_(52129516961).jpg) Verdasco at the2022 French Open | |
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Residence | Doha,Qatar[1] |
| Born | (1983-11-15)15 November 1983 (age 42) Madrid, Spain |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Retired | 19 February 2025 |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Diego Dinomo David Sánchez Quino Muñoz |
| Prize money | US$18,361,106[2] |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 559–447 (55.6%)[a] |
| Career titles | 7 |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (20 April 2009)[3] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2009) |
| French Open | 4R (2007,2008,2009,2010,2014,2017,2018) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2013) |
| US Open | QF (2009,2010) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | RR (2009) |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2012) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 206–205 (50.1%) |
| Career titles | 8 |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (11 November 2013) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2009,2013) |
| French Open | SF (2017) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2008) |
| US Open | QF (2004,2008,2014) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2013) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 6–3 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2006,2008) |
| US Open | 1R (2015) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2008,2009,2011) |
| Hopman Cup | W (2013) |
Fernando Verdasco Carmona (Spanish pronunciation:[feɾˈnandoβeɾˈðaskokaɾˈmona];[b][4] born 15 November 1983) is aSpanishtennis coach and a former professional player. He was ranked world No. 7 in men's singles by theATP, achieved in April 2009, and world No. 8 in men's doubles, achieved in November 2013. Verdasco won seven singles titles on theATP Tour, and reached amajor singles semifinal at the2009 Australian Open.[5] He also won eightdoubles titles, including the2013 ATP World Tour Finals partneringDavid Marrero.
In singles, Verdasco was a finalist at the2010 Monte-Carlo Masters, reached the quarterfinals twice at theUS Open in 2009 and 2010, and reached the quarterfinals at the2013 Wimbledon Championships, where he led eventual championAndy Murray by two sets to love before being defeated in five sets. In men's doubles, Verdasco won the 2013 ATP World Tour Finals and was a finalist at the2013 Shanghai Masters. He earned his 500th singles win at the2018 Madrid Open, becoming the 45th man in ATP Tour history with 500 wins.[6][7][8][9] Verdasco aided Spain in winning threeDavis Cup titles, winning the deciding match in both 2008 and 2009, and being part of the winning team in 2011. He also has the second-most singles losses in ATP history (447), behindFeliciano López.
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Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight.[10][11]
He turned professional in 2001, finishing as world No. 464. 2002 was a good year for him, as he won his firstFutures category title in Spain F1 and was runner-up in Spain F3. He played his pond career challenger inSegovia, where he reached the final after beatingBelarusianVladimir Voltchkov in the semifinals. He then reached two additionalChallenger semifinals inKyiv and inEckental, finishing the year in the top 200 at no. 173. 2002 also finished strongly off the court, as Fernando finished runner-up in a closely contested Best Abs in Castilla La Mancha contest.
In 2003, Verdasco played his firstMasters Series tournament (Miami Masters). He joined the main draw as a qualifier, and after defeatingKarol Kučera andMax Mirnyi, he lost to countrymanCarlos Moyá in the third round. After this good performance, he had a poor season onclay, and then he lost in the first round atWimbledon against FinnJarkko Nieminen in five sets in which he changed tennis racquets to the new Wilson Prestige and took new natural products for increased speed on the court. Then Verdasco played inCincinnati, where he lost toAndy Roddick in straight sets. He reached the third round at theUS Open, where he lost to ThaiParadorn Srichaphan, after defeating countrymanTommy Robredo in the first round and ItalianDavide Sanguinetti in the second round.
After finishing 2003 as No. 109 in the world (with a 15–8 record in Challengers), he had a breakthrough in 2004 when he won his first ATP title inValencia. He defeated defending championJuan Carlos Ferrero in the semifinals andAlbert Montañés in the final. He also reached the final inAcapulco, losing to Carlos Moyá, and the quarterfinals inHalle and in's-Hertogenbosch ongrass. He reached the third round in twoMasters Series tournaments: theHamburg Masters and theMadrid Masters. He reached the quarterfinals inStockholm and the semifinals inKitzbühel, and won a doubles title in Stockholm (with countrymanFeliciano López), ending the year ranked no. 36 in the world.
