Andrés Gimeno

Andrés Gimeno

File:Andres Gimeno.jpg
Country (sports)	Spain
Residence	Barcelona, Spain
Born	(1937-08-03) 3 August 1937 Barcelona, Spain
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro	1960
Retired	1974
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	2009 (member page)
Singles
Career record	{{#property:P564}}
Highest ranking	No. 3 (1962, Karoly Mazak)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	F (1969)
French Open	W (1972)
Wimbledon	SF (1970)
US Open	4R (1969, 1972)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (1972)
Professional majors
US Pro	F (1967)
Wembley Pro	F (1965)
French Pro	F (1962, 1967)
Doubles
Career record	94–60
Career titles	3

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Gimeno and the second or maternal family name is Tolaguera .

Andrés Gimeno Tolaguera (born 3 August 1937 in Barcelona, Spain) is a retired Spanish tennis player. His greatest achievement came in 1972, when he won the French Open.

Early years

Andres came from a family that loved tennis and his father Esteban supported him to play tennis. Esteban had been a good tennis player and he became Andres' coach. They practiced at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. At an early age Andres started to become a really good tennis player, winning some important tournaments in his region. At age sixteen he won the U-18 Championship of Spain. In 1954 he won the Championship of Spain in the doubles’ category playing with Juan Manuel Couder. At the same time, he stopped studying to focus on his tennis’ career.

He was a successful tennis player in Spain, but also represented his country throughout Europe. He played in the Galea's Cup, the European Championship U21, and won it in 1956 and 1957. He was the runner-up in 1958. After that, he decided to go to Australia to play with the man who was considered the best tennis coach in the world, Harry Hopman. He increased his tennis level and soon, he had two important victories in the championships in Perth and in Sidney.

Tennis career

Gimeno went back to Spain in 1960 where he then did his best year as an amateur, winning the titles in Barcelona, Caracas, Monte Carlo, and Queen's. In Barcelona, he became the first Spanish player to win the Torneo Conde de Godó, beating the Italian player Giuseppe Merlo. That same year he reached the doubles final too, but failed to win in that category, losing to an Australian duo in the final. After that year, he joined the professional group “World Championship Tennis”, where Jack Kramer offered him $50,000 for three years, and more money for each victory. The group consisted of some of the best tennis players in history such as Rod Laver, Pancho Gonzalez, Ken Rosewall. Gimeno won the World Championship in 1966, beating Rod Laver in five sets and the same tournament in doubles. He also won the Netherlands' Open, the Madison Square Garden's Championship in 1969, the Dakar and Hamburg in 1971.

His Grand Slam's results came in 1968 when the Open Era started and the professional could participate in Grand Slams. His first good result was the final in Australian Open in 1969, where he lost to Rod Laver in three sets.

Andres Gimeno's best year was in 1972 when he was a finalist in Brussels and in Paris, and he won in Los Angeles, in Eastbourne, in Gstaad, and the French Open. The Catalan won his first and only Grand Slam in 1972. He holds the record for the oldest male player to win the French Open (at the age of 34). In the final, he beat the French player Patrick Proisy in four sets (4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1). In addition, he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon. In 1973 he reached the final in Hilversum, where Tom Okker beat him in five sets.

Gimeno was an active Davis Cup player, recording an 18–5 singles record and 5–5 his doubles record. His debut was in the match that Spain played against Egypt with one of the most important players in Spain, Manuel Santana. He couldn’t play the competition while he was a part of the professional group, but he participated as coach in 1966. In 1973 he injured his meniscus and decided to quit playing tennis. He became the tennis coach in the RFET, Tennis’ Spanish Federation and then in the Suisse Federation.

Gimeno was ranked World No. 6 for 1961 by L'Équipe, World No. 4 for 1964 by Joe McCauley and World No. 3 for 1962, 1963, 1966 and 1967 by Karoly Mazak in his amateur-pro combined rankings.

After retiring from tennis

After his professional career, he decided to join the tennis circuit for retired players called Legends Championship. He also founded a tennis club in 1974 called "Club de Tenis Andres Gimeno" in Castelldefels, Barcelona. He also worked as tennis commentator in Television Espanola and in Telecinco, both Spanish televisions.

He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009, becoming the fourth Spanish tennis player in it, after Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Manuel Alonso and Manuel Santana.

He got married to Cristina Corolla in 1962 and together they have three children: Alejo Gimeno, Andres Gimeno Jr and Cristina Gimeno. In 2011, Gimeno lost all his money and some of the best Spanish tennis players such as Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo, Feliciano López and David Ferrer played an exhibition tennis tournament in Palau Blaugrana to raise funds for him.

Grand Slam singles finals

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up (0/1)	1969	Australian Open	Grass	Rod Laver	3–6, 4–6, 5–7
Winner (1/2)	1972	French Open	Clay	Patrick Proisy	4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1

Singles titles (5)

Legend

Grand Slam (1)

Tennis Masters Cup (0)

ATP Tour (4)

Number	Date	Championship	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	17 May 1971	Hamburg Open, Germany	Clay	Péter Szőke	6–3, 6–2, 6–2
2.	14 February 1972	Los Angeles, USA	Hard	Pierre Barthes	6–3, 2–6, 6–3
3.	22 May 1972	French Open, France	Clay	Patrick Proisy	4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1
4.	19 June 1972	Eastbourne, England	Grass	Pierre Barthes	7–5, 6–3
5.	10 July 1972	Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	Adriano Panatta	7–5, 9–8, 6–4

Performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

R#

RR

Q#

A

P

Z#

PO

G

F-S

SF-B

NMS

NH

(W) Won tournament; reached (F) final, (SF) semifinal, (QF) quarterfinal; (R#) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a (RR) round-robin stage; reached a (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent from tournament; played in a (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; won a (G) gold, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament; or (NH) tournament not held.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.

Tournament	Amateur					Pro	Open Era						SR	W–L	Win %
	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961–67	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Championships/Australian Open	A	A	A	QF	A	banned		F	A	2R	A	A	0 / 3	6–3	66.67
French Championships/French Open	1R	3R	4R	A	QF	banned	SF	QF	A	A	W	2R	1 / 8	24–7	77.42
Wimbledon	3R	1R	2R	3R	2R	banned	3R	4R	SF	1R	2R	A	0 / 10	17–10	62.96
US National Championships/US Open	A	A	A	A	A	banned	1R	4R	1R	A	4R	A	0 / 4	6–4	60.00
Win–Loss	2–2	2–2	4–2	4–2	4–2	n/a	7–3	14–4	5–2	0–2	11–2	1–1	1 / 25	53–24	68.83
Year End Championships
The Masters	not held								A	A	RR	A	0 / 1	0–3	0.00
Win–Loss	n/a								n/a	n/a	0–3	n/a	0 / 1	0–3	0.00

Professional Grand Slam

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	SR	W–L	Win %
US Pro Championships	A	SF	A	A	SF	A	SF	F	0 / 4	4–4	50.00
French Pro Championship	QF	QF	F	1R	SF	QF	SF	F	0 / 8	10–8	55.55
Wembley Championships	QF	QF	QF	QF	QF	F	QF	SF	0 / 8	8–8	50.00
Win–Loss	2–2	2–3	4–2	1–2	2–3	2–2	2–3	7–3	0 / 20	22–20	52.38

External links

• Andrés Gimeno at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Andrés Gimeno at the Davis Cup
• Andrés Gimeno at the International Tennis Hall of Fame