Paul-Henri Mathieu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul-Henri Mathieu

Mathieu at the 2015 Wimbledon qualifying tournament
Country (sports)	France
Residence	Geneva, Switzerland
Born	(1982-01-12) 12 January 1982 (age 43) Strasbourg, France
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro	1999
Retired	31 October 2017
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$6,299,093
Singles
Career record	276–306
Career titles	4
Highest ranking	No. 12 (7 April 2008)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	4R (2006, 2008)
French Open	4R (2002, 2008)
Wimbledon	4R (2007, 2010)
US Open	3R (2004, 2010)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	QF (2008)
Doubles
Career record	30–88
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 103 (15 September 2008)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2005, 2009, 2017)
French Open	2R (2002)
Wimbledon	1R (2003, 2007)
US Open	1R (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	F (2002)

Paul-Henri Mathieu (born on January 12, 1982) is a former professional tennis player from France. He was known for his powerful forehand and strong fighting spirit on the court. During his career, he won four singles titles on the ATP Tour, which is the highest level of men's professional tennis. He reached his highest ranking of world No. 12 in April 2008.

Paul-Henri Mathieu's Tennis Journey

Starting Young

Paul-Henri Mathieu was born in Strasbourg, France. He started playing tennis very early, at just three and a half years old. His older brother, Pierre-Yves, also played tennis and helped him learn the game. From 1997 to 2000, Paul-Henri trained at the famous IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, USA. After that, he moved back to Paris to continue his training.

Junior Success

As a junior player, Paul-Henri was very good. He won 42 singles matches and lost only 15. In doubles, he won 34 matches and lost 12. He reached No. 6 in the world for junior singles players in January 2000. His biggest junior win was the boys' singles title at the 2000 French Open. He beat Tommy Robredo in an exciting final match.

Becoming a Pro: Early Years (2000–2004)

Mathieu started playing on the ATP World Tour in July 2000. The year 2002 was a big year for him. He reached the fourth round of the French Open, where he played a tough five-set match against tennis legend Andre Agassi. Even though he was two sets ahead, he eventually lost.

Later that year, he showed his talent by winning two tournaments in a row: one in Moscow and another in Lyon. He also has a special record: he was the last player to beat Pete Sampras before Sampras retired from tennis. This happened at the 2002 TD Waterhouse Cup. By October 2002, he was ranked No. 36 in the world and won the ATP Newcomer of the Year award. He also helped the French team reach the final of the Davis Cup in 2002, but they lost a very close match to Russia.

Big Matches and Injuries (2005–2007)

In 2005, Paul-Henri had one of his best results at a major tournament called the ATP Masters Series. He made it to the semifinals in Montreal, Canada, even beating top player Andy Roddick along the way.

In 2006, he reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, matching his best result at a Grand Slam tournament. At the French Open, he played an incredible match against the clay-court king, Rafael Nadal. The match lasted almost five hours and was called a "classic" by many tennis experts.

The start of 2007 was tough for Mathieu because he got injured at the Australian Open. He had to stop playing during his first-round match, even though he was winning. After recovering, he played well in Miami, beating world No. 5 Fernando González.

On April 29, 2007, Mathieu won his third career title in Casablanca, Morocco. He then won his fourth ATP Tour title in Gstaad, Switzerland, in July. These wins helped him reach a career-high ranking of No. 28, putting him in the top 30 players in the world for the first time. He continued to play well, reaching the semifinals in New Haven, which pushed him into the world's top 20 players.

Later Career Highlights (2012–2017)

At the 2012 French Open, Paul-Henri Mathieu won a very long match in the first round. He came back from two sets down to beat John Isner in a five-set match that lasted a very long time. It was the second-longest match in French Open history!

In 2015, he made it to the final of the Generali Open Kitzbühel tournament as a qualifier, which means he had to win extra matches just to get into the main tournament. He played well but lost in the final.

Paul-Henri Mathieu played his last professional matches at the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters in October 2017. He retired from tennis after a long and exciting career.

