Michaël Llodra (French pronunciation: [mikaɛl jɔdʁa]; born 18 May 1980) is a French former professional tennis player. He was a successful doubles player with three Grand Slam championships and an Olympic silver medal, and has also had success in singles, winning five career titles and gaining victories over Novak Djokovic, Juan Martín del Potro, Tomáš Berdych, Robin Söderling, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko, Janko Tipsarević and John Isner. Llodra has been called "the best volleyer on tour."

Michaël Llodra
Country (sports) France
ResidenceRueil-Malmaison, France
Born (1980-05-18) 18 May 1980 (age 44)
Paris, France
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Turned pro1999
Retired2014
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money$8,533,350
Singles
Career record187–221
Career titles5
Highest rankingNo. 21 (9 May 2011)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (2012)
French Open4R (2004, 2008)
Wimbledon4R (2011)
US Open4R (2004)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games2R (2008)
Doubles
Career record387–224
Career titles26
Highest rankingNo. 3 (14 November 2011)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2003, 2004)
French OpenF (2004, 2013)
WimbledonW (2007)
US OpenSF (2003)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsW (2005)
Medal record
Olympic Games – Tennis
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Doubles

Life and career

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Llodra at 2014 US Open

Llodra was born in Paris, where his father Michel played for Paris Saint-Germain. A left-hander, his serve-and-volley style is modelled on that of his idol, Stefan Edberg.[1]

Llodra and his wife Camille were married on 9 September 2003, and have two children, a daughter, Manon (born 23 March 2004) and a son, Teo (born 5 September 2007). He is a well-known supporter of French football club Paris Saint-Germain, and has often been seen wearing the club's shirt prior to tennis matches.

2002

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Llodra reached his first Grand Slam final, the Australian Open men's doubles, with Fabrice Santoro. Unseeded, they lost to Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. During his semifinal, Llodra inadvertently hit and killed a bird flying across the court.[2]

2003

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Llodra won his first Grand Slam title, the Australian Open men's doubles, with Santoro. Their opponents in the final were once again Knowles and Nestor.

2004

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Upon winning the men's doubles again for the second time at the Australian Open in 2004, Llodra and his tennis partner Santoro made headlines by stripping off their shirts, shoes, socks and shorts.[3] Dressed in a pair of white briefs only, Llodra threw his clothes into the crowd, to the cheers of many onlookers.[4]

Llodra made his first appearance in the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles tournament at that year's French Open. In the fourth round he led eventual semifinalist Tim Henman by two sets to love and had a match point in the fifth set before Henman prevailed. Llodra also won his first ATP singles title two weeks later at 's-Hertogenbosch.

2005

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On 20 November 2005, Llodra again teamed with Santoro to win the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, a competition which pitted the top eight doubles teams in the world against one another.

2007

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In July, Llodra won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon partnering Arnaud Clément, defeating Bob and Mike Bryan to win his third Grand Slam doubles title. He and Clément were ecstatic, and Llodra once again celebrated by throwing his shirt, racket and towel into the crowd.

At the US Open, he and Clément were seeded seventh, but were upset in the second round by Jesse Levine and Alex Kuznetsov.

2008

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Llodra and Clément reached a second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, but lost to the Israeli pairing of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram.

In singles, Llodra won two tournaments in the course of two months, the first in Adelaide, where he defeated Jarkko Nieminen in the final, and the other in Rotterdam, where he edged out Robin Söderling in a third-set tiebreak.

Llodra and his doubles partner Clément then defeated the Bryan Brothers again in four sets at the Davis Cup quarterfinals tie against the US team. They are one of two teams to defeat the Bryans in Davis Cup.

He then entered the French Open, where he upset Tomáš Berdych in the second round and went on to reach the fourth round, losing to Latvian Ernests Gulbis in straight sets.

2009

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Llodra at the 2009 French Open.

In 2009, he made two finals in singles; the Open 13 in Marseille (l. to Tsonga) and the Grand Prix in Lyon (l. to Ljubicic). He had a poor season in doubles.[5]

2010

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Llodra started off the season with opening-round losses in Brisbane and Sydney. He made the second round of the Australian Open, losing to Juan Mónaco in five sets.

