Toć skandal, że najpiękniej grający tenisista, majstersztyk techniczny, geniusz slajsu, gry oburącz i mistrz gry na małe pola nie ma swojego profilu na forum :D Jego bajeczny tenis nie przyniósł mu wielkich sukcesów ale z pewnością zachwycał każdego widza przez prawie 20 lat.Teraz powoli musimy żegnać Magika dla którego USO 09 był ostatnim Wielkim Szlemem.
* Pronounced: fa-BREES san-TOOR-o
* Age: 36 (09.12.1972)
* Birthplace: Tahiti
* Residence: Geneva, Switzerland
* Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
* Weight: 163 lbs (74 kg)
* Plays: Right-handed
* Turned Pro: 1989
* Coach: Laurent Raymond
* Website: www.fabricesantoro.info
Fabrice Vetea Santoro w przeciągu 20 lat nie odnosił wielkich sukcesów singlowych. Tylko 6 tytułów singlowych to skutek braku potężnego uderzenia. Najwyższą lokatą w rankingu ATP(17) zanotował w 2001 r. Francuz za to świetnie odnajdywał się w deblu. Aż 24 tytuły i 18 finałów(głównie z Llodrą i Zimonjicem)
Grand Finale
The curtain fell on the Grand Slam singles careers of two ATP World Tour legends at the US Open Wednesday. Fabrice Santoro, playing his 69th and final major, suffered a straight-sets loss to Juan Carlos Ferrero. And Marat Safin, who triumphed at Flushing Meadows as a 20 year old in 2000, lost in four sets to Jurgen Melzer. Neither player is retiring just yet; they will play out the remainder of the 2009 ATP World Tour season, with the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris looming as the likely final tournament for both.
Santoro has been one of the most intriguing players of his era, defined by his two-handed slice-and-dice approach in defiance of the modern power game. Famously dubbed ‘the magician’ by Pete Sampras after a duel in Indian Wells in 2000, Santoro mesmerises players and fans alike. Looking to spend more time with his family (he missed his daughter’s first day at school this week), Santoro, 36, will be content to settle for a simpler life at home despite his continued passion for the sport.
“I love my sport,” he said. “I did it in this life for so many years. I was so happy to be on the court… I wouldn’t change anything. The way I play tennis and the way I played the last 20 years was just a lot of fun for me. It's unusual to play this way. I quickly understood that my style was different… It was very fun for me to play the top guys, try to find a solution [to win] with my old game. Because when you look at the way I play tennis, I will be more comfortable to play in the '70s than now.
“For sure it's good to play my style. I think people would maybe like to see more players like this. But if I was able to play like Federer, believe me, I would do it. I mean, you just have to do the best you can do to win matches and to be competitive on the tour.”
Santoro’s best Grand Slam result came at the Australian Open in 2006, when he reached the quarter-finals. He also won back-to-back Australian Open doubles titles (with countryman Michael Llodra) in 2003-04. The Frenchman last missed a Grand Slam tournament in 1998, at Wimbledon
Można do tego dodać, że płacze gdy ktoś serwuje mu na ciało.
Wiesz, oczywiście, że tak wolno, ja jednak uważam, że to nie jest zbyt eleganckie.
Może i niezbyt eleganckie, lecz przygotowanie fizyczne jak wspominałem nie jest najmocniejszą stroną Magika(paradoksalnie gra najdłużej z wszystkich)
Zobaczymy co będzie robił "serwujący na ciało" mając 36 lat.
Co najwyżej ryby łowił. :D
Przynajmniej wygrał coś w życiu.
Dobra, dajmy mu spokój facetowi. Kariera ku końcowi się zbliża bardzo szybko, więc niech sobie pogra jeszcze. Zasłynął jako gracz nietypowy, i w zasadzie tylko tym.
Przez czołowych graczy był lany jak dziecko, i trzeba to jednoznacznie stwierdzić, jednak na pewno ze względu na wrażenia wizualne zapisze się w jakiś sposób w historii tego sportu.
Jeden z moich ulubieńców, jak nikt nie potrafił doprowadzić do frustracji wiele czołowych rakiet
Fed-Expresso napisał:
Przez czołowych graczy był lany jak dziecko, i trzeba to jednoznacznie stwierdzić, jednak na pewno ze względu na wrażenia wizualne zapisze się w jakiś sposób w historii tego sportu.
Jak na warunki fizyczne jakimi dysponuje to wyniki ma naprawdę niezłe. Ja bym dodał do tego wszystkiego co napisaliście, że jest to niesamowicie sympatyczny facet.
Janie, Ty tutaj nie wyzywaj od płaczusiów Magika, bo jeszcze w styczniu prosiłeś Go by ograł Kolbę w 2 rundzie AO :D
EDIT:
O narody, cztery tysiące :P .
Santoro’s Top 20 Greatest Hits
Fabrice Santoro, whose Grand Slam career came to a close Friday when he lost a first-round doubles match at the US Open, holds the distinction of having played 20 of the 24 players who during their careers held the No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking. Santoro, who flies out Saturday to reunite with his wife and eight-year-old daughter in France, recalled a memorable discussion he once had with former No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, whom he never beat in six meetings.
“Yevgeny Kafelnikov is a Russian and he loves the game and loves to talk,” Santoro said. “At a time when he had won all three or all four of the matches we had played, he came to me and said, “Fabrice, you will never beat me. Even if you start to play well, or even if my ranking starts to slip, you will never beat me. And he was right! I never beat him. The next time we met on the court I said I was going to beat him, but I didn’t. I didn’t take offence at what he said; that’s just Yevgeny.”
In contrast to his 0-6 career record against Kafelnikov, Santoro enjoyed a healthy 3-4 record against Pete Sampras, who famously dubbed him ‘The Magician,’ after a 2002 battle in Indian Wells, a 3-3 record against Andre Agassi and a 7-2 record against Marat Safin.
