Benjamin Nicholas Monroe (born April 12, 1982) is an American professional
tennis player
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...
. He has won 4
ATP World Tour
The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
doubles titles and 13
ATP Challenger Tour
The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments. The Challenger Tour events are the second-highest tier of tennis competition, behind the ATP T ...
titles in his career.
College career
Monroe had a highly successful college career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2000 to 2004. His achievements include:
* University of North Carolina's Senior Male Student-Athlete of the Year (2003–2004)
* All-American Status (2003–2004)
* All-ACC Status (2002–2004)
* 2nd in all-time singles wins (100) at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
* Recipient of the
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He started to play tennis at six years old. He was the first black player selected to the Un ...
Regional Sportsmanship Award (2003–2004)
* National and Regional NCAA/ITF
John Van Nostrand Sportsmanship Awards (2003–2004)
Professional career
2001
Nicholas competed in doubles in his first main-draw Futures match. He and partner (compatriot) Tripp Phillips lost in the first round of USA F21. This was the only tour event he competed in 2001.
[
]
2002
Monroe reached the quarterfinals of his first Futures tournament
The ITF World Tennis Tour (formerly known as the ''ITF Men's World Tennis Tour'', and previously ''ITF Men's Circuit'') is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world that are organized by the International Tennis Federation. ...
in singles play, USA F11, played in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
in July.
2003
Nicholas won his first Futures doubles match, partnering Yannis Vlachos to the semifinals of Slovenia F1.[
]
2004: Turned Pro
After playing only four Futures events in 2003, Monroe played, from June, a full schedule in 2004. In his first doubles tournament of the year, he reached his first final, partnering Jonathan Igbinovia
Jonathan Igbinovia (born 27 December 1980) is a Nigerian former professional tennis player.
A native of Lagos, Igbinovia had a best singles world ranking of 461 and competed for the Nigeria Davis Cup team from 1998 to 2007, registering 31 over ...
. In August he reached his first singles semifinal, at Indonesia F2 in Makassar
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
. In October, Monroe captured his first doubles Futures title, in doubles, partnering Márcio Torres
Márcio Torres (born 24 January 1981) is a tennis player from Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 2 ...
, at Venezuela F3. He won a second two weeks later, Mexico F17, playing alongside Jeremy Wurtzman. Later in November, Monroe played in his first Challenger tournament
The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments. The Challenger Tour events are the second-highest tier of tennis competition, behind the ATP T ...
, the Puebla Challenger in Puebla, Mexico, losing in the first round to Santiago González. In doubles, he and Wurtzman reached the semifinals. Three weeks later in Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, however, he won two Challenger matches to reach the quarterfinals.
2005
His first full year as a professional, Nicholas played ITF Circuit and USTA
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
Pro Circuit events. He reached his first final and won his first singles title at the ITF Circuit event in South Africa, when he defeated Stephen Mitchell. Highly successful in doubles, Nick won four titles in 2005: with Jeremy Wurtzman at the USTA
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
Pro Circuit event in Orange Park, Florida; with Izak van der Merwe
Izak van der Merwe (born 26 January 1984) is a retired South African tennis player.
Van der Merwe had a career high ATP singles ranking of 113 achieved on 1 August 2011.
Van der Merwe represented South Africa at the Davis Cup.
He says he tri ...
at ITF Circuit events in Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
; and with Sam Warburg
Sam Warburg (born April 29, 1983) is an American retired tennis player.
College career
Warburg was a 4-time All-American for Stanford University, and won the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit orga ...
at the ITF Circuit event in Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
Monroe competed in 29 events in 2005, all but one of which were Futures. He lost in the first round of his only main draw Challenger event singles match, to Zack Fleishman
Zachary Rodin Fleishman (born March 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player.
