Gilles Simon facts for kids

This page is about the tennis player. For the motorsport engineer, see Gilles Simon (Formula One).

Quick facts for kids
Gilles Simon
Singles
Simon at the 2022 Wimbledon qualifying
Country (sports)	France
Residence	Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Born	(1984-12-27) 27 December 1984 (age 40) Nice, France
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro	2002
Retired	2022
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Étienne Laforgue
Prize money	US$ 16,045,734 46th all-time leader in earnings
Career record	504–394 (56.12%) (56.1%)
Career titles	14
Highest ranking	No. 6 (5 January 2009)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	QF (2009)
French Open	4R (2011, 2013, 2015)
Wimbledon	QF (2015)
US Open	4R (2011, 2014)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (2008)
Olympic Games	3R (2008, 2012, 2016)
Doubles
Career record	42–148 (22.11%) (22.1%)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 117 (28 January 2008)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2008)
French Open	2R (2005)
Wimbledon	1R (2006, 2007)
US Open	3R (2007)
Mixed doubles
Career record	2–4 (33.33%)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	2R (2008)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (2017)
Hopman Cup	RR (2009)

Gilles Simon (born on December 27, 1984) is a French former tennis player. He became a professional player in 2002. Gilles won 14 singles titles on the ATP Tour. His highest singles ranking was No. 6 in the world on January 5, 2009.

About Gilles Simon

Gilles Simon was born in Nice, France. He grew up in Fontenay-sous-Bois, which is near Paris. His friends and family often call him "Gilou."

Gilles started playing tennis when he was six years old. His parents supported his love for the sport. When he was younger, he was shorter than most kids his age. This is why he looked up to Michael Chang, another tennis player. Chang showed that you don't have to be tall to be a great tennis player.

Gilles Simon is married and has two sons. They were born in 2010 and 2013.

Gilles Simon's Tennis Career

Starting as a Pro (2002–2005)

Gilles Simon began his professional tennis journey in 2002. He played in many tournaments in France and other countries. In June 2003, he won his first title in Lisbon, Portugal. He won another title in Jamaica in September of that year.

In 2004, Gilles won three more tournaments in France and one in Algeria. He played his first big ATP Tour match in Metz, France, in October 2004. He was 19 years old at the time.

In January 2005, he won his first ATP Challenger tournament in New Caledonia. He won it again the next year. Gilles played in his first Grand Slam tournament, the 2005 French Open, but lost in the first round.

Breaking into the Top 50 (2006)

At the 2006 Australian Open

Gilles played well at the 2006 Australian Open. He beat strong players like Nicolás Massú and Tomáš Berdych. He reached the third round before losing. After this, he entered the top 100 players for the first time, reaching No. 89.

He made it to his first ATP Tour final in Valencia, Spain. He beat Fernando Verdasco in the semifinal. However, he lost the final match. By the end of 2006, Gilles was ranked 45th in the world.

Winning First ATP Titles (2007)

At the start of 2007, Gilles won his first ATP title in Marseille, France. He defeated Lleyton Hewitt and Robin Söderling on his way to the final. In the final, he beat Marcus Baghdatis.

In September, he won his second title in Bucharest, Romania. He beat Victor Hănescu in the final. On November 5, he entered the top 30 players for the first time. He finished 2007 as world No. 29.

Reaching the Top 10 (2008)

In 2008, Gilles reached the quarterfinals in Marseille. He famously beat world No. 3, Novak Djokovic. The next week, he made it to the semifinals in Rotterdam.

In May, he won the tournament in Casablanca, Morocco. He beat Julien Benneteau in the final. After Wimbledon, he won the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in the US. This helped him reach a career-best ranking of No. 25.

Simon at the 2008 US Open

The next week, he played in Toronto, Canada. He had a big win over world No. 1, Roger Federer. He reached the semifinals there. This pushed him into the top 15 players.

Gilles played for France at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He reached the third round in singles. At the US Open, he lost a tough five-set match in the third round.

On September 14, Gilles won his third title of the year in Romania. He beat Carlos Moyá in the final. The next month, he played in the 2008 Madrid Masters. He defeated world No. 1, Rafael Nadal, in a long three-set match. He lost the final to Andy Murray. This tournament helped Gilles reach a career-high ranking of world No. 10.

By the end of 2008, France had four players in the top 20. This was the first time since 1973. These players were called the "néo-Mousquetaires" (new Musketeers). Gilles also qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. He beat Roger Federer in his first match. He reached the semifinals before losing to Novak Djokovic. After this, he reached world No. 7.

Australian Open Quarterfinal (2009)

Gilles started 2009 as world No. 6. He played at the 2009 Hopman Cup with Alizé Cornet. At the Australian Open, he reached the quarterfinals. He lost to world No. 1, Rafael Nadal.

He played in the Davis Cup for France. He lost both his matches, and France was out in the first round. At the Miami Open, he reached the fourth round.

During the French Open, he injured his right knee. This injury caused problems for him for a long time. At Wimbledon, he reached the fourth round.

Gilles won his first title of 2009 at the Thailand Open. He beat Viktor Troicki in the final. Later, he had to stop playing a match at the Paris Masters due to his knee injury. Doctors told him to rest for at least two months.

Seventh Career Title (2010)

Gilles missed the 2010 Australian Open because of his knee injury. He also missed the entire spring clay-court season, including the French Open. He returned to play in June.

At the 2010 Wimbledon tournament, he reached the third round. At the US Open, he reached the third round. He played against Rafael Nadal, who was the world No. 1 and later won the tournament.

