Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra 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".
Life and career
Llodra was born in Paris, where his father Michel played for football club Paris Saint-Germain. A left-hander, his serve-and-volley style is modelled on that of his idol, Stefan Edberg.Llodra and his wife Camille were married on 9 September 2003, and have two children, a daughter, Manon and a son, Teo. 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
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 a bird.2003
Llodra won his first Grand Slam title, the Australian Open men's doubles, with Fabrice Santoro. Their opponents in the final were once again Knowles and Nestor.2004
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. Dressed in a pair of white briefs only, Llodra threw his clothes into the crowd, to the cheers of many onlookers.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
On 20 November 2005, Llodra teamed up with French compatriot Fabrice Santoro to win the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, a competition which pitted the top-8 doubles teams in the world against one another.2007
In July, Llodra won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon partnering Arnaud Clément, beating Bob and Mike Bryan, thus winning 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, 7–6, 6–4.
2008
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
He made two finals in singles; the Open 13 in Marseille and the Grand Prix in Lyon. He also had a poor season in doubles.2010
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 and top seed Robin Söderling. In the final, he defeated Julien Benneteau in straight sets in their first meeting on the ATP tour. Llodra and Benneteau also teamed up to win the doubles title in Marseille, thus making him the singles and doubles champion of the 2010 tournament. Llodra also won at Eastbourne, beating Guillermo García-López in straight sets in the final.
Llodra lost in the first round at the French Open, the second round at Wimbledon to Andy Roddick in four sets, 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
At the Australian Open, Llodra and Zimonjic lost in the quarterfinals to Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes in straight sets. They reached the final in Rotterdam, but lost to Jürgen Melzer and Petzschner in a super-tiebreak. 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 Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander 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 a five-set thriller, also with two tiebreaks. 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 Mirnyi and Nestor in a super-tiebreak. They took their fourth title together in Basel, again defeating Mirnyi and Nestor in the final in straight sets.
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 in straight sets. 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
At the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, 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.2013
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 2013 with his partner Nicolas Mahut, but lost to the Bryan brothers in the final.2014
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 in straight sets.Playing style
Llodra is known for his skilled net play. 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." Two-time French Open finalist Robin Söderling called Llodra's serve "unbelievable" and his volleys the "best on the tour". To aid his touch on volleys, Llodra is one of the few professionals to use all natural gut strings, which give him better feel at the expense of power at the baseline.Llodra is 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 allows him to create unusual angles. Llodra has been called the 'best serve and volleyer in the world' by the website Essential Tennis.
Major finals
Grand Slam finals
Doubles: 7 (3–4)
Olympics
Doubles: 1 (0–1)
ATP career finals
Singles: 10 (5–5)
| Outcome | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | Next Generation Adelaide International, Australia | Hard |  Dominik Hrbatý | 4–6, 0–6 | |
| Win | 1–1 | Ordina Open, Netherlands | Grass |  Guillermo Coria | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Ordina Open, Netherlands | Grass |  Mario Ančić | 5–7, 4–6 | |
| Win | 2–2 | Next Generation Adelaide International, Australia | Hard |  Jarkko Nieminen | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Win | 3–2 | ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard |  Robin Söderling | 6–7, 6–3, 7–6 | |
| Loss | 3–3 | Open 13, Marseille, France | Hard |  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 5–7, 6–7 | |
| Loss | 3–4 | Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France | Hard | Ivan Ljubičić | 5–7, 3–6 | |
| Win | 4–4 | Open 13, France | Hard | Julien Benneteau | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Win | 5–4 | AEGON International, Eastbourne, United Kingdom | Grass |  Guillermo García-López | 7–5, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 5–5 | Open 13, France | Hard | Juan Martín del Potro | 4–6, 4–6 |
