Wayne Odesnik
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceWeston, Florida, United States
Born (1985-11-21) November 21, 1985
Johannesburg, South Africa
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro2004
Retired2015 (banned)
PlaysLeft-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$1,155,255
Singles
Career record41–58
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 77 (13 April 2009)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open2R (2010)
French Open3R (2008)
Wimbledon1R (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013)
US Open2R (2007, 2008)
Doubles
Career record4–3
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 393 (12 May 2008)
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonQ1 (2013)
US Open1R (2009)
Last updated on: 21 November 2022.

Wayne Odesnik (born November 21, 1985) is a South African-born American retired professional left-handed tennis player, with a two-handed backhand. His highest singles ranking was No. 77 in 2009.

Among his biggest upsets were a 2007 win over Ivan Ljubičić, and a 2009 win against Igor Kunitsyn.

Odesnik won his first Futures title in 2003, and won a combined 14 singles titles in Challenger and Future ITF Men's Circuit events. He resides in Weston, Florida, in the United States.

In March 2010, Odesnik pleaded guilty to importing human growth hormone into Australia, and was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation, later reduced to one year on account of his "substantial assistance" with the Federation's anti-doping program. In March 2015 he was handed a 15-year ban after a second doping violation.[1]

Early and personal life

Odesnik and his family emigrated from South Africa to the United States when he was age 3, and he became an American citizen.[2][3] His father, Harold, is a jeweler who owns a store in Aventura, just north of Miami, Florida, and his mother, Janice, is a former South African competitive gymnast who is now a computer coordinator.[3][4] His grandmother, Sylvia, was a professional ice skater.[3]

Odesnik currently resides in Florida.[1]

Tennis career

Odesnik was introduced to tennis at age 7 by his grandmother,[5] and his first tennis club was the Jewish Community Center in North Miami Beach, Florida.[6]

Junior career (2000–01)

In 2000 Odesnik lost in the finals in singles at the Easter Bowl. In 2001 he won the singles title at the El Paso Youth Tennis Centre ITF Tournament, was a semifinalist in both singles and doubles (with Jarrett Chirico) at the USTA Junior International Hard Court Championships, finished in third place in singles and doubles (with Chirico) at the boys’ 16 USTA Super National Hard Court Championships, and was a boys’ 16 singles semifinalist at the USTA Super National Clay Court Championships. He also won the Curaçao Junior Open, and won the doubles title (with Chirico) and at the USTA Super National Spring Championships – The Easter Bowl.[7]

Professional career; 2001–04

Odesnik first competed professionally in 2001, playing only one match. He didn't win anything in 2002, but did go on to win two futures events in Jamaica in 2003, winning the first over Jacob Adaktusson in the final, and the next against Juan Mónaco in the final.

2004 saw Odesnik make three Futures finals late in the season, losing at first to Horia Tecău, then making the second final and again losing to Tecău, then losing in his third final to Brendan Evans. He also participated in the 2004 U.S. Open, after receiving a wildcard entry[8] into the main draw. He lost to David Sánchez. Odesnik reached one Futures doubles final partnering with Zack Fleishman, but lost in the final to Tecău (this time in doubles) and Alex Kuznetsov.

2005

Odesnik reached one Futures doubles final with Josh Goffi, but lost to Scott Lipsky and David Martin. In 2005 singles play, Odesnik won two finals out of five in Futures play, ending the year with a 10-match winning streak. He won two straight titles in tournaments entered, in Honolulu and Waikoloa, Hawaii.[9] He beat Lipsky in the first final, and then beat Sam Querrey a week later on his 20th birthday.[10] He also participated in an ATP Masters Series event, at the Indian Wells Masters, losing in the first round to Fernando Verdasco. He wound up 2005 with a 10-match winning streak[11] and ranked 265 for singles, 1,091 for doubles.

