Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish (born
December 9,
1981 in
Edina, Minnesota), is an
American professional
tennis player. He is one of several young American tennis players who rose to prominence at the beginning of the
21st century.
|
Fish (left) holding the Silver medal in Tennis at the 2004 Olympic Games |
Fish is the son of a tennis teaching professional and a housewife, Tom and Sally Fish. Mardy earned his first taste of fame in
1984 when, at the age of two, a
Minneapolis, Minnesota TV station ran a profile of the young athlete hitting tennis balls from the baseline over the net. In
1985, Fish's family moved to
Vero Beach, Florida, where Mardy would attend Vero Beach High School for three years. Fish then moved to Boca Prep in
Boca Raton,
Florida for his senior year of high school. During this year, Mardy lived with the family of
Andy Roddick. Fish returned to Vero Beach in
2000; he spends part of the year training at
Saddlebrook Academy in
Tampa, Florida.
Fish turned professional in 2000 at the age of 18. He spent his first few years as a pro playing in the Challenger and Futures circuits, the
minor leagues of tennis. He earned his first title on the
ATP Tour, tennis' premier professional circuit, in
2002 playing
doubles in the
U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in
Houston,
Texas, with
Andy Roddick.
|
Mardy Fish at the Siebel Open, 2004 |
Fish's career improved significantly in
2003, when he won his first ATP singles title and finished the year ranked 20th in the world. His singles victory came near the end of the season, where he defeated the
Swedish player
Robin Soderling to win the Stockholm Open in
Stockholm,
Sweden.
Fish has played well in
2004, reaching the finals at the SAP Open in
San Jose,
California and in the Gerry Weber Open in
Halle,
Germany. In August, Fish obtained a silver medal for the United States when he lost to
Chilean
Nicolás Massú in the men's singles final at the
2004 Summer Olympics in
Athens.
In
2005, Fish injured his left wrist. It eventually required two surgeries, and as a result, he only played 17 matches in the year.
2006:
Challenger ResultsWinner: Tellahassee,Surbiton
Finalist: Harrah's Entertainment Tunica
Quarterfinalist:Atlanta, Bermuda
SPRING/SUMMER OF 2006............
Mardy Fish was awarded a wildcard in April into the US Men's Claycourt Championships. He did the unthinkable of winning the tournament, defeating eighth seed
Juan Monaco,
Rainer Schuettler,
Vince Spadea,
Tommy Haas(retired), and
Jurgen Melzer in the final 3-6 6-4 6-3.
At the 2006 Championships at Wimbledon, Mardy Fish signaled his return to professional status as he reached the third round, defeating fellow American
Robby Ginepri,and Dutch player
Melle Van Gemerden. The night prior to his third round match, he suffered from food poisioning. He could only play one set before retiring against Georgian
Irakli Labadze.
*
ATP Tennis player profiles. Retrieved Aug. 19, 2004.
*
Mardy Fish | The Official Website
