Alexandr Dolgopolov

Alexandr Dolgopolov
Alexandr Dolgopolov
Олександр Долгополов
Country Ukraine Ukraine
Residence Kiev, Ukraine
Born 7 November 1988 (1988-11-07) (age 23)
Kiev, Ukraine SSR, USSR
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Turned pro 2006
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money $1,761,376
Singles
Career record 59-55
Career titles 1
Highest ranking No. 16 (24 October 2011)
Current ranking No. 16 (14 November 2011)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open QF (2011)
French Open 3R (2010, 2011)
Wimbledon 2R (2010)
US Open 4R (2011)
Doubles
Career record 15–22
Career titles 1
Highest ranking No. 47 (24 October 2011)
Last updated on: 25 April 2011.

Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukrainian: Олександр Олександрович Долгополов) (born 7 November 1988), formerly known as Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr., is the top ranked Ukrainian male tennis player. He changed his first name spelling to the current form in May 2010.[2]

Contents

Early life

Alexandr's father, Oleksandr Dolgopolov, was a professional tennis player for the Soviet team, and his mother was a gymnast. He started playing tennis at age 3, coached by his father. The senior Dolgopolov was also the coach of Andrei Medvedev, Ukraine's most successful tennis player to date. At a young age, Dolgopolov lived on the tour with his parents, traveling frequently and playing players such as Medvedev, Andre Agassi, and Boris Becker.[3] Players such as Jim Courier remembered hitting balls with Dolgopolov when he was a toddler.

He began playing tennis seriously as a teenager, turning professional in 2006.

Tennis career

Dolgopolov made his ATP Tour debut in September 2006 at the BCR Open Romania as a qualifier, losing in the first round to Christophe Rochus. He was also part of the Ukrainian Davis Cup team in the tie against Great Britain, where he was defeated by Andy Murray.

Eventually, the younger Dolgopolov decided that he wanted less of his father's influence and develop himself in his own way. In 2009, at age 20, he parted ways with his father and enlisted the help of Australian Jack Reader as his coach.[3] Dolgopolov and his father didn't speak for 6 months but has since reconciled with the Dolgopolov Snr stating that he is in fact, very proud of his son.[3]

2010

Dolgopolov started the year at the 2010 Brisbane International, where he qualified for the tournament by beating Joseph Sirianni and Kaden Hensel. In the main draw, he defeated Bernard Tomic, 6–4, 6–4, before losing in the second round to Radek Stepanek in three sets. At the 2010 Australian Open, he lost in the first round of qualifying to Simon Stadler, 8–6 in the third set.

Dolgopolov qualified for the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters with wins over Santiago Ventura and Mischa Zverev, but lost to Julien Benneteau in the first round, ,4-6,7-5, 2-6. Dolgopolov continued to the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where he qualified to get into the tournament. In the first round, he beat Andreas Seppi, 6–3, 6–4, but in the second round lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 3-6. At the 2010 French Open, he beat Arnaud Clément in a long five-setter, which he won 6–3 in the final set. Dolgopolov upset 12th seed Fernando González in straight sets. This was the biggest win in his career and best showing at a Grand Slam to that time. In the third round, he lost to Nicolás Almagro, 3-6, 3-6, 4-6.

Dolgopolov started off his grass-court season seeded seventh at the AEGON International, with wins over Jamie Baker, Lu Yen-hsun, and James Ward, before falling to Michaël Llodra, 3-6,5-7, in the semifinals, despite being 4–1 up in the second set. Dolgopolov defeated Marco Chiudinelli, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3, in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. He put on a solid performance against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round, but ultimately succumbed to the Frenchman in five sets, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5, 8-10.

2011

Dolgopolov began 2011 at the Medibank International in Sydney, Australia, where he won the first two rounds over Bernard Tomic and top-seeded Sam Querrey, and later lost to the eventual champion, Gilles Simon, in the quarterfinals.

At the 2011 Australian Open, Dolgopolov had his best showing at a Grand Slam thus far, reaching the quarterfinals. He beat Mikhail Kukushkin and Benjamin Becker in the first two rounds, then avenged his defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at The Championships, Wimbledon in 2010, in five sets,, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–1, 6–1. He went on to beat world no. 4 Robin Söderling in the fourth round, 1–6, 6–3, 6–1, 4–6, 6–2, reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinals.[4] In the quarterfinals, he lost to Andy Murray, the fifth seed, 5–7, 3–6, 7–6, 3–6.

