 Michael Russell (May 2011) | |
| Full name | Michael Craig Russell |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Residence | Houston,Texas |
| Born | (1978-05-01)May 1, 1978 (age 47) |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Retired | 2015 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| College | Miami (FL) |
| Prize money | $2,352,870 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 77–150 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 60 (August 13, 2007) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2008,2011) |
| French Open | 4R (2001) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2010,2012) |
| US Open | 1R (1998,2000,2001,2006,2007,2010,2011,2012,2013) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 23–51 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 164 (June 11, 2012) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2010) |
| French Open | 1R (2007,2010,2011,2012) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2011) |
| US Open | 3R (2015) |
Michael Craig Russell (born May 1, 1978) is an American former professionaltennis player, and tennis coach. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 60 in August 2007. His 23United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit singles titles were the all-time record, as of November 2013. That month he became the American No. 3.
In 1994 Russell was ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles in the USTA Boys' 16 rankings, and in 1996 he was ranked No. 1 in singles in the U.S. Boys' 18-Under. Playing for theUniversity of Miami in 1996–97, he was namedNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Rookie of the Year, before he turned pro in 1997. A high schoolvaledictorian, Russell was one of fewAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP) players in his time who had a college degree, having earned a B.S. from theUniversity of Phoenix with a 3.94grade point average.
Russell struggled with knee injuries for much of his professional career.[1] He is perhaps best known for, on two occasions, holding surprise two-set leads inmajor tournaments against former major champions, before eventually being defeated both times.[2] In the fourth round of the2001 French Open (his best run at a major) against defending and eventual championGustavo Kuerten (as well as the contemporary world No. 1), Russell led two-sets-to love and 5–3 in the third set, and held amatch point, but was defeated in five sets. In the2007 Australian Open, he held a two-sets-to-love lead over formerUS Open andWimbledon championLleyton Hewitt, before succumbing in five sets. Other career highlights include a fourth-round showing at the2007 Indian Wells Masters event, a semifinal appearance at the2012 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, and wins against top-10 playersMardy Fish andTomáš Berdych. On the Challenger Tour, he finished his career at No. 8 in match wins (276) and tied for fifth in titles (15).
Russell started Michael Russell Tennis, a private tennis coaching business in 2015. He has coachedFrances Tiafoe,Ryan Harrison,Sam Querrey,Taylor Fritz andMackenzie McDonald through USTA Player Development.
Russell, who is Jewish, was born inDetroit,Michigan.[1][3][4] He started playing tennis at age five with his father, George, who was formerly a member of theUniversity of Michigan'sBig Ten Conference 1965 championship team.[5] His mother, Carole, also attended the University of Michigan, and is an English teacher.[5] His older brother David played tennis at Princeton University, and attended Harvard Business School.[5]
Russell grew up inBloomfield Hills, Michigan, a Detroit suburb.[6] He attendedBirmingham Detroit Country Day School.[7] He played soccer until his freshman year of high school.[8]
In 1995, Russell was thevaledictorian at Saddlebrook High School in Florida.[5][6][9] He then attended theUniversity of Miami in 1996–97.[6]
Russell married his wife Lilly, afitness competitor whom he had met in 2004, on November 10, 2007.[5][6] His nicknames include "Mighty Mouse", "Spanky", "Wheels", and "Iron Mike".[2][10]
He was one of the fewAssociation of Tennis Professionals players while he played who had a college degree, having earned aBachelor of Science inbusiness administration from theUniversity of Phoenix in January 2012. Russell graduated with Honors and a 3.94grade point average.[5][11] He reflected, "I was raised, as are most Jewish people, not to forego a university education."[1]
