Àlex Corretja facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Àlex Corretja

Country (sports)	Spain
Residence	Barcelona, Spain
Born	(1974-04-11) 11 April 1974 (age 51) Barcelona, Spain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro	1991
Retired	2005
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	$10,411,354
Singles
Career record	438–281 (60.92%) (60.9%)
Career titles	17
Highest ranking	No. 2 (1 February 1999)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (1998)
French Open	F (1998, 2001)
Wimbledon	2R (1994, 1996)
US Open	QF (1996)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1998)
Grand Slam Cup	1R (1996)
Olympic Games	3R (2000)
Doubles
Career record	103–115 (47.25%) (47.2%)
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 50 (9 June 1997)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	3R (1998)
Wimbledon	3R (1996)
US Open	3R (1996)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (2000)
Medal record Olympic Games – Tennis Bronze 2000 Sydney Doubles

Àlex Corretja (born 11 April 1974) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was once ranked as high as world No. 2 in men's singles. Corretja won 17 singles titles during his career. These included the 1998 ATP World Tour Championships. He also won important Masters titles in 1997 and 2000.

Corretja reached the final of the French Open twice, in 1998 and 2001. He also played a big part in helping Spain win its first ever Davis Cup title in 2000. After retiring from playing, Corretja became a tennis coach. He coached Andy Murray and later the Spanish Davis Cup team.

Playing Career Highlights

Àlex Corretja was born in Barcelona, Spain. He first became known in the tennis world as a talented junior player. He won the Orange Bowl under-16 title in 1990. He started playing professionally in 1991. His first big singles win was in 1994 in Buenos Aires. He won his first doubles title in 1995 in Palermo.

Memorable Matches

In 1996, Corretja played a very long and exciting match against Pete Sampras at the US Open. It was a quarterfinal match that went to five sets. Corretja had a chance to win, but Sampras eventually won after more than four hours of play.

In 1997, Corretja won three titles. One of these was his first Tennis Masters Series title in Rome. He beat Marcelo Ríos in that final. He would win another Masters Series title in 2000 at Indian Wells.

Grand Slam Finals

In 1998, Corretja reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open. He had a very long match in the third round, which lasted over five and a half hours. In the final, he played against fellow Spaniard Carlos Moyà but lost.

Later in 1998, Corretja won the biggest title of his career, the ATP Tour World Championships. He beat world No. 1 Sampras in the semifinals. In the final, he faced Carlos Moyà again. Corretja came back from being two sets down to win the match. This made him the first player to win this championship without having won a Grand Slam title before. Corretja won five singles titles in 1998 and finished the year ranked world No. 3.

In 1999, Corretja reached three tournament finals. He also made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open. In February of that year, he reached his highest career ranking of world No. 2.

Winning the Davis Cup

In 2000, Corretja won the Indian Wells Masters title. He also beat world No. 1 Andre Agassi in the final of the Washington Open.

A major highlight of 2000 was helping Spain win their first ever Davis Cup title. Corretja won all his singles matches in the earlier rounds. In the final, he teamed up with Joan Manuel Balcells to win the doubles match. Spain beat Australia 3–1 to claim the title. Corretja also won a bronze medal in men's doubles at the Olympic Games in Sydney. His partner was Albert Costa.

More Finals and Retirement

In 2001, Corretja reached the men's singles final at the French Open for the second time. He lost to the defending champion Gustavo Kuerten. In July 2001, Corretja won a very long match at the Dutch Open. This 53-game match was the longest tour final of that year.

In 2002, Corretja had another big win in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. He came back from two sets down to beat Sampras on grass. He also reached the semifinals of the French Open that year. He lost to Albert Costa, who went on to win the title. A week later, Corretja was the best man at Costa's wedding.

Corretja was part of the Spanish Davis Cup team again in 2003. They reached the final but lost to Australia. Corretja announced his retirement from tennis on 24 September 2005. He finished his career with 17 singles titles and three doubles titles.

After His Playing Career

After retiring, Àlex Corretja coached British tennis star Andy Murray from 2008 to 2011. From 2012 to 2013, he coached the Spanish Davis Cup team. As of 2015, he works for Eurosport. He interviews players at the major Grand Slam tournaments.

Career Statistics Summary

Grand Slam Performance

Corretja played in many Grand Slam tournaments. His best results were reaching the final of the French Open twice. He also reached the quarterfinals of the US Open.

Grand Slam Finals: Singles

Corretja reached two Grand Slam finals, both at the French Open. He was the runner-up in both matches.

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1998	French Open	Clay	Carlos Moyà	3–6, 5–7, 3–6
Loss	2001	French Open	Clay	Gustavo Kuerten	7–6(7–3), 5–7, 2–6, 0–6

ATP Tour World Championships Final

Corretja won the ATP Tour World Championships once in 1998.

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1998	ATP Tour World Championships, Hanover	Hard (i)	Carlos Moyà	3–6, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–5

Olympic Medal Match: Doubles

Corretja won a bronze medal in doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Bronze	2000	Summer Olympics	Hard	Albert Costa	David Adams John-Laffnie de Jager	2–6, 6–4, 6–3

Masters Series Finals: Singles

Corretja played in five Masters Series finals, winning two of them.

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1996	Hamburg Masters	Clay	Roberto Carretero	6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Loss	1997	Monte-Carlo Masters	Clay	Marcelo Ríos	4–6, 3–6, 3–6
Win	1997	Rome Masters	Clay	Marcelo Ríos	7–5, 7–5, 6–3
Loss	1998	Hamburg Masters	Clay	Albert Costa	2–6, 0–6, 0–1 ret.
Win	2000	Indian Wells Masters	Hard	Thomas Enqvist	6–4, 6–4, 6–3

See also

In Spanish: Álex Corretja para niños