Feliciano López facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is López and the second or maternal family name is Díaz-Guerra.

Quick facts for kids
Feliciano López
Singles
Lopez at the 2021 French Open
Full name	Feliciano López Díaz-Guerra
Country (sports)	Spain
Residence	Madrid, Spain
Born	(1981-09-20) 20 September 1981 (age 43) Toledo, Spain
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Turned pro	1997
Retired	2023
Plays	Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$18,706,677 38th all-time leader in earnings
Career record	506–490 (50.8%) (50.8%)
Career titles	7
Highest ranking	No. 12 (2 March 2015)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	4R (2012, 2015)
French Open	4R (2004)
Wimbledon	QF (2005, 2008, 2011)
US Open	QF (2015)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	Alt (2014)
Olympic Games	3R (2004, 2012)
Doubles
Career record	260–300 (46.43%) (46.4%)
Career titles	6
Highest ranking	No. 9 (7 November 2016)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	QF (2009, 2015)
French Open	W (2016)
Wimbledon	3R (2008)
US Open	F (2017)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2016)
Olympic Games	SF – 4th (2012)
Mixed doubles
Career record	5–3 (62.5%)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	2R (2004)
Wimbledon	3R (2011)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (2008, 2009, 2011, 2019)
Hopman Cup	RR (2017)

Feliciano López Díaz-Guerra, born on September 20, 1981, is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He reached his highest singles ranking of world No. 12 in March 2015. He also achieved a doubles ranking of world No. 9 in November 2016.

López made history in 2005 as the first Spanish male tennis player to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon since 1972. He repeated this amazing feat in 2008 and 2011. In 2016, he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2016 French Open in men's doubles with his partner Marc López.

He also holds a special record for the most consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances, with 79 in a row. He shares the record for most Grand Slam appearances overall with Roger Federer at 81. Feliciano López is known for winning ATP titles in both singles and doubles on all types of court surfaces: hard, grass, and clay.

Playing Style and Strengths
Career Highlights
Modelling and Endorsements
Personal Life
Career Statistics
Records and Achievements
See also

Playing Style and Strengths

Feliciano López is a left-handed player who uses a single-handed backhand. He is famous for his powerful serve. He is also very good at hitting the ball from the baseline. Unlike many Spanish players who prefer clay courts, López is an excellent grass-court player.

He has reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals three times. He also won four titles on grass courts. His style is more like grass-court legends Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. This means he has a big serve and likes to come to the net during matches.

Career Highlights

Feliciano López started his professional tennis career in 1997. He played in his first ATP tournament in 1998.

Early Career Milestones

In 2002, López started playing regularly on the ATP circuit. He reached his first semi-final in Buenos Aires. He also made his Wimbledon debut, reaching the fourth round. This included his first win against a top-20 player. He finished the year in the top 100 for the first time.

In 2004, López reached his first final at the Dubai Open. He won his first ATP title at the Bank Austria-TennisTrophy. He ended the year ranked world No. 24. In 2005, he reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at 2005 Wimbledon.

Winning Titles and Breaking Records

In 2009, López reached his first Masters Series semi-final at the Shanghai Masters. He also helped the Spain Davis Cup team win the 2009 Davis Cup title.

In 2010, he won his second ATP title at the SA Tennis Open. This ended a five-and-a-half-year wait for a title. He also beat world No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the Aegon Championships.

López at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships

In 2011, López reached his third Wimbledon quarter-final. He also helped Spain win the 2011 Davis Cup.

In 2013, he won his first grass-court title at the Aegon International in Eastbourne. He successfully defended this title in 2014.

In 2015, López reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 12. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open.

Grand Slam Success and More Records

In 2016, López achieved a major career highlight. He won the 2016 French Open men's doubles championship with his partner Marc López. This was his first Grand Slam title.

In 2017, at 35 years old, López won the Aegon Championship at The Queen's Club in London. This was his sixth career title and third on grass.

In 2018, López made his 66th consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearance. This broke the previous record held by Roger Federer. By the 2022 Australian Open, his record reached 79 consecutive Grand Slam appearances. He also holds the record for most consecutive French Open appearances with 21.

In 2019, he won both the singles and doubles titles at the Queens Club Championships. He partnered with Andy Murray for the doubles win.

Later Career and Retirement

In 2021, López reached the third round of the 2021 Australian Open. He was the oldest player to win a major match from two sets down since 1974. He also tied Roger Federer for the most appearances at Masters 1000 events. Later, he broke this record with his 139th Masters 1000 tournament. During the 2021 Davis Cup Finals, at age 40, he beat world No. 5, Andrey Rublev. This was only the second time in the Open Era that a player aged 40 or older beat a top 5 player.