2006

In 2006 Odesnik won three singles titles on the Futures circuit. He lost in straight sets to Raemon Sluiter at the 2005 U.S. Open. He beat Scott Oudsema, in his first title of the Futures year in Little Rock, Arkansas, as he did not drop a set in any of his matches,[11] then Harsh Mankad in Mobile, Alabama to win a title the following week, and then won the Milan Challenger title over bronze Olympic medalist Arnaud di Pasquale in three sets in the final.[9] On April 4, 2006, he was named USTA Circuit Player of the Week.[11] He ended 2006 ranked 194 for singles, and 780 for doubles.[3]

2007

In Challenger events, he reached the finals of Karlsruhe, where he lost to Mischa Zverev. He went on to make the third round of a major-level event, beating Juan Martín del Potro. He then lost to John Isner in three tiebreak sets.[12]

At the August 2007 Rogers Masters, Odesnik had an amazing run. In qualifying he defeated Jan Hernych.[13] He went on to the main draw of the ATP Masters Series Canada, and upset Ivan Ljubičić in three sets, before going down to Frank Dancevic.[14]

At the 2007 U.S. Open, Odesnik beat Danai Udomchoke of Thailand 7–5 in the fifth set to reach the second round.[15] He then lost there to eventual quarterfinalist Juan Ignacio Chela. In October in Sacramento, California, he beat Yen-Hsun Lu in the finals. Later that month in Busan, Korea, he again defeated Lu, before losing in the quarterfinals.

In December, Alex Kuznetsov, Jesse Levine, and Odesnik were invited by the USTA to play off in a round-robin for the wild-card berth in the Australian Open.[16] Levine won the wild card, defeating Odesnik.[17]

Odesnik was 4–3 for the year in ATP play, and 26–17 on the Challenger circuit.[3] He ended 2007 ranked #126 for singles, and #553 for doubles.[3]

2008

In February, at the San Jose International Series, Odesnik defeated Donald Young.[18] In April at the International Series in Houston, Texas, he beat Dudi Sela, and Sergio Roitman. At the World Team Championship in Germany in May he beat Ivo Minář, and in doubles he and partner James Blake beat Lucas Arnold and Sebastián Prieto, and Czechs Tomáš Berdych and Pavel Vízner.[3][19]

In early 2008 Odesnik was coached by Félix Mantilla Botella.[20][21]

At the French Open in May, he beat Cañas 7–6, 7–6, 7–6 in a very tight three-hour and 46-minute match that got him to round 2 of the grand slam.[2][22] "I was just trying not to put [Cañas] on a pedestal in my mind", said Odesnik.[21] He then beat Hyung-Taik Lee in the next round.

At Wimbledon he arrived on court against 24th-seed Jarkko Nieminen with heavy strapping on his thigh, and succumbed to injury after losing the opening set 6–3.[23] Odesnik underwent rehab on an injured Muscle in his left hip; a small tear in his groin that he had suffered in a tournament in Poland.[24]

In August he beat Bobby Reynolds in Los Angeles, Sébastien Grosjean in New Haven, and at the US Open Fabio Fognini. In November Odesnik beat Diego Junqueira in Ecuador. He ended 2008 ranked #119 for singles, and #558 for doubles.[3]

2009

In February, Odesnik won the Home Depot Center USTA Challenger in Carson, California, beating Vincent Spadea in the semifinals. Seeded fourth, Odesnik dropped only one set in five tournament matches—to fifth-seeded Jesse Levine in the quarterfinals, in a match that took over three hours.[25]

In April at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas at River Oaks Country Club, Odesnik defeated third-seeded Jürgen Melzer of Austria (winning 94% of his second-serve points),[26] beat fellow American John Isner in a 2:37 quarterfinal marathon,Mens Clay Court Championship and defeated Björn Phau in the semifinals to reach his first ATP World Tour final, in which he lost to Lleyton Hewitt.[27] Following the tournament, he received his then-career-best world ranking of #77.

As of April 11, in 14 ATP World Tour clay-court matches he had the best winning percentage among Americans on clay; 0.714.[28][29]

At the 2009 French Open Odesnik lost in three hours and 43 minutes on the main Court Philippe Chatrier to the hometown favorite Gilles Simon.[30][31]

At Wimbledon Odesnik lost his first round match to 30th-ranked Jürgen Melzer.[32] The match generated some media attention as a consequence of the patterns of pre-match betting on the result, with the online betting exchange Betfair reporting that unusually large sums for a low-profile match were wagered on the straight sets scoreline.[33] Officials at Betfair did not suspect anything untoward, noting that an announcement had been made on TV shortly before the match that Odesnik was injured.[34]