Gilles then won his seventh career title at the 2010 Open de Moselle. He beat Mischa Zverev in the final. This win came just weeks after his first son was born. He called it a "family effort."

In December 2010, Gilles played in the Davis Cup final for France against Serbia. He lost his singles match to Novak Djokovic. France lost the final, and Serbia won the Davis Cup for the first time.

Eighth and Ninth ATP Titles (2011)

Gilles Simon in action in 2011

Gilles started 2011 by winning his eighth title at the Sydney International. He beat Viktor Troicki in the final. At the 2011 Australian Open, he lost a tough five-set match to Roger Federer.

He then won his ninth title at the German Open in Hamburg. This was a very important win for him. He reached the fourth round of the French Open. At the US Open, he reached the fourth round before losing to John Isner.

Tenth ATP Title (2012)

In 2012, Gilles reached the semifinals at the Brisbane International. He also made it to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. At the Monte-Carlo Masters, he reached the semifinals. He beat Janko Tipsarević and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

He won his tenth career title in Bucharest, Romania. He defeated Fabio Fognini in the final. At the French Open, he lost in the third round in a five-set match. He also reached the semifinals at the Paris Masters at the end of the year.

Eleventh ATP Title (2013)

Gilles reached the fourth round of the 2013 Australian Open. He also made it to the fourth round of the French Open. He missed the US Open due to illness.

In September, he won the Moselle Open for his eleventh career title. He beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.

Strong Comeback (2014)

In 2014, Gilles had a good run at the 2014 Australian Open, reaching the third round. At the 2014 US Open, he surprised many by beating world No. 5, David Ferrer. He reached the fourth round there.

He had a great performance at the Shanghai Masters. He upset top players like Stan Wawrinka and Tomáš Berdych. He reached the final, but lost to Roger Federer in two close sets.

Twelfth ATP Title and Wimbledon Quarterfinal (2015)

Gilles won his twelfth title at the Open 13 tournament in Marseille. He defeated Gaël Monfils in the final. He also reached the fourth round at the 2015 French Open.

He had a fantastic run at Wimbledon. He reached his second Grand Slam quarterfinal. He beat Gaël Monfils and Tomáš Berdych before losing to Roger Federer.

400th Career Win (2016)

Simon at the 2016 US Open

At the 2016 Australian Open, Gilles played against world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, in the fourth round. He lost the match. In March, he reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 Miami Open.

At the 2016 Shanghai Rolex Masters, Gilles upset world No. 3, Stan Wawrinka. This win was his 400th career match win! He reached the semifinals of that tournament.

Outside the Top 50 (2017)

In 2017, Gilles struggled to win matches consistently. He finished the year outside the top 50 in the world rankings. This was the first time since 2005.

Two More ATP Titles (2018)

Simon at the 2018 French Open

Gilles started 2018 by winning his thirteenth career singles title. He won the 2018 Maharashtra Open in India. He beat the top three seeded players in the tournament. He also reached his first doubles final at this event.

In May, he reached the final of the 2018 Lyon Open. He lost a close match to Dominic Thiem. Gilles then won his fourteenth ATP Tour singles title in Metz. He beat Matthias Bachinger in the final.

Second Grass Final (2019)

Simon at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships

In 2019, Gilles reached the semifinals at the 2019 Tata Open Maharashtra and the 2019 Sydney International. He lost in the second round of the 2019 Australian Open.

He reached the semifinals at the 2019 Grand Prix Hassan II on clay. He also made it to the final of the 2019 Queen's Club Championships on grass. He lost a very close match to Feliciano López.

COVID-19 Season (2020)

Simon on the practice court at the 2020 Australian Open

Gilles started 2020 playing for France at the 2020 ATP Cup. He reached the semifinals of the Open 13 in Marseille. He had a big win over world No. 5, Daniil Medvedev.

The ATP tour stopped many tournaments from March to July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When play resumed, Gilles struggled to find his form. He lost in the first or second rounds of most tournaments.

Hiatus and Struggles (2021)

Gilles started 2021 at the 2021 Murray River Open. After a first-round loss in Montpellier, he announced he would take a break from tennis. He said his heart wasn't in it, and he needed to focus on his mental health.

He returned to play in April but continued to struggle. He lost in the first or second rounds of many tournaments. He also played in his fourth Olympics. By the end of 2021, he was outside the top 100 players.

Retirement Year (2022)

Gilles announced on May 7, 2022, that this would be his last year playing professional tennis. He received a special entry to play in the 2022 French Open. In the first round, he won a nearly four-hour match against world No. 18, Pablo Carreño Busta. This was his 499th career win.

He then beat Steve Johnson for his 500th career win! He became only the eleventh active player to reach this milestone. He lost in the third round, which was his last match at the French Open.

At the 2022 Moselle Open, he won another match, making it 502 career wins. He played his final tournament at the Paris Masters. He won his first-round match against former world No. 1, Andy Murray. This was his 503rd win and his 300th win on hard courts. He then beat world No. 11, Taylor Fritz. Gilles lost his final career match in the round of 16. He finished his career ranked inside the top 150 players.

Coaching and Equipment

Gilles Simon used tennis rackets and bags from the brand Head. He was sponsored by Adidas for his clothing.

In 2012, Gilles stopped working with his longtime coach, Thierry Tulasne. Later, he added Étienne Laforgue to his team as his coach. His fitness trainer was Paul Quetin.