Karol Beck
Encyclopedia
Karol Beck is a male tennis
player from Slovakia
, who turned professional in 2001. He has been ranked as high as 36th in the world (August 22, 2005).
to Mikhail Youzhny
6–2, 6–2.
On February 13, 2006 the International Tennis Federation
(ITF) announced Beck had tested positive for the beta agonist clenbuterol
during the 2005 Davis Cup
semifinal for Slovakia
against Argentina
, which Slovakia won 4–1. As a consequence, the ITF suspended him from the game for two years until October 31, 2007.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/4665526.stm
He had to go through qualifying rounds in every tournament.
Without a ranking, he had to choose the Tunis challenger as his first tournament to qualify in.
He qualified and won his first round match to get his first ranking points.
The next week, he had a wild card entry into qualifying for the big Dnepropetrovsk
challenger, and qualified to pick up some more points.
He qualified a couple more times at challengers and futures tournaments before winning his final tournament of 2007, the Czech F6 Futures, to finish up the year at #581 after just 5 tournaments
in 6 weeks.
Germany's F1 Futures, to boost his ranking into the top-500.
ranked as 143rd in the world. He was a lucky loser
due to the withdrawal of World No. 1, Rafael Nadal
. He was drawn against 21st seed Feliciano López
in the first round and won a thrilling five set encounter 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 4–6, 10–8 to reach the second round of a Grand Slam
for the first time since the Australian Open
in 2005. In the second round at Wimbledon he would meet another Spanish player in Nicolás Almagro
. The match again went to five sets but Beck lost 4–6, 6–7, 6–3, 6–3, 5–7.
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 from Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, who turned professional in 2001. He has been ranked as high as 36th in the world (August 22, 2005).
Career
On October 25, 2004, Beck lost in the final of the St. Petersburg OpenSt. Petersburg Open
The St. Petersburg Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It has been held annually at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia,...
to Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
6–2, 6–2.
On February 13, 2006 the 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...
(ITF) announced Beck had tested positive for the beta agonist clenbuterol
Clenbuterol
Clenbuterol is a sympathomimetic amine used by sufferers of breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. People with chronic breathing disorders such as asthma use this as a bronchodilator to make breathing easier...
during the 2005 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...
semifinal for Slovakia
Slovakia Davis Cup team
The Slovakia Davis Cup team represents Slovakia in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Slovak Tennis Association.Slovakia finished as runners-up in 2005, losing 3-2 to Croatia in the final. They currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group I...
against Argentina
Argentina Davis Cup team
The Argentina Davis Cup team represents Argentina in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Asociación Argentina de Tenis.Argentina has never won the tournament, but have finished as the runner-up three times, in 1981, 2006 and 2008....
, which Slovakia won 4–1. As a consequence, the ITF suspended him from the game for two years until October 31, 2007.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/4665526.stm
2007
Beck finished serving his suspension and began playing again in November as an unranked player.He had to go through qualifying rounds in every tournament.
Without a ranking, he had to choose the Tunis challenger as his first tournament to qualify in.
He qualified and won his first round match to get his first ranking points.
The next week, he had a wild card entry into qualifying for the big Dnepropetrovsk
challenger, and qualified to pick up some more points.
He qualified a couple more times at challengers and futures tournaments before winning his final tournament of 2007, the Czech F6 Futures, to finish up the year at #581 after just 5 tournaments
in 6 weeks.
2008
He began 2008 where he left off in 2007, qualifying into and winning his first tournament,Germany's F1 Futures, to boost his ranking into the top-500.
2009
Beck took part in the 2009 Wimbledon Championships2009 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...
ranked as 143rd in the world. He was a lucky loser
Lucky Loser
Lucky Loser is a 2006 Thai sports-comedy about a small, fictional Southeast Asian country's bid to play in the World Cup...
due to the withdrawal of World No. 1, Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. He was drawn against 21st seed Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
in the first round and won a thrilling five set encounter 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 4–6, 10–8 to reach the second round of a 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...
for the first time since 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...
in 2005. In the second round at Wimbledon he would meet another Spanish player in Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
. The match again went to five sets but Beck lost 4–6, 6–7, 6–3, 6–3, 5–7.
