_(51376399843).jpg) Lopez at the2021 French Open | |
| Full name | Feliciano López Díaz-Guerra |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
| Residence | Madrid, Spain |
| Born | (1981-09-20)20 September 1981 (age 44) Toledo, Spain |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1997 |
| Retired | 2023 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$18,706,677[1] |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 506–490 (50.8%)[a] |
| Career titles | 7 |
| Highest ranking | No. 12 (2 March 2015) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 4R (2012,2015) |
| French Open | 4R (2004) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2005,2008,2011) |
| US Open | QF (2015) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | Alt (2014) |
| Olympic Games | 3R (2004,2012) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 260–300 (46.4%) |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Highest ranking | No. 9 (7 November 2016) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2009,2015) |
| French Open | W (2016) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2008) |
| US Open | F (2017) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | RR (2016) |
| Olympic Games | SF – 4th (2012) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 5–3 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| French Open | 2R (2004) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2011) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2008,2009,2011,2019) |
| Hopman Cup | RR (2017) |
Feliciano López Díaz-Guerra (Spanish pronunciation:[feliˈθjanoˈlopeθˈði.aθˈɣera];[2][b] born 20 September 1981) is a Spanish former professionaltennis player. He achieved his career-high singlesranking of world No. 12 in March 2015 and doubles ranking of world No. 9 in November 2016.[3]
In 2005, López was the first male Spanish tennis player to reach the quarterfinals ofWimbledon since 1972. He repeated the feat in 2008 and 2011. López defeatedTim Henman at the2007 Wimbledon second round. He reached the quarterfinals of the2015 US Open,[4] and won his first Grand Slam title at the2016 French Open when he won themen's doubles title withMarc López. In 2017, at the age of 35, López won the Aegon Championship atThe Queen's Club, London, beatingMarin Čilić in a third set tiebreak. He distinguished himself by winning his ATP titles, both in singles and doubles, on all surfaces, hard, grass and clay. During the2018 Wimbledon Championships, López made his 66th consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearance, surpassing the previous record of 65 consecutive appearances held byRoger Federer.
At the2022 Australian Open, his record reached79 consecutive Grand Slam appearances. As of2022 Wimbledon, he shares the record for most Grand Slam appearances with Federer at 81. He has made 21 consecutive French Open appearances, also a record. López also holds the record for most losses on the ATP Tour, with 490.[5] On 22 June 2021, he achieved 500 match wins at the2021 Mallorca Championships, putting him No. 10 on the list of active players with over 500 match wins.[6] On 13 July 2021 at the2021 Hamburg European Open, he became the fifth player in the world to reach 10,000 aces on themost aces in career list.[7] With his direct entry in the2021 Indian Wells, he broke the record with his 139th participation in events in the Masters 1000 category.[8]
López is left-handed and uses asingle-handed backhand. He is known for his strong serve and ability to play balls repeatedly on the baseline, and is also a confident net player and has been known to serve and volley. Unlike most Spanish players, who almost always prefer clay courts due to the popularity of that surface in their country, López is an exceptionally strong grass-court player, with three quarter-final runs at Wimbledon (his strongest Grand Slam showing), as well as 4 titles on grass at the Eastbourne International in 2013 and 2014 and at the Queen's Club Championships in 2017 and 2019. This is due in part to his more traditional playing style, which is more like grass-court legendsPete Sampras andRoger Federer than fellow SpaniardsRafael Nadal andTommy Robredo. This traditional arsenal includes a big serve and a willingness to come into the net.
In 1997, Feliciano López made his pro circuit debut in Mallorca on 29 September, losing in the second round toDušan Vemić. In 1998, he made his ATP debut at the1998 Open SEAT, where he lost toJiří Novák in the first round. He then competed on the Challenger circuit, making the quarter-finals of Spain F7 and Spain F8. In 1999, he competed on the Futures and Challenger circuits. He won his first Futures event in Spain F6, beating Pedro Canovas in the final. He also reached one other final, losing toRéginald Willems at the Spain F7.