John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Ilie Nastase and John Newcombe are the only No. 1s whom Santoro did not play. The first player to have ranked No. 1 whom Santoro went up against was Jimmy Connors in Vienna in 1992, late in Jimbo’s career. Santoro and Marat Safin are both expected to play their final tournament at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris in the last week of the season.
Szkoda że Magik z Tahiti kończy karierę bo jego gra była lekiem kojącym :D Uwielbiałem patrzeć jak Santoro doprowadzał do frustracji potężnych chłopów, jak np Safin ( chociaż Marata było mi wtedy żal)
Powstała książka o Magiku. Na razie tylko w języku francuskim.
Patrząc okładkę, jeszcze bardziej się dziwie jak on takim dziwnym chwytem może odbijąc piłki ???
Uderzenie o którym mówisz jest firmowym zagraniem Fabrice'a :) Wszelkie prawa zastrzeżone :) trzeba mieć respekt dla Santoro,że udało mu się nie tylko odbijać tym sposobem piłki,ale także doprowadzić to uderzenie do perfekcji(choć błędy się zdarzają,ale nikt nie jest doskonały) :)
Fed-Expresso napisał:
Dobra, dajmy mu spokój facetowi. Kariera ku końcowi się zbliża bardzo szybko, więc niech sobie pogra jeszcze. Zasłynął jako gracz nietypowy, i w zasadzie tylko tym.
Nie tylko :P Fabrice ponoć wyznał we francuskim programie TV, że nie ma zamiaru kończyć kariery po sezonie i chce zagrać co najmniej w Melbourne w styczniu. Po co? Jeżeli to mu się uda to zostanie pierwszym graczem w historii, który uczestniczył w eventach WS na przestrzeni 4 kolejnych dekad!
Oto cytat z MTF:
Tonight, during a french TV show, Santoro said that he does'nt want to retire anymore at the end of the year and that he was going to play at least Melbourne next year in order to play GS during four consecutives decades. He said that he was still surprise by his level and feeling competitive. Was he serious ? We'll probably figure out in Bercy.
http://www.sport.pl/tenis/1,96961,71939 … ekord.html
Fabrice'a Santoro kusi Australian Open i rekord
Weteran światowych kortów Francuz Fabrice Santoro zasugerował, że może zmienić swe pierwotne plany i nie zakończyć kariery sportowej po obecnym sezonie. Kusi go udział w styczniowym turnieju wielkoszlemowym Australian Open w Melbourne, dzięki czemu na stałe zapisałby się w historii tenisa.
Niedawno 36-letni Santoro zapowiadał rozbrat z wyczynowym sportem z końcem roku. Jednak, gdyby zagrał w Australian Open, zostałby pierwszym w historii tenisistą, który miałby w dorobku udział w turniejach wielkoszlemowych w ... czterech dekadach. Francuz debiutował w Wielkim Szlemie na kortach Rolanda Garrosa w Paryżu w 1989 roku.
- Od chwili, gdy pewien kanadyjski dziennikarz powiedział mi, że byłbym pierwszy który dokona tej sztuki, zacząłem się zastanawiać, czy nie warto spróbować. Taki niezwykły rekord byłby miłym zwieńczeniem kariery. Muszę się zastanowić - powiedział Santoro.
Wątpliwości Francuza biorą się z faktu, że w grudniu miał już zaplanowany wyjazd na narty.
- Gdybym chciał wytrzymywać pięciosetowe mecze w Melbourne, musiałbym zrezygnować z tej przyjemności i skupić się na przygotowaniach do Australian Open - wyjaśnił.
No to powodzenia. Jak tylko zdrowie pozwoli to graj Magiku i cały przyszły sezon ;)
Zdobyte trofea:
#1 Lyon 1997
R32 Christophe Van Garsse (BEL) 6-3, 6-2
R16 Richard Krajicek (NED) 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4)
Q Felix Mantilla (ESP) 6-1, 6-1
S Mark Philippoussis (AUS) 6-4, 6-2
W Tommy Haas (GER) 6-4, 6-4
#2 Marsylia 1999
R32 Daniel Vacek (CZE) 6-2, 6-3
R16 Arnaud Di Pasquale (FRA) 6-1, 6-3
Q Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) 6-4, 6-3
S Marc Rosset (SUI) 6-4, 6-4
W Arnaud Clement (FRA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
#3 Doha 2000
R32 Lars Burgsmuller (GER) 6-4, 6-1
R16 John van Lottum (NED) 7-6(9), 6-1
Q George Bastl (SUI) 6-2, 6-4
S Nicolas Kiefer (GER) 7-5, 6-4
W Rainer Schuettler (GER) 3-6, 7-5, 3-0 RET
#4 Dubaj 2002
R32 Michael Kohlmann (GER) 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
R16 Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) 6-2, 7-5
Q Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 6-4, 7-6(5)
S Jiri Novak (CZE) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(4)
W Younes El Aynaoui (MAR) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
#5 Newport 2007
R32 Alexander Peya (AUT) 6-4, 6-1
R16 Frank Dancevic (CAN) 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4
Q Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-4, 6-3
S Wesley Moodie (RSA) 7-6(2), 6-3
W Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-4, 6-4
#6 Newport 2008
R32 Bye
R16 Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) 7-6(4), 6-2
Q Ivan Navarro (ESP) 6-3, 7-6(4)
S Vincent Spadea (USA) 7-6(4), 6-1
W Prakash Amritraj (IND) 6-3, 7-5
Do tego był finalistą 6 innych turniejów, były to:
- 2001 - Halle
- 1999 - Copenhaga
- 1998 - Doha
- 1994 - Kitzbuhel
- 1993 - Dubaj
- 1990 - Toulousa
ATP w Paryżu: Santoro rozegrał ostatni mecz w singlu
Francuz Fabrice Santoro przegrał w niedzielę 4:6, 3:6 z Amerykaninem Jamesem Blakem w pierwszej rundzie turnieju tenisistów rangi ATP Masters 1000 na twardych kortach w paryskiej hali Bercy (z pulą nagród 2,75 mln euro). Był to ostatni pojedynek singlowy w karierze 36-letniego Santoro.
