Robert Kendrick
Encyclopedia
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 since 2010. The ITF
ruled in July 2011 that Kendrick would be banned from the sport for 12 months, effective from May 22, 2011. The ITF also ruled that Kendrick's first-round finish at the 2011 French Open be disqualified, and his ranking points and prize money be taken away
Throughout high school, he competed in junior tennis
and enjoyed some intermittent success. In 1996, he was the runner-up in singles at the 1996 USTA Boys’ 18s National Indoor Championships. Then in 1997, he reached the final in doubles of the Easter Bowl and reached the singles final and took the doubles title at the USTA International Grass Court Championships. In 1998, he attended the University of Washington
, earning All-American in singles and doubles as a sophomore, with a record of 31–9 and got as high as no. 3 in the collegiate rankings that year. He then transferred to Pepperdine University
for his junior year and again attained All-American with an 18–10 record. He reached the round of 16 at the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
, where he lost to Jeff Morrison
.
Kendrick got to the second round of the 2006 ATP Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. He defeated Kevin Kim
, 6–4, 7–5 in the first round, but lost to eighth seed Vincent Spadea,4-6, 1-6, in his second-round match.
Kendrick went into Wimbledon ranked world no. 237. In his first match, he beat Yen-Hsun Lu, 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–0. In the second round, he lost to second seed, Rafael Nadal
. The Spaniard
had to come back for only the second time in his career from two sets down to beat Kendrick, 6–7(4), 3–6, 7–6(2), 7–5, 6–4. Kendrick's performance surprised many. Kendrick was the only player in the tournament to take sets from Nadal on the Spaniard's route to the final, where he lost to top-seeded Swiss Roger Federer
.
Kendrick played in the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tenis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island
. He made it to the quarterfinals, but was beaten by Andy Murray, 0-6, 0-6.
He made amends for the defeat by winning the doubles title with his Austrian playing partner Jürgen Melzer
. In the final, the duo beat South African Jeff Coetzee
and American Justin Gimelstob
.
tournaments. In January at the Australian Open
, he drew Rafael Nadal in the first round and lost, 6-7(6), 3-6, 2-6, committing six double faults and having a low percentage of second-serve points won (38%). Kendrick subsequently lost in the first round of several tournaments before reaching the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida
, where he was defeated in straight sets by Andy Murray. At the French Open, Kendrick again fell in the first round, losing in four sets to world no. 134 Juan Pablo Brzezicki
of Argentina
, again thanks to six double faults and a low percentage of second serve points won (this time, 46%).
At the Queen's Club Championships
in June, he reached the second round and won a set against Novak Djokovic
. At Wimbledon, however, he was not able to reach the second round as he had the previous year, losing a five-setter to Tommy Robredo
. He went 1–3 in the US Open Series, before falling to Igor Andreev
of Russia in the first round of the US Open itself, 6-7(4), 3-6, 4-6. Again, his second serve was a weakness: he won just 42% of second-serve points and double-faulted five times.
While 2007 was largely a lackluster year for Kendrick on the main ATP circuit, he did win three Challenger events: Dallas, Calabasas, and Knoxville. In Calabasas, Kendrick had to defeat two up-and-coming fellow Americans, John Isner
and Donald Young, in the semifinals and finals, respectively.
, then ranked no. 136, 4-6, 5-7, 2-6. Although Kendrick won 76% of points where he got his first serve in, he only won 36% of points where he did not. He was broken five times. Later in that year, he joined up with the apparel company Athletic DNA.
to Robin Söderling
, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6, 5–7. He made it to the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships
, before losing to Evgeny Korolev
, 6–3, 6–6, 5–7, then losing to David Nalbandian
in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, 4–6, 4–6. He beat Söderling in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open, then lost in the third round to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 5–7, 4–6.
Kendrick did not make it out of the first rounds of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships or the Estoril Open
. At the 2009 French Open
, he beat Daniel Brands
, 6–7 (7–9), 7–5, 7–6 (13–11), 4–6, 6–3, to advance to the second round for the first time in his career, where he lost, 5–7, 0–6, 1–6, to Gilles Simon
, who had also defeated him at the Estoril Open.
In the first round at Wimbledon
, he was beaten by Andy Murray, 5–7, 7–6 (7–3), 3–6, 4–6.
