Dick Norman
Encyclopedia
Dick Norman is a professional tennis
player. He has achieved a degree of folk popularity among tennis fans due to his height (6 feet 8 inches), his left-handed power game and, in the last few years, his age (since late 2006 he has been the oldest player on the tour).
Turning professional in 1991, Norman notched up only his 14th Grand Slam
appearance at the 2006 Wimbledon
, where, at 35, he was the second oldest male competitor, to Andre Agassi
. With Agassi's retirement immediately following the 2006 U.S. Open
, Norman succeeded him as the oldest active player on the ATP tour.
In 1995, he made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, despite qualifying out of the lucky loser
's draw. He defeated successive but aging former Wimbledon Champions Pat Cash
and Stefan Edberg
in the first and second rounds respectively, then doubles guru Todd Woodbridge
in the 3rd round, before falling to another former Champion Boris Becker
in the fourth round. It remains the furthest that any player has ever advanced in a Grand Slam Tournament coming out of the lucky loser draw.
He disappeared from tennis scene after a few unimpressive seasons, but has made a resurgence starting in 2003, at the age of 32, a common age at which retirement is considered. He qualified for three of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Nine of his fourteen Grand Slam appearances have come after his 32nd birthday, although except for a surprise run in doubles at the French Open in 2009, none as successful as his 1995 Wimbledon run. Most times he'd lose in the first or second round. Still he has exceeded $1 million in career earnings, in large part due to his Grand Slam "successes".
In November 2006, at the age of 35 years and eight months, Norman attained his career-high ATP ranking as World No. 85.
In July 2007, at Newport, Norman made it to his very first ATP semifinal, defeating the 8th seed Michael Berrer
along the way. His first round win was over fellow "giant", 6'9" wild card John Isner
, who was playing in his first-ever ATP match.
As of February 2008 he remained the oldest active player on the ATP tour at 36 years and 11 months; and although his ranking had dropped back to World No. 169, partly as a result of his having taken a break of several months from the tour over the preceding Autumn and Winter following the birth of his first child, he appeared to remain committed to continuing his career on the circuit.
Although Norman is currently the oldest player on the tour, Jimmy Connors
continued to compete regularly until the week of 10 May 1993 when he was 40 years and 8 months of age and played another six isolated tournaments over the three years to follow, the very last of which took place in the week of 29 April 1996 when he was 43 years and 7 months old, so Norman is not in totally uncharted territory where the men's game is concerned, despite the fact that few players nowadays continue beyond the age of 35.
He has won over ten titles on the Challenger circuit, the most recent being at Mexico City in April 2009, at the age of 38. In January 2007, he teamed with countryman Xavier Malisse
to win the doubles title at the ATP event in Chennai. In early 2009 he made the conscious decision to focus more on doubles than singles, and in February he joined forces with American James Cerretani
to win the doubles title at the ATP World Tour event in Johannesburg.
In 2009, Norman teamed with South African Wesley Moodie
and advanced to the final of the French Open. They lost 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 to the third seeded pair of Lukáš Dlouhý
and Leander Paes
. It is by far the furthest Norman has advanced in a Grand Slam tournament. It was the first time in his 19-year career that Norman had played doubles at the French Open; and only the third tournament in which Moodie (who with Stephen Huss
won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2005) and Norman played together.
In the semi-final, Norman-Moodie saved three match points in a come-from-behind 0–6, 7–6, 6–4 victory over the defending champions, Bob and Mike Bryan
, the second seeds. The Bryans had won the previous two Grand Slam titles, the 2008 US Open and the 2009 Australian Open. On their way to the final, Norman-Moodie had in the first round upset the seventh seed team of Max Mirnyi
and Andy Ram
.
In finishing runner-up for the 2009 French Open title, Norman earned 78,000 euros. The finish moved him to a career-high No. 32 in the ATP Doubles Rankings.
At 38 years and 3 months, Norman is the oldest male to reach a French Open final in the Open Era
. He became the fifth player aged 38 or older to play in a men's doubles Grand Slam title match – Neale Fraser (39) was runner-up at Wimbledon in 1973; Ken Rosewall (38) lost the US Open final in 1973; Sherwood Stewart (38) won the Australian Open in 1984; and Bob Hewitt (38) won Wimbledon in 1978.
