Jesse Levine
Encyclopedia
Jesse Levine is a Canadian-born American professional tennis
player. He achieved his career-high singles rank of No. 94 on November 3, 2008.
As a 13-year-old, in 2001 Levine won the U.S. Clay Court 14 Nationals singles championship, and as a 15-year-old he won the USTA boys' 16s doubles championship with his doubles partner. As a 17-year-old, he won the 2005 Wimbledon
boys' doubles championship with his doubles partner. Playing one year of No. 1 singles as a freshman for the University of Florida in 2007, he lost only one match, finishing his career with a 24–1 record.
In June 2009 he scored his most significant victory to date, defeating world # 24 (and former world # 1) Marat Safin
at Wimbledon. The following month he defeated the second top-50 player of his career, world # 48 Philipp Petzschner
. His most significant achievement in doubles, was when he made the finals eventually although eventually losing to the Bryan brothers, in the 2009 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
, in Canada, and grew up in Ottawa
's Centrepointe
neighborhood. Levine's father Nathan had played tennis for Penn State
.
Levine attended Hillel
Academy of Ottawa
. Off the court Levine, who is Jewish, keeps kosher at home, and he plays with a Star of David
on his chain. He can read and write Hebrew. Levine, along with Dudi Sela
, Sergio Roitman
and Shahar Pe'er
is one of a number of young Jewish tennis players who are highly ranked. "I have a lot of contact with the Israeli players, like Ram, Erlich, Sela, and Levy. They sometimes ask me when I will play for Israel in the Davis Cup", he said. He also appreciates the Jewish fans who cheer for him. At one tournament, they cheered and said things such as: "Come on, man, your opponent hasn't even had his circumcision
yet!"
Levine and his family moved to Florida in the US when he was 13 years old, because his younger brother Daniel suffers from ulcerative colitis
and the year-round warm weather was much better for him. Levine currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida
, and now considers himself "100% American", saying that if he were to play Davis Cup
, it would be for the US.
Tennis Center in Fort Lauderdale. Levine had won the first set, lost the second, and found himself trailing 0–5 with Young serving for match point
at 40–15. They were already bringing in the table for the trophy presentation, when Levine ran off an astonishing 23 consecutive points. He won 7–5 in the third.
In 2003 he won the USTA boys 16s doubles championship with partner Jean Yves Aubone, and the Eddie Herr International Boys under-16s singles title. He finished the year ranked 11th in the USTA boys' 16 division. In 2004 he won the Eddie Herr International Boys 18s doubles championship with Michael Shabaz
, an Iranian-born Assyrian
-American.
At the 2005 USTA Junior Nationals, where he lost in the singles semifinals and doubles finals, both 7–6 in the third set, he was judged to have the best service return. He won the 2005 Wimbledon
boys' doubles championship along with Michael Shabaz over Samuel Groth
of Australia and Andrew Kennaugh of Great Britain, 6–4, 6–1. "If you believe in yourself anything can happen", said Levine. He also reached the quarterfinals of the Junior Wimbledon boys' singles tournament that year. Levine was selected to go to the 2005 Maccabiah Games
just after winning the doubles, but decided against it as he was too tired. He finished 2005 ranked 23rd in the USTA national junior rankings.
He was the runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Junior National Championship to World No. 1 Junior Donald Young, forfeiting in the finals due to food poisoning. He was voted as having the best backhand
.
His highest International Tennis Federation
World Junior Ranking was No. 14.
He attended Boca Prep International School (which Andy Roddick
and Mardy Fish
had also attended) on a soccer scholarship for 1½ years (playing with Jozy Altidore
, a U.S. national team member in 2008 signed a $10 million deal with Villarreal of La Liga
), before leaving Boca Prep in the middle of 10th grade because the new headmaster wasn't as flexible with his travel schedule, and switching to the University of Miami
Online High School, where he was class of 2007. The online school offered an academic program for athletes who were too busy to attend traditional bricks-and-mortar high schools. Levine did most of his junior training at the Chris Evert
Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, which is adjacent to Boca Prep (where he received the senior male sportsmanship award from Chris Evert
and was named the academy's Male Player of the Year by his peers), and the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
in Bradenton, Florida
(for two years), and then decided that at least a year or two of college would be a better choice than turning professional at that point.
in Gainesville, Florida
during the Spring of 2007, and played for the Florida Gators men's tennis
team. He subsequently withdrew from the university in August 2007 to turn pro.
In March 2007 he beat 6' 9", 236 pound John Isner
, a senior at University of Georgia
who was then the No. 1 player in college tennis, who had been undefeated in his prior 46 matches, and who did not lose another regular-season match all season. On May 23, 2007, Levine lost his first college match, in the quarterfinals in the NCAA Men's Singles
to Washington
's Alex Slovic, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6. He was ranked # 3 in singles by the NCAA in the final May 2007 standings, only because he did not have as many matches against ranked opponents as the top two players (Isner and Somdev Devvarman
), and he was the only freshman in the top 22.
(ITA) 2007 National Rookie of the Year, and also was one of 10 players nationally to be selected to the 2007 ITA All-America Team for NCAA Division I men's tennis in both singles and doubles play. Levine was in addition named 2007 Southeastern Conference
(SEC) Freshman of the Year, after going 11–0 at the No. 1 singles position in SEC play, and was named to the 2007 men's tennis All-SEC first team. He was also named the SEC Men's Tennis Player of the Week twice in 2007.
, where he defeated Łukasz Kubot of Poland (ranked # 118) 6–3, 6–2, and Kevin Kim
of the US (ranked # 107) 6–2, 6–2, but lost to Benjamin Becker
of Germany (ranked # 54) 3–6, 3–6.
He also received a wild card
into the BMW
Tennis Championship, where he lost 7–6 (4), 7–6 (3), to Gaël Monfils
.