In 2000, López competed in only his second ATP tournament at the2000 Estoril Open, losing toJuan Antonio Marín. His performance was mediocre on the Challenger circuit, and he reached only two quarter-finals. The next year was a better one for López, as he won his second Futures event in France F3, defeatingJuan Antonio Marín in the final, and reaching the final in Maia, losing toJarkko Nieminen. He also made his first ATP win in the2001 Chevrolet Cup, defeatingAdrián García. However, he lost the quarter-final to eventual championGuillermo Coria. He also made his Grand Slam debut at the2001 French Open, losing toCarlos Moyá in straight sets.
In 2002, López competed on the ATP circuit regularly. He started the year with his first semi-final at the2002 ATP Buenos Aires, losing toNicolás Massú. He followed it up with a quarter-final appearance at the2002 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, losing toAntony Dupuis. He also reached the second round of the Miami Masters, losing toÀlex Corretja in the final. He then won his first Grand Slam match at the2002 French Open, defeatingDidac Pérez in five sets, before losing to third seedTommy Haas in straight sets. In hisWimbledon debut, he reached the fourth round, losing toAndré Sá four sets, after defeatingGuillermo Cañas in five sets with the fifth going to 10–8, in the second round, a match that lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes. This was his first win over a top-20 player. He then gained revenge for his loss toSá by defeating him in López'sUS Open debut in the first round in straight sets, before losing toGastón Gaudio in the next round. He then reached the quarter-finals in Hong Kong and Tokyo. In Tokyo, he defeatedMarat Safin in the second round, his first win over a top-5 player. He also reached the third round of the2002 Madrid Masters, losing toAndre Agassi. He ended the year in the top 100 for the first time, at no. 62.
In 2003, López started the year with first-round exits at Doha and Auckland. He made his Australian Open debut, reaching the third round, but losing toYounes El Aynaoui in four sets. He performed badly in the first rounds in Milan, Marseille, and Rotterdam. He then reached the quarter-finals in Dubai, losing toTommy Robredo, and in Estoril, losing toMax Mirnyi. He reached the second rounds ofIndian Wells andMonte Carlo. In his second French Open, he lost toMariano Zabaleta in straight sets. He once again reached the fourth round ofWimbledon, where he lost toRoger Federer in straight sets. He then reached two straight semi-finals in Stuttgart and Kitzbühel, losing both to eventual championGuillermo Coria. He continued his form by reaching the quarter-finals at the2003 Canada Masters, losing toDavid Nalbandian in straight sets. After early losses inCincinnati, Long Island, theUS Open, and Moscow, he reached the quarter-finals of Vienna, theMadrid Masters, and Basel. He ended the year with second-round exit at theParis Masters, where he lost toGuillermo Coria, his fifth lost to Coria. He ended the year ranked no. 28.
In 2004, López began the year with a 1–3 record, losing in the first rounds of Sydney, the2004 Australian Open, and Milan, with his only win coming at the Davis Cup. He reached his first final at the2004 Dubai Open, losing toRoger Federer. He then reached the second rounds of the2004 Indian Wells Masters, the2004 Miami Masters, the2004 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, and the2004 Monte Carlo Masters. He also reached the fourth round of the2004 French Open, losing toGustavo Kuerten. This was the furthest he had reached at the French Open. He then lost in the third round of2004 Wimbledon, losing to tall CroatianIvo Karlović. In his next three tournaments, he reached the second round, in Stuttgart, theCanada Masters, and theCincinnati Masters. He also reached the quarter-finals of Kitzbühel, losing toFernando Verdasco. In the2004 US Open, he reached the third round, before losing to eventual runner-upLleyton Hewitt. Then at the2004 Bank Austria-TennisTrophy, he won his first title, defeatingGuillermo Cañas in the final. He ended the year with a quarter-final appearance at the2004 Paris Masters, losing toGuillermo Cañas. He ended the year at world no. 24.
