HUBERT HURKACZ

Nationality:

Poland

Height:

196cm

Age:

Points:

3600

RANKING
#8

Player history

Hubert Hurkacz was born in Wroclaw, Poland on February 11, 1997. He was number 9 in the ATP singles rankings in November 2021 and number 30 in doubles in June 2022. In singles he won five titles, including the Miami Masters 1000 in 2021. In the Grand Slam trials he was a semifinalist in the 2021 edition of the Wimbledon tournament. In doubles he boasts four titles, including two Masters 1000: Paris 2020 with Félix Auger-Aliassime, and Miami 2022 with John Isner. Together with Iga Swiatek and Agnieszka Radwanska, Hurkacz is the most representative player of his country.

Hurkacz started playing tennis at the age of five after his mother introduced him to the sport while she was training. His mother and father were his first teachers, but he later signed up for lessons and began to play more consistently. He later became interested in professional tennis after seeing Roger Federer on television.

He stated that if tennis wasn't his future, he would have pursued basketball or auto racing, or continued his education. By 2014, Hurkacz had established himself as a member of the group of the most talented young Polish tennis players of the time, alongside Kamil Majchrzak and Jan Zieliński.

Hurkacz grew up in an athletic family. His mother was a junior tennis champion in Poland and one of his uncles, Tomasz Maliszewski, played tennis professionally. His grandfather was also an international volleyball player. When asked if his family history shaped him to become the athlete he became, Hurkacz replied: "Sports genes, motivation in the family, love of sports. I think they helped me a lot!"

Hubert, in a recent interview talked about the memorable match that saw him triumph in the quarterfinals against Roger Federer in the 2021 edition of Wimbledon. He said: "I've always loved watching Roger Federer play. He's an incredible player and person. If I could borrow anything from his game, it would definitely be the way he committed himself to his shots, his plan and his ideas." It was something really amazing."

On July 7, 2021, Hubert Hurkacz beat Roger Federer 6-3 6-3 6-0 on Wimbledon Center Court. No one ever imagined that this would be the last match at Wimbledon of the Swiss Maestro. The 20-time Grand Slam champion said goodbye to tennis played at the 2022 Laver Cup.

Hurkacz said about that match at Wimbledon against Federer: "Being the last one to beat Federer is a fault I hope you will forgive me! Seriously, playing against him at Wimbledon, with the stands of the Center Court full was incredible. I still get chills, however I hope that in my career I won't be remembered only for this. In the end the score doesn't count, the second set I remember as very tense.

Then the third ended like this. Of course we all know that Federer will be remembered for his exploits, not because he took 6-0 off me. Roger Federer. he was my idol when I started, as a child, but imitating him is impossible."

Career

After playing a few Davis Cup matches in 2016 and 2017, in 2018 he tries to qualify for the Australian Open, but is ousted in the second round by Matteo Berrettini. After playing in several Challenger tournaments, he officially enters the main circuit at the end of April when he passes the qualifiers in Budapest, then losing in the first round in three sets to Lorenzo Sonego. He then fails the qualifiers in Istanbul.

At the Roland Garros qualifiers, he surpassed Hugo Grenier, Yannick Hanfmann and Marco Trungelliti, accessing the main draw of a Major for the first time in his career. In the first round he overtook Tennys Sandgren 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, thus winning his first Grand Slam match. In the second round, he lost to the number three seed Marin Cilic 2-6, 2-6, 7-63, 5-7. He then wins the Challenger in Poznań.

At Wimbledon qualifying he was defeated in the decisive round by Christian Garín; he still conquers the main draw as a lucky loser and is immediately defeated by Bernard Tomic with a score of 4-6, 2-6, 6-7.

At the end of the season, he failed to qualify in Tokyo and was defeated in the first round of the Shanghai tournament. He then conquers the Brest Challenger and qualifies for the Next Generation ATP Finals. He is placed in group A, with Stefanos Tsitsipas, Frances Tiafoe and Jaume Munar, and finishes in third place with a victory over Munar and two defeats. Thus he ends the season at number 86 in the standings.