In July 2007 Levine accepted an invitation from Roger Federer
, ranked # 1 in the world, to join him in Dubai
to practice with Federer for 10 days. "I thought it was a joke ... I thought it was one of my college buddies playing a prank on me, but it was for real", Levine said. Twice he and Federer played match sets, both of which Federer won, 6–4.
Levine withdrew from college prior to the 2007 U.S. Open, his first tournament as a professional. As a wildcard there, after receiving good luck wishes from Federer, he was defeated by world # 4 Nikolay Davydenko
in the first round, 6–4, 6–0, 6–1. "I was really nervous", Levine said, "but it was an amazing experience." In doubles, however, he won his first round match, pairing with Alex Kuznetsov
, over Dominik Hrbatý
of Slovakia and Harel Levy
of Israel, 6–1, 6–4, and their second round match upsetting 7th-seeded Frenchmen Arnaud Clément
and Michaël Llodra
7–6 (5), 6–4, before losing in the third round to 9th-seeded Czechs Lukáš Dlouhý
and Pavel Vízner
, 6–4, 7–5.
In November 2007, Levine won his first pro title, the $75,000 Music City Challenger
in Nashville, Tennessee
, along the way beating world # 109 Robert Kendrick
of the US, 7–5, 6–4, # 148 Sam Warburg
of the US, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, and # 170 Dušan Vemić
of Serbia, 6–2, 7–5. "That first pro title was a big deal for me", Levine said. "I called my parents to tell them I'd won. I was pretty excited."
Levine then won the very next tournament that same month, the $50,000 JSM Challenger
in Champaign, Illinois
, at the University of Illinois. In the second round he defeated # 197 Kevin Kim, 6–1, 7–5, and in the semifinals he again beat Isner, now world # 118, this time 7–6 (5), 6–3. In the finals Levine topped Donald Young (world # 106), 7–6 (4), 7–6 (4), capping a week in which he did not lose a single set. He had won 8 of his last 9 matches against top-200 competition, and the one loss (which was to Young) he had subsequently avenged with his win against Young. With the win, Levine catapulted to # 192 in the world, continuing his meteoric rise.
Still later in November, he began the $50,000 Knoxville Challenger tournament in Tennessee
by defeating former US Junior champion Michael McClune
, 6–4, 6–1, in the first round, but three rounds later lost to Kevin Kim in the semifinals. The loss broke Levine's 16-match winning streak.
In early December, he and Andy Roddick
defeated Robert Kendrick and Amer Delic
7–6, 6–4, in a fast-paced match on Har-Tru at the OMNI Healthcare/Harris "Rally with Roddick" charity tennis exhibition in Indian Harbour Beach.
In late December Levine won a wild card
berth into the main draw of the Australian Open
. The USTA had asked Levine and two other young American men to play off for the wild card that the organization had received in a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia
. The other players selected based on age (22 and under) and ranking (top 200) to compete in Boca Raton, Florida, were Wayne Odesnik
and Kuznetsov. They played in a round-robin
format, and Levine went undefeated. "It definitely feels good not having it just handed out", Levine said after defeating Odesnik 6–4, 6–0. He trained and played sets with Max Mirnyi
, Xavier Malisse
, Andy Murray, and Tommy Haas
. Levine played qualifying in a couple of pre-Grand Slam tournaments in Adelaide
and Sydney. He still flew coach
Down Under
. "I'll have to make a lot more money before I can go first class
", he said.
Levine ended the year with a 20–10 match record, and ranked # 192.
, Levine beat Martín Vassallo Argüello
of Argentina, a 26-year-old veteran ranked # 77 in the world, to advance to the Open's second round. There, Levine played a scrappy match against fellow lefty, No. 24 seed Jarkko Nieminen
. But despite serving for the set at 5–3 in both the second and third sets, Levine went down 6–2, 7–5, 7–6 (7–2) to the Finn. "I felt like I was right there, and definitely had my chances in the second and third (sets). I have to work on converting a little better", said Levine. "Maybe I got a little too antsy, and tried to go for a little too much, maybe stepped too hard on the pedal instead of taking a foot off."
At the personal request of U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe
, Levine was a practice partner with the U.S. Davis Cup
team in early February in Austria, hitting with Andy Roddick
, James Blake
, and twins Bob Bryan
and Mike Bryan
. "First of all, he's a lefty, but also, Jesse has shown a lot of promise since last summer, improved his ranking a lot, and he's a great kid and incredibly hard worker", McEnroe said. "Our guys have a good read on which young guys are working really hard, and they were pushing to invite Jesse. It will be a great experience for him, and he'll help our guys a lot." "One day I played four sets. It was a lot of fun, but my body was sore", Levine said. "The guys are so cool."
In February Levine defeated # 81-ranked Steve Darcis
of Belgium in the first round of the San Jose Open, 6–3, 2–6, 6–4, before losing to James Blake in the second round.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7320141,00.html In May he won all five of his matches, dropping only one set, to win the Bradenton, Florida Challenger event. He also won the Türk Telecom İzmir Cup
challenger tournament in doubles in Turkey, with partner Kei Nishikori
of Japan.
In June at Wimbledon
, after qualifying by winning three matches, and then getting "shivers" on his arms as he walked out for his opening match, he beat world # 85 Donald Young in the first round, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4. It was the first four-set match he had ever played. The key was Levine's persistent net play; he approached net 32 times, winning 25 of the points. In the next round he lost, in his first five-set match ever, to Jürgen Melzer
4–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1.
In July in Newport on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
, he beat No. 5 seeded, world # 83 John Isner 6–3, 6–1. Later in the month he beat Benjamin Becker
of Germany, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 (6), at the Rogers' Cup
in Toronto. In August at the New Haven, Connecticut
International Series, he beat world # 67 Guillermo García López
of Spain 6–0, 6–3, and world # 61 Steve Darcis, 2–0, retired. He broke into the top 100, at 96, on August 25.
