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Gregory Rusedski (born 6 September 1973) is a Canadian-British former professional tennis player. He was the British No. 1 in 1997, 1999 and 2006, and reached the ATP Tour ranking of world No. 4 for periods from 6 October 1997 to 12 October 1997 and from 25 May 1998 to 21 June 1998.
In 1997, he was the US Open finalist, which led to him receiving the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and the ITV Sports Champion of the Year Award. Also, he scored 30 wins and 13 losses with the Great Britain Davis Cup team. Along with erstwhile rival and teammate Tim Henman, Rusedski was credited with beginning a renaissance in British men's singles tennis from the doldrums of the eighties and nineties, reaching a grand slam final and returning Great Britain to relevance in the Davis Cup, progress that would eventually be brought to fruition by Andy Murray.
Rusedski has been with his wife Lucy Connor since 1991, they met while he was competing in a junior tournament where she was a ball girl. They married in a Catholic ceremony at Douai Abbey in West Berkshire in December 1999. They have two children: a daughter born in 2006, and a son born in 2009.
Rusedski reached the singles final of the US Open in 1997, where he lost to Pat Rafter in four sets (shortly thereafter reaching his career high rank of world No. 4). He also won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and the ITV Sports Champion of the Year Award. In 1998, Tim Henman eclipsed Rusedski as the UK number one tennis player. Rusedski, however, won the Grand Slam Cup in 1999.
In the 1999 US Open, Rusedski reached the fourth round where he was eliminated 5–7, 0–6, 7–6 (7–3), 6–4, 6–4, by Todd Martin; Rusedski had a two-sets-to-none advantage and was serving for the match in the third set, then in the fifth set he was up 4–1, but lost 20 of the final 21 points including a stretch of 18 consecutive points.
In the 2002 US Open, after losing to Pete Sampras in the third round in a grueling five-set match, Rusedski described Sampras as "a half-step slow" and predicted that Sampras would lose his fourth-round match to young German star Tommy Haas. Sampras, however, went on to win the tournament.
At Wimbledon in 2003, Rusedski was playing in a second-round match against Andy Roddick. Roddick had won the first two sets, but Rusedski was 5–2 up in the third set. During a point on Roddick's service game, a member of the crowd loudly called one of Roddick's shots long, causing Rusedski to stop playing the point as he believed it was a line judge. The umpire ruled that the ball was good and that, as Roddick's next shot landed in court, Roddick was awarded the point. Rusedski, believing the point should have been replayed, launched into a long and expletive-riddled tirade at the umpire and, never regaining his composure, went on to lose the next five games without reply to concede the match. Rusedski apologized after the match, and Roddick reached the semifinals.
Rusedski tested positive for nandrolone in January 2004, but he was cleared of the charges in a hearing on 10 March 2004.
Rusedski was defeated in the second round of Wimbledon in 2005 by Joachim Johansson of Sweden. Later that year, he defended his title at the Hall of Fame Championship, defeating Vince Spadea in the final. This was the first time he had successfully defended a title and the third time he had won the championship. He then reached the semifinals at both the RCA Championships in Indianapolis, losing to Taylor Dent, and the Canada Masters tournament in Montreal, losing to Andre Agassi.
Towards the end of 2005, Rusedski's ranking had risen to the high 30s. A defeat for Rusedski in the first round of the Challenger event in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, left him ranked 38th, just one place short of regaining the UK top spot. Rusedski reclaimed the UK number-one spot on 15 May 2006, overtaking Andy Murray by getting to the third round of the Rome Masters. He lost the top UK ranking again after a first-round exit at Wimbledon.
On 7 April 2007, Rusedski officially retired from tennis after partnering with Jamie Murray to a doubles victory over the Netherlands in a Davis Cup match, a result which gave Great Britain a winning 3–0 lead in the tie. He announced his retirement immediately after the win during a live interview with Sue Barker on BBC Television. Rusedski has stayed involved with professional tennis in his retirement, and currently works for the Lawn Tennis Association as a talent and performance ambassador. Rusedski held the record for fastest serve at 149 miles per hour until Andy Roddick broke it.
