Brian Vahaly
Encyclopedia
Brian Vahaly is a former American professional tennis
player and graduate of the Mcintire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
in 1997. His best junior Grand Slam result was reaching the quarter final at Wimbledon that same year, where he finished 17th in the world junior rankings.
Vahaly proceeded to play four years of collegiate tennis at the University of Virginia
from 1998–2001, where he was a three time All-American and finished as the school's most successful player. In 2000, he won the United States Amateur Championships (Men's Tennis)
. In 2001, Vahaly reached the singles final at the NCAA
Championships, and lost in the doubles semi-final with Huntley Montgomery, but finished as the country's number one player in doubles and 5th in singles (40-6).
Vahaly became school's first tennis All-American in 1999 and during the previous season was named the Atlantic Coast Conference
Rookie of Year. In his last two seasons, he was two-time ACC Player of Year - and as a senior was named the University of Virginia Male Athlete of Year. He graduated with two majors in Finance and Business Management, and finished his career at Virginia as an Academic All-American.
) and the quarterfinals of Indian Wells
. He defeated three top 10 ranked players Fernando González
, (2003 French Open Champion and former world #1) Juan Carlos Ferrero
, and Tommy Robredo
at Indian Wells and later teamed with Andy Roddick
in Washington, D.C.
to defeat the #1 ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan
. During the year he also posted wins over Michael Chang
and Vince Spadea
. He also debuted at the Australian Open
losing to eventual champion Andre Agassi
and at Roland Garros losing to Lleyton Hewitt
, and made his first appearances at Tennis Masters Series tournaments. Vahaly was the only college graduate in the top 100 in the world and was recognized by People
magazine in their 25 Hottest Bachelors issue. In March 2003, Brian reached his career high ATP Champions race ranking of 27 in the world.
In 2003, Vahaly also started the Brian Vahaly Brighter Future Foundation raising over 300,000 dollars for his own local charity within the Georgia
community. It serves to help underprivileged kids with after-school programs by providing academic and tennis opportunities to children in need. Additionally, Vahaly worked with the St Vincent de Paul society to give back to families in disadvantaged circumstances. Since retiring from the tour, the Foundation has currently partnered with the Georgia Tennis Foundation to continue to assist young children in local YMCA
community centers.
In 2004, Vahaly spent most of the year on the ATP circuit playing events in Indianapolis
, Los Angeles, Newport
, Houston, Indian Wells
, San Jose
, Adelaide
, and the Australian Open
(losing to finalist Marat Safin
).
In 2005, Vahaly continued to improve his ranking with success at the Challenger level. He won the Tallahassee Challenger in April, posting impressive wins over Robert Kendrick
in the semi-final and Justin Gimelstob
in the final. During the summer, he played World Team Tennis
for the New York Buzz
. In October, he won the Calabasas, California Challenger beating Gimelstob and Jeff Morrison
en route to the title. He also competed at Indian Wells and posted wins in the ATP event in Delray Beach.
Vahaly began 2006 strongly, beating Sam Querrey
at the ATP International Series event in Las Vegas. He was unable to play any tournaments after July due to a shoulder injury. Despite the injury, Vahaly played his last tournament at the U.S. Open losing to the eventual 2009 US Open Champion Juan Martín del Potro
. After the tournament, Vahaly revealed that the shoulder injury had plagued him for some time. On September 7, 2006, Brian underwent surgery to repair several tears to his right rotator cuff
. At the time, Vahaly understood the seriousness of his injury but hoped to eventually return to tennis. He had two additional surgeries later that year.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player and graduate of the Mcintire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
Early career
He began playing tennis at the age of two with his parents, Barry and Karen. As a junior, Brian Vahaly captured the Easter Bowl 18's title and reached the final of the Coffee Bowl in Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
in 1997. His best junior Grand Slam result was reaching the quarter final at Wimbledon that same year, where he finished 17th in the world junior rankings.
Vahaly proceeded to play four years of collegiate tennis at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
from 1998–2001, where he was a three time All-American and finished as the school's most successful player. In 2000, he won the United States Amateur Championships (Men's Tennis)
United States Amateur Championships (men's tennis)
The United States Amateur Tennis Championships was the top American tennis tournament for amateur players. It was organized by the United States Tennis Association....
. In 2001, Vahaly reached the singles final at the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Championships, and lost in the doubles semi-final with Huntley Montgomery, but finished as the country's number one player in doubles and 5th in singles (40-6).