Dolgopolov next hit the clay courts of Latin America. He entered the 2011 Brasil Open in Costa do Sauípe as the fourth seed, receiving a first-round bye. He defeated Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo, 7–5, 6–4, in the second round. He then beat Potito Starace in the quarterfinals, 6–3, 6–4. Dolgopolov then crushed home-town favourite Ricardo Mello, 6–2, 6–1, to enter his first ATP tour final.[5] He was then defeated by the top seed, world no. 13 Nicolás Almagro, 3-6, 6-7. Dolgopolov then headed to Buenos Aires to play in the 2011 Copa Claro as the seventh seed. He suffered a surprising first-round defeat to Argentinian wildcard José Acasuso in straight sets, 2-6, 4-6. However, partnering Igor Andreev, Dolgopolov reached his first ATP tour doubles semifinal, where they lost 2-6, 1-6 to eventual champions Oliver Marach and Leonardo Mayer. Dolgopolov then participated in the final leg of the Golden Triangle swing in the 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel tournament in Acapulco, as the sixth seed. He defeated Chilean Paul Capdeville, 7–5, 6–2, in the first round, and then beat doubles partner Carlos Berlocq, 6–4, 6–1, in the second round. He then successfully reached the semifinals after beating fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka, 6–4, 7–6. He stretched the top seed and world no. 6 David Ferrer to three sets, but lost 7-5, 1-6, 1-6.

Dolgopolov then played in the first Masters 1000 series of the year in the 2011 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, his debut in the tournament. As the 20th seed, he received a first-round bye, and then beat Romanian Victor Hanescu, 6–4, 6–4, to reach the third round, where he faced Grand Slam champion Juan Martin Del Potro. He lost the match 6–7, 3–6. Dolgopolov was also entered in the doubles tournament. Parterning Xavier Malisse, they defeated Tomas Berdych and Janko Tipsarevic, 4–6, 6–4, 10–8. They then shocked top seeds and world no. 1 Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan, 7–5, 7–6, 10–8. They played Jamie Murray and Andy Murray next and defeated the British brothers, 6–7, 6–3, 10–8, after being a set down, a break down, and 1–6 down in the super tiebreak. Dolgopolov and Malisse then beat Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi Charmin in the semifinals, 3–6, 6–3, 10–8, to enter Dolgopolov's first ATP tour doubles final. They played 2008 Beijing gold medalists Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, and they prevailed, 6–4, 6–7, 10–7.

Dolgopolov continued his form at the next Masters event, the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, reaching the fourth round with wins against Italian Andreas Seppi, 6–1, 5–3, retired, and repeating his Australian Open win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–7, 6–4, 7–5, played over two days due to rain delay. He then lost to world no. 1 Rafael Nadal in straight sets, 1-6, 2-6.

Dolgopolov then suffered a disappointing start to the clay season, suffering four consecutive first-round defeats. He was defeated in the first round of the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters by Ernests Gulbis, 1-6, 4-6. He then lost to Nikolay Davydenko in the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, 4-6, 6-7. He was then beaten by Santiago Giraldo in the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open, 1-6. 5-7. His fourth consecutive clay-court loss was at the hands of Potito Starace at the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where he was defeated 3-6, 3-6. It was later disclosed that he was suffering from pancreatitis since the North American swing, which led him to play sparingly during the early clay season.[6]

Dolgopolov managed to regain some of his earlier form in his last clay tournament, 2011 Open de Nice Côte d'Azur, before the 2011 French Open. He beat Filippo Volandri in the first round, 7–5, 6–3, and followed by a win over Pere Riba, 7–6, 7–6, to reach the quarterfinals. There, Dolgopolov pulled off an upset win over top seed David Ferrer, 6–4, 1–6, 7–5. He then lost to Victor Hanescu in straight sets in the semifinals.

Dolgopolov entered the 2011 French Open as the 21st seed. In his first-round match, he played the oldest player in the ATP top 100, Rainer Schuettler at age 35, and won the match easily, 6–3, 6–3, 6–1. He then beat Andreas Haider-Maurer comfortably, 6–2, 6–4, 6–2, to move into the third round and equal his best showing at the French Open the previous year. He was beaten by Serbian 15th seed Viktor Troicki in four sets, 4-6, 6-3,3-6, 4-6.

Moving to the grass courts of Europe, Dolgopolov's first tournament was the 2011 Gerry Weber Open, seeded seventh, he faced Robin Haase in the first round and defeated him in three sets, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, before succumbing to Philipp Kohlschreiber in two sets, 3–6, 6–7. Dolgopolov's next tournament was the 2011 AEGON International, where he was seeded second. He lost to Carlos Berlocq in straight sets, 5-7, 2-6. His dismal grass-court season continued into Wimbledon 2011, where he was seeded 22nd, with a first-round loss to Fernando Gonzalez (who had not played in almost a year prior to a few small tournaments before Wimbledon), 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 4-6.

