Simon Aspelin (pronounced [ˈsîːmɔn aspɛˈliːn]; born 11 May 1974) is a former professional tennis doubles player from Sweden who turned professional in 1998. His success mainly came in doubles, winning 12 titles and reaching World No. 7 in March 2008. In men's doubles, Aspelin won the 2007 US Open and the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Simon Aspelin
Country (sports) Sweden
ResidenceLondon, England
Born (1974-05-11) 11 May 1974 (age 50)
Saltsjöbaden, Sweden
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro1998
Retired17 July 2011
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$2,121,037
Singles
Career record0–2
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 436 (17 August 1998)
Grand Slam singles results
WimbledonQ1 (1998, 1999)
Doubles
Career record348–303 (53%)
Career titles12
Highest rankingNo. 7 (3 March 2008)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (2006)
French Open3R (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
WimbledonQF (2004, 2006, 2009)
US OpenW (2007)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsF (2007)
Olympic GamesF (2008)
Mixed doubles
Career record14–20
Career titles0
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open2R (2006, 2008, 2009)
French OpenQF (2000)
Wimbledon3R (2008)
US Open2R (2007)
Medal record
Men's Tennis
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Men's doubles
Simon Aspelin at the 2010 US Open

A memorable part of Aspelin's career was when he and doubles partner Todd Perry were playing in the 2006 Wimbledon Championships men's doubles quarterfinals as the eighth-seeded doubles team against third-seeded Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. Knowles and Nestor won the match by winning the final set 23–21.

At the 2007 U.S. Open, seeded tenth with his partner Julian Knowle, Aspelin achieved the greatest triumph of his career by winning the U.S. Open, his first Grand Slam. In the first two rounds, they won against Kubot/Skoch and got a walkover over Calleri/Horna. They went on to upset the eighth seeds Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in the third round. In the quarterfinals, they shocked the top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, having lost to them only weeks before. In the semifinal, they held off unseeded Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut, before winning the final in two sets over the ninth seeds, Pavel Vízner and Lukáš Dlouhý. He had never before reached a Grand Slam semifinal. This win put them into the No. 5 position in the ATP Doubles Race, and also gave Aspelin his career-high ranking of No. 13. His Davis cup record in March 2009 is 3–5 in doubles.

Another notable performance in 2007 was the final against Knowles/Nestor in Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, which he lost with Julian Knowle.

In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he and fellow Swede Thomas Johansson defeated French pair Michaël Llodra and Arnaud Clément 7–6, 4–6, 19–17 in the semi-finals. The match that lasted 4 hours and 46 minutes. They went on to win the silver medal.

Prior to his pro career, Aspelin competed for four seasons at Pepperdine University, in Malibu, Calif. He was one of just two Waves to earn All-American status all four seasons,[1] and was inducted into the Pepperdine Hall of Fame in the fall of 2010.

In May 2011, he was inducted into the ITA Hall of Fame.[2]

In July 2011, Aspelin announced his retirement from professional tennis. He played his last tournament in Båstad, where he reached the final but failed to claim his thirteenth ATP title.[3][4]

Grand Slam finals

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Doubles (1 title)

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Result Year Championship Surface Pertner Opponents Score
Win 2007 U.S. Open Hard   Julian Knowle   Lukáš Dlouhý
  Pavel Vízner
7–5, 6–4

Olympics

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Doubles: 1 (1 Silver)

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Result Year Championship Surface Pertner Opponents Score
Silver 2008 Beijing Olympics Hard   Thomas Johansson   Roger Federer
  Stan Wawrinka
3–6, 4–6, 7–6 (7–4) , 3–6

Career finals

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Doubles (12 wins, 21 losses)

