Jarkko Nieminen

Jarkko Nieminen is a Finnish former professional tennis player who is considered Finland's best player to date. His career-high ranking of World No. 13 is a Finnish record.

He won two singles and five doubles titles on the ATP Tour and is the first and only Finnish player to have won an ATP singles title and to have reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles event.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen was born on July 23, 1981, in Masku, Finland. He stands 185 cm tall and he plays left-handed with a two-handed backhand. He currently resides in Masku.

Nieminen is married to Anu Nieminen, who is Finland's top-ranked female badminton singles player. After his professional tennis career, he began competing in floorball for the Finnish Salibandyliiga.

Early Life and Junior Career

As a junior, Nieminen was a top-ranked player, reaching as high as No. 9 in the world in 1999. In that same year, he won the boys' singles title at the US Open Junior Championships.

Professional Career

Nieminen turned professional in 2000. He achieved his career-high singles ranking of World No. 13 in July 2006, which remains a Finnish record. He won two singles titles and five doubles titles on the ATP Tour and was ranked inside the top 75 for 11 of his 14 years on the tour.

He is the first and only Finnish player to have won an ATP singles title and to have reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles event. His best performances at a major tournament were reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2005, the Wimbledon Championships in 2006, and the Australian Open in 2008.

Nieminen is also notable for winning the shortest recorded Masters Tour tennis match in Open Era history, defeating Bernard Tomic in just 28 minutes and 20 seconds in the first round of the 2014 Sony Open Tennis.

He announced his retirement in June 2015, and his last professional tennis match was in July 2016.

Career Record

Singles

• Career record: 408–348
• Career titles: 2
• Highest ranking: No. 13 (July 10, 2006)

Best Grand Slam Singles Performances

• Australian Open – QF (2008)
• French Open – 4R (2003)
• Wimbledon – QF (2006)
• US Open – QF (2005)

Other tournaments (Singles)

• Olympic Games – 2R (2004, 2012)

Doubles

• Career record: 151–193
• Career titles: 5
• Highest ranking: No. 42 (January 28, 2008)

Best Grand Slam Doubles Performances

• Australian Open – SF (2010)
• French Open – 2R (2003, 2008, 2014)
• Wimbledon – 2R (2007)
• US Open – QF (2008)

Mixed Doubles

Best Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Performances

• Wimbledon – 2R (2007)

Team competitions

• Davis Cup – PO (1999, 2002)