Guillermo Pérez-Roldán
Encyclopedia
Guillermo Pérez-Roldán is a former professional tennis
player from Argentina.
Pérez-Roldán was known particularly as a strong clay court
player. He turned professional in 1986. Between 1987 and 1993, he won nine top-level singles titles. His best Grand Slam
performance came at the 1988 French Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before being knocked-out by Andre Agassi
.
He burst onto the scene as a teenager in 1988 by reaching the final of the Italian Open
, where he battled Ivan Lendl
in five grueling sets. Later that year, at the US Open
, John McEnroe
famously expressed outrage at being seeded significantly lower than Pérez-Roldán, who had not yet won a match on hard courts. However, Pérez-Roldán silenced critics by progressing further in the tournament than McEnroe.
Pérez-Roldán had an excellent junior career, winning the French Open Boys Singles championship on his favored red clay in both 1986 and 1987; he is the only individual to have captured the Boys Singles championship at the French Open more than once. He was named Rolex Rookie of the Year in 1988, influenced no doubt by his run to the finals of the Italian Open and the quarterfinals of the French Open that year. He is currently tied for tenth on the list of most titles won by a teenager in the Open Era (five).
His career-high singles ranking was World No. 13 (in 1988), and his career prize-money earnings totalled US$1,686,341. In the early 1990s his career was hamstrung by injuries and he finally retired from the professional tour in 1996.
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 from Argentina.
Pérez-Roldán was known particularly as a strong clay court
Clay court
A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...
player. He turned professional in 1986. Between 1987 and 1993, he won nine top-level singles titles. His best 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...
performance came at the 1988 French Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before being knocked-out by 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...
.
He burst onto the scene as a teenager in 1988 by reaching the final of the Italian Open
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
, where he battled Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
in five grueling sets. Later that year, at the US 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...
, John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
famously expressed outrage at being seeded significantly lower than Pérez-Roldán, who had not yet won a match on hard courts. However, Pérez-Roldán silenced critics by progressing further in the tournament than McEnroe.
Pérez-Roldán had an excellent junior career, winning the French Open Boys Singles championship on his favored red clay in both 1986 and 1987; he is the only individual to have captured the Boys Singles championship at the French Open more than once. He was named Rolex Rookie of the Year in 1988, influenced no doubt by his run to the finals of the Italian Open and the quarterfinals of the French Open that year. He is currently tied for tenth on the list of most titles won by a teenager in the Open Era (five).
His career-high singles ranking was World No. 13 (in 1988), and his career prize-money earnings totalled US$1,686,341. In the early 1990s his career was hamstrung by injuries and he finally retired from the professional tour in 1996.
Singles titles
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (9) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 11 May 1987 |  Munich |
Clay |  Marián VajdaMarián Vajda Marián Vajda is a former Slovak tennis player.Vajda was a member of the Olympic Team of Czechoslovakia where in 1992 he competed in the Olympic Games of Barcelona, being easily eliminated in the first round against Israel by 7–6, 6–1, 6–0.Vajda is a former captain of the Slovakia Davis Cup and Fed... |
6–3, 7–6 |
| 2. | 22 June 1987 |  Athens |
Clay | Tore Meinecke Tore Meinecke Tore Meinecke , is a former professional tennis player from West Germany.During his career Meinecke won 2 doubles titles. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 46 in 1988 and a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 46 in 1987.-Doubles titles :-Runner-ups :-Singles runner-ups... |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 3. | 22 November 1987 |  Buenos AiresATP Buenos Aires The ATP Buenos Aires is an annual tennis event for male tennis players held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and it is played on outdoor clay courts at the 5,500 capacity Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club,... |
Clay |  Jay BergerJay Berger Jay Berger is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He won three singles and one doubles title on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of world # 7 in April 1990.... |
3–2 ret. |
| 4. | 9 May 1988 | Munich |
Clay |  Jonas SvenssonJonas Svensson Jonas Svensson is a former professional tennis player from Sweden.During his career, Svensson was a French Open semi-finalist twice both times as unseeded player.... |
7–5, 6–3 |
| 5. | 2 November 1989 |  PalermoCampionati Internazionali di Sicilia The Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia was a tennis tournament held annually in Palermo in Italy. Held from 1935 until 2006, the tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was a part of the ATP Tour schedule from 1979 to 2006.-Singles:-Doubles:... |
Clay | Paolo Canè Paolo Canè Paolo Canè is a former tennis player from Italy.Canè turned professional in 1983. During his career, he won three top-level singles titles . He also won three tour doubles titles .Canè's career-high rankings were World No... |
6–1, 6–4 |
| 6. | 27 August 1990 |  San Marino |
Clay | Omar Camporese Omar Camporese Omar Camporese is a former professional tennis player from Italy.Born in Bologna, Camporese turned professional in 1987. He reached his first top-level singles final in 1990 at San Marino, where he lost to Guillermo Pérez Roldán 6–3, 6–3.... |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 7. | 4 August 1991 | San Marino |
Clay |  Frederic Fontang |
6–3, 6–1 |
| 8. | 23 March 1992 |  Casablanca |
Clay |  Germán López |
2–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
| 9. | 22 March 1993 | Casablanca |
Clay | Younes El Aynaoui Younes El Aynaoui Younes El Aynaoui is a professional tennis player from Morocco.He is a five-time singles winner on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of No. 14 in 2003, at the age of 31. His long career has been plagued by injuries and he did not play competitive tennis between September... |
6–4, 6–3 |