Aug 28, 2001 10:35 AM
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The ''British'' tennis player, Greg Rusedski was born on 6 September 1973 in Montreal, Quebec. His father, Tom, a railway worker, was originally German, with Polish – Ukranian parentage but he qualified to play for Britain because his mother, Helen originated from Dewsbury, Yorkshire.
Greg spent his boyhood in Montreal and began competing in tennis tournaments in Canada with great success. The young Rusedski won six Canadian national titles over the period 1985-1990 and was the Under 18 Canadian Tennis Champion. The Canadian-born-left-hander turned pro in 1991 and in that year he won the Junior Doubles Title at Wimbledon where he partnered the Moroccan youngster, Karim Alami.
The first ATP Challenger title Greg won was in 1992 at Newcastle and the following year he gained his first ATP tour title at Newport, USA. In 1995 Greg won a ATP tour event in Seoul and managed to reach the 4th Rd at Wimbledon; in the process he climbed to No. 38 in ATP tour rankings. The following year saw Rusedski win a ATP tour title in Beijing whilst in 1997 he actually overtook Tin Henman as the British No.1 and during this year was ranked sixth by the ATP. For a short period he reached a career high ranking of No. 4.
This year saw Greg reach his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, where he was runner-up; he also reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. In 1999 Greg reached the 4th Round at both the Australian and US Opens and also Wimbledon, although in the ATP rankings he slipped to 14th. The following year Greg lost in the 1st Round at Wimbledon whilst in the recently concluded 2001 Championships he reached the last 16 only to lose in 3 sets to the eventual Champion, Goran Ivonisevic of Croatia,7-6,6-4, 6-4. Like Goran, Greg enjoys basketball and is also an ardent supporter of Arsenal F.C. He is one of a number of celebrities who follow the fortunes of “The Gunners”. Greg has one of the most powerful serves in men’s tennis and although 6’3” in height, is very nimble on the court. He has, however, suffered from ankle and wrist injuries in the past. At times he is a tad inconsistent. The fact that he has won a number of ATP tour titles and reached a Grand Slam final dues, however, indicate that he is no slouch as a tennis player. Although somewhat eclipsed by Tin Henman in recent years it would be prudent not to write –off Greg just yet. Especially given the power of his serve-he holds the record for the fastest serve,a blistering 149 mph.