"Tenis przyniósł mi wiele zabawy i miłych zdarzeń, ale teraz muszę złapać głębszy oddech i odpocząć" - powiedział przed zejściem z kortu Francuz, który w paryskiej imprezie wystąpił po raz 15.
Santoro, który w grudniu skończy 37 lat, jest najstarszym tenisistą startujących w obecnym sezonie w ATP Tour. W Bercy wystartuje jeszcze w deblu, razem z rodakiem Sebastienem Grosjeanem, a ich pierwszymi rywalami będą Szwed Johan Brunstroem i Jean-Julien Rojer z Antyli Holenderskich.
Jeśli Francuzi wygrają ten pojedynek, to w 1/8 finału trafią na Mariusza Fyrstenberga i Marcina Matkowskiego, rozstawionych z numerem siódmym. Polacy w pierwszej rundzie mają "wolny los".
Santoro wygrał w karierze sześć turniejów w singlu i sześciokrotnie ponosił porażki w finałach imprez rangi ATP Tour. Większe sukcesy odnosił w deblu, w którym triumfował 24 razy, w tym dwukrotnie w Wielkim Szlemie, zwyciężając w Australian Open w latach 2003-04. Na korcie zarobił blisko dziesięć milionów dolarów.
Mam nadzieję że zobaczymy jeszcze Fabrice'a na AO
The Net Post: Adieu, Fabrice
Adieu, Fabrice. Or is it finally au revoir? Fabrice Santoro played what everyone assumes was his final match on home soil yesterday, in what was the end of a rare tennis fashion. We not only saw a man who invented shots no one else would imagine playing but he was still bamboozling the opposition as he approached his 37th year.
The roof was almost taken from the Palais Omnisports yesterday when Santoro beat his retreat, exchanging sweaty shirts with American James Blake at the end of a straight-set first-round defeat. The Net Post was happy to sit in on his press conference, from which the answer to an initial question (yes, it was about the emotion of calling it a day) showed how much we shall miss him.
Why spoil the quote by interrupting it? "Before coming onto the court, I was in the locker room with two close friends and my dad. We were joking. We made a few photos. We tried to immortalize the moment," he said. "We knew it might be the last time. When I left the locker room, I immediately focused on the match. I knew I was ready, because I practiced very well during the past days. I worked hard, I had no pain. I was playing well during practice, but this doesn't mean you can play a high-level match. So I wasn't sure.
"I was able to hold my serve. I was the first one to break him. It was a very intense match with high-level tennis. But that feeling of thinking [as I was] coming out of the locker rooms that it might be the last time I would walk down those steps and be in the middle of this huge arena is something very difficult to express. Although I am the one who made the decision eleven months ago to put an end to my career, I still know that many things are going. I'm going to miss many things, and I know the crowd will. I will miss the crowd, and even coming here to press conferences is something I will miss because we have been seeing each other for many years and all these rituals I had in my life are going to disappear.
"So something will be missing. This is why we were talking about a first death or mourning, but on the other hand, I feel relieved, because I think finally I will be able to live normally. I will ask less from my body now. I can thank my body. I was lucky, but I will be able to rest a little bit more. I respected my body but I really pushed my body as far as I could, and I really ran a lot, so you have to know when to stop, especially when I'm going to turn 37 in a month."
And he said he was delighted to have been playing Blake - like Santoro, a thoroughly decent man - in his final match. "Out of 48 players here, there are two or three who wouldn't have given me a hug like Blake did. So I didn't want to play against them." When asked for names, Santoro replied: "It's in my book. Just read it. [Tomas] Berdych, for example. I wouldn't have liked that. Well, first, he [Berdych] is a very good player and he certainly would have won, but, well, this is not really important, but he would have had no emotion. And I wouldn't have given him my T-shirt, anyway, so..."
He had all the grand slam T-shirts. He played in 69 of the major tournaments and reached one quarter-final, in the Australian Open in 2006. He played on each of the centre courts of the world, completing the set last year at Wimbledon when he lost in straight sets to one Andy Murray. He won fourteen times against players who held the No 1 ranking at the time. He is a legend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkkqRy1z … re=related - błyskawiczny skrót kariery Fabrice'a
The Magician's Final Trick
Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, who played his final ATP World Tour tournament at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris this month, reflects on his battles with a cavalcade of No. 1s during his remarkable career. In a two-part series beginning this week, Santoro talks about each of the 20 No. 1s he played.
Will there ever be another player like Fabrice Santoro? Defying the power era in which he played, the diminutive Frenchman mesmerised fans – and many opponents – with a double-handed slice-and-dice game of finesse, spins, slices and chicanery that could drive you mad – and bleed you to death with a thousand cuts. Santoro inflicted so much mental anguish on Marat Safin that he probably shortened the Russian's career by five years.
"I arrived at the stadium with my coach and I was feeling so small compared to him."
While Santoro is well known for his unique, ever-entertaining playing style, what is less well known is this: Santoro played 20 of the 24 players to ever hold the No. 1 ranking in the history of the South African Airways ATP Rankings (since 1973).
Santoro crafted 470 singles wins during his career and finished inside the Top 100 18 straight years, just one year shy of Andre Agassi's record. And he had some very impressive head-to-head records against several of the players to rank No. 1, including Pete Sampras (3-4), Agassi (3-3) and Safin (7-2). Oh, yes, and on the flip side, there was a 0-6 record against Yevgeny Kafelnikov, whom once brazenly told Santoro that he would never beat him.
