Fernando Gonzalez - Chile 
| Birth Date:
| 7/29/1980 |
Age:
| 32 |
| Birth Place:
| Santiago, Chile |
Residence:
| Santiago, Chile |
| Height:
| 6'0'' (183 cm) |
Weight:
| 181 lbs (82 kg) |
| Year Turned Pro:
| 1999 (13 years on tour) |
Plays:
| Right-handed |
| Official Website:
| www.gonzaleztenis.com/v2.0/?lang=en |
Twitter:
| @fergonchile |
|
Chile’s Fernando Francisco Gonzalez Ciuffardi enjoyed a fruitful career as a junior, finishing No. 4 in the world in 1998. He also captured the Roland Garros junior title (d. Ferrero). He has been ranked as high as No.5 in the world, first achieving that rank on Jan. 29, 2007. His highest doubles ranking is No. 25, reached on July 4, 2005.
He captured his first ATP title in Orlando in 2000, finishing the year ranked No. 115 after suffering a stress fracture in his right hand in September. He slipped to 139th in the rankings in 2001 before surging into the Top 20 in 2002. As the No. 1 Chilean player, he won two titles – Viňa del Mar and Palermo, and reached the finals at Basel.
He also reached the quarterfinals at the US Open. He fell from 18th back to 35th in 2003, despite reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open. He moved back into the Top 25 in 2004, winning his fourth career title (Vňa del Mar). He brought two gold medals home to Chile at the 2004 Athens Summer Games, taking the bronze in singles and the gold in doubles.
Gonzalez climbed up to No. 11 in 2005, winning three titles on three different surfaces. He was also the only player on tour to finish in the Top 25 in singles and doubles. For the first time in his career, Gonzalez made at least the third round at all four Grand Slam events. He won his first career title on a hard court by taking the crown at Auckland.
He lost to Roger Federer in the third round of the French Open, then reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, the first Chilean to do so in 20 years. In the last four weeks of the season, he added his first-ever indoor title, winning at Basel. In 2006, Gonzalez did not win an ATP title, but did finish in the Top 10 at No. 10, the first Chilean to crack the Top 10 since Marcelo Rios in 1999.
He moved up to No. 7 in 2007, reaching his first Grand Slam final. At the Australian Open, he mowed down Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, Rafael Nadal and Tommy Haas before losing to Federer in straight sets in the final. The big push through the tournament saw Gonzalez move from ninth to fifth in the rankings. He did not advance past the third round of any other Slam, but still surpassed $1 million in earnings for a third straight year.
In 2008, he finished 15th, won two titles and took home the silver medal in the Beijing Olympics. After a 20-5 start that included a quarterfinal loss to Federer at the French Open, he cooled off until winning in Munich in May. He lost the gold medal match to Nadal in August then reached the fourth round of the US Open, falling to Andy Roddick. For the year, he finished 18-1, a career best, on clay.
In 2009, he just missed another Top 10 finish (11th), winning for the third time at Vňa del Mar, and reaching the semifinals of the French Open, falling to Robin Soderling in five sets. He also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals at the US Open. Gonzalez started 2010 by reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open, but pulled out of Indian Wells when a massive earthquake (8.8 on the Richter scale) hit his home city of Santiago, Chile, in late February.
In early March, he helped Chile beat Israel in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, dedicating the victory to his native land and saying, “We hope it is something to get happy about, even if it’s small happiness, for all the people affected by the earthquake.” In April, he joined Roddick and Jim Courier in Miami at a benefit for victims of the earthquake, raising more than $125,000 fans. 2011 saw Gonzalez out for much of the year due to injury. However, he entered Wimbledon, exiting in the third round with a loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
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