Kenneth Carlsen
 |
|
| Country (sports) |
 Denmark
|
|---|---|
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Born |
17 April 1973 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Turned pro | 1992 |
| Retired | 2007 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $2,990,980 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 266–288 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 41 (7 June 1993) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 4R (1993) |
| French Open | 2R (1993, 1994) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1993, 1994, 2004) |
| US Open | 3R (1995) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 3R (1996) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 40–62 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 134 (5 April 2004) |
Kenneth Carlsen (born 17 April 1973) is a Danish former professional tennis player, who was active between 1992 and 2007. Carlsen played left-handed with a one-handed backhand. His greatest asset was his powerful serve, and his game was therefore best suited to fast surfaces (grass and hardcourt). For most of his long career Carlsen was Denmark's best tennis player, and consistently among the few Danish players playing at the highest international level. He was awarded as best Danish "Tennis Player of the Year" seven times by the Danish Tennis Federation (first time in 1991, last time in 2005). Two times the award went to the Danish Davis Cup team, of which Kenneth Carlsen until 2003 was a central part (having a 29–13 record in singles).
Carlsen began playing tennis at age nine, and in his teens became one of the best juniors in the world. He finished as no. 3 in the world in 1991. He turned full-time professional in 1992, and his breakthrough as senior in a major tournament came at the Copenhagen Open where he beat top-20 player Alexander Volkov in the first round. Later that year, he reached the final in Brisbane—-only his fourth ATP tournament. His debut in the 1993 Australian Open confirmed his position among the best players in the world as he went to the fourth round. The same year he reached his career-best singles ranking as World No. 41 in June. Since 1993 he was for most of the time ranked within the Top 100. In 1994 he played the most famous match of his career when he beat Stefan Edberg in five sets at Wimbledon.
In 1996 he reached the final of the tournament that triggered his career, Copenhagen Open, but lost to Cédric Pioline. The next year he reached the final in Auckland, but this time lost to Jonas Björkman. This saw his ranking shoot up 20 spots to World No. 52. In 1999, Carlsen reached the final in Newport, but lost to Chris Woodruff.
In 2000 he suffered from a serious shoulder injury, and underwent surgery twice. As a result, he did not play any tournaments that year. His recovery was relatively slow, and he could not return to professional tennis until June 2001. His long absence from the sport, however, did not seem to affect his playing negatively. In 2002 he won his second ATP tournament in Tokyo, and in 2005 he won the Regions Morgan Keegan Championship in Memphis at almost 32 years old. His resurgence saw him in June 2005 become World No. 50.
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