Martín Alund

Martín Alund (Spanish pronunciation: [maɾˈtin aˈlun];[1][2] Swedish: Ålund; born 26 December 1985) is a retired Argentine professional tennis player. He reached the semifinals of the 2013 Brasil Open; has won seven ATP Challenger events in doubles; and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 84 in March 2013.

Martín Alund
Alund after winning the Liverpool International in 2013.
Country (sports) Argentina
ResidenceMendoza, Argentina
Born (1985-12-26) 26 December 1985
Mendoza, Argentina
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro2004
RetiredJanuary 2017
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
CoachFabián Blengino
Prize moneyUS$456,298
Singles
Career record7–10
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 84 (18 March 2013)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQ1 (2013)
French Open1R (2013)
Wimbledon1R (2013)
US OpenQ2 (2014)
Doubles
Career record1–2
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 103 (19 November 2012)
Last updated on: 19 August 2014.

Tennis career

Juniors

As a junior, Alund reached as high as No. 45 in the world singles rankings in March 2003 (and No. 62 in doubles the same year). He gained victories over promising junior prospects such as Eduardo Schwank, Alex Kuznetsov and Scoville Jenkins.

2013

As a lucky loser, Alund reached the semifinals of the 2013 Brasil Open, defeating World No. 25 Jérémy Chardy (fresh off of his career-best Australian Open quarterfinal run) and experienced claycourter Filippo Volandri en route. In the semis he valiantly took a set off top seed Rafael Nadal before losing in 3 sets.

In Houston a few weeks later, Alund defeated former World No. 1 and multiple grand slam champion Lleyton Hewitt.[3]

Alund gained direct entry into both the French Open and Wimbledon, winning a set against World No. 4 David Ferrer in the first round of the latter before eventually losing in four sets.[4] In preparation for the grass courts, he won the Liverpool International exhibition tournament, etching his name alongside esteemed former champions Marat Safin, Ivan Ljubičić and Fernando González.[5]

Together with João Souza, Alund reached the quarterfinals of the men's doubles at Båstad.

2014

After qualifying for both Viña del Mar and Buenos Aires, Alund defeated clay specialist Albert Ramos in straights and took a set off both World No. 18 Nicolas Almagro and No. 46 Robin Haase.

Retirement

After a year and a half of injuries, Alund announced he had decided to retire from the pro tour, lending his world class skills to the coaching team at Advantage Tennis in New Jersey.[6][7]

Playing style

Alund is a natural claycourter, though intersperses his defensive skills with clean hitting, a powerful first serve and deft dropshots. He possesses a heavy, hard-hitting forehand and a flashy one-handed backhand, both of which are capable of reeling off winners, but are also often error-prone.[4]

Career finals

Challenger singles: 3 (0–3)
Legend
ATP Challenger Series
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1. 24 November 2008 Cancún, Mexico Clay Slovenia Grega Žemlja 2–6, 1–6
Runner-up 2. 1 July 2012 Milan, Italy Clay Spain Tommy Robredo 3–6, 0–6
Runner-up 3. 14 October 2012 San Juan, Argentina Clay Netherlands Thiemo de Bakker 2–6, 6–3, 2–6

References
  1. AcequiaTV (2016-06-28). "Ante todo, buenas tardes - #4 Martin Alund". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  2. CHALLENGER ECUADOR (2012-10-05). "Martín Alund". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  3. "Alund beats Hewitt at rainy US Men's Clay Court", NDTV Sports, 11 April 2013.
  4. "Ferrer outlasts Alund to reach Round 2 at Wimbledon", Tennis Earth, 25 June 2013.
  5. "Martin Alund warms up for Wimbledon by winning the Liverpool International", Liverpool Echo, 24 June 2013.
  6. "Martín Alund y una nueva vida siempre ligada al tenis" Archived 2017-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Ovación, 8 January 2017.
  7. Advantage Tennis - World Class Coaches
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