In 2022, he played in his 81st main draw Grand Slam, equaling Roger Federer's record. He also won the Mexican Open doubles tournament with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Feliciano López announced that 2023 would be his last season. He retired at the 2023 Mallorca Championships. In his final tournament, he reached his 93rd ATP career quarterfinal. He became the oldest ATP quarterfinalist since 1995. He finished his career with 506 wins and 490 losses. He won more matches on grass (87) than any other Spanish player.

Modelling and Endorsements

Feliciano López has worked as a model for brands like Hugo Boss and Elle magazine. He has also endorsed Braun shavers and L'Oréal products. He has stated that he prefers to be seen as a tennis player, not a model. He has been endorsed by Ellesse tennis clothing since 2016. Before that, Joma was his sponsor, and Nike provides his shoes.

Personal Life

Feliciano López was born in Toledo and now lives in Madrid. His younger brother, Victor López Díaz-Guerra, also played professional tennis.

He was married to model Alba Carrillo from 2015 to 2017. He married model Sandra Gago in September 2019. Their first child, a son named Dario, was born in 2021.

In 2017, López was announced as the tournament director for the Madrid Open, starting in 2019.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Performance

Feliciano López has played in many Grand Slam tournaments throughout his career. Here's a look at his performance in singles and doubles.

Singles

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	SR	W–L	Win%
Australian Open	A	A	A	3R	1R	3R	3R	2R	2R	1R	3R	2R	4R	2R	3R	4R	3R	1R	1R	1R	1R	3R	1R	A	0 / 20	24–20	55%
French Open	A	1R	2R	1R	4R	1R	1R	1R	1R	2R	1R	1R	1R	3R	2R	1R	3R	3R	1R	1R	1R	1R	Q1	A	0 / 21	12–21	36%
Wimbledon	Q2	A	4R	4R	3R	QF	1R	3R	QF	1R	3R	QF	1R	3R	4R	2R	3R	1R	2R	2R	NH	1R	1R	A	0 / 20	34–20	63%
US Open	A	A	2R	1R	3R	2R	2R	4R	1R	1R	4R	3R	3R	3R	3R	QF	2R	3R	1R	3R	1R	1R	A	A	0 / 20	28–20	58%
Win–loss	0–0	0–1	5–3	5–4	7–4	7–4	3–4	6–4	5–4	1–4	7–4	7–4	5–4	7–4	8–4	8–4	7–4	4–4	1–4	3–4	0–3	2–4	0–2	0–0	0 / 81	98–81	55%

Doubles

Tournament	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	SR	W–L	Win%
Australian Open	1R	2R	1R	2R	A	3R	QF	2R	2R	A	1R	1R	QF	2R	3R	2R	1R	1R	A	A	A	0 / 16	15–16	50%
French Open	3R	1R	1R	1R	2R	A	1R	A	2R	A	3R	3R	2R	W	1R	SF	2R	3R	A	3R	A	1 / 16	24–14	63%
Wimbledon	1R	2R	2R	A	A	3R	A	A	A	A	A	2R	A	A	1R	A	2R	NH	1R	1R	A	0 / 9	6–7	55%
US Open	3R	QF	3R	1R	2R	QF	A	1R	A	A	2R	1R	1R	SF	F	2R	2R	A	A	2R	A	0 / 15	23–15	61%
Win–loss	3–4	5–4	3–3	1–3	2–2	6–2	3–2	1–2	2–1	0–0	3–3	3–4	4–3	11–2	7–4	6–3	3–4	2–2	0–1	3–3	0–0	1 / 56	68–52	57%

Grand Slam Finals

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	2016	French Open	Clay	Marc López	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	6–4, 6–7^(6–8), 6–3
Loss	2017	US Open	Hard	Marc López	Jean-Julien Rojer Horia Tecău	4–6, 3–6

Olympic Medal Finals

Doubles: 1 (1 fourth place)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
4th place	2012	Summer Olympics, London	Grass	David Ferrer	Julien Benneteau Richard Gasquet	6–7^(4–7), 2–6

Records and Achievements

Feliciano López holds several impressive records in tennis.

Time span	Record accomplished	#	Players matched
2001 French Open – 2022 Wimbledon	Most Grand Slam main draw appearances	81	Roger Federer
2002 French Open – 2022 Australian Open	Most consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances	79	Stands alone
2001 French Open – 2021 French Open	Most consecutive French Open main draw appearances	21
2001 French Open – 2021 French Open	Most French Open main draw appearances	21
2001 French Open – 2022 Wimbledon	Most main draw appearances at each Grand Slam	20
1998 Barcelona Open – 2023 Barcelona Open	Most ATP 500 main draw appearances at single tournament	22
2002–2021	Most Masters series main draw appearances	139
1998–2023	Most ATP 500 main draw appearances	97
2002–2023	Most Hard surface main draw appearances	279
1998–2023	Most Outdoor main draw appearances	394
1998–2023	Most ATP main draw appearances	486
1998–2023	Most ATP main draw losses	490