Singles: 0 (0-1)
| Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam (0–0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup / ATP World Tour Finals (0–0) |
| ATP Masters Series / ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0) |
| ATP International Series Gold / ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0) |
| ATP International Series / ATP World Tour 250 Series (0-1) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 25 October 2004 |  St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg Open The St. Petersburg Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It has been held annually at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia,... , Russia |
Carpet (i) | Mikhail Youzhny Mikhail Youzhny Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years.... |
2–6, 2–6 |
Challenger Career Finals
| Outcome | No. | Date (Final) | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 6 August 2001 | Togliatti Tolyatti Tolyatti , also known as Togliatti, is a city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It serves as the administrative center of Stavropolsky District, although it is administratively separate from it... , Russia |
Hard |  Alexander PeyaAlexander Peya Alexander Peya is an Austrian male tennis player. He reached a career high singles ranking of No. 92 on April 30, 2007. His career high doubles ranking was No. 48 on January 15, 2007. He was born in Vienna, Austria, and currently resides there.In September 2008 Peya helped Austria to a Davis Cup... |
2–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 8 July 2002 |  BristolBristol Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007... , England |
Grass | Alexander Peya Alexander Peya Alexander Peya is an Austrian male tennis player. He reached a career high singles ranking of No. 92 on April 30, 2007. His career high doubles ranking was No. 48 on January 15, 2007. He was born in Vienna, Austria, and currently resides there.In September 2008 Peya helped Austria to a Davis Cup... |
6–0, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 15 July 2002 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... , England |
Grass |  Vladimir VoltchkovVladimir Voltchkov Vladimir Nikolayevich Voltchkov is a Belarusian tennis player. Voltchkov reached the semi-final at the 2000 Wimbledon, where, as a qualifer, he lost to Pete Sampras in straight sets... |
4–6, 6–7(2–7) |
| Runner-up | 3. | 4 November 2002 |  BratislavaBratislava Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava... , Slovakia |
Carpet (I) |  Antony Dupuis |
6–4, 4–6, 6–7(1–7) |
| Winner | 2. | 20 January 2003 |  HeilbronnIntersport Heilbronn Open The Intersport Heilbronn Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually in Talheim, Germany, since 1984.-Singles:-Doubles:... , Germany |
Carpet (I) | 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... |
6–2, 5–7, 7–6(7–5) |
| Runner-up | 4. | 17 February 2003 | Andrezieux, France |
Hard (I) | Thierry Ascione Thierry Ascione Thierry Ascione is a retired professional tour male tennis player from France. He is 6'2" and weighs just under . He turned pro in 2000 and retired in September, 2010.... |
4–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 2 February 2004 |  Wrocław, Poland |
Hard (I) |  Jan HernychJan Hernych Jan Mauda Hernych is a professional male tennis player from Czech Republic. Born in Prague, he turned pro in 1998 and achieved his highest ranking of World No. 59 on 27 April 2009. He is currently 241st in the ATP rankings.-External links:... |
6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 4. | 31 May 2004 | Surbiton Surbiton Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates... , England |
Grass |  Wesley MoodieWesley Moodie Wesley Moodie is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. Wesley is now retired.-Early life and college career:... |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 5. | 14 March 2005 |  SunriseSunrise Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Sunrise should not be confused with dawn, which is the point at which the sky begins to lighten, some time before the sun itself appears, ending twilight... , United States |
Hard |  Davide SanguinettiDavide Sanguinetti Davide Sanguinetti is an Italian former professional male tennis player.Born in Viareggio in Tuscany, he attended the Harry Hopman academy in Florida and then UCLA... |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 13 October 2008 |  KoldingKolding Kolding is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in Region of Southern Denmark . It is the site of the council Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, principally geared towards shipbuilding... , Denmark |