He started 2005 with quarter-final appearances at the2005 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, losing toRoger Federer, and at the 2005 Medibank International, losing toRadek Štěpánek. At the2005 Australian Open, he reached the third round, losing toJoachim Johansson in five sets with the fifth set going to 11–13, in a match that lasted almost four hours. This propelled him to world no. 20 and the semi-finals of2005 Open 13, once again losing toJoachim Johansson. He then reached the third round of the2005 Indian Wells Masters, losing toFabrice Santoro in straight sets, and the quarter-finals of the2005 Estoril Open, losing toGastón Gaudio in straight sets. He then reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at2005 Wimbledon, losing toLleyton Hewitt in straight sets. He also reached the quarter-finals in Kitzbühel, losing toMariano Zabaleta in straight sets. At the2005 Pilot Pen Tennis, he lost in his third final toJames Blake after winning the first set. He then reached the quarter-finals of the2005 BA-CA Tennis Trophy, losing toRadek Štěpánek in straight sets. He ended the year ranked world no. 34.
2006 was a plateau year for López. He suffered early losses throughout the year. However, he did reach the third round of the2006 Australian Open, losing toIvan Ljubičić. He reached the third round of the2006 Nottingham Open, losing toJonas Björkman. He reached the final of the2006 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad, losing toRichard Gasquet. He reached the third round of the2006 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, losing to eventual runner-upAndy Murray. He reached the quarter-finals of the2006 PTT Thailand Open, losing toJarkko Nieminen. He ended the year at world no. 81, 47 spots lower than the previous year.
In 2007, López started the year badly, having a 2–5 record in his first five tournaments, managing a win only at the2007 Australian Open, losing toNovak Djokovic, and at the2007 SAP Open losing toVincent Spadea. However, he followed it up with a quarter-final appearance at the2007 Tennis Channel Open, losing to eventual championLleyton Hewitt. He then lost in the second round of the2007 Indian Wells Masters, losing to eventual semi-finalistAndy Roddick. He reached the fourth round of the2007 Miami Masters, losing to eventual championNovak Djokovic. He then followed up with a 1–5 record, with his only win coming in the2007 Open SEAT over compatriotGuillermo García López. López reached the third round of the2007 Wimbledon Championships, losing toJo-Wilfried Tsonga, after he endedTim Henman's Wimbledon career, beating him in a five-set thriller in the second round, Henman having been two sets up. He then reached the semi-finals of the2007 Mercedes Cup, losing to eventual championRafael Nadal. He reached the fourth round of the2007 US Open, losing to eventual championRoger Federer, the first set being the fewest games won by Federer in one set in the whole tournament. He followed it up with three straight quarter-finals at the2007 AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, losing to eventual championDavid Ferrer, at the2007 BA-CA-TennisTrophy, losing to eventual runner-upStanislas Wawrinka, and the2007 Madrid Masters, losing toRoger Federer. He ended the year ranked world no. 35.
In 2008 López once again had a bad start, but rebounded at the2008 Dubai Tennis Championships by reaching the finals, losing toAndy Roddick. He then reached the third round of the2008 Miami Masters, losing toDmitry Tursunov. He suffered first-round losses at the next three Masters Series at the2008 Monte-Carlo Masters, the2008 Rome Masters, and the2008 Hamburg Masters. However, in the middle of these tournaments, he managed to reach the third round of the2008 Torneo Godó, losing to eventual championRafael Nadal. He once again lost early in the first rounds of the2008 French Open and the2008 Queen's Club Championships. He reached the quarter-finals of the2008 Wimbledon Championships, for the second time losing toMarat Safin. He recorded a 2–7 record after Wimbledon with wins coming only at the2008 Countrywide Classic and at the Davis Cup World Group. He then reached the semi-finals of the2008 Bank Austria-TennisTrophy, losing to eventual championPhilipp Petzschner, the semi-finals of the2008 Davidoff Swiss Indoors, losing to eventual championRoger Federer, and the quarter-finals of the2008 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid, losing toRafael Nadal. He also helped the Spanish Davis Cup team to win the title against Argentina by beatingJuan Martín del Potro. He ended the year world no. 31.