In October Federer again invited Levine to join him for an extended practice session in Dubai, as preparation for the Australian Open.
in Houston, Texas
, Levine, ranked 289th in doubles in the world, and doubles partner Ryan Sweeting
from the Bahamas, ranked 405th in doubles, made it into the draw via wild card, and in the first round defeated 3rd-seeded world doubles # 40 Lucas Arnold Ker
and world doubles # 61 Martin Damm
, 6–2, 6–4. In the quarterfinals they beat world doubles # 66 Jaroslav Levinský
and # 82 Pavel Vízner
, 7–6 (6), 6–4, and in the semifinals they defeated 2nd-seeded world doubles # 30 Ashley Fisher
and # 29 Jordan Kerr
3–6, 6–3, 10–4. They lost to Americans Bob and Mike Bryan
, ranked # 1 in the world, in the doubles final, 6–1, 6–2.
Levine qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon 2009
, after defeating Australian Samuel Groth
6–4, 6–7 (3), 7–5, German Dieter Kindlmann
6–2, 6–3, and German Matthias Bachinger
6–2, 7–5, 6–2.
In the first round of the main Wimbledon draw, in the biggest win of his career Levine upset world # 24 (and former world # 1, and two-time Grand Slam
champion) Marat Safin
of Russia 6–2, 3–6, 7–6 (4), 6–4. Levine, ranked 133rd, took the ball on the rise and forced points during the match, held at love in the final game, and hit a service winner on match point
. The Guardian
described Levine as "a feisty little terrier who kept harrying away at his towering opponent", and The New York Times
noted that: "If you stand them side by side" Levine and Safin "look a little like David and Goliath. Levine ... is seven inches (178 mm) shorter and 45 pounds lighter than Safin, but when it counted ... the American was faster and stronger." When Levine clinched the win he looked up and pointed into the sky, a tribute to his biggest fan, his grandmother Lillian Kimmel with whom he was very close, who had died three years prior but whose spirit he felt with him during his match. It was Levine's first career win over a top-50 player. Safin said that he had known before the match that Levine was a "talented lefty, tough player, fast ... gonna go for it. He's a tough one."
In the second round Levine defeated Uruguay's top tennis player, Pablo Cuevas
, 6–2, 6–1, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3. "I think my win the other day against Marat really gave me a confidence booster", he said. It was Levine's first five-set victory, and only his second five-set match. "I could have played a little bit longer", he said, "But I'm glad I didn't have to." Levine and Andy Roddick
were the only two American men left standing in the tournament, and Levine was also by far the lowest-ranked player left in the men's draw. Levine next faced Olympic gold medalist, world # 18, 19th seed Stanislas Wawrinka
of Switzerland, in Levine's first trip to the third round in a Grand Slam. "Once again I'm the underdog", said Levine." "I've got nothing to lose, so I'll go out there swinging away. For the first set and a half of their match, Levine (described by The Sunday Times
as having "the pugnacity of Jimmy Connors
and the fashion sense of Eminem
") looked as though it was he who was the top 20 player, as he hit low forehands and approached and dominated the net, but in the end Wawrinka prevailed, 5–7, 7–5, 6–3, 6–3, despite Levine saving 17 of 23 break points in the match.
Levine next played in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
in Newport, Rhode Island, making it as far as the quarterfinals, and along the way upsetting sixth-seeded world # 48 German Philipp Petzschner
, 7–6 (3), 6–2. It was his second win over a top-50 player in three weeks.
In late July Levine qualified for the 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships
in singles. In doubles Levine partnered Israeli Dudi Sela
, and defeated Denis Istomin
of Uzbekistan and Josselin Ouanna
of France 6–4, 6–4 to make it to the quarterfinals.
Entering the 2009 US Open
via wild card, he won his first round match in straight sets over Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 7–5, 6–1, 6–2.
has referred to as "great racket speed"; he is also "a hard worker and a natural leader." He has dazzling hand-eye coordination, which allows him to take the ball exceptionally early. He has all the shots, but his return of serve is his most valuable asset, and he cleverly constructs points. He is a serviceable volley
er, who likes coming in to the net, and is not afraid to move forward as points play out.
He also runs everything down. "He's got a great heart", said Larry Stefanki
, who coaches Andy Roddick
and has previously worked with John McEnroe, Marcelo Ríos
, Fernando González
and Tim Henman
. "A lot of players today are fast and fit, but just don't seem to play every point at 100%. It's like they're almost on cruise control and then want to play hard when it gets to 4-all or 5-all", Stefanki said. "I think because Jesse's so small and he doesn't want to give any free points, he tries every point 100%. That's a big asset out there."
The average professional tennis player is 3 inches (76.2 mm) taller and 20 pounds heavier than Levine, who is "generously" listed at 5' 9", 150.
ice hockey centre Jason Spezza
.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. He achieved his career-high singles rank of No. 94 on November 3, 2008.
As a 13-year-old, in 2001 Levine won the U.S. Clay Court 14 Nationals singles championship, and as a 15-year-old he won the USTA boys' 16s doubles championship with his doubles partner. As a 17-year-old, he won the 2005 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...
boys' doubles championship with his doubles partner. Playing one year of No. 1 singles as a freshman for the University of Florida in 2007, he lost only one match, finishing his career with a 24–1 record.
In June 2009 he scored his most significant victory to date, defeating world # 24 (and former world # 1) Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
at Wimbledon. The following month he defeated the second top-50 player of his career, world # 48 Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
. His most significant achievement in doubles, was when he made the finals eventually although eventually losing to the Bryan brothers, in the 2009 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
Early life and Jewish heritage
Levine was born in Nepean, OntarioNepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
, in Canada, and grew up in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
's Centrepointe
Centrepointe
Centrepointe is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada and part of the former city of Nepean. The population of Centrepointe is between 4,000 and 4,500 people...
neighborhood. Levine's father Nathan had played tennis for Penn State
.