Hard (I) |  Roko KaranušićRoko Karanušic Roko Karanušić is a Croatian professional tennis player. He turned pro in 2000, and his career high was on February 2, 2009, when he reached No. 88 in the ATP rankings.-Singles Titles:... |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 17 November 2008 |  HelsinkiHelsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland |
Hard (I) | Dmitry Tursunov Dmitry Tursunov Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov is a Russian professional male tennis player. He was 12 years old when he came to the United States to train and further his prospects of becoming a professional player.... |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 26 January 2009 | Heilbronn Intersport Heilbronn Open The Intersport Heilbronn Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually in Talheim, Germany, since 1984.-Singles:-Doubles:... , Germany |
Carpet (I) | 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.... |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 6. | 6 July 2009 |  PozoblancoPozoblanco Pozoblanco is a town in the province of Córdoba, southern Spain, in the north-central part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located near the headwaters of the Guadamatillas and of other small sub-tributaries of the Guadiana, in the lowlands of Los Pedroches, which lie between the... , Spain |
Hard |  Thiago AlvesThiago Alves Thiago Alves d'Araujo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He started training in Muay Thai when he was 15 and mixed martial arts at 17. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been described as a "Muay Thai wrecking machine". As of July 2011, He is currently ranked the #10 welterweight... |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 7. | 8 February 2010 | Bergamo, Italy |
Hard (I) |  Gilles MüllerGilles Müller Gilles Müller is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. He was a US Open junior champion and is the most successful male tennis player in the history of his country... |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 8. | 15 February 2010 |  BelgradeGEMAX Open The MT:S Open powered by Sony Ericsson is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually at the Tennis Club Gemax in Belgrade, Serbia, since 2002.-Singles:-Doubles:-External links:**... , Serbia |
Carpet (I) | Ilija Bozoljac Ilija Bozoljac Ilija Bozoljac or Ilia Bozoljac is a professional male tennis player from Serbia.... |
7–5, 7–6(7–4) |
| Runner-up | 8. | 8 March 2010 |  SarajevoBH Telecom Indoors The BH Telecom Indoors is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, since 2003.-Singles:... , Bosnia & Herzegovina |
Hard (I) | Édouard Roger-Vasselin Édouard Roger-Vasselin Édouard Roger-Vasselin is a male tennis player from France, the son of 1983 French Open semifinalist Christophe Roger-Vasselin.-2007:... |
7–6(7–5), 3–6, 0–1 ret. |
| Winner | 9. | 11 October 2010 |  TashkentTashkent Challenger The Tashkent Challenger is a tennis tournament held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan since 2008. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour and is played on indoor hard courts.-Singles:-Doubles:- External links :**... , Uzbekistan |
Hard | Gilles Müller Gilles Müller Gilles Müller is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. He was a US Open junior champion and is the most successful male tennis player in the history of his country... |
6–7(4–7), 6–4, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 13 March 2011 | Sarajevo BH Telecom Indoors The BH Telecom Indoors is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, since 2003.-Singles:... , Bosnia & Herzegovina |
Hard (I) | Amer Delić 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.... |
W/O |
| Winner | 10. | 7 August 2011 | Segovia, Spain |
Hard | Grégoire Burquier |
6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
| Runner-up | 10. | 6 November 2011 | Eckental, Germany |
Carpet (I) | Rajeev Ram Rajeev Ram Rajeev Ram is an American professional tennis player on the ATP Tour. Rajeev is a tall, lanky player with a serve-and-volley style who is known best as a doubles specialist. He has advanced as far as the quarter-finals in doubles at three Grand Slams, most recently with Scott Lipsky at the 2011... |
4–6, 2–6 |
Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
A | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | A | A | LQ | LQ | 1R | 3–4 |
| French Open | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | LQ | 1R | A | 0–4 |
| Wimbledon | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | A | LQ | 2R | 2R | 3R | 7–7 |
| US Open | A | 1R | 4R | 1R | A | A | LQ | 1R | LQ | 1R | 3–5 |
| Win–Loss | 1–1 | 0–4 | 6–4 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 13–20 |