Fernando González

Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi ( born July 29, 1980 in Santiago de Chile ) is a former Chilean tennis player. In his career he has won eleven tournaments in the individual competition. The biggest success of his career was winning the Olympic gold medal in tennis doubles with his compatriot Nicolás Massú in Athens in 2004.

• 7.2.1 Siege
• 7.2.2 finals

Career

González was born in Santiago, Chile. He moved with his family to the La Reina commune in eastern Santiago, where his father was the president of the tennis club. At the age of seven years, González himself began playing tennis and made in the following years by success on the junior tour early attention.

So González reached the first place in the junior world rankings as a junior player among others. He also won the junior U.S. Open in doubles with Nicolás Massú in 1997. The following year, González achieved success at the junior competition of the French Open in both singles match against Juan Carlos Ferrero and in doubles with José de Armas. For the 1999 season, Gonzalez joined the professional tour.

The first professional years (1999-2003)

In his first professional season in 1999 González took part in tournaments mostly lower category and played only two games in tournaments the highest category. Already in the 2000 season, however, González scored the first victory in a tournament of the ATP tour at the U.S. Men 's Clay Court Championships in Orlando. This success González was in 2001 not connect, but reached only one final and two semi-finals in tournaments the lower class Challenger class.

The 2002 season was the breakthrough season for the Chileans, the get two tournament victories in Viña del Mar and Palermo during the season. Also provided at the Grand Slam tournaments González with a quarter-finals at the U.S. Open and reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open sensation. The season ended González ranked 18 in the world rankings overtook thus Marcelo Rios and was the first time in his career bestgeführter Chilean in the standings. 2003 was rather a disappointment to González, who remained in the course of the season without a tournament victory, however, achieved a second Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open.

The Olympic gold medal in doubles and the years 2004-2006

In the 2004 season, Gonzalez scored a renewed tournament victory in Vina del Mar, but the biggest success of his career was to follow at the Olympic Games in Athens. There González succeeded on the side of Nicolás Massú the collection in the doubles competition of the tournament. The finals were the two Chileans against the German double Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler win after they had previously awarded five match points in a row. In addition, González also won the bronze medal in the individual competition.

In the 2005 season González reach three tournament title - in Auckland, Amersfoort and Basel. He also reached his third Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon. Due to this success the Chilean could participate as a reservist in the final season Masters Cup. After the departure of Andre Agassi González moved up into the main draw of the tournament, where he managed a win against Mariano Puerta, but he just missed the semi-finals. The year 2005 ended González ranked 11th in the world rankings. 2006 moved the Chilean further in the rankings to the front, remained in the course but without a title. At the end of the year get González three finals in a row ( Vienna, Madrid, Basel). However, he remained at the endgames without success and missed as a tithe -placed in the world rankings almost the renewed participation in the Masters Cup.

The year 2007

At the start of the 2007 season González reached the final of the Australian Open and became one of five active players who managed to reach all four Grand Slam tournaments at least once a quarter-final stage. In the last eight he defeated world number two Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 and reached for the first time in his career the semifinal stage at a Grand Slam tournament. There he met the German Tommy Haas, whom he defeated in an impressive performance with 6:1, 6:3 and 6:1. Noteworthy was the fact that he allowed the entire match history not a single break chance against him and made himself just three unforced errors. In the final, Fernando González met the defending champion Roger Federer, against whom he defeated at the end of 6:72, 4:6 and 4:6.

After a long time without major success González reached the final of the Masters in Rome in May. In the semifinals, he beat Filippo Volandri here, who had defeated the world number one Roger Federer in the second round. In the final of the Chilean but Rafael Nadal defeated then smooth with 2:6 and 2:6. At the French Open followed with 2:6, 2:6, 4:6 a first round defeat against Radek Stepanek. At the following Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon, he reached with a 3:6, 7:6, 6:2, 6:2 Robby Ginepri over and another victory over Alejandro Falla the third round, but was defeated there against the Serbs Janko Tipsarevic 3:6, 6:3, 3:6, 6:4, 6:8.

In November González was able to participate in Shanghai for the 2nd time at the Masters Cup, where he sensationally won the first match against Roger Federer 3:6, 7:61, 7:5. It was Gonzalez's first victory over Federer, against whom he had always lost in the last ten encounters. The rest of the tournament, however, was disappointing for the Chileans: He could not win a single match more and thus again missed the semi-finals.

The year 2008

At the Australian Open failed González to defend the finals from the previous year. After his Drittrundenaus he slipped in the rankings from No. 7 from 24th place. However, in February, he was the 3rd time to win his home tournament in Vina del Mar and also celebrate in May at the BMW Open in Munich on the 10th tournament win of his career. In Roland Garros, he lost in the quarter -final against Roger Federer in four sets 2:6, 6:2, 6:3, 6:4.

But the highlight of the year so far was the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing. After he had repulsed several match points in the semifinals against the U.S. American James Blake ( 4:6, 7:5, 11:9 ), he only lost in the final Rafael Nadal 6:3, 7:62, 6:3. The two medals from Athens (gold in doubles, Bronze in the singles ) González now has Olympic medals in all three colors.

The knockout collection at the U.S. Open finally brought him to return to the top ten of the world rankings.

The year 2009

In the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, González won in the first round against Lleyton Hewitt with a five-set victory 3:6, 7:5, 5:7, 6:0, 7:5. In the next two rounds he defeated Guillermo Cañas 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 and Richard Gasquet 3:6, 3:6, 7:610, 6:2, 12:10. In the second round, however, he failed to eventual winner Rafael Nadal.

In February González was able to win the tournament for the fourth time in Viña del Mar. He sat down in the final 6-1, 6-3 against José Acasuso by.

At the French Open 2009, he reached the semifinals, where he, after he had lost the first two sets, in the fifth set 4-1 lead against Sweden's Robin Soderling at the end and still 3:6, 5:7, 7: 5, 6:4 and 4:6 lost. Due to the semi-final name he was to get back in the top ten in the world rankings.

Achievements

Singles

Win

Finals

Doubles

Win

Finals

Grand Slam Record

1-3 = tournament round, AF = knockout round, VF = Quarterfinals, F = Finals