In 2009, López started the year with a string of first-round losses, in the2009 Heineken Open toJarkko Nieminen, in the2009 Australian Open toGilles Müller, and in the2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament toJulien Benneteau. He then competed in the2009 Open 13 and made it to the quarter-finals, before losing to eventual championJo-Wilfried Tsonga. López struggled after this, and at one point he suffered eight straight main-draw losses in a row. In the midst of his bad run, he won a title at theOpen Castilla y León Challenger event, beatingAdrian Mannarino in straight sets. At the inauguralShanghai Masters, he advanced to his firstMaster Series semi-final, beatingDavid Ferrer,Jürgen Melzer, andRobin Söderling en route. However, he retired due to a right ankle injury in his semi-final match againstRafael Nadal, trailing 1–6, 0–3. Despite his poor year on the ATP tour, López did play a key role for theSpain Davis Cup team, helping them win the2009 Davis Cup with doubles wins in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals.
López started his 2010 season by playing in the2010 Medibank International Sydney, where he lost to eventual runner-upRichard Gasquet in the first round. He then competed in the2010 Australian Open, where he reached the third round, defeatingPablo Cuevas andRainer Schüttler, but lost to seventh seedAndy Roddick in a close four-setter.
In the2010 SA Tennis Open as the third seed, he beatBenjamin Balleret,Blaž Kavčič, andRajeev Ram in the first three rounds, reaching the final after defeating top seedGaël Monfils in the semi-finals. He went on to win the tournament, beating the eighth seedStéphane Robert. Thus, he ended his five and a half-year title drought and won just his second ATP-level title. His finals record now improved to 2–4. He lost in the first rounds of the2010 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament and2010 Dubai Tennis Championships. He then reached the third round of the2010 BNP Paribas Open, losing to sixth seedRobin Söderling, after defeatingPaul-Henri Mathieu and receiving a bye. He lost toMardy Fish in the third round, after defeatingMichael Berrer in the2010 Sony Ericsson Open.
In the European clay season, he lost in the first round of2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters toTomáš Berdych. He then won his first clay victory of the season by reaching the third round of the2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, losing toRobin Söderling. At the2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, López reached the quarter-finals, losing toErnests Gulbis, but upsetMarin Čilić en route. After he disappointingly lost in the opening round at the2010 French Open, he appeared at the2010 Aegon Championships, the first grass tournament of the year. He beatGrigor Dimitrov andJulien Benneteau. He went on to stun top seed and world no. 1Rafael Nadal to reach the semi-finals. There, he lost toMardy Fish. In the2010 Aegon International, he retired against 342nd-ranked BritonJames Ward down 3–6, 4–5. He then played at2010 Wimbledon, reaching the third round, but losing toJürgen Melzer. He then lost three straight matches, beginning in the semi-finals of the2010 Farmers Classic toAndy Murray, and the first rounds of the2010 Rogers Cup and the2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters. He reached the fourth round of the2010 US Open, losing to eventual championRafael Nadal in straight sets. He then ended the year with a five-match losing streak: in the second round of2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships and the first rounds of the2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000, the2010 If Stockholm Open, the2010 Valencia Open 500, and the2010 BNP Paribas Masters.
López started his 2011 pre-Australian Open preparations at the2011 Brisbane International and2011 Medibank International Sydney, but lost early in both tournaments. He then was upset in the second round of the2011 Australian Open and first round of the2011 SA Tennis Open by 199th-rankedBernard Tomic and 235th-rankedFrank Dancevic. He then lost in the second rounds of the2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament and the2011 Dubai Tennis Championships. He lost in the first round of the2011 BNP Paribas Open, the third round of the2011 Sony Ericsson Open, and the second round of the2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. He then reached his first quarter-final of the year at the2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, where he lost toIvan Dodig. He reached his first final in over a year at the2011 Serbia Open in Belgrade, where he lost toNovak Djokovic. He played a memorable match at the2011 Mutua Madrid Open, where he lost toRoger Federer. López made it to the third round of the2011 Rome Open, but lost to fellow countrymanRafael Nadal. López lost in the first round of the2011 French Open toRoger Federer.
