in the fourth round against Nikolay Davydenko
in a five set match, 2–6, 5–7, 6–4, 7–6, 3–6.
His next tournament was the SAP Open
in San Jose, California
. Before his first round match, he won an exhibition match against Pete Sampras
in straight sets 6–3, 7–6. In the tournament final, he defeated Andy Roddick
3–6, 6–4, 6–4 to capture his fourth ATP singles title. This was his first win over a Top 10 ranked player since the 2009 Australian Open
. He arrived late at the 2010 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, and as a result, he was ousted in the opening round 6–7, 3–6 by Jérémy Chardy
.
Verdasco's next tournament was the Acapulco
where he lost to Juan Mónaco
in the quarter-finals 7–5, 6–3.
Seeded 10th (and as a result, receiving a bye into the second round) at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
in Indian Wells where, in the third round, he lost to Tomáš Berdych
6–0, 6–3. At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
, after receiving an opening round bye, he lost to Berdych 4–6, 7–6, 6–4 in the quarterfinals.
At the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
, as the sixth seed, he defeated the number 1 seed Novak Djokovic
6–2, 6–2 to reach his first ever Masters 1000
final, to meet five-time defending champion Rafael Nadal
. It was the first all-Spanish final of a Masters 1000 event since Monte Carlo in 2002. However, he was defeated by Rafael Nadal
, 6–0, 6–1. Despite the lopsided final, Verdasco had done enough to ensure a return to the Top 10, at number nine.
The following week, Verdasco played at the 2010 Barcelona Open
as the fifth seed, where he defeated Robin Söderling
6–3, 4–6, 6–3 to win his fifth career singles title.
In the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
, where he played in his second semi-final appearance at the Masters 1000 level, he faced David Ferrer
and lost 7–5, 6–3. Verdasco's next tournament was the Madrid Open
, where he was seeded sixth. After receiving a bye in the first round, he defeated Ivo Karlović
7–6, 6–3 before falling to Jürgen Melzer
7–5, 6–3.
Then, a week before the French Open
, he reached his fourth final of the year at Nice by beating Leonardo Mayer
in the semifinals. He then lost to Richard Gasquet
6–3, 5–7, 7–6 in the final. During the third set, he was captured by a microphone yelling profanities about the crowd and was seen to sarcastically wave at them, after which the crowd booed him. He apologised after the match and before the French Open to everyone and stated that two fans had agitated him.
Verdasco was the seventh seed at the 2010 French Open
where, in the fourth round, he lost to Nicolás Almagro
. In an upset, Verdasco then lost in the opening round of Wimbledon to Fabio Fognini 7–6, 6–2, 6–7. 6–4.
After losing in the quarterfinals in Båstad
, Verdasco then travelled to the U.S.A to begin his preparations for the US Open. At the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, Verdasco lost to Marcos Bagdatis 6–7, 4–6 in the second round.
At the 2010 US Open
, Verdasco lost to top seed Rafael Nadal
in the quarterfinals 5–7, 3–6, 4–6, increasing Nadal's lead over the career head-to-head 11–0.
He next played at the 2010 PTT Thailand Open
, losing to Benjamin Becker
4–6, 4–6 in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He then traveled to China for the 2010 China Open
in Beijing
, losing 2–6, 5–7 to Philipp Kohlschreiber
of Germany there, and to Thiemo de Bakker
of the Netherlands
6–7, 5–7 at the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters. In the 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
in Paris, he lost to Gaël Monfils
in three sets despite holding two match points at 5–4 in the decider. Verdasco finished the year with the same ranking he ended with in 2009, which was No. 9.
to Benjamin Becker
1–6, 7–6, 3–6. He then failed to defend his title at the exhibition tournament, the 2011 Kooyong Classic, losing to Gaël Monfils
in the first round 6–4, 6–7, 4–6.
Seeded 9th at the 2011 Australian Open
, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to sixth seed Tomáš Berdych 4–6, 2–6, 3–6, saying after the match he had a long-time injury in his foot. He had MRI scans on his foot and is confirmed that he had a fractured foot (where a broken bone was detected). He has claimed he has sustained this since late 2009.
His next tournament was the SAP Open
in San Jose, California
where was defending champion and top seed. He advanced to the final without losing a set against Rajeev Ram
, Ivo Karlović
, Denis Istomin
and Juan Martín del Potro
. His opponent in the final was young Canadian first-time finalist Milos Raonic
. Verdasco held held four set points in a first-set tiebreak but lost the next six points and the set 6–7. He eventually lost the match 6–7, 6–7.
Verdasco faced off against Raonic in the first round of Memphis
. For the second time in two weeks, he lost to Raonic, this time in a third set tiebreak. He then travelled to Mexico
, where he was seeded second. Again, he lost in the first round, this time to Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci
.
Verdasco and his Spanish teammates next played Davis Cup against Belgium
. Verdasco won both of his rubbers in singles and doubles and helped Spain to a 4–1 victory.
At Indian Wells
, Verdasco snapped his losing streak in ATP tour events when his second round opponent Richard Berankis had to retire after Verdasco led 7–5, 2–0. But he then lost to Sam Querrey
in the third round 5–7, 4–6. At Miami, he again received a first-round bye but lost to Pablo Andujar
6–3, 6–7, 4–6, committing three double faults in his service game at 4–4 in the third.
At the Monte Carlo Masters
, he lost to Tommy Robredo
in the second round, 4–6, 3–6, after a first-round bye.
At the Estoril Open
Verdasco reached the finals, defeating Frederico Gil
, Kevin Anderson
and was aided by the retirement of Milos Raonic
in the semifinals. In the final, he lost to Juan Martin del Potro
2–6 2–6. Then at the Madrid Masters, his home-town, Verdasco lost in the second round after a first round bye to Lu Yen-hsun
6–7, 5–7 which was only Lu's second victory on clay courts in his decade-long career. Verdasco reached the third round of the French Open
as the 16 seed where he lost to Ivan Ljubicic.
Beginning his grass season at the 2011 AEGON Championships
as the 7th seed, he defeated Nicolas Mahut
and David Nalbandian
in straight sets before losing to Andy Roddick
in the quarterfinals 2–6 2–6. At Wimbledon
, as the 21st seed, he defeated Radek Stepanek
in the first round in a long five set match, before succumbing to Dutchman Robin Haase
in the second round.
to be his forehand
, a shot that commentator Brad Gilbert
often refers to as his "Fearhand". His serve is characteristic of a left-handed player predominantly using slice to create a lot of spin, and is capable of speeds exceeding 230 km/h. He is known for rivaling compatriot Rafael Nadal
with the amount of topspin
he can put on a ball. which partly explains his improved results since 2009, but still struggles with his nerves
when facing the best players in the world. He is endorsed by adidas
(he wears the Edge Group and Barricade V ) and recently switched to Dunlop Sport
for racquets, after having played with Tecnifibre
for the majority of his career (and with Yonex
for a very short time in 2010). He is currently using the Dunlop Biomimetic 300.
