Jerzy Janowicz

4.2.1. 2008-2011: Early professional years

Jerzy Janowicz turned professional in 2008 and was selected to represent Poland in the Davis Cup in the same year. His initial years on the professional circuit involved participation in Challenger and Futures tournaments, where he gradually began to establish himself. By November 2010, he was ranked 183rd in the world, positioning him as Poland's third-highest ranked player. He struggled to break into the main draws of Grand Slam tournaments during this period, often falling in the qualifying rounds. He finished the 2011 season ranked 221st, having reached a career-high singles ranking of 148 on 21 February 2011, and a doubles ranking of 598 on 15 June 2009.

4.2.2. 2012: Breakthrough and Paris Masters Final

The 2012 season marked a significant breakthrough for Janowicz. He was unable to compete in the Australian Open due to a lack of sponsorship. However, he found success on the Challenger Tour, finishing as a runner-up in Wolfsburg, Germany, and winning three Challenger tournament finals later in the year. At the French Open, he reached the third round of qualifying but did not make the main draw. His first main draw appearance at a Grand Slam came at the Wimbledon Championships, where he successfully navigated three rounds of qualifying. He defeated fellow qualifier Simone Bolelli and Ernests Gulbis before losing to the 31st seed Florian Mayer in the third round. At the US Open, he earned direct entry into the main draw but was defeated by American wildcard Dennis Novikov in the first round.

In November 2012, Janowicz's career took a dramatic turn when he qualified for the main draw of the Paris Masters, an ATP 1000 event. His remarkable run included victories over five top-20 players: world No. 19 Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round, No. 14 Marin Čilić in the second, and then a stunning upset of world No. 3 and Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray in the third round, saving a match point en route. He later described this as "the most unbelievable day in my life." He continued his dominant run by defeating No. 9 Janko Tipsarević in the quarterfinals and No. 20 Gilles Simon in the semifinals, reaching his first ATP Tour-level final. This made him the first qualifier to reach a Masters final since Andrei Pavel in 2003 and the first player to reach the final on his ATP World Tour Masters 1000 debut since Harel Levy in 2000. Although he was ultimately defeated by fourth seed David Ferrer in the final, his performance propelled him into the top 30 of the ATP rankings for the first time, reaching No. 26. He finished the year ranked No. 24, nearly 200 places higher than the previous year.

4.2.3. 2013: Career-high ranking and Wimbledon Semifinal

The 2013 season saw Janowicz reach the peak of his career. He started the year at the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, losing his opening match. At the Australian Open, he was seeded 24th, marking his first Grand Slam seeding. He advanced to the third round, defeating Simone Bolelli and Somdev Devvarman (after recovering from a two-set deficit) before losing to Nicolás Almagro.

In March, he reached the third round of the Indian Wells Masters before being eliminated by Richard Gasquet. At the Miami Masters, he was seeded 21st but lost his first match. Early exits followed at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Masters, though he did manage a win over Sam Querrey in Madrid. His clay-court season included a notable run to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open in Rome, where he achieved consecutive wins over top-ten players Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before falling to Roger Federer. Federer acknowledged his "big game" and "unconventional shot selection." At the French Open, he reached the third round, losing to Stan Wawrinka.

The highlight of his year came at Wimbledon. He defeated Kyle Edmund, Radek Štěpánek, and Nicolás Almagro to reach the fourth round. Further wins over Jürgen Melzer and fellow Pole Łukasz Kubot (in straight sets) secured his place in the semifinals, making him the first Polish man in history to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. His memorable run ended there, with a four-set loss to world No. 2 and eventual champion Andy Murray, whom he had previously beaten. Despite the loss, his performance at Wimbledon propelled him to a career-high world ranking of No. 14 in August 2013.

Following Wimbledon, Janowicz experienced mixed results, including losses to Fernando Verdasco (retirement) at the Hamburg Open, Rafael Nadal (in two tight sets, after serving for the first set) at the Rogers Cup, and James Blake at the Cincinnati Open. His campaign at the US Open was disappointing, as he suffered a straight-sets loss to world No. 247 Máximo González, attributed to a back injury that forced him to withdraw from subsequent tournaments. He returned in October to reach the quarterfinals at the Stockholm Open and Valencia Open, losing to Ernests Gulbis and David Ferrer, respectively. He concluded his season at the Paris Masters, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the third round, finishing the year ranked No. 21.

4.2.4. 2014-2016: Injuries and challenges

The period from 2014 to 2016 was significantly impacted by recurring injuries for Janowicz. In 2014, he was forced to withdraw from the Hopman Cup, where he was set to partner Agnieszka Radwańska, due to a foot injury, being replaced by Grzegorz Panfil. He revealed after the Australian Open (where he reached the third round) that he had been playing with a broken bone in his foot, diagnosed during the offseason. Despite this, he reached the semifinals of the Open Sud de France and the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open. However, ongoing injuries, including sinusitis, led to several early tournament exits, and a third-round loss at Wimbledon caused his ranking to drop significantly to No. 51. He continued to be hampered by injuries, retiring from the Swedish Open due to a left foot injury. Despite these setbacks, he reached the final of the Winston-Salem Open, losing to Lukáš Rosol after holding two championship points. He finished 2014 ranked No. 43, maintaining a top-50 ranking for the third consecutive year.

