Michael Russell (tennis)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Michael Russell
Michael Russell (May 2011)
Full nameMichael Craig Russell
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceHouston, Texas
Born (1978-05-01) May 1, 1978 (age 45)
Detroit, Michigan
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Turned pro1998
Retired2015
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CollegeMiami (FL)
Prize money$2,352,870
Singles
Career record77–150
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 60 (August 13, 2007)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open2R (2008, 2011)
French Open4R (2001)
Wimbledon2R (2010, 2012)
US Open1R (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
Doubles
Career record23–51
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 164 (June 11, 2012)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (2010)
French Open1R (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012)
Wimbledon2R (2011)
US Open3R (2015)

Michael Craig Russell (born May 1, 1978) is an American former professional tennis player, and tennis coach. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 60 in August 2007. His 23 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit singles titles were the all-time record, as of November 2013. That month he became the American No. 3.

In 1994 Russell was ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles in the USTA Boys' 16 rankings, and in 1996 he was ranked No. 1 in singles in the U.S. Boys' 18-Under. Playing for the

grade point average
.

Russell struggled with knee injuries for much of his professional career.

2007 Indian Wells Masters event, a semifinal appearance at the 2012 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, and wins against top-10 players Mardy Fish and Tomáš Berdych
. On the Challenger Tour, he finished his career at No. 8 in match wins (276) and tied for fifth in titles (15).

Russell started Michael Russell Tennis, a private tennis coaching business in 2015. He has coached Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, Sam Querrey, Taylor Fritz and Mackenzie McDonald through USTA Player Development.

Personal life

Russell, who is Jewish, was born in Detroit, Michigan.[1][3][4] He started playing tennis at age five with his father, George, who was formerly a member of the University of Michigan's Big Ten Conference 1965 championship team.[5] His mother, Carole, also attended the University of Michigan, and is an English teacher.[5] His older brother David played tennis at Princeton University, and attended Harvard Business School.[5]

Russell grew up in

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a Detroit suburb.[6] He attended Birmingham Detroit Country Day School.[7] He played soccer until his freshman year of high school.[8]

In 1995, Russell was the valedictorian at Saddlebrook High School in Florida.[5][6][9] He then attended the University of Miami in 1996–97.[6]

Russell married his wife Lilly, a

fitness competitor whom he had met in 2004, on November 10, 2007.[5][6] His nicknames include "Mighty Mouse", "Spanky", "Wheels", and "Iron Mike".[2][10]

He was one of the few

grade point average.[5][11] He reflected, "I was raised, as are most Jewish people, not to forego a university education."[1]

Tennis career

Junior career

In 1991, Russell lost in the finals of the 1991

USTA National Boys' 14 Indoor Championships.[2] In 1993, he won the USTA National Boys' 16 Indoor Doubles Championship with Kevin Kim.[2]

Russell finished 1994 ranked # 1 in both singles and doubles in the USTA Boys' 16 rankings.[2] He won the 1994 USTA National Boys' 16 Championships, beating top-seeded Kevin Kim in the finals, and won the doubles title with Geoff Abrams.[2][12] He lost in the finals of the 1994 USTA National Boys' 16 Clay Court Championships to Kevin Kim, and beat Bob Bryan in the semi-finals and Kim in the finals of the 1994 Easter Bowl Boys' 16s Championships.[12]

In 1995, he won the singles title at the USTA National Boys' 18 Clay Court Championships, beating Kevin Kim in the finals, while losing in the doubles finals with Geoff Abrams.[2] Russell reached the second round in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles with Kim at the 1995 Australian Open Junior Championships.[2]

In 1996, he was ranked #1 in U.S. Boys' 18-Under.

Bob and Mike Bryan.[2] He was a doubles quarterfinalist with Kim at the 1996 Wimbledon junior championships.[2] He won the USTA Midwest Section 1996 Wallace R. Holzman Sr. Award.[13]

College career

Russell played number one singles for the

Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player.[14]

1997–2002

A week before he was to go pro in 1997, while serving to

humerus bone in his right arm.[6] He spent the next five months rehabbing his arm.[6] In 1997 Russell won USTA Satellite Circuit tournaments in Waco, Texas, Springfield, Missouri, and St. Joseph, Missouri.[2]

In 1998, he won the singles title at the USTA Satellite in Mobile, Alabama.[2] In 1999, Russell won USTA Futures events in Vero Beach, Florida, and Weston, Florida.[2]