Verdasco was diagnosed with ADHD when he was a child, but did not receive treatment in order to not have problems with doping.
s are neither official match wins nor losses. This table is current as far as the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters
.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain) is a professional tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight. As of 2009, Verdasco has been working in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
with Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
and his team, including Darren Cahill
Darren Cahill
Darren Cahill is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from Australia.Nicknamed "Killer", Cahill turned professional in 1984...
(Agassi's former coach) and Gil Reyes
Gil Reyes (tennis)
Gil Reyes is a fitness trainer who spent seventeen years as the strength and conditioning trainer for retired tennis player Andre Agassi, from 1989 until Agassi's retirement in 2006...
(Agassi's fitness coach). Verdasco has aided Spain in winning two 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...
titles, winning the deciding match in both 2008 and 2009. His best performance in a Grand Slam was making the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
, where he lost to compatriot and eventual champion Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in five sets in what was the longest match in Australian Open history.
Early years
He turned professional in 2001, finishing as world no. 464. 2002 was a good year for him, as he won his first Futures category title in Spain F1 and was runner-up in Spain F3. He played his second career challenger in SegoviaSegovia
Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:...
, where he reached the final after beating Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian Vladimir Voltchkov
Vladimir Voltchkov
Vladimir Nikolayevich Voltchkov is a Belarusian tennis player. Voltchkov reached the semi-final at the 2000 Wimbledon, where, as a qualifer, he lost to Pete Sampras in straight sets...
in the semifinals. He then reached two additional Challenger semifinals in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and in Eckental
Eckental
Eckental is a municipality in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 14 km east of Erlangen, and 16 km northeast of Nuremberg....
, finishing the year in the top 200 at no. 173. 2002 also finished strongly off the court, as Fernando finished runner-up in a closely contested Best Abs in Castilla La Mancha contest.
2003
In 2003, Verdasco played his first Masters Series tournamentATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
(Miami Masters
Miami Masters
The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park...
). He joined the main draw as a qualifier, and after defeating Karol Kučera
Karol Kucera
Karol Kučera is a retired ATP professional male tennis player from Slovakia. He is a former top 10 player and has been ranked as high as World No. 6.-Tennis career:...
and Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi is a professional tennis player from Belarus.Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a...
, he lost to countryman Carlos Moyà
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
in the third round. After this good performance, he had a poor season on clay, and then he lost in the first round at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
against Finn Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
in five sets. Then Verdasco played in Cincinnati
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
, where he lost to Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in straight sets. He reached the third round at the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
, where he lost to Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
Paradorn Srichaphan
Paradorn Srichaphan
Paradorn Srichaphan is a retired professional tennis player from Thailand. He is the highest ranked men's singles player from Thailand and Asia in history, reaching a career high World No. 9. His nickname is "Ball".-Career:...
, after defeating countryman Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
in the first round and Italian Davide Sanguinetti
Davide Sanguinetti
Davide Sanguinetti is an Italian former professional male tennis player.Born in Viareggio in Tuscany, he attended the Harry Hopman academy in Florida and then UCLA...
in the second round.
2004
After finishing 2003 as no. 109 in the world (with a 15–8 record in Challengers), he had a breakthrough in 2004 when he won his first ATP title in ValenciaOpen de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
The Valencia Open 500, formerly known as Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, is a professional tennis tournament played in Valencia, Spain. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. The tournament was first played in Valencia in 1995 before moving to Marbella, Spain for...
. He defeated defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
in the semifinals and Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...
in the final. He also reached the final in Acapulco
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel is a tennis tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico. It is an event on both the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour...
, losing to Carlos Moyà
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
, and the quarterfinals in Halle
Gerry Weber Open
The Gerry Weber Open is a tennis tournament held in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Held since 1993, the tournament is played on four outdoor grass courts and is a part of the ATP World Tour 250 series on the ATP Tour schedule....
and in 's-Hertogenbosch
Ordina Open
The Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, now sponsored by UNICEF and called the UNICEF Open, is a tennis tournament on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour held in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.-Singles:-Doubles:-Singles:-Doubles:-External links:*...
on grass. He reached the third round in two Masters Series
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
tournaments: the Hamburg Masters
Hamburg Masters
The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship...
and the Madrid Masters
Madrid Masters
There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters...
. He reached the quarterfinals in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and the semifinals in Kitzbühel, and won a doubles title in Stockholm (with countryman Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
), ending the year ranked no. 36 in the world.
2005
In 2005, he defeated Andy RoddickAndy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
twice, in Miami and in Rome
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
. In Rome, the match was famous for Roddick being matchpoint up on Verdasco's serve and having the match end with a double fault from Verdasco, but Roddick claimed that the serve wasn't out and the match went on, with Verdasco winning. He also reached the quarterfinals in Valencia (where he was defending the title), Rome, and New Haven
Pilot Pen Tennis
This article is about the former New Haven joint tennis event. It is now a women's-only event. For the New Haven men's tennis event known as Volvo International , click here....
; the semifinals of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
; and was finalist in Kitzbühel, where he lost to Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Gastón Gaudio
Gastón Gaudio
Gastón Norberto Gaudio is a former tennis player from Argentina. His career-high ATP ranking was World No. 5 in 2005...
. Verdasco reached his first Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
fourth round at the U.S. Open, where he lost to Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
, after defeating Novak Djoković
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
. His year-end ranking improved slightly to no. 32 in the world.
2006
Fernando reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, after beating Vince SpadeaVince Spadea
Vincent Spadea [SPAY-dee-ya] is an ATP Tour professional tennis player from the United States. He is one of only four players in history to defeat Roger Federer 6–0 in set, at a major event....
and German Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
, and also upsetting third seed and former runner-up David Nalbandián
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
in straight sets in the third round. Verdasco then lost to Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
in five sets. At the U.S. Open, Fernando reached the third round, but lost to eventual runner-up Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in five sets. In previous rounds, Fernando defeated Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other...
in four sets and Thiago Alves
Thiago Alves (tennis)
Thiago Alves is a professional tennis player who competes mainly on the ITF Tour. His career high rank was #88, achieved on July 13, 2009.- In Grand Slams :He has made four Grand Slam main draw appearances, qualifying into the...
in three. Fernando then lost in the quarterfinals of Palermo
Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia
The Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia was a tennis tournament held annually in Palermo in Italy. Held from 1935 until 2006, the tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was a part of the ATP Tour schedule from 1979 to 2006.-Singles:-Doubles:...
to Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo
Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo
Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo is a professional male tennis player from Spain. His career-high ATP entry ranking is #50 , and his current ranking is #84 . He turned pro in 1998...
, and then he lost to Ramírez Hidalgo again the following week in the first round at Metz
Open de Moselle
The Open de Moselle is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It has been held annually since 2003. The venue for the tournament was the Arènes until 2010 and is now the Parc des Expositions since 2011...