In 2015, Janowicz began the season on a high note by winning the Hopman Cup with Agnieszka Radwańska, securing Poland's first title in the event by defeating the top-seeded American team of Serena Williams and John Isner in the mixed doubles final. He continued to show flashes of his talent, reaching his third ATP final at the Open Sud de France, though he was forced to retire due to a viral infection against Richard Gasquet. He reached the third round of the Australian Open for the third year in a row, coming back from two sets down against Gaël Monfils. Despite these moments, early losses at several ATP Masters tournaments and Grand Slams (including a first-round exit at Wimbledon) saw him finish the year ranked No. 57.

The 2016 season was largely defined by a severe knee injury that sidelined Janowicz for an extended period. He lost in the first round of the Australian Open and subsequently withdrew from all tournaments in February, including Poland's first Davis Cup World Group tie, due to his knee. This injury followed previous setbacks, including a back injury in 2013 and a foot injury in 2014. Unable to play for the first six months of the season, he maintained a frozen ranking of No. 94. In July, he returned to competition at an ATP Challenger event, admitting he had "haven't touched the racket for five months." He competed at the Rio Summer Olympics, losing in the first round. His return to the ATP Tour at the US Open saw him face Novak Djokovic in the opening match, managing to take a set off the defending champion. Following the US Open, he focused on the ATP Challenger Tour to regain form, winning his first tournament of the season in Genova, Italy, by defeating Nicolás Almagro in the final. He ended the season ranked No. 280.

4.2.5. 2017: Return and Challenger title

At the beginning of the 2017 season, Janowicz hired Günter Bresnik as his new coach. He started the year with a challenging first-round match at the Australian Open against seventh seed Marin Čilić, where he produced a high level of tennis, taking a two-set lead before ultimately losing in five sets. In February, he claimed his sixth ATP Challenger career title at the Trofeo Faip-Perrel in Bergamo, Italy, entering the main draw as a wildcard and defeating Quentin Halys in straight sets. This victory demonstrated his resilience and capability to compete after his injury hiatus. He reached the semifinals of the Jalisco Open Challenger event and made a quarterfinal run at the Stuttgart Open, defeating Grigor Dimitrov along the way. At Wimbledon, he reached the third round, defeating Denis Shapovalov and Lucas Pouille before losing to Benoît Paire. He finished the season ranked No. 122.

4.2.6. 2018-2019: Extended break and knee surgery

Janowicz did not compete in any tournaments from November 2017 until the end of 2019 due to a persistent knee injury. In April 2019, doctors finally cleared him to return to training, which he commenced in Poland and Austria. He was granted a protected ranking of 123 in the world for his eventual return to competitive play. Although he initially accepted a wildcard into the Sopot Open, he later withdrew, with plans to make his comeback at the start of the 2020 season.

4.2.7. 2020-2022: Comebacks and recent activities

In 2020, Janowicz received a wildcard for the 2020 Open de Rennes, marking his first tour appearance since November 2017. He had spent the offseason in Tenerife intensely training with his coach Günter Bresnik in preparation for his long-awaited return. In February, he reached the final of the Teréga Open Pau-Pyrénées Challenger in France, where he defeated top seed Jiří Veselý in the semifinal before losing to Ernests Gulbis in the final.

In 2021, Janowicz played only one professional match, a friendly exhibition in Zielona Góra, Poland, against Jiří Lehečka, which he won. His comeback efforts continued into 2022, receiving a wildcard to the 2022 Poznań Open Challenger tournament in Poland in May.

5.1.1. Singles finals

He reached three singles finals on the ATP Tour, but was unable to secure a title. His most prominent final appearance was at an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event.

5.1.2. Doubles finals

Janowicz reached one doubles final at the ATP Tour Masters 1000 level.

5.3.1. Singles finals

He competed in 23 singles finals on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures Tour, securing 13 titles and finishing as runner-up 10 times.

5.3.2. Doubles finals

He won all four of his doubles finals appearances on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures Tour.

5.5.1. Singles performance timeline

5.5.2. Doubles performance timeline

5.6.1. Head-to-head vs. top 10 players

The following table details Janowicz's competitive record against players who have reached a career-high ranking in the top 10 of the ATP Tour.

5.6.2. Wins over top 10 players per season

Jerzy Janowicz secured several notable victories over top 10 ranked players throughout his career, showcasing his ability to challenge the sport's elite.