Denis Istomin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Denis Istomin

Istomin at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships
Country (sports)	Uzbekistan
Residence	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Born	(1986-09-07) 7 September 1986 (age 38) Orenburg, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Turned pro	2004
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Klaudiya Istomina
Prize money	US$6,333,868
Singles
Career record	230–267 (46.28% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 33 (13 August 2012)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	4R (2017)
French Open	2R (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017)
Wimbledon	4R (2012)
US Open	4R (2013)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	3R (2012)
Doubles
Career record	94–131 (41.78% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 59 (8 October 2012)
Current ranking	No. 428 (7 April 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2012, 2015)
French Open	3R (2011, 2012)
Wimbledon	3R (2012)
US Open	2R (2011, 2015)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	52–34 (Sin. 35–18, Dbs. 17–16)
Medal record Men's tennis Representing  Uzbekistan Asian Games Gold 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Singles Silver 2010 Guangzhou Singles Silver 2010 Guangzhou Team Bronze 2014 Incheon Team

Denis Olegovich Istomin (born 7 September 1986) is a professional tennis player from Uzbekistan. He has won two major singles titles in his career. These wins were at the 2015 Aegon Open Nottingham and the 2017 Chengdu Open.

Denis reached his highest singles ranking of world No. 33 in August 2012. A big moment in his career happened in January 2017. He beat the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open.

About Denis Istomin's Life

Denis Istomin was born in Orenburg, Russia. His parents, Oleg and Klaudiya Istomina, are Russian. When Denis was just three months old, his family moved to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

His mother, Klaudiya, is also his coach. She introduced him to tennis when he was very young. In 2001, Denis was in a car crash. This accident caused injuries that kept him from playing tennis for two years. Doctors even thought he might never hold a racquet again. But Denis worked hard and started training again in April 2003.

He is good friends with Varvara Lepchenko, another tennis player who used to play for Uzbekistan.

Denis on the Tennis Court

Denis Istomin is one of the few top professional tennis players who wears glasses while playing. Most other players either have perfect eyesight or use contact lenses. Other players who wear glasses include Janko Tipsarević and Chung Hyeon.

Denis Istomin's Tennis Career

Starting Out: 2004–2009

Denis became a professional tennis player in 2004. By late 2005, he was ranked among the top 200 players in the world. He won his first Challenger tournament in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

In 2006, Denis played against the world No. 1, Roger Federer, at the 2006 Australian Open. Federer won the match. Denis stayed in the top 200 for most of that year.

He won two more Challenger titles in 2007. These were in Karshi and Bukhara again. In 2008, he played at the 2008 Australian Open and reached the second round. He finished 2008 ranked No. 105.

In 2009, Denis broke into the top 100 for the first time. He reached world No. 56 in July. This high ranking allowed him to play in the main draws of other big tournaments, called Grand Slams. At the 2009 US Open, he made it to the third round.

Reaching New Heights: 2010–2012

In 2010, Denis reached his first ATP final at the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament. He lost this match to Sergiy Stakhovsky. He also made it to the third round at Wimbledon and the French Open. These results helped him reach a career-high ranking of 39 on August 30, 2010. At the 2010 US Open, he lost to the top-ranked player, Rafael Nadal, in the second round.

The year 2011 was a bit tough for Denis. His ranking dropped, but he bounced back by winning four Challenger tournaments. These wins were in Samarkand, Karshi, Istanbul, and Tashkent. The win in Istanbul was his first tournament victory outside Uzbekistan.

In 2012, Denis had a great year. He reached the finals of the SAP Open but lost to Milos Raonic. At the Indian Wells Masters, he made it to the fourth round. He even beat David Ferrer, who was ranked No. 5 in the world at the time.

Denis made history at Wimbledon in 2012. He reached the fourth round, becoming the first tennis player from Uzbekistan to do so at a Grand Slam. He also played in the Olympics and reached the round of 16. There, he lost to Roger Federer, who later won a silver medal.

Istomin at the 2013 Apia International in Sydney

Winning Titles: 2013–2018

In 2013, Denis won his first doubles title at the 2013 Kremlin Cup. He also had strong performances in singles tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in Brisbane and Sydney. He made it to the semi-finals at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships.

In 2014, Denis played Novak Djokovic at the 2014 Australian Open. Even though he lost, he played some amazing shots that were called a "Perfect Game" by some.

A big moment came in 2015 when Denis won his first ATP singles title. This happened at the Nottingham Open in the UK, where he beat Sam Querrey in the final. He also won another doubles title that year.

In 2017, Denis was ranked 117th in the world. He received a special entry into the 2017 Australian Open. There, he caused a huge upset by beating the defending champion and world No. 2, Novak Djokovic, in a thrilling five-set match. This win earned him a lot of attention and prize money. He then reached the fourth round before losing. Later that year, he won his second ATP singles title at the 2017 Chengdu Open.

In 2018, Denis reached his fifth ATP final at the Austrian Open. He also won a gold medal in men's singles at the 2018 Asian Games. This win earned him a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Recent Years: 2019–2025

Denis had a tough time in 2019 and 2020, with his ranking dropping.

In 2021, he made a surprise return to the main draw of the 2021 French Open. He had to win qualifying matches to get in. He then played against the legendary Roger Federer in the first round. Denis also participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics (which were held in 2021 due to delays).

In February 2024, Denis Istomin announced he was retiring from tennis after a Davis Cup match. However, he continued to play doubles matches. In March 2025, he made a comeback to play in one singles tournament.

ATP Career Finals

Singles: 5 (2 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Aug 2010	Connecticut Open, US	250 Series	Hard	Sergiy Stakhovsky	6–3, 3–6, 4–6
Loss	0–2	Feb 2012	Pacific Coast Championships, US	250 Series	Hard (i)	Milos Raonic	6–7(3–7), 2–6
Win	1–2	Jun 2015	Nottingham Open, UK	250 Series	Grass	Sam Querrey	7–6(7–1), 7–6(8–6)
Win	2–2	Oct 2017	Chengdu Open, China	250 Series	Hard	Marcos Baghdatis	3–2 ret.
Loss	2–3	Aug 2018	Austrian Open, Austria	250 Series	Clay	Martin Kližan	2–6, 2–6

Doubles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Oct 2012	China Open, China	500 Series	Hard	Carlos Berlocq	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	3–6, 2–6
Loss	0–2	Sep 2013	St. Petersburg Open, Russia	250 Series	Hard (i)	Dominic Inglot	David Marrero Fernando Verdasco	6–7(6–8), 3–6
Win	1–2	Oct 2013	Kremlin Cup, Russia	250 Series	Hard (i)	Mikhail Elgin	Ken Skupski Neal Skupski	6–2, 1–6, [14–12]
Win	2–2	Feb 2014	Open Sud de France, France	250 Series	Hard (i)	Nikolay Davydenko	Marc Gicquel Nicolas Mahut	6–4, 1–6, [10–7]
Win	3–2	Aug 2015	Swiss Open, Switzerland	250 Series	Clay	Aliaksandr Bury	Oliver Marach Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi	3–6, 6–2, [10–5]

Wins Against Top 10 Players

Denis Istomin has won 2 matches against players ranked in the top 10. He has played 36 such matches in total.

#	Player	Rank	Event	Surface	Rd	Score	DIR
2012
1.	David Ferrer	5	Indian Wells, United States	Hard	3R	6–4, 6–3	51
2017
2.	Novak Djokovic	2	Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia	Hard	2R	7–6(10–8), 5–7, 2–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–4	117

See also

In Spanish: Denis Istomin para niños