Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player. He won two Grand Slam singles titles, the 1996 French Open and the 1999 Australian Open, and a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He also won four Grand Slam doubles titles, and is the last male player to have won both the men's singles and doubles titles at the same Grand Slam tournament. In 2019, Kafelnikov was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Career
In his breakthrough year in 1994, Kafelnikov won three titles, reached the Hamburg Masters final and beat world top-5 players on six occasions. His ranking rose from 102 at the beginning of the year, to a year-end ranking of 11.In 1995, he reached his first Grand Slam semifinals, beating world no. 1 Andre Agassi in straight sets in the quarterfinals. He also defeated three top-10 players on his way to the title in Milan.
At the 1996 French Open, Kafelnikov became the first Russian to ever win a Grand Slam title, defeating Michael Stich in the final in straight sets, having beaten world no. 1 Pete Sampras in the semifinals.
Kafelnikov was finalist at the 1997 ATP Tour World Championships, and won three titles during that season. In doubles, he won both the French Open and US Open partnering Daniel Vacek.
At the 1999 Australian Open, 10th seed Kafelnikov won his second singles Grand Slam title, defeating Thomas Enqvist in the final in four sets. He also won in Rotterdam and Moscow, was runner-up at the Canadian Open and reached the semifinals of the US Open.
Seeded fifth, Kafelnikov won the gold medal in the men's singles tournament at the 2000 Olympic Games, beating second seed Gustavo Kuerten in the quarterfinals and Tommy Haas in the final in five sets. He also reached the final of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the French Open.
In 2001, he defeated world no. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in the quarterfinals of the US Open for the loss of just seven games, before losing to Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals. Kafelnikov was also a finalist at the Paris Masters, quarterfinalist at the Australian Open and French Open, and won a record fifth consecutive title in Moscow.
Kafelnikov won his fourth and final doubles Grand Slam at the French Open in 2002, partnering Paul Haarhuis, and his final career singles title, in Tashkent. He was also a member of Russia's Davis Cup-winning team in 2002.
Kafelnikov played his last ATP-tour match in October 2003. In total, he won 53 titles across singles and doubles during his career, and he remains the last male player to win both singles and doubles titles at the same Grand Slam.
Post-retirement
Since retiring from tennis, Kafelnikov cashed three times at the 2005 World Series of Poker. He also played golf on the European Tour at the 2005, 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Russian Open, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Austrian Open, and the 2014 Czech Masters, plus several Challenge Tour events, without making any cuts.During the 2008 Miami Masters, Kafelnikov coached Marat Safin. In 2009 and 2010, he participated in the ATP Champions Tour, finishing in third place in tournaments in Chengdu, Bogota and São Paulo.
Major finals
Grand Slam: 8 (6–2)
Singles: 3 (2–1)
Doubles: 5 (4–1)
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
Winner | 1996 | French Open | Clay | Daniel Vacek | Jakob Hlasek Guy Forget | 6–2, 6–3 |
Winner | 1997 | French Open | Clay | Daniel Vacek | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 7–6, 4–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 1997 | US Open | Hard | Daniel Vacek | Jonas Björkman Nicklas Kulti | 7–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 2002 | French Open | Clay | Paul Haarhuis | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 7–5, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2003 | French Open | Clay | Paul Haarhuis | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–7, 3–6 |
Olympic Games
Singles: 1 (1 gold medal)
Year-End Championships
Singles: 1 (0–1)
ATP Masters Series: 16 (7–9)
Singles: 5 (0–5)
Doubles: 11 (7–4)
ATP Career finals
Singles: 46 (26 titles, 20 runner-ups)
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
Winner | 1. | 10 January 1994 | Adelaide, Australia | Hard | Alexander Volkov | 6–4, 6–3 |
Winner | 2. | 7 March 1994 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Carpet | Daniel Vacek | 6–3, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 1. | 9 May 1994 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Andrei Medvedev | 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Winner | 3. | 29 August 1994 | Long Island, USA | Hard | Cédric Pioline | 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
Winner | 4. | 20 February 1995 | Milan, Italy | Carpet | Boris Becker | 7–5, 5–7, 7–6 |
Winner | 5. | 27 March 1995 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Carpet | Guillaume Raoux | 6–2, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2. | 24 April 1995 | Nice, France | Clay | Marc Rosset | 4–6, 0–6 |
Winner | 6. | 17 July 1995 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Jakob Hlasek | 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 7. | 28 August 1995 | Long Island, USA | Hard | Jan Siemerink | 7–6, 6–2 |
Winner | 8. | 8 January 1996 | Adelaide, Australia | Hard | Byron Black | 7–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 3. | 11 March 1996 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Goran Ivanišević | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 4. | 1 April 1996 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Carpet | Magnus Gustafsson | 2–6, 6–7 |
Winner | 9. | 6 May 1996 | Prague, Czech Republic | Clay | Bohdan Ulihrach | 7–5, 1–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 10. | 10 June 1996 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | Michael Stich | 7–6, 7–5, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 5. | 24 June 1996 | Halle, Germany | Grass | Nicklas Kulti | 7–6, 3–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 6. | 22 July 1996 | Stuttgart, Germany | Clay | Thomas Muster | 2–6, 2–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 11. | 7 October 1996 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Arnaud Boetsch | 7–5, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 7. | 4 November 1996 | Paris, France | Carpet | Thomas Enqvist | 2–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
