Jonas Björkman facts for kids
Björkman in 2014
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| Country (sports) |  Sweden |
|---|---|
| Residence | Stockholm |
| Born | 23 March 1972 Alvesta, Sweden |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Turned pro | 1991 |
| Retired | 2008 (singles) 2013 (doubles) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $14,610,671 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 414–362 |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (3 November 1997) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1998, 2002) |
| French Open | 4R (1996, 2007) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2006) |
| US Open | SF (1997) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (1997) |
| Grand Slam Cup | QF (1997, 1998) |
| Olympic Games | 1R (1996, 2004, 2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 712–307 |
| Career titles | 54 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (9 July 2001) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1998, 1999, 2001) |
| French Open | W (2005, 2006) |
| Wimbledon | W (2002, 2003, 2004) |
| US Open | W (2003) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1994, 2006) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2000) |
| French Open | SF (2005) |
| Wimbledon | F (1999, 2007) |
| US Open | SF (2008) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1994, 1997, 1998) |
| Hopman Cup | F (1999) |
| Coaching career (2015–) | |
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Andy Murray (2015), Marin Čilić (2016–2017)
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| Coaching achievements | |
| Coachee singles titles total | 4 |
| List of notable tournaments (with champion) 2x ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (Murray) |
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Jonas Lars Björkman (born 23 March 1972) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was once the world's number one player in doubles. He also reached number four in singles. Björkman stopped playing professional tennis after the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup doubles championships. He has earned over $14.5 million in prize money during his career.
Björkman was very successful in doubles. He had great partnerships with players like Jan Apell and Todd Woodbridge. He won a total of nine major championships in men's doubles. This means he won all four Grand Slam tournaments at least once.
In March 2015, he joined Andy Murray's coaching team. He also coached the Swedish men's padel team.
Contents
About Jonas Björkman
Jonas Björkman started playing tennis when he was six years old. His father, Lars Björkman, was a tennis coach and a mailman. When Jonas was 18, he won the Swedish Junior Championship. He was one of the top five junior players in Sweden.
Jonas married Petra on 2 December 2000 in Stockholm. They have a son named Max, who was born on 15 January 2003. Jonas plays tennis right-handed. He often played very well against left-handed players. He believes this is because his father played left-handed.
Jonas's Tennis Career
Jonas Björkman became a professional tennis player in 1991. He quickly started winning titles.
Early Wins and Top Rankings
In 1993, he won three singles titles in smaller tournaments called Challengers. The next year, 1994, was big for him in doubles. He won seven doubles titles, including the 1994 ATP Tour World Championships. In 1995, he reached his first singles final in Hong Kong.
By 1997, Björkman became the ninth Swedish tennis player to finish in the ATP top 10. He reached his highest singles ranking of world No. 4. That same year, he made it to his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open. He beat several strong players before losing in the semifinal. In 1998, he won his first Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open. He finished in the singles top 50 for the fifth time in seven years by 2000.
Grand Slam and Davis Cup Success
Throughout his career, Jonas Björkman won six singles titles. He won an amazing 54 doubles titles. This includes nine Grand Slam titles in men's doubles.
He also played for Sweden in the Davis Cup. He first played in 1994. He was a key part of the Swedish teams that won the Davis Cup championships in 1994, 1997, and 1998.
Memorable Matches
In 2002, Björkman won the Nottingham Open singles title. Later that year, at Wimbledon, he played against the top player, Lleyton Hewitt, in the first round. Hewitt won the match and went on to win the tournament.
One of his most surprising achievements was at Wimbledon in 2006. At 34 years old, he reached the singles semifinals. He was the oldest player to do so since Jimmy Connors in 1987. He was not expected to go that far. He beat several tough opponents, including his doubles partner Max Mirnyi. In the semifinal, he faced the world No. 1, Roger Federer, and lost.
In 2006, tennis legend John McEnroe returned to the ATP Tour. He teamed up with Björkman to win a doubles title at the SAP Open in San Jose.
Retirement and Comeback
During Wimbledon in 2008, Björkman announced he would retire at the end of the season. He lost in the first round of singles. However, he and his doubles partner Kevin Ullyett made it to the doubles final. They lost the final but received a warm farewell from the Wimbledon crowd.
Björkman officially retired from professional tennis after the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup. However, he made a brief comeback in 2013. He played in the doubles draw at the If Stockholm Open with fellow Swede Robert Lindstedt.
In 2015, Jonas Björkman also competed as a celebrity dancer in a TV show called Let's Dance.
Coaching Career
In March 2015, Jonas Björkman joined Andy Murray's coaching team. He helped out when Murray's main coach, Amélie Mauresmo, was not available. Mauresmo later announced she was pregnant. So, Björkman became Murray's main coach for a few months.
With Björkman's help, Andy Murray won his first clay-court title at the BMW Open in Munich. He then won his first Masters 1000 title on clay in Madrid. In June 2015, Björkman was with Murray when he won his fourth Queen's Club title at the Aegon Championships. Björkman was also Murray's coach when Murray won the 2015 Canadian Open.
In December 2015, Murray decided not to continue with Björkman as part of his coaching team.
Major Finals: Grand Slam Doubles
Jonas Björkman played in 15 Grand Slam doubles finals. He won 9 of them and was runner-up in 6.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1994 | French Open | Clay |  Jan Apell |
 Byron Black Jonathan Stark |
4–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 1997 | US Open | Hard | Nicklas Kulti |
 Yevgeny Kafelnikov Daniel Vacek |
6–7(8–10), 3–6 |
| Win | 1998 | Australian Open | Hard |  Jacco Eltingh |
 Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde |
6–2, 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 1999 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Patrick Rafter |
 Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–7(10–12), 6–4 |
| Win | 2001 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Todd Woodbridge |
Byron Black David Prinosil |
6–1, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 2002 | Wimbledon | Grass | Todd Woodbridge |
 Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor |
6–1, 6–2, 6–7(7–9), 7–5 |
| Win | 2003 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Todd Woodbridge |
Mahesh Bhupathi Max Mirnyi |
3–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
| Win | 2003 | US Open | Hard | Todd Woodbridge |
Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
5–7, 6–0, 7–5 |
| Win | 2004 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Todd Woodbridge |
 Julian Knowle Nenad Zimonjić |
6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 2005 | French Open | Clay | Max Mirnyi |
Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
2–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2005 | US Open (2) | Hard | Max Mirnyi |
Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2006 | French Open (2) | Clay | Max Mirnyi |
Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
6–7(5–7), 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 2006 | US Open (3) | Hard | Max Mirnyi |
Martin Damm Leander Paes |
7–6(7–5), 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2007 | Australian Open | Hard | Max Mirnyi |
Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
5–7, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2008 | Wimbledon | Grass | Kevin Ullyett |
Daniel Nestor Nenad Zimonjić |
6–7(12–14), 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 3–6 |
Images for kids
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Björkman in 2014
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Andy Murray with his coach Jonas Björkman during practice in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Jonas Björkman para niños