He lost to Marco Chiudinelli in the opening round in Rotterdam. The following week, he impressively won the Open 13 tournament in Marseille. He beat two well-known players on the rise: seventh seed Marcos Baghdatis (in the second round) and top seed Robin Söderling (in the quarterfinals). In the final, he defeated Julien Benneteau in straight sets in their first meeting on the ATP tour.[6] Llodra and Benneteau also teamed up to win the doubles title in Marseille. Llodra also won at Eastbourne, beating Guillermo García-López in the final.[7]

Llodra lost in the first round at the French Open, the second round at Wimbledon, and made the third round at the US Open before retiring against Tommy Robredo.

At the BNP Paribas Masters tournament in Paris-Bercy, he played his best tennis in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, where he defeated second seed Novak Djokovic and then eleventh seed Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals. Llodra then held three match points against world No. 5 and eventual champion Robin Söderling, but eventually lost in a third-set tiebreak. Had Llodra won, it would have been an all-French final in Paris with compatriot Gaël Monfils.

2011

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At the Australian Open, Llodra and Zimonjic lost in the quarterfinals to Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes. They reached the final in Rotterdam, but lost to Jürgen Melzer and Petzschner. They reached the semifinals in Dubai, but lost to Jérémy Chardy and Feliciano López, again in a super-tiebreak. They reached the quarterfinals in Miami, again losing to Bhupathi and Paes. In Madrid, they lost the final to the Bryan brothers. In Rome, they reached the quarterfinals, losing to Carlos Berlocq and Jarkko Nieminen.

The team made the semifinals at the French Open and at Wimbledon, losing to Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in a match featuring two tiebreaks, and to the Bryan brothers in five sets. They won their first two titles of the year in Washington, D.C., and at the Canadian Open, against Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecău and the Bryan brothers, respectively. They lost in the final in Cincinnati, again against Bhupathi and Paes.

They did not make it past the round of 16 at the US Open, but they took their third title of the year at the China Open, again against Lindstedt and Tecau. They lost in the final in Shanghai against Max Mirnyi and Nestor in a super-tiebreak. They took their fourth title together in Basel, again defeating Mirnyi and Nestor in the final.

They reached the quarterfinals in Bercy and participated in the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals in London, winning their first round-robin match against Rohan Bopanna and Aisam Qureshi.

In singles, Llodra reached the quarterfinals in Marseille, losing to Robin Söderling. He also reached the quarterfinals in Madrid, losing to finalist Rafael Nadal. He lost in the first round at the French Open and in the round of 16 at Wimbledon. In the US Open, he lost in the second round to Kevin Anderson in straight sets.

2012

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At the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris (Bercy), Llodra reached the semifinals, after upsetting tenth and seventh seeds John Isner and Juan Martín del Potro, even though he was the lowest-ranked player in the draw. He also beat American Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals. He faced David Ferrer for a place in the final, but lost.[8]

2013

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At the Dubai Open, Llodra stunned world No. 8 and Australian Open 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets, but lost to Dmitry Tursunov in the next round. Llodra was also in the men's doubles finals of the French Open with Nicolas Mahut, but lost to the Bryan brothers in the final.[9]

2014

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In 2014 Llodra played fewer tournaments and had less success in singles than the previous years. He suffered first-round losses at the Australian Open and French Open, and skipped Wimbledon. He did, however, get a win at the US Open, defeating Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Playing style

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Llodra was known for his skilled net play.[10] The Guardian journalist Xan Brooks described Llodra as "one of those talented, maddening French players in the tradition of Henri Leconte, Guy Forget and Fabrice Santoro; at once supremely gifted and curiously brittle" and that he "plays like he's just flown in from the 20th-century. His game is all dinks and slices and sly changes of pace."[11] Two-time French Open finalist Robin Söderling called Llodra's serve "unbelievable" and his volleys the "best on the tour".[12] To aid his touch on volleys, Llodra was one of the few professionals to use all natural gut strings, which gave him better feel at the expense of power at the baseline.[10]

Llodra was one of the last remaining serve-and-volleyers in the top ranks of men's professional tennis, a tactic aided by his left-handed serve which allowed him to create unusual angles.[10] Llodra has been called the 'best serve and volleyer in the world' by the website Essential Tennis.[13]

Significant finals

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Grand Slam tournament finals

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Men's doubles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner-ups)

