Xavier Malisse facts for kids
Malisse at the 2005 Australian Open
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| Country (sports) |  Belgium |
|---|---|
| Residence | Sarasota, United States |
| Born | 19 July 1980 Kortrijk, Belgium |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Retired | 2013 (last doubles match 2022) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $5,702,871 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 294–274 (51.76%) |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 19 (12 August 2002) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2003, 2011) |
| French Open | 4R (2002, 2004) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2002) |
| US Open | 4R (2001, 2003, 2005) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2004) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 132–115 (53.44%) |
| Career titles | 9 |
| Highest ranking | No. 25 (7 November 2011) |
| Current ranking | No. 818 (24 October 2022) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2003–2006, 2011) |
| French Open | W (2004) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2005) |
| US Open | 2R (2003) |
Xavier Malisse, born on July 19, 1980, is a tennis coach and a former professional tennis player from Belgium. People sometimes called him X-Man. He is one of only two Belgian men to have been ranked among the top 20 tennis players in the world. His highest ranking was No. 19.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Early Years as a Junior Player
As a young player, Xavier Malisse had a great record. He won 66 matches and lost only 18. In 1997, he became the 10th best junior player in the world. That same year, he reached the quarterfinals at the famous Wimbledon tournament for juniors. He finished his junior career by winning the Eddie Herr tournament.
Turning Professional: 1998–2008
Malisse started playing tennis professionally in 1998. One of his biggest achievements was reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2002. He beat several strong players, including former champion Richard Krajicek. He played a very close match in the semi-final but lost to David Nalbandian.
In 2004, Malisse won a major doubles title at the French Open with his partner Olivier Rochus. He also won three singles titles on the ATP Tour. These wins were in Delray Beach in 2005 and 2007, and in Chennai in 2007.
Career in the Later Years: 2009–2013
In 2009, Malisse's ranking dropped, but he worked hard to improve. He played well at the Australian Open, winning his qualifying matches. He then won his first main draw match before losing to Andy Roddick. Later that year, he won a Challenger tournament in Lyon, which helped him get back into the top 100 players.
In 2011, Xavier started the year by reaching the final in Chennai. He also won a doubles title at the Indian Wells Masters with Alexandr Dolgopolov. He continued his good form at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round.
In 2012, he again reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. There, he played against the legendary Roger Federer. Malisse fought hard, winning the third set, but Federer eventually won the match and went on to win the tournament.
Malisse officially retired from professional tennis in 2013.
Coming Out of Retirement for Doubles: 2021–2022
After retiring, Malisse returned to play doubles in a few tournaments. In 2021, he played at the European Open with Lloyd Harris, who he was coaching. They had a great run, reaching the semi-finals and beating some top teams along the way.
He also played at the 2022 European Open in 2022 with Diego Schwartzman. They won their first match but lost in the quarterfinals.
Major Tournament Finals
Grand Slam Doubles Title
Xavier Malisse won one Grand Slam title in doubles.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2004 | French Open | Clay | Olivier Rochus |
 Michaël Llodra Fabrice Santoro |
7–5, 7–5 |
Masters 1000 Doubles Title
He also won one Masters 1000 doubles title. These tournaments are very important, just below the Grand Slams.
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2011 | Indian Wells | Hard |  Alexandr Dolgopolov |
 Roger Federer Stan Wawrinka |
6–4, 6–7(5–7), [10–7] |
ATP Career Finals: Singles and Doubles
Xavier Malisse played in many finals during his career. He won 3 singles titles and 9 doubles titles on the ATP Tour.
