Fabrice Santoro
Nickname(s)
The Magician
Country
France
Residence
Geneva , Switzerland
Date of birth
December 9, 1972 (1972-12-09 ) (age 35)
Place of birth
Tahiti , French Polynesia
Height
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight
163 lb (74 kg /11.6 st )
Turned pro
1989
Retired
Active
Plays
Right-handed; two-handed on both sides
Career prize money
$9,584,806
Singles
Career record:
455–423
Career titles:
6
Highest ranking:
No. 17 (August 6, 2001)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open
QF (2006 )
French Open
4R (1991 , 2001 )
Wimbledon
3R (2001 )
US Open
3R (1990 , 1998 , 1999 , 2004 )
Doubles
Career record:
373–248
Career titles:
24
Highest ranking:
No. 6 (July 5, 1999)
Mixed Doubles
Career record:
{{{mixedrecord}}}
Career titles:
{{{mixedtitles}}}
Highest ranking:
{{{highestmixedranking}}}
Infobox last updated on: October 13, 2008.
Fabrice Vetea Santoro (born December 9, 1972) is a French professional male tennis player known for using both hands for every possible shot. He was born in Tahiti , the largest island in French Polynesia , located in the Pacific Ocean.
Santoro has been most successful in doubles; he has won the 2003 and 2004 Australian Opens partnering Michaël Llodra , and has been runner-up, in doubles, at the 2002 Australian Open , 2004 French Open and at 2006 Wimbledon . He also won the 2005 French Open mixed doubles title with Daniela Hantuchová .
In addition to his doubles prowess, Fabrice is noted for his cheery attitude on court and his vast arsenal of trick shots, making him a crowd favorite. In recognition of Santoro's varied and innovative style of play, Pete Sampras has nicknamed him The Magician .
Santoro plays with two hands on forehand and backhand, and though he is right-handed, often slices his forehand with the left hand. He attributes this to his having used racquets of the same weight throughout his career, which were too heavy for a six year old starting off a career to hold with one hand.[ 1] Santoro has beaten many former world number one players including Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras , and is famous for his record against Marat Safin (currently 7–2). At 35, he is currently the oldest player in the ATP Top 100.
With his participation in the 2008 Australian Open , he broke Andre Agassi 's record in Grand Slam appearances over his career with a total of 62 participations (Agassi's record was 61).
Trivia
Santoro has defeated 17 players who were ranked World No. 1 at some time during their careers (Jimmy Connors , Mats Wilander , Boris Becker , Stefan Edberg , Jim Courier , Andre Agassi , Pete Sampras , Thomas Muster , Marcelo Ríos , Gustavo Kuerten , Carlos Moyà , Pat Rafter , Juan Carlos Ferrero , Marat Safin , Lleyton Hewitt , Andy Roddick , and Roger Federer ). Against two other former World No. 1 players, Santoro was 0–6 against Yevgeny Kafelnikov and 0–1 against Ivan Lendl .
Santoro won the longest singles match in the open era . At the 2004 French Open , he beat fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clément in a 6h 33m first round match 6–4, 6–3, 6–7, 3–6, 16–14.
At the 2007 U.S. Open , Santoro tied Agassi's record of 61 appearances in Grand Slam singles tournament. He then broke the record with his participation in the 2008 Australian Open .
Santoro is 7–2 lifetime against Safin. Safin himself has said, "Being told I would play Santoro was being told I was to die."
Santoro is 9–2 against compatriot Sébastien Grosjean .
During the 2005 US Open , Santoro lost to the eventual champion Federer 7–5, 7–5, 7–6.
Santoro teamed with Michaël Llodra , a French compatriot, to win the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, a competition that included the top eight doubles teams in the world
He was the first leader of the ATP Champions Race , winning the first tournament of the year in Doha in the year the race was introduced.
The 2006 Australian Open was Santoro's first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. This is his best Grand Slam result so far.
Santoro is a big fan of the late French comedian Michel Colucci .[ 1]
According to ATPTennis.com as of October 2008, Santoro has lost more singles matches (423) than any other professional player (active or not). Overall, however, Santoro has won over half of his matches, with a career record of 455–423.
Santoro has a daughter named Djenae.
Career statistics
Career finals
Singles
Wins (14)
Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP Tour (6)
Challengers (8)
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Opponent in the final
Score
1.
February 5, 1990
Telford , United Kingdom
Carpet (i)
Peter Nyborg
6–3, 5–7, 6–4
2.
October 21, 1991
Brest, France
Hard (i)
Cédric Pioline
6–4, 7–5
3.
August 29, 1994
Merano , Italy
Clay
Sergio Cortés
6–1, 6–0
4.
September 5, 1994
Venice , Italy
Clay
Emilio Sánchez
7–5, 3–6, 6–1
5.
