Horia Tecău (; born January 19, 1985) is a Romanian former professional

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player who specialised in doubles. He is a three-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2015 Wimbledon Championships and 2017 US Open alongside

Jean-Julien Rojer Jean-Julien Rojer ( "John Julian" , ; born 25 August 1981) is a Dutch professional tennis player from Curaçao, who specializes in doubles. He reached his career-high doubles ranking of world No. 3 in November 2015. He is a four-time Grand Sla ...

in men's doubles, as well as the 2012 Australian Open with Bethanie Mattek-Sands in mixed doubles. Tecău also reached five further Grand Slam finals: at the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Wimbledon Championships with Robert Lindstedt in men's doubles, and at the

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Australian Opens in mixed doubles. He reached his career-high doubles ranking of world No. 2 in November 2015, shortly before winning the 2015 ATP Finals with Rojer. Tecău won 38 doubles and one mixed doubles titles on the

ATP Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix ...

, including three at Masters 1000 level. He also won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, alongside compatriot Florin Mergea.

Career

2010

On January 16, 2010, Tecău won his first ATP doubles title at the Auckland Open, partnering Marcus Daniell. He showed strong form in early 2010 and won two doubles titles, (one Challenger and one ATP World Tour 250 Series), at

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

and

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

, which confirmed his good form. He won his third doubles title at

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

and his second with partner Robert Lindstedt (his first with him came in Casablanca). At

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, Tecău reached, for the first time in his career, a Grand Slam doubles final. He and his partner, Robert Lindstedt, defeated the pair of

Tommy Robredo Tomás Robredo Garcés (, ; born 1 May 1982) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 5, which he reached in August 2006 as a result of winning the 2006 Hamburg Masters – Singles, Hamburg M ...

and

Marcel Granollers Marcel Granollers Pujol (; ; born 12 April 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 1 on 6 May 2024, becoming the second Spanish man to achieve the feat (after Emilio Sánchez Vicari ...

in four sets in the quarterfinals and in the semifinals the duo of

Juan Ignacio Chela Juan Ignacio Chela (; born 30 August 1979), nicknamed as "El Flaco" or "Liliano," is a tennis coach and former professional player from Argentina. Chela was given a three-month ban from the professional tour in 2001 for failing a drugs test. Post ...

and Eduardo Schwank. In the final, Tecău and Lindstedt were defeated by the pair of

Jürgen Melzer Jürgen Melzer (born 22 May 1981) is an Austrian tennis coach and former professional tennis player. Melzer reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 in April 2011, and a doubles ranking of world No. 6 in September 2010. He has a youn ...

and

Philipp Petzschner Philipp Petzschner (born 24 March 1984) is a retired German professional tennis player. He was known for his hard-hitting forehand and backhand slices. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 9, which he achieved in April 2011. Car ...

. At Wimbledon in the mixed doubles, he and his partner, fellow Romanian

Monica Niculescu Monica Niculescu (born 25 September 1987) is a Romanian professional tennis player. She has been WTA rankings, ranked by the Women's Tennis Association, WTA as high as No. 28 in singles and No. 11 in doubles. She has won three singles and 10 dou ...

, lost in the second round to

Marcelo Melo Marcelo Pinheiro Davi de Melo (; born September 23, 1983) is a Brazilian professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. He is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players, world No. 1, which he achieved in 2 November 2015. ...

and

Rennae Stubbs Rennae Stubbs (born 26 March 1971) is an Australian former professional tennis player, coach and television commentator. She was ranked number 1 in the world in doubles, and the winner of 4 major doubles titles and 2 mixed doubles titles as wel ...

. At the

Swedish Open The Swedish Open is a professional tennis tournament held in Båstad, Sweden. It is played on outdoor clay courts in July. The men's event (sponsored by Skistar) is an ATP Tour 250 tournament on the ATP Tour. The women's event (sponsored by ...