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 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 since 2010. The ITF
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...
ruled in July 2011 that Kendrick would be banned from the sport for 12 months, effective from May 22, 2011. The ITF also ruled that Kendrick's first-round finish at the 2011 French Open be disqualified, and his ranking points and prize money be taken away
Early life
Robert Kendrick was born to Tom and Doris Kendrick and began playing tennis at the age of 5. Kendrick's family is of relatively modest means. Tom is a real estate appraiser and Doris is a housewife. Kendrick has three older siblings: Kerry, Tommy, and Scott. He graduated from Bullard High School in 1997. In 1996, he led his team to an undefeated section championship.College and junior tennis career
Kendrick has been called a serve-and-volley player. Kendrick's main strengths are his serve and his forehand.Throughout high school, he competed in junior tennis
Junior tennis
Junior Tennis refers to tennis games where the participants are aged 18 and under. Eligibility to compete is not based on age, but year of birth: as a result, some players must move out of juniors soon after their 18th birthday, while others can play juniors until they are nearly 19...
and enjoyed some intermittent success. In 1996, he was the runner-up in singles at the 1996 USTA Boys’ 18s National Indoor Championships. Then in 1997, he reached the final in doubles of the Easter Bowl and reached the singles final and took the doubles title at the USTA International Grass Court Championships. In 1998, he attended the University of 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...
, earning All-American in singles and doubles as a sophomore, with a record of 31–9 and got as high as no. 3 in the collegiate rankings that year. He then transferred to Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
for his junior year and again attained All-American with an 18–10 record. He reached the round of 16 at the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
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...
, where he lost to Jeff Morrison
Jeff Morrison
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Morrison is an American professional tennis player.Morrison is perhaps best known for being the last American male left standing in the singles draw at Wimbledon in 2002....
.
2006
In 2006, Kendrick entered the top 100 for the first time in his career, ending the year at world no. 87. Consequently, 2006 is generally considered to be Kendrick's breakthrough year to date.Kendrick got to the second round of the 2006 ATP Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. He defeated Kevin Kim
Kevin Kim
- External links :* *...
, 6–4, 7–5 in the first round, but lost to eighth seed Vincent Spadea,4-6, 1-6, in his second-round match.
Kendrick went into Wimbledon ranked world no. 237. In his first match, he beat Yen-Hsun Lu, 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–0. In the second round, he lost to second seed, 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...
. The Spaniard
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
had to come back for only the second time in his career from two sets down to beat Kendrick, 6–7(4), 3–6, 7–6(2), 7–5, 6–4. Kendrick's performance surprised many. Kendrick was the only player in the tournament to take sets from Nadal on the Spaniard's route to the final, where he lost to top-seeded Swiss 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...
.
Kendrick played in the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tenis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. He made it to the quarterfinals, but was beaten by Andy Murray, 0-6, 0-6.
He made amends for the defeat by winning the doubles title with his Austrian playing partner 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...
. In the final, the duo beat South African Jeff Coetzee
Jeff Coetzee
Jeff Coetzee is a South African professional tennis player and competes regularly on the ATP tour, as a doubles specialist....
and American Justin Gimelstob
Justin Gimelstob
Justin Jeremy Gimelstob is a retired American tennis player. Gimelstob has been a resident of Morristown, New Jersey and as of 2009 resided in Santa Monica, California....
.
2007
In 2007, Kendrick played in all four 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. In January at 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...
, he drew Rafael Nadal in the first round and lost, 6-7(6), 3-6, 2-6, committing six double faults and having a low percentage of second-serve points won (38%). Kendrick subsequently lost in the first round of several tournaments before reaching the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....
, where he was defeated in straight sets by Andy Murray. At the French Open, Kendrick again fell in the first round, losing in four sets to world no. 134 Juan Pablo Brzezicki
Juan Pablo Brzezicki
Juan Pablo Brzezicki is a professional tennis player from Buenos Aires, Argentina.In 2007, Brzezicki was the Argentine surprise at the French Open, one of the four tennis Grand Slams, by reaching the third round before losing to his idol Carlos Moyà of Spain...
of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, again thanks to six double faults and a low percentage of second serve points won (this time, 46%).
At the Queen's Club Championships
Queen's Club Championships
The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male tennis players, held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. Between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit. The event is now an ATP World Tour 250 series tournament on the Association of...
in June, he reached the second round and won a set against Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
. At Wimbledon, however, he was not able to reach the second round as he had the previous year, losing a five-setter to Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
. He went 1–3 in the US Open Series, before falling to Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
of Russia in the first round of the US Open itself, 6-7(4), 3-6, 4-6. Again, his second serve was a weakness: he won just 42% of second-serve points and double-faulted five times.
While 2007 was largely a lackluster year for Kendrick on the main ATP circuit, he did win three Challenger events: Dallas, Calabasas, and Knoxville. In Calabasas, Kendrick had to defeat two up-and-coming fellow Americans, 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...
and Donald Young, in the semifinals and finals, respectively.
2008
Kendrick kicked off 2008 by playing in the Australian Open, where he lost in the first round to fellow American Amer DelicAmer 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....
, then ranked no. 136, 4-6, 5-7, 2-6. Although Kendrick won 76% of points where he got his first serve in, he only won 36% of points where he did not. He was broken five times. Later in that year, he joined up with the apparel company Athletic DNA.