July 21, 1997
Newcastle , United Kingdom
Clay
Sébastien Grosjean
2–6, 6–3, 6–3
6.
October 13, 1997
Lyon , France
Carpet (I)
Tommy Haas
6–4, 6–4
7.
February 1, 1999
Marseille , France
Hard (i)
Arnaud Clément
6–3, 4–6, 6–4
8.
January 3, 2000
Doha, Qatar
Hard
Rainer Schüttler
3–6, 7–5, 3–0 retired
9.
February 25, 2002
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hard
Younes El Aynaoui
6–4, 3–6, 6–3
10.
April 26, 2004
Aix-en-Provence , France
Clay
Arnaud Clément
1–6, 7–6(5), 6–3
11.
February 5, 2007
Bergamo , Italy
Carpet (I)
Simone Bolelli
6–2, 6–1
12.
July 9, 2007
Newport , U.S.
Grass
Nicolas Mahut
6–4, 6–4
13.
July 13, 2008
Newport, U.S.
Grass
Prakash Amritraj
6–3, 7–5
14.
November 10, 2008
Dnepropetrovsk , Ukraine
Hard (I)
Victor Hanescu
6–2, 6–3
Runner-ups (9)
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Opponent in the final
Score
1.
October 7, 1990
Toulouse , France
Carpet (i)
Jonas Svensson
7–6, 6–2
2.
February 8, 1993
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hard
Karel Nováček
6–4, 7–5
3.
August 7, 1994
Kitzbühel , Austria
Clay
Goran Ivanišević
6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
4.
November 25, 1996
Mauritius Island
Grass
Leander Paes
7–5, 6–4
5.
January 10, 1998
Doha, Qatar
Hard
Petr Korda
6–0, 6–3
6.
March 7, 1999
Copenhagen, Denmark
Hard (i)
Magnus Gustafsson
6–4, 6–1
7.
June 17, 2001
Halle , Germany
Grass
Thomas Johansson
6–3, 6–7, 6–2
8.
September 22, 2003
Saint-Jean-de-Luz , France
Hard (i)
Irakli Labadze
1–6, 7–6, 6–4
9.
May 2, 2005
Tunis , Tunisia
Clay
Gaël Monfils
7–5, 3–6, 7–6
Doubles
Wins (26)
Legend (Doubles)
Grand Slam (2)
Tennis Masters Cup (1)
ATP Masters Series (3)
ATP Tour (18)
Challengers (2)
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Partner
Opponent in the final
Score
1.
September 25, 1995
Palermo , Italy
Clay
Álex Corretja
Hendrik Jan Davids
Piet Norval
6–7, 6–4, 6–3
2.
November 13, 1995
Reunion Island
Hard
Yahiya Doumbia
Tim Henman
Andrew Richardson
1–6, 6–3, 6–1
3.
November 11, 1996
Reunion Island
Hard
Hendrik Jan Davids
Donald Johnson
Leander Paes
6–3, 7–6
4.
July 20, 1998
Stuttgart , Germany
Clay
Olivier Delaître
Joshua Eagle
Jim Grabb
6–1, 3–6, 6–3
5.
September 28, 1998
Toulouse , France
Hard (i)
Olivier Delaître
Paul Haarhuis
Jan Siemerink
6–2, 6–4
6.
October 5, 1998
Basel , Switzerland
Hard (i)
Olivier Delaître
Piet Norval
Kevin Ullyett
6–3, 7–6
7.
October 19, 1998
Lyon , France
Carpet (i)
Olivier Delaître
Tomás Carbonell
Francisco Roig
6–2, 6–2
8.
August 23, 1999
Long Island , United States
Hard
Olivier Delaître
Jan-Michael Gambill
Scott Humphries
7–5, 6–4
9.
October 16, 2000
Toulouse , France
Hard (i)
Julien Boutter
Donald Johnson
Piet Norval
7–6, 4–6, 7–6
10.
February 12, 2001
Marseille , France
Hard (i)
Julien Boutter
Michael Hill
Jeff Tarango
7–6, 7–5
11.
October 28, 2002
Paris , France
Carpet (i)
Nicolas Escudé
Gustavo Kuerten
Cédric Pioline
6–3, 7–6
12.
January 13, 2003
Melbourne , Australia
Hard
Michaël Llodra
Mark Knowles
Daniel Nestor
6–4, 3–6, 6–3
13.
February 10, 2003
Marseille , France
Hard (i)
Sébastien Grosjean
Tomáš Cibulec
Pavel Vízner
6–1, 6–4
14.
January 12, 2004
Auckland , New Zealand
Hard
Mahesh Bhupathi
Jiří Novák
Radek Štěpánek
4–6, 7–5, 6–3
15.