Levine attended Hillel
Hillel the Elder
Hillel was a famous Jewish religious leader, one of the most important figures in Jewish history. He is associated with the development of the Mishnah and the Talmud...
Academy of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. Off the court Levine, who is Jewish, keeps kosher at home, and he plays with a Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
on his chain. He can read and write Hebrew. Levine, along with Dudi Sela
Dudi Sela
David "Dudi" Sela is an Israeli professional tennis player.Sela reached a career-high singles ranking of # 29 in July 2009. He is currently Israel's top men's singles player, ahead of Amir Weintraub.As a 17-year-old junior, he won the 2003 French Open boys' doubles championship with his doubles...
, Sergio Roitman
Sergio Roitman
Sergio Andres Roitman in Buenos Aires, Argentina, nicknamed Escopeta is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina....
and Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli professional tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is World No. 11, which she achieved on January 31, 2011 ....
is one of a number of young Jewish tennis players who are highly ranked. "I have a lot of contact with the Israeli players, like Ram, Erlich, Sela, and Levy. They sometimes ask me when I will play for Israel in the Davis Cup", he said. He also appreciates the Jewish fans who cheer for him. At one tournament, they cheered and said things such as: "Come on, man, your opponent hasn't even had his circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
yet!"
Levine and his family moved to Florida in the US when he was 13 years old, because his younger brother Daniel suffers from ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon , that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset...
and the year-round warm weather was much better for him. Levine currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
, and now considers himself "100% American", saying that if he were to play 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...
, it would be for the US.
Junior tennis career
In 2001 he stunned Donald Young in the final of the U.S. Clay Court 14 Nationals at the Jimmy EvertJimmy Evert
James "Jimmy" Evert is a tennis coach and former tennis player from the United States. He is the father of Chris Evert, who was one of the world's top women tennis players in the 1970s and 1980s....
Tennis Center in Fort Lauderdale. Levine had won the first set, lost the second, and found himself trailing 0–5 with Young serving for match point
Match point
Match point may refer to:* Match point is won if the player in the lead scores * Match Point, a 2005 film directed by Woody Allen* Bridge...
at 40–15. They were already bringing in the table for the trophy presentation, when Levine ran off an astonishing 23 consecutive points. He won 7–5 in the third.
In 2003 he won the USTA boys 16s doubles championship with partner Jean Yves Aubone, and the Eddie Herr International Boys under-16s singles title. He finished the year ranked 11th in the USTA boys' 16 division. In 2004 he won the Eddie Herr International Boys 18s doubles championship with Michael Shabaz
Michael Shabaz
Michael Shabaz is an American tennis player who won the 2005 Wimbledon boys' doubles championship with Jesse Levine, and currently a NCAA tennis player for the University of Virginia Cavaliers.-Early life:...
, an Iranian-born Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
-American.
At the 2005 USTA Junior Nationals, where he lost in the singles semifinals and doubles finals, both 7–6 in the third set, he was judged to have the best service return. He won the 2005 Wimbledon
2005 Wimbledon Championships
The 2005 Wimbledon Championships was the 119 edition. It was held at the All England Club between 20 June and 3 July.Roger Federer successfully defended the men's singles crown defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. Whilst Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport played the longest women's final in...
boys' doubles championship along with Michael Shabaz over Samuel Groth
Samuel Groth
Samuel Groth is a professional Australian tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 220, which he reached on 16 November 2009...
of Australia and Andrew Kennaugh of Great Britain, 6–4, 6–1. "If you believe in yourself anything can happen", said Levine. He also reached the quarterfinals of the Junior Wimbledon boys' singles tournament that year. Levine was selected to go to the 2005 Maccabiah Games
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union. The Maccabiah Games is the third largest international sports competition in the world...
just after winning the doubles, but decided against it as he was too tired. He finished 2005 ranked 23rd in the USTA national junior rankings.
He was the runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Junior National Championship to World No. 1 Junior Donald Young, forfeiting in the finals due to food poisoning. He was voted as having the best backhand
Backhand
The backhand is a tennis shot in which one swings the racquet around one's body in the direction where one wants the ball to go, usually performed from the baseline or as an approach shot. The term is also used in other racquet sports, and other areas where a similar motion is employed...
.
His highest International Tennis Federation
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
World Junior Ranking was No. 14.
He attended Boca Prep International School (which Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
and Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
had also attended) on a soccer scholarship for 1½ years (playing with Jozy Altidore
Jozy Altidore
Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore is an American soccer player currently playing for Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, and for the United States national team....
, a U.S. national team member in 2008 signed a $10 million deal with Villarreal of La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
), before leaving Boca Prep in the middle of 10th grade because the new headmaster wasn't as flexible with his travel schedule, and switching to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
Online High School, where he was class of 2007. The online school offered an academic program for athletes who were too busy to attend traditional bricks-and-mortar high schools. Levine did most of his junior training at the Chris Evert
Chris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No...
Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, which is adjacent to Boca Prep (where he received the senior male sportsmanship award from Chris Evert
Chris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No...
and was named the academy's Male Player of the Year by his peers), and the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
The Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy is located in Bradenton, Florida, and was founded in 1978 by Nick Bollettieri as a full-time tennis boarding school that combines intensive tennis training with an academic curriculum....
in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
(for two years), and then decided that at least a year or two of college would be a better choice than turning professional at that point.
College career (2007)
Levine enrolled in the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
during the Spring of 2007, and played for the Florida Gators men's tennis
Florida Gators men's tennis
The Florida Gators men's tennis team represents the University of Florida in the sport of tennis. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference . The team hosts its home matches in Linder Stadium on the university's Gainesville,...
team. He subsequently withdrew from the university in August 2007 to turn pro.
Singles
Levine was 24–1 playing No. 1 singles for the Gators as a freshman. He won all but 3 of his matches in straight sets.In March 2007 he beat 6' 9", 236 pound John Isner
John Isner
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick...
