Julian Knowle
Julian Knowle is an Austrian male professional tennis player. Being a born left-hander, Knowle is now one of the few on the ATP Tour who plays his forehand, backhand, and even volleys double-handed. He was Austria's most successful doubles player in history by reaching world no. 6 in the ATP doubles rankings in January 2008, before being matched by Jürgen Melzer, who reached no. 6 in September 2010, and overtaken by Alexander Peya, who reached no. 3 in August 2013.
Tennis career
Knowle was a successful player on the ATP Challenger Series, winning the Challenger tournaments in Kyoto, Caracas, Graz n and Andrezieux n and reaching the finals in Yokohama, Bristol, Besançon n and Graz. He also won several Futures tournaments. Knowle's best ATP singles ranking was world no. 86 in July 2002. His final appearance in the main draw of a singles tournament was in the Graz Challenger in 2005 where he reached the quarterfinals.2004
Knowle reached his first of two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon in 2004 with Nenad Zimonjić of Serbia. Eventually, the team was defeated in four sets by Jonas Björkman and Todd Woodbridge. The only Austrian to reach a final at Wimbledon before was Georg von Metaxa in doubles in 1938, where he too lost.2005-2006
In 2005 Knowle teamed up with Czech Petr Pála for several months without being able to continue his successful run with Zimonjić. This changed when he formed a team with fellow Austrian player and left-hander Jürgen Melzer, joining him throughout most of 2005 and 2006. Together, they won two tournaments in doubles and reached another five finals.2007
Following Melzer's hand injury in early 2007, Knowle found a new partner in Simon Aspelin of Sweden.At the 2007 US Open, seeded tenth with Aspelin, Knowle achieved the greatest triumph of his career by winning the tournament, his first Grand Slam. In the first two rounds, they won over Kubot/Skoch and got a walkover over Calleri/Horna. They went on to upset eighth seeds Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in the third round. In the quarterfinals, they shocked the top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, having lost to them only weeks before. In the semifinals, they held off unseeded Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut, 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, before winning the final 7–5, 6–4 over the ninth seeds, Pavel Vízner and Lukáš Dlouhý. They had previously won three tournaments together. This win put them into the no. 5 position in the ATP Doubles Race, and also gave Knowle his first top-10 ranking in doubles.
Knowle was the second of so-far three Austrian tennis players to win a Grand Slam tournament. The first Austrian to win a Grand Slam tournament was Thomas Muster at the 1995 French Open; the third was Jürgen Melzer, who won the 2010 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles and later the 2011 US Open – Men's Doubles with his German partner Philipp Petzschner.
Their excellent first year as a team enabled Knowle and Aspelin to participate in the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, China for the first time. They surprisingly made it all the way to the final, beating Pavel Vízner and Lukáš Dlouhý, Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra, and finally Martin Damm and Leander Paes, before eventually falling in straight sets to Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor 2–6, 3–6.
Their first Masters Cup participation put the duo into the no. 3 spot of the ATP Doubles Race for the first time.
In December 2007, Knowle suffered acute hearing loss.
2008
Knowle and Aspelin were not able to continue their successful 2007 run, reaching five semifinals together in the 2008 season and reaching the third round of the French Open as their best Grand Slam result.With Jürgen Melzer, Knowle participated at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. They defeated the German duo of Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schüttler in three sets in the first round, before being knocked out of the tournament by Bob and Mike Bryan, 6–7, 4–6.
2009
Starting early 2009, Knowle formed a team with fellow Austrian Jürgen Melzer once more, though occasionally also teaming with other players. Knowle and Melzer enjoyed little success on the tour in the first half of 2009, before their performance improved significantly in the later weeks, winning titles in New Haven and Tokyo and reaching another final in Vienna. Unfortunately, their success came too late in the year for them to qualify for the Masters Cup.2010
In 2010, Knowle played the first months of the year with Sweden's Robert Lindstedt. Together, they reached the doubles final in Marseille, where they lost in straight sets. Due to little success on the tour together, Knowle and Lindstedt parted ways, with Knowle teaming with Andy Ram from Israel. Their best performance came at the French Open, where they surprisingly reached the semifinals.2011
Knowle's 2011 season was plagued by numerous injuries. Following a groin injury, he teamed up once more with Simon Aspelin, but they had little success. A torn muscle fascicle in April ended their partnership, forcing Knowle to pause for six weeks. His planned return to the tour failed, when a partially torn tendon prevented his participation in the French Open to defend his semifinal success from the previous year.2012
After dropping out of the top 80 of doubles players in late 2011 for the first time in 10 years, Knowle slowly made his way back to the top 50 in 2012, teaming with several different partners, including Michael Kohlmann, Paul Hanley, František Čermák, and Filip Polášek. He reached the doubles final in Estoril with David Marrero and won the Kitzbühel tournament with Cermak, claiming his first title since Tokyo in 2009. He also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon with Daniele Bracciali, and did the same at the US Open with Polášek.At the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, Knowle made a surprise return to singles competition, surviving three qualifying rounds to become the oldest player to ever qualify for an ATP tournament at age 38. He lost in the first round to Albert Ramos in straight sets.
