Tommy Robredo Garcés

Born: May 1, 1982 in Hostalric (Catalonia)
Height: 1.82 m
Plays: Right-handed

All Spanish players who advanced to the Top 10 in the Open Era have had one thing in common – good mentality, understood as the ability to sustain long matches, and deliver their best tennis in critical moments; I can indicate only one case with more dramatic defeats than wins, but even Fernando Verdasco, who was questioned so many times, has won five-setters against five-set specialists (Đoković, Ferrer, Nadal, Murray)… Robredo was distinctive in terms of mentality; I’d say that he maximized his potential thanks to dealing well with difficult situations. Not a fan favorite, he was often called “Boredo” due to his rather conservative style, indicating that his strokes/behaviour had a vibe of boredom. Indeed, he didn’t possess any big weapon, but also no weaknesses in his arsenal. Apart from excellent physical preparation, the second important aspect of his tennis which helped him survive many tight matches was his ability to play more aggressively with his forehand when it mattered the most.
He showcased versatility in his best 2006: captured a Masters 1K title on clay (Hamburg), reached semifinals on hard (Cincinnati) and carpet (Paris-Bercy), becoming a Top 10 player, and keeping that position more than a year. Before it happened he’d been a member of the Spanish team that triumphed in the Davis Cup (2004), helping with a vital win against Czechia in singles and against France in doubles, and raised the trophy in the most prestigious event for all Catalan players – Barcelona, in 2004. Moreover, he finished his career as a multiple major quarter-finalist at three different venues. Could he have asked for more? Yes – one Grand Slam semifinal seemed definitely within his grasp. The problem was that, usually in his seven quarterfinal appearances (once in Melbourne, five times in Paris, once in New York), he turned to be a heavy underdog. In the mid-2010s, he became an infamous leader of the most defeats at this stage in the Open Era without advancing to the semifinal.
The lack of one leading shot caused him big problems against the best players born in the 80s, especially against Roger Federer (1-11 H2H… the only victory came at the US Open ’13) and Andy Roddick (0-11 H2H, losing twice even on clay). Even though Robredo was a pretty equal player off both wings, the only weakness was more connected to his position on the court than to his technique – i.e., to feel his shots well he needed to stay far behind the baseline as a receiver, 2-4 meters. This caused him plenty of problems against big servers. He simply couldn’t find his normal rhythm in return games when facing big servers. This way, I explain his very poor records against Federer (a really big server at times) and Roddick – they could easily dictate the pace during rallies with their big forehands after Robredo’s slow returns. I think it’s not accidental that the Spaniard had bad records against one-dimensional guys like Ivo Karlović (0-4), John Isner (1-3), Milos Raonic (0-6) and Wayne Arthurs (0-3), all known for the most lethal serves in their times.
Trivia: Robredo has the second-longest streak of successive tie-breaks won (17 in a row in the years 2008-09). He also has one of the best five-set records of the Open Era (17-5) – the most memorable five-set victory at Roland Garros ’05: his mental toughness and physical endurance were epitomised at the 2013 French Open, where he became the first man since Wimbledon 1927 (Henri Cochet) to win three consecutive matches from two sets down. His unique speciality of winning tight matches with high frequency was brutally verified in Autumn 2014 as he lost two finals to Andy Murray (Shenzhen, Valencia), squandering ten (!) championship points in total. He simply faced an opponent with similar perseverance, yet more skilful and possessing a better serve, so crucial in tight tie-breaks. Those two finals ended Robredo’s good times when he was 32, but he remained competitive at the Challenger level until he turned 40, reflecting his unwavering dedication and commitment to the sport despite stepping away from the main tour.

Career record: 533-358 [ 364 events ]
Career titles: 12
Highest ranking: No. 5
Best GS results:
Australian Open (quarterfinal 2007)
Roland Garros (quarterfinal 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013)
US Open (quarterfinal 2013)
Davis Cup champion 2004 (played only doubles in the final)
Hopman Cup champion 2002 and 2010