. Verdasco did not win a match the rest of year. He lost to Italian Daniele Bracciali
Daniele Bracciali
Daniele Bracciali is an Italian tennis player. His career-high ranking in singles is World No. 49, achieved on May 8, 2006.-Career:Bracciali won his only ATP singles title so far in April 2006, at Casablanca, on clay...
in Moscow
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour...
, and then in the last two Masters Series tournaments
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
of the year, he lost to Tim Henman
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE is a retired English professional tennis player and former British Number One. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis that suited the grass courts of Wimbledon. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the...
in the Madrid Masters and to Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
in the Paris Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
. Verdasco finished the year ranked no. 35.
2007
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
on clay. He lost to Frenchman Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
in both Monte Carlo Masters and Rome Masters, and to Czech Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
in the Hamburg Masters. He lost to Novak Đjoković in the fourth round of the French Open. In the previous rounds, he beat 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...
in the first round, Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov is a Russian professional male tennis player. He was 12 years old when he came to the United States to train and further his prospects of becoming a professional player....
in the second round, and David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
in the third round. In the grass season, he lost in the first round in Queen's
Queen's Club Championships
The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male tennis players, held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. Between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit. The event is now an ATP World Tour 250 series tournament on the Association of...
, and he reached the third round at Wimbledon, where he lost to third seed Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
after beating Bobby Reynolds
Bobby Reynolds
----Robert "Bobby" Thomas Reynolds in Cape Cod, Massachusetts) is an American professional tennis player who resides in Acworth, Georgia.-Professional career:...
in the first round and Italian Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi is a professional tennis player from South Tyrol, northern Italy, who turned professional in 2000. He considers clay and hard courts his favourite surfaces. and is coached by Massimo Sartori....
in the second round. At the Madrid Masters, Verdasco cruised through to the second round with a win over Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...
, beating him in straight sets. However, in the second round he faced third seed Novak Đoković and after winning the first set, the Serb player won the second and the third sets by the same score: 6–3. At the St. Petersburg Open
2007 St. Petersburg Open
The 2007 St. Petersburg Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 13th edition of the St. Petersburg Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2007 ATP Tour. It took place at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in Saint Petersburg, Russia, from...
, Verdasco played some brilliant tennis to reach the final without losing a single set. En route to this final, he defeated Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
, who defeated Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
early on, in the semifinal. However, his quest to win the title ended with a 6–2, 6–3 defeat by Scot
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Andy Murray. Still, this solid performance raised Verdasco's position in the ATP rankings to 27 the next week.
2008
Fernando entered the Australian OpenAustralian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
as the 25th seed. He won his opening match with a strong performance against Thierry Ascione
Thierry Ascione
Thierry Ascione is a retired professional tour male tennis player from France. He is 6'2" and weighs just under . He turned pro in 2000 and retired in September, 2010....
6–4, 6–0, 6–3. He lost his second round match in a close battle with Serbian Janko Tipsarević
Janko Tipsarevic
Janko Tipsarević is a Serbian tennis player. His career-high ranking is No. 9, achieved on 14 November 2011. He is the 117th player in history to crack the top 10....
, who later went on to take Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
to 5 sets. Fernando entered the Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai Tennis Championships
The Dubai Tennis Championships is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab...
with a possible second round opponent of either Roger Federer or Andy Murray, his opponent would be Murray after he beat Federer in three sets. Fernando managed to take Murray to three sets but after a good performance he lost the match 3–6, 6–3, 6–7. In Berlin, Fernando and doubles partner Feliciano López clinched Spain's spot in the 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...
semifinals after defeating Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber is a tennis player from Germany, who turned professional in 2001. The right-hander has won six doubles and three singles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 28 September 2009, when he achieved a ranking of World No. 22...
and Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
in a four hour and 45 minute marathon match, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 2–6, 12–10. At the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
Fernando lost to Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
in straight sets in the first round. In Barcelona the following week he also lost his first round match in straight sets to Nicolás Lapentti
Nicolás Lapentti
----Nicolás Alexander Lapentti Gómez is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador who is ranked 214th...
. His form improved dramatically for the Rome Masters where he reached the third round, en-route he got the better of Carlos Moyà
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
and Nicolás Lapentti (who had beaten him the week earlier) before losing in a thriller to James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
. Fernando continued his run of excellent form into the Hamburg Masters where he beat Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
in the first round 6–2, 6–3. In the second round he beat Michaël Llodra 6–2, 6–0. Verdasco then went on to record a remarkable win against compatriot David Ferrer in straight sets, 7–6, 6–2. His run ended when he met the world number 1 Roger Federer, losing 6–3, 6–3. At the French Open Verdasco was seeded No. 22 and enjoyed a good run, ending with a loss to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the last 16.
Nottingham Open
The Slazenger Nottingham Open was a tennis tournament on the ATP Tour that was held in Nottingham, Great Britain...
raising his ranking to a career high of No. 18. At Wimbledon, he lost to Mario Ančić
Mario Ancic
Mario Ančić is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He won three singles titles and five doubles titles. His highest international ranking came during the 2006 ATP Tour, when he reached no. 7 in singles...
in a five set thriller in which the last set lasted over 90 minutes and ended 13–11, in the fourth round. His performance at The Wimbledon Championships brought his world ranking up to No. 13. His most recent ATP victory was in Umag
Umag
Umag is a coastal city in Istria, Croatia.The city hosts the yearly Croatia Open ATP tennis tournament on clay courts.-Geography:It is the westernmost city of Croatia, and the municipality includes Savudrija which is westernmost point of Croatia....
(Studena Croatian Open Umag), Croatia where he defeated Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
. Afterwards, he again improved in the rankings to 11th place. Verdasco was the 13th seed at the US Open in 2008, and lost to the 23rd seed Andreev in the third round.
On 23 November, Verdasco won the fourth rubber of Spain
Spain Davis Cup team
The Spain Davis Cup team represents Spain in the Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Real Federación Española de Tenis, presided over by José Luis Escañuela....
's Davis Cup final match against Argentina
Argentina Davis Cup team
The Argentina Davis Cup team represents Argentina in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Asociación Argentina de Tenis.Argentina has never won the tournament, but have finished as the runner-up three times, in 1981, 2006 and 2008....
, defeating José Acasuso
José Acasuso
José Javier "Chucho" Acasuso is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he favours clay. He is known for his strong serve and his hard groundstrokes off both sides...
. This was enough to ensure the team of victory; Verdasco had also played in the doubles match of the previous day and won, partnering Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
.
2009
Verdasco started his season by reaching the final of the Brisbane InternationalBrisbane International
The Brisbane International is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour and of the WTA Premier tournaments of the Women's Tennis Association Tour...
losing to Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
in three sets. Partnering Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
, he was also the runner-up in the doubles final. At the Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
, in his first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, Verdasco defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2. Verdasco then lost to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
7–6, 4–6, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6 in the longest match in Australian Open history, lasting 5 hours, 14 minutes. Verdasco's semi-final run earned him No. 9 ranking, lifting the Spaniard into the top 10 for the first time.