López started the grass court season at the2011 Aegon Open with a second round loss toAndy Roddick. AtWimbledon, López defeatedMichael Berrer in the first round, former semi-finalistRainer Schüttler in the second round, and former world no. 1 and three-time finalistAndy Roddick in the third round. In the fourth round, López stormed back from two sets to love down to take out Polish qualifierŁukasz Kubot. In his third quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon, López lost to world no. 4Andy Murray in straight sets.
López helped his country in the2011 Davis Cup by beating AmericanMardy Fish in five sets. He was scheduled to playAndy Roddick in the fifth and final match, but Spain was already up 3–1 over the United States. Spain won that year'sDavis Cup without his help, beating Argentina in the December final.
Feliciano made it to the quarter-finals of the2011 Suisse Open by defeatingMichael Lammer andDaniel Gimeno Traver in the first two rounds. However, he lost to fellow countryman and top seedNicolás Almagro in straight sets. He beat Radek Štěpánek in the first round of the2011 Rogers Cup, but lost toMardy Fish in the second. He recorded a big win over fellow countryman and former world number oneJuan Carlos Ferrero in the first round of the2011 Western & Southern Open. He lost in the following round toPhilipp Kohlschreiber. At theUS Open, he lost in the third round, again to Murray.
At the2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters, López beat ninth seedJanko Tipsarević,Alex Bogomolov Jr., sixth seedTomáš Berdych, andFlorian Mayer, before losing in the semi-finals to third seedDavid Ferrer.
López played in Sydney to tune up for the Australian Open. He had a bye in the first round, then lost toJulien Benneteau in straight sets in the second.
At the Australian Open, he beatJohn Isner in the third round to set up a match with eventual finalistRafael Nadal in the fourth, but succumbed in straight sets.
He reached the semi-finals in Houston, where Isner took his revenge, beating López in three sets with two tie-breakers. In Barcelona, he beatFlavio Cipolla andJarkko Nieminen, only to fall to compatriotDavid Ferrer in the quarter-finals. In Munich, he beat AustralianBernard Tomic in the quarter-finals, but was defeated byPhilipp Kohlschreiber in the semi-finals. After his successes on clay, he had a disappointing grass season. At Wimbledon, he lost toJarkko Nieminen in the first round.[9] Back on clay, he made the quarter-finals in Gstaad, only to be beaten by BrazilianThomaz Bellucci.
At the2012 Olympics, he beat RussianDmitry Tursunov and ArgentineJuan Mónaco, but was defeated by FrenchmanJo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets with one tie-breaker.
At the US Open, he beatRobin Haase and compatriotPablo Andújar, but could not stand up to eventual championAndy Murray in the third round, against whom he lost in four sets with three tie-breakers. In Beijing, he beat AmericansRyan Harrison andSam Querrey, before bowing again to Tsonga, retiring at 1–4 in the second set. In Shanghai, he defeated Kohlschreiber in straight sets to set up a meeting withNovak Djokovic, to whom he lost in straight sets.
López played in Sydney as a tune-up event for the2013 Australian Open. He beatJérémy Chardy in the opening round in three sets, but he lost in the second round toKevin Anderson in straight sets. At theAustralian Open, he went out in straight sets in the second round toRadek Štěpánek.
