Feliciano Lopez is one of the most famous left-handed tennis players. Four-time winner of the Davis Cup. Three-time quarter-finalist at Wimbledon. Winner of five ATP tournaments. This article will describe a brief biography of the athlete.
Childhood
Feliciano Lopez (photo below) was born in Spain (Toledo) in 1981. The boy brought tennis to his father, who worked as a coach in this sport. As soon as Feliciano learned to confidently hold a racket, dad seriously began to study him. Ten years later, the guy began to play at a very solid level (even by junior standards).
First match and trophy
From tournament to tournament, Feliciano Lopez, whose personal life has not yet been arranged, gained experience and already in 1998 was on the ATP. The tennis player lost his first competition in Barcelona. But a year later, Feliciano entered the final of the European Junior Championship. Three years later, the athlete also performed in Major.
Spectacular semifinal of 2002 in Buenos Aires became especially memorable for the audience. A month later, Lopez made it to the quarter finals in Delray Beach. And then there was the first victory in the Grand Slam competitions, thanks to which Feliciano went to the second round. In June 2002, he reached the fourth stage of the Wimbledon tournament. To do this, he had to beat two constant opponents - Schuttler and Cañas. This allowed Lopez to enter the top 100 strongest tennis players on the planet.
The athlete won the first serious trophy in 2004 in Vienna, at the ATP tournament. Then in the final, Feliciano managed to beat Guillermo Cañas. Earlier, Lopez performed well at the Dubai Open. But, unfortunately, lost in the final to his peer Federer. But at the end of the season, the athlete, along with Fernando Verdasco, got a pair trophy in Stockholm.
Ups and downs
After 2004, Feliciano Lopez fell into a five-year streak of bad luck. During this time, he could not receive any awards. And both in singles and doubles. Although the athlete got into the finals repeatedly.
Especially offensive was the 2008 defeat in Dubai from Roddick. Indeed, in order to get to the finals, Lopez had to beat Tipsarevich and three tennis players who are in the top 10: Davydenko, Ferrer and Berdykh.
Everything changed two years later in Johannesburg. Feliciano Lopez was able to win the long-awaited second trophy in singles. Then there was the defense of the title in Eastbourne. In the doubles Feliciano did not achieve much success, although he twice visited the finals. In the first case, Lopez and Mirny lost to Ebden and Anderson in Acapulco. And then the hero of this article and Jose lost in the decisive match of the Roman Masters to Zimonich and Nestor.
Grand Slam Tournaments
Feliciano Lopez always had good performances in Major. In various competitions of the Grand Slam series, at different times, the athlete three times reached the quarter finals and four times to the fourth stages. Moreover, he recorded all the quarter finals at Wimbledon, so unloved by all Spaniards.
For the first time, a tennis player reached this result in 2005. It must be said that he became the first Spaniard to be able to do this in the previous 23 years. Major's final quarter finalist on grass was Manuel Orantes. And after 2005, Rafael Nadal repeatedly crossed the road to Lopez, who won all the tournaments indiscriminately, including two Wimbledons.
In the doubles Feliciano also has a number of achievements. The athlete three times reached the quarter finals in Grand Slam competitions (in the USA - 2004 and 2008, Australia - 2009).
Olympics and other competitions
In 2012, at the Australian Championship, Lopez reached the fourth stage. And in April in Houston, the athlete reached the semifinals. Then there was the quarter-finals in Barcelona and the semi-finals in Munich. Then Feliciano took part in the Wimbledon tournament and performed at the French championship. Unfortunately, in both cases, the athlete’s performances were unsuccessful.
And in July 2012, Lopez went to London for the Olympic Games. It is worth noting that the tennis player was no longer new to such competitions (he went to Athens in 2004). In singles, the athlete was defeated by Jo-Wilfried Tsong (6: 7, 4: 6). More successfully, Feliciano managed to compete in doubles. Together with Ferrer, he almost reached the top places, taking the fourth line of the final table.
Current rating
12th place - this is the best position (singles) that Feliciano Lopez occupied in his entire career. The tennis player’s rating has now fallen a few lines. The athlete occupies the 19th position in singles.