, Lindstedt and Tecău won their third title together winning the final against

Andreas Seppi Andreas Seppi (born 21 February 1984) is an Italian former professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 on 28 January 2013. He became the first Italian to win a title on all three surfaces. Personal lif ...

and Simone Vagnozzi. At the

Los Angeles Open The Genesis Invitational is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Southern California, first played in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open. Other previous names include Genesis Open, Northern Trust Open and Nissan Open. Played annually in ...

, Tecău and Lindstedt were defeated by Eric Butorac and

in the quarterfinals. At the Washington Open, they were defeated by the pair of

Marcos Baghdatis Marcos Baghdatis (Greek language, Greek: Μάρκος Παγδατής, Arabic language, Arabic: ماركوس بغداتيس); born 17 June 1985 is a Greek Cypriot former professional tennis player and coach. He was the runner-up at the 2006 Aus ...

and

Stanislas Wawrinka Stanislas "Stan" Wawrinka (; born 28 March 1985) is a Swiss professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), first achieved on 27 January 2014. Wawrinka has won 16 ATP T ...

in the first round. The fifth title of Tecău's career and fourth partnering Lindstedt came at the Connecticut Open. The final saw them beating

Rohan Bopanna Rohan Machanda Bopanna ( ; born 4 March 1980) is an Indian professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. He attained the List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players, world No. 1 ranking after winning his first Grand Slam (tenni ...

and

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi ( Punjabi, ; born 17 Mar 1980) is a Pakistani professional tennis player who specialises in doubles. He is the only Pakistani player ever to reach a Grand Slam final, having done so in both men's and mixed doubles at the ...

, this being their second title win against the Indian-Pakistani pair.

2011

Horia started season alongside his partner Lindstedt at the

Brisbane International The Brisbane International established in 2009 is a professional tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Hard courts, outdoor hardcourts in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia. It is a WTA 500 tournaments, WTA 500 tournament and an ATP World T ...

. They had a good start and reached the final of the tournament but a calf injury of Lindstedt forced them to retire after just one set and thus losing the match to the

Lukáš Dlouhý Lukáš Dlouhý (born 9 April 1983) is a retired professional Czech tennis player on the ATP Tour. A doubles specialist, Dlouhý reached a career-high ranking of World No. 5 in June 2009. Career Dlouhý has been part of two long-term doubles p ...

/ Paul Hanley pair. At the Auckland Open, Horia was the defending champion and seeded No. 1 with Robert but they were forced to withdraw due to the Swede's left calf injury sustained just days earlier. At the

Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...

Horia and Robert were eleventh seed but despite leading 1–0 in the first round match against wildcards Colin Ebelthite and Adam Feeney they were forced to retire yet again due to Robert's injury. After the year's first Grand Slam, Horia decided to give his partner, Robert, time to recover and paired with experienced doubles player, Belgian Dick Norman, for the Zagreb Indoors. This was a successful choice and they reached the tournament final and won it. Following the Zagreb title, Horia paired for the next two tournaments with Austrian Julian Knowle and Pakistani

but with little success, exiting both competitions after the first round. He then paired with fellow countryman Victor Hănescu for their biggest doubles title to date, the 500 point Mexican Open. In the final, they beat Brazilians

and

Bruno Soares Bruno Fraga Soares (; born 27 February 1982) is a Brazilian former professional tennis player who specialised in doubles. A doubles specialist, Soares won six Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major titles, the 2016 Australian Open – Men's d ...

in straight sets. In April, Horia and Lindstedt defended their title in

, after an impressive display and losing just one set in the first round of the tournament. He had a good grass-court season with two finals together with Lindstedt, losing in the final of Wimbledon to the Bryan twins. At the return to clay, he defended his win at Swedish Open, again with Lindstedt.

2012: Masters 1000 doubles title, end of doubles relationship with Lindstedt

Tecău and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the Australian Open mixed-doubles final on 29 January. He reached the semifinals in men's doubles with Lindstedt and lost to Bob and Mike Bryan in a close three-setter. Together they also reached the final of a Masters 1000 for the first time at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open. At the Summer Olympics, Tecău and teammate Adrian Ungur lost in the first round. In August 2012, Tecău and Lindstedt won the biggest title together, the Masters 1000 title at the 2012 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Tecău and Lindstedt separated in September 2012 after a fruitful three-year relationship where they won a total of 10 titles.

