Xavier Malisse facts for kids
Malisse at the 2005 Australian Open
|
|
| 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 19 July 1980) is a Belgian tennis coach and a former professional player. He was born in Kortrijk, Belgium. People sometimes called him X-Man. He is one of only two Belgian men to reach the top 20 in the world for tennis. His highest singles ranking was world No. 19.
Contents
Xavier Malisse's Tennis Journey
Early Days in Tennis
As a young player, 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 Wimbledon. He won the Eddie Herr tournament later in 1997, which was his last junior event.
Turning Professional: 1998–2008
Malisse became a professional tennis player in 1998. His best result in a major tournament was at Wimbledon in 2002. He reached the semi-finals there. Along the way, he beat famous players like Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Richard Krajicek. He lost a very close match in five sets to David Nalbandian.
In 2004, Malisse and his partner Olivier Rochus won the doubles championship at the French Open. 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.
Challenges and Comebacks: 2009–2012
The year 2009 was tough for Malisse. His world ranking dropped to 205. He worked hard to get back into the top 100. He won a Challenger tournament in Lyon, France, which helped him achieve this goal.
In 2010, Malisse played well at Wimbledon. He reached the third round before losing a five-set match to Sam Querrey.
The 2011 season started strong for Xavier. He reached the final in Chennai. In March, he won a big doubles title at the Indian Wells Masters. His partner was Alexandr Dolgopolov. He also made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, where he lost to Bernard Tomic.
In 2012, Xavier again reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. He played against the legendary Roger Federer. Malisse fought hard, winning the third set, but Federer eventually won the match. Federer went on to win the tournament that year.
Later Career and Retirement: 2016–2022
Malisse officially retired from tennis in 2013. However, he played in a few doubles events later on. In 2016, he entered a doubles tournament but had to withdraw. After that, he played in the ATP Champions Tour until 2018.
He made a surprise return to doubles in 2021 at the European Open. He played with Lloyd Harris, whom he was coaching. They did very well, reaching the semi-finals! They even beat the top-ranked team of Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo.
In 2022, he played at the 2022 European Open again. This time, his partner was Diego Schwartzman. They won their first match but lost in the quarterfinals.
Major Tournament Success
Grand Slam Doubles Title
Malisse won one Grand Slam title in his career. This was in men's 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 are very important tournaments.
| 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] |
Singles Titles and Finals
Xavier Malisse reached 12 singles finals in his career. He won 3 of these titles.
| 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 Titles and Finals
Malisse played in 13 doubles finals and won 9 of them.
| 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 defeated 16 players who were ranked in the top 10 during his career.
| # | 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 |
Images for kids
-
Malisse at the 2005 Australian Open
See also
In Spanish: Xavier Malisse para niños
