Jiří Veselý

Jiří Veselý (; born 10 July 1993) is a Czech professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 35 on 27 April 2015.

Youth career

Veselý reached the No. 1 junior combined world ranking in January 2011, compiling a singles win–loss record of 125–45.

Professional career

2012–2015: Grand Slam debut, first singles and doubles titles, Top 35

Veselý made his Davis Cup debut for Czech Republic in February 2013, and to date has nine singles titles on the ITF Futures circuit to his name and three Challengers.

2016: Two ATP top 10 wins, including over the World No. 1 Djokovic, Wimbledon fourth round

At the 2016 US Open, Veselý beat Saketh Myneni in the first round and set up a rematch of Monte Carlo with world number one Novak Djokovic. However, Veselý pulled out before the match was set to begin because of a left arm injury.

2017–2020: Second doubles title, second singles title & first since 2015

In 2020 Maharashtra Open, Veselý once again required three sets, saving four match points to defeat Ričardas Berankis, to advance to his first tour-level final since April 2015. He defeated Egor Gerasimov in three sets to win the title.

2022: Second victory over Djokovic, first ATP 500 final

Veselý started his 2022 season at the Adelaide International 1. He lost in the first round to sixth seed Tommy Paul. Getting past qualifying at the Sydney Classic, he was defeated in the first round by Brandon Nakashima. At the Australian Open, he was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by American wildcard Stefan Kozlov.

Seeded fourth and defending champion from when the Maharashtra Open was last held in 2020, Veselý failed to defend his title; he lost in the quarterfinals to sixth seed and eventual finalist, Emil Ruusuvuori. As a result, his ranking fell from 80 to 123; he exited the top 100 for the first time since the beginning of 2020. In February, as the top seed at the Bengaluru Open, he retired after losing the first set to opponent, sixth seed Enzo Couacaud, due to fatigue caused by a bout of food poisoning.

In Doha, he lost in the first round to Arthur Rinderknech. Ranked World No. 123 at the time, Veselý qualified for the Dubai Championships by defeating Hady Habib and Alexei Popyrin. He reached the quarterfinals with victories over world No. 24 Marin Čilić and eighth seed and world No. 15, Roberto Bautista Agut. In the quarterfinals, he recorded his second career victory over Novak Djokovic, defeating the World No. 1 in straight sets to reach the semifinal, his first since 2020 in Pune. This victory also allowed Daniil Medvedev to ascend to the World No. 1 ranking, marking the first time a male player outside the Big Four held the number 1 ranking since Andy Roddick in 2004. He then defeated sixth seed and world No. 14, Denis Shapovalov, in three sets to reach his first ATP 500 final claiming his third top-20 win in the tournament. He lost the final in straight sets to second seed and world No. 7, Andrey Rublev. After the tournament, his ranking improved from 123 to 74.

In March, Veselý competed at the Challenger di Roseto degli Abruzzi II. As the top seed, he lost in the first round to Nino Serdarušić. Seeded fourth at the Andalucía Challenger, he reached the semifinals where he was defeated by Jaume Munar. At the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh, he retired in the third set during his first-round match against Malek Jaziri. In Estoril, he lost in the first round to qualifier Hugo Dellien. At the Mutua Madrid Open, he fell in the first round of qualifying to David Goffin. At Roland Garros, he was beaten in the first round by Steve Johnson.

Veselý started his grass-court season at the Nottingham Open. Seeded second, he lost in the first round to British tennis player, Ryan Peniston. Seeded second at the Ilkley Trophy, he made it to the quarterfinals where he was defeated by fifth seed and eventual finalist, Jack Sock. At Wimbledon, he reached the third round where he lost to 30th seed and world No. 32, Tommy Paul.

After Wimbledon, Veselý played at the Hall of Fame Open. Seeded seventh, he withdrew from his second-round match against Steve Johnson.

In August, Veselý competed at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open. Seeded second, he lost in the second round to Gilles Simon. Seeded second at the Championnats Banque Nationale de Granby, he was defeated in the first round by American qualifier Aidan Mayo. At the US Open, he lost in the first round to 20th seed and world No. 23, Dan Evans.

2023–24: Return to the Tour, Major third round, back to top 300

Veselý entered the 2023 Surbiton Trophy using protected ranking. He won his first ATP tour level match after his return at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships defeating 22nd seed Sebastian Korda also with protected ranking. Again using his protected ranking, Veselý matched his best performance in the US Open by reaching the third round. He defeated qualifier Enzo Couacaud and 20th seed Francisco Cerúndolo, both in five sets but lost to qualifier Borna Gojo.

Coaches

Veselý's former coaches were Jaroslav Navrátil and Dušan Lojda. In December 2015, Veselý began to work with Tomáš Krupa, formerly the longtime coach of Tomáš Berdych.

Performance timelines

Singles

''Current through the 2024 Australian Open.''

Doubles

''Current through the 2022 Qatar ExxonMobil Open.''

ATP Tour finals

Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals

Singles: 23 (18 titles, 5 runner-ups)

Doubles: 10 (6 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Best Grand Slam results details

Wins over top 10 players

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vesely, Jiri
1993 births
Living people
Australian Open (tennis) junior champions
Czech male tennis players
Sportspeople from Příbram
Tennis players from the Central Bohemian Region
Tennis players at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Hopman Cup competitors
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' singles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' doubles
Youth Olympic gold medalists for the Czech Republic
21st-century Czech sportsmen