In the first of our two-part series, Santoro talks about 10 of the 20 No. 1s he played:
Santoro vs. Boris Becker
Head-to-head: 1-1
Most Memorable Match: I remember playing him in the Masters in Miami in 1990, I was only 17 years old. It was in the second round. I qualified and beat Rosset in the first round and in the night session of Miami in Key Biscayne I was playing Boris Becker and I was so impressed. I remember I spent the whole afternoon at the hotel waiting for the match. I was so stressed. I couldn't believe I was going to play him at night in the strange atmosphere there.
I arrived at the stadium with my coach and I was feeling so small compared to him. I thought, 'He's going to kill me!' In this period he had a coach, his fitness coach, his physio, his stringer and me, I was just a young guy. I was already very small compared to him by size, but also on the court I said, "I have no chance to play against him, he's too big for me!" I played a good match and lost in three sets.
Tactics: (Miami 1990 and Barcelona Olympics 1992): Both times we played I enjoyed playing against him. His game was pretty good for mine because he was serving well but my return is one of the best parts of my game.
Santoro vs. Jim Courier
Head-to-head: 1-2
Most Memorable Match: I remember the first match we played in Brussels (in 1992) because in the winter time my serve was pretty weak and my coach and I decided we would not go to the Australian Open. We said, "Even if you are like No. 45 in the world, you won't go to the Australian Open. For three months you're going to stop competition to work on your serve." So I stopped at Paris-Bercy in the beginning of November until February and I worked every day on my serve. The first match I played on the tour was in Brussels in February and I arrived there and said, "Okay, I practised my serve for three months, now I'm like Boris Becker – I'm going to serve huge!"
"Good job. I stopped for three months and look at the result!"
I came on the court, we did a toss and I won and chose to serve – because I thought my serve would be unbelievable. The first game I served as hard as I could just trying to go for the ace. I only put one first serve in and I lost my serve like this in two minutes (laughing). I looked at my coach and said, "Good job. I stopped for three months and look at the result!" But anyway Jim was playing much better than me at this time and he killed me 6-2, 6-1. It was a great week for me when I beat him in Montreal in 1997.
Tactics: I remember his forehand was pretty big. We played a good match in Montreal and because I became more aggressive it was easier for me to play against him. At the beginning of my career he was too powerful for me.
Santoro vs. Marat Safin
Head-to-head: 7-2
Most Memorable Match: When Marat arrived on the tour he said, "It's a nightmare for me to play Santoro," but he was young. Talented, but young. Then he became No. 1 and he still said, "It's a nightmare for me to play Santoro." When I beat him in the Olympics in 2000 he had just won the US Open and Tashkent back-to-back and he had won Toronto also and he was No. 1, and I still beat him. Not because I was a better player, but because when I came on the court against him I was already a set and a break up because mentally he was completely down against me. Actually he beat me only once because in Halle [in 2005] I had a match point and I hurt my leg. You don't see this very often against me, retire.
Tactics: I think he was so negative against me and when I said, "If he wants to beat me he can, he's going to do it and he can do it easily," I was really thinking that. He had everything to beat me but he didn't believe in his chances.
Santoro vs. Pete Sampras
Head-to-head: 3-4
Most Memorable Match: I'm very proud of my record against Pete for a couple of reasons. First of all, because he is one of the best champions ever. Also, because when you play one of the best champions ever, at the end of his career to be 3-4 down is an unbelievable record for me. I beat him every time on clay and he beat me anywhere else in the world.
"He has everything to beat me but he doesn't believe in his chances."
I remember the match I won in Monte-Carlo 6-1, 6-1 [in 1998] because that was one of the best matches I ever played against anyone. When you play Pete Sampras and you go out from the locker room onto the court you think you have a chance, or that you may lose, but you never think you are going to beat him 6-1, 6-1. I was so, so happy at the end of the match. Pete made me one of the best presents I ever had in my life, after the match he beat me in Indian Wells [in 2002] 7-5 in the third; he said I was 'a magician'.
Tactics: On clay he was serving big, but I was returning them to him most of the time and he was not moving well at the net. He was a big athlete, his footwork was very good but not made for clay. So I was passing him quite easily compared to on hard court.
Santoro vs. Andre Agassi
Head-to-head: 3-3
Most Memorable Match: I'm very proud about this record because he [Agassi] and Pete Sampras are two players I would pay for a ticket to see on court. I would say that the one we played in Washington [in 1999] was the best match we ever played together. I played a great match, but he was playing unbelievable that night. It was so humid and heavy in Washington and I don't think I've had a lot of chances to play better than this. He was just playing his best tennis this year in 1999 when he won the French. It was always a big, big pleasure for me to play against him because I love the way he played and his game fits pretty well with mine.
Tactics: I tried to make him play one more shot every time. I tried to go down the line with my backhand.
Santoro vs. Thomas Muster
Head-to-head: 4-3
Most Memorable Match: It's pretty strange because I never won one tournament on clay, because the clay is not made for my game. Muster was beating everybody on clay, but I beat him three times in a row on clay (Genova '92, Kitzbuehel '94, Monte-Carlo '97). I have no explanation for that.
Tactics: I was very aggressive; I was moving in, I was taking some risks, that's for sure. But what I can't explain is that he was beating everybody on clay, he was killing everybody, except me. And me, everybody was killing me on clay, except him. So it's pretty tough to explain.
Santoro vs. Marcelo Rios
Head-to-head: 1-3
Most Memorable Match: Rios was one of the biggest characters on the tour. The first time I played him I remember in Prague. One, it was a tough match. It was a big match. By the end he was pretty negative on the court, [had] a bad attitude on the court. I remember that he was one of the biggest talents I ever played. He could do anything with his arm – serve, backhand, forehand, volley. He moved well [and had] good eyes. He's one of the biggest talents we ever had in tennis in my opinion. I don't think he worked hard in most of his career, but when he was fit, when he was working professionally, he was playing unbelievable tennis. I remember when he became No. 1, he won Indian Wells and Miami in March, back-to-back.