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Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2002 Australian Open Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
6–7(4–7), 3–6
Win 2003 Australian Open Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Win 2004 Australian Open (2) Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
7–6(7–4), 6–3
Loss 2004 French Open Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Xavier Malisse
  Olivier Rochus
5–7, 5–7
Win 2007 Wimbledon Grass   Arnaud Clément   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Loss 2008 Australian Open Hard   Arnaud Clément   Jonathan Erlich
  Andy Ram
5–7, 6–7(4–7)
Loss 2013 French Open Clay   Nicolas Mahut   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
4–6, 6–4, 6–7(4–7)

Olympic finals

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Men's doubles: 2 (1 Silver medal, 1 4th place)

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Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
4th Place 2008 Summer Olympics Hard   Arnaud Clément   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–3, 3–6, 4–6
Silver 2012 Summer Olympics Grass   Jo-Wilfried Tsonga   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
4–6, 6–7(2–7)

Year-end championships

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Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

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Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2003 Tennis Masters Cup, Houston Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 4–6
Win 2005 Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai Carpet (i)   Fabrice Santoro   Leander Paes
  Nenad Zimonjić
6–7(6–8), 6–3, 7–6(7–4)

Masters 1000 finals

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Doubles: 11 (3 titles, 8 runner-ups)

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Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2003 Monte-Carlo Masters Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Max Mirnyi
4–6, 6–3, 6–7(6–8)
Loss 2003 Italian Open Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Wayne Arthurs
  Paul Hanley
1–6, 3–6
Loss 2003 Paris Masters Carpet (i)   Fabrice Santoro   Wayne Arthurs
  Paul Hanley
3–6, 6–1, 3–6
Win 2005 Italian Open Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–2
Loss 2005 Hamburg Masters Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Jonas Björkman
  Max Mirnyi
6–4, 6–7(2–7), 6–7(3–7)
Win 2006 Paris Masters Carpet (i)   Arnaud Clément   Fabrice Santoro
  Nenad Zimonjić
7–6(7–4), 6–2
Loss 2010 Canadian Open Hard   Julien Benneteau   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
5–7, 3–6
Loss 2011 Madrid Open Clay   Nenad Zimonjić   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
3–6, 3–6
Win 2011 Canadian Open Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–7(5–7), [10–5]
Loss 2011 Cincinnati Masters Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Leander Paes
6–7(4–7), 6–7(2–7)
Loss 2011 Shanghai Masters Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Max Mirnyi
  Daniel Nestor
6–3, 1–6, [10–12]

ATP career finals

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Singles: 10 (5 titles, 5 runner-ups)

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Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
Tennis Masters Cup /
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)
Olympic Games (0–0)
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (1–0)
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (4–5)
Finals by surface
Hard (3–4)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (2–1)
Carpet (0–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (3–2)
Indoor (2–3)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Jan 2004 Australian Hard Court Championships, Australia International Hard   Dominik Hrbatý 4–6, 0–6
Win 1–1 Jun 2004 Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, Netherlands International Grass   Guillermo Coria 6–3, 6–4
Loss 1–2 Jun 2005 Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, Netherlands International Grass   Mario Ančić 5–7, 4–6
Win 2–2 Jan 2008 Australian Hard Court Championships, Australia International Hard   Jarkko Nieminen 6–3, 6–4
Win 3–2 Feb 2008 Rotterdam Open, Netherlands Intl. Gold Hard (i)   Robin Söderling 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Loss 3–3 Feb 2009 Open 13, France 250 Series Hard (i)   Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 5–7, 6–7(3–7)
Loss 3–4 Nov 2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France 250 Series Hard (i)   Ivan Ljubičić 5–7, 3–6
Win 4–4 Feb 2010 Open 13, France 250 Series Hard (i)   Julien Benneteau 6–3, 6–4
Win 5–4 Jun 2010 Eastbourne International, United Kingdom 250 Series Grass   Guillermo García López 7–5, 6–2
Loss 5–5 Feb 2012 Open 13, France 250 Series Hard (i)   Juan Martín del Potro 4–6, 4–6

Doubles: 48 (26 titles, 22 runner-ups)

