Benjamin Balleret
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Balleret (born January 15, 1983 in Monte Carlo, Monaco) is a professional tennis player on the Association of Tennis Professionals
(ATP) Tour.
tournament held in Monte Carlo, Monaco every year. Entering the tournament, he was ranked 351st in the world and had competed only in challenger tournaments and several Davis Cup
matches (he played for the Monegasque team in 2004 and 2005 and compiled a modest record of 4 wins and 5 losses). However on April 16, 2006, he received a wild card into the qualifying draw of the Monte Carlo Open and won upsets over seeded, far more accomplished players than he including clay court specialist Albert Portas
(at the time ranked 106th in the world and seeded 13th in the qualifying draw) as well as U.S. Open
and Wimbledon
semi-finalist Jonas Björkman
(at the time ranked 71st in the world and seeded third in the qualifying draw). These wins earned Balleret a spot in the main draw, and his performance there is what earned him international headlines. He won shocking upsets over Christophe Rochus
(at the time ranked 44th in the world) and, perhaps most amazingly, Sébastien Grosjean
(at the time ranked 23rd in the world, number one in France, and seeded thirteenth in the main draw). Balleret's impressive run came to an end in the third round, in which he lost to world number one Roger Federer
.
After Balleret's performance at this prestigious clay court event, he shot up 134 positions in the rankings to world number 217. As of June 26, 2006, he has ascended to #205 in the ATP rankings.
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
(ATP) Tour.
Career
Balleret is best known for his April 2006 fairy tale run to the third round of the Monte Carlo Open, an ATP Masters SeriesATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
tournament held in Monte Carlo, Monaco every year. Entering the tournament, he was ranked 351st in the world and had competed only in challenger tournaments and several Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
matches (he played for the Monegasque team in 2004 and 2005 and compiled a modest record of 4 wins and 5 losses). However on April 16, 2006, he received a wild card into the qualifying draw of the Monte Carlo Open and won upsets over seeded, far more accomplished players than he including clay court specialist Albert Portas
Albert Portas
Albert Portas Soy is a former professional tennis player.-Career:Portas turned professional in 1994...
(at the time ranked 106th in the world and seeded 13th in the qualifying draw) as well as U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
and Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
semi-finalist Jonas Björkman
Jonas Björkman
Jonas Lars Björkman is a former World Number 4 Swedish professional tennis player. He is also a former World No. 1 in doubles. Björkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup Doubles championships....
(at the time ranked 71st in the world and seeded third in the qualifying draw). These wins earned Balleret a spot in the main draw, and his performance there is what earned him international headlines. He won shocking upsets over Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus is a retired professional male tennis player from Belgium.Rochus is the older brother of Olivier Rochus, also a tennis player who has been slightly more successful than Christophe. He reached the singles finals of two ATP tournaments: Valencia and Rotterdam but lost them both...
(at the time ranked 44th in the world) and, perhaps most amazingly, Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien René Grosjean is a retired tennis player from France. His career-high ATP Entry ranking is No. 4 . He retired from tennis on May 27, 2010.-Career:...
(at the time ranked 23rd in the world, number one in France, and seeded thirteenth in the main draw). Balleret's impressive run came to an end in the third round, in which he lost to world number one Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
.
After Balleret's performance at this prestigious clay court event, he shot up 134 positions in the rankings to world number 217. As of June 26, 2006, he has ascended to #205 in the ATP rankings.