Author Archives: Voo de Mar

Pete Sampras

Born: August 12, 1971 in Washington, D.C. Height: 1.84 m Plays: Right-handed Descendant of Greeks, Πέτρος Σάμπρας was an extraordinary tennis player, a great athlete, and the most dominant figure of the 1990s. At the time, many tennis experts considered … Continue reading

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Robin Söderling

Born: August 14, 1984 in Tibro (Västra Götaland) Height: 1.93 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Söderling is the last Swedish player who truly mattered. Beginning with the great Björn Borg in the 70s, Sweden had consistently produced players capable of … Continue reading

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Radek Štěpánek

Born: November 27, 1978 in Karviná (Moravskoslezský kraj in Czechoslovakia) Height: 1.85 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) “How do you feel after winning the title at the end of your career?” Fred Stolle, one of the best players in the … Continue reading

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Mark Philippoussis

Born: November 7, 1976 in Melbourne (Victoria) Height: 1.94 m Plays: Right-handed Μάρκος Φιλιππούσης – the son of a Greek father and an Italian mother, enjoyed the best year of his career in 1999. He managed to achieve something only Michael … Continue reading

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Nicolás Lapentti Gómez

Born: August 13, 1976 in Guayaquil (Guayas) Height: 1.87 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) There is one particular thing about Lapentti – his extraordinary ability to close out matches once he had created a match point. I am not aware … Continue reading

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Arnaud Clément

Born: December 17, 1977 in Aix-en-Provence (Alpes-Côte d’Azur) Height: 1.72 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) He is a good example of how a bit of luck and a few good events, even without spectacular successes, can shift a player from … Continue reading

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Gastón Gaudio

Born: December 9, 1978 in Temperley (Buenos Aires) Height: 1.76 m Plays: Right-handed Gaudio’s unexpected triumph at Roland Garros 2004 gave me thrills – perhaps the most intense emotions I’ve ever felt watching tennis – especially in the fifth set … Continue reading

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Emilio Sánchez Vicario

Born: May 29, 1965 in Madrid Height: 1.80 m Plays: Right-handed It’s difficult to explain why the older brother Emilio achieved much more than the younger Javier Sánchez (b. 1968 in Pamplona, the best junior of 1986). Unlike the McEnroe … Continue reading

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Magnus Norman

Born: May 30, 1976 in Filipstad (Värmland) Height: 1.88 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Norman, born into a family of professional athletes, was seen as a potential successor to Sweden’s greatest players. Already as a 16-year-old – before even entering … Continue reading

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MaliVai Washington

Born: June 20, 1969 in Glen Cove (New York) Height: 1.80 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Some sort of a late bloomer, Washington belonged to a generation in which players who achieved similar results typically entered the Top 100 already … Continue reading

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