In 2000, Russell won the USTA Challenger in Amarillo, Texas, defeating Stefano Pescosolido in the finals, and won the doubles title with Tommy Robredo at the Edinburgh, Scotland, Challenger.[2] He also won his first ATP match, defeating Hugo Armando in the first round of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Orlando, Florida.[2] He was named a practice partner for the United States Davis Cup team for the U.S. vs. Spain Davis Cup semifinal in Santander, Spain.[2]

In 2001, he finished ranked in the top 100 in the world.[2] Russell won the singles and doubles, with Robert Kendrick, championships at the USTA Futures event in Mobile, Alabama.[2] He became the first player to play his way into four consecutive Grand Slam events in succession through qualifiers (2000 Wimbledon, US Open; 2001 Australian Open, Roland Garros).[2][6]

In his French Open debut, as a qualifier he advanced to the fourth round. There, he faced world # 1

match point at 5–3 in the third set, and was serving.[2][6] But Kuerten saved the match point at the end of a 26-stroke rally with a forehand winner that landed on the baseline.[2][6][15][16] "It's unfortunate we have umpires", Russell joked, "because I would have called it out."[15] Kuerten then came back to defeat Russell in the 205-minute match 3–6, 4–6, 7–6(7), 6–3, 6–1.[2][6]

2003–present

In 2003, Russell was hampered by a right knee injury for much of the year.

arthroscopic surgery in May.[2] Between 2003 and the following year he had three knee surgeries to address a condition that had been hampering him known as osteochondritis dissecans.[17] It is a genetic disorder usually found in 16-year-olds, in which his bone and cartilage separated and broke off from the rest of his knee and femur.[6][17] He ultimately required surgery on both his knees.[6] His father said:

He reminds me of Don Quixote … [tilting] at those windmills. For every success, I can tell you, there's been hours on the couch with ice bags on his knees. After the third knee operation, most people would have thrown up their hands and said, 'I'm star-crossed, I can't do it.' But Michael has persevered. That's why he's our hero.[6]

In 2004, he won singles titles at the USTA Futures event in Buffalo, New York, defeating

In 2007 he won a Challenger tournament in Nouméa, New Caledonia.

minimum-wage worker at McDonald's did better financially than Russell did during the nine years before 2007."[6]

On May 25, 2008, he was named USTA Circuit Player of the Week after winning three consecutive singles titles.[2] In April 2010, he was at the age of 31 the third-oldest player in the men's top 75.[21]

Russell made his first ATP semi-final at the 2012 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas. He came through qualifying and beat top seed, world # 9 and compatriot Mardy Fish in straight sets on his way to a three-set loss to Juan Mónaco. The win against Fish was his first over a top-10 player.[22] He ended the 2012 season as the third-oldest man in the ATP Top 100.[23]

Russell, as a

ATP Challenger in Charlottesville by coming back from 0–5 in the final set against Canadian Peter Polansky for the win.[25]

The victory pushed him into the top 80 in the world rankings, and he became the third-highest-ranked American in the world.[26][27] His 23 USTA Pro Circuit singles titles as of November 2013 was the all-time record.[21][25][28][29] At the 2014 Rogers Cup in Toronto, he pushed David Ferrer to come up with his best tennis.

In 2015 at 36 years of age, Russell earned a spot representing premier American men's professional tennis at the Australian Open. He was later defeated in the first round of the Tournament in Melbourne. Annually, the Australian Open serves as the initial Grand Slam event in the (ITF) professional series.

Russell retired from professional tennis at the 2015 US Open, at 37 years of age.[30] On the Challenger Tour, he finished his career at No. 8 in match wins (276) and tied for fifth in titles (15).[30]

Playing style

Russell has "startling acceleration, precise footwork and, most important, a voracious work ethic."[6] He is a defensive counter-puncher, known for his foot speed, consistency, forehand, and fitness.[8] John McEnroe described him as a particularly dogged competitor, saying that "no one's going to try harder on a tennis court than Michael Russell".[31]

People questioned his potential when he was a junior because they thought he was too little for pro tennis.[8] An ESPN article in 2007, noting that he was 5-foot-8 and weighed 160 pounds, called him: "one of the smallest players in the professional game."[6]

Coaching

In 2015, Russell started Michael Russell Tennis, a private tennis coaching business in Houston, Texas.

Russell has coached Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, Sam Querrey, Taylor Fritz, Mackenzie McDonald and Tennys Sandgren on the ATP WorldTour through USTA Player Development.

He is the current private coach of Taylor Fritz.

