Guillermo Pérez Roldán


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, beating Alberto Mancini, Tore Meinecke, Patrik Kühnen and Stefan Edberg on the way, before being knocked out by Andre Agassi.

Tennis career

Juniors

Pérez Roldán had an excellent junior career, winning the French Open Boys' Singles championship on his favored red clay in both 1986 and 1987 – since the open era, he is the only individual to have captured the Boys' Singles championship at the French Open more than once.
Junior Grand Slam results:
Australian Open: -

French Open: W

Wimbledon: 2R

US Open: 3R

Pro tour

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, beating Alberto Mancini, Tore Meinecke, Patrik Kühnen and Stefan Edberg before losing to Andre Agassi. 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 quarter-finals of the French Open that year.
Pérez Roldán is currently tied for tenth on the list of most titles won by a teenager in the Open Era.
His career-high singles ranking was World No. 13, and his career prize-money earnings totalled $1,686,341. In the early 1990s, his career was hamstrung by injuries, and he finally retired from the professional tour in 1996.

Personal life

He is married to Daniela with whom he has three sons. He has alleged suffering extensive physical, mental and financial abuse during his tennis career from his coach and father Raul Perez Roldan.

Career finals

Singles

ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0May 1987Munich, GermanyClay Marián Vajda6–3, 7–6
Win2–0Jun 1987Athens, GreeceClay Tore Meinecke6–2, 6–3
Loss2–1Jul 1987Hilversum, NetherlandsClay Miloslav Mečíř4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 2–6
Win3–1Nov 1987Buenos Aires, ArgentinaClay Jay Berger3–2 ret.
Win4–1May 1988Munich, GermanyClay Jonas Svensson7–5, 6–3
Loss4–2May 1988Rome, ItalyClay Ivan Lendl6–2, 4–6, 2–6, 6–4, 4–6
Loss4–3Jul 1988Hilversum, NetherlandsClay Emilio Sánchez3–6, 1–6, 6–3, 3–6
Loss4–4Aug 1988Prague, CzechoslovakiaClay Thomas Muster4–6, 7–5, 2–6
Loss4–5Nov 1988Buenos Aires, ArgentinaClay Javier Sánchez2–6, 6–7
Loss4–6Sep 1989Geneva, SwitzerlandClay Marc Rosset4–6, 5–7
Win5–6Sep 1989Palermo, ItalyClay Paolo Canè6–1, 6–4
Loss5–7Mar 1990Casablanca, MoroccoClay Thomas Muster1–6, 7–6, 2–6
Loss5–8Apr 1990Barcelona, SpainClay Andrés Gómez0–6, 6–7, 6–3, 6–0, 2–6
Loss5–9Jul 1990Stuttgart Outdoor, GermanyClay Goran Ivanišević7–6, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7
Win6–9Aug 1990San MarinoClay Omar Camporese6–3, 6–3
Loss6–10Apr 1991Munich, GermanyClay Magnus Gustafsson6–3, 3–6, 3–4, ret.
Win7–10Jul 1991San MarinoClay Frédéric Fontang6–3, 6–1
Win8–10Mar 1992Casablanca, MoroccoClay Germán López2–6, 7–5, 6–3
Loss8–11Jun 1992Genova, ItalyClay Andrei Medvedev3–6, 4–6
Win9–11Mar 1993Casablanca, MoroccoClay Younes El Aynaoui6–4, 6–3

Doubles

ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Jul 1988Hilversum, NetherlandsClay Magnus Gustafsson Sergio Casal
Emilio Sánchez Vicario		6–7, 3–6
Loss0–2Sep 1988Geneva, SwitzerlandClay Gustavo Luza Mansour Bahrami
Tomáš Šmíd		4–6, 3–6
Loss0–3Sep 1989Geneva, SwitzerlandClay Mansour Bahrami Andrés Gómez
Alberto Mancini		3–6, 5–7