Tommy Haas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tommy Haas

Haas at the 2009 French Open
Full name	Thomas Mario Haas
Country (sports)	Germany
Residence	Bradenton, Florida Los Angeles, United States
Born	(1978-04-03) 3 April 1978 (age 47) Hamburg, West Germany
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Turned pro	1996
Retired	2018
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	$13,609,987
Singles
Career record	569–338 (62.73%)
Career titles	15
Highest ranking	No. 2 (13 May 2002)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (1999, 2002, 2007)
French Open	QF (2013)
Wimbledon	SF (2009)
US Open	QF (2004, 2006, 2007)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam Cup	F (1999)
Olympic Games	F (2000)
Doubles
Career record	74–86
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 82 (3 February 2014)
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open	1R (2011)
US Open	3R (2015)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	QF (2000)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	SF (2007)
Medal record Olympic Games Silver 2000 Sydney Singles

Thomas Mario Haas (born 3 April 1978) is a German-American former professional tennis player. He played on the ATP Tour from 1996 to 2017. Haas became one of the world's top players, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 2 in May 2002.

His career faced challenges due to injuries. He had to take long breaks from playing. Despite these setbacks, he made impressive comebacks. Haas reached the semifinals of the Australian Open three times and Wimbledon once. He also made it to the quarterfinals of all four major tennis tournaments, known as Grand Slams. He won 15 singles titles and a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Early life and training

Tommy Haas was born in Hamburg, Germany. He started playing tennis at age four. He used a wooden board to hit balls against a wall. His father, who was a tennis coach, noticed his talent.

At five, Tommy won his first youth tournament in Hamburg. At eight, he won another in Munich. Between ages 11 and 13, he won the Austrian, German, and European Championships twice.

A famous tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri, saw Tommy's skills. Bollettieri was so impressed that he offered Tommy free training. Tommy began attending Bollettieri Academy in Florida at age 11. By 13, he moved to Florida full-time to train there. He learned English while living in the United States.

His sister, Sabine, also played professional tennis.

Tennis career highlights

Junior years and turning pro

As a junior player, Haas reached No. 11 in the world for singles in 1995. He also ranked No. 5 in doubles.

In 1996, Haas became a professional tennis player. He played his first major tournament at the US Open. He gained attention as a rising star in 1999. That year, he won his first ATP title. He also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.

Olympic medal and top rankings

In 2000, Haas won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics. He beat famous players like Roger Federer on his way to the final. He lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the gold medal match. He also defeated Andre Agassi at Wimbledon in 1998.

In 2001, Haas won four ATP titles. This included his first Masters title. He finished 2001 as world No. 8. In the 2002 Australian Open, he reached the semifinals. He was close to winning but had a shoulder injury after a rain delay.

Haas quickly rose to world No. 2 in 2002. However, his career was put on hold. His parents were in a serious accident, and his father was in a coma. Haas spent time caring for his family. After this, he injured his shoulder and needed surgery. He faced more injuries and did not fully return to tennis until 2004.

Comebacks and more titles

Despite his challenges, Haas had a good record against many top players. He had winning records against Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Marat Safin, and Jim Courier. He won two more ATP titles in 2004.

In 2006, Haas won three ATP tournaments. He reached the quarterfinals at the US Open. He had leg cramps during that match and lost.

In 2007, Haas reached his third Australian Open semifinal. He returned to the top 10 world rankings for the first time since 2002. He won a title in Memphis, Tennessee, without losing a single break point. This was a rare achievement. He also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time.

Later career and retirement

Haas faced more injuries in 2008. He missed the Australian Open and French Open. He reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. In 2009, he won his first doubles title with Radek Štěpánek.

At the 2009 French Open, Haas had a strong run. He nearly beat Roger Federer in the fourth round. He was only five points away from winning.

He then won his first title on grass courts at the Gerry Weber Open. This made him one of few players to win titles on all three main surfaces: grass, clay, and hard courts. His ranking rose to No. 35.

At Wimbledon, Haas reached the semifinals for the first time. He beat Novak Djokovic along the way. This success pushed his ranking to No. 19.

