| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Born | October 7, 1987 San Francisco, California, United States |
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Turned pro | 2006 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | $3,385,082 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 129–100 |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Highest ranking | No. 17 (January 31, 2011) |
| Current ranking | No. 93 (December 26, 2011) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2007, 2008) |
| French Open | 2R (2011) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2010) |
| US Open | 4R (2008, 2010) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 40–55 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 23 (May 17, 2010) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2010) |
| French Open | 3R (2008) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2008) |
| US Open | QF (2007) |
| Last updated on: August 30, 2010. | |
Sam Austin Querrey[1][2] (born October 7, 1987) is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong serve and forehand. Querrey holds the record for most consecutive service aces since the ATP began keeping records of those statistics, with 10 in a 2007 match against James Blake.[3] His regular doubles partner is fellow American John Isner.
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Many tennis experts, including Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe, have touted Querrey as America's next great talent.
Querrey turned down a scholarship offer from USC to turn pro.[4] His father Mike Querrey recommended that his son try making it in tennis,[5] as he often regretted his own decision to go to the University of Arizona rather than play baseball for the Detroit Tigers which had drafted him. Sam Querrey said that going pro was "one of the toughest decisions of my life."[6]
I'd play a match and want to go pro. I'd lose and want to go to college.[6]
He cracked the top 100 World Singles rankings following his third round performance at the Australian Open.
On June 11, 2006, Querrey became the first player to win a challenger event in his pro debut. He claimed tournament victories in the Yuba City and Winnetka challengers. He won his first-round match at the Indian Wells Masters tournament over Bobby Reynolds, before falling to James Blake in three sets. He defeated American Vince Spadea at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles. At the US Open, Querrey defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets, before falling to Gastón Gaudio.
At the 2007 Australian Open, he advanced to the third round. He defeated José Acasuso, the 27th seed, in the first round. In the second round, he defeated Frenchman Florent Serra in straight sets, but in the third round lost to 7th seed Tommy Robredo in four sets.
At the 2007 Indianapolis Tennis Championships, he hit 10 consecutive aces when he defeated James Blake in the quarterfinals. This is believed to be an Open Era record.[7]
At the 2007 Western and Southern Masters, he defeated thirteenth seed Mikhail Youzhny and advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Argentina's Juan Mónaco, who had defeated Rafael Nadal in the previous round. He lost to no. 9 seed James Blake, but made his top 50 debut at no. 47 afterwards. At this time, Querrey was the third-ranked American behind Andy Roddick and James Blake.
In August 2007 at the U.S. Open, Austrian Stefan Koubek defeated Querrey in the first round 6-7(1) 1-6, 1-6.
In January 2008 at the Australian Open, Querrey defeated Belgian Olivier Rochus in the first round, 6–3 6–2 7–5. In the second round, he then beat Russian Dmitry Tursunov, 7–6 (5) 4–6 6–4 6–2. He lost in the third round to the eventual champion, Serbian Novak Djokovic,3-6, 1-6, 3-6.
In March, Querrey won his first ATP level tournament at the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas. In the final, Querrey defeated qualifier Kevin Anderson of South Africa in three tight sets, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4. The next month, at the Monte Carlo Masters, Querrey reached the quarterfinals, defeating former French Open champion Carlos Moyà, Andreas Seppi, and no. 7 seeded Richard Gasquet.
Querrey played tennis for the USA at the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. He advanced to the fourth round of the US Open by defeating 14th seed Ivo Karlović of Croatia, where he was defeated in four sets by world no. 1 Rafael Nadal, 2-6, 7-5, 6-7(2), 3-6.
Querrey was tapped to play for the US in the Davis Cup semifinals against Spain as a replacement for James Blake, who had withdrawn citing exhaustion. In Querrey's first-ever Davis Cup match, he lost to world no. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets, 7-6(5), 4-6, 3-6, 4-6. Although he lost the match, he was one of the few players in 2008 to win a set against Nadal on clay.