Two weeks later, he won the Ordina Open with his partner Wesley Moodie
. It was his first grass court title.
In November, he won the AXA Belgian Masters as oldest man in the field.
In another career highlight, Dick (along with partner Moodie) qualified for the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals
. This is the first time in his career that Dick qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals. Dick and Wesley entered the final tournament of the seasons, the 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
, ranked 8th. Due to Jürgen Melzer
and Philipp Petzschner
winning 2010 Wimbledon, only the top 7 ranked pairs qualified for the Finals. Due to Dick and Wesley reaching the quarterfinals in Paris and František Cermák
and Michal Mertinák
failing to reach the finals in Paris, Dick and Wesley were able to secure qualification.
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. He has achieved a degree of folk popularity among tennis fans due to his height (6 feet 8 inches), his left-handed power game and, in the last few years, his age (since late 2006 he has been the oldest player on the tour).
Turning professional in 1991, Norman notched up only his 14th Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
appearance at the 2006 Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, where, at 35, he was the second oldest male competitor, to 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...
. With Agassi's retirement immediately following the 2006 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
, Norman succeeded him as the oldest active player on the ATP tour.
In 1995, he made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, despite qualifying out of the lucky loser
Lucky loser (tennis)
A lucky loser is a sports player who loses a match in the final qualifying round of a knockout tournament, but who then enters the main draw when another player withdraws after the tournament has started because of illness or injury. The lucky loser then enters the main draw, normally in place of...
's draw. He defeated successive but aging former Wimbledon Champions Pat Cash
Pat Cash
Patrick Hart "Pat" Cash is a retired Australian professional tennis player who won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1987.-Early career:...
and Stefan Edberg
Stefan Edberg
Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix...
in the first and second rounds respectively, then doubles guru Todd Woodbridge
Todd Woodbridge
Todd Andrew Woodbridge is an Australian former tennis player. He was born in Sydney and turned professional in 1988. He is best known for his successful Doubles partnerships with Mark Woodforde and later Jonas Björkman...
in the 3rd round, before falling to another former Champion Boris Becker
Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
in the fourth round. It remains the furthest that any player has ever advanced in a Grand Slam Tournament coming out of the lucky loser draw.
He disappeared from tennis scene after a few unimpressive seasons, but has made a resurgence starting in 2003, at the age of 32, a common age at which retirement is considered. He qualified for three of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Nine of his fourteen Grand Slam appearances have come after his 32nd birthday, although except for a surprise run in doubles at the French Open in 2009, none as successful as his 1995 Wimbledon run. Most times he'd lose in the first or second round. Still he has exceeded $1 million in career earnings, in large part due to his Grand Slam "successes".
In November 2006, at the age of 35 years and eight months, Norman attained his career-high ATP ranking as World No. 85.
In July 2007, at Newport, Norman made it to his very first ATP semifinal, defeating the 8th seed Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer is a German professional tennis player. He reached his career high in singles with No. 42 on May 2010 and his high in doubles in March 2009 with No...
along the way. His first round win was over fellow "giant", 6'9" wild card John Isner
John Isner
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick...
, who was playing in his first-ever ATP match.
As of February 2008 he remained the oldest active player on the ATP tour at 36 years and 11 months; and although his ranking had dropped back to World No. 169, partly as a result of his having taken a break of several months from the tour over the preceding Autumn and Winter following the birth of his first child, he appeared to remain committed to continuing his career on the circuit.
Although Norman is currently the oldest player on the tour, Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
continued to compete regularly until the week of 10 May 1993 when he was 40 years and 8 months of age and played another six isolated tournaments over the three years to follow, the very last of which took place in the week of 29 April 1996 when he was 43 years and 7 months old, so Norman is not in totally uncharted territory where the men's game is concerned, despite the fact that few players nowadays continue beyond the age of 35.
