In my second player spotlight piece, I look at 32 year old Feliciano Lopez, one of many Spaniards in the top 50 of the ATP Rankings, currently coming in at no. 27. Preferring a different style of play to many of his compatriots, the left-hander has enjoyed a distinguished career on tour. Here is a look back at his year so far and some comments on his prospects for the rest of 2014:
Career Summary
Lopez turned professional 17 years ago in 1997, first appearing on the main tour a year later, losing heavily to Czech Jiri Novak in Barcelona. Feliciano waited until 2001 to take his first couple of main tour wins, culminating in a quarter-final run at Vina del Mar. His big breakthrough came at Wimbledon the following year, where wins over seeded opponents Guillermo Canas and Rainer Schuettler took him to the last 16, a result which moved him into the top 100 for the very first time. A first title came at Vienna in 2004, but he was made to wait another 6 years to taste success again, breaking his duck at Johannesburg in 2010. After reaching a career-high ranking of 15 following a last 16 run at the Australian Open in 2012, Lopez won his third career title last year on the grass at Eastbourne, defeating Frenchman Gilles Simon in the final.
His 2014 So Far
The Spaniard has had an indifferent start to 2014, compiling a 13-13 win loss record and currently placing 29th in the race ranking. His most notable result of the season came when he reached the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters last week, losing to eventual runner-up Kei Nishikori in straight sets. Lopez also reached the last 8 in Delray Beach, where he lost convincingly to Steve Johnson. Also of note was his first Davis Cup appearance in three years, where he went down to Florian Mayer in five sets before being given a walkover against Philipp Kohlschreiber after the German team had already won the tie.
Prospects
Lopez will likely be looking forward to the grass-court swing as a potential source of some good results, having reached all three of his career Grand Slam quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Already scheduled to play at Queen's Club before aiming to defend his title at Eastbourne, you wouldn't bet against the Spaniard scoring some good wins in the next few months as he looks to build some momentum in 2014. And even if he doesn't, I'm sure I can think of a certain Scottish player's mother who will be happy to offer him some sympathy.
For updates on the blog, follow @TennisFanatic7 on Twitter, thanks for reading!
Lopez turned professional 17 years ago in 1997, first appearing on the main tour a year later, losing heavily to Czech Jiri Novak in Barcelona. Feliciano waited until 2001 to take his first couple of main tour wins, culminating in a quarter-final run at Vina del Mar. His big breakthrough came at Wimbledon the following year, where wins over seeded opponents Guillermo Canas and Rainer Schuettler took him to the last 16, a result which moved him into the top 100 for the very first time. A first title came at Vienna in 2004, but he was made to wait another 6 years to taste success again, breaking his duck at Johannesburg in 2010. After reaching a career-high ranking of 15 following a last 16 run at the Australian Open in 2012, Lopez won his third career title last year on the grass at Eastbourne, defeating Frenchman Gilles Simon in the final.
His 2014 So Far
The Spaniard has had an indifferent start to 2014, compiling a 13-13 win loss record and currently placing 29th in the race ranking. His most notable result of the season came when he reached the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters last week, losing to eventual runner-up Kei Nishikori in straight sets. Lopez also reached the last 8 in Delray Beach, where he lost convincingly to Steve Johnson. Also of note was his first Davis Cup appearance in three years, where he went down to Florian Mayer in five sets before being given a walkover against Philipp Kohlschreiber after the German team had already won the tie.
Prospects
Lopez will likely be looking forward to the grass-court swing as a potential source of some good results, having reached all three of his career Grand Slam quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Already scheduled to play at Queen's Club before aiming to defend his title at Eastbourne, you wouldn't bet against the Spaniard scoring some good wins in the next few months as he looks to build some momentum in 2014. And even if he doesn't, I'm sure I can think of a certain Scottish player's mother who will be happy to offer him some sympathy.
For updates on the blog, follow @TennisFanatic7 on Twitter, thanks for reading!
RSS Feed