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Tennis Spy: Ernests Gulbis

The Latvian burst on to the scene as a teenager and has impressed in one-off victories - but can he bring consistency to his brilliant yet erratic game?

Full name: Ernests Gulbis

Nationality: Latvian (Born in Riga)

Age: 20 (DOB: August 30, 1988)

World Ranking: 43

Career highlights: Made semi-finals of his first ATP event (St Petersburg in 2006) when appearing as a raw 17-year-old. Won a string of Futures and Challenger events before focusing on ATP Tour in 2008, where he made quarter-finals at Roland Garros and the Cincinnati Masters. Has picked up a number of notable scalps, including Novak Djokovic and James Blake.

General: The great hope of the Baltic states clearly has potential to beat almost anyone on his day. But as yet he has failed to take the next step - and has struggled in 2009. After terrific run to the quarter-finals of the French Open last year, he failed to make an impact in the remaining Grand Slams. Then again, he did draw Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick in the second rounds of Wimbledon and the US Open respectively, so he can hardly be blamed on that score - and he even took the first set off Nadal at Wimbledon.

Strengths: Has fantastic service action, all simplicity and hand speed. Where some big servers - Andy Roddick, for example - are all power and fury, Gulbis makes 130mph serves into the corner look simple. Also has terrifically powerful forehand, so much so that when finding the corners he has taken power-mongers such as James Blake to pieces, as he did while beating the American in Cincinnati last year. Aggressive forehand backed up by strong, versatile backhand and decent touch. Also has nice line in lobs and drop-shots.

Weakesses: As you might expect from a baseliner, his volleying is workman-like rather than match-winning. Though he's keen and reasonably quick, his reactions and anticipation leave him slightly flat-footed. Yet there's a bigger problem with his game at the moment: for some reason, he has a massive mental block and hasn't been past the second round of a tournament since Cincinnati, in the process continually blowing matches against players that he should be beating. Take ATP Barcelona last week: Gulbis cruised through the first set against Italian journeyman Potito Starace, was a break up in the second and had two further break points for a 4-1 lead - but he lost seven games in a row to let his opponent back in.

Prospects: No doubt that Gulbis has the ability. A player John Lloyd described as "pure and utter talent" when he knocked Tim Henman out of the 2007 French Open. Perhaps distracted by the wealth and fame that he began to find last year, or maybe weight of expectation that comes from being the first Latvian in the top-100. For Tennis Spy's money, it's just a matter of time, and perhaps one big victory, before he gets himself back together. A return to Roland Garros in a few weeks - the site of his best performances of 2008 - could be just the thing he needs to kick-start his season. But with a game well-suited to grass - he was the only player apart from Federer to take a set off Nadal at Wimbledon last year - he could spring a surprise or two at Queen's or SW19.

Personal: Comes from one of Latvia's power families. Son of a basketball player turned investment banker and actress mother. One grandfather was a famous Latvian film director, the other a professional basketball player. One of his four siblings, older sister Elina studied law in England while younger brother Kristops is an aspiring professional golfer based in Florida. A big fan of basketball - as you'd expect - he also enjoys football and ice hockey. Started tennis aged five. Moved to Munich at 12 where he spent six years at academy of former pro Niki Pilic. Devoted fans have set up a website called 'The importance of being Ernests' which, we think you'll agree, is the least funny and meaningful pun in the history of Latvian tennis websites.

Toby Keel / Eurosport

Myślałęm że Gulbis będzie jednym  z tych młodych graczy którzy przebojem wskoczą do czołówki,a le niestety tak nie jest, może jest tak jak mówią eksperci, czyli ma bogata rodzinę i nie dąży za wszelką cenę do zarabiania pieniędzy tylko na korcie, jednak szkoda mi Ernestsa

Gumy to ten od Marata i Gugi???

Nasz ulubieniec i Jego tegoroczne dokonania

Sezon 2009 w liczbach

Ranking: 89
Tytuły: 0
Finały: 0
Bilans spotkań: 20-26
Zarobki: $ 352,880

AO - 2 runda
RG - 2 runda
WM - 2 runda
US - 1 runda

Ostatnio edytowany przez jaccol55 (04-12-2009 16:49:55)

Ojca ma bogatego. Gra charytatywnie.