Tactics: Normal. He was just too good when he was playing well.
Santoro vs. Carlos Moya
Head-to-head: 3-1
Most Memorable Match: Carlos is good for my game because he has a big serve and big forehand, but I can read his game pretty well. I remember the first time he beat me was in Indian Wells (in 2005).
Tactics: I was always happy to play against him because I could put a lot of pressure on his backhand; his backhand passing shot was not the best part of his game.
"One day he came to me and said: 'Fabrice, you will never beat me.'"
Santoro vs. Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Head-to-head: 0-6
Most Memorable Match: Kafelnikov was a nightmare for me! He was returning well and I couldn't serve and volley against him. His serve was not unbelievable but I could not put pressure on his serve because he was good enough to keep me back. When he was playing a backhand cross-court he was better than me and when he was playing a forehand cross-court he was better than me too. So at the end I had no solution at all.
One day he came to me and said: "Fabrice, you will never beat me." And when a Russian says that, you know that you will never beat him.
Santoro vs. Patrick Rafter
Head-to-head: 1-1
Most Memorable Match: It was always a great pleasure for me to play him; he's the best player for me because I really liked this guy. I had my best win ever on grass when I beat him in the semi-finals of Halle [in 2001]. We played almost back-to-back in 2001 and I played him in the semi-finals of Montreal when I reached my best ranking ever, 17. It was the best period of my life because I was No. 17, I had a one-month-old daughter, I had just become a dad so this period was big and great for me. I regretted that we didn't play more matches because with his game and mine it was a big pleasure to play him.
Tactics: It was important to return well. When we played it was mainly spectacular points because I was returning most of his serves but then he was slicing from the baseline. I was slicing too, so we were not playing very fast from the baseline, but it was spectacular. I tried to get the first passing shot at his feet.
Narobił Fabryś nadziei na występ w AO, ale chyba nic z tego. Przeniosłem wątek.
http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=154899
Podsumowanie kariery Fabrycka, w liczbach.
Sezon 2009 w liczbach
Ranking: 68
Tytuły: 0
Finały: 0
Bilans spotkań: 15-20
Zarobki: $384,042
AO - 3 Runda
RG - 1 Runda
WM- 2 Runda
US - 1 Runda
DUN I LOVE napisał:
Narobił Fabryś nadziei na występ w AO, ale chyba nic z tego.
Jest szansa ze jednak Fabryś się wybierze do Melbourne.Mam nadzieje ze to nie tylko kolejna plota.. ;)
Santoro to Play Australian Open
January 6, 2010
Santoro AOFrenchman Fabrice Santoro, who recently retired at the Paris Masters 1000 in November, is said to be contemplating a return at the Australian Open.
Santoro, who is currently ranked No. 68 in the world, would become the only man in tennis history to compete in Grand Slam competition during four different decades.
Beginning his Grand Slam journey at the 1989 French Open, Santoro’s best Major performance ironically came in Australia in 2006, when he made the quarterfinals.
Capturing six career titles throughout his 20-year career, Santoro’s brand of unique and artistic tennis remains in a league of its own.
The 37-year-old has been practicing at Roland Garros during the offseason, and will apparently fly to Melbourne shortly to participate in his record 71th straight Major championship.
More on this story to come.
Fabrice Santoro, który w listopadzie ubiegłego roku zakończył karierę, zapowiedział, że wystąpi w rozpoczynającym się za dwa tygodnie Australian Open. Chce zostać jedynym tenisistą, który zagra w Wielkim Szlemie w czterech kolejnych dekadach.
Francuz w turnieju wielkoszlemowym debiutował na kortach Rolanda Garrosa w Paryżu w 1989 roku, kiedy zwyciężył w rywalizacji juniorów. Z czterech imprez tego typu najlepiej wiodło mu się właśnie w Australii, gdzie dwukrotnie triumfował w deblu (2003, 2004), a w singlu w 2006 roku dotarł do ćwierćfinału. W Melbourne zanotuje teraz 70. wielkoszlemowy występ.
Jak podkreślił, nie ma jednak mowy o powrocie na korty na stałe. "Z całą pewnością będzie to mój ostatni występ w karierze" - zapewnił w oświadczeniu Santoro, który o miejsce w drabince turniejowej w Melbourne nie musi się martwić - w ostatnim notowaniu ATP był sklasyfikowany na 68. pozycji.
Fabrice Santoro wystąpi w Australian Open
guu 07-01-2010, ostatnia aktualizacja 07-01-2010 20:55
Francuz Fabrice Santoro, który w listopadzie ubiegłego roku ogłosił zakończenie kariery, zapowiedział, że wystąpi w rozpoczynającym się pod koniec stycznia Australian Open, by zostać jedynym tenisistą, który zagra w Wielkim Szlemie w czterech różnych dekadach.
- Chcę zostać jedynym tenisistą, który zagrał w Wielkim Szlemie w czterech różnych dekadach - napisał Santoro w oświadczeniu przesłanym mediom.
Francuz w turnieju wielkoszlemowym debiutował na kortach Rolanda Garrosa w Paryżu w 1989 roku, kiedy zwyciężył w rywalizacji juniorów. Z czterech imprez tego typu najlepiej wiodło mu się właśnie w Australii, gdzie dwukrotnie triumfował w deblu (2003, 2004), a w singlu w 2006 roku dotarł do ćwierćfinału. Za dwa tygodnie w Melbourne zanotuje 70. turniej.