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Legend
Grand Slam (1)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP International Series Gold (3)
ATP Tour (8)
Titles by surface
Hard (5)
Clay (5)
Grass (1)
Carpet (1)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. Feb 2000 Marseille Hard   Johan Landsberg   Juan Ignacio Carrasco
  Jairo Velasco, Jr.
7–6(7–2), 6–4
Loss 1. Jul 2001 Båstad Clay   Andrew Kratzmann   Karsten Braasch
  Jens Knippschild
6–7(3–7), 6–4, 6–7(5–7)
Loss 2. Jul 2001 Kitzbühel Clay   Andrew Kratzmann   Àlex Corretja
  Luis Lobo
3–6, 6–4, 3–6
Loss 3. Feb 2002 Buenos Aires Clay   Andrew Kratzmann   Gastón Etlis
  Martín Rodríguez
6–3, 3–6, [4–10]
Loss 4. Apr 2002 Estoril Clay   Andrew Kratzmann   Karsten Braasch
  Andrei Olhovskiy
3–6, 3–6
Win 2. May 2003 St. Pölten Clay   Massimo Bertolini   Sargis Sargsian
  Nenad Zimonjić
6–4, 6–7(8–10), 6–3
Win 3. Jul 2003 Båstad Clay   Massimo Bertolini   Lucas Arnold
  Mariano Hood
6–7(3–7), 6–0, 6–4
Loss 5. Sep 2003 Bucharest Clay   Jeff Coetzee   Karsten Braasch
  Sargis Sargsian
6–7(7–9), 2–6
Loss 6. Jul 2004 Båstad Clay   Todd Perry   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Jonas Björkman
6–4, 6–7(2–7), 6–7(6–8)
Loss 7. Jul 2004 Stuttgart Clay   Todd Perry   Jiří Novák
  Radek Štěpánek
2–6, 4–6
Loss 8. Jan 2005 Adelaide Hard   Todd Perry   Xavier Malisse
  Olivier Rochus
6–7(5–7), 4–6
Loss 9. Jan 2005 Auckland Hard   Todd Perry   Yves Allegro
  Michael Kohlmann
4–6, 6–7(4–7)
Win 4. Jan 2005 Delray Beach Hard   Todd Perry   Jordan Kerr
  Jim Thomas
6–3, 6–3
Win 5. Feb 2005 Memphis Hard (i)   Todd Perry   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–4
Loss 10. Jun 2005 Nottingham Grass   Todd Perry   Jonathan Erlich
  Andy Ram
6–4, 3–6, 5–7
Loss 11. Jul 2005 Indianapolis Hard   Todd Perry   Paul Hanley
  Graydon Oliver
2–6, 1–3 ret.
Loss 12. Oct 2005 Tokyo Hard   Todd Perry   Satoshi Iwabuchi
  Takao Suzuki
4–5(3–7), 4–5(13–15)
Loss 13. Jan 2006 Auckland Hard   Todd Perry   Andrei Pavel
  Rogier Wassen
2–6, 7–5, [4–10]
Win 6. Oct 2006 St. Petersburg Carpet   Todd Perry   Julian Knowle
  Jürgen Melzer
6–1, 7–6(7–3)
Loss 14. Jan 2007 Auckland Hard   Chris Haggard   Jeff Coetzee
  Rogier Wassen
7–6(11–9), 3–6, [2–10]
Win 7. May 2007 Pörtschach Clay   Julian Knowle   Leoš Friedl
  David Škoch
7–6(8–6), 5–7, [10–5]
Win 8. Jun 2007 Halle Grass   Julian Knowle   Fabrice Santoro
  Nenad Zimonjić
6–4, 7–6(7–5)
Win 9. Jul 2007 Båstad Clay   Julian Knowle   Martin García
  Sebastián Prieto
6–2, 6–4
Win 10. Sep 2007 U.S. Open Hard   Julian Knowle   Lukáš Dlouhý
  Pavel Vízner
7–5, 6–4
Loss 15. Nov 2007 Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai Hard (i)   Julian Knowle   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
2–6, 3–6
Loss 16. Aug 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing Hard   Thomas Johansson   Roger Federer
  Stanislas Wawrinka
4–6, 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 3–6
Loss 17. Apr 2009 Casablanca Clay   Paul Hanley   Łukasz Kubot
  Oliver Marach
6–7(4–7), 6–3, [6–10]
Loss 18. May 2009 Madrid Clay   Wesley Moodie   Daniel Nestor
  Nenad Zimonjić
4–6, 4–6
Win 11. Jul 2009 Hamburg Clay   Paul Hanley   Marcelo Melo
  Filip Polášek
6–3, 6–3
Loss 19. Oct 2009 Stockholm Hard (i)   Paul Hanley   Bruno Soares
  Kevin Ullyett
4–6, 6–7(4–7)
Loss 20. Feb 2010 Rotterdam Hard (i)   Paul Hanley   Daniel Nestor
  Nenad Zimonjić
4–6, 6–4, [7–10]
Win 12. Feb 2010 Dubai Hard   Paul Hanley   Lukáš Dlouhý
  Leander Paes
6–2, 6–3
Loss 21. Jul 2011 Båstad Clay   Andreas Siljeström   Robert Lindstedt
  Horia Tecău
3–6, 3–6