After being sidelined by injury since the Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
, he reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, where he lost to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
6–3, 7–6. At the 2009 Miami Masters, Verdasco recorded his 200th ATP match win by defeating qualifier Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
in the second round. He would go on to reach the quarterfinals, losing to Andy Murray 6–1, 6–2. His run at this tournament earned him a further career-high ranking of No. 8.
During the clay court season, Verdasco again reached quarterfinal stage, where he lost to Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
2–6, 6–4, 3–6. Following this tournament, his ranking rose further to No. 7. In Barcelona
2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
The 2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 57th edition of the event known that year as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
, he lost in the quarter-finals to Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
3–6, 6–4, 4–6. At the 2009 Rome Masters, he advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
6–3, 6–3. At the 2009 Madrid Masters, Verdasco reached the quarterfinals, Verdasco again lost to Nadal for the ninth time 6–4, 7–5. Competing as the 8th seed at the 2009 French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
6–2, 6–4, 6–4.
On his first tournament on grass that season, Verdasco lost in the first round of the 2009 Gerry Weber Open
2009 Gerry Weber Open
The 2009 Gerry Weber Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 17th edition of the event known that year as the Gerry Weber Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
to Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
. At the 2009 Ordina Open
2009 Ordina Open
The 2009 Ordina Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It is the 20th edition of the Ordina Open, and is part of the International Series of the 2009 ATP Tour, and of the WTA International tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, he lost in the second round to eventual title winner Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
7–5, 7–6. At the third Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
, he matched his best result at that tournament by reaching the fourth round, where he was ousted by the big-serving Croat, Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
7–6, 6–7, 6–3, 7–6.
Verdasco competed in the Swedish Open
2009 Swedish Open
The 2009 Collector Swedish Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 1st edition of the Collector Swedish Open. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from July 4 through July 11, 2009 for Women's and from July 11 through July 19, 2009 for Men's.-Seeds:*Seedings are based on...
as the top seed, advancing to the quarterfinals where he retired against Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
. After a small break he played in the Rogers Cup and was defeated by Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in the third round 7–6, 4–6, 7–6. He was then upset by compatriot Guillermo García-López in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters in two tiebreaks. In New Haven, Verdasco defeated Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
in two tiebreak sets in the semi-finals. Due to rain delays in the previous days, Verdasco returned later the same day for the final against Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
, winning in straight sets. He did not lose a set in the entire tournament. He was seeded 10th at the US Open, the year's final Grand Slam, losing in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
7–6,1–6, 7–5, 6–2.
Verdasco's first indoor tournament of the season was the 2009 Malaysian Open, where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
in straight sets in the final. At the China Open, Verdasco was seeded fifth, losing to Djokovic in the quarterfinals for the third time in that year. In Shanghai, a Masters 1000 tournament, he lost his opening match to Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
6–4, 7–6.
He next competed at the Valencia Open 500. He advanced to the semifinals where he lost to top seed Andy Murray 6–3, 2–6, 6–3.
He next competed at the Paris Masters as the seventh seed. In the third round, Verdasco lost to Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
6–3, 3–6, 4–6. His bid in qualifying for the ATP World Tour finals depended on the results of other players because of this loss. However, Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to pass the quarterfinals, allowing Verdasco to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup for the first time in his career.
At the ATP Tour Finals, Verdasco lost to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in his first Round Robin match 6–4, 5–7, 1–6 and to Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
4–6, 6–3, 6–7 in his second match. He then lost his third match against Andy Murray in the round robin 4–6, 7–6, 6–7 hence ending his run at the tournament. Verdasco finished 2009 with a 52–25 record in singles, his best record to date, and finished the year at No. 9, the first time he has finished the year in the top 10.
To close 2009, Verdasco partnered Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
in the 2009 Davis Cup Final doubles match against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Playing against Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
and Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
, Verdasco and Lopez saved a set point to win the first set, and eventually the match 7–6, 7–5, 6–2. This victory retained the Davis Cup for Spain, and was a fitting end to Verdasco's most successful season on the tour so far.
2010
Verdasco started his 2010 season at the exhibition tournament AAMI Kooyong ClassicAAMI Kooyong Classic
The AAMI Classic is a professional tennis exhibition singles-only tournament, played on outdoor hard courts. It is held annually in January, right before the Australian Open, at the Kooyong Stadium in Kooyong, Melbourne, Australia...
in Melbourne, in preparation for the upcoming Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
. He beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final 7–5, 6–3. His first official tournament for the year was in the Australian Open
2010 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but retired due to a right knee injury trailing 3–6, 6–7, 0–3 in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray.Roger Federer met Andy Murray in the final of this event...
. As the 9th seed, he lost in the fourth round against Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
in a five set match, 2–6, 5–7, 6–4, 7–6, 3–6.
His next tournament was the SAP Open
SAP Open
The SAP Open is a men's tennis tournament held annually in San Jose, California. It is the second-oldest tennis tournament in the United States, which is still played. It is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour...
in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. Before his first round match, he won an exhibition match against Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
in straight sets 6–3, 7–6. In the tournament final, he defeated Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
3–6, 6–4, 6–4 to capture his fourth ATP singles title. This was his first win over a Top 10 ranked player since the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
. He arrived late at the 2010 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, and as a result, he was ousted in the opening round 6–7, 3–6 by Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy is a French professional tennis player. He won the 2005 Wimbledon Championships Boys' Singles title, and finished as the runner-up at the 2005 US Open Boys' Singles, losing to Ryan Sweeting. His career high rank is no...
.
Verdasco's next tournament was the Acapulco
2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Men's Singles
Nicolás Almagro was the defending champion, however he lost 1–6, 7–5, 2–6 to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarterfinals.David Ferrer won in the final 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 against Juan Carlos Ferrero.-Seeds:# Fernando Verdasco ...
where he lost to Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
in the quarter-finals 7–5, 6–3.
Seeded 10th (and as a result, receiving a bye into the second round) at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...
in Indian Wells where, in the third round, he lost to Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
6–0, 6–3. At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
2010 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2010 Sony Ericsson Open , was a tennis tournament for men and women held from March 22 to April 4, 2010. It was the 26th edition of the Miami Masters event and is played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...
, after receiving an opening round bye, he lost to Berdych 4–6, 7–6, 6–4 in the quarterfinals.
At the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, a tennis tournament for male professional players, was played from April 10 through April 18, 2010, on outdoor clay courts. It was the 104th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which is sponsored by Rolex for the second time...
, as the sixth seed, he defeated the number 1 seed Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
6–2, 6–2 to reach his first ever Masters 1000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
final, to meet five-time defending champion Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. It was the first all-Spanish final of a Masters 1000 event since Monte Carlo in 2002. However, he was defeated by Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 6–0, 6–1. Despite the lopsided final, Verdasco had done enough to ensure a return to the Top 10, at number nine.
The following week, Verdasco played at the 2010 Barcelona Open
2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell – Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defender of championship title, but he resigned from the participation in this tournament due to tiredness caused by his performance at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters ....
as the fifth seed, where he defeated Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
6–3, 4–6, 6–3 to win his fifth career singles title.
