Jonas Björkman facts for kids
Björkman in 2014
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| Country (sports) |  Sweden |
|---|---|
| Residence | Stockholm |
| Born | 23 March 1972 Alvesta, Sweden |
| Height | 1.84 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 March 23, 1972) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was once ranked number 1 in the world for doubles tennis. He also reached number 4 in the world for singles tennis. Björkman stopped playing professional tennis after the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup doubles championships. By 2019, he was among the top 40 tennis players in history for prize money earned, with over $14.5 million. As of July 2024, he is still in the top 50.
Björkman had many successful doubles partners over the years. Some of them include Jan Apell, Jacco Eltingh, Max Mirnyi, and Todd Woodbridge. He won a total of nine major championships in men's doubles. This means he achieved the career Grand Slam in men's doubles.
In March 2015, he joined Andy Murray's coaching team. He has also coached the Swedish men's padel team.
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About Jonas Björkman
Jonas Björkman started playing tennis when he was six years old. His father, Lars Björkman, was a tennis coach. When Jonas was 18, he won the Swedish Junior Championship. He was one of the top five junior players in Sweden. He married Petra on December 2, 2000, in Stockholm. They have a son named Max, who was born on January 15, 2003.
Jonas plays tennis with his right hand. He is especially good at playing against left-handed players. He believes this is because his father played left-handed.
Jonas Björkman's Tennis Career
Jonas Björkman became a professional tennis player in 1991. In 1993, he won three smaller singles tournaments called Challenger titles. The next year, in 1994, he won seven doubles titles. This included the 1994 ATP Tour World Championships in Jakarta. In 1995, he played in his first main ATP singles final in Hong Kong.
Reaching the Top in Singles
In 1997, Jonas became the ninth Swedish tennis player to be in the ATP top 10. He reached his highest singles ranking at number 4. He also made it to his first major tournament semifinal at the US Open. He beat several strong players before losing to Greg Rusedski. In 2000, he finished in the top 50 for singles for the fifth time in seven years.
He won six singles titles and 54 doubles titles during his ATP career. This includes nine Grand Slam titles in doubles.
Playing for Sweden
Jonas first played for Sweden in the Davis Cup in 1994. He was a regular player for his country throughout his career. He won 21 matches in doubles and 14 matches in singles for Sweden. He was part of the Swedish teams that won the Davis Cup in 1994, 1997, and 1998.
Wimbledon Success
In 2002, Björkman won the Nottingham Open singles title. He beat Wayne Arthurs in the final. Later that year at Wimbledon, he played against the top player, Lleyton Hewitt, in the first round. Björkman lost to Hewitt, who then went on to win the tournament.
In 2006, at the age of 34, Björkman surprised many by reaching the singles semifinals at Wimbledon. He was the oldest player to do this since Jimmy Connors in 1987. He was not expected to go so far, but he beat the 14th-seeded player, Radek Štěpánek, even saving a match point. He also defeated his doubles partner Max Mirnyi and fellow Swede, Thomas Johansson. In the semifinal, he faced the world number 1, Roger Federer, and lost in straight sets.
In 2006, tennis legend John McEnroe returned to the ATP Pro Tour. He teamed up with Björkman to win the doubles title at the SAP Open in San Jose.
Retirement from Tennis
During Wimbledon in 2008, Jonas announced he would retire from professional tennis 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 final. They lost to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić. Björkman received a great farewell at Wimbledon for his long career.
Björkman officially retired after he and Ullyett did not make it to the doubles semifinal at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup. On October 2, 2013, he made a brief return to play in the doubles draw of the 2013 If Stockholm Open. He played with fellow Swede Robert Lindstedt.
He also appeared as a celebrity dancer in a TV show called Let's Dance 2015.
Coaching Career
In March 2015, Andy Murray added Jonas Björkman to his coaching team. At first, it was a trial for five weeks. Björkman was meant to help when Murray's main coach, Amélie Mauresmo, was not available. Mauresmo had agreed to travel with Murray for 25 weeks a year.
However, after the 2015 Australian Open, Mauresmo told Murray she was expecting a baby. So, in April 2015, Murray announced that Björkman would be his main coach for the North American hard-court season. Mauresmo would be on maternity leave after Wimbledon 2015.
Jonas Björkman helped Murray win his first clay-court title at the BMW Open in Munich. After that, Murray won his first Masters 1000 title on clay in Madrid. In June 2015, Björkman was with Andy Murray when he won his fourth Queen's Club title at the Aegon Championships. Björkman was also Murray's main coach when Murray won his third Canadian Open title in Montreal in 2015.
In December 2015, Murray decided not to continue Björkman's contract. Björkman had coached Murray for the last four months of the season while Mauresmo was away.
Grand Slam Doubles Finals
Jonas Björkman played in 15 Grand Slam doubles finals. He won 9 of them and was runner-up in 6.
- Australian Open: Won in 1998, 1999, 2001.
- French Open: Won in 2005, 2006.
- Wimbledon: Won in 2002, 2003, 2004.
- US Open: Won in 2003.
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Finals
Jonas Björkman reached two mixed doubles finals at Wimbledon, but he was runner-up in both.
- Wimbledon: Runner-up in 1999 (with Anna Kournikova) and 2007 (with Alicia Molik).
Masters Series Singles Final
Jonas Björkman reached one Masters Series singles final.
- Paris Masters: Runner-up in 1997, losing to Pete Sampras.
See also
In Spanish: Jonas Björkman para niños
