Camila Giorgi

Camila Giorgi

Camila Giorgi at the 2014 US Open.
Country (sports)  Italy
Residence Tirrenia, Italy
Born (1991-12-30) 30 December 1991
Macerata, Italy
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Turned pro 2006
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money $ 1,787,713
Singles
Career record 252–180 (58.33%)
Career titles 1 WTA, 5 ITF
Highest ranking 30 (27 July 2015)
Current ranking 48 (4 April 2016)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 3R (2015)
French Open 2R (2014, 2015)
Wimbledon 4R (2012)
US Open 4R (2013)
Doubles
Career record 0–4
Career titles 0
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 1R (2013)
Team competitions
Fed Cup 2–4
Last updated on: 8 April 2016.

Camila Giorgi (Italian pronunciation: [kaˈmiːla ˈdʒordʒi]; born 30 December 1991) is an Italian professional tennis player.

Giorgi won her first WTA Tour title at the 2015 Topshelf Open, and has also won five singles titles on the ITF tour in her career. On 27 July 2015, she reached her best singles ranking of world number 30.

Giorgi's biggest professional wins have come at the 2013 US Open, 2014 BNP Paribas Open, and 2014 Aegon International, defeating former world no. 1 players Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka, respectively.

Personal life

Giorgi was born in Macerata, Italy to parents Claudia, a fashion designer, who designs different dresses for every match[1][2] and Sergio Giorgi,[3] who both moved to Italy from La Plata in Argentina.[1] Sergio Giorgi was drafted in Argentina in 1982, and fought in the Falklands War against the Brits; he now coaches Camila full-time.[4] As of September 2013 the Giorgi family was based in the Italian city of Pisa.[2]

Giorgi is one of four children.[3] Her older brother Leandro is studying to be an actor, and younger brother Amadeus is a developing pro football player.[2] She had a sister named Antonela who died in a car accident in Paris.[5] Giorgi, who is Jewish,[6] considered emigrating to Israel in 2012 after her father Sergio opened negotiations with the Israel Tennis Federation over the financial terms for her immigration.[7]

Career

Giorgi at the 2008 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome

Junior career

Giorgi's passion for tennis began at a very young age. Following an initial interest in artistic gymnastics, she decided to devote herself to tennis after assisting in her brother's training, when she was just five years old. She was subjected to hard training by her father, Sergio. Two years later, Adriano Panatta, one of the greatest Italian tennis players said about her: "It's the first time I play a girl who plays like Andre Agassi."[2] In 2000 she was spotted by Nick Bollettieri, the famous tennis coach, who subsequently offered her seven months of training (previously offered only to Maria Sharapova).[2]

In November 2005 she reached the final of the Nike Junior Tour, but was defeated by Slovakia's Zuzana Luknarova. Camila reached the final at the Sey Development Cup in the Czech Republic, and the round of 16 at the Astrid Bowl in Belgium.

Professional debut: 2006

She started with $10,000 tournaments, and obtained her first significant results reaching two semi-finals in Baku and Jakarta. At the end of the season she took part in her first $25,000 tournament. She closed 2006 with 10 wins and 7 losses, and with a 944 ranking in the WTA.

2007

She obtained her best results in September at Limoges in France, reaching the quarter-finals in a $10,000 tournament; then in $25,000 tournaments that she played at the end of the season, in December, in Lagos, Nigeria, where she reached the quarterfinals.

2008

Giorgi started 2008 playing several tournaments in France, where she lived with her family, and reached her best WTA ranking, entering the top 600. In May she played for the first time qualifying for a major tournament circuit, thanks to a wild card obtained at the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome. She lost to Jill Craybas, # 66 in the world, in a third set tie-breaker. She also played in the first round of the main draw in Rome Tevere Remo ($25,000), Contexeville ($50,000), and Rimini ($75,000). In Martina Franca ($25,000) she qualified and reached the second round. In November, in Saint Denis – The Reunion ($25,000), she reached the quarter-finals. Giorgi finished the year 480th in the WTA rankings.

2009

At the beginning of the season, Giorgi played few tournaments, failing to qualify for the main draw. She achieved her first important results in April, when she qualified for and reached the quarter-finals of two $25,000 tournaments. After some successes in tournaments in France, Giorgi won her first career ITF tournament in August, in Katowice ($25,000), starting again from qualifying and defeating players such as Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová (ranked # 105) and, in the final, Ksenia Pervak (ranked # 135). After another quarter-final in Nantes ($50,000), Giorgi ended with the victory in a $50,000 ITF tournament in Toronto. With these two successes, she ended the year with 33 wins and 12 defeats, and reached 285 in the WTA rankings.