#1) Delrey Beach 2010



R32      Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-4, 7-6(5)
R16     Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6-1, 6-4
Q     Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 7-6(2), 6-4
S     Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-4, 6-4
W     Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 6-2, 6-3

Gulbis Upsets Federer For Biggest Win Of Career

Latvian Ernests Gulbis needed seven match points over three games to record the biggest of his five Top 10 career wins on Tuesday. The World No. 40 knocked out top seed and two-time runner-up Roger Federer of Switzerland 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 for a place in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia third round.

It marked the first time since the 2000 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (l. to Novak) that Federer has lost his first clay-court match of the season.

"I hope I can bounce back, it's usually what I do after a loss like this," said Federer, who had beaten Gulbis in three sets in the pair's first meeting at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha in January.

"Sometimes it takes a loss to shake your mind through. When you lose, you understand how difficult it is to dominate this tour. This knockout format is brutal - one week you are great and the next week you are terrible.

"My game wasn't up to speed, even at 5-5. My serve wasn't working at all by then and from the baseline I wasn't making the balls. I need to put in the hard yards."

Just a few hours after opening the new 10,400-seater Centre Court stadium with Rafael Nadal, Federer made a strong start by clinching the first set on his third set point in 32 minutes, having hit five winners. But Gulbis bounced back with service breaks in the fourth and sixth games of the second set - with Federer committing 15 unforced errors - to level the scoreline at one-set apiece.

It was all-square until 2-2 in the third set, when Federer fell to 0/40. After a brief rally the Swiss hit a forehand long to hand Gulbis the initiative. At 3-5, Federer fell to 15/40 but Gulbis squandered the opportunity by hitting a couple of groundstroke unforced errors.

Gulbis could not convert a further four match points on serve at 5-4, when he hit two double faults and two forehands long. Federer eventually got back to 5-5 when Gulbis hit a forehand long, but he gave his opponent another opportunity to record his fifth Top 10 win (5-19 lifetime) by losing the 11th game of the deciding set.

On his seventh match point, 21-year-old Gulbis held his serve to love when Federer hit a backhand into the net. Overall, Gulbis hit nine aces, 33 winners and committed 39 unforced errors – one more than Federer – for victory in two hours and four minutes. It snapped a 10-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents dating back to the Brisbane International in January 2009.

It is the first time since 2002 that Federer has lost before the quarter-finals in three straight ATP World Tour tournaments. In his past two tournaments, the 28 year old has lost to Marcos Baghdatis in the BNP Paribas Open third round at Indian Wells and to Tomas Berdych at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (both losses were in third set tie-breaks).

It also represents Federer's first opening-round loss at the Foro Italico, venue of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, since 2002 when he lost to Andrea Gaudenzi in the first round.

Federer is now six weeks shy of equalling Pete Sampras' all-time record of 286 weeks at No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings. He has a 691-165 overall match record and is hoping to become the 10th player in ATP World Tour history to pass the 700 match wins mark.

He drops to a 13-4 match record in 2010, highlighted by his 62nd tour-level title at the Australian Open in the first month of the year. He will next compete at the Estoril Open in Portugal, starting on Monday.

Gulbis improved to a 17-7 season record and will next play either Italian wild card Filippo Volandri or Julien Benneteau of France in the third round. In February, he captured his first ATP World Tour title at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (d. Karlovic).

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … derer.aspx

Ernest Gulbis w ostatnim tygodniu odniósł swój największy, jak dotychczas, sukces w turnieju Masters. W imprezie w Rzymie przegrał dopiero w 1/2, po zaciętym spotkaniu z Rafaelem Nadalem. Król cegły w samych superlatywach wypowiada się o Łotyszu, jako o materiale na Top-10.

Nadal: Gublis can make top 10

Rafael Nadal said Ernests Gulbis was top-10 material after the Latvian threatened to hand him a rare defeat on clay in the Rome Masters semi-finals.

The third seed won 6-4 3-6 6-4 but the problems he had with the 40th-ranked Gulbis's powerful game put a dent in the aura of invincibility on red dirt the Spaniard appeared to have regained this season after an injury-hit 2009.

"He was really difficult to play against. All the time he was serving at 210, 215, 216, 217 (kph)," Nadal said after setting up a final meeting with compatriot David Ferrer.