2013
In April, Knowle won the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca with Filip Polášek, winning the final over the German team of Dustin Brown and Christopher Kas.ATP career finals
Doubles: 44 (19 titles, 25 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | 2002 Copenhagen Open – Doubles| | Copenhagen Open, Denmark | International | Hard |  Michael Kohlmann |  Jiří Novák Radek Štěpánek | 7–6, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1–1 | 2002 Majorca Open – Doubles| | Majorca Open, Spain | International | Clay | Michael Kohlmann |  Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–1 | 2002 Croatia Open – Doubles| | Croatia Open, Croatia | International | Clay | František Čermák |  Albert Portas Fernando Vicente | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–1 | 2003 Tata Open – Doubles| | Chennai Open, India | International | Hard | Michael Kohlmann | František Čermák Leoš Friedl | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Loss | 3–2 | 2003 Copenhagen Open – Doubles| | Copenhagen Open, Denmark | International | Hard | Michael Kohlmann | Tomáš Cibulec Pavel Vízner | 5–7, 7–5, 2–6 |
| Loss | 3–3 | 2003 Miller Lite Hall of Fame Championships – Doubles| | Hall of Fame Championships, US | International | Grass |  Jürgen Melzer |  Jordan Kerr David Macpherson | 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 4–3 | 2003 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles| | St. Petersburg Open, Russia | International | Carpet |  Nenad Zimonjić | Michael Kohlmann Rainer Schüttler | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 4–4 | 2004 BMW Open – Doubles| | Bavarian Championships, Germany | International | Clay | Nenad Zimonjić |  James Blake Mark Merklein | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 4–5 | 2004 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles| | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grand Slam | Grass | Nenad Zimonjić |  Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 1–6, 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Win | 5–5 | 2005 BMW Open – Doubles| | Bavarian Championships, Germany | International | Clay |  Mario Ančić | Florian Mayer Alexander Waske | 6–3, 1–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 6–5 | 2005 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles| | St. Petersburg Open, Russia | International | Carpet | Jürgen Melzer | Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi | 4–6, 7–5, 7–5 |
| Loss | 6–6 | 2006 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Doubles| | US Clay Court Championships, US | International | Clay | Jürgen Melzer | Michael Kohlmann Alexander Waske | 7–5, 4–6, |
| Win | 7–6 | 2006 Grand Prix Hassan II – Doubles| | Grand Prix Hassan II, Morocco | International | Clay | Jürgen Melzer | Michael Kohlmann Alexander Waske | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 7–7 | 2006 Open de Moselle| | Open de Moselle, France | International | Hard | Jürgen Melzer |  Richard Gasquet Fabrice Santoro | 6–3, 1–6, |
| Loss | 7–8 | 2006 BA-CA-TennisTrophy – Doubles| | Vienna Open, Austria | International | Hard | Jürgen Melzer | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner | 4–6, 6–3, |
| Loss | 7–9 | 2006 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles| | St. Petersburg Open, Russia | International | Carpet | Jürgen Melzer | Simon Aspelin Todd Perry | 1–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 7–10 | 2007 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships – Doubles| | US Indoor Tennis Championships, US | Intl. Gold | Hard | Jürgen Melzer | Eric Butorac Jamie Murray | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 8–10 | 2007 Hypo Group Tennis International – Doubles| | ATP Pörtschach, Austria | International | Clay | Simon Aspelin | Leoš Friedl David Škoch | 7–6, 5–7, |