In 2005, he defeated Andy Roddick twice, in Miami and inRome. In Rome, the match was famous for Roddick beingmatchpoint up on Verdasco's serve and having the match end with a double fault from Verdasco, but Roddick claimed that the serve was not out and the match went on, with Verdasco winning. He also reached the quarterfinals in Valencia (where he was defending the title), Rome, andNew Haven; the semifinals ofSaint Petersburg; and was finalist in Kitzbühel, where he lost toArgentineGastón Gaudio. Verdasco reached his firstGrand Slam fourth round at the U.S. Open, where he lost to Jarkko Nieminen, after defeatingNovak Djokovic. His year-end ranking improved slightly to no. 32 in the world.
Fernando reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, after beatingVince Spadea and GermanBenjamin Becker, and also upsetting third seed and former runner-upDavid Nalbandian in straight sets in the third round. Verdasco then lost to CzechRadek Štěpánek in five sets. At the US Open, Fernando reached the third round but lost to eventual runner-up Andy Roddick in five sets. In previous rounds, Fernando defeatedFabrice Santoro in four sets andThiago Alves in three. Fernando then lost in the quarterfinals ofPalermo toRubén Ramírez Hidalgo, and then he lost to Ramírez Hidalgo again the following week in the first round atMetz. Verdasco did not win a match the rest of year. He lost to ItalianDaniele Bracciali inMoscow, and then in the last twoMasters Series tournaments of the year, he lost toTim Henman in the Madrid Masters and toMichaël Llodra in theParis Masters. Verdasco finished the year ranked no. 35.
In 2007, Verdasco lost in the first round in the threeMasters Series tournaments on clay. He lost to FrenchmanRichard Gasquet in bothMonte-Carlo Masters and Rome Masters, and to CzechTomáš Berdych in the Hamburg Masters. He lost to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of theFrench Open. In the previous rounds, he beatJérôme Haehnel in the first round,Dmitry Tursunov in the second round, andDavid Ferrer in the third round. In the grass season, he lost in the first round inQueen's, and he reached the third round at Wimbledon, where he lost to third seed Andy Roddick after beatingBobby Reynolds in the first round and ItalianAndreas Seppi in the second round.
At the Madrid Masters, Verdasco cruised through to the second round with a win over Albert Montañés, beating him in straight sets. However, in the second round, he faced third seed Novak Đoković and after winning the first set, the Serb player won the next two. At theSt. Petersburg Open, Verdasco played some brilliant tennis to reach the final without losing a single set. En route to this final, he defeatedMarin Čilić, who defeatedNikolay Davydenko early on, in the semifinal. However, his quest to win the title ended with a defeat byScot Andy Murray. Still, this solid performance raised Verdasco's position in the ATP rankings to No. 27 the next week.[12]
Fernando entered theAustralian Open as the 25th seed. He won his opening match with a strong performance againstThierry Ascione. He lost his second-round match in a close battle with SerbianJanko Tipsarević, who later went on to takeRoger Federer to five sets. Fernando entered theDubai Tennis Championships with a possible second-round opponent of either Roger Federer or Andy Murray, his opponent would be Murray after he beat Federer in three sets. Fernando managed to take Murray to three sets but after a good performance, he lost the match. In Berlin, Fernando and doubles partner Feliciano López clinched Spain's spot in theDavis Cup semifinals after defeating Germany'sPhilipp Kohlschreiber andPhilipp Petzschner in a four-hour and 45-minute marathon match.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters inMonaco, Fernando lost toGaël Monfils in straight sets in the first round. In Barcelona the following week he also lost his first-round match in straight sets toNicolás Lapentti. His form improved dramatically for the Rome Masters where he reached the third round, en route he got the better of Carlos Moyá and Nicolás Lapentti (who had beaten him the week earlier) before losing in a thriller toJames Blake. Fernando continued his run of excellent form into the Hamburg Masters where he beatMikhail Youzhny in the first round. In the second round, he beat Michaël Llodra. Verdasco then went on to record a remarkable win against compatriot David Ferrer in straight sets. His run ended when he met world number 1, Roger Federer, losing. At theFrench Open Verdasco was seeded No. 22 and enjoyed a good run, ending with a loss toRafael Nadal in the last 16.[citation needed]