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Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam tournaments (3–4)
Tennis Masters Cup /
ATP World Tour Finals (1–1)
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (3–8)
Olympic Games (0–1)
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (6–1)
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (13–7)
Finals by surface
Hard (18–14)
Clay (2–6)
Grass (1–1)
Carpet (5–1)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (11–16)
Indoor (15–6)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 May 2000 Majorca Open,
Spain
International Clay   Diego Nargiso   Alberto Martín
  Fernando Vicente
7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–3)
Loss 1–1 Jan 2002 Australian Open,
Australia
Grand Slam Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
6–7(4–7), 3–6
Loss 1–2 Jul 2002 Los Angeles Open,
United States
International Hard   Justin Gimelstob   Sébastien Grosjean
  Nicolas Kiefer
4–6, 4–6
Win 2–2 Jan 2003 Australian Open,
Australia
Grand Slam Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Loss 2–3 Apr 2003 Monte-Carlo Masters,
Monaco
Masters Series Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Max Mirnyi
4–6, 6–3, 6–7(6–8)
Loss 2–4 May 2003 Italian Open,
Italy
Masters Series Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Wayne Arthurs
  Paul Hanley
1–6, 3–6
Loss 2–5 Oct 2003 Open de Moselle,
France
International Hard (i)   Fabrice Santoro   Julien Benneteau
  Nicolas Mahut
6–7(2–7), 3–6
Loss 2–6 Nov 2003 Paris Masters,
France
Masters Series Carpet (i)   Fabrice Santoro   Wayne Arthurs
  Paul Hanley
3–6, 6–1, 3–6
Loss 2–7 Nov 2003 Tennis Masters Cup,
United States
Tour Finals Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 4–6
Loss 2–8 Jan 2004 Australian Hard Court Championships,
Australia
International Hard   Arnaud Clément   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
5–7, 3–6
Win 3–8 Jan 2004 Australian Open,
Australia (2)
Grand Slam Hard   Fabrice Santoro   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
7–6(7–4), 6–3
Loss 3–9 Jun 2004 French Open,
France
Grand Slam Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Xavier Malisse
  Olivier Rochus
5–7, 5–7
Win 4–9 Aug 2004 Long Island Open,
United States
International Hard   Antony Dupuis   Yves Allegro
  Michael Kohlmann
6–2, 6–4
Win 5–9 Oct 2004 St. Petersburg Open,
Russia
International Carpet (i)   Arnaud Clément   Dominik Hrbatý
  Jaroslav Levinský
6–3, 6–2
Loss 5–10 Jan 2005 Sydney International,
Australia
International Hard   Arnaud Clément   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Todd Woodbridge
3–6, 3–6
Win 6–10 May 2005 Italian Open,
Italy
Masters Series Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–2
Loss 6–11 May 2005 Hamburg Masters,
Germany
Masters Series Clay   Fabrice Santoro   Jonas Björkman
  Max Mirnyi
6–4, 6–7(2–7), 6–7(3–7)
Win 7–11 Oct 2005 Open de Moselle,
France
International Hard (i)   Fabrice Santoro   José Acasuso
  Sebastián Prieto
5–2, 3–5, 5–4(7–4)
Win 8–11 Oct 2005 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon,
France
International Carpet (i)   Fabrice Santoro   Jeff Coetzee
  Rogier Wassen
6–3, 6–1
Win 9–11 Nov 2005 Tennis Masters Cup,
China
Tour Finals Carpet (i)   Fabrice Santoro   Leander Paes
  Nenad Zimonjić
6–7(6–8), 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Win 10–11 Nov 2006 Paris Masters,
France
Masters Series Carpet (i)   Arnaud Clément   Fabrice Santoro
  Nenad Zimonjić
7–6(7–4), 6–2
Win 11–11 Feb 2007 Open 13,
France
International Hard (i)   Arnaud Clément   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
7–5, 4–6, [10–8]