In the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 67th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2010 WTA Tour...
, where he played in his second semi-final appearance at the Masters 1000 level, he faced David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
and lost 7–5, 6–3. Verdasco's next tournament was the Madrid Open
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
The 2010 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from May 7 – May 16. It was the 9th edition of the event on the ATP and 2nd on the WTA...
, where he was seeded sixth. After receiving a bye in the first round, he defeated Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
7–6, 6–3 before falling to Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
7–5, 6–3.
Then, a week before the French Open
2010 French Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, which allowed him to make a second-successive final here. This was the first time since the 2004 French Open that Federer did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.Rafael Nadal won his fifth...
, he reached his fourth final of the year at Nice by beating Leonardo Mayer
Leonardo Mayer
Leonardo Martin Mayer is an Argentine professional tennis player.Mayer achieved a singles career high of world no. 51 on June 7, 2010. His career high in doubles was world no. 94 on March 1, 2010.http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/player.asp?player=100049039 He is coached by Emiliano Redondi...
in the semifinals. He then lost to Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
6–3, 5–7, 7–6 in the final. During the third set, he was captured by a microphone yelling profanities about the crowd and was seen to sarcastically wave at them, after which the crowd booed him. He apologised after the match and before the French Open to everyone and stated that two fans had agitated him.
Verdasco was the seventh seed at the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, which allowed him to make a second-successive final here. This was the first time since the 2004 French Open that Federer did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.Rafael Nadal won his fifth...
where, in the fourth round, he lost to Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
. In an upset, Verdasco then lost in the opening round of Wimbledon to Fabio Fognini 7–6, 6–2, 6–7. 6–4.
After losing in the quarterfinals in Båstad
2010 Swedish Open
The 2010 Swedish Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour and 2010 WTA Tour. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from July 5 through July 11, 2010 for Women's and from July 12 through July 18, 2010 for Men's...
, Verdasco then travelled to the U.S.A to begin his preparations for the US Open. At the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, Verdasco lost to Marcos Bagdatis 6–7, 4–6 in the second round.
At the 2010 US Open
2010 US Open – Men's Singles
Juan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, after undergoing a wrist operation in May and only starting to practice again in August...
, Verdasco lost to top seed Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the quarterfinals 5–7, 3–6, 4–6, increasing Nadal's lead over the career head-to-head 11–0.
He next played at the 2010 PTT Thailand Open
2010 PTT Thailand Open – Singles
Gilles Simon was the defending champion, but chose not to participate.Giant-killer Guillermo García-López, who especially eliminated World No.1 Rafael Nadal in the semifinal, won in the final against Jarkko Nieminen, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 to become the first Spanish winner of this event.-Seeds:# Rafael...
, losing to Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
4–6, 4–6 in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He then traveled to China for the 2010 China Open
2010 China Open (tennis)
The 2010 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the China Open, and is part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, losing 2–6, 5–7 to Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber is a tennis player from Germany, who turned professional in 2001. The right-hander has won six doubles and three singles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 28 September 2009, when he achieved a ranking of World No. 22...
of Germany there, and to Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
6–7, 5–7 at the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters. In the 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
2010 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2010 BNP Paribas Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the tournament known that year as the BNP Paribas Masters after the sponsor BNP Paribas. It was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2010 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Palais...
in Paris, he lost to Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
in three sets despite holding two match points at 5–4 in the decider. Verdasco finished the year with the same ranking he ended with in 2009, which was No. 9.
2011
Verdasco started the year losing in the first round of the Brisbane International2011 Brisbane International – Men's Singles
Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but Robin Söderling defeated him 6–3, 7–5 in the final.-Seeds:# Robin Söderling # Andy Roddick # Fernando Verdasco # Mardy Fish Marcos Baghdatis...
to Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
1–6, 7–6, 3–6. He then failed to defend his title at the exhibition tournament, the 2011 Kooyong Classic, losing to Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
in the first round 6–4, 6–7, 4–6.
Seeded 9th at the 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament by defeating Andy Murray 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 in the final. It was Djokovic's 2nd title at the Australian Open, with this title bearing many resemblances to his title in 2008. Djokovic...
, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to sixth seed Tomáš Berdych 4–6, 2–6, 3–6, saying after the match he had a long-time injury in his foot. He had MRI scans on his foot and is confirmed that he had a fractured foot (where a broken bone was detected). He has claimed he has sustained this since late 2009.
His next tournament was the SAP Open
2011 SAP Open – Singles
Fernando Verdasco was the defending champion, but Milos Raonic defeated him in the final 7–6, 7–6.-Seeds:# Fernando Verdasco # Gaël Monfils # Sam Querrey ...
in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
where was defending champion and top seed. He advanced to the final without losing a set against Rajeev Ram
Rajeev Ram
Rajeev Ram is an American professional tennis player on the ATP Tour. Rajeev is a tall, lanky player with a serve-and-volley style who is known best as a doubles specialist. He has advanced as far as the quarter-finals in doubles at three Grand Slams, most recently with Scott Lipsky at the 2011...
, Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
, Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin is a professional Uzbek tennis player. His career high rank is #39, achieved on August 30, 2010. He is coached by his mother.- 2006 :...
and Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
. His opponent in the final was young Canadian first-time finalist Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic is a Canadian professional tennis player from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.Born in what is now Podgorica, Montenegro, Raonic moved to Canada with his family at the age of 3. Raonic is Canada's highest ATP ranked male singles player and the country's highest ever ranked player since...
. Verdasco held held four set points in a first-set tiebreak but lost the next six points and the set 6–7. He eventually lost the match 6–7, 6–7.
Verdasco faced off against Raonic in the first round of Memphis
2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships – Singles
Sam Querrey was the defending champion, but lost to Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals.Andy Roddick won his third title at this event, and the 30th of his career, defeating Milos Raonic 7–6, 6–7, 7–5 in the final.-Seeds:# Andy Roddick ...
. For the second time in two weeks, he lost to Raonic, this time in a third set tiebreak. He then travelled to Mexico
2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Men's Singles
David Ferrer successfully defended his title by defeating Nicolás Almagro 7–6, 6–7, 6–2 in the final.-Seeds:# David Ferrer # Fernando Verdasco # Nicolás Almagro # Stanislas Wawrinka ...
, where he was seeded second. Again, he lost in the first round, this time to Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Cocchiarali Bellucci , a professional tennis player, is the top ranked Brazilian tennis player. He achieved a career high ranking of #21 on July 26, 2010....
.
Verdasco and his Spanish teammates next played Davis Cup against Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Verdasco won both of his rubbers in singles and doubles and helped Spain to a 4–1 victory.
At Indian Wells
2011 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 37th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
, Verdasco snapped his losing streak in ATP tour events when his second round opponent Richard Berankis had to retire after Verdasco led 7–5, 2–0. But he then lost to Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
in the third round 5–7, 4–6. At Miami, he again received a first-round bye but lost to Pablo Andujar
Pablo Andújar
Pablo Andújar Alba is a professional male tennis player from Spain. Andújar has played since he was 6 years old and has won 4 Challengers and several futures. He trained in Valencia, Spain in the Tennis Club El Collao. He has been in the 2010 Australian Open, but he lost to Gilles Simon 6–4, 6–1,...