On 9 June, Fernando achieved his career-high ranking of No. 20, as a result of his run at the French Open. He reached the final of theNottingham Open raising his ranking to a career-high of No. 18. At Wimbledon, he lost toMario Ančić in a five-set thriller in which the last set lasted over 90 minutes and ended 13–11, in the fourth round. His performance at The Wimbledon Championships brought his world ranking up to No. 13. His most recent ATP victory was inUmag (Studena Croatian Open Umag), Croatia where he defeatedIgor Andreev. Afterward, he again improved in the rankings to 11th place. Verdasco was the 13th seed at theUS Open in 2008, and lost to the 23rd seed Andreev in the third round.[citation needed]
On 23 November, Verdasco won the fourth rubber ofSpain's Davis Cup final match againstArgentina, defeatingJosé Acasuso. This was enough to ensure victory for the team; Verdasco had also played in the doubles match the previous day and won, partnering with Feliciano López.[citation needed]
Verdasco started his season by reaching the final of theBrisbane International losing to Radek Štěpánek in three sets. PartneringMischa Zverev, he was also the runner-up in the doubles final. At the2009 Australian Open Verdasco defeatedAndy Murray in the fourth round to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal,[13] where he defeatedJo-Wilfried Tsonga. Verdasco then lost toWorld No. 1 Rafael Nadal in what was at the time the longest match in Australian Open history, lasting 5 hours, 14 minutes.[14] Verdasco's semifinal run earned him No. 9 ranking, lifting the Spaniard into the top 10 for the first time.
After being sidelined by injury since the Australian Open, he reached the quarterfinals atIndian Wells, where he lost to Roger Federer. At the2009 Miami Masters, Verdasco recorded his 200th ATP match win by defeating qualifier Benjamin Becker in the second round. He reached the quarterfinals, losing to Andy Murray.[15] His run at this tournament earned him a further career-high ranking of No. 8.
During the clay-court season, Verdasco lost in the quarterfinals at theMonte-Carlo Masters to Novak Djokovic. Following this tournament, his ranking rose further to No. 7. InBarcelona, he lost in the quarterfinals toFernando González. At the2009 Rome Masters, he advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. At theMadrid Masters, Verdasco reached the quarterfinals, Verdasco again lost to Nadal for the ninth time. Competing as the 8th seed at the2009 French Open, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko.
On his first tournament on grass that season, Verdasco lost in the first round of theGerry Weber Open to Philipp Petzschner. At theRosmalen Open, he lost in the second round to eventual title winner Benjamin Becker. At the third Grand Slam of the year,Wimbledon, he matched his best result at that tournament by reaching the fourth round, where he was ousted by the big-serving Croat, Ivo Karlović.
In theSwedish Open he retired in the quarters againstJuan Mónaco. After a small break he played in theRogers Cup and was defeated by Andy Roddick in the third round. He was then upset by compatriotGuillermo García López in the first round of theCincinnati Masters in two tiebreaks. InNew Haven, Verdasco defeated Igor Andreev in two tiebreak sets in the semifinals. Due to rain delays in the previous days, Verdasco returned later the same day for the final againstSam Querrey, winning in straight sets. He did not lose a set in the entire tournament. He was seeded 10th at theUS Open, the year's final Grand Slam, losing in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic.
Verdasco's first indoor tournament of the season was the2009 Malaysian Open, where he lost to Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets in the final. At theChina Open, Verdasco was seeded fifth, losing to Djokovic in the quarterfinals for the third time in that year. InShanghai, a Masters 1000 tournament, he lost his opening match toIvan Ljubičić.
He next competed at theValencia Open 500. He advanced to the semifinals where he lost to top seed Andy Murray. At theParis Masters in the third round, Verdasco lost to Marin Čilić. His bid in qualifying for the ATP World Tour finals depended on the results of other players because of this loss. However,Robin Söderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to pass the quarterfinals, allowing Verdasco to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup for the first time in his career.