Runner-up | 8. | 11 November 1996 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Goran Ivanišević | 6–3, 1–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 12. | 16 June 1997 | Halle, Germany | Grass | Petr Korda | 7–6, 6–7, 7–6 |
Winner | 13. | 18 August 1997 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Patrick Rafter | 7–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 14. | 10 November 1997 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Petr Korda | 7–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 9. | 17 November 1997 | Year-End Championships, Hanover | Hard | Pete Sampras | 3–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 10. | 9 February 1998 | Marseille, France | Hard | Thomas Enqvist | 4–6, 1–6 |
Winner | 15. | 2 March 1998 | London, UK | Carpet | Cédric Pioline | 7–5, 6–4 |
Winner | 16. | 15 June 1998 | Halle, Germany | Grass | Magnus Larsson | 6–4, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 11. | 21 September 1998 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard | Tim Henman | 5–7, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 12. | 2 November 1998 | Stuttgart, Germany | Hard | Richard Krajicek | 4–6, 3–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 17. | 16 November 1998 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Goran Ivanišević | 7–6, 7–6 |
Winner | 18. | 1 February 1999 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Thomas Enqvist | 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 7–6 |
Winner | 19. | 22 February 1999 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Tim Henman | 6–2, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 13. | 9 August 1999 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Thomas Johansson | 6–1, 3–6, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 14. | 23 August 1999 | Washington, D.C., USA | Hard | Andre Agassi | 6–7, 1–6 |
Winner | 20. | 15 November 1999 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Byron Black | 7–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 15. | 30 January 2000 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Andre Agassi | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 16. | 28 February 2000 | London, UK | Hard | Marc Rosset | 4–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 21. | 2 October 2000 | Olympics, Sydney, Australia | Hard | Tommy Haas | 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 22. | 30 October 2000 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | David Prinosil | 6–2, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 17. | 27 November 2000 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard | Thomas Johansson | 2–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 23. | 19 February 2001 | Marseille, France | Hard | Sébastien Grosjean | 7–6, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 18. | 17 September 2001 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard | Marat Safin | 2–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 24. | 8 October 2001 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Nicolas Kiefer | 6–4, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 19. | 5 November 2001 | Paris, France | Carpet | Sébastien Grosjean | 6–7, 1–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 25. | 17 June 2002 | Halle, Germany | Grass | Nicolas Kiefer | 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Winner | 26. | 16 September 2002 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard | Vladimir Voltchkov | 7–6, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 20. | 3 February 2003 | Milan, Italy | Carpet | Martin Verkerk | 4–6, 7–5, 5–7 |
Doubles: 41 (27–14)
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
Runner-up | 1. | 7 February 1994 | Marseille, France | Carpet | Martin Damm | Jan Siemerink Daniel Vacek | 7–6, 4–6, 1–6 |
Winner | 1. | 11 April 1994 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | David Rikl | Jim Courier Javier Sánchez | 5–7, 6–1, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2. | 25 April 1994 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Daniel Vacek | Nicklas Kulti Magnus Larsson | 6–3, 6–7, 4–6 |
Winner | 2. | 2 May 1994 | Munich, Germany | Clay | David Rikl | Boris Becker Petr Korda | 7–6, 7–5 |
Winner | 3. | 16 May 1994 | Rome, Italy | Clay | David Rikl | Wayne Ferreira Javier Sánchez | 6–1, 7–5 |
Winner | 4. | 24 October 1994 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Jakob Hlasek | Martin Damm Patrick Rafter | 6–7, 7–6, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 3. | 27 March 1995 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Carpet | Jakob Hlasek | Martin Damm Anders Järryd | 4–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 5. | 10 April 1995 | Estoril, Portugal | Clay | Andrei Olhovskiy | Marc-Kevin Goellner Diego Nargiso | 5–7, 7–5, 6–2 |
Winner | 6. | 15 May 1995 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Wayne Ferreira | Byron Black Andrei Olhovskiy | 6–1, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 4. | 26 June 1995 | Halle, Germany | Grass | Andrei Olhovskiy | Jacco Eltingh Paul Haarhuis | 2–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Winner | 7. | 31 July 1995 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Andrei Olhovskiy | Brian MacPhie Sandon Stolle | 6–2, 6–2 |
Winner | 8. | 23 October 1995 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Jakob Hlasek | John-Laffnie de Jager Wayne Ferreira | 6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 5. | 26 February 1996 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet | Menno Oosting | Jonas Björkman Nicklas Kulti | 4–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 9. | 1 April 1996 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Carpet | Andrei Olhovskiy | Nicklas Kulti Peter Nyborg | 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 10. | 6 May 1996 | Prague, Czech Republic | Clay | Daniel Vacek | Luis Lobo Javier Sánchez | 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 |
