Samuel Austin Querrey ( or ; born October 7, 1987) is an American former pickleball player and former tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 achieved on February 26, 2018, and won ten ATP singles titles. Known for his powerful serve, Querrey holds the record for consecutive service aces in a match with 10.Querrey 2010 US Open First Round Postmatch Press Conference He was also a capable doubles player, with five ATP doubles titles and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 23 achieved on May 17, 2010. His best performance in a Grand Slam singles event was at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, where he reached the semifinals after defeating world No. 1 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals to become the first American man to reach the last four of a Grand Slam in eight years. At the same tournament the previous year, he defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic to reach the quarterfinals, ending his Grand Slam win streak of 4 in a row. Other career highlights for Querrey include defeating former world number one Rafael Nadal in the Acapulco final of 2017, reaching the quarterfinals at the 2017 US Open and the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, and, in the 2015 US Open, reaching the mixed doubles final with Bethanie Mattek-Sands and the men's doubles semifinals with Steve Johnson. He also reached the semifinals of the Davis Cup three times with the United States team, in 2008, 2012, and 2018.
Early life Querrey was born in San Francisco and attended Thousand Oaks High School, graduating in 2006. Querrey turned down a scholarship offer from the University of Southern California (USC) to turn pro. His father Mike Querrey recommended that his son try making it in tennis, as he often regretted his own decision to attend the University of Arizona rather than play baseball for the Detroit Tigers, who had drafted him. Querrey said that going pro was "one of the toughest decisions of my life. [...] I'd play a match and want to go pro. I'd lose and want to go to college."Krystle Russin, "Sam I Am: A Day in the Life of Sam Querrey", Play Tennis Florida Magazine March 2009
Career 2006: Grand Slam debut and first win On June 11, 2006, Querrey became the first player to win a challenger event in his pro debut. He won in the Yuba City and Winnetka challengers. He won his first-round match at the Indian Wells Masters tournament over Bobby Reynolds, before falling to James Blake in three sets. He defeated American Vince Spadea at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles. At the 2006 US Open, Querrey received a wildcard and defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets, before falling to Gastón Gaudio in the second round.US Open 2006 – Men's Singles Draw, PDF, September 2006.
2007: Australian Open third round, top 50 debut At the 2007 Australian Open, he advanced to the third round. He defeated José Acasuso, the 27th seed, in the first round. In the second round, he defeated Frenchman Florent Serra in straight sets, but in the third round lost to 7th seed Tommy Robredo in four sets.
At the 2007 Indianapolis Tennis Championships, he hit 10 consecutive aces when he defeated James Blake in the quarterfinals. This is believed to be an Open Era record.
At the 2007 Western & Southern Open, he defeated thirteenth seed Mikhail Youzhny and advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Argentina's Juan Mónaco, who had defeated Rafael Nadal in the previous round. He lost to No. 9 seed James Blake, but made his top 50 debut at No. 47 afterwards. At this time, Querrey was the third-ranked American behind Andy Roddick and Blake.
In August 2007 at the US Open, Austrian Stefan Koubek defeated Querrey in the first round.
2008: First ATP World Tour title In January 2008 at the Australian Open, Querrey defeated Belgian Olivier Rochus in the first round. In the second round, he then beat Russian Dmitry Tursunov. He lost in the third round to the eventual champion, Serbian Novak Djokovic.
In March, Querrey won his first ATP level tournament at the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas. In the final, Querrey defeated qualifier Kevin Anderson of South Africa in three sets. The next month, at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Querrey reached the quarterfinals, defeating former French Open champion Carlos Moyá, Andreas Seppi, and No. 7 seeded Richard Gasquet.
Querrey played tennis for the US at the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. He advanced to the fourth round of the US Open by defeating 14th seed Ivo Karlović of Croatia, where he was defeated in four sets by world No. 1 Rafael Nadal.
Querrey was tapped to play for the US in the Davis Cup semifinals against Spain as a replacement for James Blake, who had withdrawn citing exhaustion. In Querrey's first-ever Davis Cup match, he lost to world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets.
2009: Second ATP title
Querrey participated in the 2009 Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand in January, where he was the sixth seed. Querrey made it to the final, where he was defeated in straight sets by top-seed Juan Martín del Potro. In the 2009 Australian Open, Querrey lost in his opening round to Philipp Kohlschreiber. In the SAP Open in San Jose, Querrey beat Cypriot wildcard Marcos Baghdatis in the opening match. Querrey then beat Denis Gremelmayr, in 52 minutes.
In the 2009 Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, No. 3 seeded Querrey advanced to the final against compatriot and first-time finalist and lucky loser Rajeev Ram, who had entered the main draw when top seed Mardy Fish had to take Andy Roddick's place in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. Querrey lost the match. Querrey was seeded No. 3 for the 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships, where he made his second final in as many tournaments. However, Querrey fell to unseeded American Robby Ginepri.