He entered the draw by right at the 2019 Australian Open, but was defeated in four tie-breaks by Ivo Karlovic. He fared no better in Montpellier, where he was defeated by Ernests Gulbis in straight sets. In Marseille, he overcame Filip Krajinović in the first round 6-3, 6-2, but in the second round he was defeated by world number eleven Stefanos Tsitsipas with a score of 6-4, 6-2. He has an unlucky draw at Roland Garros, where he faces world number one Novak Djokovic who beats him 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Given the premature exit from the second Slam of the season, he takes part in the Poznan Open, where he defended his title, and reaches the semifinals. At Wimbledon, he overcame number thirty-two seed Dusan Lajović 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round, in the second round he beat Leonardo Meyer 64-7, 6-1, 7- 67, 6-3. In the third round he faced Djokovic again and was once again defeated with a score of 5-7, 7-6, 1-6, 4-6.

He takes part in the Winston-Salem tournament, where he is credited by the number three seed. After a bye in the first round, he beat Lee Duck-hee 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the second round, in the third round he took advantage of the retirement of former world number twelve Feliciano Lopez, on a score of 6-3, 3 -1 in favor of the Polish. In the quarterfinals he eliminated Frances Tiafoe in a comeback and in the semifinals he beat Denis Shapovalov in straight sets. Thus he reaches the first final of his career, where he beats Benoit Paire with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, thus winning his first title. This result allows him to climb to position number 35 in the standings. At the US Open he lost in the first round in five sets to Jerémy Chardy.

After the long stop due to the pandemic, in 2020, he returned to the court at the Cincinnati tournament, exceptionally played in New York, but was defeated in the first round in straight sets. The following week at the US Open, he defeated Peter Gojowczyk in three sets, only to lose to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in four sets in the following round. He then takes part in the Kitzbühel tournament, and is defeated in the second round by Maximilian Marterer.

At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, he beat Daniel Evans in three sets in the first round, in the following round he got the better of ATP number 12 Andrej Rublëv, thus accessing the round of 16, where he was defeated by future finalist Diego Schwartzman. He returned to action two weeks later at Roland Garros but was knocked out in the first round by Tennys Sandgren with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 9-11.

He then reached the quarterfinals in Cologne, stopped by Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets. In Vienna he beat Attila Balázs in the first round but was then defeated by Lorenzo Sonego. A week later he took part in the Bercy tournament but was eliminated in the first round by Radu Albot in three sets, he did better in doubles where, paired with Félix Auger-Aliassime, he reached the first specialty final. On November 8, he won his first doubles title with a score of 63-7, 7-67, beating Mate Pavić and Bruno Soares. Thus he finished the year at number 34 in singles and 72 in doubles.

His 2021 season begins in Delray Beach, where as the number four seed receives a first-round bye. He reaches his second final of his career without losing a single set, in the second round he overcomes Daniel Elahi Galán, in the quarterfinals Roberto Quiroz while in the semifinals he gets the better of Christian Harrison. On 13 January he won his second career title by beating Sebastian Korda in the final with a double 6-3. On April 4, he won the Miami Open, the first victory of a Masters 1000 in his career, defeating Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the final.

In 2022 he obtained his first title on grass-court, beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the Halle final. He also got the Rogers Cup final, but he was defeated in three sets by Pablo Carreno Busta. In 2023, at the Australian Open, he was defeated by Sebastian Korda in teh 4th round.

The Pole outlines his goals for 2023: "2023 can be a good season for me. My goal is to keep improving and as a result I hope to be able to win some major tournaments. Besides tennis, my biggest dream is to participate in some car race one day. And as far as life off the pitch is concerned, I really want to be able to help others in the future."

Style of play

While all tennis players are taught to keep an eye on the ball, Hurkacz does the exact opposite. In a 2019 interview with L'Équipe, he admitted: "I confess, it's true, I close my eyes when I hit the ball. In fact, I've probably always played like this, and it's been a while since the last time I was noticed."

Hurkacz plays full-court with an emphasis on defensive baseline play, and former top 10 player Wojciech Fibak said: "Hurkacz is an excellent and versatile player who can attack, accelerate and defend."

Talking about his unique moves, Hurkacz explains: "I always like grass courts, when you play on hard courts or clay it's probably best not to dive in as when you fall off the dive you can scratch yourself, on grass, it's quite comfortable. Sometimes, trying to reach a ball that's far enough away, you just have to."

