Alexandr Dolgopolov

1.1. Childhood and Tennis Introduction

Born on 7 November 1988 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, Alexandr Dolgopolov grew up in a family of athletes. His father, Oleksandr Dolgopolov Sr., was a professional tennis player for the Soviet Union's national team, and his mother, Olena, was a gymnast who earned gold and silver medals at the European Championships. Alexandr began playing tennis at the young age of three, receiving his initial coaching from his father. The senior Dolgopolov was also notable for coaching Andrei Medvedev, who became Ukraine's most successful tennis player. From a very young age, Dolgopolov traveled extensively with his parents, accompanying them on the professional tennis tour. This unique upbringing meant he often hit balls with prominent players of the era, including Medvedev, Andre Agassi, and Boris Becker, with some, like Jim Courier, recalling playing with him when he was just a toddler.

1.2. Name Change

In May 2010, Alexandr Dolgopolov officially changed the spelling of his forename from "Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr." to "Alexandr Dolgopolov." This decision was partly motivated by his desire to establish his own identity and move away from his father's direct influence as his primary coach.

2.1. Junior Career

As a junior player, Dolgopolov showed significant potential, reaching a career-high combined world ranking of No. 21 in January 2005. His most notable performance in a junior major tournament was a quarterfinal appearance at the 2005 French Open Boys' Singles, where he was defeated by Christian Bak.

2.2. Professional Debut and Early Years (2006-2009)

Dolgopolov officially turned professional in 2006. He made his ATP Tour debut in September 2006 at the BCR Open Romania after successfully qualifying for the main draw, though he lost in the first round to Christophe Rochus. That same year, he also represented Ukraine in the Davis Cup tie against Great Britain, where he was defeated by Andy Murray.
By 2009, at the age of 20, Dolgopolov made the significant decision to part ways with his father, Oleksandr Dolgopolov Sr., as his coach. This move reflected his desire to develop his game independently. He subsequently enlisted the help of Australian coach Jack Reader, who coached him from 2009 to 2012. Although his separation from his father led to a six-month period of no communication, they later reconciled, with his father expressing pride in his son's achievements.

In 2010, Dolgopolov gained his first Grand Slam main draw victory at the French Open. He defeated Arnaud Clément in a demanding five-set match and then upset the 12th seed, Fernando González, in straight sets, marking his biggest career win and best Grand Slam performance to that point. He eventually lost in the third round to Nicolás Almagro. Later in 2010, he reached the semifinals of the Aegon International on grass, despite being 4-1 up in the second set against Michaël Llodra. He also reached the second round of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets.

2.3. Peak Performance and Major Achievements (2010-2012)

The period from 2011 to 2012 marked Dolgopolov's career peak. He started 2011 strongly at the Australian Open, reaching his first Major quarterfinal. He defeated Mikhail Kukushkin and Benjamin Becker in the early rounds, avenged his 2010 Wimbledon loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a five-set thriller, and then upset world No. 4 Robin Söderling in the fourth round. His impressive run concluded with a four-set loss to the fifth seed, Andy Murray.

Following his Australian Open success, Dolgopolov made his first ATP Tour final appearance at the 2011 Brasil Open, where he lost to Nicolás Almagro. In March 2011, partnering Xavier Malisse, he captured his first ATP Tour doubles title at the Indian Wells Masters, defeating the formidable team of Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in a super tiebreak. This marked his first Masters 1000 title in either singles or doubles. He continued his strong form at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, reaching the fourth round before losing to world No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

Despite a challenging start to the clay-court season due to pancreatitis, Dolgopolov found his stride at the 2011 ATP Studena Croatia Open in July. After receiving a first-round bye, he defeated Filippo Volandri and Albert Ramos before overcoming former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semifinals. In the final, he defeated home-town favorite Marin Čilić in three sets to win his first ATP singles title. On 18 April 2011, he achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 20. At the 2011 US Open, he reached the fourth round, where he put up a strong fight against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, taking the first set to a lengthy tiebreak before losing in three sets.

In 2012, Dolgopolov continued to impress. He reached the final of the 2012 Brisbane International, losing to Andy Murray. This performance helped him achieve his career-high singles ranking of World No. 13 on 16 January 2012. In August 2012, he won his second singles title and first ATP 500 series title at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., defeating Tommy Haas in the final.

2.4. Later Career and Injuries (2013-2018)

The latter part of Dolgopolov's career was marked by fluctuating form and the increasing impact of injuries. In 2013, he reached three quarterfinals in Brisbane, Memphis, and Munich. He also made a notable run to the third round of Wimbledon, where he pushed David Ferrer to five sets. His best result of the year was a semifinal appearance at the 2013 Winston-Salem Open.

In 2014, Dolgopolov experienced a resurgence, especially during the North American hard-court swing. After reaching the final of the inaugural Rio Open (losing to Rafael Nadal), he had a significant run at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. There, he defeated Rafael Nadal in the third round, marking his first victory over a reigning world No. 1. He then beat Fabio Fognini and Milos Raonic to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, where he lost to Roger Federer. This strong performance, followed by a quarterfinal showing at the Miami Open (defeating Stan Wawrinka), propelled him back into the world's top 30.