He has won over ten titles on the Challenger circuit, the most recent being at Mexico City in April 2009, at the age of 38. In January 2007, he teamed with countryman Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
to win the doubles title at the ATP event in Chennai. In early 2009 he made the conscious decision to focus more on doubles than singles, and in February he joined forces with American James Cerretani
James Cerretani
James Cerretani is an American professional tennis player. A doubles specialist, he has won three ATP World Tour titles in his career. He reached his career-high doubles ranking of World No...
to win the doubles title at the ATP World Tour event in Johannesburg.
In 2009, Norman teamed with South African Wesley Moodie
Wesley Moodie
Wesley Moodie is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. Wesley is now retired.-Early life and college career:...
and advanced to the final of the French Open. They lost 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 to the third seeded pair of Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý is a professional Czech tennis player on the ATP Tour. A doubles specialist, Dlouhý reached a career-high ranking of World Number 5 on June 22, 2009.-2006-2008:...
and Leander Paes
Leander Paes
Leander Adrian Paes, pronounced pās, is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament...
. It is by far the furthest Norman has advanced in a Grand Slam tournament. It was the first time in his 19-year career that Norman had played doubles at the French Open; and only the third tournament in which Moodie (who with Stephen Huss
Stephen Huss (tennis)
Stephen Huss , is a professional tennis player from Australia. He is also citizen of Sweden....
won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2005) and Norman played together.
In the semi-final, Norman-Moodie saved three match points in a come-from-behind 0–6, 7–6, 6–4 victory over the defending champions, 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...
, the second seeds. The Bryans had won the previous two Grand Slam titles, the 2008 US Open and the 2009 Australian Open. On their way to the final, Norman-Moodie had in the first round upset the seventh seed team of Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi is a professional tennis player from Belarus.Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a...
and Andy Ram
Andy Ram
Andy Ram is a professional tennis player from Israel, and the first Israeli tennis player to win a seniors Grand Slam event . He plays more doubles than singles as he prefers doubles more and wins more matches...
.
In finishing runner-up for the 2009 French Open title, Norman earned 78,000 euros. The finish moved him to a career-high No. 32 in the ATP Doubles Rankings.
At 38 years and 3 months, Norman is the oldest male to reach a French Open final in the Open Era
Open era
Open era or Open Era may refer to:* Open Era , the period since 1968 where professionals can compete in Grand Slams* Glasnost era, the increased openness in the Soviet Union from the mid-1980s...
. He became the fifth player aged 38 or older to play in a men's doubles Grand Slam title match – Neale Fraser (39) was runner-up at Wimbledon in 1973; Ken Rosewall (38) lost the US Open final in 1973; Sherwood Stewart (38) won the Australian Open in 1984; and Bob Hewitt (38) won Wimbledon in 1978.
Two weeks later, he won the Ordina Open with his partner Wesley Moodie
Wesley Moodie
Wesley Moodie is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. Wesley is now retired.-Early life and college career:...
. It was his first grass court title.
In November, he won the AXA Belgian Masters as oldest man in the field.
In another career highlight, Dick (along with partner Moodie) qualified for the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals
2010 ATP World Tour Finals
The 2010 ATP World Tour Finals was held at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 21 and November 28, 2010...
. This is the first time in his career that Dick qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals. Dick and Wesley entered the final tournament of the seasons, the 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
2010 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2010 BNP Paribas Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the tournament known that year as the BNP Paribas Masters after the sponsor BNP Paribas. It was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2010 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Palais...
, ranked 8th. Due to Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
and Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
winning 2010 Wimbledon, only the top 7 ranked pairs qualified for the Finals. Due to Dick and Wesley reaching the quarterfinals in Paris and František Cermák
František Cermák
----František Čermák is a Czech professional tennis player. Čermák turned pro in 1998. He has won 26 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, and has been a finalist 19 times. He reached his career high doubles ranking of World No. 14 on February 1, 2010...
and Michal Mertinák
Michal Mertinák
Michal Mertiňák is a professional tennis player from Slovakia. He turned professional in 1999, and has won six doubles titles in his career on the ATP Tour. He reached his career high doubles ranking of No. 35 on June 12, 2006. Mertiňák played in the 2005 Davis Cup for Slovakia, who finished...
failing to reach the finals in Paris, Dick and Wesley were able to secure qualification.