Jak podkreślił, nie ma jednak mowy o powrocie na korty na stałe. - Z całą pewnością będzie to mój ostatni występ w karierze - zapewnił Santoro, który o miejsce w drabince turniejowej w Melbourne nie musi się martwić - w ostatnim notowaniu ATP był sklasyfikowany na 68. pozycji.
Santoro set to make Grand Slam mark at Aussie Open
Veteran Frenchman Fabrice Santoro announced Thursday he would compete in the Australian Open later this month making him the first player to participate in 70 Grand Slam tournaments in four decades.
The 37-year-old - ranked still 68 in the world - had announced his retirement last November following the indoor tournament in Paris.
But he insisted his latest decision did not signal a return to the ATP circuit.
"This decision does not affect my announcement to retire as a professional player," he said in a statement.
"This is just a very personal thing. There is nothing else to it, and it certainly is not a come back."
Santoro, who has been training at Roland-Garros for the past few days, said his intention was not to put away his racquets for good once he retired from the circuit.
"Tennis is my life, my passion.
"My decision to retire did not mean I was going to throw my racquets into a cupboard.
"And I will continue to play in exhibition matches and doubles if I feel I am still at a good enough level to do so."
Record-setter Santoro set for longevity mark in Melbourne
Record-setter Santoro set for longevity mark in Melbourne Fabrice Santoro becomes the only man to compete in Grand Slam events over different four decades when he steps onto court against Croatian 14th seed Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.
"It was going to be my last match in Paris, but I couldn't resist to be in Melbourne," said the 37-year-old playing a record 46th straight time in a major.
"The invitation came to me and I said `Oh, I just want to go there, buy my ticket, practise a few weeks and play the Australian Open one more time."
Santoro made a Grand Slam debut at 1989 Roland Garros; he is also playing his 18th Australian open - another record.
"I want to be competitive, I've working hard for a few weeks to be ready for one more Grand Slam. I know that a Grand Slam match can go to five hours and I'm 37, so it's tough, especially in Melbourne where the temperature can be over 40 degrees.
"I want to play one more match for sure, I would like to win and then I would be out on the big stage, out there playing with a smile."
Fabrice Santoro, po porażce w 1r AO 2010 z Marinem Ciliciem, zakończył sportową karierę.
Kariera Fabrycka w statystykach:
http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=154899
Wywiad z Santoro po porażce w 1 rundzie AO
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. So this was it?
FABRICE SANTORO: I was very happy to come back one more time here. No regrets. I was happy to fly to Melbourne, practice there for one week. It was not the best draw for me, but I played a very, very good match, so I'm happy.
Q. You competed against many generations in four decades. How do you look back at these matchups against many champions? Was it a big adventure for you?
FABRICE SANTORO: I think the game has changed a lot for the past 20 years. When you look at where I am when I start with Connors, McEnroe, then Becker, then Edberg, Agassi, Sampras, Courier, these guys, and also Rafter.
Then you can see today with Federer, Nadal, and all the guys behind, I mean, tennis is improving all the time. The game has changed so much.
The fitness of the players has changed a lot. They are more and more professional. Everybody works so hard. Every player is very, very fit. So I would say that the game has completely changed since '89 when I played my first Grand Slam until today.
That's why it was very tough to stay in the same event.
Q. Could you talk a little bit about the decision you made to come back here another time after you decided to retire.
FABRICE SANTORO: Well, I decide on Wednesday, 6th of January, so it's not very far (laughter.) I took my holidays like I scheduled. I came back from the mountains, and I start to play, because I like to play. I didn't stop my career because I don't like tennis anymore. That's not the reason.
So I start to play with friends. For Christmas, for the new year, you receive a lot of phone calls, SMS, emails from your friends. They said, Okay, maybe why don't you go to Australia? You can play one more. You're fit. You like the game.
Another one say, Okay, you go and play four decades. I receive so many messages, talked to so many people from the game also, former players, and so I said, Okay, I have to go. I love Melbourne. This is my favorite city out of France. I have so many good souvenirs here. I remember 2001, beginning of December, I was sitting there after the Davis Cup. 2002, I was sitting there when we played the final in doubles. 2003, 2004, we won. 2006, I played the quarterfinal.
So Melbourne, this tournament, Rod Laver Arena and this room, everything is very special to me. So I want to be there.
Q. Of all the players you named, could you single out who was the best in those four decades?
FABRICE SANTORO: It's always really difficult to compare generation. But when you look at McEnroe, was a genius on the court. What he was doing on the court was amazing. Uhm, but when you look at the matches, we were lucky to see in the past two years with Roger/Rafa, the big Grand Slam final we had, Wimbledon, here last year. When you look at Sampras. It's very tough to make a ranking.
But I will say that the best opponent I ever had is Federer.
Q. What will you do after you plan on retiring from tennis?
FABRICE SANTORO: I think more and more about it. I will probably work a bit for the French media, TV and radio. Also with friends we are in charge of the men's tournament in September in France. Metz. It's one of the few tournaments we have in France, so it's important for me to be in the organization of the tournament, to see the other part of the job. I've been a player, and I will see how you build an event. Keep playing in some exhibition, I hope.
As I said before, I like the game. I will probably play tennis and hit some balls until the end of my life. So if I can play some exhibition, I will be happy.
Spend more time at home and try to find some new projects for the future, because in not many profession you retire at 35 or 30 or 37. So I hope life is still very long for me. I have to find some new projects for the future.
Q. Would you like to be a coach?
FABRICE SANTORO: Not this year, because being a coach on the tour is the same life as a player. You have to travel a lot. You have to be on the tour for six to eight months a year. And I stop my career because I don't want to live like this anymore. I don't feel like I can be a coach in the next probably two years.
But maybe one day I will feel like I want to help a player, I want to help a player to be a better player on the court. You know, I'm very open. So I can't say, except politics, I don't think there is one thing I don't want to do.
Q. You said you made the decision to come here on the 6th of January.
FABRICE SANTORO: Yes.