In Memphis, López made it to the final, but was turned away byKei Nishikori. At theFrench Open he lost in the third round to compatriot and eventual finalistDavid Ferrer. The week before Wimbledon, López won his first grass-court title by beatingGilles Simon in three sets in the final of theAegon International in Eastbourne.[10]
López reached the final of the prestigiousAegon Championships in June and had a championship point againstGrigor Dimitrov, but was eventually beaten in a deciding set tiebreak. However, one week later, López successfully defended hisAegon International title, defeatingRichard Gasquet for the first time in six attempts, 7–5 in the deciding set.
López then continued his impressive grass-court form into the third Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon. He saw off bothYūichi Sugita andAnte Pavić in straight sets in the first and second rounds, respectively. He then metJohn Isner in the third round. It was a match dominated by serve. López fought back from a set down to win 3 sets to 1, securing the first break of serve in the match in the penultimate game. López thus progressed to the fourth round, where he metStan Wawrinka, the fifth seed. López lost, despite having several set points in the second-set tiebreak.
López won over seeded playersTomáš Berdych andMilos Raonic at theRogers Cup to reach his third Masters 1000 semi-final, after which he lost toRoger Federer. At the2014 US Open, he was defeated byDominic Thiem in the third round. The Spaniard claimed wins overRafael Nadal,John Isner, andMikhail Youzhny at the2014 Shanghai Masters, then lost the semi-final match toGilles Simon.
López made the fourth round of the2015 Australian Open, losing toMilos Raonic in five sets. He then entered the newATP 250 event, theEcuador Open inQuito, Ecuador and reached the final, losing toVíctor Estrella Burgos. López lost in the first round of the2015 French Open.
In 2016 Lopez achieved one of the greatest highlights of his career by winning theFrench Open men's doubles championship along with compatriotMarc López.[11]
On 6 September 2016, López was part of the last match ever played in the oldLouis Armstrong Stadium at theUS Open. Alongside his partnerMarc López, they defeatedthe Bryan brothers (Bob andMike) in the quarter-finals of the men's doubles tournament, the score 7–6(7–2), 4–6, 6–3.[12] The pair eventually lost in the semi-finals against fellow countrymenPablo Carreño Busta andGuillermo García López in straight sets.
López started the year representing Spain in theHopman Cup, along withLara Arruabarrena, but didn't make it past the round robin. In theAuckland Open, he was seeded 6th and won in the first round toMichael Venus, in three sets, but withdrew in the second round toJérémy Chardy.
He lost in the first round of the2017 Australian Open toFabio Fognini in straight sets, where he achieved the wooden spoon. In theOpen Sud de France, he beatJulien Benneteau in three sets in the first round but then lost toBenoît Paire in the second round. López appeared at the2017 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament but lost toPierre-Hugues Herbert in the first round. López also appeared in the2017 Abierto Mexicano Telcel but lost in the first round toJordan Thompson.At theIndian Wells Masters he lost in the second round toDušan Lajović.
In June López won the Men's Singles title atQueen's Club Championships (the Aegon Championships at The Queen's Club, London), beating Marin Čilić 4–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–6(10–8), which was his sixth career title and third on grass.
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After a disappointing 2018 in which he failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals in any of the tournaments he played, López went through the first few months with defeats to younger opponents. His year began with a first-round loss to Jordan Thompson at the Australian Open, then continued with a loss to Denis Istomin at Delray Beach in the first round, a defeat by Alex de Minaur at the Acapulco Open, and second-round defeats to Karen Khachanov and Grigor Dimitrov at Indian Wells and Miami, respectively before finishing out the North American hard court tour with a loss to Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals at Monterrey.[13]
The clay court season was also unfruitful with first-round losses in each of the tournaments he entered. This culminated with losses to Thomas Fabbiano in the Monte Carlo qualifying rounds, Fernando Verdasco in Barcelona, Damir Džumhur in Geneva, and Ivo Karlović at Roland Garros.[13]
The grass-court season was much more productive, as he made the round of 16 at Surbiton, losing to Ivo Karlović, then made the round of 32 at Stuttgart, losing to Lucas Pouille. He then won both the singles and doubles titles at the Queens Club Championships with a three-set singles win over Gilles Simon and a champion tie-break doubles win (partnering withAndy Murray) over Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.[14]
At the2021 Australian Open Lopez reached the third round for the ninth time in his career defeating Australian wildcardLi Tu[15] and 31st seedLorenzo Sonego in five sets.[16] He was the oldest player to win a major match from two sets down since Ken Rosewall at the 1974 Wimbledon Championships. He also was the oldest player to reach the third round of the Australian Open since 1978. Melbourne was the 75th Grand Slam he has played in a row, having not missed one since the 2002 French Open.[17] He lost to seventh seedAndrey Rublev.
