Filippo Volandri

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**Filippo Volandri**

Country	Italy
Residence	Livorno, Italy
Date of birth	September 5, 1981 (1981-09-05) (age 26)
Place of birth	Livorno, Italy
Height	182cm (6ft 0in)
Weight	73kg (161lb)
Turned Pro	1997
Plays	Right-handed; one-handed backhand
Career Prize Money	$2,308,921
Singles
Career record:	138 - 131
Career titles:	2
Highest ranking:	No. 25 (July 23, 2007)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	2nd (2004)
French Open	4th (2007)
Wimbledon	2nd (2004)
US Open	2nd (2004)
Doubles
Career record:	17 - 48
Career titles:	0
Highest ranking:	120 (May 14, 2006)
Infobox last updated on: February 25, 2008.

Filippo Volandri (born on September 5, 1981 in Livorno, Italy) is a professional male tennis player. Volandri, a right-handed player, stands 6'0" tall, and reached a career-high ranking of 28 on May 16, 2005. He turned pro in 1997, and as of January 2006, had earned over $1,300,000 in prize money. In September 2006, he lost the final of the Bucharest ATP tournament against Jürgen Melzer (6–1, 7–5). Volandri won the second title of his career in September 2006, beating Nicolas Lapentti in the final of the Sicily International in Palermo [1].

[edit] Rome Masters success

At the Rome Masters in 2007 Volandri, having entered as a wild card, recorded the biggest win of his career by dispatching world number one Roger Federer in straight sets, 6–2 6–4. Volandri celebrated by doing a lap of honour around centre court, high-fiving spectators in the furthest-forward rows.

Afterwards Volandri hailed the victory as not only for himself but for Italy, telling something of the regard in which Federer, who holds the record for the longest spell as the world's top-ranked male player, is held. The result was all the more felt due to Italy's relative under-achievement on the men's tennis scene in recent times. For his part Federer offered few excuses for the out-of-character display.

Hopes that this might be the start of Italy's re-emergence among the top nations of professional men's tennis were heightened when Volandri went on to beat highly-tipped world number 12 Tomas Berdych, 6–2 6–3, in the quarter final. The win meant Volandri would be the first Italian to contest the event's semi-finals since 1978.

His run stopped in the semifinals, however, as he lost to Fernando Gonzalez 6–1 6–2, renewed with energy and form. Volandri was never allowed to reproduce the sort of form that had carried him through to the last four, as Gonzalez displayed why many considered him the only realistic threat to Rafael Nadal on clay (prior to his first-round exit at the French Open).

[edit] Singles titles (6)

Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP Tour (2)
Challengers (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	September 18, 2000	Biella	Clay	Hernán Gumy	6–3 6–2
2.	March 17, 2003	Cagliari	Clay	Rafael Nadal	2–6 6–2 6–1
3.	June 9, 2003	Biella	Clay	José Acasuso	2–6 7–6 6–4
4.	May 17, 2004	St. Pölten	Clay	Xavier Malisse	6–1 6–4
5.	August 2, 2004	Trani	Clay	Francesco Aldi	6–1 6–3
6.	September 25, 2006	Palermo	Clay	Nicolás Lapentti	5–7 6–1 6–3