Martin Kližan

2.1. Early career and ATP Challenger success

Kližan officially turned professional in 2007 and was selected to represent Slovakia in the Davis Cup that same year. In 2010, he qualified for the main draw of the US Open, marking his debut at a Grand Slam tournament. In the first round, he was defeated by former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero with a score of 1-6, 3-6, 0-6. Later in 2010, Kližan won his first Challenger tournament as a wildcard entry at the Slovak Open held in his hometown of Bratislava. This success contributed to his breaking into the top 100 of the world rankings by September 2011.

2.2. Breakthrough and initial ATP Tour titles

The year 2012 marked a significant breakthrough for Kližan, as he made substantial progress in his career. In his Wimbledon debut, he won his first-round match against Juan Ignacio Chela in a close five-set encounter, winning the final set 11-9, before losing in the second round to Viktor Troicki despite holding a two-sets-to-one lead. He also made his Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, competing in both men's singles (losing to Andy Roddick in the first round) and men's doubles with Lukáš Lacko (losing to Janko Tipsarević and Nenad Zimonjić in the first round).

At the 2012 US Open, Kližan reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. He defeated Alejandro Falla in the first round (6-4, 6-1, 6-2), then upset the fifth-seeded and world No. 6, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in the second round (6-4, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3). He continued his run by defeating Jérémy Chardy in the third round (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) before ultimately losing to Marin Čilić in the fourth round (5-7, 4-6, 0-6). Later in 2012, Kližan reached his first ATP Tour final at the St. Petersburg Open, where he defeated Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-3 to secure his maiden ATP Tour singles title. His impressive performance throughout the year saw his ranking rise from No. 117 at the start of 2012 to No. 29, earning him the ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year award.

In 2013, Kližan was expected to break into the top 20. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 26 after reaching the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam tournament. Despite this, his form was inconsistent, with a mix of good results and early exits. He reached the semifinals in Casablanca and, at the 2013 French Open, he took the first set against eventual champion Rafael Nadal before losing in the second round. Later in the year, he experienced a wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from the St. Petersburg Open, where he was the defending champion. In doubles, Kližan won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the Croatia Open Umag in July, partnering with David Marrero.

Kližan started 2014 with a poor performance at the Nouméa Challenger but quickly regained form at the Australian Open, where he qualified and reached the third round as a lucky loser, his best result in Australia. He continued his strong play at the Rio Open, re-entering the top 100. In April, Kližan, once again starting from qualifying, won the BMW Open in Munich, defeating top seed Fabio Fognini in the final. This was his second ATP singles title, with both victories coming against Fognini in the final. In May, he secured his second doubles title at the Nice Open, partnering with Philipp Oswald. At the French Open, he achieved his best result at the tournament, reaching the third round after defeating world No. 11 Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the first round. In September, Kližan famously upset Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the China Open.

2.3. Peak years and ATP 500 victories

In 2015, Kližan played in the 2015 Australian Open as the 32nd seed, retiring from his second-round match due to injury. In February, he won his third ATP doubles title at the Rio Open, partnering Philipp Oswald. He also participated in the 2015 Davis Cup for Slovakia, winning both his singles and doubles matches. In April, Kližan clinched his third ATP singles title at the Casablanca tournament, defeating Daniel Gimeno Traver in the final. He also reached the semifinals of the Barcelona Open before losing to eventual champion Kei Nishikori.

Kližan continued his success in 2016. In February, he won his fourth ATP singles title at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, an ATP 500 series event. In the final, he defeated Gaël Monfils after coming back from a set down. Notably, on his path to the title, Kližan saved eight match points: five against Roberto Bautista Agut and three against Nicolas Mahut. Later that year, in July, Kližan secured his fifth ATP singles title and second ATP 500 series victory at the 2016 German Open in Hamburg, defeating Pablo Cuevas in straight sets in the final. In doubles, he won his fourth ATP Tour doubles title, also at the Croatia Open Umag, again partnering with David Marrero.

2.4. Injuries and later career

The year 2017 was significantly impacted by injuries for Kližan. He retired from his first-round match at the Sydney International due to a foot injury and also retired from his first-round matches at the Antalya Open and Wimbledon (against Novak Djokovic). These injuries and early exits led to a substantial drop in his ranking, pushing him out of the top 100 after his points from winning the 2016 German Open were deducted. Despite the injuries, he reached the quarterfinals at four ATP tournaments in Sofia, Rotterdam, Budapest, and Munich. During the 2017 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Kližan received two game penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct in his first-round loss to Nicolás Almagro.

In 2018, Kližan began to recover his form. He won the Indian Wells Challenger tournament in March. At the Barcelona Open in April, he defeated Novak Djokovic for the first time in five encounters, before losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. He also reached the quarterfinals in Munich. In August, Kližan won his sixth ATP Tour singles title at the Generali Open Kitzbühel, defeating Denis Istomin in the final. On his way to the title, he upset top seed Dominic Thiem and saved two match points against Dušan Lajović in the quarterfinals. This victory meant he had more career wins than losses for the first time (128-128). Later in September, Kližan reached his seventh ATP Tour singles final at the 2018 St. Petersburg Open, but lost to Dominic Thiem, marking his first defeat in an ATP World Tour final.

In 2019, Kližan reached the third round of the French Open, matching his best result at the tournament. He also played for Slovakia in the 2019 Davis Cup, winning one singles rubber and a doubles match with Filip Polášek. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 Sofia Open, where he lost to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev.

5.1. Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

5.2. ATP Tour finals

Martin Kližan has appeared in seven ATP Tour singles finals, winning six of them and achieving a 6-1 record. He has also competed in four ATP Tour doubles finals, winning all of them for a 4-0 record.

5.3. Records