At the 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships in July, Odesnik beat fourth-seeded Igor Kunitsyn.[35]

2010

On March 26, 2010, after having reached a world ranking of 98 in professional tennis, Odesnik pleaded guilty to importing human growth hormone (HGH) to Australia, prior to the Brisbane International, a warm-up event for the Australian Open. He was fined US$7,000, and faced a multi-year banishment from professional tennis. [36] On April 19, Odesnik agreed to a voluntary suspension from the tour while awaiting a hearing by an independent tribunal, which was expected to take place around June 2010. In the meantime, Odesnik was free to return to the tour at any time.[37]

On May 19, 2010, Odesnik was banned—initially for two years—by the International Tennis Federation, later reduced to one year on account of his "substantial assistance" with the Federation's anti-doping program, after pleading guilty to importing HGH into Australia.[38][39] The suspension was dated to December 29, 2009. As part of the ban, his results since December 29 were erased, and he was required to forfeit his ranking points and prize money. Odesnik was ranked No. 114 and had earned more than $90,000 in prize money in 2010.[40] In January 2013, it was revealed that Odesnik's name appeared in handwritten records of Biogenesis of America, a former Miami sports clinic linked to a performance-enhancing drug scandal in Major League Baseball.[41] In records for 2009, 2010, and 2011, under the heading of 'Tennis' in five client lists, Odesnik's name appeared numerous times; the records indicated that he was billed $500 per month by the clinic.[42] Odesnik denied any connection to the clinic.[43]

2011

Unranked, Odesnik received a main draw wild card for ITF Futures event U.S.A. F1, and reached the quarter-finals. The following week, again as a wild card, he retired from his second round qualifying match. As the season wore on, Odesnik picked up a pair of singles titles at Challenger events: The Savannah Challenger, where he defeated Donald Young in the final, and the Fifth Third Bank Championships, where he beat James Ward.

2012

Odesnik started the year as the sixth seed at the Seguros Bolívar Open, a Challenger event, where he won the singles title by defeating Adrian Ungur in the final. He did not drop a set during the tournament.

2015

On March 18, 2015, Odesnik was handed a 15-year ban after a second doping violation.[1]

Style of play

Odesnik had a modest serve, an excellent forehand, an improving backhand, and good quickness.[2] He also varied his first and second serves, hid the placement of his forehand, and played the angles on the court.[44]

Odesnik undertook sessions with a sports psychologist in 2008.[21] In 2009 he worked with fitness trainer Mikhail Zanko, and coached by Grant Doyle.[3]

ATP career finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Legend
Grand Slam Tournaments (0–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP Masters 1000 Series (0–0)
ATP 500 Series (0–0)
ATP 250 Series (0–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (0–1)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoors (0–1)
Indoors (0–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Apr 2009 Houston, United States 250 Series Clay Australia Lleyton Hewitt 2–6, 5–7


ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals

Singles: 29 (15–14)