More injuries affected Haas from 2010 to 2011. He missed much of the 2010 season due to hip and shoulder surgeries. He returned in 2011 but played few tournaments.

In 2012, Haas played more regularly. He won his 13th title at the Gerry Weber Open. He beat Roger Federer in the final. He also reached two Masters 1000 quarterfinals. He finished 2012 ranked No. 21. For his strong return, he won the Comeback Player of the Year award for the second time.

In 2013, Haas reached his 25th career final. He beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Miami. This was his first win over a top-ranked player since 1999. He won another title in Munich. At the French Open, he saved many match points to win a tough match. He reached the quarterfinals there. He finished 2013 ranked No. 12.

Haas continued to face injuries in 2014. He had shoulder surgery and missed the rest of the season. He played a few tournaments in 2015 but struggled with injuries.

In 2016, Haas had toe surgery. He was out for nine months. He also became the new Tournament Director for the Indian Wells tennis event.

In 2017, Haas played his first ATP Tour match in 15 months. At 39, he became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour match since Jimmy Connors in 1995. He upset Roger Federer in Stuttgart. Haas played his last ATP tournament in August 2017.

On March 15, 2018, Tommy Haas officially announced his retirement from professional tennis.

Playing style

Haas was an all-court player. This means he could play well on clay, hard, and grass surfaces. Coach Nick Bollettieri said Haas had "one of the greatest backhands in the world." His backhand was powerful and could be used in many ways. Haas also had a strong serve and good volleys (shots hit before the ball bounces).

He was known for his excellent footwork and racquet skills. These helped him quickly change from playing defense to offense. Many people considered him one of the best players who never won a Grand Slam. His career was often limited by his many injuries.

Haas's game allowed him to adapt to most situations. He had similar win rates against both right-handed and left-handed players. He also had good win percentages on all surfaces. His mental game was strong, and he often won deciding sets (the last set of a match).

Personal life

On January 27, 2010, Tommy Haas became a United States citizen. However, he continued to represent Germany in tennis.

In 2006, Haas started dating American actress Sara Foster. They got married in 2010. They have two daughters, Valentina Evelyn (born 2010) and Josephine Lena (born 2015). In August 2024, they announced their separation.

Significant finals

Olympic finals

Singles: 1 (1 silver medal)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Silver	2000	Sydney Olympics	Hard	Yevgeny Kafelnikov	6–7(4–7), 6–3, 2–6, 6–4, 3–6

Grand Slam Cup finals

Singles: 1 (0–1)

Result	Year	Location	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1999	Munich, Germany	Hard (i)	Greg Rusedski	3–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(5–7)

Masters Series finals

Singles: 2 (1–1)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2001	Stuttgart Masters	Hard (i)	Max Mirnyi	6–2, 6–2, 6–2
Loss	2002	Rome Masters	Clay	Andre Agassi	3–6, 3–6, 0–6