ATP career finals

Doubles: 1 (0–1)

Legend
Grand Slam Tournaments (0–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0)
ATP World Tour 250 Series (0–1)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–1)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome W–L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up 0–1 Jul 2012
BB&T Atlanta Open
, Atlanta, United States
Hard Belgium Xavier Malisse Australia Matthew Ebden
United States Ryan Harrison
3–6, 6–3, [6–10]

ATP Challenger finals

Singles: 21 (15 titles, 6 runners-up)

Legend
Challenger (15–6)
Titles by surface
Hard (13–5)
Clay (2–1)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. January 31, 2000
Amarillo
, Texas, United States
Hard (i) Italy Stefano Pescosolido 7–5, 6–2
Runner-up 1. October 2, 2000 Austin, Texas, United States Hard United States Andy Roddick 4–6, 4–6
Runner-up 2. April 2, 2001 Calabasas, California, United States Hard Brazil André Sá 2–6, 4–6
Winner 2. July 12, 2004 Granby, Quebec, Canada Hard Italy Davide Sanguinetti 6–3, 6–2
Winner 3. November 28, 2005 Orlando, Florida, United States Hard United States Todd Widom 6–4, 6–2
Winner 4. August 14, 2006
Bronx
, New York, United States
Hard Chile Paul Capdeville 6–0, 6–2
Runner-up 3. September 25, 2006 Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA Hard United States Bobby Reynolds 6–7(3–7), 3–6
Winner 5. November 27, 2006 Maui, Hawaii, United States Hard United States Sam Warburg 6–1, 6–0
Winner 6. January 1, 2007 Nouméa, New Caledonia, France Hard France David Guez 6–0, 6–1
Winner 7. January 22, 2007 Waikoloa, Hawaii, United States Hard United Kingdom Jamie Baker 6–1, 7–5
Winner 8. February 12, 2007 Joplin, Missouri, United States Hard (i) Canada Frédéric Niemeyer 6–4, 6–1
Runner-up 4. January 12, 2009 São Paulo, Brazil Hard Colombia Santiago Giraldo 3–6, 2–6
Winner 9. May 4, 2009 Savannah, Georgia, United States Clay United States Alex Kuznetsov 6–4, 7–6(8–6)
Winner 10. May 25, 2009 Carson, California, United States Clay United States Michael Yani 6–1, 6–1
Runner-up 5. September 7, 2009 Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands Clay France Stéphane Robert 6–7(2–7), 7–5, 6–7(5–7)
Runner-up 6. October 19, 2009 Calabasas, California, United States Hard United States Donald Young 6–7(4–7), 1–6
Winner 11. November 21, 2009
Champaign
, Illinois, United States
Hard (i) United States Taylor Dent 7–5, 6–4
Winner 12. January 31, 2010 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Hard (i) Slovenia Grega Žemlja 6–0, 6–3
Winner 13. November 11, 2012
Knoxville
, Tennessee, United States
Hard United States Bobby Reynolds 6–3, 6–2
Winner 14. July 6, 2013 Manta, Ecuador Hard Australia Greg Jones 4–6, 6–0, 7–5
Winner 15. November 4, 2013 Charlottesville, Virginia, United States Hard Canada Peter Polansky 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(7–5)

Performance timelines

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Tournament 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A 1R 1R A A A A 1R 2R A 1R 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R 0 / 10 2–10 16.67
French Open A A A 4R 1R A A A A 1R A Q1 1R 1R Q2 1R 1R A 0 / 7 3–7 30.00
Wimbledon A A 1R A 1R A A A A 1R A A 2R 1R 2R 1R 1R A 0 / 8 2–8 20.00
US Open 1R A 1R 1R A A A A 1R 1R A Q2 1R 1R 1R 1R Q2 A 0 / 9 0–9 0.00
Win–loss 0–1 0–0 0–2 3–3 0–3 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–4 1–1 0–0 1–4 1–4 1–3 0–4 0–3 0–1 0 / 34 7–34 17.07
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters
A A A A A A A A A 4R A 2R 3R 2R Q2 Q2 2R Q2 0 / 5 8–5 61.54
Miami Masters
A A A A A A A A A A A 2R 2R 1R Q2 Q1 Q1 A 0 / 3 2–3 40.00
Monte Carlo Masters
A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0 0.00
Rome Masters
A A A A A A A A A Q1 A A Q1 A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0 0.00
Madrid Masters1 A A A A A A A A A Q2 A A 1R A A A A A 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Canada Masters
1R A A 1R A A A A A 2R A A 1R 2R Q2 Q2 2R A 0 / 6 3–6 33.33
Cincinnati Masters
A A A 1R A A A A A A A Q1 Q2 A Q1 Q2 Q1 A 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Shanghai Masters2 A A A A A A A A A A A A Q1 A A 1R A A 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Paris Masters A A A A A A A A A A A A 1R A A A A A 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Win–loss 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–2 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 4–2 0–0 2–2 3–5 2–3 0–0 0–1 2–2 0–0 0 / 18 13–18 41.94
Career statistics
Titles–Finals 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0 / 0 0–0 0.00
Year-end ranking 288 232 155 87 157 502 250 256 144 82 242 83 99 99 87 92 158 557 $2,452,569

1 Held as

Hamburg Masters (outdoor clay) until 2008, Madrid Masters
(outdoor clay) 2009–present.
2 Held as
Shanghai Masters
(outdoor hard) 2009–present.