Paul-Henri Mathieu's Life Off the Court

Paul-Henri Mathieu's father, Patrick, is a dentist, and his mother, Yveline, is a housewife. He has a sister named Aude and a brother named Pierre-Yves. Fans often called him "Paulo" or "PHM." He liked playing on clay and hard courts and looked up to tennis star Boris Becker when he was growing up. His brother Pierre-Yves is now a tennis coach.

On March 11, 2012, Paul-Henri became a father when his girlfriend, Quiterie Camus, gave birth to their son, Gabriel. Paul-Henri and Quiterie got married on September 10, 2016. Quiterie's mother, who was the deputy mayor, performed the wedding ceremony. Their second child, a daughter named Inès, was born on March 6, 2017.

ATP Tour Career Finals

Singles: 10 (4 titles, 6 runners-up)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1.	Oct 2002	Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia	Carpet (i)	Sjeng Schalken	4–6, 6–2, 6–0
Winner	2.	Oct 2002	Open Sud de France, Lyon, France	Carpet (i)	Gustavo Kuerten	4–6, 6–3, 6–1
Runner-up	1.	Sep 2003	Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia, Palermo, Italy	Clay	Nicolás Massú	6–1, 2–6, 6–7(0–7)
Winner	3.	Apr 2007	Grand Prix Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco	Clay	Álbert Montañés	6–1, 6–1
Winner	4.	Jul 2007	Swiss Open, Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	Andreas Seppi	6–7(1–7), 6–4, 7–5
Runner-up	2.	Oct 2007	Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia	Hard (i)	Nikolay Davydenko	5–7, 6–7(9–11)
Runner-up	3.	Oct 2008	Moselle Open, Metz, France	Hard (i)	Dmitry Tursunov	6–7(6–8), 6–1, 4–6
Runner-up	4.	Jul 2009	International German Open, Hamburg, Germany	Clay	Nikolay Davydenko	4–6, 2–6
Runner-up	5.	Aug 2015	Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	Philipp Kohlschreiber	6–2, 2–6, 2–6
Runner-up	6.	Feb 2016	Open Sud de France, Montpellier, France	Hard (i)	Richard Gasquet	5–7, 4–6

Doubles: 2 (1–1)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1.	Sep 2008	Romanian Open, Bucharest, Romania	Clay	Nicolas Devilder	Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski	7–6(7–4), 6–7(9–11), [22–20]
Runner-up	1.	Jul 2010	International German Open, Hamburg, Germany	Clay	Jérémy Chardy	David Marrero Marc López	3–6, 6–2, [8–10]

Junior Grand Slam Finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2000	French Open	Clay	Tommy Robredo	3–6, 7–6(7–2), 6–2

Wins Against Top-10 Players

Paul-Henri Mathieu had some great wins against players ranked in the top 10 in the world. Here are a few:

#	Player	Rank	Event	Surface	Rd	Score
2002
1.	Albert Costa	7	Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	1R	6–4, 6–3
2.	Marat Safin	4	Moscow, Russia	Carpet (i)	SF	7–6(7–3), 6–4
2003
3.	Rainer Schüttler	8	Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	2R	6–4, 3–6, 6–3
2004
4.	Carlos Moyá	6	Davis Cup, Alicante, Spain	Clay	RR	6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3
2005
5.	Andy Roddick	5	Montreal, Canada	Hard	1R	7–5, 6–3
2007
6.	Nikolay Davydenko	3	Sydney, Australia	Hard	2R	6–4, ret.
7.	Fernando González	5	Miami, United States	Hard	3R	6–3, 7–6(8–6)
8.	Nikolay Davydenko	4	Davis Cup, Moscow, Russia	Clay (i)	RR	2–6, 6–2, 6–1, 7–5
9.	Fernando González	6	Estoril, Portugal	Clay	1R	6–2, 6–4
2008
10.	Nikolay Davydenko	5	Summer Olympics, Beijing, China	Hard	2R	7–5, 6–3

Images for kids

• 

  Mathieu at the 2015 Wimbledon qualifying tournament

See also

In Spanish: Paul-Henri Mathieu para niños