Fernando González Ciuffardi 

Born: July 29, 1980 in Santiago (Región Metropolitana)
Height: 1.83 m
Plays: Right-handed

One of the most captivating players to watch in the 2000s, he claimed the French Open junior championship in 1998 by defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final (Ferrero would exact revenge in the Parisian quarterfinal five years later). On the professional tour, the Spaniard made swift progress, reaching the French Open semifinals in the years 2000-01, while González barely made it through the qualifying rounds. Although it took him a few years to meet the high expectations in Chile, set after Marcelo Ríos ascended to world No. 1, he triumphed in Orlando in 2000, only his third main-level event, having saved four match points in the qualifying second round against an obscure player Giorgio Galimberti. Before and after Orlando, he was tirelessly working, alternating between Futures, Challengers and ATP qualifying rounds to elevate his game.
His breakthrough victory against Pete Sampras in Miami ’02 signalled that he was not just another clay-courter from South America. Later that year, he confirmed that defeating Sampras wasn’t a fluke as he advanced to the semifinal in Cincinnati and the US Open quarterfinal.
Throughout his career, he proved to be equally dangerous on all surfaces except grass, where his extensive forehand preparation and somewhat unnatural slice were less effective. Nonetheless he won distinctively more matches than lost on the green surface. The forehand was his signature shot, ranking him among the top contenders for the biggest forehands in tennis history. González’ unwavering confidence in this shot mirrored Mark Philippoussis‘ belief in his serve (and forehand too). Both players were the biggest risk-takers in their “new balls please” generation, who refused to concede hope to their opponents in tense rallies. Whether facing set point or match point down, Philippoussis and González were determined to unleash their signature shots to turn the tide. Their bold approach paid off statistically, as both players ended their careers with positive records in dramatic conclusions.
González experienced heartbreak in the two biggest finals of his career (the Australian Open ’07 and the Olympics ’08), facing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at their peak, respectively. Two major finals were within his grasp, but in the French Open ’09, he succumbed to Robin Söderling despite holding a 4:1 (30/15) lead in the deciding set.
Alongside Nicolás Massú, he clinched the gold medal in doubles at the Olympics in Athens ’04 and secured the bronze medal in singles after a thrilling victory over Taylor Dent in the third-place match, where he saved two match points at 13:14 with service and forehand winners (four years later, he secured another memorable “MP down” victory in a prolonged deciding third set against a US player at the Olympics, this time in Beijing, where he faced James Blake). Known for his massive “la derecha”, González consistently outperformed his opponents in forehand winners, making it nearly impossible to witness a match won by “Gonzo” with fewer of these electrifying shots.
Certainly, considering the level he reached in men’s tennis, he would have been satisfied with at least one Masters 1000 title. However, luck wasn’t on his side in the finals in Madrid ’06 and Rome ’07, where he faced the toughest opponents available at the time. Given his and Massú’s dedication, as well as their doubles success in Athens, it’s a bit strange they never led Chile to the Davis Cup semifinal at least. The closest they came was in 2006 when visiting the United States. González made a heroic effort in securing the first rubber for Chile, but Andy Roddick collected two crucial points against Massú and González.
Trivia: he defeated Novak Đoković twice in three confrontations, both wins (Cincinnati, Madrid) when the Serb was a teenager, and on each occasion Đoković was within two points from victory – his first two defeats of this type at the main-level.

Career record: 370–202 [ 204 events ]
Career titles: 11
Highest ranking: No. 5
Best GS results:
Australian Open (runner-up 2007)
Roland Garros (semifinal 2009; quarterfinal 2003 & 08)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 2005)
US Open (quarterfinal 2002 & 09)
Olympic medals (Bronze in Athens ’04, Silver in Beijing ’08)
World Team Cup champion 2003-04