Hurkacz is an effective server, with a high serve capable of reaching 151mph and can hit hard from both forehand and backhand. But like many of the tour's most powerful players, consistency has been described as an issue. Hurkacz plays solidly from the back of the court. He plays a low, flat, dangerous ball while he keeps the ball in court. He has also been described as a serve and volley player, especially on grass courts.

His trainer, Craig Boynton, summed up Hurkacz's style by comparing it to Andy Murray: "I think if you look at him, people have said that he sort of mirrors Andy Murray with a similar routine of the return, a backhand a bit ' similar. He's a little taller than Andy. Andy's movement was phenomenal. But Hubi is also a very good athlete."

Hubert Hurkacz, in a recent interview granted to Relevant Tennis, he returned to talk about the memorable match that saw him triumph in the quarterfinals against Roger Federer in the 2021 edition of Wimbledon, which ended the Swiss' hope of trying to win the twenty-first title of his career. The Pole, in that match, managed to beat Federer in three sets, finishing in the third with an incredible 6-0.

He explained: "I've always loved watching Roger Federer play. He's an incredible player and person. If I could borrow anything from his game, it would definitely be the way he committed himself to his shots, his plan and his ideas. It was something really incredible."

About Iga Swiatek he told: "Iga is doing an incredible job. I think there are a lot of tennis fans in Poland. But there are still some things to do for tennis to become more accessible to everyone and that will be great. For example, it would be good to see more ATP and WTA 250 level tournaments in Poland. These events could also include activities for the kids, so they can meet the best players to get motivated and inspired. There are still some things that can be done to improve the Polish tennis movement and make it better for children and young athletes. Globally, I hope tennis becomes a little more accessible and grows over the next couple of years."

Private life

Little is known about the tennis player's private life. According to his social profiles, he doesn't seem to have a girlfriend. On his Instagram profile, which has more than 168,000 followers, Hurkacz mainly posts photos from the playing fields: hubihurkacz.

A storm has engulfed Polish Tennis Federation president Miroslaaw Skrzypczyski in 2022. Last October, the Onet portal opened an investigation into alleged abuses and violence carried out by Skrzypczynski, even against underage tennis players, when he worked as a coach at the Energetyk Gryfino Club in the 1990s.

The man pleaded innocent and specifically asked the newspaper that he carried out the investigation to publish the names and surnames of the sources who fueled the story. A new verbal complaint was made by Katarzyna Kotula, a member of the Polish Parliament.

The woman, like a former tennis player who preferred not to reveal her identity, said she had suffered violence and abuse on more than one occasion. "He attacked me at least a dozen times over three years. I was a little girl, I was 13. He was a predator."

Hubert Hurkacz said about the issue: "I support all women and all victims of abuse. No coach or guardian should use their power and position against anyone. Any aggression, whether in sport or outside of it, must be condemned and punished. I hope that the competent authorities will react to the press reports on the affair involving the president of the Polish Federation. Mirostaw Skrzypczynski."

Net Worth and Endorsement

Hubert Hurkacz's current net worth for 2023 is $4 million. He won prize money of $8,328,476 from tennis. Hurkacz is known to play with the VCORE PRO 97 racket, which is also used by Stan Wawrinka, Hyeong Chung and Frances Tiafoe.

In January of this year, the Pole joined the Tokyo-based company. Hurkacz will wear the Lotos logo on the sleeve of his clothing at Grand Slam tournaments and on the chest at other ATP tournaments as part of the deal. Lotos receives advertising rights and image building for the promotional efforts, and Hurkacz is already the ambassador of the national Lotos Rackets tennis promotion program in Poland.

Grupa Lotos- Poland's largest oil and gas company has a history of supporting young Polish athletes. In August this year, the Gdańsk-based company became Hubert Hurkacz's main partner. Their current contract will keep them together through the 2022 season.

According to the official ATP website, Hubert Hurkacz has earned $2,909,217 in prize money in singles and $397,995 in doubles in 2022. In addition, he has earned a reported $8,216,522 in prize money in his entire career, including both singles and doubles tennis. The player is approved by Yonex and Lotos. Furthermore, it is expected that in the coming years he will have great confirmations.