January 19, 2004
Melbourne , Australia
Hard
Michaël Llodra
Bob Bryan
Mike Bryan
7–6, 6–3
16.
March 1, 2004
Doha , UAE
Hard
Mahesh Bhupathi
Jonas Björkman
Leander Paes
6–2, 4–6, 6–4
17.
May 2, 2005
Rome , Italy
Clay
Michaël Llodra
Bob Bryan
Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–2
18.
October 3, 2005
Metz , France
Hard (i)
Michaël Llodra
José Acasuso
Sebastián Prieto
6–2, 3–6, 6–4
19.
October 24, 2005
Lyon , France
Carpet (i)
Michaël Llodra
Jeff Coetzee
Rogier Wassen
6–3, 6–1
20.
November 7, 2005
Shanghai , China
Carpet (i)
Michaël Llodra
Leander Paes
Nenad Zimonjić
6–7, 6–3, 7–6
21.
January 9, 2006
Sydney , Australia
Hard
Nenad Zimonjić
František Čermák
Leoš Friedl
6–1, 6–4
22.
June 12, 2006
Halle , Germany
Grass
Nenad Zimonjić
Michael Kohlmann
Rainer Schüttler
6–0, 6–4
23.
October 2, 2006
Metz , France
Hard (i)
Richard Gasquet
Julian Knowle
Jürgen Melzer
3–6, 6–1, [11-9]
24.
October 9, 2006
Moscow , Russia
Carpet (i)
Nenad Zimonjić
František Čermák
Jaroslav Levinský
6–1, 7–5
25.
February 26, 2007
Doha . UAE
Hard
Nenad Zimonjić
Mahesh Bhupathi
Radek Štěpánek
7–5, 6–7, [10-7]
26.
May 7, 2007
Rome , Italy
Clay
Nenad Zimonjić
Bob Bryan
Mike Bryan
6–4 ,6–7, [10-7]
Runner-ups (18)
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Partner
Opponent in the final
Score
1.
February 10, 1997
Marseille , France
Hard (i)
Olivier Delaître
Thomas Enqvist
Magnus Larsson
6–3, 6–4
2.
October 13, 1997
Lyon , France
Carpet (i)
Olivier Delaître
Ellis Ferreira
Patrick Galbraith
3–6, 6–2, 6–4
3.
November 3, 1997
Moscow , Russia
Carpet (i)
David Adams
Martin Damm
Cyril Suk
6–4, 6–3
4.
January 5, 1998
Doha , Qatar
Hard
Olivier Delaître
Mahesh Bhupathi
Leander Paes
6–4, 3–6, 6–4
5.
August 10, 1998
Cincinnati , United States
Hard
Olivier Delaître
Mark Knowles
Daniel Nestor
6–1, 2–1 ret.
6.
January 14, 2002
Melbourne , Australia
Hard
Michaël Llodra
Mark Knowles
Daniel Nestor
7–6, 6–3
7.
April 14, 2003
Monte Carlo , Monaco
Clay
Michaël Llodra
Mahesh Bhupathi
Max Mirnyi
6–4, 3–6, 7–6
8.
May 5, 2003
Rome , Italy
Clay
Michaël Llodra
Wayne Arthurs
Paul Hanley
6–1, 6–3
9.
September 29, 2003
Metz , France
Hard (i)
Michaël Llodra
Julien Benneteau
Nicolas Mahut
7–6, 6–3
10.
October 27, 2003
Paris , France
Carpet (i)
Michaël Llodra
Wayne Arthurs
Paul Hanley
6–3, 1–6, 6–3
11.
November 8, 2003
Houston , United States
Hard
Michaël Llodra
Bob Bryan
Mike Bryan
6–7, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4
12.
May 24, 2004
Roland Garros , France
Clay
Michaël Llodra
Xavier Malisse
Olivier Rochus
7–5, 7–5
13.
February 21, 2005
Dubai , UAE
Hard
Jonas Björkman
Martin Damm
Radek Štěpánek
6–2, 6–4
14.
May 9, 2005
Hamburg , Germany
Clay
Michaël Llodra
Jonas Björkman
Max Mirnyi
4–6, 7–6, 7–6
15.
April 17, 2006
Monte Carlo , Monaco
Clay
Nenad Zimonjić
Jonas Björkman
Max Mirnyi
6–2, 7–6
16.
June 26, 2006
Wimbledon , UK
Grass
Nenad Zimonjić
Bob Bryan
Mike Bryan
6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2
17.
October 30, 2006
Paris , France
Carpet (i)
Nenad Zimonjić
Arnaud Clément
Michaël Llodra
7–6, 6–2
18.
June 11, 2007
Halle , Germany
Grass
Nenad Zimonjić
Simon Aspelin
Julian Knowle
6–4, 7–6
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
References
External links