Brian Baker (tennis)

Brian Baker ( born April 30, 1985 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American tennis player.

  • 2.1 Single 2.1.1 Siege
  • 2.1.2 finals
  • 2.2.1 Siege

Life and career

2000-2003: Success as a junior and first experiences as a professional

Brian Baker began at the age of two years, to play tennis. After he had recovered from a serious operation in 1999, he abdicated in 2000 to international youth tournaments. Until 2003, he won numerous tournaments, including the Orange Bowl in 2002, and defeated in the course of this time, among other things, the future top 10 player Marcos Baghdatis, Tomas Berdych, John Isner, Gael Monfils, Jo- Wilfried Tsonga and Stanislas Wawrinka. In the Junior World Ranking it peaked at # 2, his best result at a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the finals at the French Open in 2003.

Since 2001 Baker also went to at professional tournaments, and in April 2002 he was transferred to a semi-final at a Futures tournament for the first time listed in the top 1000 of the world ranking points. In August 2002 he was given a wildcard for the ATP tournament in Indianapolis, but lost his first round match against Wayne Ferreira.

After he had reached in 2003 among other things, for the first time a Future Finals, Brian Baker got in August 2003 for the U.S. Open a wildcard. On his Grand Slam debut but he was defeated Jurgen Melzer in four sets.

2004-2005: First Challenger titles and ATP match wins

The year 2004 began for Brian Baker with his first Futures title. In February 2004, Baker won the ATP tournament in Memphis, for which he got a wildcard in the first round against the top 100 players Antony Dupuis first time an ATP match. In Newport followed in July 2004, a further second-round attendance at an ATP tournament. After he had already achieved this year several quarter-finals at Challenger tournaments, Baker won in Denver in August 2004 by a final victory over KJ Hippensteel his first title in this category. At the U.S. Open, for which he received a wild card like last year, he was able to win in the first round against the then world rankings Fourth Carlos Moyá least one sentence. In November 2004, Baker reached after two more Challenger quarterfinals with rank 172 had hitherto been his best position in the world rankings. In doubles, he was able to advance even to 113th place after three Challenger titles and a second-round participation in the U.S. Open.

Beginning of 2005, defeated Brian Baker to qualify for the ATP tournament from Adelaide the then 17 -year-old future world number one Novak Djokovic. In February 2005, he failed at the ATP tournament in Memphis only extremely scarce in three sets at the former Top 50 player Max Mirny. There followed a ten -week break due to a wrist injury, but three months later he was in Tunica Resorts for the second time in the finals of a Challenger tournament, but lost against James Blake. Later in the year another challenger semi-finals followed in Ettlingen, Lexington and Binghamton. At the U.S. Open 2005 Brian Baker created a sensation when he won the set at position 9 French Open 2004 champion Gastón Gaudio defeated smooth in three sets in the first round. In the second round he had to retire against Xavier Malisse from however.

2006-2010: injury

The U.S. Open 2005 were for a long time one of the last tournaments for Brian Baker: Due to persistent pain to Baker in late 2005 underwent an operation on his left hip. However, this should not be the last: next year a groin operation, 2008, two further operations on the left and right hip, and finally an operation followed by the elbow ( the so-called Tommy John Surgery ).

Between the operations Baker had attempted a comeback on the Challenger Tour in November 2007, gave this plan, however, after three tournaments again. Instead, he studied economics and worked as an assistant coach of the tennis team of Belmont University in Nashville.

2011-2012: Comeback with first ATP final and entry into the Top 100

In July 2011, Brian Baker decided on a second comeback attempt. In a futures tournament in Pittsburgh, he qualified for the main draw and was there without dropping a set immediately win the title. In November, followed in Knoxville comeback on the ATP Challenger Tour: The qualifier Baker defeated, among others, the top 200 players Izak van der Merwe and Uladzimir Ihnazik and immediately reached the final, which he losing to Jesse Levine.

Early 2012, followed by two more Futures title for Brian Baker, which he again rose back into the top 400 in the world rankings. End of April 2012 reached Baker in Savannah for the second time since his long silence, a Challenger final, which he won against Augustin Gensse in two sets. Since this tournament was also a USTA qualifying tournament for the French Open in 2012, Baker himself had also already earned with the finals a wildcard for his first Grand Slam tournament for almost seven years. As a final preparation for this Baker stepped up to the ATP tournament in Nice, in which with the victories he achieved his first ATP final after successful qualification, among others, on the set at position 4 Gaël Monfils and former world ranking third Nikolay Davydenko. He, however, was a chance against the set at position 3 titleholder Nicolás Almagro. In the world rankings after this tournament Baker made ​​a jump to No. 141, which he improved his previous record from 2004. At the French Open Baker won his first round match against Xavier Malisse in three sets against which he had retired in his last Grand Slam match in 2005. In the second round he played on Centre Court against the set at position 11 local hero Gilles Simon, he was still fighting against the after 0-2 sets down in a fifth set, but he clearly lost. A month later, Baker succeeded in Wimbledon qualifying for the main draw, where he could advance into the second round with victories over Rui Machado, Jarkko Nieminen and Benoit Paire. There he was defeated, although the set at position 27 Philipp Kohlschreiber, but the collected world ranking points submitted for the first-time entry into the top 100 in the world rankings.

Achievements

Singles

Win

Finals

Doubles

Win

Pictures of Brian Baker (tennis)

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