2009
Kendrick began the year with a loss in the first round of the 2009 Australian Open2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th 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 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
to Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6, 5–7. He made it to the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships
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...
, before losing to Evgeny Korolev
Evgeny Korolev
Evgeny Korolev is a Kazakhstani tennis player and the cousin of former Russian player Anna Kournikova. He began playing tennis at age four with his father, and picked up his first ATP points at age 15 in three German challenger events...
, 6–3, 6–6, 5–7, then losing to David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, 4–6, 4–6. He beat Söderling in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open, then lost in the third round to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 5–7, 4–6.
Kendrick did not make it out of the first rounds of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships or the Estoril Open
Estoril Open
The Estoril Open is an ATP and WTA clay court tournament held in Jamor, Oeiras, Portugal . The men's tournament was created in 1990 and since its inception, every champion except 2004 champion Juan Ignacio Chela and 2009–2010 champion Albert Montañés has been in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings,...
. At the 2009 French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, he beat Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands is a German professional tennis player. His career high rank was No. 66, achieved on July 5, 2010.- 2008 :...
, 6–7 (7–9), 7–5, 7–6 (13–11), 4–6, 6–3, to advance to the second round for the first time in his career, where he lost, 5–7, 0–6, 1–6, to Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
, who had also defeated him at the Estoril Open.
In the first round at 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...
, he was beaten by Andy Murray, 5–7, 7–6 (7–3), 3–6, 4–6.
Singles titles
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (0) |
| Challengers (10) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1. | September 23, 2002 |  TulsaUSTA Challenger of Oklahoma The USTA Challenger of Oklahoma 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 Tulsa, USA since 1999.-Singles:-Doubles:... |
Hard |  Daniel MeloDaniel Melo Daniel Melo is a former professional tennis player from Brazil. He is the older brother of Marcelo Melo, also a tennis player.... |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 2. | October 4, 2004 | Austin Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in... |
Hard |  Wesley WhitehouseWesley Whitehouse Wesley Whitehouse is a tennis player, born 13 March 1979 in Durban, South Africa.- Biography :Whitehouse resides or has resided in between Pretoria, South Africa and Phoenix, Arizona.- Career :... |
7–5, 6–7, 6–2 |
| 3. | May 15, 2006 | Forest Hills Forest Hills - Cities or census-designated places :United States* Forest Hills, Kentucky* Forest Hills, Michigan* Forest Hills, North Carolina* Forest Hills, Pennsylvania* Forest Hills, TennesseeSouth Africa* Forest Hills, Kloof, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal... |
Clay |  Cecil MamiitCecil Mamiit Cecil Valdeavilla Mamiit is a tennis player from the United States who now represents the Philippines. He began his professional career in 1996. He reached his highest individual ranking in the ATP Tour on October 11, 1999, when he became World No... |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 4. | November 20, 2006 |  PueblaPuebla, Puebla The city and municipality of Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important colonial cities in Mexico. Being a planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico's main port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two.The city was founded... |
Hard |  Leonardo MayerLeonardo Mayer Leonardo Martin Mayer is an Argentine professional tennis player.Mayer achieved a singles career high of world no. 51 on June 7, 2010. His career high in doubles was world no. 94 on March 1, 2010.http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/player.asp?player=100049039 He is coached by Emiliano Redondi... |
7–5, 6–4 |
| 5. | February 5, 2007 | Dallas |
Hard (i) |  Benedikt Dorsch |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 6. | October 15, 2007 | Calabasas Mercedes Benz of Calabasas The Calabasas Pro Tennis Championships is a tennis tournament held in Calabasas, California, USA since 2001. The event is part of the ATP Challenger Tour and is played on outdoor hard courts. Former French Open champion Michael Chang won the event in 2002.... |
Hard | Donald Young |
3–6, 7–6, 6–4 |
| 7. | November 19, 2007 | 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 (i) | Kevin Kim Kevin Kim - External links :* *... |
3–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 8. | October 27, 2008 | Louisville Ford Tennis Championships The Ford Tennis Championships is a tennis tournament held in Louisville, Kentucky since 2006. The event is part of the challenger series and is played on indoor hard courts.-Singles:-Doubles:- External links :**... |
Hard (i) | Donald Young |
6–1, 6–1 |
| 9. | November 1, 2008 | Nashville 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 :**... |
Hard (i) |  Somdev DevvarmanSomdev 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... |
6–3, 7–5 |
| 10. | November 7, 2010 | Charlottesville 2010 Virginia National Bank Men's Pro Championship – Singles Kevin Kim, who was the defending champion, lost to Greg Jones in the first round.Robert Kendrick defeated qualifier Michael Shabaz in the final 6–2, 6–3 to win the tournament.-Seeds:# Taylor Dent # Somdev Devvarman ... |
Hard (i) | 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:... |
6–2, 6–3 |