Querrey participated in the 2009 Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand in January, where he was the sixth seed. Querrey made it to the final, where he was defeated in straight sets by top-seed Juan Martín del Potro, 4-6, 4-6. A day prior to the final, Querrey had a notable semifinal performance in which he beat the second-seed David Ferrer. Querrey was 5–2 down in the third set, but managed to push Ferrer into a third-set tiebreak, which he eventually won with a final score of 3–6, 6–3, 7–6.
In the 2009 Australian Open, Querrey lost in his opening round to Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-7, 3-6, 2-6.
In the SAP Open in San Jose, Querrey prevailed against Cypriot wildcard Marcos Baghdatis, 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(5) in a challenging opener. Baghdatis jumped out to a 4–0 advantage in the third-set tie-break, but failed to hold onto the lead, as Querrey levelled the score at 4-all and proceeded to close out the match by winning the final three points. Querrey then rolled past Denis Gremelmayr, 6–3, 6–2, in 52 minutes.
In the 2009 Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, no. 3 seed Querrey advanced to the final against compatriot and first-time finalist and lucky loser Rajeev Ram, who had entered the main draw when top seed Mardy Fish had to take Andy Roddick's place in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, and lost, 7-6, 5-7, 3-6.
Querrey was seeded no. 3 for the 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships, where he made his second final in as many tournaments. However, Querrey fell to unseeded American Robby Ginepri, 2–6, 4–6.
With "The Samurai" behind him at home, Querrey defeated no. 1 seeded Tommy Haas to advance to the final of the LA Tennis Open. He defeated qualifier Carsten Ball in the final for his only title of the year.[8]
Querrey next played at the ATP Tour 500 event in Washington, where he lost to top seed Andy Roddick, 6-7(4), 4-6, in the round of 16. He avenged that loss at the Cincinnati Masters in two tie-breaks, before losing in the third round to Lleyton Hewitt.
By reaching the quarterfinals in New Haven, he won the 2009 US Open Series, qualifying for the accompanying bonus following the 2009 US Open. Querrey reached the final in New Haven, before losing to Fernando Verdasco. In the 2009 US Open, Querrey lost in the third round to Robin Söderling in four sets.
Querrey's year was ended prematurely by a potentially career-threatening accident in which a glass table he was sitting on collapsed, impaling his arm and requiring emergency surgery; the location of injury just missed causing nerve damage, which could have ended his tennis career.[9]
Querrey finished the year ranked a career-high no. 25, and as the no. 2 American behind Andy Roddick.
Although seeded at the Australian Open, Querrey lost in the first round to 2003 Australian Open finalist Rainer Schüttler. Querrey then reached the semifinals of the SAP Open, where he lost to Andy Roddick, 6-2, 6–7(5) 6–7(4) in singles. However, Querrey teamed with Mardy Fish to win the doubles title.
Querrey's next tournament was the 2010 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, where he was seeded eighth. He avenged his loss the previous week in San Jose by defeating defending champion Roddick in the quarterfinals, 7–5, 3–6, 6–1, to improve his career record against Roddick to 2–4. He then defeated Ernest Gulbis in the semifinals, 6–3, 6–4, and defeated fellow American John Isner, 6–7(3), 7–6(5), 6–3, for the championship. Querrey also teamed with Isner in the doubles, where they won the championship; Querrey became the first player to win the singles and doubles at Memphis simultaneously since 1981. At the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, he lost in the first round against Fernando González in three tough sets, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7(2).
Querrey and Isner were selected to play singles for the United States Davis Cup Team against Serbia on indoor clay in March 2010. After losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets, Querrey managed to beat Viktor Troicki in straight sets in the dead rubber fifth match.
At the BNP Paribas Open, Querrey was seeded 17th and, after receiving a bye in the first round, beat Jérémy Chardy in straight sets. In the third round, he was beaten by doubles partner John Isner in straight sets. At the Sony Ericsson Open, seeded 21st this time, after receiving a bye in the first round, he lost to Jérémy Chardy in three sets.