Personal life
Fleishman was born in Santa Monica, and attended UCLA for one year before turning pro. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Shark ...
at the Cuenca Challenger. Monroe won his first singles title, South Africa F1 in late October, defeating Stephen Mitchell in the final.[
]
2006
Nicholas started the year by winning the ITF Circuit title in Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
. A month later, he won another ITF title, this time in Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. He reached the semifinals of a USTA
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
Pro Circuit event in Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
, before reaching back-to-back finals in India. He lost to Karan Rastogi
Karan Rastogi (born 8 October 1986, Mumbai) is an Indian tennis player, who also represented Hong Kong in international competitions. He started playing tennis at the age of 3. He was ranked No.1 in all age groups in India from the under ...
in Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
and defeated Sunil-Kumar Sipaeya in Dehradun
Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...
. He reached another ITF Circuit final in the fall in Japan, where he lost to Satoshi Iwabuchi
is a retired professional tennis player from Japan.
Iwabuchi won one ATP Tour doubles title in his career, the 2005 Japan Open, where he and Takao Suzuki defeated Simon Aspelin
Simon Aspelin (; born 11 May 1974) is a former professional ...
. At the beginning of the year, Nick won consecutive doubles titles on the ITF Circuit with partner Sam Warburg
Sam Warburg (born April 29, 1983) is an American retired tennis player.
College career
Warburg was a 4-time All-American for Stanford University, and won the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit orga ...
in Mexico and Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
.[
]
2007
Nicholas began the year by attempting to qualify for the 2007 Australian Open. He defeated Jeremy Chardy in his first round singles qualifying match. He reached consecutive ITF Futures events in Japan, where he lost to Gouichi Motomura
(born 25 December 1973) is a retired Challenger tour and Japan Davis Cup team tennis player. Over a 16-year period, Motomura captured four Challenger titles, all in doubles, and is tied for the most Davis Cup ties played by a Japanese player ...
both times. He won two titles at ITF Futures events in Mexico and won a USTA
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
Pro Circuit event in Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, where he defeated Robert Yim
Robert Yim (born February 25, 1985) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
Yim was given a wildcard into the main draw of the 2003 US Open and lost in straight sets to Todd Martin
Todd Martin (born July 8, 1970) is a ...
in the final. The fall of 2007 saw Monroe reach the semifinals of USTA
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
Pro Circuit events in Manchester, Texas, where he lost to eventual champion Michael McClune
Michael McClune (born August 22, 1989) is an American professional tennis player.
He turned professional in 2007, was represented by IMG and signed a lucrative contract with Nike.
Junior career
Michael was a finalist at the 2007 Luxilon Cup ...
, and Waikoloa, Hawaii where he lost to Lester Cook
Lester Cook (born April 24, 1984) is an American former professional tennis player.
As a junior, he was top 5 in the country in the 18 and under division, finishing 4th place at the prestigious Kalamazoo Hard Court Nationals and 3rd in the Inte ...
. He partnered with Izak van der Merwe
Izak van der Merwe (born 26 January 1984) is a retired South African tennis player.
Van der Merwe had a career high ATP singles ranking of 113 achieved on 1 August 2011.
Van der Merwe represented South Africa at the Davis Cup.
He says he tri ...
to win the USTA
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
Pro Circuit doubles title in Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
.[
]
2012: Challenger circuit doubles success
Nicholas won the Challenger in Medellin, Colombia (doubles) with his partner Maciek Sykut.
He also won two doubles Challengers in Mexico with German partner, Simon Stadler
Simon Stadler (; born 20 July 1983 in Heidelberg, West Germany) is a German retired professional left-handed tennis player. He reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 140 in February 2009 and his career-high doubles ranking of world ...
.
2013–2015: First Three ATP doubles titles
Nicholas had his best year as a professional in 2013, finishing the year with a doubles Ranking
A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second.
In mathematics, this is known as a weak order or total preorder of o ...
of World No. 53.
In January 2013, Monroe and partner Raven Klaasen
Raven Klaasen ( ; born 16 October 1982) is a South African professional tennis player who specialises in doubles.
He achieved his career-high doubles ranking of world No. 7 in August 2019, and has won 19 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, includi ...
made it to the semifinals of the 2013 Aircel Chennai Open, falling to Benoît Paire
Benoît Paire (; born 8 May 1989) is a French professional tennis player.
