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Wayne Arthurs (tennis player)
Encyclopedia
Wayne Arthurs is a retired Australian professional tennis
player.
His serve
was his strongest weapon by far, and had been referred to as the "best in the world" by several of his fellow players, including Jim Courier
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Tennis/Arthurs-a-legitimate-cup-No-2/2005/02/28/1109546796818.html, Andre Agassi
http://www.iht.com/articles/2002/05/30/tennis_ed3__11.php and Thomas Johansson
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/watsnew/press/view_article.asp?ReleaseID=2274. He consistently had one of the highest ace counts on the ATP Tour and favors a serve-and-volley style of play. Because of this, his game is best suited to fast surfaces.
A doubles specialist, Arthurs has won 12 ATP
doubles titles in his career. In February 2005 he achieved a belated breakthrough in singles by winning the ATP event in Scottsdale
, United States, the Tennis Channel Open
, in straight sets over Croat
Mario Ančić
. No other player in history has won his first ATP singles title at such an advanced age (Arthurs was almost 34 at the time). He also was a runner-up there for doubles with Paul Hanley
, and lost to American team Bob and Mike Bryan
. He is an Australian hero when it comes to Davis Cup
, winning countless doubles rubbers for Australia. Throughout his singles career Arthurs experienced victory over no fewer than six players to reach the number 1 world ranking: Pete Sampras, Marat Safin, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Patrick Rafter, Andy Roddick and Gustavo Kuerten. http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Ar/W/Wayne-Arthurs.aspx?t=pa&y=0&m=s&e=0
In his last ever Australian Open
match the Aussie retired just three games into his third-round match against American Mardy Fish
due to a rare reaction to a local anesthetic. In practice that morning he tried out a short-term local anesthetic that worked well against his sore hip. Just before the match began, he took another shot that was supposed to last for the duration of the match. The stronger dose deadened his leg and he could not coordinate his movements. He refused to blame his doctors who said that this adverse reaction happens to about 1 in 1000 patients. Arthurs became emotional during the match once he realized he couldn't compete. After the in-between-game break, down 3–0 he waved to the crowd who thanked him for an outstanding career. It was the last Australian Open match of his career. At the time, he was the oldest participant in the Australian Open.
Arthurs played his final tournament at Wimbledon
in 2007. He managed to win qualifying matches to advance to the main draw of the major tournament. In the first round he came back from two sets down to finally win in five sets against Dutch
teenager Thiemo de Bakker
. In the second round Arthurs caused a major boilover by defeating the 11th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo
in straight sets. Arthurs was defeated in the third round by 19th seed Jonas Björkman
in straight sets.
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.
His serve
Serve (tennis)
A serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. A player begins a serve by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into the diagonally opposite backside box without being stopped by the net. The ball can only touch the net on a return and will be considered good if it falls on the opposite side...
was his strongest weapon by far, and had been referred to as the "best in the world" by several of his fellow players, including Jim Courier
Jim Courier
James Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open...
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Tennis/Arthurs-a-legitimate-cup-No-2/2005/02/28/1109546796818.html, Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
http://www.iht.com/articles/2002/05/30/tennis_ed3__11.php and Thomas Johansson
Thomas Johansson
Karl Thomas Conny Johansson , commonly known as Thomas Johansson, is a former Swedish professional tennis player. He is a former Australian Open singles champion and Olympic silver medalist in doubles.-Junior career:...
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/watsnew/press/view_article.asp?ReleaseID=2274. He consistently had one of the highest ace counts on the ATP Tour and favors a serve-and-volley style of play. Because of this, his game is best suited to fast surfaces.
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...
doubles titles in his career. In February 2005 he achieved a belated breakthrough in singles by winning the ATP event in Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, United States, the Tennis Channel Open
Tennis Channel Open
The Tennis Channel Open was a tennis tournament on the ATP International Series which was held for the first time in Las Vegas, Nevada from February 27 to March 5, 2006. In the men's singles final, James Blake defeated Lleyton Hewitt 7–5, 2–6, 6–3...
, in straight sets over Croat
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Mario Ančić
Mario Ancic
Mario Ančić is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He won three singles titles and five doubles titles. His highest international ranking came during the 2006 ATP Tour, when he reached no. 7 in singles...
. No other player in history has won his first ATP singles title at such an advanced age (Arthurs was almost 34 at the time). He also was a runner-up there for doubles with Paul Hanley
Paul Hanley (tennis)
Paul Jason Hanley is a professional male tennis player from Australia, specialising in doubles. His parents, Jay and Judy, co-own a tennis centre, one of the main reasons Hanley pursued a career in the sport.He lost the 2005 Wimbledon finals in mixed doubles, playing with Tatiana Perebiynis...
, and lost to American team 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...
. He is an Australian hero when it comes to Davis Cup
Australia Davis Cup team
The Australian Davis Cup team is the second most successful team ever to compete in the Davis Cup, winning the coveted title on 23 separate occasions, second behind the United States with 32....
, winning countless doubles rubbers for Australia. Throughout his singles career Arthurs experienced victory over no fewer than six players to reach the number 1 world ranking: Pete Sampras, Marat Safin, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Patrick Rafter, Andy Roddick and Gustavo Kuerten. http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Ar/W/Wayne-Arthurs.aspx?t=pa&y=0&m=s&e=0
In his last ever 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...
match the Aussie retired just three games into his third-round match against American Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
due to a rare reaction to a local anesthetic. In practice that morning he tried out a short-term local anesthetic that worked well against his sore hip. Just before the match began, he took another shot that was supposed to last for the duration of the match. The stronger dose deadened his leg and he could not coordinate his movements. He refused to blame his doctors who said that this adverse reaction happens to about 1 in 1000 patients. Arthurs became emotional during the match once he realized he couldn't compete. After the in-between-game break, down 3–0 he waved to the crowd who thanked him for an outstanding career. It was the last Australian Open match of his career. At the time, he was the oldest participant in the Australian Open.
Arthurs played his final tournament 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...
in 2007. He managed to win qualifying matches to advance to the main draw of the major tournament. In the first round he came back from two sets down to finally win in five sets against Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
teenager Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
. In the second round Arthurs caused a major boilover by defeating the 11th-seeded Spaniard 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...
in straight sets. Arthurs was defeated in the third round by 19th seed Jonas Björkman
Jonas Björkman
Jonas Lars Björkman is a former World Number 4 Swedish professional tennis player. He is also a former World No. 1 in doubles. Björkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup Doubles championships....
in straight sets.
Singles wins (1)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 28 February 2005 | Scottsdale Tennis Channel Open The Tennis Channel Open was a tennis tournament on the ATP International Series which was held for the first time in Las Vegas, Nevada from February 27 to March 5, 2006. In the men's singles final, James Blake defeated Lleyton Hewitt 7–5, 2–6, 6–3... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Hard |  Mario AnčićMario Ancic Mario Ančić is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He won three singles titles and five doubles titles. His highest international ranking came during the 2006 ATP Tour, when he reached no. 7 in singles... |
7–5, 6–3 |
Major tournament singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 0 / 9 |
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 7 |
| Wimbledon | A | 4R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 0 / 9 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
2R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 8 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 33 |