At theATP Tour Finals, Verdasco lost to Roger Federer in his first Round Robin match and toJuan Martín del Potro in his second match. He then lost his third match against Andy Murray in the round-robin hence ending his run at the tournament. Verdasco finished 2009 with a 52–25 record in singles, his best record to date, and finished the year at No. 9, the first time he has finished the year in the top 10.
To close 2009, Verdasco partnered Feliciano López in the2009 Davis Cup Final doubles match against theCzech Republic. Playing against Radek Štěpánek and Tomáš Berdych, Verdasco and Lopez saved a set point to win the first set, and eventually the match. This victory retained the Davis Cup for Spain and was a fitting end to Verdasco's most successful season on the tour so far.
Verdasco started his 2010 season at the exhibition tournamentAAMI Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, in preparation for the upcomingAustralian Open. He beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. His first official tournament for the year was in theAustralian Open. As the 9th seed, he lost in the fourth round against Nikolay Davydenko in a five-set match.
His next tournament was theSAP Open in San Jose, California. Before his first-round match, he won an exhibition match againstPete Sampras in straight sets. In the tournament final, he defeated Andy Roddick to capture his fourth ATP singles title. This was his first win over a top 10 ranked player since the2009 Australian Open. He arrived late at the2010 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, and as a result, he was ousted in the opening round byJérémy Chardy.
Verdasco's next tournament was theAcapulco where he lost to Juan Mónaco in the quarterfinals.
At the2010 BNP Paribas Open inIndian Wells he lost in round three to Tomáš Berdych. At the2010 Sony Ericsson Open he lost to Berdych in the quarterfinals.
At the2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters he defeated the top seed Novak Djokovic to reach his first-everMasters 1000 final, to meet five-time defending champion,Rafael Nadal. It was the first all-Spanish final of a Masters 1000 event since Monte Carlo in 2002. However, he was defeated by Rafael Nadal. Despite the lopsided final, Verdasco had done enough to ensure a return to the Top 10, at number nine.[citation needed]
The following week, Verdasco played at the2010 Barcelona Open, where he defeated Robin Söderling to win his fifth career singles title.
In the2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where he played in his second semifinal appearance at the Masters 1000 level, he faced David Ferrer and lost. Verdasco's next tournament was theMadrid Open, where he defeated Ivo Karlović before falling toJürgen Melzer.
Then, a week before theFrench Open, he reached his fourth final of the year atNice by beatingLeonardo Mayer in the semifinals. He then lost to Richard Gasquet in the final. During the third set, he was captured by a microphone yelling profanities about the crowd and was seen to sarcastically wave at them, after which the crowd booed him. He apologized after the match and before the French Open to everyone and stated that two fans had agitated him.[16]
Verdasco was the seventh seed at the2010 French Open where, in the fourth round, he lost toNicolás Almagro. In an upset, Verdasco then lost in the opening round of Wimbledon to Fabio Fognini.[17]
After losing in the quarterfinals inBåstad, Verdasco then travelled to the US to begin his preparations for the US Open. At theLegg Mason Classic in Washington, Verdasco lost toMarcos Baghdatis in the second round.
At the2010 US Open, Verdasco came back from two sets down in the round of 16 to defeat compatriot David Ferrer in five sets. However he lost to top seed and eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the next round, increasing Nadal's lead over the career head-to-head 11–0.
He next played at theThailand Open, losing to Benjamin Becker in the second round. He then traveled to China for theChina Open in Beijing, losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber there, and toThiemo de Bakker at theShanghai Masters. In theParis Masters, he lost to Gaël Monfils in three sets despite holding two match points at 5–4 in the decider. Verdasco finished the year with the same ranking he ended with in 2009, which was No. 9.
Verdasco started the year losing in the first round of theBrisbane International to Benjamin Becker. He then failed to defend his title at the exhibition tournament, the 2011 Kooyong Classic, losing to Gaël Monfils in the first round.
Seeded 9th at the2011 Australian Open, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to sixth seed Tomáš Berdych, saying after the match he had a long-time injury in his foot. He had MRI scans on his foot and is confirmed that he had a fractured foot (where a broken bone was detected). He has claimed he has sustained this since late 2009.