His best result in a Grand Slam has been reaching the fourth round, which he has achieved on four occasions. He has won three singles titles, at the 2015 Swedish Open, t ...
and Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas "Stan" Wawrinka (; born 28 March 1985) is a Swiss professional tennis player. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ATP rankings, ranking of world No. 3 for the first time on 27 January 2014. His ca ...
, after a surprise quarterfinal win over the #1 Seeds Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi (born 7 June 1974) is an Indian former doubles world No. 1 tennis player. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a major tournament (with Rika Hiraki). With his win at the 2006 Australian Open mixed doubles, he ...
and Daniel Nestor
Daniel Mark Nestor ( ; sr, Данијел Нестор, Danijel Nestor; born September 4, 1972) is a Canadian former professional tennis player.
Nestor won 91 men's doubles titles (with 11 different partners), including an Olympic gold medal
...
.
He then teamed up successfully with Simon Stadler
Simon Stadler (; born 20 July 1983 in Heidelberg, West Germany) is a German retired professional left-handed tennis player. He reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 140 in February 2009 and his career-high doubles ranking of world ...
to play the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They made it to the final, falling to the Italian pair of Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini (; born 24 May 1987) is an Italian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ranking of world No. 9 achieved on 15 July 2019. He is currently ranked (July 2022) in 64th place by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ...
and Simone Bolelli
Simone Bolelli (; born 8 October 1985) is an Italian professional tennis player. Bolelli is a Grand Slam champion, having won the 2015 Australian Open doubles event with Fabio Fognini, together becoming the first all-Italian men's pair to win a ...
. In July 2013, he won his first ATP title in doubles also with Stadler at the 250 level at the 2013 Bastad Skistar Swedish Open and reached the final of the 2013 Umag Open in Croatia also on clay.
2017–18: Continued doubles success: First Masters final & US Open quarterfinal, top 30 debut
Following three semi-final finishes in Chennai, Auckland and Quito all with Artem Sitak
Artem Yurievich Sitak ( ; russian: Артём Юрьевич Ситак, Artyom Sitak; born 8 February 1986) is a Russian-born New Zealand professional tennis player. On 11 August 2008, he reached his highest ATP singles ranking of Wor ...
, Monroe reached a top 40 doubles ranking of No. 39 on 3 April 2017 after the biggest run of his career to the final of the 2017 Miami Open
The 2017 Miami Open presented by Itaú (also known as 2017 Miami Masters) was a professional men and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 32nd edition of the Miami Open, and part of the Masters 1000 category on th ...
with Jack Sock
Jack Sock (born September 24, 1992) is an American professional tennis player. He has won four career ATP singles titles and 17 doubles titles, and has career-high rankings of world No. 8 in singles (on 20 November 2017) and world No. 2 in dou ...
. He later peaked at a career-high of No. 30 on 2 October 2017 after reaching his ninth final at the 2017 ATP Shenzhen Open partnering Nikola Mektic
Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montene ...
.
Partnering Artem Sitak
Artem Yurievich Sitak ( ; russian: Артём Юрьевич Ситак, Artyom Sitak; born 8 February 1986) is a Russian-born New Zealand professional tennis player. On 11 August 2008, he reached his highest ATP singles ranking of Wor ...
he reached the third round at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships
The 2017 Wimbledon Championships was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The main draw matches commenced on 3 July 2017 and concluded on 16 July 20 ...
for their first time at this Major and in his career. With John-Patrick Smith
John-Patrick Tracey "JP" Smith (born 24 January 1989) is an Australian professional tennis player who competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour, both in singles and doubles. He attended the University of Tennessee from 2007 through 2011 where ...
at the 2017 US Open (tennis)
The 2017 US Open was the 137th edition of tennis' US Open and the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year. It was held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Experimental rules featured ...
, he reached the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam also for the first time in his career.