In 2015, Dolgopolov continued to show flashes of his best form. He notably defeated Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Queen's Club Championships on grass. He reached his second Masters 1000 semifinal at the Cincinnati Masters, defeating Bernard Tomic, Jerzy Janowicz, and Tomáš Berdych before losing to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in three sets after winning the first.

2016 saw Dolgopolov represent Ukraine alongside Elina Svitolina at the 2016 Hopman Cup, where they finished as runners-up. He won his singles matches against Jack Sock, Jiří Veselý, and Lleyton Hewitt in the round-robin phase.

In February 2017, Dolgopolov won his third ATP singles title at the 2017 Argentina Open, defeating top-seeded Japanese player Kei Nishikori in the final. Later that year, he reached the fourth round of the 2017 US Open before being defeated by world No. 1 and eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

His final competitive match took place on 14 May 2018 at the 2018 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where he played Novak Djokovic. He had reached the third round of the 2018 Australian Open for the third time in his career, losing to Diego Schwartzman.

2.5. Retirement

Alexandr Dolgopolov officially announced his retirement from professional tennis on 1 May 2021. The primary reason for his retirement was a persistent wrist injury he sustained during practice at the 2018 Australian Open. Despite undergoing two surgeries and attempting a comeback for several years, the pain did not subside, ultimately leading him to conclude his career. He stated that while he was unable to break records, he hoped his playing style brought enjoyment to his fans, as he himself found his tennis very interesting.

5.1. Davis Cup

Dolgopolov made his Davis Cup debut for Ukraine early in his career. In 2006, he played in a tie against Great Britain in Odesa, where he lost to Andy Murray. The following year, in 2007, he was defeated by Alexandros Jakupovic from Greece.
In later years, Dolgopolov engaged in discussions with the Ukrainian Tennis Federation regarding financial incentives for his participation in the Davis Cup. In early 2011, he expressed a desire for significant bonuses to play, stating that his appearances for the national team were worth approximately 225.00 K USD. He notably remarked that he did not want to play for Ukraine "for a piece of meat." On 13 March 2011, Dolgopolov affirmed his willingness to represent Ukraine but only after a change in the leadership of the Ukrainian Tennis Federation. He hinted in late January 2011 that he might consider changing his citizenship, emphasizing that "Tennis is not a political sport as such as football. In tennis you choose what is best for you, where there are more prospects," which he stated would mean switching to another Davis Cup team. The President of the Ukrainian Tennis Federation, Vadym Shulman, publicly stated in late February 2011 that he believed Dolgopolov was bluffing and attempting to blackmail the federation, arguing that players should represent Ukraine out of national pride, not solely for financial gain. Despite these disputes, Dolgopolov did participate in the Davis Cup in 2013 and 2015.

5.2. Hopman Cup

In 2016, Dolgopolov represented Ukraine alongside Elina Svitolina at the 2016 Hopman Cup in Perth, Western Australia. The Ukrainian team performed strongly, winning their group in the round-robin phase. In the final against the Australia Green team, Dolgopolov lost his singles match to Nick Kyrgios 3-6, 4-6, and the Ukrainian team ultimately finished as the tournament runners-up.

6.1. Singles Performance Timeline

6.2. Doubles Performance Timeline

6.3. ATP Tour Finals

Alexandr Dolgopolov reached nine singles finals and two doubles finals on the ATP Tour.

6.4. ATP Challenger and ITF Futures Finals

Alexandr Dolgopolov achieved significant success in lower-tier tournaments, winning ten singles titles and three doubles titles on the ATP Challenger and ITF Futures circuits. All of his singles and doubles titles at this level were on clay courts.

6.5. Wins Over Top 10 Players

Dolgopolov recorded 10 victories against players ranked in the top 10 at the time of their matches.

7.1. Military Service and Advocacy

In March 2022, following the full-scale 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Alexandr Dolgopolov returned to Ukraine and volunteered to fight against the invading forces. He joined the Ukrainian military, specifically serving as a drone operator. This decision, to swap his tennis racket for a weapon to defend Kyiv, garnered international attention.
Dolgopolov has been a vocal critic of the war and has used his platform to advocate for Ukraine. In April 2022, after the Wimbledon Championships announced a ban on Belarusian and Russian tennis players, Dolgopolov publicly praised the decision. He asserted that it was crucial for everyone, regardless of their profession or nationality, to feel the impact of the conflict and contribute to change. He stated, "It doesn't matter if they're a world tennis player or just a regular person in Russia," and added, "If people are able to keep on living their regular lives, it's going to be tough to change the plans of Putin. Everyone has to feel [the sacrifice] because everyone in Ukraine is feeling it. Our people, our children, are dying and you cannot just close your eyes and be silent and pretend nothing is happening."
He also sharply criticized the ATP for what he perceived as a weak stance on the issue, contrasting their actions with those of other sports bodies. Dolgopolov argued that the ATP's responses did not reflect the "magnitude of what is happening here," emphasizing that their actions were "weaker" than they should be, demonstrating his commitment to justice and accountability beyond the tennis court.