Winner | 11. | 10 June 1996 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Daniel Vacek | Jakob Hlasek Guy Forget | 6–2, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 6. | 24 June 1996 | Halle, Germany | Grass | Daniel Vacek | Byron Black Grant Connell | 1–6, 5–7 |
Winner | 12. | 30 September 1996 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard | Daniel Vacek | David Adams Menno Oosting | 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 13. | 14 October 1996 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet | Daniel Vacek | Pavel Vízner Menno Oosting | 7–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 7. | 4 November 1996 | Paris, France | Carpet | Daniel Vacek | Jacco Eltingh Paul Haarhuis | 4–6, 6–4, 6–7 |
Winner | 14. | 9 June 1997 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Daniel Vacek | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 7–6, 4–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 15. | 14 July 1997 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Daniel Vacek | Trevor Kronemann David Macpherson | 4–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 16. | 8 September 1997 | US Open, New York | Hard | Daniel Vacek | Jonas Björkman Nicklas Kulti | 7–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 17. | 23 February 1998 | Antwerp, Belgium | Hard | Wayne Ferreira | Tomás Carbonell Francisco Roig | 7–5, 3–6, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 8. | 2 March 1998 | London, England | Carpet | Daniel Vacek | Martin Damm Jim Grabb | 4–6, 5–7 |
Winner | 18. | 19 October 1998 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet | Daniel Vacek | David Adams John-Laffnie de Jager | 7–5, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 9. | 16 November 1998 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Daniel Vacek | Jared Palmer Jeff Tarango | 4–6, 7–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 19. | 19 April 1999 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Paul Haarhuis | Massimo Bertolini Cristian Brandi | 7–5, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 10. | 21 February 2000 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard | Tim Henman | David Adams John-Laffnie de Jager | 7–5, 2–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 20. | 24 April 2000 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Wayne Ferreira | Paul Haarhuis Sandon Stolle | 6–3, 2–6, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 11. | 15 May 2000 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Wayne Ferreira | Martin Damm Dominik Hrbatý | 4–6, 6–4, 3–6 |
Winner | 21. | 16 October 2000 | Vienna, Austria | Hard | Nenad Zimonjić | Jiří Novák David Rikl | 6–4, 6–4 |
Winner | 22. | 19 March 2001 | Indian Wells, United States | Hard | Wayne Ferreira | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 6–2, 7–5 |
Winner | 23. | 14 May 2001 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Wayne Ferreira | Daniel Nestor Sandon Stolle | 6–4, 7–6 |
Winner | 24. | 29 October 2001 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Hard | Denis Golovanov | Irakli Labadze Marat Safin | 7–5, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 12. | 22 April 2002 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Paul Haarhuis | Jonas Björkman Todd Woodbridge | 3–6, 6–3, |
Winner | 25. | 10 June 2002 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Paul Haarhuis | Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor | 7–5, 6–4 |
Winner | 26. | 17 March 2003 | Indian Wells, United States | Hard | Wayne Ferreira | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 3–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 13. | 9 June 2003 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Paul Haarhuis | Bob Bryan Mike Bryan | 6–7, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 14. | 21 July 2003 | Stuttgart, Germany | Clay | Kevin Ullyett | Tomáš Cibulec Pavel Vízner | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 27. | 4 August 2003 | Washington, D.C., United States | Hard | Sargis Sargsian | Chris Haggard Paul Hanley | 7–5, 4–6, 6–2 |
Performance timelines
Singles
Doubles
Top 10 wins
Team titles
2002 – Davis Cup winner with Russia2000, 2001, 2002 - World Team Cup finalist with Russia
Tennis records
- He played exclusively with and endorsed racquets from Austrian company Fischer throughout his career.
- One of eleven players to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon ; the other ten being Jiří Novák, Tim Henman, Mario Ančić, Rafael Nadal, Tomáš Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic and Kevin Anderson.
- In the episode of Sports Night "Shane", Dan and Jeremy spend over an hour recording and rerecording a ten-second commercial voiceover because Dan cannot say Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
- Kafelnikov is the only male player in the open era to have won two or more Grand Slam singles titles without also winning a Masters Series title, despite having reached five Masters Series finals.
- Kafelnikov owns the best career winning percentage against Roger Federer amongst those with more than four matches against him. Kafelnikov is 4–2 against Federer, joined by Àlex Corretja, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the only players with winning records against Federer in more than four matches. See: Roger Federer career statistics.
- He won the Kremlin Cup in Moscow for a record five consecutive times from 1997 to 2001.
Other interests
- Kafelnikov is an avid supporter of Spartak Moscow FC.
- Kafelnikov is a professional golfer, he has won the Russian Championship of Golf in 2011.
- Kafelnikov starred in Virtua Tennis, an arcade tennis game. In the PlayStation 2 version, he has a strong backhand.
Awards
;2002: The Russian Cup in the nomination Team of the Year