6–3, 6–7, 4–6, committing three double faults in his service game at 4–4 in the third.
At the Monte Carlo Masters
2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Singles
Rafael Nadal was the six-time defending champion and defended his title by beating compatriot David Ferrer 6–4, 7–5. This was Nadal's 7th consecutive title in Monte-Carlo, which is the all-time record both for consecutive titles at any tournament and the most titles at this tournament.-Seeds:The...
, he lost to Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
in the second round, 4–6, 3–6, after a first-round bye.
At the Estoril Open
2011 Estoril Open – Men's Singles
Albert Montañés was the defending champion, but chose to compete in the Serbia Open instead.Juan Martín del Potro defeated Fernando Verdasco 6–2, 6–2 to claim his 2nd title this year since rehabilitating from wrist surgery, and his first on clay in nearly three years...
Verdasco reached the finals, defeating Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil is a Portuguese professional tennis player who competes on the ATP Tour. In April 2011, he achieved a career-high singles world ranking no. 62, the highest ranking a Portuguese player has ever held until September when Rui Machado placed 61st in the rankings...
, Kevin Anderson
Kevin Anderson (tennis)
Kevin Anderson is a male South African tennis player.He became the top-ranked South African player on 10 March 2008 after making the final at the 2008 Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas...
and was aided by the retirement of Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic is a Canadian professional tennis player from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.Born in what is now Podgorica, Montenegro, Raonic moved to Canada with his family at the age of 3. Raonic is Canada's highest ATP ranked male singles player and the country's highest ever ranked player since...
in the semifinals. In the final, he lost to Juan Martin del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
2–6 2–6. Then at the Madrid Masters, his home-town, Verdasco lost in the second round after a first round bye to Lu Yen-hsun
Lu Yen-hsun
Lu Yen-hsun is a Taiwanese professional tennis player. He goes by the nickname Rendy. As of November 1, 2010, Lu is ranked #33 in the world and #1 in Asia. His favorite surface is hardcourt.- Junior career:...
6–7, 5–7 which was only Lu's second victory on clay courts in his decade-long career. Verdasco reached the third round of the French Open
2011 French Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and, after this tournament, six-time winner of this event defended his title by beating long-time rival Roger Federer for his sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for most all-time in the open era. Notably, the Spaniard played his first ever...
as the 16 seed where he lost to Ivan Ljubicic.
Beginning his grass season at the 2011 AEGON Championships
2011 AEGON Championships
The 2011 AEGON Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 108th edition of the AEGON Championships and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Queen's Club in London, United Kingdom, in the club's 125th year...
as the 7th seed, he defeated Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
and David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
in straight sets before losing to Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in the quarterfinals 2–6 2–6. At Wimbledon
2011 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost to Novak Djokovic in the final.Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title. Upon reaching the final, he gained the World No.1 ranking as a result. This marks the first time that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal is ranked No...
, as the 21st seed, he defeated Radek Stepanek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
in the first round in a long five set match, before succumbing to Dutchman Robin Haase
Robin Haase
Robin Haase is a Dutch tennis player. Haase is currently the highest-ranked Dutch player, with his career high of No. 41 coming on 29 August 2011. He is endorsed by Head and SNS Reaal.-Career:...
in the second round.
Playing style and equipment
Verdasco is an offensive baseliner who is comfortable on all surfaces, with fast hard courts being his best. Verdasco considers his best shotGroundstroke
A groundstroke in tennis is a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball bounces once on the court. It is usually hit from the back of the tennis court, around the baseline....
to be his forehand
Forehand
The forehand in tennis and other racket sports such as table tennis, squash and badminton is a shot made by swinging the racquet across one's body in the direction of where the player wants to place the shot...
, a shot that commentator Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School ....
often refers to as his "Fearhand". His serve is characteristic of a left-handed player predominantly using slice to create a lot of spin, and is capable of speeds exceeding 230 km/h. He is known for rivaling compatriot Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
with the amount of topspin
Topspin
In ball sports, topspin is a property of a ball that rotates as if rolling in the same direction as it is moving. Topspin on a shot imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air . It can be generated by hitting the ball with an up-and-forward swing, with...
he can put on a ball. which partly explains his improved results since 2009, but still struggles with his nerves
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
when facing the best players in the world. He is endorsed by adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
(he wears the Edge Group and Barricade V ) and recently switched to Dunlop Sport
Dunlop Sport
Dunlop Sport is a tennis, squash, golf, badminton, clothing, travel and bicycle equipment brand, that specializes in sporting goods.After Dunlop Holdings was acquired by BTR plc in 1985, Dunlop Sport was combined with the Slazenger brand which Dunlop had acquired in 1959 to form Dunlop Slazenger...
for racquets, after having played with Tecnifibre
Tecnifibre
Tecnifibre is a sports equipment company , specializing in equipment for tennis and squash.-Tecnifibre Sponsorships in Tennis:...
for the majority of his career (and with Yonex
Yonex
is a Japanese manufacturer of sporting equipment for badminton, golf and tennis, producing racquets, clubs, shoes, shuttlecocks, and other equipment for those sports.-History:...
for a very short time in 2010). He is currently using the Dunlop Biomimetic 300.
Personal life
Verdasco began playing tennis when he was four years old, practicing with his father on the two hard courts in the backyard of their family home. He stopped school years at the age of 11, soon after practising with his father who then took his son into the academy's hands. His parents, José and Olga, who are of Latin American descent, own a restaurant in Madrid. He has two younger sisters, Sara and Ana.Verdasco was diagnosed with ADHD when he was a child, but did not receive treatment in order to not have problems with doping.