His next tournament was theSAP Open inSan Jose, California where was defending champion and top seed. He advanced to the final without losing a set againstRajeev Ram, Ivo Karlović,Denis Istomin and Juan Martín del Potro. His opponent in the final was young Canadian first-time finalistMilos Raonic. Verdasco held four set points in a first-set tiebreak but lost the next six points and the set. He eventually lost the match.
Verdasco faced off against Raonic in the first round ofMemphis. For the second time in two weeks, he lost to Raonic, this time in a third set tiebreak. He then travelled toMexico, where he was seeded second. Again, he lost in the first round, this time to BrazilianThomaz Bellucci.
Verdasco and his Spanish teammates next playedDavis Cup against Belgium. Verdasco won both of his rubbers in singles and doubles and helped Spain to a 4–1 victory.
AtIndian Wells, Verdasco snapped his losing streak in ATP Tour events when his second round opponentRičardas Berankis had to retire after Verdasco was leading. He lost to Sam Querrey in the third round. At Miami, he lost toPablo Andújar, committing three double faults in his service game at 4–4 in the third.
At theMonte-Carlo Masters, he lost toTommy Robredo in the second round, after a first-round bye.
At theEstoril Open Verdasco reached his fifteenth singles final, defeatingFrederico Gil,Kevin Anderson and was aided by the retirement of Milos Raonic in the semifinals. In the final, he lost to Juan Martín del Potro. Then at theMadrid Masters, his home-town, Verdasco lost in the second round toLu Yen-hsun, which was only Lu's second victory on clay courts in his decade-long career. Verdasco reached the third round of theFrench Open as the 16th seed losing to Ivan Ljubičić.
Beginning his grass season at the2011 Aegon Championships as the 7th seed, he defeatedNicolas Mahut and David Nalbandian in straight sets before losing to Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. AtWimbledon, as the 21st seed, he defeated Radek Štěpánek in the first round in a long five set match, before succumbing to DutchmanRobin Haase in the second round.
Verdasco reached his 16th singles final at theSuisse Open in Gstaad where he lost to compatriotMarcel Granollers.
Verdasco started the year with a first-time participation at the Hopman Cup partneringAnabel Medina Garrigues representing Spain. He reached the quarterfinals in Auckland, where he lost toDavid Ferrer in straight sets. Verdasco lost in the first round of the2012 Australian Open to AustralianBernard Tomic in five sets.[18]
Verdasco then traveled to Brazil, where he reached the quarterfinals, only to be defeated by compatriotAlbert Ramos. He reached the final in Acapulco, but was defeated again by David Ferrer. In Barcelona, he was defeated in the semifinals by eventual champion Rafael Nadal. At the Masters 1000 event in Madrid, Verdasco defeated Nadal in three sets after Nadal served for the match at 5–2 in the decider. This was Nadal's only defeat on clay that season. Verdasco lost to eventual runner-up Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals. He then reached the third round of the2012 French Open, but was defeated in five sets by Andreas Seppi, who had earlier defeated Nikolay Davydenko in the first round and went on to take Novak Djokovic to five sets in the very next round.
Verdasco then played inProstějov and lost in the first round. He was defeated by no. 1166Marek Semjan fromSlovakia in three sets.[19]
AtWimbledon, he reached the third round, losing toXavier Malisse in five sets.
Verdasco was ousted byMarcel Granollers of Spain in the semifinals of theCroatia Open.[20]
At the2012 US Open, he lost in the third round to Roger Federer. Verdasco reached the quarterfinals in Bangkok, losing to Janko Tipsarević in straight sets.
Verdasco was playing with significant pain in 2012, starting before the US Open. In 2013, he was healthy again and achieved significantly better results.
He reached the third round of the2013 Australian Open, falling to Kevin Anderson, and of the Masters 1000 in Madrid, succumbing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Unseeded at theFrench Open, he lost in the second round to Janko Tipsarević in five sets.
Also unseeded atWimbledon, Verdasco progressed to the quarterfinals where he met tournament favourite Andy Murray. Verdasco exceeded expectations by winning the first two sets, and had multiple break points against Murray's serve in the third and fourth sets, but Verdasco eventually lost the match in five sets. Murray eventually went on to capture the championship.