On 24 January 2009, Rusedski confirmed he had been seeking a return to professional tennis. However, Davis Cup captain John Lloyd turned down his offer to compete in the Davis Cup, and Rusedski was unable to obtain any wild-card tournament entries. Because of this, Rusedski quickly retracted his announcement and is still retired.
Rusedski was often overshadowed in the British press by Tim Henman, especially at Wimbledon.
| 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 5–7 |
| 6–3, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–5) |
| 3–6, 7–6(17–15), 6–7(4–7), 4–6 |
| 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
| { class="wikitable sortable" !Legend |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–1) |
| Grand Slam Cup (1–0) |
| ATP Super 9 / ATP Masters Series (1–1) |
| ATP Championship Series / ATP International Series Gold (3–2) |
| ATP World Series / ATP International Series (10–8) |
| Hard (5–5) |
| Clay (0–1) |
| Grass (5–0) |
| Carpet (5–6) |
| Outdoor (8–6) |
| Indoor (7–6) |
| Win | 1–0 | Hall of Fame Open, USA | World Series | Grass | Javier Frana | 7–5, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–5) | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Salem Open, China | World Series | Carpet (i) | Michael Chang | 6–7(5–7), 7–6(8–6), 4–6 | |
| Win | 2–1 | Seoul Open, South Korea | World Series | Hard | Lars Rehmann | 6–4, 3–1 ret. | |
| Loss | 2–2 | Delray Beach Open, USA | World Series | Clay | Todd Woodbridge | 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 3–2 | Salem Open, China | World Series | Carpet (i) | Martin Damm | 7–6(7–5), 6–4 | |
| Loss | 3–3 | Zagreb Indoors, Croatia | World Series | Carpet (i) | Goran Ivanišević | 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 6–7(6–8) | |
| Loss | 3–4 | Pacific Coast Championships, USA | World Series | Hard (i) | Pete Sampras | 6–3, 0–5 ret. | |
| Win | 4–4 | Nottingham Open, UK | World Series | Grass | Karol Kučera | 6–4, 7–5 | |
| Loss | 4–5 | US Open, USA | Grand Slam | Hard | Patrick Rafter | 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 5–7 | |
| Win | 5–5 | Swiss Indoors, Switzerland | World Series | Carpet (i) | Mark Philippoussis | 6–3, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–3) | |
| Loss | 5–6 | Vienna Open, Austria | Champ. Series | Carpet (i) | Goran Ivanišević | 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–7(4–7), 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 5–7 | Zagreb Indoors, Croatia | World Series | Carpet (i) | Goran Ivanišević | 6–7(3–7), 6–7(5–7) | |
| Win | 6–7 | ECC Antwerp, Belgium | Champ. Series | Hard (i) | Marc Rosset | 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–1, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 6–8 | Indian Wells Masters, USA | Super 9 | Hard | Marcelo Ríos | 3–6, 7–6(17–15), 6–7(4–7), 4–6 | |
| Loss | 6–9 | Grand Prix de Toulouse, France | World Series | Hard (i) | Jan Siemerink | 4–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 7–9 | Paris Masters, France | Super 9 | Carpet (i) | Pete Sampras | 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | |
| Loss | 7–10 | Milan Indoor, UK | Champ. Series | Carpet (i) | Richard Krajicek | 6–7(6–8), 7–6(7–5), 5–7 | |
| Loss | 7–11 | U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, USA | World Series | Hard | Marat Safin | 4–6, 6–7(11–13) | |
| Win | 8–11 | Grand Slam Cup, Germany | Grand Slam Cup | Hard (i) | Tommy Haas | 6–3, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–5) | |
| Win | 9–11 | Vienna Open, Austria | Champ. Series | Carpet (i) | Nicolas Kiefer | 6–7(5–7), 2–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 | |
| Win | 10–11 | Pacific Coast Championships, USA | International | Hard (i) | Andre Agassi | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Win | 11–11 | Auckland Open, New Zealand | International | Hard | Jérôme Golmard | 6–7(0–7), 6–4, 7–5 | |