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2010 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Singles Rafael Nadal defended the 2009 title by defeating his compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6–0, 6–1 to break an 11-month title drought, and to win a historic 6th consecutive title here in Monte-Carlo.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.... |
Monte Carlo | Clay |  Rafael NadalRafael Nadal Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals... |
0–6, 1–6 |
Singles: 16 (5–11)
EWLINE
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EWLINE
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| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. |  AcapulcoAbierto Mexicano Telcel The Abierto Mexicano Telcel is a tennis tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico. It is an event on both the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour... , Mexico |
Clay | Carlos Moyá Carlos Moyá Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland... |
3–6, 0–6 | |
| Winner | 1. | Valencia Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana The Valencia Open 500, formerly known as Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, is a professional tennis tournament played in Valencia, Spain. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. The tournament was first played in Valencia in 1995 before moving to Marbella, Spain for... , Spain |
Clay | Albert Montañés Álbert Montañés Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then... |
7–6(7–5), 6–3 | |
| Runner-up | 2. |  Kitzbühel, Austria |
Clay |  Gastón GaudioGastón Gaudio Gastón Norberto Gaudio is a former tennis player from Argentina. His career-high ATP ranking was World No. 5 in 2005... |
6–2, 2–6, 4–6, 4–6 | |
| Runner-up | 3. |  St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg Open The St. Petersburg Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It has been held annually at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia,... , Russia |
Hard (i) |  Andy Murray |
2–6, 3–6 | |
| Runner-up | 4. | Nottingham Nottingham Open The Slazenger Nottingham Open was a tennis tournament on the ATP Tour that was held in Nottingham, Great Britain... , United Kingdom |
Grass |  Ivo KarlovićIvo Karlovic Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ... |
5–7, 7–6(7–4), 6–7(8–10) | |
| Winner | 2. | Umag Croatia Open Umag The ATP Studena Croatia Open is a tennis tournament held in Umag, Croatia that is part of the 250 series of the ATP Tour.The first Croatia Open was held in 1990 as the Yugoslavia Open and has been played every year since. It is played on red clay courts. Carlos Moyá has won the tournament a record... , Croatia |
Clay | Igor Andreev Igor Andreev Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the... |
3–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | |
| Runner-up | 5. |  BrisbaneBrisbane International The Brisbane International is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour and of the WTA Premier tournaments of the Women's Tennis Association Tour... , Australia |
Hard |  Radek ŠtěpánekRadek Štepánek Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles... |
6–3, 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Winner | 3. |  New HavenPilot Pen Tennis This article is about the former New Haven joint tennis event. It is now a women's-only event. For the New Haven men's tennis event known as Volvo International , click here.... , United States |
Hard | Sam Querrey Sam Querrey Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong... |
6–4, 7–6(8–6) | |
| Runner-up | 6. |  Kuala LumpurMalaysian Open (tennis) The Malaysian Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It will be held annually in late September, early October at the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex in Kuala... , Malaysia |
Hard (i) | Nikolay Davydenko Nikolay Davydenko Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP... |
4–6, 5–7 | |
| Winner | 4. | San José SAP Open The SAP Open is a men's tennis tournament held annually in San Jose, California. It is the second-oldest tennis tournament in the United States, which is still played. It is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour... , U.S. |
Hard (i) | Andy Roddick Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish.... |
3–6, 6–4, 6–4 | |
| Runner-up | 7. |  Monte Carlo, Monaco |
Clay | Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals... |
0–6, 1–6 | |
| Winner | 5. | Barcelona, Spain |
Clay |  Robin SöderlingRobin Söderling Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010... |
6–3, 4–6, 6–3 | |
| Runner-up | 8. |  Nice, France |
Clay | Richard Gasquet Richard Gasquet Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year... |
3–6, 7–5, 6–7(5–7) | |
| Runner-up | 9. | San José, U.S. |
Hard (i) |  Milos RaonicMilos Raonic Milos Raonic is a Canadian professional tennis player from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.Born in what is now Podgorica, Montenegro, Raonic moved to Canada with his family at the age of 3. Raonic is Canada's highest ATP ranked male singles player and the country's highest ever ranked player since... |
6–7(6–8), 6–7(5–7) | |
| Runner-up | 10. |  EstorilEstoril Open The Estoril Open is an ATP and WTA clay court tournament held in Jamor, Oeiras, Portugal . The men's tournament was created in 1990 and since its inception, every champion except 2004 champion Juan Ignacio Chela and 2009–2010 champion Albert Montañés has been in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings,... , Portugal |
Clay | |
2–6, 2–6 | |
| Runner-up | 11. |  Gstaad, Switzerland |
Clay | |
4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Non ATP Singles: 1 (1–0)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 16 January 2010 | AAMI Classic, Kooyong, Australia | Hard | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
7–5, 6–3 |
Doubles: 3 (1–2)
EWLINE
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EWLINE
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| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1 November 2004 | Stockholm Stockholm Open The If Stockholm Open is a tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year. The organizer of the tournament is The Royal Lawn Tennis Club of Stockholm.... , Sweden |
Hard (i) | Feliciano López Feliciano López Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid.... |
Wayne Arthurs Paul Hanley Paul Hanley (tennis) Paul Jason Hanley is a professional male tennis player from Australia, specialising in doubles. His parents, Jay and Judy, co-own a tennis centre, one of the main reasons Hanley pursued a career in the sport.He lost the 2005 Wimbledon finals in mixed doubles, playing with Tatiana Perebiynis... |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 22 July 2007 | Stuttgart 2007 Mercedes Cup The 2007 Mercedes Cup was the 2007 edition of the Mercedes Cup tennis tournament. The tournament was held on July 16-23.Rafael Nadal won his fifth clay title of the year, and sixth title overall.-Men's Singles:... , Germany |
Clay | Guillermo García López Guillermo Garcia Lopez Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his... |
František Čermák František Cermák ----František Čermák is a Czech professional tennis player. Čermák turned pro in 1998. He has won 26 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, and has been a finalist 19 times. He reached his career high doubles ranking of World No. 14 on February 1, 2010... Leoš FriedlLeoš Friedl Leoš Friedl is a Czech professional tennis player best known for his doubles play with František Čermák. He is coached by Lubomir Gerla. In his career, he has won 15 top-level doubles titles and $1,027,625 in prize money... |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 10 January 2009 | Brisbane 2009 Brisbane International The 2009 Brisbane International was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the event known as the Brisbane International and resulted from the merger of the Next Generation Adelaide International on the men's tour with the Mondial Australian... , Australia |
Hard |  Mischa ZverevMischa Zverev Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally... |
Marc Gicquel Marc Gicquel Marc Gicquel is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.-Tennis career:... Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
6–4, 6–3 |
Singles Performance timeline
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. Qualifying matches and WalkoverWalkover
In British English, a walkover or W.O. is the awarding of a victory to a contestant because there are no other contestants, or because the other contestants have been disqualified or have forfeited. The term can apply in sport, but can also apply to elections...
s are neither official match wins nor losses. This table is current as far as the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters
2011 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2011 BNP Paribas Masters was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
.
