Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas is a former professional tennis player and Olympic silver medalist turned tournament director, businessman, and philanthropist. Tommy debuted on the professional tennis circuit in 1996, participating in multiple tournaments and achieving his first tour-level quarterfinal against Pete Sampras. In 1997, Tommy reached the semi-finals in his hometown of Hamburg at Rothenbaum, leading to a notable jump in the world rankings and finishing the year ranked 41st globally. Tommy celebrated his first professional title in 1998 by winning the World Team Cup with the German team in Düsseldorf, alongside Becker, Prinosil, Kiefer, and Haas. At the Australian Open in 1999, Tommy achieved his best Grand Slam performance yet, reaching the semi-finals and defeating notable players like Kohlmann, Hewitt, Nestor, Santaro, and Spadea. He secured his first individual title by defeating Jim Courier in the Memphis final and broke into the top 10 in the world rankings. The highlight of 2000 for Tommy was the Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he won the silver medal after playing in outstanding form and defeating players like Alex Corretja and Roger Federer. In 2001, Tommy had a remarkable year, winning four ATP tournaments including his first triumph on German soil in Stuttgart. He concluded the year ranked 8th in the world. Tommy reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2002, where he had a notable five-set match against Marat Safin, leading to his best world ranking at number 2. Tommy was sidelined for the entire 2003 season due to undergoing two operations. After a 15-month injury break, Tommy returned to the tennis court in February 2004 and achieved his first clay court title in Houston before securing another victory in Los Angeles. Despite facing intermittent injuries, Tommy had a mixed year in 2005, with notable semi-final appearances in San Jose, Memphis, Munich, and Halle. He also won the World Team Cup title with the German team. Tommy enjoyed a successful and mostly injury-free year in 2006, winning three titles on US soil and winning 49 matches throughout the season. In 2007, Tommy reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and successfully defended his title in Memphis. He ended the year ranked 12th in the world. After a shoulder operation, Tommy made a comeback in 2008, reaching the semi-finals in Indianapolis and Washington before encountering shoulder issues again. Tommy finished 2009 in the top 20 for the third time in four years and won his first grass court title by triumphing in Halle. He also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and won his first doubles title. Tommy's 2010 season was cut short by hip and elbow surgeries in March. On a positive note, he welcomed his daughter Valentina in November. After an injury break, Tommy made his third career comeback in 2011, improving from 373rd to 205th in the world rankings during a challenging year. Tommy orchestrated a remarkable comeback in 2012, rising from 205th to 22nd in the world rankings. He secured victories, including a win over Roger Federer in Halle, earning him the ATP Comeback Player of the Year Award. In 2013, Tommy built on his successes from the previous year, winning tournaments in Munich and Vienna and achieving notable results in Miami and the French Open, ending the year ranked 12th globally. Despite suffering a serious shoulder injury, Tommy had some bright spots in 2014, reaching the final in Zagreb and the semi-finals in Sao Paulo and Munich. He defeated Stanislas Wawrinka at the Masters in Rome. In 2015, Tommy made a limited appearance on the tour due to injuries, with his best result at Wimbledon. Unfortunately, recurring injuries led to an early end to his season but Tommy welcomed the birth of his second daughter- Josie in 2015. Tommy focused on recovering from injuries sustained in 2015 during the 2016 season.