Vahaly became school's first tennis All-American in 1999 and during the previous season was named the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
Rookie of Year. In his last two seasons, he was two-time ACC Player of Year - and as a senior was named the University of Virginia Male Athlete of Year. He graduated with two majors in Finance and Business Management, and finished his career at Virginia as an Academic All-American.
Professional career
In 2003, Vahaly enjoyed a breakthrough season on the ATP circuit, advancing to the semifinals of Memphis (falling to Andy RoddickAndy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
) and the quarterfinals of Indian Wells
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....
. He defeated three top 10 ranked players Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
, (2003 French Open Champion and former world #1) Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
, and Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
at Indian Wells and later teamed with Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to defeat the #1 ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan
Bob and Mike Bryan
Twin brothers Robert Charles Bryan and Michael Carl Bryan are American professional tennis double players. They have been the World No. 1 doubles player for over 270 weeks and have finished the ATP year-end number 1 doubles team a record 7 times...
. During the year he also posted wins over Michael Chang
Michael Chang
Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
and Vince Spadea
Vince Spadea
Vincent Spadea [SPAY-dee-ya] is an ATP Tour professional tennis player from the United States. He is one of only four players in history to defeat Roger Federer 6–0 in set, at a major event....
. He also debuted at the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
losing to eventual champion Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
and at Roland Garros losing to Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
, and made his first appearances at Tennis Masters Series tournaments. Vahaly was the only college graduate in the top 100 in the world and was recognized by People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine in their 25 Hottest Bachelors issue. In March 2003, Brian reached his career high ATP Champions race ranking of 27 in the world.
In 2003, Vahaly also started the Brian Vahaly Brighter Future Foundation raising over 300,000 dollars for his own local charity within the Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
community. It serves to help underprivileged kids with after-school programs by providing academic and tennis opportunities to children in need. Additionally, Vahaly worked with the St Vincent de Paul society to give back to families in disadvantaged circumstances. Since retiring from the tour, the Foundation has currently partnered with the Georgia Tennis Foundation to continue to assist young children in local YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
community centers.
In 2004, Vahaly spent most of the year on the ATP circuit playing events in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Los Angeles, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Houston, Indian Wells
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....
, San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, and the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
(losing to finalist Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
).
In 2005, Vahaly continued to improve his ranking with success at the Challenger level. He won the Tallahassee Challenger in April, posting impressive wins over Robert Kendrick
Robert Kendrick
Robert Bradley Kendrick is an American tennis player. He turned professional in 1999. His career high single ranking is world no. 69, achieved on July 20, 2009. He was suspended for a year after testing positive at the 2011 French Open for the drug methylhexanamine, which has been banned in sport...
in the semi-final and Justin Gimelstob
Justin Gimelstob
Justin Jeremy Gimelstob is a retired American tennis player. Gimelstob has been a resident of Morristown, New Jersey and as of 2009 resided in Santa Monica, California....
in the final. During the summer, he played World Team Tennis
World Team Tennis
World TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
for the New York Buzz
New York Buzz
The New York Buzz was a professional tennis team competing in World Team Tennis. The team was based in Albany, New York, and played home matches at SUNY Albany's SEFCU Arena, previously playing at the Washington Avenue Armory. Earlier, the team played at Schenectady's Central Park. They competed in...
. In October, he won the Calabasas, California Challenger beating Gimelstob and Jeff Morrison
Jeff Morrison
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Morrison is an American professional tennis player.Morrison is perhaps best known for being the last American male left standing in the singles draw at Wimbledon in 2002....
en route to the title. He also competed at Indian Wells and posted wins in the ATP event in Delray Beach.
Vahaly began 2006 strongly, beating Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
at the ATP International Series event in Las Vegas. He was unable to play any tournaments after July due to a shoulder injury. Despite the injury, Vahaly played his last tournament at the U.S. Open losing to the eventual 2009 US Open Champion Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
. After the tournament, Vahaly revealed that the shoulder injury had plagued him for some time. On September 7, 2006, Brian underwent surgery to repair several tears to his right rotator cuff
Rotator cuff
In anatomy, the rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff, along with the teres major muscle, the coracobrachialis muscle and the deltoid, make up the seven scapulohumeral muscles of the human body.-Function:The...
. At the time, Vahaly understood the seriousness of his injury but hoped to eventually return to tennis. He had two additional surgeries later that year.