| Tournament | 2002 2002 ATP Tour The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organised by the ATP. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.- January :... | 2003 2003 ATP Tour The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organised by the ATP. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.- January :... | 2004 2004 ATP Tour The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organised by the ATP. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.- January :... | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 2007 ATP Tour The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organised by the ATP. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.-January:... | 2008 2008 ATP Tour The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.-Schedule:This... | 2009 2009 ATP World Tour The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organised by the ATP. The 2009 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World... | 2010 2010 ATP World Tour The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2010 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World... | 2011 2011 ATP World Tour The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2011 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World... | |W-L | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments Grand Slam (tennis) The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and... |
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| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | Q1 | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | SF | 4R 2010 Australian Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but retired due to a right knee injury trailing 3–6, 6–7, 0–3 in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray.Roger Federer met Andy Murray in the final of this event... |
4R 2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament by defeating Andy Murray 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 in the final. It was Djokovic's 2nd title at the Australian Open, with this title bearing many resemblances to his title in 2008. Djokovic... |
15–8 | ||||||
| French Open | A | Q1 | 2R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 4R | 4R 2009 French Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost in the fourth round to Robin Söderling. This was Nadal's first ever defeat at the French Open, having won the title in all six of his other appearances... |
4R 2010 French Open – Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, which allowed him to make a second-successive final here. This was the first time since the 2004 French Open that Federer did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.Rafael Nadal won his fifth... |
3R 2011 French Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and, after this tournament, six-time winner of this event defended his title by beating long-time rival Roger Federer for his sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for most all-time in the open era. Notably, the Spaniard played his first ever... |
14–7 | ||||||
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 1R 2010 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles The Men's Singles event at the 2010 saw Rafael Nadal, the World No. 1 and 2nd seed, defeat 12th seed Tomáš Berdych 6–3 7–5 6–4 in the final to win his 2nd Wimbledon title, and his 8th Grand Slam title overall.... |
2R 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost to Novak Djokovic in the final.Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title. Upon reaching the final, he gained the World No.1 ranking as a result. This marks the first time that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal is ranked No... |
14–9 | ||||||
| US Open | A | 3R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 3R | QF | QF 2010 US Open – Men's Singles Juan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, after undergoing a wrist operation in May and only starting to practice again in August... |
3R 2011 US Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but was defeated in the final by Novak Djokovic with a score of 6–2, 6–4, 6–7, 6–1. Djokovic claimed his first US Open title, his third Grand Slam of the year, and his fourth Grand Slam overall.-Seeds:... |
22–9 | ||||||
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 5–4 | 7–4 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 15–4 | 10–4 | 8–4 | 65–33 | ||||||
| Year-Ending Championships | |||||||||||||||||
| ATP World Tour Finals | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | RR | A | A | 0–3 | ||||||
| ATP Masters Series ATP Masters Series The ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America... |
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| Indian Wells Masters Indian Wells Masters The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California.... |
A | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | QF | 3R 2010 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles The Men's singles tournament of this event started in the week of March 8. It was the year's first of nine tournaments in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series.Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but he lost to Ivan Ljubičić in the semifinals.... |
3R 2011 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 37th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011... |
9–8 | ||||||
| Miami Masters Miami Masters The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park... |
A | 3R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | QF | QF 2010 Sony Ericsson Open – Men's Singles Andy Murray was the defending champion, but lost to Mardy Fish in the second round.Andy Roddick beat Tomáš Berdych 7-5, 6-4 to win his first Masters 1000 event since 2006... |
2R 2011 Sony Ericsson Open – Men's Singles Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but lost to Pablo Cuevas in the second round.Novak Djokovic won the title, defeating Rafael Nadal 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 in the final for the second week in a row after also beating him in the Indian Wells final the previous week... |
11–9 | ||||||
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | F 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Singles Rafael Nadal defended the 2009 title by defeating his compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6–0, 6–1 to break an 11-month title drought, and to win a historic 6th consecutive title here in Monte-Carlo.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.... |
2R 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Singles Rafael Nadal was the six-time defending champion and defended his title by beating compatriot David Ferrer 6–4, 7–5. This was Nadal's 7th consecutive title in Monte-Carlo, which is the all-time record both for consecutive titles at any tournament and the most titles at this tournament.-Seeds:The... |
6–7 | ||||||
| Rome Masters Rome Masters The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's... |
A | Q1 | A | QF | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | SF 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal successfully defended his title by defeating David Ferrer 7–5, 6–2.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Novak Djokovic # Rafael Nadal ... |
2R 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, however he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final. Djokovic defeated him 6–4, 6–4 to win his 39th consecutive match and his 7th title of 2011... |
12–7 | ||||||
| Madrid Masters Madrid Masters There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters... |
Q1 | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | 3R 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but Rafael Nadal defeated him 4–6, 6–7, in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray... |
1R | 7–9 | ||||||
| Canada Masters Canada Masters The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour... |
A | 1R | A | A | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R 2011 Rogers Cup – Men's Singles Andy Murray was the two-time defending champion, but lost to Kevin Anderson in the second round.World No.1 Novak Djokovic won his 10th Masters 1000 title of his career and his 9th title of the year, beating Mardy Fish in the final 6–2, 3–6, 6–4... |
9–7 | ||||||
| Cincinnati Masters Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between... |
A | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters – Singles Roger Federer became the first player since Andre Agassi in 1996 to have successfully defended the title. He defeated Mardy Fish in the final 6–7, 7–6, 6–4. It was his 4th win at the event also winning in 2005, 2007, and 2009... |
3R 2011 Western & Southern Open – Men's Singles Roger Federer was the two-time defending champion, but lost to Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals.Andy Murray won the tournament beating No.1 seed Novak Djokovic in the final, 6–4, 3–0 ret. It was the 7th ATP Masters 1000 title of Murray's career, and his first in 2011... |
5–8 | ||||||
| Shanghai Masters Shanghai Masters (tennis) The Shanghai Masters is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It is held annually in October at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's... |
Not ATP Masters Series | 2R | 1R 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000 – Singles Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Mischa Zverev.Andy Murray won this tournament, by beating Roger Federer 6–3, 6–2 in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.... |
2R 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters – Singles Andy Murray was the defending champion and successfully defended his title by beating David Ferrer 7–5, 6–4 in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray ... |
1–3 | ||||||||||||
| Paris Masters Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... |
A | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 3R 2010 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles Novak Djokovic was the defending champion, but lost in the third round to Michaël Llodra.Robin Söderling won the title, defeating Gaël Monfils 6–1, 7–6 in the final.-Seeds:All seeds received a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer ... |
2R 2011 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles Robin Söderling was the defending champion, but could not participate due to mononucleosis.Roger Federer won the title, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–1, 7–6 in the final.-Seeds:All seeds received a bye into the second round.... |
5–8 | ||||||
| Hamburg Masters Hamburg Masters The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship... |
A | A | 3R | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | NM1 | 8–5 | ||||||||
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 2–4 | 4–6 | 8–7 | 8–9 | 5–9 | 10–9 | 15–9 | 14–9 | 7–9 | 73–71 | ||||||
| Career Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
| Tournaments Played | 2 | 12 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 220 | ||||||
| Finals Reached | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 15 | ||||||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | ||||||
| Overall Win–Loss | 1–2 | 7–12 | 31–25 | 35–28 | 32–26 | 34–28 | 47–27 | 52–25 | 43–22 | 35–23 | 317–218 | ||||||
| Win (%) | 33% | 37% | 55% | 55% | 55% | 55% | 63% | 68% | 66% | ||||||||
| Year-End Ranking | 173 | 109 | 36 | 33 | 31 | 26 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 24 | |||||||
ATP Tour career earnings
| Year | Majors | ATP wins | Total wins | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33,195 | 303 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 142,162 | 134 |
| 2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 505,535 | 42 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 568,607 | 36 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 535,937 | 34 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 631,695 | 33 |
| 2008 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 977,961 | 15 |
| 2009* | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1,449,174 | 10 |
| Career* | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7,900,120 | 92 |