Win 12–11 Jul 2007 Wimbledon Championships,
United Kingdom
Grand Slam Grass   Arnaud Clément   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Loss 12–12 Sep 2007 Thailand Open,
Thailand
International Hard (i)   Nicolas Mahut   Sanchai Ratiwatana
  Sonchat Ratiwatana
6–3, 5–7, [7–10]
Win 13–12 Oct 2007 Open de Moselle,
France (2)
International Hard (i)   Arnaud Clément   Mariusz Fyrstenberg
  Marcin Matkowski
6–1, 6–4
Loss 13–13 Oct 2007 Stockholm Open,
Sweden
International Hard (i)   Arnaud Clément   Jonas Björkman
  Max Mirnyi
4–6, 4–6
Loss 13–14 Jan 2008 Australian Open,
Australia
Grand Slam Hard   Arnaud Clément   Jonathan Erlich
  Andy Ram
5–7, 6–7(4–7)
Win 14–14 Mar 2008 Las Vegas Open,
United States
International Hard   Julien Benneteau   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 4–6, [10–8]
Win 15–14 Oct 2008 Open de Moselle,
France (3)
International Hard (i)   Arnaud Clément   Mariusz Fyrstenberg
  Marcin Matkowski
5–7, 6–3, [10–8]
Win 16–14 Oct 2008 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon,
France (2)
International Carpet (i)   Andy Ram   Stephen Huss
  Ross Hutchins
6–3, 5–7, [10–8]
Win 17–14 Feb 2009 Open 13,
France (2)
250 Series Hard (i)   Arnaud Clément   Julian Knowle
  Andy Ram
3–6, 6–3, [10–8]
Loss 17–15 Oct 2009 Open de Moselle,
France
250 Series Hard (i)   Arnaud Clément   Colin Fleming
  Ken Skupski
6–2, 4–6, [5–10]
Win 18–15 Feb 2010 Open 13,
France (3)
250 Series Hard (i)   Julien Benneteau   Julian Knowle
  Robert Lindstedt
6–4, 6–3
Loss 18–16 Aug 2010 Canadian Open,
Canada
Masters 1000 Hard   Julien Benneteau   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
5–7, 3–6
Loss 18–17 Feb 2011 Rotterdam Open,
Netherlands
500 Series Hard (i)   Nenad Zimonjić   Jürgen Melzer
  Philipp Petzschner
4–6, 6–3, [5–10]
Loss 18–18 May 2011 Madrid Open,
Spain
Masters 1000 Clay   Nenad Zimonjić   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
3–6, 3–6
Win 19–18 Aug 2011 Washington Open,
United States
500 Series Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Robert Lindstedt
  Horia Tecău
6–7(3–7), 7–6(8–6), [10–7]
Win 20–18 Aug 2011 Canadian Open,
Canada
Masters 1000 Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–7(5–7), [10–5]
Loss 20–19 Aug 2011 Cincinnati Masters,
United States
Masters 1000 Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Leander Paes
6–7(4–7), 6–7(2–7)
Win 21–19 Oct 2011 China Open,
China
500 Series Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Robert Lindstedt
  Horia Tecău
7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–4)
Loss 21–20 Oct 2011 Shanghai Masters,
China
Masters 1000 Hard   Nenad Zimonjić   Max Mirnyi
  Daniel Nestor
6–3, 1–6, [10–12]
Win 22–20 Nov 2011 Swiss Indoors,
Switzerland
500 Series Hard (i)   Nenad Zimonjić   Max Mirnyi
  Daniel Nestor
6–4, 7–5
Win 23–20 Feb 2012 Rotterdam Open,
Netherlands
500 Series Hard (i)   Nenad Zimonjić   Robert Lindstedt
  Horia Tecău
4–6, 7–5, [16–14]
Loss 23–21 Aug 2012 Summer Olympics,
United Kingdom
Olympics Grass   Jo-Wilfried Tsonga   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
4–6, 6–7(2–7)
Win 24–21 Feb 2013 Open Sud de France,
France (3)
250 Series Hard (i)   Marc Gicquel   Johan Brunström
  Raven Klaasen
6–3, 3–6, [11–9]
Win 25–21 Mar 2013 Dubai Tennis Championships,
United Arab Emirates
500 Series Hard   Mahesh Bhupathi   Robert Lindstedt
  Nenad Zimonjić
7–6(8–6), 7–6(8–6)
Loss 25–22 Jun 2013 French Open,
France
Grand Slam Clay   Nicolas Mahut   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
4–6, 6–4, 6–7(4–7)
Win 26–22 Feb 2014 Rotterdam Open,
Netherlands
500 Series Hard (i)   Nicolas Mahut   Jean-Julien Rojer
  Horia Tecău
6–2, 7–6(7–4)