In April, he played at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. After receiving a bye in the first round, he beat Blaž Kavčič in straight sets in the second round, and in the quarterfinal, beat Nicolás Massú in three sets. In the semifinals, he withstood a fightback from Wayne Odesnik to reach his eighth final on the ATP World Tour. He lost to Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in the final.
He reached the doubles final with John Isner at the 2010 Rome Masters, but lost to Davis Cup teammates Bob and Mike Bryan.
Querrey played in the 2010 Serbia Open and progressed to the final, where he faced Davis Cup teammate John Isner. Querrey defeated Isner, 3–6, 7–6(4), 6–4, for his second title of the year, and his first ATP title on clay.
At the 2010 French Open, Querrey was seeded 18th, but lost in the first round to fellow American Robby Ginepri in four sets. Disheartened by the loss, he withdrew from the doubles event, where he and Isner were the 12th seeds.
In the Queens Club in London, Querry beat fellow American Mardy Fish in straight sets, 7–6, 7–5, in the final of the AEGON Championships. The victory made him the first American to win the tournament since Andy Roddick. The victory gave Querrey his third title of the season, making him the only player besides Rafael Nadal to win at least three titles, and made Querrey the first player in 2010 to win titles on three different surfaces. This was Querrey's first ATP tour title on grass.
Despite being ranked no. 21 in the world at the time, Querrey was seeded no. 18 at Wimbledon, due to his Queen's Club result. He was entered in the doubles with Isner, where they were the 12th seeds, but the partners agreed to forfeit after Isner played the longest tennis match in history.[10] In the singles, Querrey defeated 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse in five sets to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time, where he lost to Andy Murray, dropping his record against Murray to 0-4, having never won a set in their meetings.
Querrey defended his title at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, surviving a third-set tiebreaker in the quarterfinals against 2003 Australian Open finalist Rainer Schüttler, then defeating Janko Tipsarević in the semifinals, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-4, after being down a match point in the second set, 5-1 in the second set tiebreaker, and 2-0 in the third set to reach his fifth final of the year. In the final, Querrey faced world no. 4 and 2010 Australian Open finalist Andy Murray in a rematch of their Wimbledon meeting. Querrey survived being match point down at 5-4 in the second set to defeat Murray in the final, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-3. This was his first victory over Murray in five meetings and his first successful title defense, making him the first man since Andre Agassi to win two consecutive titles at this tournament.[11]
Following his victory in Los Angeles, Querrey next played in Washington, where he lost in the first round to Janko Tipsarevic. During his time in Washington, he along with Bob and Mike Bryan conducted a tennis clinic for children, where they unexpectedly met president Barack Obama.[12]
After early losses in the Canada Masters and the Cincinnati Masters, Querrey entered the 2010 US Open ranked no. 22 and seeded no. 20. He defeated Bradley Klahn in four sets, then defeated Marcel Granollers and 14th seed Nicolás Almagro in straight sets to reach the fourth round, tying his previous best result in any Grand Slam. In the fourth round, he lost to 25th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4, 4-6; the loss ensured that for the second consecutive year, no American man would make the quarterfinals of the US Open.
This was a difficult year for Querrey and one in which he struggled with injury. Despite this he reached the quarterfinals of two tournaments, both ATP 500 series. The first in Memphis in February, where he lost to Mardy Fish, 3-6, 4-6 and the second in Valencia, where he was beaten in straight sets (2-6 5-7) by Juan Martín del Potro.
He was eliminated in the second round of the French Open by Ivan Ljubičić, and did not play at Wimbledon or the US Open, due to an elbow injury that required surgery.[13]
Querrey possesses a huge serve, one of the best in today's game. He also has a strong forehand and a good backhand. He is an offensive baseliner. He constructs points well and does not often approach the net unless to finish the point.
Querrey plays with the Prince O3 Hybrid Tour, switching from the Diablo prior at the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.[14] He wore adidas apparel and shoes until the end of the 2009 season. Starting from the 2010 season, he changed his clothing sponsor to K-Swiss.