2010

The year began poorly for Giorgi, in which she suffered three defeats in the first round in the first three months of the year. In June she reached the final of a $25,000 tournament, in Bratislava. In the summer she played several tournaments in America, where she went to live (in Miami, with her family), without remarkable results. In August, trying for the first time to qualify in a Grand Slam tournament – the U.S. Open – she was defeated in the first round. However, in October, Camila won (losing only one set, in the first round) a $25,000 tournament in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

2011

At Wimbledon, Giorgi reached her first appearance in a major through qualifiers, but she lost in the 1st round to eventual quarter-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova.

In February, Giorgi reached the semi-finals in two ITF tournaments, but her best result came in May, where she reached the final of a $50,000 tournament, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a week later triumphed in Carson ($50,000) yielding a single set and dominating the semi-final with an unprecedented double 6–0. In June, at Wimbledon, Giorgi passed the qualifiers and reached her first appearance in a major tournament, but she lost in the first round to eventual quarter-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova. Giorgi reached semifinals in two other tournaments before closing the year with 36 wins and 21 defeats, and 149th in the WTA rankings, reaching her best ranking in October (when she was no. 141 in the world).

2012

In February, Giorgi qualified for the 2012 Memphis International, where she shocked the no. 1 seed Nadia Petrova in straight sets before losing in the second round.

Giorgi fell in the final round of qualifying at the 2012 French Open but qualified for Wimbledon for the second year in a row. There, she scored her first Slam main draw win by beating compatriot Flavia Pennetta in the first round. Following victories over Anna Tatishvili and Nadia Petrova, she lost her fourth-round match to Agnieszka Radwańska.[8]

In June, it was reported that Giorgi was considering immigrating to Israel to play on the Israel Federation Cup team.[9] Raphael Gellar of Israel Sports Radio said that "based on her ranking ... [she] would automatically ... [be] second on the team following Shahar Pe'er."[3]

In August, Giorgi got a wildcard to the 2012 Western & Southern Open, and defeated Francesca Schiavone in the first round.[10]

2013

While ailing from a shoulder injury, Giorgi lost in the first round in Brisbane, Sydney, and at the Australian Open. Her first win came in April, in Charleston, where she reached the second round but lost in straight sets to Serena Williams. Giorgi qualified for the main draw in Madrid, but lost in the first round to Nadia Petrova in three sets. Two weeks later Giorgi stunned world no. 13 Marion Bartoli in the first round in Strasbourg, but lost in the second round to Eugenie Bouchard.[10]

At the 2013 French Open, Giorgi lost again in the first round. Former top-15 player Peng Shuai defeated her in two sets. At the 2013 Wimbledon Championships Giorgi got to the third round, beating British wildcard Samantha Murray in straight sets and then Romanian no. 1 Sorana Cîrstea. However, she lost in straight sets in the third round to eventual champion Marion Bartoli.

At the 2013 US Open, Giorgi had one of the biggest upsets of her career, defeating former world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets.[11] She subsequently lost to compatriot Roberta Vinci in the fourth round.[12]

2014: Breakthrough, 2 WTA finals

Giorgi competed at the Australian Open, where she reached for the first time the second round beating Australian wild card Storm Sanders in three sets. She lost in the next round to Alizé Cornet, despite 4–1 lead in decider. In February, Giorgi competed for the first time in the Fed Cup. She defeated Madison Keys and Italy went on to defeat the United States team 3–1.[13]

In March, Giorgi qualified for the main draw in Indian Wells. There, she beat Andrea Petkovic, Sorana Cîrstea and former world no. 1 Maria Sharapova, ranked no. 5 during the tournament. With this victory, she improved her record to 3–2 lifetime against top-10 opponents.[14] She lost in the fourth round to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta.[15]

Camila Giorgi in action at the 2014 Italian Open.

In April at the BNP Paribas Katowice Open she defeated defending champion Roberta Vinci, Shahar Pe'er, and Carla Suárez Navarro to reach the final, which she lost to Alizé Cornet in three sets after holding a match point at 5–4 in the third.[15] In Rome Giorgi defeated top 10 player Dominika Cibulková in the first round, but lost to Christina McHale after winning the first set. Giorgi finally beat Alizé Cornet who was second seed in Strasbourg, after losing two significant matches to her. At the French Open, Giorgi defeated Bojana Jovanovski in the first round, but she lost to 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.

Giorgi competed in Eastbourne, beating Victoria Azarenka in the first round before going down to Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals. At Wimbledon, she lost in the second round to Alison Riske. Giorgi reached quarterfinals in Bad Gastein and then lost in the first round at next three tournaments. Giorgi made a good run in New Haven, defeating Caroline Wozniacki who would finish summer hard court season with 19–4 and Garbiñe Muguruza, before losing in the semifinal to Magdaléna Rybáriková. She was upset early in the US Open however, losing to a ranked 221 in the world Anastasia Rodionova after serving for the match in the second set.