Q. Wasn't the entry deadline to sign up for the tournament a lot earlier?
FABRICE SANTORO: No, because on the Grand Slam and 1000 tournaments, you're automatically on the list when you have the ranking. From Federer to 104, everybody's on the list.
Q. Because you retired, they didn't put you off the list?
FABRICE SANTORO: No. They call me. I said, Oh, keep it. You never know (smiling.)
But I had my holidays. I did a few trip. I went skiing. I relaxed. I was very happy to pick up the racquet and to get on the flight to come here. I'm in Melbourne for 10 days. It was fun.
Even today on the court, I had the same feeling in the French Open last year. Was tough condition last night. Like in the match I played in the French Open, it was good to finish on the next day because it was a better atmosphere, more people.
And, as I told you, I practiced two weeks before the tournament, one in Paris, one here. I'm pretty happy about my match. I was playing better today against Cilic than I did in October, November at the end of the year.
Najwięcej występów w turniejach WS:
1 Fabrice Santoro - 69
2 Andre Agassi - 61
3 Jonas Bjorkman - 58
Faworytem w Paryżu jest Nadal
Santoro przyjechał do Warszawy na zaproszenie deblistów Mariusza Fyrstenberga i Marcina Matkowskiego. W piątek na kortach Warszawianki zagrał w pokazowym turnieju Siemens AGD Cup. W najważniejszym meczu Francuz, którego partnerem był Marcin Gawron, przegrał po zaciętej walce z "Frytką" i "Matką" 5:7 (rozgrywano tylko jednego seta).
Jakub Ciastoń: Jako jedyny tenisista grał pan w czterech różnych dekadach. Zaczął pod koniec lat 80., skończył karierę w 2010 r. na Australian Open. Co w męskim tenisie w tym czasie najbardziej się zmieniło?
Fabrice Santoro: Stał się dużo szybszy, jest w nim znacznie więcej siły niż kiedyś. Największa zmiana nastąpiła w przygotowaniu fizycznym. Sprawność zawodników i ich trening są dużo bardziej profesjonalne niż kiedyś. Wszystko jest rozpisane co do minuty, pojedynczej kalorii w posiłku, nad każdym szczegółem czuwa sztab fachowców. Kiedyś było więcej intuicji, luzu.
Wolał pan lata 80. czy obecne czasy?
- Nie da się ich porównywać. Wtedy sprawiało mi ogromną przyjemność oglądanie w telewizji Johna McEnroe, a potem gra z nim na korcie. Albo z Connorsem. Ale potem pojawili się Agassi, Sampras, Federer, Nadal i inni wspaniali zawodnicy. Choć tenis się zmienia, zawsze ma w sobie coś, co przyciąga uwagę i sprawia, że jest interesujący. Trudno jest porównywać epoki nie tylko w tenisie, sport się zmienia jako całość.
Kibice uwielbiali pana za niepowtarzalny styl gry - z genialnym wyczuciem piłki, wolejami, lobami i unikalnym oburęcznym forhendem. Był pan dzięki temu rozpoznawalny, wygrywał efektownie, ale z czasem zawodnicy grający coraz bardziej siłowo zaczęli dominować. Nie myślał pan nigdy, żeby zmienić styl?
- Ale ja nie umiałbym inaczej grać! Nigdy nie wyobrażałem sobie, żeby uderzać piłkę z forhendu, trzymając rakietę w jednej ręce. Kiedyś, jeszcze jak byłem juniorem, jeden trener chciał mnie odzwyczaić i przekonywał: "Jak chcesz do czegoś dojść w tenisie, musisz grać jedną ręką". Ale go nie posłuchałem.
I jednak do czegoś pan doszedł...
- Nie miałem mocnego uderzenia, serwisu, ale miałem system. Dostosowywałem taktykę do każdego przeciwnika, starałem się kombinować, przechytrzyć rywala. W komputerze stworzyłem alfabetyczną listę wszystkich tenisistów, gdzie notowałem ich słabe strony, jak grać, żeby ich pokonać. Przed każdym meczem sprawdzałem, czy jest na liście. Taktyka była moją siłą, ale też zdrowie. Byłem bardzo... grzecznym tenisistą, wcześnie chodziłem spać, zero alkoholu, papierosów. Dzięki temu utrzymywałem się w formie przez tyle lat. Mój oburęczny forhend okazał się zbawienny dla moich pleców, nigdy mi nie dokuczały, bo obciążenia zawsze rozkładały się symetrycznie, inaczej niż u reszty zawodników. W tenisie bardzo ważne jest słuchanie swojego ciała, musisz żyć z nim w zgodzie. Wbrew pozorom to jest podstawa sukcesu.
Był pan zmorą Marata Safina. Wielki jak niedźwiedź Rosjanin, były numer jeden na świecie, wychodząc na mecz z panem, mówił, że idzie na śmierć. Pokonał go pan siedem razy, w czym tkwił sekret?
- Safin? A lot of fun! Gdy wychodził na kort, był tak zdenerwowany, że jednego seta miałem już w kieszeni, a jak miałem jednego, to dalej już było łatwiej (śmiech). Decydujące było to, że Marat nie znosił, kiedy grałem slajsem [podciętą piłką] na jego forhend, strasznie się wtedy mylił. Umiałem też dobrze czytać jego serwis, musiał serwować asy, żebym nic nie mógł zrobić. A z czasem mecze ze mną stały się też dla niego problemem mentalnym. Ciągle przegrywać z takim gościem jak ja - to musiało boleć!
Jaki moment kariery uważa pan za najważniejszy?
- Zwycięstwo w finale Pucharu Davisa na wyjeździe z Australią w 2001 r., wygraną w pięciu setach z Safinem na French Open [w III rundzie w 2001 r.], a także każdy z sześciu moich triumfów w imprezach ATP.
