Nicolas Kiefer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nicolas Kiefer

Kiefer at the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open
Country (sports)	Germany
Residence	Sievershausen, Germany
Born	(1977-07-05) 5 July 1977 (age 48) Holzminden, West Germany
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro	1995
Retired	30 December 2010
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$ 7,480,465
Singles
Career record	366–274 (57.19%)
Career titles	6
Highest ranking	No. 4 (10 January 2000)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (2006)
French Open	4R (2005)
Wimbledon	QF (1997)
US Open	QF (2000)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (1999)
Olympic Games	3R (2004, 2008)
Doubles
Career record	92–123 (42.79%)
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 56 (17 February 2003)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2004)
French Open	1R (2001, 2003, 2004)
Wimbledon	2R (2003)
US Open	1R (2002)
Medal record Olympic Games – Tennis Silver 2004 Athens Doubles

Nicolas Kiefer (born on July 5, 1977) is a German former professional tennis player. He was known for his powerful game. Nicolas reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2006. He also won a silver medal in men's doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics. His highest singles ranking was world No. 4, which he achieved in January 2000.

Nicolas Kiefer's Tennis Journey

Early Career and Junior Success

Nicolas Kiefer was a very talented junior player. In 1995, when he was 18, he won the Junior Australian Open and the US Open. He also reached the finals and semifinals at Wimbledon and the French Open. He finished that year as the No. 2 junior player in the world.

After turning professional, Nicolas quickly climbed the rankings. By January 2000, he reached his highest ranking of world No. 4. This was after he made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the second time.

Nicolas was known for some interesting habits on the court. He would sometimes tap his racquet on the court corners after winning a point. He also often asked for the same ball he had just won a point with to use for the next serve.

Big Matches and Comebacks

In 2006, during the Australian Open quarterfinals, Nicolas had a memorable moment. While playing against Sébastien Grosjean, he accidentally threw his racquet during a point. Grosjean missed his shot and protested, but the umpire decided it was not intentional. Nicolas won that match and reached the semifinals. There, he played against the famous Roger Federer, who won the match.

Later in 2006, Nicolas injured his wrist at the French Open. This injury kept him away from tennis for a long time. He returned to playing in July 2007. He had fallen to a much lower ranking, but he was excited to compete again. He showed great skill at the 2007 Madrid Masters. He beat a top-ranked player, Fernando González, to reach the semifinals. He then lost to Roger Federer.

Highlights of 2008

The year 2008 started a bit tough for Nicolas. However, he had a great run at the Hamburg Masters. He defeated two top players, Stanislas Wawrinka and Nikolay Davydenko, to reach the quarterfinals.

His biggest achievement in 2008 was reaching his first-ever Masters final. This happened at the Canada Masters in Toronto. He had tried 73 times before to reach a Masters final! On his way to the final, he beat several strong players. He eventually lost to Rafael Nadal in the final. This amazing performance helped him get back into the top 20 players in the world.

Challenges and Injuries in 2009

In 2009, Nicolas represented Germany in the Hopman Cup. He played alongside Sabine Lisicki. During one match, he twisted his ankle, which was a tough moment. This injury unfortunately stopped him from playing in the 2009 Australian Open.

Despite the injury, Nicolas returned to play for Germany in the Davis Cup. He helped his country win a doubles match and a singles match. He continued to compete in various tournaments, facing tough opponents like Andy Roddick and Roger Federer. He also played in the French Open, where he fought hard in a five-set match against David Ferrer. Nicolas was proud of his effort, especially since clay courts were not his favorite surface.

Later in 2009, he suffered another injury, a muscular strain, which affected his performance at Wimbledon. He continued to play, but injuries made it difficult to maintain his top form.

Nicolas Kiefer's Major Achievements

Nicolas Kiefer had some fantastic results in his career. He won a silver medal at the Olympics and reached a Masters Series final.

Olympic Medal

• Silver Medal: At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Nicolas won a silver medal in men's doubles. He teamed up with his German partner, Rainer Schüttler. They played a very close final match against Fernando González and Nicolás Massú from Chile.

Masters Series Final

• Runner-up: In 2008, Nicolas reached the final of the Canada Masters in Toronto. This was a huge achievement for him. He played against Rafael Nadal in the final.

Career Titles

Nicolas Kiefer won a total of 6 singles titles and 3 doubles titles during his professional career.

Singles Titles (6)

• 1997: Toulouse, France (Hard court)
• 1999: Tokyo, Japan (Hard court)
• 1999: Halle, Germany (Grass court)
• 1999: Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Hard court)
• 2000: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Hard court)
• 2000: Hong Kong, China (Hard court)

Doubles Titles (3)

• 1998: Ostrava, Czech Republic (Carpet court)
• 2002: Los Angeles, United States (Hard court)
• 2003: Tokyo, Japan (Hard court)

Playing Against Top Players

Nicolas Kiefer played many matches against the best tennis players in the world. He had some impressive wins against players who were ranked world No. 1 at some point in their careers.

• He had a strong record against players like Patrick Rafter, Carlos Moyá, and Marat Safin.
• He also managed to beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov several times.
• Nicolas faced tennis legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Roddick multiple times. While he had some wins against Federer, these top players often proved to be very tough opponents.

Images for kids

• 

  Kiefer at the 2009 French Open

See also

In Spanish: Nicolas Kiefer para niños