Verdasco reached his first final of the year at theSwedish Open where he was defeated byCarlos Berlocq. The following week Verdasco reached the quarterfinals of the2013 International German Open, where he was ousted in three tight sets by Argentine qualifierFederico Delbonis.
Vedasco was beaten in the first round of theUS Open byIvan Dodig of Croatia, in five sets.
In November 2013, Verdasco along with doubles partnerDavid Marrero, beat the Bryan brothers to win the BarclaysATP World Tour Finals.
At the2014 Indian Wells Masters, Verdasco defeated eight-seeded Richard Gasquet to reach quarterfinals, where he lost toJohn Isner. The Spaniard won his sixth career singles title at the2014 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships by beating Nicolás Almagro in straight sets.
Verdasco lost to Almargro in quarterfinals of theBarcelona Open. He again reached the fourth round of the2014 French Open by defeating Richard Gasquet in straight sets, after which he lost to Andy Murray.
Verdasco began the year at the2015 Qatar ExxonMobil Open defeatingTeymuraz Gabashvili in the first round before losing to eventual champion David Ferrer in straight sets. Verdasco then participated in the 2015AAMI Classic exhibition tournament where he defeatedGilles Simon in straight sets. He then won the title for the second time by defeatingAlexandr Dolgopolov in the final after Dolgopolov retired citing a knee injury.[21] At the Australian Open, Verdasco defeatedJames Ward andGo Soeda and then lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets despite serving for the first set during the tiebreaker. At theDubai Championships, he reached the second round to face the eventual champion Roger Federer and while he was a break above Federer in the first set, he lost twenty successive points and soon lost the match in straight sets. He defeated Rafael Nadal in Miami for only his second win against Nadal, but second in succession. At the French Open, he beat Taro Daniel in the first round, before losing in the second round, to Benjamin Becker in 5 sets.
Verdasco then competed at the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club. He beatRoberto Bautista Agut in the first round, before losing to eventual champion Andy Murray in straight sets. At Wimbledon, Verdasco won his first two matches in five sets againstDudi Sela andDominic Thiem but lost in the third round toStan Wawrinka in straight sets. He then faced Nadal again in the first round of theHamburg Open but was unable to record a third successive win against him and lost the match in three sets. At the US Open, he lost in the second round to Milos Raonic 6–2, 6–4, 6–7(5), 7–6(1).
At the Australian Open, Verdasco defeated world No. 5, 2009 champion and compatriotRafael Nadal in the first round in five sets, thus marking just his third win against Nadal in his career; additionally, he became just the second player to beat Nadal in the first round of a Grand Slam.[22] He subsequently lost his second round match toDudi Sela in four sets.
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In singles, Verdasco began the year in 42nd place, played in 25 tournaments, won 29 matches and lost 25. Among these wins, 11 were against players ranked higher than him, including2 wins against top 10 playersDominic Thiem (6th) andAlexander Zverev (10th) while 9 of his losses were against lower ranked players. He ended his year in 34th place, having reached as high as 29th in March and as low as 43rd in August.He reached 1 final inDubai, an ATP 500 event, where he lost to first seeded Andy Murray in straight sets.He reached 3 semifinals inDoha,Stockholm, andBåstad: In the semifinal of Doha, against second seeded and defending championNovak Djokovic, Verdasco won the first set 6–4, and at 4–4 in the second set had 3 break points but failed to convert any. In the tie-break he led 6–2 but failed to win 5 match points and lost the tiebreak 7–9, and ultimately the match. Djokovic went on to win the tournament and defend his title.[23] At Stockholm, he lost to defending championdel Potro in the semis; del Potro went on to win the tournament and defend his title. At Båstad, Verdasco avenged hislast year loss in the final toAlbert Ramos Viñolas, by defeating him in the quarterfinal; this was his 4th semifinals in 5 years, but lost to the eventual championDavid Ferrer in the semis.Verdasco reached 4 quarterfinals in 2017:Paris Masters ATP 1000 event, and inHouston,Budapest, andAntalya.