Doubles

Tournament 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A A A A A A A A A A 1R A A A A A 0–1
French Open A A A A A A A A A 1R A A 1R 1R 1R A A A 0–4
Wimbledon A A A A A A A A A 1R A A A 2R 1R 1R A A 1–4
US Open 1R A A 1R A A A A A A A A 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 3R 3–8
Win–loss 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 0–0 0–0 0–3 1–3 0–3 0–2 1–1 2–1 4–17

Top 10 wins

# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score MR Rank
2012
1. United States Mardy Fish 9 Houston, United States Clay 2R 6–3, 6–1 136

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Marvin Glassman (August 25, 2010). "Oldest player schools young guns at Rogers Cup". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "Michael Russell: Circuit Player of the Week". USTA. May 25, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  3. ^ Marvin Glassman (August 12, 2013). "Levine reaches milestone at Rogers Cup Tennis". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  4. ^ Marvin Glassman (March 30, 2010). "Peer triumphs in tennis". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Michael Russell". ATP World Tour. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Greg Garber (August 22, 2007). "Perseverance paying off for Michael Russell; The Roger Federers and Andy Roddicks win the titles and spend their careers in the international spotlight. However, as Greg Garber writes, their successes would not be possible without players like Michael Russell". ESPN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  7. ^ Sipple, George. "Bloomfield Hills' Michael Russell retires after 17-year tennis career". Detroit Free Press.
  8. ^ a b c Gene Frenette (July 17, 2001). "He'll always have Paris ...; But Russell, one of ATP's smallest players, has big long-term goals". Times-Union. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  9. ^ Jim Brockman (April 19, 2012). "Russell powers past Kuznetsov". Herald Tribune. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Biofile with Michael Russell". Tennis-prose.com. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  11. ^ "Michael Russell completes undergrad program from University of Phoenix". Tennisworldusa.org. January 15, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Sunny Hills' Kim Advances in Miami". Los Angeles Times. April 2, 1994. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  13. ^ "Wallace R. Holzman Sr. Award winners". USTA Midwest. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  14. ^ "All-American Monday – Michael Russell". Hurricanesports.com. October 5, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "2001 French Open – Kuerten rallies from brink of defeat to win in Paris". Sports Illustrated. June 3, 2001. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  16. ^ Clarey, Christopher (June 4, 2001). "Top Seed Displays Big Heart Against Diminutive American Qualifier: Terrier Russell Harries Kuerten". International. New York Times.
  17. ^ a b c Gene Frenette (August 29, 2006). "Russell takes his last shot". The Times-Union. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  18. ^ Charles Bricker (February 22, 2007). "Russell Beats All Challenges". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  19. ^ Niall, Jake (January 17, 2007). "Back from the brink: Hewitt prevails". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  20. ^ "BC-TEN—Indian Wells Results". newsbank.com. March 12, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  21. ^ a b Dale Robertson (April 4, 2010). "Russell's love of competition brings him to Clay Courts". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  22. ^ "Michael Russell tops Mardy Fish in U.S. Men's Clay Court". USA Today. December 4, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  23. ^ "Michael Russell bio". Legacy.tennis.com. May 1, 1978. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  24. ^ "Istomin to face Lopez in Memphis semi-finals". Steve G Tennis. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Russell rallies to win Charlottesville Challenger". The Daily Progress. November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  26. ^ Douglas Robson (November 11, 2013). "American Woes Continue". USA Today. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  27. ^ "Tennis – 35 year old American Micheal Russell wins ATP Challenger title in Charlottesville". Tennisworldusa.org. November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  28. ^ "x". Star-Telegram. February 26, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2013.[dead link]
  29. ^ "The Maui Challenger; Tournament Notes" (PDF). usta.com. January 15, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  30. ^ a b Josh Meiseles (September 24, 2015). "Russell Bids Farewell After 17 Years". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  31. ^ US Open TV broadcast, Michael Russell vs. James Blake, August 28, 2007.

External links