Querrey plays tournaments raising money for charity like the Boys and Girls Club, speaks to school groups like Healthy and Active Lifestyle (HAL) in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and has expressed interest in someday creating his own non-profit organization.[6]
Support comes from the "Samurai Club", his own fan club, which started by his high school buddies, Dan Farrugia, Wes Burrows, Ellis Bertschi, Ethan Lacoe, and Shane Poppen. They attend his matches shirtless with the letters "S-A-M-M-Y" on their chests.[15]
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| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1. | March 9, 2008 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Hard | Kevin Anderson | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1. | January 17, 2009 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Juan Martín del Potro | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | July 12, 2009 | Newport, Rhode Island, United States | Grass | Rajeev Ram | 7–6(7–3), 5–7, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | July 26, 2009 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Hard | Robby Ginepri | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | August 2, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. (1) | Hard | Carsten Ball | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 4. | August 29, 2009 | New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | Hard | Fernando Verdasco | 4–6, 6–7(6–8) |
| Winner | 3. | February 21, 2010 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Hard (i) | John Isner | 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 5. | April 11, 2010 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Clay | Juan Ignacio Chela | 7–5, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 4. | May 9, 2010 | Belgrade, Serbia | Clay | John Isner | 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–4 |
| Winner | 5. | June 13, 2010 | London, England | Grass | Mardy Fish | 7–6(7–3), 7–5 |
| Winner | 6. | August 1, 2010 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. (2) | Hard | Andy Murray | 5–7, 7–6(7–2), 6–3 |
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| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1. | February 14, 2010 | San José, United States | Hard (i) | Mardy Fish | Benjamin Becker Leonardo Mayer |
7–6(7–3), 7–5 |
| Winner | 2. | February 21, 2010 | Memphis, U.S. | Hard (i) | John Isner | Ross Hutchins Jordan Kerr |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1. | May 2, 2010 | Rome, Italy | Clay | John Isner | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
2–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | April 9, 2011 | Houston, United States | Clay | John Isner | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan |
7–6(7–4), 2–6, [5–10] |
| Winner | 3. | May 15, 2011 | Rome, Italy | Clay | John Isner | Mardy Fish Andy Roddick |
W/O |
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | SR | W–L | Win % | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slams | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 5 | 4–5 | 44.44 | ||||||||||
| French Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 5 | 1–5 | 16.67 | ||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | A | 0 / 4 | 4–4 | 50.00 | ||||||||||
| US Open | 2R | 1R | 4R | 3R | 4R | A | 0 / 5 | 9–5 | 64.29 | |||||||||
| Win–Loss | 1–1 | 2–4 | 5–4 | 3–4 | 6–4 | 1–2 | 0 / 19 | 18–19 | 48.65 | |||||||||
| Olympic Games | Not Held | 1R | Not Held | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 00.00 | ||||||||||||
| ATP Masters Series | ||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 0 / 6 | 8–6 | 57.14 | |||||||||
| Miami | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 0 / 6 | 4–6 | 40.00 | |||||||||
| Monte Carlo | QF | A | 0 / 1 | 3–1 | 75.00 | |||||||||||||
| Rome | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25.00 | ||||||||||||
| Madrid | 2R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25.00 | ||||||||||||
| Toronto / Montreal | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25.00 | |||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 1R | QF | 2R | 3R | 2R | A | 0 / 5 | 7–5 | 58.33 | |||||||||
| Shanghai | NMS | 2R | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50.00 | ||||||||||||
| Paris | 1R | 2R | 1R | LQ | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25.00 | |||||||||||
| Win–Loss | 1–3 | 5–4 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 4–4 | 0 / 31 | 27–31 | 46.43 | |||||||||
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Titles–Finals | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 4–5 | 0–0 | 6–0 | 6–11 | 54.54 | |||||||||
| Year End Ranking | 130 | 63 | 39 | 25 | 18 | 93 | $3,385,082 | |||||||||||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rafael Nadal |
US Open Series Champion 2009 |
Succeeded by Andy Murray |
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