The pair also won the title at the 2018 Atlanta Open, and reached earlier in February 2018 the final at the 2018 Delray Beach Open
The 2018 Delray Beach Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 26th edition of the tournament, and part of the World Tour 250 category of the 2018 ATP World Tour. It took place in Delray Beach, United States be ...
, Monroe’s tenth.
2019–2020: Thirteenth final, Second Major quarterfinal at the French Open
Monroe reached the final of the 2019 Winston-Salem Open partnering compatriot Tennys Sandgren
Tennys Sandgren II ( ; born July 22, 1991) is an American professional tennis player. He has achieved a career-high ATP singles ATP rankings, ranking of No. 41 on January 14, 2019. He broke into the top 100 of the ATP rankings toward the end of 2 ...
.
Partnering fellow American Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul (4 March 1909 – 28 April 1991) was a world featherweight boxing champion from Buffalo, New York. He won the world featherweight championship in May 1932, defeating Johnny Pena in a boxing tournament in Detroit. He was inducted in ...
, he also reached at the 2020 French Open
The 2020 French Open was a Grand Slam (tennis), major tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. Originally scheduled for 24 May to 7 June, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was firs ...
the second doubles Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career.
2021–2022: Australian Open third round
He reached the third round at the 2021 Australian Open
The 2021 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park, on 8–21 February 2021. It was the 109th edition of the Australian Open, the 53rd in the Open Era, and the first Major tournament of the year. It was ...
for the first time at this Major partnering Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe Jr. ( ; born January 20, 1998) is an American professional tennis player. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has ranked Tiafoe as high as world No. 17 in singles, on October 10, 2022, and world No. 160 in doubles, on No ...
.
He entered the main draw at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships was a Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tier tennis tournament that took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. Novak Djokovic successfully defended his gentleme ...
as an alternate pair again with Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul (4 March 1909 – 28 April 1991) was a world featherweight boxing champion from Buffalo, New York. He won the world featherweight championship in May 1932, defeating Johnny Pena in a boxing tournament in Detroit. He was inducted in ...
.
World TeamTennis
Nicholas has played three seasons with World TeamTennis
World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973.
The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a ...
starting in 2006 when he debuted in the league with the Springfield Lasers
The Springfield Lasers are a World TeamTennis franchise. The franchise was purchased and donated to the city of Springfield, Missouri by the Cooper family in 1996. They play their home matches at Cooper Tennis Complex, Mediacom Stadium at Cooper ...
, followed by a season with the Kansas City Explorers
The Kansas City Explorers were a World TeamTennis team that played at the Barney Allis Plaza in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA. The team also played in Kemper Arena from 1993 until 2001. Following the 2012 season, it was announced that th ...
in 2012 and the Washington Kastles
The Washington Kastles is one of eight franchises that compete in World TeamTennis.
Based in Washington, D.C., since 2008, the Kastles won the WTT championship in the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons. The team is named for Kastle S ...
in 2019. It was announced that he will re-joining the Washington Kastles
The Washington Kastles is one of eight franchises that compete in World TeamTennis.
Based in Washington, D.C., since 2008, the Kastles won the WTT championship in the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons. The team is named for Kastle S ...
during the 2020 WTT season set to begin July 12 at The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is a luxury resort located in the Allegheny Mountains near White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the United States.
Since 1778, visitors have traveled to this part of the state to "take the waters" of the ...
.
Significant finals
ATP Masters 1000 finals
Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)
ATP career finals
Doubles: 13 (4 titles, 9 runner-ups)
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Doubles: 33 (13–20)
Doubles performance timeline
''Current after the 2022 French Open
The 2022 French Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 22 May to 5 June 2022, comprising singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. Junior and wheelchair ...
.''
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monroe, Nick
1982 births
Living people
African-American male tennis players
American male tennis players
North Carolina Tar Heels men's tennis players
Sportspeople from Oklahoma City
Tennis people from North Carolina
Tennis people from Oklahoma
Tennis players at the 2011 Pan American Games
Sportspeople from Manhattan Beach, California
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in tennis
Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people