Before heading into the US Open series of hard-court tournaments, Dolgopolov returned to his beloved clay to play 2011 International German Open in Hamburg. Seeded tenth, he received a first-round bye, and then lost to Finnish player Jarkko Nieminen, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, despite being up two breaks in the third set. Dolgopolov then travelled to Croatia, where he took part in the 2011 ATP Studena Croatia Open, where he was seeded second. Receiving a first-round bye, he beat Filippo Volandri, 6–1, 6–2, in the second round, finally winning an opening-round match after suffering four consecutive opening-round exits. In the quarterfinals, he beat Albert Ramos, 6–3, 7–5, to set up a semifinal meeting with defending champion and former world no. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero. There, Dolgopolov pulled off an impressive display to defeat the Grand Slam champion in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4. Entering his second final of the year, Dolgopolov played Croatian home-town favourite, former top-10 player and fourth seed Marin Čilić. Faced with a determined opponent, Dolgopolov needed three sets to beat Čilić, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, and finally broke through on the ATP tour, winning his first ATP singles title.

Dolgopolov entered the 2011 Rogers Cup unseeded, missing out on a seeding as world no. 21 (only the top 16 were seeded). He played Canadian wildcard and world no. 290 Erik Chvojka and was stretched to three sets, eventually prevailing, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4. He was defeated by seventh seed Tomáš Berdych in the second round.

On April 18, 2011, Dolgopolov reached a career-high ranking of no. 20.[7] He is currently ranked #21 in the world. [8]

Seeded 22nd for the 2011 US Open, Dolgopolov defeated Frederico Gil, Flavio Cipolla, and Ivo Karlovic to reach the fourth round, where he faced world no. 1 Novak Djokovic. Dolgopolov took Djokovic to a 28 and a half minute first-set tiebreak, with Djokovic finally prevailing 16–14. Dolgopolov went on to a 6-7, 4-6, 2-6 defeat, ending his US Open campaign.

Davis Cup

Alex has played two games for his country so far: in 2006 he lost to Andy Murray, 3–6, 4–6, 2–6, in Odessa in a match against Great Britain. In 2007, he lost to Alexandros Jakupovic from Greece, 6–7, 3–6, 5–7. At the moment, he is struggling with the Ukrainian tennis federation to get significant bonuses to play in the Davis Cup.[9][10] On March 13, 2011 Dolgopolov stated he wants to represent Ukraine as a player, but only after the leadership of the Tennis Federation of Ukraine changes.[11] Dolgopolov has hinted in late January 2011 that he might change his citizenship.[12] According to him "Tennis is not a political sport as such as football. In tennis you choose what is best for you, where there are more prospects".[12] At the time, Dolgopolov stated this would mean "of course" he would switch to another Davis Cup team.[12] The President of the Tennis Federation of Ukraine Vadym Shulman stated in late February 2011 that he thought Dolgopolov was bluffing and blackmailing his federation.[13]

Playing style

Dolgopolov has an unorthodox but all-court playing style; he can counter-punch when needed, but can also be very aggressive. His serve has a very quick cadence to it, the motion having little to no pauses within it. On the return he will often chip back the first serve. He uses a unique jumping topspin forehand, which can be used to pull his opponents wide off the court. His backhand is usually hit two-handed with topspin but he often uses a one-handed slice. He's not afraid to come to the net to finish off points, and he volleys quite well. With his speed he is very efficient around the court. Some have compared his style to Federer's and the Ukrainian's unusual style of varied pace and spins had been most likened to that of Andy Murray among the leading players.[14] He's also been compared to French showman Fabrice Santoro for his unique use of shots and strokes.[6]

Health issues

Dolgopolov suffers from a hereditary disorder known as Gilbert's Syndrome, which affects his liver, blood and often causes fatigue.[6] His condition worsens when he has to cross continents in extensive travel, requiring intravenous drug treatments and monitored diets to get himself back on track.[15]

Career finals

ATP World Tour finals

Singles: 2 (1–1)

Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (0–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0)
ATP World Tour 250 Series (1–1)
Titles by Surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (1–1)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1. 02011-02-12February 12, 2011 Brazil Costa do Sauípe, Brazil Clay Spain Nicolás Almagro 3–6, 6–7(3–7)
Winner 1. 02011-07-31July 31, 2011 Croatia Umag, Croatia Clay Croatia Marin Čilić 6–4, 3–6, 6–3

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner 1. 02011-03-19March 19, 2011 United States Indian Wells, United States Hard Belgium Xavier Malisse Switzerland Roger Federer
Switzerland Stanislas Wawrinka		 6–4, 6–7(5–7), [10–7]

Singles Performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A P Z# PO SF-B F NMS

Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-Off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).

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 Walkovers are neither official match wins nor losses. This table is current as far as the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters.