| Win | 9–10 | 2007 Gerry Weber Open – Doubles| | Halle Open, Germany | International | Grass | Simon Aspelin | Fabrice Santoro Nenad Zimonjić | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Win | 10–10 | 2007 Swedish Open – Doubles| | Swedish Open, Sweden | International | Clay | Simon Aspelin |  Martín García Sebastián Prieto | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 11–10 | 2007 US Open – Men's Doubles| | US Open, US | Grand Slam | Hard | Simon Aspelin | Lukáš Dlouhý Pavel Vízner | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 11–11 | 2007 Tennis Masters Cup – Doubles| | Tennis Masters Cup, China | Masters Cup | Hard | Simon Aspelin | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 11–12 | 2008 Hypo Group Tennis International – Doubles| | ATP Pörtschach, Austria | International | Clay | Jürgen Melzer |  Marcelo Melo André Sá | 5–7, 7–6, |
| Loss | 11–13 | 2009 Open 13 – Doubles| | Open 13, France | 250 Series | Hard |  Andy Ram | Arnaud Clément Michaël Llodra | 6–3, 3–6, |
| Win | 12–13 | 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Doubles| | Connecticut Open, US | 250 Series | Hard | Jürgen Melzer | Bruno Soares Kevin Ullyett | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Win | 13–13 | 2009 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships – Doubles| | Japan Open, Japan | 500 Series | Hard | Jürgen Melzer | Ross Hutchins Jordan Kerr | 6–2, 5–7, |
| Loss | 13–14 | 2009 Bank Austria-TennisTrophy – Doubles| | Vienna Open, Austria | 250 Series | Hard | Jürgen Melzer |  Łukasz Kubot Oliver Marach | 6–2, 4–6, |
| Loss | 13–15 | 2010 Open 13 – Doubles| | Open 13, France | 250 Series | Hard | Robert Lindstedt | Julien Benneteau Michaël Llodra | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 13–16 | 2011 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy – Doubles| | Romanian Open, Romania | 250 Series | Clay | David Marrero |  Daniele Bracciali Potito Starace | 6–3, 4–6, |
| Loss | 13–17 | 2012 Estoril Open – Men's Doubles| | Estoril Open, Portugal | 250 Series | Clay | David Marrero |  Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi Jean-Julien Rojer | 5–7, 5–7 |
| Win | 14–17 | 2012 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel – Doubles| | Austrian Open, Austria | 250 Series | Clay | František Čermák | Dustin Brown Paul Hanley | 7–6, 3–6, |
| Loss | 14–18 | 2012 Erste Bank Open – Doubles| | Vienna Open, Austria | 250 Series | Hard |  Filip Polášek | Andre Begemann Martin Emmrich | 4–6, 6–3, |
| Loss | 14–19 | 2013 Qatar Open – Doubles| | Qatar Open, Qatar | 250 Series | Hard | Filip Polášek | Christopher Kas Philipp Kohlschreiber | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 15–19 | 2013 PBZ Zagreb Indoors – Doubles| | Zagreb Indoors, Croatia | 250 Series | Hard | Filip Polášek | Ivan Dodig Mate Pavić | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 16–19 | 2013 Grand Prix Hassan II – Doubles| | Grand Prix Hassan II, Morocco | 250 Series | Clay | Filip Polášek | Dustin Brown Christopher Kas | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 16–20 | 2013 Erste Bank Open – Doubles| | Vienna Open, Austria | 250 Series | Hard | Daniel Nestor |  Florin Mergea Lukáš Rosol | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 16–21 | 2013 Swiss Indoors – Doubles| | Swiss Indoors, Switzerland | 500 Series | Hard | Oliver Marach |  Treat Huey Dominic Inglot | 3–6, 6–3, |
| Win | 17–21 | 2014 Heineken Open – Doubles| | Auckland Open, New Zealand | 250 Series | Hard | Marcelo Melo | Alexander Peya Bruno Soares | 4–6, 6–3, |
| Win | 18–21 | 2014 Gerry Weber Open – Doubles| | Halle Open, Germany | 250 Series | Grass | Andre Begemann |  Marco Chiudinelli Roger Federer | 1–6, 7–5, |
| Loss | 18–22 | 2014 Erste Bank Open – Doubles| | Vienna Open, Austria | 250 Series | Hard | Andre Begemann | Jürgen Melzer Philipp Petzschner | 6–7, 6–4, |
| Loss | 18–23 | 2015 Qatar ExxonMobil Open – Doubles| | Qatar Open, Qatar | 250 Series | Hard | Philipp Oswald | Juan Mónaco Rafael Nadal | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 18–24 | 2015 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles| | St. Petersburg Open, Russia | 250 Series | Hard | Alexander Peya | Treat Huey Henri Kontinen | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Loss | 18–25 | 2016 Kremlin Cup – Men's Doubles| | Kremlin Cup, Russia | 250 Series | Hard | Jürgen Melzer |  Juan Sebastián Cabal Robert Farah | 5–7, 6–4, |
| Win | 19–25 | 2017 Swedish Open – Men's Doubles| | Swedish Open, Sweden | 250 Series | Clay | Philipp Petzschner | Sander Arends Matwé Middelkoop | 6–2, 3–6, |