Runners-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 2009 French Open The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year... |
French Open |  Wesley MoodieWesley Moodie Wesley Moodie is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. Wesley is now retired.-Early life and college career:... |
 Lukáš DlouhýLukáš Dlouhý Lukáš Dlouhý is a professional Czech tennis player on the ATP Tour. A doubles specialist, Dlouhý reached a career-high ranking of World Number 5 on June 22, 2009.-2006-2008:...  Leander PaesLeander Paes Leander Adrian Paes, pronounced pās, is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament... |
6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
Wins (4)
EWLINE
|
EWLINE
|
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jan 8, 2007 | Chennai 2007 Chennai Open The 2007 Chennai Open was an ATP Tour tennis tournament held in Chennai, India from 1 January until 8 January 2007.-Singles: Xavier Malisse def Stefan Koubek 6-1, 6-3-Doubles:... , India |
Hard |  Xavier MalisseXavier Malisse Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man".... |
 Rafael NadalRafael Nadal Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals... Tomeu SalváBartolomé Salvá-Vidal Bartolomé "Tomeu" Salvà Vidal is a Spanish tennis player. While he plays singles, he is also a doubles player, who partners with friend Rafael Nadal... |
7–6, 7–6 |
| 2. | Feb 8, 2009 | Johannesburg 2009 SA Tennis Open The 2009 SA Tennis Open was a tennis tournament played on hard courts indoors. It is the 18th edition of the SA Tennis Open , and is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2 February through 8 February 2009.The singles line up... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Hard |  James CerretaniJames Cerretani James Cerretani is an American professional tennis player. A doubles specialist, he has won three ATP World Tour titles in his career. He reached his career-high doubles ranking of World No... |
Rik de Voest Rik de Voest Rik de Voest is a professional South African tennis player. As of September 6, 2007, de Voest's career-high ranking was World Number 110, which he achieved on August 21, 2006....  Ashley FisherAshley Fisher Ashley Fisher is a professional tennis player who comes from New South Wales in Australia. Fisher turned professional in 1998. Fisher has never played a major singles match on the ATP Tour, but has won four notable doubles titles on tour. The doubles specialist reached his highest doubles ranking... |
6–7, 6–2, [14–12] |
| 3. | Jun 21, 2009 | 's-Hertogenbosch 2009 Ordina Open The 2009 Ordina Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It is the 20th edition of the Ordina Open, and is part of the International Series of the 2009 ATP Tour, and of the WTA International tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour... , Holland |
Grass | Wesley Moodie Wesley Moodie Wesley Moodie is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. Wesley is now retired.-Early life and college career:... |
 Johan BrunströmJohan Brunström Johan Brunström is a professional Swedish tennis player. His highest ATP doubles ranking is 31st, which he reached on March 22, 2010. His career high in singles is 377th, which he reached on September 24, 2007.-Doubles: 10 :...  Jean-Julien RojerJean-Julien Rojer Jean-Julien Rojer is a professional Curaçao tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 218th, which he reached on August 15, 2005. A doubles specialist, his career high in doubles is 18th, which he reached on July 4, 2011. His current doubles partner is Eric Butorac.-Doubles: 13... |
7–6, 6–7, [10–5] |
| 4. | Feb 6, 2011 | Zagreb 2011 PBZ Zagreb Indoors The 2011 PBZ Zagreb Indoors was an ATP tennis tournament played on hard courts indoors. It was the 7th edition of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour... , Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ... |
Hard (i) |  Horia TecăuHoria Tecau Horia Tecău is a Romanian tennis player who turned pro in 2003, and is a doubles specialist. Tecău is currently ranked 9th in ATP's doubles ranking, being also his highest doubles ranking achieved on August 8, 2011.... |
Marcel Granollers Marcel Granollers Marcel Granollers i Pujol is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003. He reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 33 on August 1, 2011, and his highest doubles ranking of World Number 5.-2006:Granollers made the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in... Marc LópezMarc López Marc López i Tarrés is a professional male tennis player from Spain, who started playing tennis at the age of 8 years old and became professional in 1999... |
6–3, 6–4 |