"A player with this serve can be top 10 for sure," he said.

Gulbis, who beat world number one Roger Federer earlier this week, was also confident he could give the big names plenty of trouble in the future.

"I'm happy with the way I'm playing. I know if I play well I can trouble anyone," he said.

"I have a good serve, I play tough shots so I hope I'll be seeded in the French Open and at Wimbledon and I don't have to play against the top players right away.

"I think I have a good chance in these tournaments if I'm stable enough, if I don't go out of my mind and if I don't take a holiday when I shouldn't be taking one," added Gulbis.

The 21-year-old said he thought Nadal was going to be harder to play against.

"I expected a little more from him today," he said. "I got into the game and didn't have any problems going into rallies with him."

The colourful Latvian, who has been compared to retired Russian maverick Marat Safin, plans to celebrate his exploits this week.

"I am flying back tonight. It's Saturday night in Latvia so I'm going to go out," said Gulbis.
Reuters

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/01052010/58/ … op-10.html

Ograł Federera, ale woli fajki, piwo i gitarę

Podczas zakończonego w niedzielę turnieju ATP w Rzymie pokonał samego Federera, a w półfinale urwał seta Nadalowi. Nie dość, że syn bogatych rodziców Ernests Gulbis był rewelacją imprezy, to jeszcze przez cały tydzień dostarczał rozrywki dziennikarzom.

Bez krępacji opowiadał, że lubi się zabawić, a po zakończeniu kariery najchętniej będzie pił piwo, palił papierosy i grał na gitarze.

Jeszcze przed rozpoczęciem imprezy tłumaczył, że jego słabsza forma w roku ubiegłym była spowodowana głównie… lenistwem. – Nie chciało mi się trenować, bo wolałem wyskoczyć ze znajomymi na miasto, ale w obecnym sezonie już się przykładam – stwierdził bez ogródek.

Gulbis od początku kariery miał z górki. Jego ojciec jest zamożnym biznesmenem, a mama i babcia aktorkami. Już od najmłodszych lat Łotysz latał na turnieje prywatnymi samolotami.

Oczywiście dziennikarze skrzętnie wypytywali o jego rodziców. - Nawet nie wiem jak dużo pieniędzy ma mój tata. Wiem tylko, że teraz lata ze mną po turniejach, bo czerpnie z tego przyjemność. Mama też się nie przemęcza i ogląda moje mecze w telewizji. Brat natomiast gra w golfa i to chyba lepsze od tenisa, a siostra tak jak ja trzyma rakietę w ręku, ale nie wiem gdzie – mówił Gulbis z uśmiechem na ustach.

Mimo ogromnego sukcesu w Rzymie Łotysz zna swoje miejsce w szyku. - Ograłeś Federera, walczyłeś jak równy z równym z Nadalem. Czy to oznacza, że dołączyłeś już do czołówki na ziemi? – rzucił jeden z dziennikarzy po sobotnim półfinale. – Chyba sam nie wierzysz w to co mówisz – ripostował tenisista.

Przy okazji bardzo się wyluzował. - Szczerze mówiąc myślałem, że Nadal zagra lepiej. Jakoś specjalnie mnie nie zaskoczył.

Dziennikarze zaczęli podpuszczać zawodnika. - Przez ten tydzień dostarczałeś nam rozgrywki rozbawiając nas za każdym razem. Co powiesz na to, że na twoim meczu była obecna białoruska tenisistka Wiktoria Azarenka? Gulbis i tym razem nie dał się zaskoczyć. - Widocznie mam teraz większe powodzenie u dziewczyn. Wieczorem wracam do kraju i może na Łotwie podrywać mnie będą także inne dziewczyny, jak wyskoczę na miasto – powiedział z uśmiechem.

Nowa włoska stacja tenisowa „Super Tennis” wyemitowała po zakończeniu imprezy obszerny wywiad z Gulbisem. Tym razem rozmawiający z nim dziennikarz zapytał, czy po zakończeniu kariery zagra w jakimś filmie, skoro mama i babcia są aktorkami.

- Nic z tych rzeczy. Wezmę do ręki piwo, odpalę papierosa i zagram na gitarze. Taki jest mój plan - mówił z rozbrajającą szczerością.

http://www.eurosport.pl/tenis/atp-maste … tory.shtml