In doubles, partneringNicolás Almagro, Verdasco reached the semifinal ofQatar ExxonMobil after defeating second seededM. Pavić–A. Peya in the first round, andF. Bagnis–J. Veselý in the quarterfinal. However, they didn't play the semifinal againstV. Pospisil–R. Štěpánek who walked over to the final.[24]
At the2017 French Open Men's Doubles, and for the first time in his Grand Slam doubles career, Verdasco (partneringNenad Zimonjić) reached the semifinal stage where they lost toGonzález–Young in three sets.
In 2018, seeded eighth Verdasco reached the final of the2018 Rio Open where he was defeated by sixth seedDiego Schwartzman but he won the doubles final with his fellow SpaniardDavid Marrero entering the draw as lucky losers.He reached his 500th career win at the2018 Mutua Madrid Open making him the sixth Spaniard to join the elite club, and also the ninth active player to achieve the milestone. The 34-year-old, became the 45th player in ATP World Tour history to claim 500 match wins and also recorded 120 triumphs at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level.[25] He also reached the fourth round of the2018 French Open for the seventh time in his career where he lost toNovak Djokovic and the same round at the2019 Wimbledon for the fifth time in his career where he lost toDavid Goffin.
As of December 2018, he appointed a new coachQuino Muñoz Hernandez to his team.[26] Diego Dinomo, who worked with Andrea Hlaváčková and Guillermo García López in the past, and the physio Chema Castillo were also included as part of the new coaching team for 2019.[27]
He competed in his 67th consecutive Grand Slam at the2020 Australian Open.[28] His streak of 67 straight Grand Slam appearances was thesecond longest of all time behindFeliciano López's streak of 72 consecutive Grand Slam appearances. He made 5th place on the list ofGrand Slam appearances overall.[29] He also recorded his 550th win and became only the fifth active player on the list.[30][31]
Verdasco struggled with form the rest of the season as he was recovering from a nine-month leg injury[32] and also due to a difficult time post COVID break as he tested positive before the2020 French Open.[33]
As a result of his continuous struggles, on 17 May 2021 he dropped out of the top 100 for the first time since 2004 to No. 105, his lowest singles ranking in 17 years. At the2021 Belgrade Open he recorded two consecutive victories over FrenchmenLucas Pouille andAdrian Mannarino but lost to eventual finalist, Slovak qualifierAlex Molčan. He did not win another ATP-level match and dropped out of the top 150 at year-end finishing 2021 at World No. 154.
Ranked No. 201, Verdasco returned to the ATP tour at the2022 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires where he reached the second round using his protected ranking and recorded his first ATP win overHugo Dellien in nearly a year.[34][35] He went one step further with a win overThiago Monteiro to reach the quarterfinals.[36]At the ATP 5002022 Rio Open he recorded his first win at this level for 2022 defeatingDušan Lajović.[37]
He reached his second quarterfinal of 2022 at theEstoril Open as a lucky loser where he replaced second seedDiego Schwartzman who had a first round bye.[38] As a result, he moved up to No. 108 in the rankings on 2 May 2022.
With his participation at the2022 Wimbledon Championships as of 27 June 2022, he was in second place on the list ofGrand Slam appearances overall with 70, tied withFabrice Santoro.
He reached the main draw of the2022 US Open as a lucky loser, after losing toPavel Kotov in the final round of the qualifications,[39] recording his 18th participation at this Major and his 71st participation overall.
In November 2022, Verdasco was banned from professional tennis for two months after testing positive in February for the prohibited drugmethylphenidate; he had inadvertently forgotten to renew hisTherapeutic Use Exemption for the medication.[40]He dropped out of the top 500 on 2 October 2023.