, a senior at University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
who was then the No. 1 player in college tennis, who had been undefeated in his prior 46 matches, and who did not lose another regular-season match all season. On May 23, 2007, Levine lost his first college match, in the quarterfinals in the NCAA Men's Singles
NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
The NCAA Men's Tennis Championships are held to crown a team, individual, and doubles champion in American college tennis. The first intercollegiate championship was held in 1883, 23 years before the founding of the NCAA, with Harvard's Joseph Clark taking the singles title...
to Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
's Alex Slovic, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6. He was ranked # 3 in singles by the NCAA in the final May 2007 standings, only because he did not have as many matches against ranked opponents as the top two players (Isner and Somdev Devvarman
Somdev Devvarman
Somdev Devvarman , is a professional Indian tennis player. Three of Devvarman's college conquests, John Isner, Kevin Anderson, and Jesse Levine have successful pro careers. He hit the headlines for being the only collegiate player to have made three consecutive finals at the NCAA, winning...
), and he was the only freshman in the top 22.
Doubles
Levine also played No. 1 doubles for the Gators with junior Greg Ouellette, and the duo was 21–3 in 2007, rising to # 3 in the final NCAA rankings. Levine and Ouellette were defeated in the quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA Men's Doubles championships 6–7 (4), 6–4, 6–2 by the eventual winners, Middle Tennessee State's Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrom.Awards
Levine was named the Intercollegiate Tennis AssociationIntercollegiate Tennis Association
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is an organization of 1,500 coaches and 15,000 collegiate tennis players, encompassing more than 1,000 college tennis programs...
(ITA) 2007 National Rookie of the Year, and also was one of 10 players nationally to be selected to the 2007 ITA All-America Team for NCAA Division I men's tennis in both singles and doubles play. Levine was in addition named 2007 Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) Freshman of the Year, after going 11–0 at the No. 1 singles position in SEC play, and was named to the 2007 men's tennis All-SEC first team. He was also named the SEC Men's Tennis Player of the Week twice in 2007.
2007
Levine missed the Gators' first dual match of the season, on January 31, 2007, because he was at the Delray Beach International Tennis ChampionshipsDelray Beach International Tennis Championships
The International Tennis Championships is an ATP World Tour 250 series men's tennis tournament held every year in Delray Beach, Florida, and played on hard courts. The event was held in Coral Springs from 1993–1998; in 1999, it was relocated to the Delray Beach Tennis Center...
, where he defeated Łukasz Kubot of Poland (ranked # 118) 6–3, 6–2, and Kevin Kim
Kevin Kim
- External links :* *...
of the US (ranked # 107) 6–2, 6–2, but lost to Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
of Germany (ranked # 54) 3–6, 3–6.
He also received a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
into the BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
Tennis Championship, where he lost 7–6 (4), 7–6 (3), to Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
.
In July 2007 Levine accepted an invitation from 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...
, ranked # 1 in the world, to join him in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
to practice with Federer for 10 days. "I thought it was a joke ... I thought it was one of my college buddies playing a prank on me, but it was for real", Levine said. Twice he and Federer played match sets, both of which Federer won, 6–4.
Levine withdrew from college prior to the 2007 U.S. Open, his first tournament as a professional. As a wildcard there, after receiving good luck wishes from Federer, he was defeated by world # 4 Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
in the first round, 6–4, 6–0, 6–1. "I was really nervous", Levine said, "but it was an amazing experience." In doubles, however, he won his first round match, pairing with Alex Kuznetsov
Alex Kuznetsov
----Alex Kuznetsov is an American tennis player, accomplished in junior tennis. He moved from Ukraine to the US when he was 3 years old...
, over Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý is a retired professional tennis player from Slovakia.-Personal life:Hrbatý was born on 4 January 1978 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. His father was an architecture engineer and his younger brother is an umpire...
of Slovakia and Harel Levy
Harel Levy
Har'el Levy is an Israeli professional male tennis player. Levy's best singles ranking was # 30 in the world in 2001, and his best doubles ranking was # 76 in 2007....
of Israel, 6–1, 6–4, and their second round match upsetting 7th-seeded Frenchmen Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...
and Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
7–6 (5), 6–4, before losing in the third round to 9th-seeded Czechs Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý is a professional Czech tennis player on the ATP Tour. A doubles specialist, Dlouhý reached a career-high ranking of World Number 5 on June 22, 2009.-2006-2008:...
and Pavel Vízner
Pavel Vízner
Pavel Vízner is a professional male tennis player from the Czech Republic. Vízner has reached the French Open final twice, having had turned professional in 1990 and achieved a career high doubles ranking of World Number 5 on September 10, 2007.- Career :While Vízner had played tournaments in 1988...
, 6–4, 7–5.
In November 2007, Levine won his first pro title, the $75,000 Music City Challenger
Music City Challenger
The Music City Challenger is a tennis tournament held in Nashville, Tennessee since 2004. The event is part of the challenger series and is played on indoor hard courts.-Singles:-Doubles:- External links :**...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, along the way beating world # 109 Robert Kendrick
Robert Kendrick
Robert Bradley Kendrick is an American tennis player. He turned professional in 1999. His career high single ranking is world no. 69, achieved on July 20, 2009. He was suspended for a year after testing positive at the 2011 French Open for the drug methylhexanamine, which has been banned in sport...
of the US, 7–5, 6–4, # 148 Sam Warburg
Sam Warburg
Sam Warburg is a retired American male tennis player.- College career :Warburg was a 4-time All -American for Stanford University, and won the NCAA Doubles Championship in 2004. He also won the 2004 & 2005 PAC-10 Singles titles...
of the US, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, and # 170 Dušan Vemić
Dušan Vemic
Dušan Vemić is a Serbian professional tennis player. He was born on June 17, 1976, in Zadar, in Yugoslavia, now Croatia; he currently lives in Belgrade.-Professional career:...
of Serbia, 6–2, 7–5. "That first pro title was a big deal for me", Levine said. "I called my parents to tell them I'd won. I was pretty excited."