Słynie pan też z tego, że wygrał pojedynki z 17 różnymi numerami jeden na świecie, m.in. z Connorsem, Wilanderem, Beckerem, Edbergiem, Agassim, Samprasem, Federerem. Kto z nich był najlepszym rywalem?
- Trudno porównywać numery jeden, bo każdy z nich zasłużył na ten tytuł, grając w różnych czasach. Dla mnie wyjątkowe były jednak zawsze mecze z Federerem i Agassim. Z Federerem przyjemnie było nawet przegrać. Gra fantastycznie, nikt nie ma tak różnorodnego, pięknego tenisa. To także mój przyjaciel, mówi w moim języku, często rozmawialiśmy, co było dla mnie ważne. Agassi? Bo przepięknie uderzał piłkę. Nikt nie miał tak idealnego forhendu i bekhendu.
Federer jest lepszy niż Sampras?
- Ja bym dał mu przewagę, ale kto wie, nie da się tego porównać, bo jak Amerykanin odchodził, to pojawił się Roger. Za krótko rywalizowali między sobą.
Sampras nazwał pana "Magikiem", lubi pan ten przydomek?
- Uwielbiam, bo powiedział to Sampras. To było po meczu w Indian Wells w 2002 r., który zresztą przegrałem 5:7 w trzecim secie. Myślę, że mimo porażki to był najpiękniejszy dzień mojego życia. Pete idealnie zdefiniował moją grę jednym słowem. "Magikiem" zostałem na zawsze.
Śledzi pan dalej męski tenis? Czy niepokonany od pół roku Djoković może wygrać z Nadalem także na French Open?
- Nie oglądałem turniejów na początku roku, ale widziałem ostatnią imprezę w Rzymie. Djoković gra fantastycznie, największa zmiana to jego forhend, uderzenie, które miał kiedyś wyraźnie słabsze, teraz jest niezwykle groźne. Serb gra też bliżej siatki, agresywniej. Na Roland Garros postawiłbym jednak na Nadala. Rafa to pięciokrotny mistrz, nie odda swojego tytułu łatwo, to są jego korty.
Federer zdobędzie jeszcze kiedyś tytuł w Szlemie?
- Nie będzie już najlepszy na świecie, nie będzie dominował jak kiedyś, ale wciąż stać go raz na jakiś czas na świetny turniej i zwycięstwo w Szlemie. Może nie w Paryżu, ale na Wimbledonie i US Open na pewno.
W zeszłym roku pan oraz Arnaud Clément straciliście rekord najdłuższego meczu w historii. Wasze 6 godz. i 33 minuty zastąpili 11 godz. i 5 minutami John Isner i Nicolas Mahut na Wimbledonie.
- Kiedy o tym usłyszałem, pomyślałem, że to niemożliwe. Jak można grać 11 godzin? Ten rekord na pewno nigdy nie zostanie pobity. Długie mecze efektownie wyglądają na papierze, ale zazwyczaj nie są to wielkie widowiska, bo jeśli nikt przez kilka godzin nie jest w stanie przełamać serwisu i jest wynik 70-68 w gemach, to czy to jest dobry mecz?
Od triumfu Yannicka Noah w Paryżu w 1983 r. francuski mężczyzna nie zdołał wygrać w Wielkim Szlemie. Macie system, pieniądze, tysiące juniorów, czego brakuje?
- Mamy mnóstwo talentów, świetnych graczy, ale nie mamy supertalentu takiego jak Federer czy Nadal. Pyta pan, dlaczego Francuz nie wygrał w Szlemie? A kto wygrał? 25 Szlemów w ostatnich latach wygrał Roger i Rafa. Szlemy są tylko cztery w roku. Andy Roddick wygrał jeden, tylko jeden. Murray - zero. Amerykanie, Brytyjczycy, Australijczycy też mają problemy. Tenis stał się globalnym sportem, jest ogromna konkurencja, wybić się na sam szczyt jest piekielnie trudno.
Tsonga, Monfils, Simon, Gasquet - kto z francuskich zawodników ma największą szansę na Szlema?
- Kilka lat temu powiedziałbym, że Tsonga, ale coś się zepsuło i Jo przestał się rozwijać tak szybko. Monfils sprawia wrażenie, że ma wszystko - jest bardzo silny fizycznie, dobrze serwuje, świetnie się rusza. Ale jest kruchy, za często łapie kontuzje. Gasquet? Zapowiadał się na wielki talent, ale jego kariera się załamała. Teraz znów odżyła, pokonał w Rzymie Federera i Berdycha, ale czy coś z tego wyniknie? Niech mnie pan spyta za rok.
Co pan robi po zakończeniu kariery? Ciągnie pana do pracy trenera?
- Nie, bo trener jak zawodnik cały rok spędza poza domem, nie ma czasu dla rodziny, a ja chcę być z córką. Jestem współudziałowcem turnieju tenisowego w Metz, współpracuję jako ekspert z największym francuskim radiem - RTL, wciąż mam też kontrakt z Lacoste i innymi sponsorami. Jak widać, gram też w pokazówkach.
Do Warszawy przyjechał pan na zaproszenie Mariusza Fyrstenberga i Marcina Matkowskiego. Co pan sądzi o naszych deblistach?
- To świetna para. Marcin jest jednym z lepiej serwujących zawodników. Mają 30 i 31 lat, co w deblu wciąż jest młodym wiekiem. Przed nimi jeszcze kilka lat kariery. Na pewno stać ich na wygranie Szlema.
A kobiecy tenis pan śledzi? Powie pan coś o Agnieszce Radwańskiej?
- Widziałem kiedyś jej mecz. Podoba mi się, jak gra, bo myśli na korcie. Jest sprytna, nie stawia wyłącznie na siłę. W kobiecym tenisie na pewno się wyróżnia.