| Win | 12–11 | Indianapolis Tennis Championships, USA | Intl. Gold | Hard | Félix Mantilla | 6–7(6–8), 6–4, 6–4 | |
| Win | 13–11 | Nottingham Open, UK (2) | International | Grass | Mardy Fish | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Win | 14–11 | Hall of Fame Open, USA (2) | International | Grass | Alexander Popp | 7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–2) | |
| Loss | 14–12 | Kremlin Cup, Russia | International | Carpet (i) | Nikolay Davydenko | 6–3, 3–6, 5–7 | |
| Win | 15–12 | Hall of Fame Open, USA (3) | International | Grass | Vince Spadea | 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–4 |
| { class="wikitable sortable" !Legend |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| ATP Super 9 / ATP Masters Series (0–0) |
| ATP Championship Series / ATP International Series Gold (1–0) |
| ATP World Series / ATP International Series (2–2) |
| Hard (0–0) |
| Clay (1–0) |
| Grass (1–0) |
| Carpet (1–2) |
| Outdoor (2–0) |
| Indoor (1–2) |
| Win | 1–0 | Hall of Fame Open, USA | World Series | Grass | Alex Antonitsch | Kent Kinnear David Wheaton | 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Vienna Open, Austria | World Series | Carpet (i) | Alex Antonitsch | Mike Bauer David Rikl | 6–7, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Copenhagen Open, Denmark | World Series | Carpet (i) | Guillaume Raoux | Mark Keil Peter Nyborg | 7–6, 4–6, 6–7 | |
| Win | 2–2 | Bournemouth International, UK | World Series | Clay | Marc-Kevin Goellner | Rodolphe Gilbert Nuno Marques | 6–3, 7–6 | |
| Win | 3–2 | Milan Indoor, UK | Champ. Series | Carpet (i) | Tim Henman | Byron Black Wayne Ferreira | 6–3, 7–6(8–6) |
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | A | 4R | 3R | A | 1R | 2R | A | 0 / 10 | 11–10 | 47.62 | ||||
| French Open | A | A | 3R | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 11 | 7–11 | 38.89 | ||||
| Wimbledon | Q3 | 1R | 2R | 4R | 2R | QF | 1R | 4R | 1R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 14 | 21–14 | 60.00 | ||||
| US Open | Q1 | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | F | 3R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 13 | 16–13 | 55.17 | ||||
| Year-end championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ATP Finals | Did not qualify | RR | RR | Did not qualify !0 / 2 !2–2 !50.00 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | Did not qualify | SF | DNQ | W | Not Held !1 / 2 !6–1 !85.71 | |||||||||||||||||
| ATP Masters Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Masters | A | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | A | F | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | A | 2R | 1R | 0 / 10 | 9–10 | 47.37 | ||||
| Miami Masters | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | A | 4R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 2R | A | A | 2R | 2R | 0 / 9 | 11–9 | 55.00 | ||||
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 0 / 6 | 0–6 | 0.00 | ||||
| Hamburg Masters | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 0 / 6 | 2–6 | 25.00 | ||||
| Rome Masters | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | A | 1R | 3R | 0 / 10 | 4–10 | 28.57 | ||||
| Canada Masters | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | SF | 1R | 0 / 9 | 8–9 | 47.06 | ||||
| Cincinnati Masters | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | QF | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 10 | 11–10 | 52.38 | ||||
| Madrid Masters1 | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | QF | SF | QF | 1R | A | A | A | 1R | A | 0 / 8 | 9–8 | 52.94 | ||||
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | A | A | QF | W | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | 2R | A | 1 / 6 | 8–5 | 61.54 | ||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year-end ranking | 161 | 50 | 114 | 37 | 48 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 69 | 31 | 31 | 119 | 46 | 37 | 191 | |||||||