He lost in the first round at the2021 Wimbledon Championships to 26th seedDaniel Evans but attained also a new record when he appeared in his 77th consecutive Grand Slam. Lopez played his 138th Masters 1000 tournament at the2021 National Bank Open. As a result, he tied Roger Federer for the most appearances at the Masters’ events.[18]
At the2021 US Open he was eliminated in the first round by fellow countryman and qualifierBernabé Zapata Miralles in a five set match.[19] This was his 78th appearance in a consecutive Slam and 79th overall. As a result, he dropped out of the top 100 to No. 110 on 20 September 2021, his 40th birthday.[20]
Lopez played his 139th Masters 1000 tournament at the2021 Indian Wells Masters. As a result, he now owns the record for the most appearances in the Masters 1000 category.[21]
During2021 Davis Cup Finals, he representedSpanish Davis Cup team in both singles and doubles. He won both his singles matches. In the tie againstRussia, aged 40, he won his tie against world No. 5,Andrey Rublev, which is only the second time inOpen Era history that a player aged 40+ managed to beat a top 5 player.[22] Before Lopez, the only other 40+ player who managed to beat a top 5 ranked player wasKen Rosewall, who, at the age of 42 scored a win againstVitas Gerulaitis at1977 Sidney Indoors.
In January, at2022 Australian Open, Feliciano lost in the first round in four sets to home favoriteJohn Millman. It was his record79th consecutive Grand Slam appearance and80th overall putting him one Major away from Roger Federer's record of 81 overall appearances.
In February, he won theMexican Open doubles tournament partnering withStefanos Tsitsipas.
He failed to qualify for the2022 French Open ending his consecutive appearances streak at this Major, also a record of 21, and overall in Majors.[23][24] At the same tournament in doubles however, he reached the third round partneringMaxime Cressy.[25]
With his participation in the2022 Wimbledon Championships he made his 81st main draw Grand Slam appearance, equalingRoger Federer's record. He was defeated in the first round by the No. 21 seedBotic van de Zandschulp.[26] Due to the ATP decision that Wimbledon will not be awarded ranking points and therefore players could not defend points from 2021, Feliciano automatically fell out of top 250, regardless of his Wimbledon result.[27]
On 1 January, Lopez announced that the 2023 season will be his last after 25 years on the tour.[28][29]
In February, he further stated that he would like to retire atQueen's Club, a tournament he won several times in the past, two times in singles (2017, 2019) and one time in doubles (2019), if they give him a wildcard.[30]
After receiving a main draw wildcard for theMexican Open in Acapulco, in the first round Lopez defeatedChristopher Eubanks in straight sets and scored his 504th singles career win.[31] In the round of 16, he lost to the sixth seedFrances Tiafoe.[32]
He accepted a wildcard for the2023 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, for the2023 BOSS Open.[33] He also received a wildcard for the qualifying draw at the2023 Queen's Club Championships.
