Luka Gregorc
Encyclopedia
Luka Gregorc is a tennis
player from Slovenia
. Gregorc reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 172 on August 3, 2009, and highest doubles ranking on September 12, 2005, reaching World Number 557. He lives in the United States, in the city of Boca Raton, Florida
.
tournaments, reaching late stages in junior competitions there, including a semifinal run in doubles at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships
with Jamaica
's Ryan Russell
.
, Slovenia, a Futures
tournament, which he lost to Uros Vico
of Italy, 6–1, 6–3, in the first round. He won his first match in his second tournament, another Futures tournament, this time located in Jamaica, before losing in the next round. In 2002, Gregorc reached a final in Montego Bay
, Jamaica, but lost in the final to Brandon Wagner
of the United States. He started to produce better results later on in the year, but in 2003 he didn't show as formidable tennis.
Gregorc has played and plays for Slovenia's Davis Cup team, playing singles and doubles in 2004, 2006, and 2007, partnering with Mario Tkalec once and Grega Žemlja
multiple times. He posted a 1–2 singles record in the 2007 Davis Cup
, beating his Estonia
n opponent Jürgen Zopp
before losing two singles rubbers to Morocco
's Younes El Aynaoui
and Rabie Chaki. He is 4–5 in overall performances, a record that includes both singles and doubles, at the Davis Cup.
The same happened in 2004 and 2005, however, Gregorc won his first match in his first main-level Association of Tennis Professionals
ATP tournament, in Beijing
, China, but lost. Finally, in 2006, he won his first tournament, winning a Futures tournament in Venezuela
over Yohny Romero, playing in his native nation, in the final, before winning 1–6, 6–0, 6–3. So far, it is Gregorc's only singles title. However, he has also participated in Challenger
tournaments, and has won matches in ATP tournaments in Asia, and one at the Delray Beach tournament. He has also won ATP matches since his loss in Beijing in 2005.
In doubles, Gregorc did win a Futures tournament with Roger Anderson in Montego Bay in 2002, and won another Futures title with Anderson before winning one with his current coach Marcos Ondruska
.
tournament, Gregorc made a monumental run to the semifinals by beating many higher-ranked players. First, the Slovenian defeated fellow qualifier Ramón Delgado
of Paraguay
, before beating fourteenth seed José Acasuso
6–4, 6–4 to advance to the third round. Then, he beat Ivo Karlović
, the tournament's second seed, in the third round, 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–2, before continuing his unexpected run by beating highly-seeded Andreas Seppi
, 4–6, 6–4, 7-5. His amazing feat was ended by Marin Čilić
in the semi-finals.
he became first Slovenian male player in history to qualified and entered on any Grand Slam Tournament.
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 Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Gregorc reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 172 on August 3, 2009, and highest doubles ranking on September 12, 2005, reaching World Number 557. He lives in the United States, in the city of 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...
.
Juniors
Gregorc's highest junior rankings were ninth in singles competition and fourteenth in doubles competition. He has had success at Grand SlamGrand 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...
tournaments, reaching late stages in junior competitions there, including a semifinal run in doubles at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships
2001 Wimbledon Championships
The 2001 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom the event was part of the 2001 ATP Tour and 2001 WTA Tour. The tournament was held from June 25 to July 9, 2001...
with Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
's Ryan Russell
Ryan Russell
Ryan Russell is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently part of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization and plays with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL, affiliate of the Blue Jackets. Russell has not yet played in the NHL. Russell has a twin brother; Kris Russell who plays for...
.
1999–2007: Years leading to success
Gregorc entered his first professional tournament in PortorožPortorož
- External links :**...
, Slovenia, a Futures
ITF Men's Circuit
The ITF Men's Circuit is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world that are organized by the International Tennis Federation. The ITF Men's Circuit represents the lowest rung of the men's professional tennis ladder...
tournament, which he lost to Uros Vico
Uros Vico
Uros Vico is a Croatian-born Italian tennis player.Vico has yet to win any titles on the ATP Tour and has reached one final, in doubles. He plays mainly challenger tournaments.-Wins :-Runners-up :...
of Italy, 6–1, 6–3, in the first round. He won his first match in his second tournament, another Futures tournament, this time located in Jamaica, before losing in the next round. In 2002, Gregorc reached a final in Montego Bay
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...
, Jamaica, but lost in the final to Brandon Wagner
Brandon Wagner
Brandon Wagner is an American racing driver from Lafayette, Indiana. He is a graduate of Central Catholic High School and is currently enrolled at Purdue University....
of the United States. He started to produce better results later on in the year, but in 2003 he didn't show as formidable tennis.
