Mardy Fish

Born: December 9, 1981 in Edina (Minnesota)
Height: 1.87 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

The third-best player (fourth was Robby Ginepri, fifth Taylor Dent) of a generation of Americans who began their professional careers when Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were nearing retirement (as well as Jim Courier, Michael Chang &  Todd Martin), so at the beginning of the 21st Century. Andy Roddick was undoubtedly the leader, yet at the level of the fourth best US player of the previous generation in terms of achievements, followed by James Blake and Fish, who had remarkably similar careers. Fish reached five big finals, while Blake made three; both advanced to three Grand Slam quarterfinals. In the hierarchy of American tennis, I rank Blake slightly higher due to his significant contribution to the U.S. Davis Cup victory in 2007. Additionally, Blake secured a few more titles and won 64 more matches, though both share the same career win/loss percentage of 58%.
During their time on tour, the greatest challenge was facing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Both Americans had comparable Head-to-Head records against these tennis legends: Fish was 1-8 against Federer (the only – stunning – win comes from Indian Wells ’08), and the same against Nadal, while Blake had a 3-4 record against Nadal and 1-10 against Federer.
Early in his career, Fish, much like his contemporary Federer, showed a natural inclination for serve-and-volley tactics. However, tennis was transitioning to a more defensive style in the mid-00s, and over time, Fish’s game became increasingly reliant on ground-strokes – an approach that didn’t suit him well, given his forehand’s inconsistency, especially under pressure (Blake faced a similar issue with his backhand). Initially, Fish was a serve-and-volleyer with a powerful first serve, resembling a less refined version of Sampras. His serve was considered one of the best in this regard in the mid-2000s. A testament to this was his run to the 2003 Cincinnati final (where he held a match point before losing), during which numerous strong players, including Roddick in the final, struggled to break him. Between his first-round match in Cincinnati and the second round of the 2003 US Open, Fish held serve 92 consecutive times.
The year 2004 was pivotal from a patriotic standpoint. Fish reached the Olympic final in Athens as the favorite for the gold medal and later played a crucial role in helping the U.S. Davis Cup team reach the final by winning a key match against Max Mirnyi in the semifinals vs Belarus. However, Fish’s trajectory changed in 2005 due to a left wrist injury that required two surgeries. Though it wasn’t his dominant hand, it significantly affected his game, particularly his stronger backhand side.
After two difficult years (2005-06), Fish reemerged as a more complete player. He used serve-and-volley as an occasional surprise tactic, and his serve became more versatile while remaining a formidable weapon – evident in Lyon 2007, where he hit 43 aces in a three-set match against Olivier Rochus.
The years 2010-11 marked the peak of Fish’s career. As he approached 30, he lost 13 kilograms by adopting a healthier diet -cutting out cheese, sugar, pizza, cheeseburgers, and French fries – and intensifying his physical training. “A lot of it is maturity and getting older,” he said. “Getting married and realizing you’re not out there for yourself anymore. You can be pretty selfish as a tennis player, being in an individual sport.” Fish’s fitness in the latter stages of his career was emphasized by back-to-back titles in Atlanta after dramatics finals, held in extreme heat, against John Isner.
In 2011, Fish finally broke into the Top 10 mainly thanks to reaching two hardcourt Masters 1K finals (Cincinnati ’10 and Montreal ’11) – something that had seemed within reach as early as 2003. However, his decline began after a semifinal loss to Nadal in Tokyo ’11. From that point on, he struggled to string together consecutive wins, going eight tournaments in a row without back-to-back victories.
In 2012, health issues forced him to miss part of the season, and the 2012 US Open – where he reached the fourth round but withdrew before his match against Federer – marked his last strong showing. Though he officially retired in 2015, his competitive career effectively ended three years earlier in New York. He played sporadically in 2013, skipped the entire 2014 season due to an anxiety disorder, and underwent a cardiac catheter ablation procedure in June of that year to correct misfiring electric pulses in his heart. Given his overall skills, he deserved to have won at least one big final or reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam. As opposed to competitive Masters 1K finals, he had little to say in his three Grand Slam quarter-finals (Aussie Open ’07, US Open ’08 and Wimbledon ’11). Unfortunately for him, apart from the Olympic final, in the most important matches of his life he always faced better players than himself.

Career record: 302–219 [ 216 events ]
Career titles: 6
Highest ranking: No. 7
Best GS results:
Australian Open (quarterfinal 2007)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 2011)
US Open (quarterfinal 2008)
Silver medallist of the Olympics ’04
Hopman Cup champion 2008