In 1991, Russell lost in the finals of the 1991USTA National Boys' 14 Indoor Championships.[2] In 1993, he won the USTA National Boys' 16 Indoor Doubles Championship withKevin Kim.[2]
Russell finished 1994 ranked # 1 in both singles and doubles in the USTA Boys' 16 rankings.[2] He won the 1994 USTA National Boys' 16 Championships, beating top-seeded Kevin Kim in the finals, and won the doubles title withGeoff Abrams.[2][12] He lost in the finals of the 1994 USTA National Boys' 16 Clay Court Championships to Kevin Kim, and beatBob Bryan in the semi-finals and Kim in the finals of the 1994 Easter Bowl Boys' 16s Championships.[12]
In 1995, he won the singles title at the USTA National Boys' 18 Clay Court Championships, beating Kevin Kim in the finals, while losing in the doubles finals with Geoff Abrams.[2] Russell reached the second round in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles with Kim at the1995 Australian Open Junior Championships.[2]
In 1996, he was ranked #1 in U.S. Boys' 18-Under.[2][5] That year, Russell won the 1996 Easter Bowl boys' 18 championships, beating Bob Bryan in the finals, and won the doubles title with Kim at the 1996 Asunción Bowl inAsunción, Paraguay.[2] He lost in the singles finals at the 1996 USTA National Boys' 18 Clay Court Championships to Bob Bryan.[2] At the 1996 USTA National Boys' 18 Championships, he lost in the singles semifinals to Kevin Kim, and in the doubles final with Kim toBob and Mike Bryan.[2] He was a doubles quarterfinalist with Kim at the1996 Wimbledon junior championships.[2] He won the USTA Midwest Section 1996 Wallace R. Holzman Sr. Award.[13]
Russell played number one singles for theUniversity of Miami in 1996–97.[6] He was named 1997 NCAA Rookie of the Year and anAll-American, and finished # 7 in collegiate rankings (and # 1 among freshmen), before he turned pro in 1997.[1][2][5][6] His 39 singles match wins were a school record, and he was the first freshman since 1986 to win the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, defeatingFred Niemeyer in the finals.[2] He was also named to the 1997 Rolex Collegiate All-Star Team, selected by theIntercollegiate Tennis Association andTennis Magazine, and theBig East Championship Most Outstanding Player.[14]
A week before he was to go pro in 1997, while serving toAndre Agassi during a 1997 practice session in North Carolina he suffered aspiral fracture of thehumerus bone in his right arm.[6] He spent the next five months rehabbing his arm.[6] In 1997 Russell won USTA Satellite Circuit tournaments inWaco, Texas,Springfield, Missouri, and St. Joseph, Missouri.[2]
In 1998, he won the singles title at the USTA Satellite in Mobile, Alabama.[2] In 1999, Russell won USTA Futures events in Vero Beach, Florida, and Weston, Florida.[2]
In 2000, Russell won the USTA Challenger in Amarillo, Texas, defeatingStefano Pescosolido in the finals, and won the doubles title withTommy Robredo at the Edinburgh, Scotland, Challenger.[2] He also won his first ATP match, defeatingHugo Armando in the first round of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Orlando, Florida.[2] He was named a practice partner for theUnited States Davis Cup team for theU.S. vs. Spain Davis Cup semifinal in Santander, Spain.[2]
In 2001, he finished ranked in the top 100 in the world.[2] Russell won the singles and doubles, withRobert Kendrick, championships at the USTA Futures event in Mobile, Alabama.[2] He became the first player to play his way into four consecutive Grand Slam events in succession through qualifiers (2000 Wimbledon, US Open; 2001 Australian Open, Roland Garros).[2][6]
In his French Open debut, as a qualifier he advanced to the fourth round. There, he faced world # 1Gustavo Kuerten, the defending champion, whom he beat in the first two sets.[2][6] He hadmatch point at 5–3 in the third set, and was serving.[2][6] But Kuerten saved the match point at the end of a 26-stroke rally with a forehand winner that landed on the baseline.[2][6][15][16] "It's unfortunate we have umpires", Russell joked, "because I would have called it out."[15] Kuerten then came back to defeat Russell in the 205-minute match 3–6, 4–6, 7–6(7), 6–3, 6–1.[2][6]
In 2003, Russell was hampered by a right knee injury for much of the year.[2] He hadarthroscopic surgery in May.[2] Between 2003 and the following year he had three knee surgeries to address a condition that had been hampering him known asosteochondritis dissecans.[17] It is agenetic disorder usually found in 16-year-olds, in which his bone andcartilage separated and broke off from the rest of his knee andfemur.[6][17] He ultimately required surgery on both his knees.[6] His father said:
He reminds me ofDon Quixote … [tilting] at those windmills. For every success, I can tell you, there's been hours on the couch with ice bags on his knees. After the third knee operation, most people would have thrown up their hands and said, 'I'm star-crossed, I can't do it.' But Michael has persevered. That's why he's our hero.[6]
In 2004, he won singles titles at the USTA Futures event in Buffalo, New York, defeatingJorge Aguilar in the finals, at the USTA Futures event in Pittsburgh, and at the ITF Futures event in Quebec, Canada.[2] In June 2005, Russell tore his righthamstring in a tournament in Ecuador.[6] He spent four and a half months in rehab, and began taking courses atUniversity of California, Berkeley by the internet.[6][18] Flying home on a 20-hour flight from the qualifying for the2006 Australian Open, he developedblood clots in both of his lungs.[6][17] He had his problem treated with ten days of injections of theblood thinnersCoumadin andLovenox.[6]
In 2007 he won a Challenger tournament in Nouméa, New Caledonia.[6] Two weeks later, in the first round of the2007 Australian Open, Russell led former # 1 playerLleyton Hewitt two sets to love on center court before succumbing.[6][19] In the 2007 Indian Wells Masters event, he made it to the final 16 players in a 96-player field, after upsetting 11th seed – and12th-ranked –Tomáš Berdych in round 2 in straight sets.[6][10][20] In his first ten years as a pro tennis player he won approximately $750,000 in official prize money. But as sportswriter Greg Garber wrote in an ESPN article, after expenses, "In terms of net income, aminimum-wage worker at McDonald's did better financially than Russell did during the nine years before 2007."[6]
On May 25, 2008, he was named USTA Circuit Player of the Week after winning three consecutive singles titles.[2] In April 2010, he was at the age of 31 the third-oldest player in the men's top 75.[21]
Russell made his first ATP semi-final at the2012 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships inHouston,Texas. He came through qualifying and beat top seed, world # 9 and compatriotMardy Fish in straight sets on his way to a three-set loss toJuan Mónaco. The win against Fish was his first over a top-10 player.[22] He ended the 2012 season as the third-oldest man in the ATP Top 100.[23]
Russell, as alucky loser, made it to the quarterfinals of the 2013U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, losing toDenis Istomin in straight sets.[24] In November 2013, he won anATP Challenger in Charlottesville by coming back from 0–5 in the final set against CanadianPeter Polansky for the win.[25]
The victory pushed him into the top 80 in the world rankings, and he became the third-highest-ranked American in the world.[26][27] His 23 USTA Pro Circuit singles titles as of November 2013 was the all-time record.[21][25][28][29] At the 2014 Rogers Cup in Toronto, he pushed David Ferrer to come up with his best tennis.
In 2015 at 36 years of age, Russell earned a spot representing premier American men's professional tennis at the Australian Open. He was later defeated in the first round of the Tournament in Melbourne. Annually, the Australian Open serves as the initial Grand Slam event in the (ITF) professional series.
Russell retired from professional tennis at the2015 US Open, at 37 years of age.[30] On the Challenger Tour, he finished his career at No. 8 in match wins (276) and tied for fifth in titles (15).[30]
Russell has "startling acceleration, precise footwork and, most important, a voracious work ethic."[6] He is a defensive counter-puncher, known for his foot speed, consistency, forehand, and fitness.[8]John McEnroe described him as a particularly dogged competitor, saying that "no one's going to try harder on a tennis court than Michael Russell".[31]
People questioned his potential when he was a junior because they thought he was too little for pro tennis.[8] AnESPN article in 2007, noting that he was 5-foot-8 and weighed 160 pounds, called him: "one of the smallest players in the professional game."[6]
In 2015, Russell started Michael Russell Tennis, a private tennis coaching business in Houston, Texas.
Russell has coached Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, Sam Querrey, Taylor Fritz, Mackenzie McDonald and Tennys Sandgren on the ATP WorldTour through USTA Player Development.