Doubles Performance timeline

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A 3R 1R 2R 2R 2R 3R QF 2R 1R 1R 3R 1R 0 / 12 13–12 52.00
French Open A A A 1R 2R 1R 1R 1R 3R 2R 3R 3R 3R 1R 3R 0 / 12 11–12 47.83
Wimbledon A A A 1R 2R 1R 2R QF 1R QF 1R 1R QF 2R 3R 0 / 12 14–12 53.85
US Open A A A 1R 1R 2R 1R 3R QF 2R W 2R 1R QF A 1 / 11 16–10 61.54
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–4 2–4 2–4 2–4 6–4 7–4 8–4 8–3 3–4 5–4 6–4 3–3 1 / 47 54–46 54.00
ATP World Tour Finals
Tour Doubles Finals A A A SF A NH A A A A F A A A A 0 / 2 6–3 66.67
Davis Cup
Davis Cup Doubles A A A A SF A A A PO PO SF QF PO PO QF 0 / 8 6–6 50.00
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics Not Held A Not Held A Not Held F Not Held 0 / 1 4–1 80.00
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells A A A A A 1R A 1R 1R SF 1R 1R 1R SF 1R 0 / 9 6–9 40.00
Miami A A A 2R 2R 2R A 1R 1R 1R 2R QF 1R 2R 1R 0 / 11 6–11 35.29
Monte Carlo A A A A 1R 1R A A 2R QF SF QF 2R SF A 0 / 8 7–8 46.67
Hamburg A A A 1R QF 1R A A 1R QF SF QF Madrid (C) 0 / 7 5–7 41.67
Madrid (Clay) Held as Hamburg F 2R A 0 / 2 4–2 66.67
Rome A A A QF 2R 2R A A 2R QF 2R 2R 1R 2R A 0 / 9 6–9 40.00
Canada A A A A A A A A 1R QF 2R 2R 1R 2R A 0 / 6 3–6 33.33
Cincinnati A A A A A A A A 2R QF QF QF A 1R A 0 / 5 5–5 50.00
Stuttgart A A A A A Held as Madrid (Hard) Shanghai 0 / 0 0–0
Madrid (Hard) Held as Stuttgart A A A 1R 1R QF QF Shanghai 0 / 4 2–4 33.33
Shanghai Held as Stuttgart Held as Madrid (Hard) 2R 2R A 0 / 2 2–2 50.00
Paris A A A A A A A A 1R 1R SF QF QF 1R A 0 / 6 5–6 45.45
Career statistics
Tournaments played 0 0 3 22 26 31 22 23 30 25 31 27 30 24 15 309
Titles 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 4 0 1 1 0 12
Finals reached 0 0 0 1 2 2 3 2 7 2 6 1 4 2 1 33
Hard Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–2 11–9 9–10 12–14 3–8 9–11 30–15 23–15 22–19 24–20 10–18 22–14 5–6 5 / 164 180–161 52.79
Grass Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 3–3 1–2 1–1 3–2 5–4 3–2 4–1 0–2 5–2 3–3 2–3 1 / 26 30–26 53.57
Clay Win–loss 0–0 0–0 1–1 13–10 15–12 9–14 13–8 7–8 8–8 5–7 17–8 7–6 19–9 3–6 9–7 5 / 107 126–104 54.78
Carpet Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–1 2–2 1–2 1–2 4–1 1–2 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 1 / 12 12–12 50.00
Overall win–loss 0–0 0–0 1–3 25–21 28–26 22–31 19–19 20–23 44–29 35–25 44–30 31–28 35–29 28–23 16–16 12 / 309 348–303 53.46
Win % 25% 54% 52% 42% 50% 47% 60% 58% 59% 53% 55% 55% 50% 53.46%
Year-end ranking 355 322 111 51 50 55 40 45 17 19 8 22 23 26 74 $2,121,037

References

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  1. ^ "Tennis news". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  2. ^ Hall of Fame ITA [permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Lindstedt-Tecau Retain Bastad Title; Aspelin Retires From Pro Tennis". atpworldtour.com. Association of Tennis Professionals. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Swedish Doubles Player Simon Aspelin to Retire". 10sballs.com. 13 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
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