Radek Štěpánek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈradɛk ˈʃcɛpaːnɛk]; born 27 November 1978) is a Czech former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 8 and best doubles ranking was world No. 4. Štěpánek's biggest achievements are reaching two Masters 1000 event finals and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2006, as well as winning the deciding match for Czech Republic's Davis Cup winning team in 2012 and again in 2013. In doubles, he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2012 Australian Open, along with Indian partner Leander Paes, defeating the Bryan Brothers in the final. Paes and Štěpánek also won the men's doubles title at the 2013 US Open, defeating Bruno Soares and Alexander Peya in the final. In November 2017, he became a coach of Novak Djokovic and in May 2019, he joined Andre Agassi[1] as part of Grigor Dimitrov's coaching staff.
Born in Karviná, Moravia-Silesia, Štěpánek began playing tennis at age three with his father Vlastimil, who was a tennis coach.[2] Štěpánek's brother is a policeman and his mother a librarian.[3] His cousin is Jaromír Blažek, who represented the Czech Republic as a football goalkeeper.[4] Štěpánek grew up admiring Czech tennis player Ivan Lendl, particularly noting "he was the one who brought professionalism to the sport with his conditioning."[5]
Štěpánek turned professional in 1996. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles. He is known for his after-the-shot grunting, his over-the-top celebrations and his many relationships with WTA players.
Štěpánek first came to mainstream notice when he defeated former World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in five sets on his way to the third round of the 2003 Australian Open.
2006 was Štěpánek's best year to date; he found himself on the verge of getting into the top ten of ATP rankings, as he defeated José Acasuso in the semi-finals of the Masters Series event in Hamburg. He went on to lose the final in straight sets against Spain's Tommy Robredo. At that point, he achieved a career-high ATP world ranking of No. 11 in singles.
Earlier in 2006, he won his first ATP singles title, beating Christophe Rochus in Rotterdam, but he had yet to progress beyond the third round of a Grand Slam tournament until he got into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon beating Frank Dancevic, Xavier Malisse, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Fernando Verdasco, before he was eliminated by 34-year-old Jonas Björkman, after holding match point at 7–6 in the fourth-set tie-break.
This performance helped Štěpánek break into the top 10 and achieve his highest world ranking of no. 8. However, after Wimbledon, Štěpánek was out of action for the rest of the year due to a chronic neck injury.
In the second round of the 2007 US Open, Štěpánek played a match against third seed Novak Djokovic, which he ended up losing after 4 hours and 44 minutes of play in a fifth-set tiebreak.[6]
Earlier in 2007, he won his second ATP singles title, beating James Blake in Los Angeles in three sets.
In 2008, he achieved some good results such as reaching the final in San Jose, but losing to Andy Roddick. He also made it to the semifinals in the Rome Masters, losing to Novak Djokovic after he retired due to heat exhaustion. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he lost to Michaël Llodra in the first round in three sets. Štěpánek finished the season ranked no. 27, but attended the year-end Masters Cup as an alternate. He was vacationing in Thailand and so was able to come to the tournament held in Shanghai without delay. Since he did not have his own tennis gear which got stuck in customs (they were sent from home), he had to borrow a racquet from Novak Djokovic and socks from Andy Murray.[7] After Andy Roddick pulled out due to injury before his second match, Štěpánek entered the tournament with two round-robin ties to play against Roger Federer and Gilles Simon. He gave the second seed Federer a tough match, but lost.[8] He was also beaten by Simon.[9]
Štěpánek started his 2009 season at the Brisbane International with a new Bosworth racquet, where he claimed his third ATP title after coming back from a set down to defeat Fernando Verdasco in the final.[10] Then, at the Australian Open, he made it to the third round and was overpowered by Verdasco in straight sets.
At the SAP Open in San Jose, he won his fourth ATP singles title, beating American Mardy Fish in a three-set final. He also snapped a four-match losing streak in the tournament against Andy Roddick, upsetting him in the semifinals. He also captured the doubles title teaming up with German Tommy Haas, making it his first time to win the singles and doubles titles at the same tournament.