Doubles: 47 (26–21)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Winner | 1. | May 1, 2000 | Mallorca, Spain | Clay |  Diego Nargiso | Alberto Martín Fernando Vicente | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 1. | January 14, 2002 | Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Fabrice Santoro |  Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 6–7, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | July 22, 2002 | Los Angeles, United States | Hard |  Justin Gimelstob | Sébastien Grosjean Nicolas Kiefer | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | January 13, 2003 | Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 3. | April 14, 2003 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Fabrice Santoro |  Mahesh Bhupathi Max Mirnyi | 4–6, 6–3, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 4. | May 5, 2003 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Fabrice Santoro |  Wayne Arthurs Paul Hanley | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | September 29, 2003 | Metz, France | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Julien Benneteau Nicolas Mahut | 6–7, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 6. | October 27, 2003 | Paris, France | Carpet | Fabrice Santoro | Wayne Arthurs Paul Hanley | 3–6, 6–1, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | November 8, 2003 | Houston, United States | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 7–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | January 5, 2004 | Adelaide, Australia | Hard | Arnaud Clément | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Winner | 3. | January 19, 2004 | Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 9. | May 24, 2004 | Paris, France | Clay | Fabrice Santoro |  Xavier Malisse Olivier Rochus | 5–7, 5–7 |
| Winner | 4. | August 23, 2004 | Long Island, United States | Hard | Antony Dupuis |  Yves Allegro Michael Kohlmann | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 5. | October 25, 2004 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Carpet | Arnaud Clément | Dominik Hrbatý Jaroslav Levinský | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 10. | January 10, 2005 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Arnaud Clément | Mahesh Bhupathi Todd Woodbridge | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 6. | May 2, 2005 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Fabrice Santoro | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 11. | May 9, 2005 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Fabrice Santoro | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi | 6–4, 6–7, 6–7 |
| Winner | 7. | October 3, 2005 | Metz, France | Hard | Fabrice Santoro | José Acasuso Sebastián Prieto | 5–2, 3–5, 5–4 |
| Winner | 8. | October 24, 2005 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Fabrice Santoro |  Jeff Coetzee Rogier Wassen | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 9. | November 13, 2005 | Shanghai, China | Carpet | Fabrice Santoro | Leander Paes Nenad Zimonjić | 6–7, 6–3, 7–6 |
| Winner | 10. | October 30, 2006 | Paris, France | Carpet | Arnaud Clément | Fabrice Santoro Nenad Zimonjić | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 11. | February 12, 2007 | Marseille, France | Hard | Arnaud Clément | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 7–5, 4–6, |
| Winner | 12. | June 25, 2007 | London, United Kingdom | Grass | Arnaud Clément | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 12. | September 25, 2007 | Bangkok, Thailand | Hard | Nicolas Mahut |  Sonchat Ratiwatana Sanchai Ratiwatana | 6–3, 5–7, |
| Winner | 13. | October 1, 2007 | Metz, France | Hard | Arnaud Clément |  Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 13. | October 7, 2007 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard | Arnaud Clément | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 14. | January 14, 2008 | Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Arnaud Clément |  Jonathan Erlich Andy Ram | 5–7, 6–7 |
| Winner | 14. | March 3, 2008 | Las Vegas, United States | Hard | Julien Benneteau | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–4, 4–6, |
| Winner | 15. | September 29, 2008 | Metz, France | Hard | Arnaud Clément | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski | 5–7, 6–3, |
| Winner | 16. | October 20, 2008 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Andy Ram | Stephen Huss Ross Hutchins | 6–3, 5–7, |
| Winner | 17. | February 16, 2009 | Marseille, France | Hard | Arnaud Clément |  Julian Knowle Andy Ram | 3–6, 6–3, |
| Runner-up | 15. | September 21, 2009 | Metz, France | Hard | Arnaud Clément | Colin Fleming Ken Skupski | 6–2, 4–6, |
| Winner | 18. | February 15, 2010 | Marseille, France | Hard | Julien Benneteau | Julian Knowle Robert Lindstedt | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 16. | August 9, 2010 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Julien Benneteau | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 17. | February 13, 2011 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Jürgen Melzer Philipp Petzschner | 4–6, 6–3, |
| Runner-up | 18. | May 8, 2011 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Nenad Zimonjić | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 19. | August 7, 2011 | Washington, United States | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Robert Lindstedt Horia Tecău | 6–7, 7–6, |
| Winner | 20. | August 14, 2011 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–4, 6–7, |
| Runner-up | 19. | August 21, 2011 | Cincinnati, United States | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes | 6–7, 6–7 |
| Winner | 21. | October 9, 2011 | Beijing, China | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Robert Lindstedt Horia Tecău | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 20. | October 16, 2011 | Shanghai, China | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Max Mirnyi Daniel Nestor | 6–3, 1–6, |
| Winner | 22. | November 6, 2011 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Max Mirnyi Daniel Nestor | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Winner | 23. | February 19, 2012 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Robert Lindstedt Horia Tecău | 4–6, 7–5, |
| Winner | 24. | February 10, 2013 | Montpellier, France | Hard | Marc Gicquel | Johan Brunström Raven Klaasen | 6–3, 3–6, |
| Winner | 25. | March 2, 2013 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi | Robert Lindstedt Nenad Zimonjić | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 21. | May 8, 2013 | Paris, France | Clay | Nicolas Mahut | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 4–6, 6–4, 6–7 |
| Winner | 26. | February 16, 2014 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard | Nicolas Mahut | Jean-Julien Rojer Horia Tecău | 6–2, 7–6 |