1 This event was held in Stockholm Open through 1994, Eurocard Open in 1995, and Eurocard Open from 1996 through 2001.
2 Rusedski was granted British citizenship in May 1995, and competed for Great Britain from 22 May 1995 onwards.
| Total |
| 29 |
| 1. | Richard Krajicek | 10 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet (i) | 3R | 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–2) | 130 |
| 2. | Michael Chang | 7 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet (i) | QF | 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(8–6) | 130 |
| 3. | Wayne Ferreira | 10 | Stockholm Open, Sweden | Hard (i) | 1R | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 | 53 |
| 4. | Thomas Enqvist | 10 | Zagreb Indoors, Croatia | Carpet (i) | SF | 6–4, 6–4 | 56 |
| 5. | Michael Chang | 4 | San Jose, United States | Hard (i) | QF | 7–6(7–4), 6–4 | 39 |
| 6. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 4 | Grand Slam Cup, Munich | Carpet (i) | QF | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–1 | 10 |
| 7. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 9 | Vienna Open, Austria | Carpet (i) | 1R | 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–3) | 17 |
| 8. | Pat Rafter | 2 | Vienna Open, Austria | Carpet (i) | QF | 6–3, 7–6(7–3) | 17 |
| 9. | Pat Rafter | 3 | Eurocard Open, Germany | Hard (i) | 3R | 7–6(7–4), 6–7(5–7), 6–4 | 13 |
| 10. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 8 | Paris Masters, France | Carpet (i) | SF | 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 | 13 |
| 11. | Pete Sampras | 1 | Paris Masters, France | Carpet (i) | F | 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | 13 |
| 12. | Tim Henman | 9 | ATP Finals, Hanover | Hard (i) | RR | 6–2, 6–4 | 11 |
| 13. | Gustavo Kuerten | 5 | Grand Slam Cup, Munich | Hard (i) | 1R | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 | 6 |
| 14. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 2 | Grand Slam Cup, Munich | Hard (i) | QF | 7–5, 7–6(8–6) | 6 |
| 15. | Todd Martin | 4 | Stuttgart Indoor, Germany | Hard (i) | QF | 4–6, 7–6(12–10), 6–4 | 6 |
| 16. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 7 | Vienna Open, Austria | Hard (i) | 1R | 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–3 | 44 |
| 17. | Marat Safin | 2 | Stuttgart Indoor, Germany | Hard (i) | 3R | 7–6(7–2), 6–4 | 89 |
| 18. | Gustavo Kuerten | 1 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | 2R | 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7 | 65 |
| 19. | Marat Safin | 1 | Milan Indoor, Italy | Carpet (i) | QF | 6–0, 7–6(7–5) | 52 |
| 20. | Lleyton Hewitt | 6 | San Jose, United States | Hard (i) | QF | 5–7, 6–1, 6–4 | 58 |
| 21. | Andre Agassi | 4 | San Jose, United States | Hard (i) | F | 6–3, 6–4 | 58 |
| 22. | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 4 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | 3R | 6–1, 6–4, 6–4 | 40 |
| 23. | Thomas Johansson | 10 | Marseille, France | Hard (i) | 1R | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 | 30 |
| 24. | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 4 | Indian Wells Masters, United States | Hard | 1R | 6–4, 6–3 | 38 |
| 25. | Marat Safin | 2 | Cincinnati Masters, United States | Hard | 1R | 7–6(9–7), 6–2 | 38 |
| 26. | Lleyton Hewitt | 1 | Indianapolis Championships, United States | Hard | 3R | 7–6(7–3), 6–4 | 41 |
| 27. | Tommy Haas | 3 | Indianapolis Championships, United States | Hard | SF | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 | 41 |
| 28. | Gastón Gaudio | 9 | Cincinnati Masters, United States | Hard | 2R | 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 | 96 |
| 29. | Tommy Robredo | 10 | Rome Masters, Italy | Clay | 1R | 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 | 45 |
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