2013: Three more doubles titles with Mirnyi

Tecău paired up with

Max Mirnyi Maksim Mikalaevich "Max" Mirnyi (born 6 July 1977) is a Belarusian former professional tennis player. Mirnyi became a doubles specialist following his singles career, in which he reached a career-high of World No. 18 (August 2003) and finished ...

for 2013. They reached five finals and won three of them.

2014–2019: Two Grand Slam doubles titles, world No. 2, Olympic Silver

Tecău and his partner

won 2015 Wimbledon defeating

Jamie Murray Jamie Robert Murray (born 13 February 1986) is a British professional tennis player who specialises in doubles. He is a seven-time Grand Slam (tennis), major doubles champion (five in mixed doubles and two in men's doubles), a Davis Cup winne ...

and

John Peers John William Peers (born 25 July 1988) is an Australian professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. He reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 2 on 3 April 2017, and a singles ranking of No. 456 in June 2012. He has ...

in the final and the 2017 US Open defeating

Feliciano López Feliciano López Díaz-Guerra (; born 20 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high singles ATP rankings, ranking of world No. 12 in March 2015 and doubles ranking of world No. 9 in November 2016. ...

and

Marc López Marc López Tarrés (, ; born 31 July 1982) is a Spanish tennis coach and a former professional player. His career-high ATP singles ranking was world No. 3 in doubles, achieved in January 2013 and No. 106, achieved in May 2004. Partnering wi ...

in the final. He won the 2016 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy and the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with Florin Mergea.

2020–2022: Major doubles semifinal, an ATP title, and retirement

He qualified with his new partner German

Kevin Krawietz Kevin Krawietz (born 24 January 1992) is a German professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. He achieved his career-high doubles ranking of world No. 5 on 10 February 2025. Krawietz has won eleven doubles titles on the ATP Tour, inclu ...

on 4 November 2021 for the 2021 ATP Finals with whom he won his 38th title in Halle. Tecău played his last match at the 2021 ATP Finals before his retirement. However he postponed his retirement when he was called back to play doubles in the 2022 Davis Cup with

Marius Copil Marius Copil (born 17 October 1990) is a Romanian professional tennis player, competing currently on the ATP Challenger Tour. His career-high singles ranking is No. 56 achieved on 28 January 2019. Copil is known for his Fastest recorded tennis s ...

where they won their match against Spain duo

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (born 5 June 1999) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 21 achieved on 21 August 2023 and a doubles ranking of No. 196 achieved on 21 February 2022. He is cur ...

and Pedro Martínez (tennis). He was announced as the Billie Jean King Cup captain for Romania in March 2022.

Personal life

Tecău was chosen by Sony Pictures to dub Charles Darwin's voice in Romanian in the animated movie ''The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!''.

Significant finals

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 5 (2 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Mixed doubles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)

Year-end championships

Doubles: 1 (1 title)

Masters 1000 finals

Doubles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Olympic medal matches

Doubles: 1 (silver medal)

ATP career finals

Doubles: 62 (38 titles, 24 runner-ups)

Performance timelines

Doubles

¹ Held as Hamburg Masters (outdoor clay) until 2008, Madrid Masters (outdoor clay) 2009 – present.
² Held as Stuttgart Masters (indoor hard) until 2001, Madrid Masters (indoor hard) from 2002 to 2008, and Shanghai Masters (outdoor hard) 2009 – present.

Mixed doubles

ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals

Singles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)

Doubles: 38 (20 titles, 18 runner-ups)

Junior Grand Slam finals

Boys' doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner–ups)

ATP Tour career earnings

References

Publication

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tecau, Horia 1985 births Sportspeople from Constanța Romanian male tennis players Living people Wimbledon junior champions Tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic tennis players for Romania Olympic silver medalists for Romania Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in tennis Australian Open (tennis) champions Wimbledon champions US Open (tennis) champions Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' doubles ITF World Champions 21st-century Romanian sportsmen