Fernando Verdasco facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Verdasco and the second or maternal family name is Carmona.

Quick facts for kids
Fernando Verdasco
Singles
Verdasco at the 2022 French Open
Country (sports)	Spain
Residence	Doha, Qatar
Born	(1983-11-15) 15 November 1983 (age 41) Madrid, Spain
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Turned pro	2001
Plays	Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Diego Dinomo David Sánchez Quino Muñoz
Prize money	US$18,349,505 39th all-time leader in earnings
Career record	559–447 (55.57%) (55.6%)
Career titles	7
Highest ranking	No. 7 (20 April 2009)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (2009)
French Open	4R (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018)
Wimbledon	QF (2013)
US Open	QF (2009, 2010)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2009)
Olympic Games	1R (2012)
Doubles
Career record	205–204 (50.12%) (50.1%)
Career titles	8
Highest ranking	No. 8 (11 November 2013)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	QF (2009, 2013)
French Open	SF (2017)
Wimbledon	3R (2008)
US Open	QF (2004, 2008, 2014)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	W (2013)
Mixed doubles
Career record	6–3 (66.67%)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon	1R (2006, 2008)
US Open	1R (2015)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (2008, 2009, 2011)
Hopman Cup	W (2013)

Fernando Verdasco Carmona (born 15 November 1983) is a Spanish tennis coach and a former professional player. He was once ranked as high as world No. 7 in singles, which he achieved in April 2009.

Fernando's best performance at a major tournament, called a Grand Slam, was reaching the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open. He also made it to the quarterfinals twice at the US Open (in 2009 and 2010) and once at Wimbledon (in 2013).

In singles, he won seven titles on the ATP Tour, including the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell. In men's doubles, he won eight titles, including the prestigious 2013 ATP World Tour Finals with his partner David Marrero. Fernando also helped Spain win the Davis Cup three times. He started playing tennis when he was four years old and had a full-time coach by age eight.

Professional career

Early years and first ATP title

Fernando Verdasco became a professional tennis player in 2001. In 2002, he won his first "Futures" tournament in Spain and reached the finals of a "Challenger" tournament. By the end of that year, he was ranked among the top 200 players in the world.

In 2003, he played in his first big "Masters Series" tournament in Miami. He did well, reaching the third round. In 2004, Fernando won his first ATP title in Valencia, Spain. He also reached another final in Acapulco and won a doubles title in Stockholm. He finished 2004 ranked No. 36 in the world.

Progress and Grand Slam appearances

In 2005, Fernando continued to improve, reaching the semifinals of a tournament in Saint Petersburg and the finals in Kitzbühel. He also made it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the US Open.

In 2006, he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, which was his best result there at the time. He also made it to the third round of the US Open. By the end of 2007, his ranking improved to No. 27. He reached the final of the St. Petersburg Open, showing strong play.

Winning the Davis Cup and Top 10 debut

Verdasco at the US Open

In 2008, Fernando continued to play well, reaching the fourth round of the French Open. He also made it to the final of the Nottingham Open. His ranking climbed to No. 13. He won another ATP title in Umag, Croatia.

A big moment for Fernando in 2008 was helping Spain win the Davis Cup. He won a key match against Argentina, which secured the victory for his team.

In 2009, Fernando started the year by reaching the final of the Brisbane International. At the 2009 Australian Open, he had an amazing run, reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal. He played a very long match against Rafael Nadal, which lasted over five hours. This great performance helped him enter the top 10 rankings for the first time, reaching No. 9.

He continued to do well in 2009, reaching the quarterfinals of several "Masters 1000" tournaments. He also won a singles title in New Haven, USA. At the 2009 US Open, he reached the quarterfinals. Fernando ended 2009 ranked No. 9, his best year-end ranking so far. He also helped Spain win the Davis Cup again, winning a crucial doubles match.

First Masters final and ATP 500 title

Verdasco volley in winning match against Isner at 2009 US Open

Fernando started 2010 by winning an exhibition tournament in Melbourne. He then won his fourth ATP singles title at the SAP Open in San Jose, beating Andy Roddick in the final.

At the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, he reached his first-ever "Masters 1000" final, beating top player Novak Djokovic along the way. He played against Rafael Nadal in the final. The next week, he won his fifth career singles title at the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell.

Before the 2010 French Open, he reached another final in Nice, France. He had a tough match and got upset with some fans, but he apologized later. At the French Open, he reached the fourth round. He finished 2010 ranked No. 9, just like the year before.

Later career and achievements

Verdasco at the 2011 Australian Open

In 2011, Fernando reached his sixteenth singles final at the SAP Open in San Jose. He also helped Spain win the Davis Cup again. He reached another final at the Estoril Open and the semifinals at the Suisse Open.