Singles Finals: 3 Wins, 9 Losses
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Nov 1998 | Mexican Open, Mexico | World Series | Clay |  Jiří Novák |
3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | May 1999 | Delray Beach ITC, US | World Series | Clay |  Lleyton Hewitt |
4–6, 7–6(7–2), 1–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | Mar 2001 | Delray Beach ITC, US | International | Hard |  Jan-Michael Gambill |
5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–4 | Apr 2001 | Atlanta Tennis Challenge, US | International | Clay | Andy Roddick |
2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–5 | May 2004 | St. Pölten Open, Austria | International | Clay |  Filippo Volandri |
1–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–6 | Oct 2004 | Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France | International | Carpet (i) |  Robin Söderling |
2–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–6 | Jan 2005 | Delray Beach ITC, US | International | Hard | Jiří Novák |
7–6(8–6), 6–2 |
| Loss | 1–7 | Jan 2006 | Adelaide International, Australia | International | Hard | Florent Serra |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1–8 | Feb 2006 | Delray Beach ITC, US | International | Hard |  Tommy Haas |
3–6, 6–3, 6–7(5–7) |
| Win | 2–8 | Jan 2007 | Chennai Open, India | International | Hard |  Stefan Koubek |
6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 3–8 | Feb 2007 | Delray Beach ITC, US (2) | International | Hard | James Blake |
5–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 3–9 | Jan 2011 | Chennai Open, India | 250 Series | Hard | Stanislas Wawrinka |
5–7, 6–4, 1–6 |
Doubles Finals: 9 Wins, 4 Losses
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jun 2004 | French Open, France | Grand Slam | Clay | Olivier Rochus |
Michaël Llodra Fabrice Santoro |
7–5, 7–5 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jan 2005 | Adelaide International, Australia | International | Hard | Olivier Rochus |
Simon Aspelin Todd Perry |
7–6(7–5), 6–4 |
| Win | 3–0 | Jan 2007 | Chennai Open, India | International | Hard | Dick Norman |
 Rafael Nadal Bartolomé Salvá Vidal |
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–4) |
| Win | 4–0 | Feb 2007 | Delray Beach ITC, US | International | Hard | Hugo Armando |
 James Auckland Stephen Huss |
6–3, 6–7(4–7), [10–5] |
| Loss | 4–1 | Jan 2008 | Auckland Open, New Zealand | International | Hard | Jürgen Melzer |
 Luis Horna Juan Mónaco |
4–6, 6–3, [7–10] |
| Loss | 4–2 | Feb 2011 | Pacific Coast Championships, US | 250 Series | Hard (i) |  Alejandro Falla |
Scott Lipsky Rajeev Ram |
4–6, 6–4, [8–10] |
| Win | 5–2 | Mar 2011 | Indian Wells Masters, US | Masters 1000 | Hard | Alexandr Dolgopolov |
Roger Federer Stanislas Wawrinka |
6–4, 6–7(5–7), [10–7] |
| Win | 6–2 | Jul 2011 | Los Angeles Open, US | 250 Series | Hard |  Mark Knowles |
 Somdev Devvarman Treat Huey |
7–6(7–3), 7–6(12–10) |
| Win | 7–2 | Feb 2012 | Pacific Coast Championships, US | 250 Series | Hard (i) | Mark Knowles |
 Kevin Anderson Frank Moser |
6–4, 1–6, [10–5] |
| Loss | 7–3 | May 2012 | Bavarian Championships, Germany | 250 Series | Clay | Dick Norman |
František Čermák Filip Polášek |
4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 7–4 | Jul 2012 | Atlanta Open, US | 250 Series | Hard | Michael Russell |
Matthew Ebden Ryan Harrison |
3–6, 6–3, [6–10] |
| Win | 8–4 | Jul 2012 | Los Angeles Open, US (2) | 250 Series | Hard | Ruben Bemelmans |
Jamie Delgado Ken Skupski |
7–6(7–5), 4–6, [10–7] |
| Win | 9–4 | Feb 2013 | Pacific Coast Championships, US (2) | 250 Series | Hard (i) | Frank Moser |
Lleyton Hewitt Marinko Matosevic |
6–0, 6–7(5–7), [10–4] |
Wins Against Top 10 Players
Xavier Malisse had 16 wins against players ranked in the top 10 during his career. This shows he could beat some of the best players in the world.
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | ||||||
| 1. |  Marat Safin |
2 | Los Angeles, United States | Hard | 2R | 7–5, 6–3 |
| 2. | Tim Henman |
9 | US Open, New York, United States | Hard | 3R | 6–7(6–8), 6–3, 7–5, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 2002 | ||||||
| 3. | Marat Safin |
6 | Rome, Italy | Clay | 2R | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 4. | Tim Henman |
6 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | 2R | 6–2, 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
| 5. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov |
6 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | 3R | 7–6(7–4), 7–5, 6–1 |
| 2003 | ||||||
| 6. | Lleyton Hewitt |
6 | Cincinnati, United States | Hard | 1R | 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 2004 | ||||||
| 7. | Rainer Schüttler |
7 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | 1R | 6–4, 7–5, 6–4 |
| 2006 | ||||||
| 8. | Gastón Gaudio |
8 | Rome, Italy | Clay | 1R | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 9. | Nikolay Davydenko |
5 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | 1R | 6–3, 7–5 |
| 2007 | ||||||
| 10. | Rafael Nadal |
2 | Chennai, India | Hard | SF | 6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
| 11. | James Blake |
6 | Delray Beach, United States | Hard | F | 5–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 2008 | ||||||
| 12. | David Nalbandian |
7 | Miami, United States | Hard | 2R | 6–1, 6–4 |
| 2010 | ||||||
| 13. |  Novak Djokovic |
3 | Queen's Club, London, United Kingdom | Grass | 3R | 6–3, 4–6, 6–2 |
| 14. | Tomáš Berdych |
8 | Washington, D.C., United States | Hard | QF | 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 |
| 2012 | ||||||
| 15. | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
7 | Valencia, Spain | Hard (i) | 1R | 3–1, ret. |
| 2013 | ||||||
| 16. | David Ferrer |
4 | Rosmalen, Netherlands | Grass | 1R | 7–6(7–3), 6–3 |
See also
In Spanish: Xavier Malisse para niños