Levine then won the very next tournament that same month, the $50,000 JSM Challenger
JSM Challenger
The JSM Challenger is a tennis tournament held in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois since 1996. The event is part of the challenger series and is played on indoor hard courts.-Singles:-Doubles:- External links :***...
in Champaign, Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
, at the University of Illinois. In the second round he defeated # 197 Kevin Kim, 6–1, 7–5, and in the semifinals he again beat Isner, now world # 118, this time 7–6 (5), 6–3. In the finals Levine topped Donald Young (world # 106), 7–6 (4), 7–6 (4), capping a week in which he did not lose a single set. He had won 8 of his last 9 matches against top-200 competition, and the one loss (which was to Young) he had subsequently avenged with his win against Young. With the win, Levine catapulted to # 192 in the world, continuing his meteoric rise.
Still later in November, he began the $50,000 Knoxville Challenger tournament in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
by defeating former US Junior champion Michael McClune
Michael McClune
Michael McClune is an American professional tennis player.He turned professional in 2007, is represented by Olivier van Lindonk of IMG, and signed a lucrative contract with Nike.-Junior career:...
, 6–4, 6–1, in the first round, but three rounds later lost to Kevin Kim in the semifinals. The loss broke Levine's 16-match winning streak.
In early December, he and Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
defeated Robert Kendrick and Amer Delic
Amer Delic
Amer Delić is a Bosnian tennis player. Representing the United States as a tour player until 2009, he now represents the country of his birth, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is a member of its Davis Cup team....
7–6, 6–4, in a fast-paced match on Har-Tru at the OMNI Healthcare/Harris "Rally with Roddick" charity tennis exhibition in Indian Harbour Beach.
In late December Levine won a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
berth into the main draw of the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
. The USTA had asked Levine and two other young American men to play off for the wild card that the organization had received in a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia is the governing body for the sport of Tennis in Australia. The organisation exists to promote tennis and conduct domestic and international tournaments on behalf of Australia, including the Australian Open and the Davis Cup for the Australian Davis Cup Team...
. The other players selected based on age (22 and under) and ranking (top 200) to compete in Boca Raton, Florida, were Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik is a professional left-handed American tennis player, with a two-handed backhand.His career-high in singles was # 77, as of April 13, 2009...
and Kuznetsov. They played in a round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
format, and Levine went undefeated. "It definitely feels good not having it just handed out", Levine said after defeating Odesnik 6–4, 6–0. He trained and played sets with Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi is a professional tennis player from Belarus.Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a...
, Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
, Andy Murray, and Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
. Levine played qualifying in a couple of pre-Grand Slam tournaments in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Sydney. He still flew coach
Economy class
__FORCETOC__Economy class, also called coach class , steerage, or standard class, is the lowest class of seating in air travel, rail travel, and sometimes ferry or maritime travel....
Down Under
Down Under
The term Down Under is a colloquialism which is variously construed either to refer to Australia and New Zealand, or Australia alone. The term comes from the fact that these countries are located in the southern hemisphere, below many other countries on the globe.The persistence of the media use of...
. "I'll have to make a lot more money before I can go first class
First class (aviation)
First class is a luxury travel class on some airliners that exceeds business class, premium economy, and economy class. On a passenger jetliner, first class refers to a limited number of seats or cabins located in the front of the aircraft which are notable for their comfort, service, and privacy...
", he said.
Levine ended the year with a 20–10 match record, and ranked # 192.
2008
In January 2008, at the Australian Open2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
, Levine beat Martín Vassallo Argüello
Martín Vassallo Argüello
Martin Miguel Vassallo Argüello is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. His career-high ATP entry ranking is #47 .He turned pro in 1999...
of Argentina, a 26-year-old veteran ranked # 77 in the world, to advance to the Open's second round. There, Levine played a scrappy match against fellow lefty, No. 24 seed Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
. But despite serving for the set at 5–3 in both the second and third sets, Levine went down 6–2, 7–5, 7–6 (7–2) to the Finn. "I felt like I was right there, and definitely had my chances in the second and third (sets). I have to work on converting a little better", said Levine. "Maybe I got a little too antsy, and tried to go for a little too much, maybe stepped too hard on the pedal instead of taking a foot off."
At the personal request of U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe
Patrick McEnroe
Patrick John McEnroe is a former professional tennis player and the former captain of the United States Davis Cup team.Born in Manhasset, New York, he is the younger brother of John McEnroe...
, Levine was a practice partner with the U.S. 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...
team in early February in Austria, hitting with Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
, James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
, and twins Bob Bryan
Bob Bryan
Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998...
and Mike Bryan
Mike Bryan
Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan is an American professional tennis player. He stands tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No...
. "First of all, he's a lefty, but also, Jesse has shown a lot of promise since last summer, improved his ranking a lot, and he's a great kid and incredibly hard worker", McEnroe said. "Our guys have a good read on which young guys are working really hard, and they were pushing to invite Jesse. It will be a great experience for him, and he'll help our guys a lot." "One day I played four sets. It was a lot of fun, but my body was sore", Levine said. "The guys are so cool."
In February Levine defeated # 81-ranked Steve Darcis
Steve Darcis
Steve Darcis is a male professional tennis player. He achieved his career high ranking of #44 on 12 May 2008.-2007:...
of Belgium in the first round of the San Jose Open, 6–3, 2–6, 6–4, before losing to James Blake in the second round.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7320141,00.html In May he won all five of his matches, dropping only one set, to win the Bradenton, Florida Challenger event. He also won the Türk Telecom İzmir Cup
Türk Telecom İzmir Cup
The Türk Telecom İzmir Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It has been held annually at the UTEM Tennis Club in İzmir, Turkey, since 2008....
challenger tournament in doubles in Turkey, with partner Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori
is a Japanese tennis player, currently ranked 25th in the world, as of 10 October 2011. He began playing tennis at the age of five, and on 17 July 2007 he qualified for his first ATP main draw event at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, California at the age of 17.-Junior career:Nishikori won...
of Japan.