He is the current private coach ofTaylor Fritz. In 2024, Russell was named Coach of the Year in the 2024ATP Awards.[32]
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| Outcome | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 0–1 | Jul 2012 | BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta, United States | Hard |  Xavier Malisse |  Matthew Ebden Ryan Harrison | 3–6, 6–3, [6–10] |
|
|
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | January 31, 2000 | Amarillo, Texas, United States | Hard (i) |  Stefano Pescosolido | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 1. | October 2, 2000 | Austin, Texas, United States | Hard | Andy Roddick | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | April 2, 2001 | Calabasas, California, United States | Hard |  André Sá | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | July 12, 2004 | Granby, Quebec, Canada | Hard | Davide Sanguinetti | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 3. | November 28, 2005 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Hard | Todd Widom | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 4. | August 14, 2006 | Bronx, New York, United States | Hard |  Paul Capdeville | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 3. | September 25, 2006 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA | Hard | Bobby Reynolds | 6–7(3–7), 3–6 |
| Winner | 5. | November 27, 2006 | Maui, Hawaii, United States | Hard | Sam Warburg | 6–1, 6–0 |
| Winner | 6. | January 1, 2007 | Nouméa, New Caledonia, France | Hard |  David Guez | 6–0, 6–1 |
| Winner | 7. | January 22, 2007 | Waikoloa, Hawaii, United States | Hard |  Jamie Baker | 6–1, 7–5 |
| Winner | 8. | February 12, 2007 | Joplin, Missouri, United States | Hard (i) |  Frédéric Niemeyer | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 4. | January 12, 2009 | São Paulo, Brazil | Hard |  Santiago Giraldo | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 9. | May 4, 2009 | Savannah, Georgia, United States | Clay | Alex Kuznetsov | 6–4, 7–6(8–6) |
| Winner | 10. | May 25, 2009 | Carson, California, United States | Clay | Michael Yani | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 5. | September 7, 2009 | Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands | Clay | Stéphane Robert | 6–7(2–7), 7–5, 6–7(5–7) |
| Runner-up | 6. | October 19, 2009 | Calabasas, California, United States | Hard | Donald Young | 6–7(4–7), 1–6 |
| Winner | 11. | November 21, 2009 | Champaign, Illinois, United States | Hard (i) | Taylor Dent | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Winner | 12. | January 31, 2010 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Hard (i) |  Grega Žemlja | 6–0, 6–3 |
| Winner | 13. | November 11, 2012 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Hard | Bobby Reynolds | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 14. | July 6, 2013 | Manta,Ecuador | Hard | Greg Jones | 4–6, 6–0, 7–5 |
| Winner | 15. | November 4, 2013 | Charlottesville, Virginia, United States | Hard | Peter Polansky | 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(7–5) |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 10 | 2–10 | 16.67 |
| French Open | A | A | A | 4R | 1R | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | Q1 | 1R | 1R | Q2 | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 7 | 3–7 | 30.00 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 8 | 2–8 | 20.00 |
| US Open | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | Q2 | A | 0 / 9 | 0–9 | 0.00 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0 / 34 | 7–34 | 17.07 |
| ATP World Tour Masters 1000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 4R | A | 2R | 3R | 2R | Q2 | Q2 | 2R | Q2 | 0 / 5 | 8–5 | 61.54 |
| Miami Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | Q2 | Q1 | Q1 | A | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | 40.00 |
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | 0.00 |
| Rome Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | A | Q1 | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | 0.00 |
| Madrid Masters1 | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Q2 | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0.00 |
| Canada Masters | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | 1R | 2R | Q2 | Q2 | 2R | A | 0 / 6 | 3–6 | 33.33 |
| Cincinnati Masters | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Q1 | Q2 | A | Q1 | Q2 | Q1 | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0.00 |
| Shanghai Masters2 | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0.00 |
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0.00 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–5 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0 / 18 | 13–18 | 41.94 |
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Titles–Finals | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | 0.00 |
| Year-end ranking | 288 | 232 | 155 | 87 | 157 | 502 | 250 | 256 | 144 | 82 | 242 | 83 | 99 | 99 | 87 | 92 | 158 | 557 | $2,452,569 | ||
1 Held asHamburg Masters (outdoor clay) until 2008,Madrid Masters (outdoor clay) 2009–present.
2 Held asStuttgart Masters (indoor hard) until 2001,Madrid Masters (indoor hard) from 2002 to 2008, andShanghai Masters (outdoor hard) 2009–present.
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0–1 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | 0–4 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 1–4 |
| US Open | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3–8 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–17 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | MR Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | |||||||
| 1. | Mardy Fish | 9 | Houston, United States | Clay | 2R | 6–3, 6–1 | 136 |