In the Davis Cup first round tie against France, he lost his opening match to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. However, he regained his confidence and won the doubles rubber the next day and his second singles match against Gilles Simon in straight sets to give the Czech Republic a berth in the quarterfinals. Then, in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, he won the deciding fifth rubber to lead his country to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Štěpánek battled Ivo Karlović to victory in a marathon opener in which the 82 games played equalled the highest number in a Davis Cup rubber since the introduction of the tiebreak in 1989.[11] In that match, he was aced 78 times, but overall hit more winners, over 170 (including service winners).[citation needed] The match was one of the longest in the history of the Davis Cup, lasting 5 hours and 59 minutes. There were only three breaks of serve in the match.[12] In the finals of the Davis Cup versus Spain, Štěpánek lost to David Ferrer after being two sets up. The Czech Republic lost 5–0 to Spain.
Štěpánek returned to the Brisbane International to defend his title. He made a second final appearance, but failed to defend the title, losing to Andy Roddick in straight sets. He also teamed up with Tomáš Berdych to reach the doubles quarterfinals, only to lose to eventual champions Jérémy Chardy and Marc Gicquel. Seeded 13th at the 2010 Australian Open, he lost in the first round to Ivo Karlović in five sets.[13]
Štěpánek began the 2011 season with a third successive appearance at the 2011 Brisbane International, hoping for a third successive finals appearance, despite only being ranked no. 62. For the first round he was drawn against world no. 67, German Tobias Kamke. Despite struggling for the first set, he eventually won, 5–7, 6–1, 6–4, to set up a second-round match against Mardy Fish, the fourth seed in the tournament. Štěpánek blazed through the match, thrashing the world no. 16 Fish, 6–3, 6–1. In the quarterfinals against seventh seed and world no. 37 Florian Mayer, he had a dominant start, leading 5–1 in the first set, before Mayer managed to break his serve. However, he continued his winning streak, emerging victorious, 6–3, 6–3, to place himself in the first semifinal against Robin Söderling, where he lost.
Štěpánek exited the 2011 French Open in the first round, losing in straight sets to Frenchman Richard Gasquet. He defeated Gaël Monfils in the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.
In January 2012, Štěpánek won the Australian Open Men's doubles title, partnering Leander Paes.[14] They beat top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in the final.
In April 2012, Serbia's Janko Tipsarević defeated him in five sets to level the Davis Cup quarterfinal at 1–1, after a stormy five-hour match. Tipsarević, Serbia's top player in the absence of world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, saved three match points before securing victory. After the match, Tipsarević accused Štěpánek of using his middle finger inappropriately during their handshake and calling him a "stinky bastard". Štěpánek denied that he did either of these things, and none of the footage taken at the match showed clearly what happened. An online photo of the hands of both players showed Štěpánek's finger folded in,[15] but Štěpánek claims the picture was taken after he was already pulling his hand back. Neither this photo nor footage provided by a Czech TV station conclusively support Tipsarević's version of the events. Štěpánek later stated that what he actually said to Tipsarević was "You don't need to cheat", referring to Tipsarević's winning a point after the ball had bounced twice and erasing a mark before the chair umpire could check whether the ball was in or out.[16]
Štěpánek and Paes made it to the finals of US Open, this time losing to the Bryan brothers in straight sets.[17][18] On 7 November 2012, Štěpánek and Leander Paes started off with a win in the ATP world tour tournament.[19]
He won the Davis Cup together with Tomáš Berdych against Spain playing both singles and doubles. In the Hollywood-script-like final in Prague, Štěpánek won the decisive rubber against Nicolás Almagro, at the time ranked 21 spots above Štěpánek on the ATP ranking ladder, becoming only the second player 30 or older to win a deciding Davis Cup final match in the history of the competition.[20]
Štěpánek underwent neck surgery on 21 January to relieve pressure where a disc was pressing on a nerve rendering his right hand numb and weak.[21] He recovered well and won US Open in doubles with Leander Paes.
Later in the year, at New York, he won his second major double title, again with Paes. They defeated the top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan in the semifinals, ending their streak of four major titles. Paes and Štěpánek went on to defeat the second seeds Bruno Soares and Alexander Peya in straight sets in the finals.
In the Davis Cup semifinal, he helped the Czech Republic beat Argentina as he beat Juan Mónaco in the opening singles match and continued to win the doubles with Berdych. In the final against Serbia, he won the doubles and the deciding singles match to defend their title. He became the first person in Davis Cup history to win consecutive live deciding singles rubbers.[22]
Štěpánek played on the successful Czech Davis Cup that beat the Netherlands at home in the first round and Japan on the road in the quarterfinals.