Legend
ATP Challenger (7–8)
ITF Futures (8–6)
Finals by surface
Hard (11–10)
Clay (4–4)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 May 2003 Jamaica F3, Montego Bay Futures Hard Argentina Juan Monaco 2–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–0
Win 2–0 Sep 2003 Jamaica F7, Montego Bay Futures Hard Sweden Jacob Adaktusson 7–6(7–3), 6–2
Loss 2–1 Oct 2004 USA F27, Laguna Niguel Futures Hard Romania Horia Tecau 3–6, 2–6
Loss 2–2 Nov 2004 USA F31, Waikoloa Futures Hard Romania Horia Tecau 4–6, 4–6
Loss 2–3 Nov 2004 USA F32, Honolulu Futures Hard United States Brendan Evans 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–7(4–7)
Loss 2–4 Apr 2005 USA F8, Mobile Futures Hard United States Todd Widom 6–4, 4–6, 2–6
Loss 2–5 Jun 2005 USA F13, Auburn Futures Hard United States Ryan Newport 2–6, 3–6
Loss 2–6 Sep 2005 USA F23, Costa Mesa Futures Hard United States Sam Warburg 5–7, 4–6
Win 3–6 Nov 2005 USA F28, Waikoloa Futures Hard United States Scott Lipsky 6–1, 6–1
Win 4–6 Nov 2005 USA F29, Honolulu Futures Hard United States Sam Querrey 6–4, 6–3
Win 5–6 Mar 2006 USA F7, Little Rock Futures Hard United States Scott Oudsema 6–2, 6–2
Win 6–6 Apr 2006 USA F8, Mobile Futures Hard India Harsh Mankad 2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win 7–6 Jun 2006 Milan, Italy Challenger Clay France Arnaud Di Pasquale 5–7, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Loss 7–7 Jun 2007 Karlsruhe, Germany Challenger Clay Germany Mischa Zverev 6–2, 4–6, 3–6
Win 8–7 Oct 2007 Sacramento, United States Challenger Hard Chinese Taipei Yen-Hsun Lu 6–2, 6–3
Win 9–7 Feb 2009 Carson, United States Challenger Hard United States Scoville Jenkins 6–4, 6–4
Loss 9–8 Sep 2009 Tulsa, United States Challenger Hard United States Taylor Dent 6–7(9–11), 6–7(4–7)
Win 10–8 Feb 2011 USA F4, Palm Coast Futures Clay Italy Nicola Ghedin 6–2, 6–1
Win 11–8 Mar 2011 USA F7, McAllen Futures Hard Portugal Gastao Elias 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–1
Loss 11–9 Apr 2011 Tallahassee, United States Challenger Hard United States Donald Young 4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Win 12–9 May 2011 Savannah, United States Challenger Clay United States Donald Young 6–4, 6–4
Win 13–9 Jul 2011 Lexington, United States Challenger Hard United Kingdom James Ward 7–5, 6–4
Loss 13–10 Aug 2011 Binghamton, United States Challenger Hard Chile Paul Capdeville 6–7(4–7), 3–6
Win 14–10 Jan 2012 Bucaramanga, Colombia Challenger Clay Romania Adrian Ungur 6–1, 7–6(7–4)
Loss 14–11 Jan 2013 Bucaramanga, Colombia Challenger Clay Argentina Federico Delbonis 6–7(4–7). 3–6
Loss 14–12 Apr 2013 Sarasota, United States Challenger Clay United States Alex Kuznetsov 0–6. 2–6
Loss 14–13 Jun 2013 Furth, Germany Challenger Clay Portugal Joao Sousa 6–3, 3–6. 4–6
Win 15–13 Feb 2014 Chitre, Panama Challenger Hard Chinese Taipei Jimmy Wang 5–7, 6–4, 6–4
Loss 15–14 Jul 2014 Binghamton, United States Challenger Hard Ukraine Sergiy Stakhovsky 4–6, 6–7(9–11)

Doubles: 2 (0–2)

Legend
ATP Challenger (0–0)
ITF Futures (0–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–2)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Nov 2004 USA F32, Honolulu Futures Hard United States Zack Fleishman United States Alex Kuznetsov
Romania Horia Tecau		 walkover
Loss 0–2 Mar 2005 USA F5, Harlingen Futures Hard Brazil Josh Goffi United States Scott Lipsky
United States David Martin		 4–6, 6–7(5–7)

Performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Tournament200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015SRW–LWin%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A Q1 Q2 1R 1R 2R A A Q1 1R Q2 0 / 4 1–4 20%
French Open A A A Q2 3R 1R A A Q1 Q3 A A 0 / 2 2–2 50%
Wimbledon A A A A 1R 1R A A 1R 1R Q2 A 0 / 4 0–4 0%
US Open 1R Q2 1R 2R 2R 1R A Q1 Q2 Q2 1R A 0 / 6 2–6 25%
Win–loss 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 3–4 0–4 1–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–2 0–0 0 / 16 5–16 24%
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Q2 1R A Q1 2R 1R 1R A A 2R Q1 A 0 / 5 2–5 29%
Miami A A A Q2 Q2 Q2 Q1 A A Q1 Q1 A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Canada A A A 2R Q1 A A A 1R A A A 0 / 2 1–2 33%
Cincinnati A A A A Q1 1R A A A A A A 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Win–loss 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 0 / 8 3–8 27%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Murray welcomes player's 15-year ban". BBC Sport – via BBC.
  2. 1 2 3
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Wayne Odesnik". ATP World Tour. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  4. ↑ "U.S. Open notebook: Djokovic piles up fans ... and wins". USA Today. August 29, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  5. ↑ "United States Tennis Association – Wayne Odesnik: Junior Spotlight of the Week – Printer Friendly Page". Usta.com. May 27, 2008. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  6. ↑ "BABOLAT - Tennis, badminton and padel gear - Racket, string, shoe". www.babolat.us.
  7. ↑ "United States Tennis Association – Home". Usta.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2003. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  8. ↑ "ATP Tennis Event Draw".
  9. 1 2 "United States Tennis Association – Home". Usta.com. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Sports | /2005/11/21/". starbulletin.com. November 21, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 "United States Tennis Association – Circuit Player of the Week: Wayne Odesnik". Usta.com. April 4, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Roddick rocks out Stepanek – Tennis". Sportal Australia. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Rogers Cup Men Draw" (PDF). Rogerscupmen.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Rogers Cup Men Draw (French)" (PDF). Rogerscupmen.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  15. ↑ Robson, Douglas (August 28, 2007). "Young, Isner show plenty of promise". USA Today. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Isner on outside looking in at Australian Open ... for now" ESPN, 12/11/07, accessed 12/13/07
  17. ↑ "Madison Brengle and Jesse Levine Win Australian Open Wild Cards". United States Tennis Association. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Sampras can still put 'em away". San Jose Mercury News. February 19, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  19. ↑ "U.S. Beats Argentina At World Team Championship". NewsChannel 8. May 22, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  20. ↑ Evans, Richard (June 29, 2008). "This is going to hurt | Sport | The Observer". Guardian. London. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  21. 1 2 3 "At least one American has an affinity for clay courts". ESPN. May 26, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Venus and Jankovic survive scares". Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  23. ↑
  24. ↑ "Tennis | Odesnik medical report: 2-3 weeks out". Sun-Sentinel. June 25, 2008. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  25. ↑ "United States Tennis Association – Odesnik wins USTA Pro Circuit men's challenger in Carson". Usta.com. February 1, 2009. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  26. ↑ "Scoreboard". Protennislive.com. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  27. ↑
  28. ↑ Robertson, Dale (April 11, 2009). "Odesnik returns to clay semis at River Oaks". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009.
  29. ↑ "Roland Garros High Five Nadal". Bettingexpert.com. May 16, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  30. ↑ Culpepper, Chuck (May 25, 2009). "U.S. men have typically shaky start at French Open". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  31. ↑
  32. ↑ Caro, Danny (June 24, 2009). "Levine sends Safin tumbling into retirement". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  33. ↑ Gammell, Caroline (June 25, 2009). "Gammell, Caroline, "Match fixing allegations surface at Wimbledon" 06/25/09, accessed 07/01/09". Telegraph.co.uk. London. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Wagers draw attention, but that's all". ESPN. June 24, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  35. ↑ "Querrey advances, other seeds scuffle at Indy". FOX Sports on MSN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  36. ↑ "Tennis Player Wayne Odesnik Fined Over HGH". usta.com. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  37. ↑ "Odesnik given two-year suspension". BBC News. April 19, 2010.
  38. ↑ Shpigel, Ben (June 27, 2012). "A Pariah Returns, to His Peers' Chagrin". New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  39. ↑ Robson, Douglas (April 13, 2012). "Humbled Wayne Odesnik tries to get his career back on track". USA Today. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  40. ↑ Thomas, Katie (May 19, 2010). "Tennis Player Banned for Having Growth Hormone". The New York Times.
  41. ↑ Elfrink, Tim (January 31, 2013). "A Miami Clinic Supplies Drugs to Sports' Biggest Names". Miami New Times. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  42. ↑ Elfrink, Tim (February 1, 2013). "The Tony Bosch Files: Nelson Cruz, Yasmani Grandal, Wayne Odesnik, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Yasmani Grandal, Jimmy Goins and Yuri Sucart's Records". Miami New Times. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  43. ↑ "A Miami Clinic Supplies Drugs to Sports' Biggest Names". Associated Press. June 27, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  44. ↑ "Gilles Simon Interview – French Open, May 24". Tennis-x.com. May 24, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
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