Performance timelines

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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

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Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 W-L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open 2R A 1R 1R A 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R 1R 1R 5–13
French Open 1R 1R 1R 1R 4R 1R 1R 3R 4R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 1R 10–15
Wimbledon 2R 1R 1R 2R 1R 1R A 2R 1R 2R 2R 4R 1R 2R A 9–13
US Open A A 2R A 4R 1R A 2R 2R 1R 3R 2R 1R 1R 2R 10–11
Win–loss 2–3 0–2 1–4 1–3 6–3 0–4 0–2 4–4 4–4 1–4 4–4 5–4 3–4 2–4 1–3 34–52
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells A A A A A 3R A 2R 1R 2R 1R 3R 2R 2R A 7–7
Miami A A A 1R A 1R 2R 3R 1R 1R 2R 3R 1R 2R A 6–10
Monte Carlo A A 2R A A 1R 2R Q1 1R A 2R 1R 1R A 2R 4–8
Rome A A A A A 1R A 1R 1R A 2R 1R 1R A A 1–6
Hamburg A A A A A 1R A A 2R Held as Madrid (Clay) 1–2
Madrid (Clay) Held as Hamburg A A QF 1R Q2 Q1 3–2
Canada 1R 1R A 1R 1R A A Q2 1R Q2 3R 2R A 1R Q2 3–8
Cincinnati A A A A 1R A A Q1 1R Q1 1R 2R A A Q1 1–4
Madrid (Hard) A A A A A A A A 1R Held as Shanghai 0–1
Shanghai Held as Madrid (Hard) 1R 1R 1R A A A 0–3
Paris 1R 1R A A 1R A 2R A A 1R SF 1R SF 1R A 9–9
Win–loss 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–3 2–5 3–3 3–3 1–8 1–4 9–8 7–9 5–6 2–4 1–1 35–60
Career statistics
Titles 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 5
Finals 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 10
Year-end ranking 159 89 104 173 41 136 96 93 40 67 23 47 53 105 269

Doubles

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Tournament 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 SR W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A 1R F W W QF 2R 1R F A 1R QF 3R 1R SF 2 / 13 35–11
French Open A 2R 1R QF 2R 3R F 2R 3R 3R 1R 1R 3R SF QF F 3R 0 / 16 32–16
Wimbledon A A 2R 3R 1R 3R A QF A W A A QF SF 3R 2R SF 1 / 11 28–10
US Open A A 1R 1R 2R SF 2R 1R QF 2R 1R QF 2R 3R 1R 3R 2R 0 / 15 19–13
Win–loss 0–0 1–1 1–3 5–4 7–4 14–3 12–2 7–4 5–3 9–3 5–3 3–2 6–3 13–4 7–4 8–4 11–3 3 / 55 114–51
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells A A A A 2R 2R A 2R A 2R 2R 2R QF 1R 1R A A 0 / 9 6–9
Miami A A A A 3R 2R A QF 2R SF QF A 1R QF QF 2R SF 0 / 11 17–11
Monte Carlo A A Q1 A 1R F 2R SF 2R 1R 2R A A 1R SF A 2R 0 / 10 10–10
Rome A A A A 2R F QF W A 2R 2R A 2R QF QF A A 1 / 9 12–7
Madrid (Stuttgart) A A A A 1R A A SF A A 2R A A F 2R 1R 2R 0 / 7 5–7
Canada A A 1R A 1R QF SF A A 1R 1R 1R F W A 2R 1R 1 / 11 12–10
Cincinnati A A A A 1R QF QF SF A A A QF 2R F A 1R 2R 0 / 9 9–9
Shanghai Not Held 1R 1R F A A A 0 / 3 3–3
Paris A A 2R 1R QF F 1R 1R W SF SF 2R 2R QF 1R 1R A 1 / 14 18–13
Hamburg A A A A A A A F 2R A QF NM1 0 / 3 6–3
Year-end ranking 383 271 93 67 28 12 12 9 36 17 18 49 29 5 33 24 26