On 14 February 2025, he announced his retirement following the2025 Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha where he partneredNovak Djokovic in doubles.[41][42][43] They reached the quarterfinals after a straight sets victory over the Kazakh-Russian duoAlexander Bublik andKaren Khachanov. In the next round, they lost to No. 2 seedsHenry Patten andHarri Heliövaara, which was to be Verdasco's last professional match on the ATP Tour.[44][45]
In April 2024, Verdasco started coaching 20 years oldJordanian playerAbdullah Shelbayh.[46]In May 2024 he also started coachingAlejandro Davidovich Fokina at the2024 French Open.[47][48]
Verdasco is anoffensive baseliner who is comfortable on all surfaces, with fasthard courts being his best.[49] Verdasco is good at backhand but considers his bestshot to be hisforehand,[50] a shot that commentatorBrad Gilbert often refers to as his "Fearhand". His serve is characteristic of a left-handed player predominantly using slice to create a lot of spin, and is capable of speeds exceeding 230 km/h.[51]
Verdasco is known for rivaling compatriot Rafael Nadal with the amount oftopspin he can put on a ball.[52][53] which partly explains his improved results since 2009, but still struggles with hisnerves when facing the best players in the world. He is endorsed byAdidas (he wears the Adizero group and the Adizero Feather II) and is currently using theHead series for racquets, after having played withTecnifibre for the majority of his career (withYonex for a very short time in 2010), Dunlop from 2011 to 2013 and the Babolat Aeropro series in 2014. He is currently using the Head Graphene Touch Speed Pro.
Verdasco began playing tennis when he was four years old, practicing with his father on the two hard courts in the backyard of their family home. He stopped school at the age of 11, and his father took over his son's academic training. His parents own a restaurant in Madrid. He has two younger sisters.[54]
Verdasco was diagnosed withADHD when he was a child, but did not receive treatment in order not to have problems with doping.[55] Verdasco supportsReal Madrid.[54] Verdasco has often spoken of his love for the English rock bandOasis and once proposed that he would play a tennis match wearing headphones listening to their 1994 album,Definitely Maybe. He is known to use mindfulness techniques during his tennis matches, often visualizing soothing and romantic scenes to help dampen the stress of professional tennis. He owns a dog named Bono Bono.
After five years of dating, Verdasco married Ana Boyer, on 7 December 2017.[56][57][58] The wedding took place on the private island ofMustique in the Caribbean.[59] Boyer is the daughter of former Spanish politicianMiguel Boyer, and Spanish Filipina socialite,Isabel Preysler. Boyer's half-brother is Spanish singerEnrique Iglesias.[60] The couple have three sons, Miguel (born 2019), Mateo (born 2021), and Martín (born 2024).[61][62][63]
Verdasco was named after theABBA songFernando, as his mother was a fan of the Swedish band.[64]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| 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 | Q1 | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | SF | 4R | 4R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | A | A | Q2 | 0 / 17 | 26–17 | 60% |
| French Open | Q1 | 2R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 2R | A | 1R | Q2 | A | 0 / 17 | 32–17 | 67% |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 2R | 3R | QF | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 4R | NH | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 19 | 25–19 | 58% |
| US Open | 3R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 3R | QF | QF | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 2R | A | Q2 | 1R | A | 0 / 18 | 30–18 | 64% |
| Win–loss | 2–2 | 3–4 | 5–4 | 7–4 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 15–4 | 10–4 | 8–4 | 6–4 | 7–4 | 5–4 | 6–4 | 3–4 | 4–4 | 6–4 | 7–4 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0 / 71 | 113–71 | 61% |
| Tournament | 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 | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | QF | A | A | A | QF | 2R | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 11 | 10–11 | 48% |
| French Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | A | A | A | QF | 2R | A | 1R | SF | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 10 | 9–10 | 47% |
| Wimbledon | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | NH | A | A | A | 0 / 6 | 3–6 | 33% |
| US Open | QF | 3R | 1R | 1R | QF | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 12 | 14–12 | 54% |
| Win–loss | 4–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 6–3 | 5–3 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 4–4 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 39 | 36–39 | 48% |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2010 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Clay | Rafael Nadal | 0–6, 1–6 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2013 | Shanghai Masters | Hard | David Marrero |  Ivan Dodig Marcelo Melo | 6–7(2–7), 7–6(8–6), [2–10] |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2013 | ATP Finals | Hard (i) | David Marrero |  Bob BryanMike Bryan | 7–5, 6–7(3–7), [10–7] |