Štěpánek then had an impressive run in the AEGON Championships, defeating Mikhail Kukushkin, Bernard Tomic, and then 2013's champion Andy Murray. He then took out Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual runner-up, Feliciano López.
He also reached the semifinals in the 250 event in Bogota, Colombia, losing to Ivo Karlović.
The rest of his singles season was disappointing, and he did not play any singles tournaments after the US Open. In August he brought his ranking up to no. 35.
In doubles, he reached the quarterfinals in Rome and London, before reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon partnering Leander Paes, where they lost to Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock, the eventual champions.
In the first half of the year, Štěpánek played mostly in Challenger events. He lost in the second round of the French Open to Tomáš Berdych.[23]
On 30 January 2016, Štěpánek and his doubles partner, Daniel Nestor, were defeated by Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in a three-set match in the 2016 Australian Open final.
At 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Štěpánek won bronze medal in mixed doubles with partner Lucie Hradecká. They defeated Indian pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna.[24]
In 2017 Stepanek underwent back surgery after the Australian Open. He did not play again and chose to retire in November.[25]
Štěpánek is noted for being one of the few serve and volley players on the tour. He is known for his resilience at the net as well as his entertaining and at times comedic plays during matches. Štěpánek has a strong and accurate first serve, often reaching up to 210 km/h with it. Štěpánek's second serve is slower, but like most serve and volley players, it has a great amount of top-spin, giving him time to come up to the net. On his serve, Štěpánek often immediately comes up to the net and volleys, finishing off points quickly. His net play is considered one of the best on the tour. He is known for his reach and anticipation at the net, which allows him to put away would-be passing shots at the net as well as engage in volley-to-volley exchanges, often coming out on top.
However, unlike most serve and volley players, Štěpánek usually does not employ a Chip and charge form of play when receiving. Instead, he engages in baseline rallies. His groundstrokes are not exceptionally powerful, but are consistent and accurate on both wings, allowing him to maintain solid ground at the baseline. If caught up too long in a baseline rally, however, Štěpánek will often place a deep, accurate groundstroke or a drop-shot and come up to the net to volley, finishing off the point quickly. He is often more willing to use a slice than his double-handed backhand.
One of the signature characteristics of Štěpánek is his comedic and entertaining play. Due to the fact that he comes up to the net a lot, he often employs unconventional shots, as well as the occasional trick shot.
Štěpánek was engaged to Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis, but they split up in August 2007.[26][27] He married former top-ten Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidišová in 2010.[28] They separated in 2013.[29] For several months, he dated Czech Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitová.[30] They split in April 2014.[31] In 2018, he married Vaidišová again, and they have a daughter Stella.[32][33]
Štěpánek was coached by former Australian Open champion Petr Korda. He endorses ALEA clothing and Nike shoes and was sponsored by Bosworth racquets but later was seen also using Head racquets.
Czech football goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek is his cousin.[34] His brother-in-law is American tennis player Toby Kodat.
As of 2017 Australian Open.
1956 studio album by Dick HaymesRain Or ShineStudio album by Dick HaymesReleased1956RecordedDecember 20 to 23, 1955GenrePop, JazzLabelCapitol, T-713Dick Haymes chronology Rain Or Shine(1956) Moondreams(1957) Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllmusic link Rain Or Shine is an album from Dick Haymes. Released in 1956 and with musical direction by Ian Bernard plus Johnny Mandel on Love Is Here To Stay and Come Rain Or Come Shine. Track listing Track Song Title Originally By Time …
Episode list for an animated series For seasons 21–present, see List of The Simpsons episodes (season 21–present). Matt Groening, shown here in 2010, created The Simpsons, which premiered on December 17, 1989. The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical depiction of a dysfunctional middle-class American lifestyle starring the eponymous family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Set in the town of Springfield, the…
This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) AwardIEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety TechnologiesAwarded forOutstanding accomplishments in the application of technology in the fields …
هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة إليها في مقالات متعلقة بها. (يونيو 2019) فرديناند هوفر (بالألمانية: Ferdinand Hofer) معلومات شخصية الميلاد سنة 1993 (العمر 29–30 سنة) مواطنة ألمانيا الحياة العملية المدرسة الأم جامعة ميونخ التق…
Shire of East Gippsland Local Government Area van Australië Locatie van East Gippsland Shire in Victoria Situering Staat Victoria Hoofdplaats Bairnsdale Coördinaten 37°29'0ZB, 148°10'0OL Algemene informatie Oppervlakte 20.170 km² Inwoners 42.075 (juni 2006) Overig Wards 2 Portaal Australië East Gippsland Shire is een Local Government Area (LGA) in Australië in de staat Victoria. East Gippsland Shire telt 42.075 inwoners. De hoofdplaats is Bairnsdale.