At the2023 Mallorca Championships, the final tournament of his career, he received wildcards in both singles and doubles.[34][35] In doubles, teamed withStefanos Tsitsipas, the pair lost in the first round to the No. 1 seeds,Santiago González andÉdouard Roger-Vasselin.[36] In singles, Lopez beat AustralianMax Purcell in the first round, in straight sets. After the match, according to ATP stats, his new haul of 10,261 untouched serves puts him fourth on themost aces in career list.[37] In the second round he beat another Australian,Jordan Thompson, to reach his 93rd ATP career quarterfinal and his second quarterfinal at this tournament, previously reaching the same stage in 2021. He also became the oldest ATP quarterfinalist since 1995.[38] In the quarterfinals, he lost to GermanYannick Hanfmann, which was to be his last professional match. He completed his career with a 506-490 tour-level singles record, having won more matches on grass (87) than any other Spaniard.[39][40]
López has appeared as a model for the likes ofHugo Boss andElle,[41][42] and endorsesBraun shavers andL'Oréal products. He has professed to dislike being called a model, however, and states that he wants to be seen only as a tennis player.[43] He has been endorsed byEllesse tennis clothing since 2016; before that,Joma was his endorser andNike endorses his shoes.
López was born inToledo and now lives inMadrid. He grew up with his younger brother, Victor López Díaz-Guerra (b. 1982), who also played professional tennis.[44][45]
López was married to model Alba Carrillo from July 2015 to March 2017.[46][47] The couple had been separated since June 2016.[48] He married model Sandra Gago in September 2019, and their first child, son Dario was born in 2021.[49][50][51]
On 30 November 2017, López was announced as theMadrid Open tournament director, commencing in 2019.[52]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 0 / 20 | 24–20 | 55% |
| French Open | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | Q1 | A | 0 / 21 | 12–21 | 36% |
| Wimbledon | Q2 | A | 4R | 4R | 3R | QF | 1R | 3R | QF | 1R | 3R | QF | 1R | 3R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | NH | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 20 | 34–20 | 63% |
| US Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 3R | QF | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 20 | 28–20 | 58% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 3–4 | 6–4 | 5–4 | 1–4 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 5–4 | 7–4 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 7–4 | 4–4 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 0–3 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0 / 81 | 98–81 | 55% |
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | 3R | QF | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 16 | 15–16 | 50% |
| French Open | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | A | 2R | A | 3R | 3R | 2R | W | 1R | SF | 2R | 3R | A | 3R | A | 1 / 16 | 24–14 | 63% |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | NH | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 9 | 6–7 | 55% |
| US Open | 3R | QF | 3R | 1R | 2R | QF | A | 1R | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | SF | F | 2R | 2R | A | A | 2R | A | 0 / 15 | 23–15 | 61% |
| Win–loss | 3–4 | 5–4 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 6–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 11–2 | 7–4 | 6–3 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 1 / 56 | 68–52 | 57% |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2016 | French Open | Clay | Marc López |  Bob BryanMike Bryan | 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 6–3 |
| Loss | 2017 | US Open | Hard | Marc López |  Jean-Julien Rojer Horia Tecău | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th place | 2012 | Summer Olympics, London | Grass | David Ferrer |  Julien BenneteauRichard Gasquet | 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
| Time span | Record accomplished | # | Players matched |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 French Open – 2022 Wimbledon | Most Grand Slam main draw appearances | 81 | Roger Federer |
| 2001 French Open – 2021 French Open | Most consecutive French Open main draw appearances | 21 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2002 French Open – 2022 Australian Open | Most consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances | 79 | Stands alone |
| 2001 French Open – 2021 French Open | Most French Open main draw appearances | 21 | |
| 2001 French Open – 2022 Wimbledon | Most main draw appearances at each Grand Slam | 20 | |
| 1998 Barcelona Open – 2023 Barcelona Open | Most ATP 500 main draw appearances at single tournament | 22 | |
| 2002–2021 | Most Masters series main draw appearances | 139 | |
| 1998–2023 | Most ATP 500 main draw appearances | 97 | |
| 2002–2023 | Most Hard surface main draw appearances | 279 | |
| 1998–2023 | Most Outdoor main draw appearances | 394 | |
| 1998–2023 | Most ATP main draw appearances | 486 | |
| 1998–2023 | Most ATP main draw losses | 490 |