ATP career finals

Singles: 28 (15–13)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Oct 1997	Open Sud de France, Lyon	International	Hard (i)	Fabrice Santoro	4–6, 4–6
Loss	0–2	Oct 1998	Open Sud de France, Lyon	International	Hard (i)	Àlex Corretja	6–2, 6–7(6–8), 1–6
Loss	0–3	Jan 1999	Auckland Open, New Zealand	International	Hard	Sjeng Schalken	4–6, 4–6
Win	1–3	Feb 1999	US Indoor Championships, United States	Intl. Gold	Hard (i)	Jim Courier	6–4, 6–1
Loss	1–4	Jul 1999	Stuttgart Open, Germany	Intl. Gold	Clay	Magnus Norman	7–6(8–6), 6–4, 6–7(7–9), 0–6, 3–6
Loss	1–5	Oct 1999	Grand Slam Cup, Germany	GS Cup	Hard (i)	Greg Rusedski	3–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(5–7)
Loss	1–6	May 2000	Bavarian Championships, Germany	International	Clay	Franco Squillari	4–6, 4–6
Loss	1–7	Sep 2000	Summer Olympics, Sydney	Olympics	Hard	Yevgeny Kafelnikov	6–7(4–7), 6–3, 2–6, 6–4, 3–6
Loss	1–8	Oct 2000	Vienna Open, Austria	Intl. Gold	Hard (i)	Tim Henman	4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win	2–8	Jan 2001	ATP Adelaide, Australia	International	Hard	Nicolás Massú	6–3, 6–1
Win	3–8	Aug 2001	ATP Long Island, United States	International	Hard	Pete Sampras	6–3, 3–6, 6–2
Win	4–8	Oct 2001	Vienna Open, Austria	Intl. Gold	Hard (i)	Guillermo Cañas	6–2, 7–6(8–6), 6–4
Win	5–8	Oct 2001	Stuttgart Masters, Germany	Masters	Hard (i)	Max Mirnyi	6–2, 6–2, 6–2
Loss	5–9	May 2002	Rome Masters, Italy	Masters	Clay	Andre Agassi	3–6, 3–6, 0–6
Win	6–9	Apr 2004	US Clay Court Championships, United States	International	Clay	Andy Roddick	6–3, 6–4
Win	7–9	Jul 2004	Los Angeles Open, United States	International	Hard	Nicolas Kiefer	7–6(8–6), 6–4
Win	8–9	Feb 2006	Delray Beach Open, United States	International	Hard	Xavier Malisse	6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–5)
Win	9–9	Feb 2006	US Indoor Championships, United States (2)	Intl. Gold	Hard (i)	Robin Söderling	6–3, 6–2
Win	10–9	Jul 2006	Los Angeles Open, United States (2)	International	Hard	Dmitry Tursunov	4–6, 7–5, 6–3
Win	11–9	Feb 2007	US Indoor Championships, United States (3)	Intl. Gold	Hard (i)	Andy Roddick	6–2, 6–3
Win	12–9	Jun 2009	Halle Open, Germany	250 Series	Grass	Novak Djokovic	6–3, 6–7(4–7), 6–1
Win	13–9	Jun 2012	Halle Open, Germany (2)	250 Series	Grass	Roger Federer	7–6(7–5), 6–4
Loss	13–10	Jul 2012	Hamburg European Open, Germany	500 Series	Clay	Juan Mónaco	5–7, 4–6
Loss	13–11	Aug 2012	Washington Open, United States	500 Series	Hard	Alexandr Dolgopolov	7–6(9–7), 4–6, 1–6
Loss	13–12	Feb 2013	Pacific Coast Championships, United States	250 Series	Hard (i)	Milos Raonic	4–6, 3–6
Win	14–12	May 2013	Bavarian Championships, Germany	250 Series	Clay	Philipp Kohlschreiber	6–3, 7–6(7–3)
Win	15–12	Oct 2013	Vienna Open, Austria (2)	250 Series	Hard (i)	Robin Haase	6–3, 4–6, 6–4
Loss	15–13	Feb 2014	Zagreb Indoors, Croatia	250 Series	Hard (i)	Marin Čilić	3–6, 4–6

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	Feb 2009	Pacific Coast Championships, United States	250 Series	Hard (i)	Radek Štěpánek	Rohan Bopanna Jarkko Nieminen	6–2, 6–3

Team competition: 2 (2–0)

Result	W–L	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partners	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	1998	World Team Cup, Germany	Clay	Nicolas Kiefer Boris Becker David Prinosil	Petr Korda Ctislav Doseděl Daniel Vacek Cyril Suk	3–0
Win	2–0	2005	World Team Cup, Germany	Clay	Nicolas Kiefer Florian Mayer Alexander Waske	Guillermo Cañas Juan Ignacio Chela Guillermo Coria Gastón Gaudio	2–1

Images for kids

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  Haas at the public training for the World Team Cup in Düsseldorf, 2005

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  Haas at the 2006 Cincinnati Masters

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  Haas at the 2009 French Open.

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  Haas practicing at the 2011 French Open.

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  Tommy Haas at the 2012 US Open

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  Tommy Haas at Wimbledon in 2015

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  Haas as a retired player in Wimbledon's Invitational Doubles tournament in 2023.

See also

In Spanish: Tommy Haas para niños