In June at Wimbledon
2008 Wimbledon Championships
The 2008 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 122nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam event of the year...
, after qualifying by winning three matches, and then getting "shivers" on his arms as he walked out for his opening match, he beat world # 85 Donald Young in the first round, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4. It was the first four-set match he had ever played. The key was Levine's persistent net play; he approached net 32 times, winning 25 of the points. In the next round he lost, in his first five-set match ever, to Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
4–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1.
In July in Newport on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
, he beat No. 5 seeded, world # 83 John Isner 6–3, 6–1. Later in the month he beat Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
of Germany, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 (6), at the Rogers' Cup
Canada Masters
The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...
in Toronto. In August at the New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
International Series, he beat world # 67 Guillermo García López
Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his...
of Spain 6–0, 6–3, and world # 61 Steve Darcis, 2–0, retired. He broke into the top 100, at 96, on August 25.
In October Federer again invited Levine to join him for an extended practice session in Dubai, as preparation for the Australian Open.
2009
In April at the US Men's Clay Court Championships2009 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
The 2009 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 41st edition of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, and is an ATP World Tour 250 event. It takes place at River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, United States, from April 6 through...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Levine, ranked 289th in doubles in the world, and doubles partner Ryan Sweeting
Ryan Sweeting
Ryan Sweeting is a Bahamian-born American professional tennis player.-Tennis career:Sweeting was born in Nassau, Bahamas, and has lived and trained in Ft. Lauderdale since the age of 12...
from the Bahamas, ranked 405th in doubles, made it into the draw via wild card, and in the first round defeated 3rd-seeded world doubles # 40 Lucas Arnold Ker
Lucas Arnold Ker
Lucas Arnold Ker is a professional tennis player from Argentina.Arnold Ker started playing tennis in the Olivos Tenis Club of Buenos Aires, under coach Malcolm Campbell....
and world doubles # 61 Martin Damm
Martin Damm
Martin Damm was a professional tennis player from Czechia. He is 6'2" 195 lb and is best known as a doubles player . ,his highest singles ranking 42 as of August 1997...
, 6–2, 6–4. In the quarterfinals they beat world doubles # 66 Jaroslav Levinský
Jaroslav Levinský
Jaroslav Levinský is a professional doubles tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Mixed doubles: 1 :-Doubles: 5 :-External links:...
and # 82 Pavel Vízner
Pavel Vízner
Pavel Vízner is a professional male tennis player from the Czech Republic. Vízner has reached the French Open final twice, having had turned professional in 1990 and achieved a career high doubles ranking of World Number 5 on September 10, 2007.- Career :While Vízner had played tournaments in 1988...
, 7–6 (6), 6–4, and in the semifinals they defeated 2nd-seeded world doubles # 30 Ashley Fisher
Ashley Fisher
Ashley Fisher is a professional tennis player who comes from New South Wales in Australia. Fisher turned professional in 1998. Fisher has never played a major singles match on the ATP Tour, but has won four notable doubles titles on tour. The doubles specialist reached his highest doubles ranking...
and # 29 Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr is an Australian professional tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 356th, which he reached on 7 August 2000. His career high in doubles was at 23rd, which he reached on 18 August 2008...
3–6, 6–3, 10–4. They lost to Americans Bob and Mike Bryan
Bob and Mike Bryan
Twin brothers Robert Charles Bryan and Michael Carl Bryan are American professional tennis double players. They have been the World No. 1 doubles player for over 270 weeks and have finished the ATP year-end number 1 doubles team a record 7 times...
, ranked # 1 in the world, in the doubles final, 6–1, 6–2.
Levine qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon 2009
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
, after defeating Australian Samuel Groth
Samuel Groth
Samuel Groth is a professional Australian tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 220, which he reached on 16 November 2009...
6–4, 6–7 (3), 7–5, German Dieter Kindlmann
Dieter Kindlmann
Dieter Kindlmann is a professional German tennis player. He reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP Tour on July 26, 2004, when he became World number 130...
6–2, 6–3, and German Matthias Bachinger
Matthias Bachinger
Matthias Bachinger is a professional tennis player from Germany who turned professional in 2005. His career high rank was No. 85, achieved on August 15, 2011.-Professional career:...
6–2, 7–5, 6–2.
In the first round of the main Wimbledon draw, in the biggest win of his career Levine upset world # 24 (and former world # 1, and two-time Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
champion) Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
of Russia 6–2, 3–6, 7–6 (4), 6–4. Levine, ranked 133rd, took the ball on the rise and forced points during the match, held at love in the final game, and hit a service winner on match point
Match point
Match point may refer to:* Match point is won if the player in the lead scores * Match Point, a 2005 film directed by Woody Allen* Bridge...
. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described Levine as "a feisty little terrier who kept harrying away at his towering opponent", and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted that: "If you stand them side by side" Levine and Safin "look a little like David and Goliath. Levine ... is seven inches (178 mm) shorter and 45 pounds lighter than Safin, but when it counted ... the American was faster and stronger." When Levine clinched the win he looked up and pointed into the sky, a tribute to his biggest fan, his grandmother Lillian Kimmel with whom he was very close, who had died three years prior but whose spirit he felt with him during his match. It was Levine's first career win over a top-50 player. Safin said that he had known before the match that Levine was a "talented lefty, tough player, fast ... gonna go for it. He's a tough one."
In the second round Levine defeated Uruguay's top tennis player, Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz is a Uruguayan professional tennis player. Cuevas won the 2008 French Open Men's Doubles title with Luis Horna....