Tournament 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open Q1 Q3 Q2 Q1 QF 0 / 1 4–1 80.00
French Open Q2 Q1 3R 3R 0 / 2 4–2 66.67
Wimbledon 2R 1R 0 / 2 1–2 33.33
US Open 1R 4R 0 / 2 3–2 60.00
Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 3–3 9–4 0 / 7 12–7 63.16
Davis Cup Singles
Europe/Africa Zone I PO 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Europe/Africa Zone II 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Win–Loss 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0 / 2 0–2 0.00
ATP World Tour Masters
Indian Wells Masters 3R 0 / 1 1–1 50.00
Miami Masters 4R 0 / 1 2–1 66.67
Monte Carlo Masters 1R 1R 0 / 2 0–2 0.00
Rome Masters Q2 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Madrid Masters 2R 1R 0 / 2 1–2 33.33
Canada Masters 3R 2R 0 / 2 3–2 60.00
Cincinnati Masters 1R 1R 0 / 2 0–2 0.00
Shanghai Masters NMS 2R QF 0 / 2 4–2 66.67
Paris Masters 3R 0 / 1 1–1 50.00
Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 4–5 8–9 0 / 14 12–14 46.15
Career Statistics
Tournaments played 1 1 0 1 23 30 56
Titles–Runner-ups 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 1 / 56 1–2 50.00
Hardcourt Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 11–12 21–16 0 / 29 33–29 53.23
Grass Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 4–2 2–3 0 / 5 6–5 54.55
Clay Win–Loss 0–2 0–2 0–0 0–0 6–9 15–10 1 / 22 21–23 47.73
Overall Win–Loss 0–2 0–2 0–0 1–1 21–23 38–29 1 / 56 60–57 51.28
Win % 0% 0% – 50% 48% 57% 51.28%
Year End Ranking 265 233 309 131 48 16 $1,777,919

References

Notes
  1. ^ ATP profile
  2. ^ "Gabashvili changes his name". tennisconnected.com. http://tennisconnected.com/home/2010/07/19/gabashvili-changes-his-first-name/. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c "Alexandr Dolgopolov: The Dog Unleashed". ATP Deuce Magazine. http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE-Tennis/DEUCE-Australian-Open-2011/Alexandr-Dolgopolov.aspx. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 
  4. ^ "Dolgopolov sends Soderling packing". atpworldtour.com. http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2011/01/3/Australian-Open-Monday2-Dolgopolov-Sends-Soderling-Packing.aspx. Retrieved 24 January 2011. 
  5. ^ ATP World Tour. "Almagro, Dolgopolov To Meet In Final". ATP World Tour. http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2011/02/6/Costa-Friday-Almagro-Into-Final.aspx. Retrieved 24 February 2011. 
  6. ^ a b c Perrotta, Tom (26 May 2011). "The Lost Art of Playing Weirdly". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304520804576345610344315644.html?mod=rss_Sports#articleTabs%3Darticle. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 
  7. ^ World Tour, ATP. "Singles Ranking". http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Singles.aspx. Retrieved 7 April 2011. 
  8. ^ World Tour, ATP. "Singles Ranking". http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Singles.aspx. Retrieved 1 August 2011. 
  9. ^ (Ukrainian) Свої виступи у збірній України Долгополов оцінив у 225 тисяч доларів, Champion.com (22 February 2011)
  10. ^ (Ukrainian) Долгополов не хоче грати за Україну "за шматок м`яса", Champion.com (15 February 2011)
  11. ^ (Ukrainian) Долгополов каже, що буде грати за збірну України, але пізніше, Champion.com (13 March 2011)
  12. ^ a b c (Ukrainian) Долгополов підтвердив, що може змінити громадянство, Champion.com (31 January 2011)
  13. ^ (Russian) Вадим Шульман:"В сборной играют за Украину, а не за кусок мяса", Tennis Federation of Ukraine (24 February 2011)
  14. ^ Newbery, Piers (26 January 2011). "Andy Murray Beats Dolgopolov". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/9372812.stm. Retrieved 26 January 2011. 
  15. ^ Bodo, Pete. "Blood Simple". tennis.com. http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld/2010/08/tk-8.html. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 

External links

v · d · eAssociation of Tennis Professionals: Ukraine Top ten Ukrainian male singles tennis players as of November 7, 2011
1. Alexandr Dolgopolov (17 decrease1) · 2. Sergiy Stakhovsky (63 decrease1) · 3. Sergei Bubka (151 increase4) · 3. Illya Marchenko (197 decrease4)  · 5. Denys Molchanov (278 decrease2)
6. Artem Smirnov (324 decrease1) · 7. Stanislav Poplavskyy (563 increase1) · 8. Ivan Sergeyev (682 increase2) · 9. Aleksandr Agafonov (788 increase5) · 10. Vadim Alekseenko (794 increase5)

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