In 2012, Fernando won four doubles titles. He had a notable win over Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Masters, which was Nadal's only loss on clay that season.

In 2013, Fernando and his doubles partner David Marrero won the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, beating the famous Bryan brothers. This was a major achievement in his doubles career.

In 2014, Fernando won his sixth career singles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. He also reached the fourth round of the French Open.

In 2015, he had a big win against Rafael Nadal in Miami, which was only his second win against Nadal.

In 2016, Fernando caused a big upset at the Australian Open by beating world No. 5 Rafael Nadal in the first round. This was only the third time he had beaten Nadal in his career.

Milestones and recent years

Verdasco at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships

In 2017, Fernando reached the semifinals of the French Open in men's doubles with his partner Nenad Zimonjić. This was his best result in Grand Slam doubles. He also reached a singles final in Dubai and several semifinals and quarterfinals in other tournaments.

In 2018, Fernando reached his 500th career win at the Madrid Open. This made him one of only a few Spanish players and active players to reach this milestone. He also reached the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon.

In 2020, he played in his 67th Grand Slam in a row at the Australian Open, which is one of the longest streaks ever. He also recorded his 550th career win. However, he faced challenges with a leg injury and testing positive for COVID-19.

In 2021, his ranking dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in many years. In 2022, he started to play better, reaching two ATP quarterfinals. By October 2023, his ranking fell out of the top 500.

Coaching career

In April 2024, Fernando Verdasco started coaching a young Jordanian player named Abdullah Shelbayh. In May 2024, he also began coaching Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the French Open.

Playing style and equipment

Fernando Verdasco is known as an offensive baseliner. This means he likes to hit powerful shots from the back of the court. He is good on all types of surfaces, but he especially likes fast hard courts. His best shot is his forehand, which is very strong. He also has a unique serve because he is left-handed, often using a lot of spin. His serves can be very fast, over 230 kilometers per hour (about 143 mph).

Fernando is known for hitting the ball with a lot of topspin, similar to Rafael Nadal. He uses Head racquets and wears Adidas clothing and shoes.

Personal life

Fernando started playing tennis at age four in his family's backyard. His parents own a restaurant in Madrid. He has two younger sisters.

He was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. Fernando is a big fan of the English rock band Oasis. He also supports the famous Spanish football club Real Madrid. He uses mindfulness techniques to help him stay calm during matches.

Fernando married Ana Boyer on 7 December 2017, on a private island in the Caribbean. Ana is the daughter of a former Spanish politician and a famous socialite. Her half-brother is the singer Enrique Iglesias. Fernando and Ana have three sons: Miguel (born 2019), Mateo (born 2021), and Martín (born 2024).

Fernando was named after the ABBA song Fernando, because his mother loved the band.

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

**Key**
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	A	NH

(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

Current through the 2023 Australian Open – Men's singles qualifying.

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	Q1	1R	2R	2R	2R	2R	SF	4R	4R	1R	3R	2R	3R	2R	1R	2R	3R	3R	A	A	Q2	0 / 17	26–17	60%
French Open	Q1	2R	1R	2R	4R	4R	4R	4R	3R	3R	2R	4R	2R	3R	4R	4R	2R	A	1R	Q2	A	0 / 17	32–17	67%
Wimbledon	1R	2R	2R	4R	3R	4R	4R	1R	2R	3R	QF	1R	3R	1R	1R	1R	4R	NH	1R	1R	A	0 / 19	25–19	58%
US Open	3R	2R	4R	3R	3R	3R	QF	QF	3R	3R	1R	2R	2R	1R	2R	3R	2R	A	Q2	1R	A	0 / 18	30–18	64%
Win–loss	2–2	3–4	5–4	7–4	8–4	9–4	15–4	10–4	8–4	6–4	7–4	5–4	6–4	3–4	4–4	6–4	7–4	2–1	0–2	0–2	0–0	0 / 71	113–71	61%

Doubles

Tournament	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	1R	2R	1R	1R	QF	A	A	A	QF	2R	A	2R	1R	1R	2R	A	A	A	A	0 / 11	10–11	48%
French Open	1R	1R	1R	2R	A	1R	A	A	A	QF	2R	A	1R	SF	1R	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 10	9–10	47%
Wimbledon	2R	1R	A	1R	3R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	1R	A	NH	A	A	A	0 / 6	3–6	33%
US Open	QF	3R	1R	1R	QF	A	A	A	1R	1R	QF	2R	3R	1R	A	1R	A	A	A	A	0 / 12	14–12	54%
Win–loss	4–3	2–4	1–3	1–4	5–3	3–2	0–0	0–0	0–1	6–3	5–3	1–1	3–3	4–4	0–3	1–2	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0 / 39	36–39	48%