Top 10 wins

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Season 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total
Wins 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 4 0 2 3 0 13
# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score
2004
1.   Guillermo Coria 3 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands Grass F 6–3, 6–4
2.   Marat Safin 8 St. Petersburg, Russia Carpet (i) QF 6–4, 6–1
2008
3.   Nikolay Davydenko 4 Rotterdam, Netherlands Hard (i) 2R 6–3, 7–5
2009
4.   Gilles Simon 8 Marseille, France Hard (i) SF 7–6(7–5), 6–2
2010
5.   Robin Söderling 8 Marseille, France Hard (i) QF 7–6(7–2), 6–4
6.   Fernando Verdasco 10 Davis Cup, Clermont-Ferrand, France Hard (i) RR 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2)
7.   Tomáš Berdych 7 US Open, New York Hard 1R 7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–4
8.   Novak Djokovic 3 Paris, France Hard (i) 3R 7–6(8–6), 6–2
2012
9.   Janko Tipsarević 9 Marseille, France Hard (i) SF 6–4, 7–6(12–10)
10.   Juan Martín del Potro 8 Paris, France Hard (i) 3R 6–4, 6–3
2013
11.   Janko Tipsarević 9 Montpellier, France Hard (i) 2R 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
12.   Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 8 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hard 1R 7–6(7–3), 6–2
13.   Richard Gasquet 10 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) 1R 6–4, 6–2

Incidents

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Bird

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In the 2002 Australian Open men's doubles semifinal against Julien Boutter and Arnaud Clément, a small bird (identified as a house martin) flew into the court chasing a moth. It flew into the path of a hard-hit volley by Llodra. After an impromptu funeral ceremony led by Boutter, the match continued, with Llodra and Santoro eventually winning 6–3, 3–6, 12–10.[14] Llodra remarked afterwards, "I didn't do it deliberately. But at least I saved the moth."

Nude in the locker

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In the 2005 Key Biscayne tournament, Llodra was hiding nude in Ivan Ljubicic's locker. When Ljubicic discovered him, Llodra stated that he "tried to get his positive energy".[15] In 2005 Ljubicic was playing his most successful season by then.

Accusation of racism

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After his first round victory over Ernests Gulbis at the 2012 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, during which Llodra was overheard by fans and journalists making racist and sexist comments to a female Gulbis fan, Llodra was fined $2500 by the ATP for his behaviour.[16] He later admitted making the comments in interviews with French media and complained that the fine was too high. Llodra did not make matters better for himself during an interview with a reporter from the Chinese news Web site SINA.com, in which the Frenchman attempted to apologize for his remarks. "My words were not aimed at China," Llodra began. "I love Chinese — I can totally make love with a Chinese girl," he added, before being cut off by the A.T.P. official monitoring the interview. The journalist, who took offense at the remark, said that he did not find Llodra's apology sincere. This was not the first incident in which charges of racism have been leveled at Llodra.[17] He denied his comments were racist during his 2011 French Open first round defeat at the hands of Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis, comparing the atmosphere on court to that of a north African souk while veteran Moroccan umpire Mohammed El Jennati was in the chair.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Présentation du TC Chatou". tennisclubchatou.com (in French). Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2022..
  2. ^ "Llodra gets the bird". 24 January 2002. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Celebrations end with a striptease". CNN.com World Sport. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
  4. ^ "French duo retain title". BBC News Online. 31 January 2004. Archived from the original on 25 May 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
  5. ^ "Tsonga impressionne". eurosport.fr (in French). 21 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020..
  6. ^ "Llodra sort Söderling". L'Équipe (in French). 19 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Llodra, label vert". eurosport.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010..
  8. ^ "L'Équipe - L'actualité du sport en continu". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Llodra impuissant face à Murray". LEFIGARO (in French). 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Llodra's Strong Net Play to Match His Sense of Humor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  11. ^ Brooks, Xan (23 June 2010). "Wimbledon 2010 live blog". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 December 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  12. ^ "Robin Soderling halts Michael Llodra's run in Paris Masters". The Guardian. 13 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  13. ^ "Best Serve and Volleyer in the World". Essential Tennis. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  14. ^ "Llodra gets the bird". BBC News. 24 January 2002. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  15. ^ "Prankster Llodra nude in Croatian's locker". ESPN. 28 March 2005. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  16. ^ "After racial taunt, Michael Llodra pays a price beyond money". tennis.com.
  17. ^ "Michael Llodra racism incident". The New York Times. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  18. ^ "Llodra denies making racist remark". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 May 2011. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
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