Querrey defeated No. 1 seeded Tommy Haas to advance to the final of the LA Tennis Open. He defeated qualifier Carsten Ball in the final for his only title of the year.Blair Angulo, Querrey leaves no doubt in winning L.A. Tennis Open , Los Angeles Daily News, August 3, 2009 Querrey next played at the ATP Tour 500 event in Washington, where he lost to top seed Andy Roddick, in the round of 16. He also played at the Cincinnati Masters losing in the third round to Lleyton Hewitt. By reaching the quarterfinals in New Haven, he won the 2009 US Open Series, qualifying for the accompanying bonus following the 2009 US Open. Querrey reached the final in New Haven, before losing to Fernando Verdasco. In the 2009 US Open, Querrey lost in the third round to Robin Söderling in four sets.
Querrey's year was ended prematurely by a potentially career-threatening accident in which a glass table he was sitting on collapsed, impaling his arm and requiring emergency surgery; the location of injury just missed causing nerve damage, which could have ended his tennis career. Querrey finished the year ranked a career-high No. 25, and as the No. 2 American behind Andy Roddick.
2010: First ATP 500 title Although seeded at the Australian Open, Querrey lost in the first round to 2003 Australian Open finalist Rainer Schüttler. Querrey then reached the semifinals of the SAP Open, where he lost to Andy Roddick in singles. However, Querrey teamed with Mardy Fish to win the doubles title.
Querrey's next tournament was the 2010 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, where he was seeded eighth. He defeated defending champion Roddick in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Ernests Gulbis in the semifinals, and defeated fellow American John Isner, for the championship. Querrey also teamed with Isner in the doubles, where they won the championship; Querrey became the first player to win the singles and doubles at Memphis simultaneously since 1981. At the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, he lost in the first round against Fernando González in three sets.
Querrey and Isner were selected to play singles for the United States Davis Cup Team against Serbia on indoor clay in March 2010. After losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets, Querrey managed to beat Viktor Troicki in straight sets in the unnecessary fifth match.
At the BNP Paribas Open, Querrey was seeded 17th and, after receiving a bye in the first round, then beat Jérémy Chardy in straight sets. In the third round, he was beaten by doubles partner John Isner in straight sets. At the Sony Ericsson Open, seeded 21st this time, after receiving a bye in the first round, he lost to Jérémy Chardy in three sets.
In April, he played at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. After receiving a bye in the first round, he beat Blaž Kavčič in straight sets in the second round, and in the quarterfinal, beat Nicolás Massú in three sets. In the semifinals, he beat Wayne Odesnik to reach his eighth final on the ATP World Tour. He lost to Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in the final.
He reached the doubles final with John Isner at the 2010 Rome Masters, but lost to Davis Cup teammates Bob and Mike Bryan.
Querrey played in the 2010 Serbia Open and progressed to the final, where he faced Davis Cup teammate John Isner. Querrey defeated Isner, for his second title of the year, and his first ATP title on clay.
At the 2010 French Open, Querrey was seeded 18th, but lost in the first round to fellow American Robby Ginepri in four sets. He withdrew from the doubles event, where he and Isner were the 12th seeds.
In the Queens Club in London, Querrey beat fellow American Mardy Fish in straight sets, in the final of the Aegon Championships. The victory made him the first American to win the tournament since Andy Roddick. The victory gave Querrey his third title of the season, making him the only player besides Rafael Nadal to win at least three titles, and made Querrey the first player in 2010 to win titles on three different surfaces. This was Querrey's first ATP tour title on grass.
Despite being ranked No. 21 in the world at the time, Querrey was seeded No. 18 at Wimbledon, due to his Queen's Club result. He was entered in the doubles with Isner, where they were the 12th seeds, but the partners agreed to forfeit after Isner played the longest tennis match in history.Pucin, Diane. "Wimbledon: No doubles for John Isner but props for coconut water" Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2010. In the singles, Querrey defeated 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse in five sets to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time, where he lost to Andy Murray.
Querrey defended his title at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, winning a third-set tiebreaker in the quarterfinals against 2003 Australian Open finalist Rainer Schüttler, then defeating Janko Tipsarević in the semifinals, to reach his fifth final of the year. In the final, Querrey faced world No. 4 and 2010 Australian Open finalist Andy Murray. Querrey defeat Murray in the final. This was his first successful title defense, making him the first man since Andre Agassi to win two consecutive titles at this tournament.Diane Pucin, Sam Querrey defeats Andy Murray in Farmers Classic final, Los Angeles Times, August 2, 2010
Querrey next played in Washington, where he lost in the first round to Janko Tipsarević. During his time in Washington, he along with Bob and Mike Bryan conducted a tennis clinic for children, where they unexpectedly met president Barack Obama.
After early losses in the Canada Masters and the Cincinnati Masters, Querrey entered the 2010 US Open ranked No. 22 and seeded No. 20. He defeated Bradley Klahn in four sets, then defeated Marcel Granollers and 14th seed Nicolás Almagro in straight sets to reach the fourth round, tying his previous best result in any Grand Slam. In the fourth round, he lost to 25th seed Stanislas Wawrinka.
2011: First masters doubles title Querrey struggled with injury during this year. He reached the quarterfinals of two tournaments, both ATP 500 series. The first in Memphis in February, where he lost to Mardy Fish, and the second in Valencia, where he was beaten in straight sets by Juan Martín del Potro.