Gregorc has played and plays for Slovenia's Davis Cup team, playing singles and doubles in 2004, 2006, and 2007, partnering with Mario Tkalec once and Grega Žemlja
Grega Žemlja
Grega Žemlja is a tennis player from Slovenia.Žemlja reached his highest world ranking #111 in singles and #252 in doubles. He lives in Kranj, Slovenia...
multiple times. He posted a 1–2 singles record in the 2007 Davis Cup
2007 Davis Cup
The 2007 Davis Cup was the 96th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. Sixteen teams participated in the World Group and 123 took part in different regional groups...
, beating his Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n opponent Jürgen Zopp
Jürgen Zopp
Jürgen Zopp is the current number one Estonian male tennis player. He is a prominent member of the Estonia Davis Cup team.Zopp reached the second round of the Australian and US Open Boys' Tournaments in 2006....
before losing two singles rubbers to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
's Younes El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui is a professional tennis player from Morocco.He is a five-time singles winner on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of No. 14 in 2003, at the age of 31. His long career has been plagued by injuries and he did not play competitive tennis between September...
and Rabie Chaki. He is 4–5 in overall performances, a record that includes both singles and doubles, at the Davis Cup.
The same happened in 2004 and 2005, however, Gregorc won his first match in his first main-level Association of Tennis Professionals
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
ATP tournament, in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China, but lost. Finally, in 2006, he won his first tournament, winning a Futures tournament in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
over Yohny Romero, playing in his native nation, in the final, before winning 1–6, 6–0, 6–3. So far, it is Gregorc's only singles title. However, he has also participated in Challenger
ITF Men's Circuit
The ITF Men's Circuit is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world that are organized by the International Tennis Federation. The ITF Men's Circuit represents the lowest rung of the men's professional tennis ladder...
tournaments, and has won matches in ATP tournaments in Asia, and one at the Delray Beach tournament. He has also won ATP matches since his loss in Beijing in 2005.
In doubles, Gregorc did win a Futures tournament with Roger Anderson in Montego Bay in 2002, and won another Futures title with Anderson before winning one with his current coach Marcos Ondruska
Marcos Ondruska
Marcos Ondruska is a former tennis player from South Africa, who turned professional in 1989. He represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he defeated Goran Ivanišević in the first round before falling to Norway's Christian Ruud...
.
2008 Pilot Pen
At the 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis2008 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...
tournament, Gregorc made a monumental run to the semifinals by beating many higher-ranked players. First, the Slovenian defeated fellow qualifier Ramón Delgado
Ramon Delgado
Ramón Delgado is a tennis player from Paraguay, who turned professional in 1995. At the 1998 French Open, he defeated Pete Sampras in the second round. He has not won a single title during his career so far...
of Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, before beating fourteenth seed José Acasuso
José Acasuso
José Javier "Chucho" Acasuso is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he favours clay. He is known for his strong serve and his hard groundstrokes off both sides...
6–4, 6–4 to advance to the third round. Then, he beat Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
, the tournament's second seed, in the third round, 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–2, before continuing his unexpected run by beating highly-seeded Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi is a professional tennis player from South Tyrol, northern Italy, who turned professional in 2000. He considers clay and hard courts his favourite surfaces. and is coached by Massimo Sartori....
, 4–6, 6–4, 7-5. His amazing feat was ended by Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
in the semi-finals.
2009
At 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...
he became first Slovenian male player in history to qualified and entered on any Grand Slam Tournament.
Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Career Win-Loss | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slams | ||||||||||||
 Australian OpenAustralian 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 | A | A | A | LQ | A | A | 0–0 | ||||
 French Open |
A | A | A | A | LQ | A | 0–0 | |||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 0–1 | |||||
 US OpenU.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
A | A | A | A | LQ | A | 0–0 | |||||
| Win-Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | ||||
| ATP World Tour 500 | ||||||||||||
 TokioJapan Open Tennis Championships The Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships is a tennis tournament held in Ariake Tennis Forest Park with its center court Ariake Coliseum, located in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. The championship includes both men's and women's, as well as singles and doubles competitions... |
A | A | 2R | 1R | LQ | A | 1–2 | |||||
| Win-Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | ||||
| ATP World Tour 250 | ||||||||||||
| Delray Beach Delray 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... |
A | A | A | 1R | LQ | LQ | 0–1 | |||||
| New Haven Pilot Pen Tennis This article is about the former New Haven joint tennis event. It is now a women's-only event. For the New Haven men's tennis event known as Volvo International , click here.... |
A | A | LQ | SF | A | A | 4–1 | |||||
 BeijingChina Open (tennis) The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in... |
1R | 2R | LQ | A | A | A | 1–2 | |||||
| Win-Loss | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 5–4 | ||||
- A = did not participate in the tournament.
- LQ = Lost out in the qualifying stages of the tournament