Denis Kudla
 |
|
| Country (sports) |
 United States
|
|---|---|
| Residence | Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Born |
August 17, 1992 Kiev, Ukraine |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Turned pro | 2008 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,514,957 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 29–59 (ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draws, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 53 (May 23, 2016) |
| Current ranking | No. 131 (October 17, 2016) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2016) |
| French Open | 1R (2013, 2016) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2015) |
| US Open | 2R (2013) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 7–19 (ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draws, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 196 (July 7, 2014) |
| Current ranking | No. 265 (October 17, 2016) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2016) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2013) |
| US Open | 2R (2013) |
| Last updated on: 17 October 2016. | |
Denis Kudla (born August 17, 1992) is an American professional tennis player.
Kudla moved from Ukraine to Fairfax, Virginia on his first birthday and soon became an American citizen. He began playing tennis at age 7, in part because his older brother Nikita played tennis, but also because many of his father's friends played. He would tag along as Nikita took informal lessons from their father in Fairfax's Van Dyck Park. Kudla's father, Vladimir Kudla, a successful architect, took his family out of Ukraine shortly after the Soviet Union collapsed. Kudla's parents came to the USA not speaking a word of English, but learned it within a few years.
His mother got permission to pick him up from elementary school one hour early so they could go from Fairfax to the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Maryland, where she’d wait through his two-hour practices, drive him home while he slept, then wake him for dinner and homework. At age 13, they moved to Arlington, where Kudla was set to matriculate at Washington-Lee High School. But six hours of court time each day left no room for traditional high school, so starting in ninth grade, he was home-schooled at JTCC and had to commute on his own to practice in College Park via Metro, lugging two racket bags and changing trains twice during rush hour. "My parents were strict, but not crazy strict. I was never spoiled. I wanted tennis. It was always my dream." One of Kudla's favorite experiences was visiting the White House for the 2013 Easter Egg Roll as he got to meet President Barack Obama, and NFL Pro Bowlers Anquan Boldin and Adrian Peterson.
Kudla is an avid fan of sports, as he supports the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Nationals and occasionally the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Celtics. He also enjoys watching the Premier League as he supports Chelsea F.C.. Kudla enjoys hanging out at the beach, and also hanging out with friends. Kudla models his game after Spaniard David Ferrer, and his idol is Roger Federer. Early in his career, Kudla worked out with trainer Greg Petrosian down in Boca Raton where he still trains. He currently works with trainer Chris May and is coached by Billy Heiser, who also coaches fellow American Tim Smyczek.
...
Wikipedia