, 6–2, 6–1, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3. "I think my win the other day against Marat really gave me a confidence booster", he said. It was Levine's first five-set victory, and only his second five-set match. "I could have played a little bit longer", he said, "But I'm glad I didn't have to." Levine and Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
were the only two American men left standing in the tournament, and Levine was also by far the lowest-ranked player left in the men's draw. Levine next faced Olympic gold medalist, world # 18, 19th seed Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
of Switzerland, in Levine's first trip to the third round in a Grand Slam. "Once again I'm the underdog", said Levine." "I've got nothing to lose, so I'll go out there swinging away. For the first set and a half of their match, Levine (described by The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
as having "the pugnacity of Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
and the fashion sense of Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
") looked as though it was he who was the top 20 player, as he hit low forehands and approached and dominated the net, but in the end Wawrinka prevailed, 5–7, 7–5, 6–3, 6–3, despite Levine saving 17 of 23 break points in the match.
Levine next played in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
The Hall of Fame Championships is an international tennis tournament that has been held every year in July since 1976 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island...
in Newport, Rhode Island, making it as far as the quarterfinals, and along the way upsetting sixth-seeded world # 48 German Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
, 7–6 (3), 6–2. It was his second win over a top-50 player in three weeks.
In late July Levine qualified for the 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships
2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships
The 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 22nd edition of the event known that year as the Indianapolis Tennis Championships and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
in singles. In doubles Levine partnered Israeli Dudi Sela
Dudi Sela
David "Dudi" Sela is an Israeli professional tennis player.Sela reached a career-high singles ranking of # 29 in July 2009. He is currently Israel's top men's singles player, ahead of Amir Weintraub.As a 17-year-old junior, he won the 2003 French Open boys' doubles championship with his doubles...
, and defeated Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin is a professional Uzbek tennis player. His career high rank is #39, achieved on August 30, 2010. He is coached by his mother.- 2006 :...
of Uzbekistan and Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna is a French tennis player. While a junior, he reached the final of the 2004 Australian Open. On October 20, 2008, he beat #46 Ivan Ljubičić in the first round of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon as a wild-card entry ranked #182. He then beat #83 Nicolás Lapentti but lost to #10...
of France 6–4, 6–4 to make it to the quarterfinals.
Entering the 2009 US Open
2009 US Open - Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro in the final, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7, 2–6.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Andy Murray # Rafael Nadal # Novak Djokovic ...
via wild card, he won his first round match in straight sets over Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 7–5, 6–1, 6–2.
Style of play
Among his strengths as a player are that he is extremely fast and explosive, "quick-footed" with "great feet", "a superb forehand", and what John McEnroeJohn McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
has referred to as "great racket speed"; he is also "a hard worker and a natural leader." He has dazzling hand-eye coordination, which allows him to take the ball exceptionally early. He has all the shots, but his return of serve is his most valuable asset, and he cleverly constructs points. He is a serviceable volley
Volley (tennis)
A volley in tennis is a shot in which the ball is struck before it bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although it can be executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or even near the baseline....
er, who likes coming in to the net, and is not afraid to move forward as points play out.
He also runs everything down. "He's got a great heart", said Larry Stefanki
Larry Stefanki
Larry Stefanki , is an American tennis coach and former professional tennis player.-Tennis career:...
, who coaches Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
and has previously worked with John McEnroe, Marcelo Ríos
Marcelo Ríos
Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998. He held the World No...
, Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
and Tim Henman
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE is a retired English professional tennis player and former British Number One. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis that suited the grass courts of Wimbledon. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the...
. "A lot of players today are fast and fit, but just don't seem to play every point at 100%. It's like they're almost on cruise control and then want to play hard when it gets to 4-all or 5-all", Stefanki said. "I think because Jesse's so small and he doesn't want to give any free points, he tries every point 100%. That's a big asset out there."
The average professional tennis player is 3 inches (76.2 mm) taller and 20 pounds heavier than Levine, who is "generously" listed at 5' 9", 150.
Personal
Levine has a German Shepherd dog, named "Sarite". He is also good friends with Canadian NHLNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
ice hockey centre Jason Spezza
Jason Spezza
Jason Anthony Rocco Spezza is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, an alternate captain of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League...
.
Singles Titles
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (0) |
| Challengers (3) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | November 5, 2007 |  NashvilleMusic City Challenger The Music City Challenger is a tennis tournament held in Nashville, Tennessee since 2004. The event is part of the challenger series and is played on indoor hard courts.-Singles:-Doubles:- External links :**... |
Hard (I) | Alex Kuznetsov Alex Kuznetsov ----Alex Kuznetsov is an American tennis player, accomplished in junior tennis. He moved from Ukraine to the US when he was 3 years old... |
3–6, 6–2, 7–6 |
| 2. | November 12, 2007 | Champaign JSM Challenger The JSM Challenger is a tennis tournament held in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois since 1996. The event is part of the challenger series and is played on indoor hard courts.-Singles:-Doubles:- External links :***... |
Hard (I) | Donald Young |
7–6, 7–6 |
| 3. | November 13, 2011 | Knoxville Knoxville Challenger The Knoxville Challenger is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor Hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, since 2000.-Singles:... |
Hard | Brian Baker Brian Baker (tennis) Brian Baker is a professionally ranked tennis player from Nashville, Tennessee.Baker's biggest win occurred on On August 29, 2005, when he scored an upset victory over ninth seeded Gastón Gaudio in the 2005 US Open, in Baker's only appearance in the grand slam event main draw.Baker originally... |
6–2, 6–3 |
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of Florida Gators tennis players
- List of notable Jewish tennis players
External links
- Levine Recent Match Results
- Levine World Ranking History
- Juniors Bio and match history
- University of Florida bio
- "Ottawa-born Levine a Wimbledon champ; Captures boys' doubles title at All England Club," 7/7/05
- "Early Returns," 4/5/07
- "Determined Levine steadfast in making a name for himself," ESPN, 8/20/08
- Video Interview, "Wilson Tennis On Tour Jesse Levine and Sergeant Major at Wimbledon, 6/24/09
- Video Interview, "Jesse Levine On Advancing To Third Round," ESPN, 6/26/09