Michael Svensson Michael Svensson Nascimento 25 de novembro de 1975 (48 anos)Värnamo Cidadania Suécia Estatura 188 cm Ocupação futebolista [edite no Wikidata] Michael Svensson (Värnamo, 25 de novembro de 1975) é um ex-futebolista sueco[1] que atuava como meia. Atuou pela Seleção Sueca de Futebol na Copa do Mundo FIFA de 2002. Títulos Halmstads BK Campeonato Sueco: 2000 Referências ↑ Fifa.com. «FIFA - Michael Svensson» (em inglês). Consultado em 21 de novembro de 2009 …
Peta menunjukkan lokasi Guagua Data sensus penduduk di Guagua Tahun Populasi Persentase 199595.363—200096.8580.33%2007104.2841.02% Untuk lubang alami di tanah yang cukup besar dan dalam, lihat Gua. Guagua adalah munisipalitas yang terletak di provinsi Pampanga, Filipina. Pada tahun 2010, munisipalitas ini memiliki populasi sebesar 118.069 jiwa dan 23.614 rumah tangga. Pembagian wilayah Secara administratif Guagua terbagi menjadi 31 barangay, yaitu: Poblacion Area Bancal Plaza Burgos San Nicola…
Chinese TV series or program The Legend of the Condor HeroesOfficial posterAlso known asThe Eagle Shooting HeroesChinese nameTraditional Chinese射鵰英雄傳Simplified Chinese射雕英雄传TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinShè Diāo Yīng Xióng Zhuàn GenreWuxiaBased onThe Legend of the Condor Heroesby Louis ChaDirected byLee Kwok-lapStarringHu GeAriel LinJustin YuanCecilia LiuOpening themeLonesome Heroes by Ronald ChengEnding themeDark Clouds by Hu GeCountry of originChi…
رومانيا Republica Populară RomînăRepublica Socialistă România¹ جمهورية رومانيا الاشتراكية 1947 – 1989 جمهورية رومانيا الاشتراكيةعلم رومانيا جمهورية رومانيا الاشتراكيةشعار النشيد : Zdrobite cătuşe (1947–1953) Te slăvim Românie (1953–1977) Trei Culori (1977–1989) عاصمة بوخارست نظام الحكم جمهورية اشتراكية نظام الحزب ا…
Nuklida (atau nukleida, dari nukleus, juga dikenal sebagai spesies nuklir) adalah kelas atom yang dicirikan oleh jumlah proton mereka, Z, jumlah neutron mereka, N, dan keadaan energi nuklir mereka.[1] Kata nuklida pertama kali diciptakan oleh Truman P. Kohman pada tahun 1947.[2][3] Kohman mendefinisikan nuklida sebagai spesies atom yang dicirikan oleh konstitusi intinya yang mengandung sejumlah neutron dan proton. Istilah ini awalnya berfokus pada nukleus. Nuklida vs. iso…
الانتخابات البرلمانية العراقية 1989 →1984 1 أبريل 1989 (1989-04-01) 1996← جميع المقاعد الـ 250 للمجلس الوطني للعراقيهناك حاجة إلى 126 مقاعد للأغلبية الحزب الأول القائد صدام حسين الحزب حزب البعث آخر انتخاب 183 المقاعد المربوحة 207 تغيّر المقعد ▲24* رئيس الوزراء قب…
Блокада правої ніжки пучка Гіса Типовими змінами ЕКГ при наявності повної БПНПГ є розширений М-подібний комплекс QRS типу rSR’ у відведенні V1 та розширений зубець S у відведенні V6.Типовими змінами ЕКГ при наявності повної БПНПГ є розширений М-подібний комплекс QRS типу rSR’ у в…
Air Dolomiti IATA EN ICAO DLA Roepletters DOLOMITI Embraer 195 van Air Dolomiti Opgericht 30 december 1989 Eerste vlucht januari 1991 Vloot 15 Frequentflyer-programma Miles & More Moederbedrijf Lufthansa Group Hoofdkantoor Villafranca di Verona, Italië Sleutelfiguren Jörg Eberthart, CEO Website www.airdolomiti.it Portaal Luchtvaart Air Dolomiti is een regionale luchtvaartmaatschappij met als thuishaven Verona in Italië. Haar naam is afgeleid van de Dolomieten. Zij is de…
First emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty (541–604) This article is about Yang Jian (楊堅), the founding emperor of the Sui dynasty. For his grandson, see Yang Jian (Sui prince). Emperor Wen of Sui隋文帝Tang dynasty portrait of Emperor Wen by Yan Liben (c. 600–673)Emperor of the Sui dynastyReign4 March 581 – 13 August 604SuccessorEmperor YangBorn21 July 541Chang'an, Western WeiDied13 August 604(604-08-13) (aged 63)Renshou Palace, Baoji, SuiConsort(s)Empress WenxianIssue Yang…
Universitas BaselUniversität Baselbahasa Latin: Universitas BasiliensisJenisPublikDidirikanApril 4, 1460AnggaranCHF 753 million (2016)[1]PresidenAndrea Schenker-Wicki[2]Staf akademik377Jumlah mahasiswa12,852[3]LokasiBasel, Basel-City, Swiss47°33′31″N 7°35′01″E / 47.55858°N 7.58360°E / 47.55858; 7.58360Koordinat: 47°33′31″N 7°35′01″E / 47.55858°N 7.58360°E / 47.55858; 7.58360Afiliasi]Utrecht Netwo…
Japanese anime television series based on the One Piece manga series This article is about the anime series. For the live action series, see One Piece (2023 TV series). This article may misquote or misrepresent many of its sources. Please see the cleanup page for more information. Editors: please remove this warning only after the diffs listed [[Wikipedia talk:Requests for comment/Jagged 85/{{{subpage}}}|here]] have been checked for accuracy. (July 2023) One PieceGenreAdventure[1]Fantasy…
Mythical Spanish pirate For the Spanish footballer, see José Gaspar (footballer). José Gaspar as illustrated in the 1900 brochure José Gaspar, also known by his nickname Gasparilla (supposedly lived c. 1756 – 1821), is an apocryphal Spanish pirate who terrorized the Gulf of Mexico from his base in southwest Florida during Florida's second Spanish period (1783 to 1821). Though details about his early life, motivations, and piratical exploits differ in various tellings, they agree that the 'L…
Komando Distrik Militer 1411/BulukumbaLambang Kodim 1411/BulukumbaNegara IndonesiaAliansi Korem 141/ToddopuliCabang TNI Angkatan DaratTipe unitKodim Tipe BPeranSatuan TeritorialBagian dari Kodam XIV/HasanuddinMakodimJl. Jenderal Ahmad Yani, Kelurahan Ela-Ela, Kecamatan Ujung Bulu, Kabupaten Bulukumba, Sulawesi SelatanPelindungTentara Nasional IndonesiaMotoKonjo: ᨆᨒᨗ ᨔᨗᨄᨑᨄᨙ ᨈᨒ ᨔᨗᨄᨖᨘᨕMali' Siparappe, Tallang SipahuaTerbawa arus air, maka bahu-membahu saling m…
Library in Korea This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (January 2021) Yanbian LibraryLocationYanji City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, ChinaEstablishedFebruary 1949 (the initial)[1]September 2012 (the new)[2]CollectionSize400,000Other informationDirectorJin He[3]Websitewww.yblib.com.cn 42°54′5.5″N 129°27′52.67″E…
1943 painting by Winston Churchill Tower of the Koutoubia MosqueArtistWinston ChurchillYear1943MediumOil on canvasMovementImpressionismDimensions510 mm × 610 mm (20 in × 24 in) Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque is an oil on canvas painting of the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh by Winston Churchill. The painting, the only one Churchill undertook during the Second World War, was completed on 25/26 January 1943, during a visit to the city by Churchill and Pres…
Lokasi Pengunjung: 3.129.71.64