Juan Monaco

Started playing at age six...Father, Hector, is a businessman...Mother, Cristina, is an architect...Has one sister, Mara, and brother, Andres...Enjoys spending time at home in Tandil with family and friends...Fellow ATP players Mariano Zabaleta, Juan Martin del Potro and Diego Junqueira also originate from Tandil...Enjoys playing soccer...Favorite sports to follow are soccer and basketball...Favorite teams are Estudiantes de la Plata and the San Antonio Spurs...Favorite soccer players are Chelo Carrusca and Jose “el Principe” Sosa...In the NBA, he’s a fan of Emanuel Ginobili.

Favorite surface is clay...Grew up idolizing Andre Agassi and countryman Mariano Zabaleta...Also enjoys going to the cinema...Favorite movies are “Gladiator” and “Lord of the Rings” series... Favorite actors are Robert De Niro and Al Pacino...Favorite book is “El Eternauta”...Favorite magazine is “El Grafico”...Favorite TV show is “Los Roldan”...Has a 2-3 Davis Cup singles record in four ties...Coached by former ATP pro Luis Lobo of Argentina.

2009 -- The Argentine finished in Top 30 for second time in three years, led ATP World Tour with 29 clay court wins and reached three finals — in Buenos Aires (d. Nalbandian, l. to Robredo in a third set tie-break), Båstad where he posted wins over Spaniards Verdasco (retired) and Robredo (l. to Soderling) and Bucharest (l. to Montanes)…At Rome*, qualified and defeated No. 4 Murray and No. 15 Cilic before losing in QF to F. Gonzalez…In doubles, reached final at Costa do Sauipe (w/ Arnold-Ker)…Went 3-7 vs. Top 10 opponents and compiled marks of 29-13 on clay and 7-12 on hard.

2008 -- Finished in Top 50 for second straight year, reaching two ATP World Tour finals...Began first month with a 9-2 record, reaching SF in Auckland (l. to Kohlschreiber), 3rd RD at Australian Open (l. to Berdych) and final in Vina del Mar (W/O vs. Gonzalez)...Sprained his left ankle in doubles final (day before) and then had to withdraw from singles final...Went from No. 21 to a career-high No. 14 afterwards...In April, reached QF in Valencia (l. to Almagro)...Following month advanced to final in Poertschach (l. to No. 4 Davydenko)...In June, reached SF in Warsaw (l. to Robredo)...Went 19-9 on clay and 9-10 on on hard...In doubles, captured first ATP title in Auckland (w/Horna), won title in Valencia, reached final in Vina del Mar and SF at US Open (all w/M. Gonzalez).

2007 -- One of most improved players of year, climbing from No. 70 to a year-end best No. 23 with three ATP clay court titles -- Buenos Aires (d. Di Mauro), Portschach (d. Monfils) and Kitzbuhel (d. Starace)...Advanced to QF or better in eight tournaments and reached 4th RD in two Grand Slam tournaments -- Roland Garros (l. to Canas) and US Open (l. to Djokovic)...On hard courts at AMS Cincinnati, posted wins over Spaniards Lopez and No. 2 Nadal (retired) before falling to Querrey in 3rd RD....Went 4-5 vs. Top 10 opponents and compiled marks of 28-8 on clay (second-most wins behind Nadal's 31) and 12-9 on hard courts...Earned a career-high $695,945.

2006 -- Finished in Top 75 for second time in three years with his best results on clay, reaching SF in Costa do Sauipe and Stuttgart...Also advanced to QF in Poertschach...At Roland Garros, turned in a 3rd RD showing (l. to Ljubicic in five sets)...

2005 -- Reached first ATP final in Casablanca (l. to Puerta)...Also reached QF in Munich and Ho Chi Minh...

2004 -- Finished in Top 100 for first time and improved his ranking by 247 spots...Opened season by winning Sao Paulo Challenger (d. Garcia)...Made ATP debut as a wild card in Buenos Aires and reached QF....Qualified into first AMS event in Miami and reached 3rd RD....Made Roland Garros debut as a qualifier (d. Bogomolov, l. to Coria)...Received wild card into Bsstad and reached QF...Followed with first SF in Sopot and later in Palermo...

2003 -- Won three Futures titles...Was 32-11 in Futures events and 1-4 in Challengers...

2002 -- Won first Futures title in first final appearance at Jamaica #20 (d F Rodriguez)...

2001 -- Reached three Futures QF...Reached doubles final at Spain Futures #7 (w/ Yamamoto)...

Began season at Auckland and reached Australian Open 3rd RD (l. to Davydenko), going 3-2 in singles play in January… Advanced to 10th ATP World Tour final at Santiago, his second title-match in Chile, but fell to No. 3 seed Bellucci 63 06 64…"I'm upset about the loss but I want to congratulate Thomaz; he had an excellent week and deserved to win the title"…On 8 February, rose two places to World No. 27...Continued outstanding run of form during Latin American swing with SF exits at Buenos Aires and Acapulco (both times l. to Ferrero)...

In March, reached second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 QF (also 2009-Rome) and first on hard courts at Indian Wells...As No. 21 seed at Indian Wells defeated Fognini, No. 11 seed Ferrero and Garcia-Lopez...

In doubles play (w/Arnold Ker), he reached Auckland QFs and Santiago SFs…Also advanced to Acapulco SFs (w/Zeballos)...