Giorgi lost in the opening rounds in Wuhan and Beijing to Elina Svitolina and Lucie Šafářová respectively. She has broken her series of losses in Linz defeating Andrea Petkovic for the third time in the season. Then she advanced to her second WTA final without losing a set, but lost to Karolína Plíšková in three sets, again after holding a match point on the opponent's serve.The Italian has ended her season reaching quarterfinals in Moscow where she defeated the third seed Flavia Pennetta for the second time in her career before losing to Kateřina Siniaková in over three hours. Giorgi finished the season with 8–3 record against Top 20 players and reached a career-high ranking of 31 before the US Open.

2015: First WTA title

Giorgi played in Hobart and reached quarterfinals, despite serving 23 double faults in the first round against Storm Sanders. At the Australian Open Giorgi reached the third round for the first time, beating Flavia Pennetta and Tereza Smitková, before losing to Venus Williams, despite serving for the match in the second set. Giorgi played in Fed Cup and beat Alizé Cornet to give 2-0 lead against France. However, she lost her second match to Caroline Garcia, and Italy later lost the tie being the first ever team to lose after 2-0 lead in World Group.

After early losses in Indian Wells and Miami, Giorgi once again performed well in Katowice, reaching her second consecutive final by defeating top seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinal. In the final however she fell to Anna Karolína Schmiedlová in straight sets.

After a close match with world #1 Serena Williams, Giorgi endured a disappointing clay court season, losing in the first round of her three warm-up events for the French Open. She secured her first win in five matches against Tatjana Maria in the first round of the French Open before falling to eventual Quarterfinalist Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets in the second round.

Giorgi returned to form at the start of the grass court season, claiming her first WTA Tour title at the Topshelf Open in Rosmalen, defeating Irina Falconi, Dutch wildcard Michaëlla Krajicek, Yaroslava Shvedova in the quarterfinals where Giorgi saved 3 match points in the final set tiebreak, home favourite Kiki Bertens in the semifinals and Belinda Bencic in the final with a score of 7-5, 6-3.

At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Giorgi was the no. 31 seed and defeated Teliana Pereira and Lara Arruabarrena in the first and second rounds, respectively, then lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the third round.

Playing style

Camila Giorgi's two-handed backhand

Giorgi utilizes aggressive serve-forehand combinations.[16][17] She is primarily known for her tendency to aim for the lines.[2] During extended rallies, she often attempts to hit past a stationary opponent by directing shots toward the sidelines and the corners of the court. She will also use this tactic to move opponents around the baseline before changing direction.[18][19] She regularly hits deep returns, and takes the ball early while receiving.[17]

As of April 2015, she had won more matches against Top-10 players than she had lost, having prevailed in 19 of 34 matches. However, she frequently loses to players ranked comparable to, or well below, her. "Her play is often too erratic – she followed her result at the 2014 Indian Wells Masters tournament [defeating No. 4 seed, Maria Sharapova] by losing in the qualification round of the 2014 Sony Open [two weeks later] to Zarina Diyas."[20] She was then ranked 67, while Diyas was not in the Top 100.

Giorgi uses a two-handed backhand and employs flat groundstrokes. Her tendency is to play near and inside the baseline. She is known to be one of the hardest hitters on the tour, despite her height. Her serves are powerful but very inconsistent. Giorgi tends to hit two first serves, resulting in many double faults. Her preferred surfaces are the fast hard and grass courts.[17][21]

Controversy

Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated reported on January 10, 2014 regarding a long series of breached financial commitments by Giorgi. Sergio, Giorgi's father, was stated to be involved in no fewer than four scams for success fee sharing by Giorgi in return for cash to support Giorgi's tennis career. Dominic Owen, a well-regarded tennis pro at the Harbour Island Athletic Club & Spa in Tampa, works with a handful of tour players. In describing his dealings with Giorgi and her father, Owen has stated "They ripped me off the way they ripped off all these other people and figured it would go away, People say, 'Oh, it's the dad.' But she's 22 years old."[22]

Giorgi was criticized for smacking a ball into the stands during a match played at the 2014 Aegon International. Although nobody required medical attention, an elderly woman sitting in the first row was hit directly by the incoming ball. While Giorgi was not defaulted, she was issued a warning for ball abuse and would subsequently lose her quarterfinal encounter against Caroline Wozniacki.[23]

WTA career finals

Singles: 5 (1 title, 4 runners-up)

Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0)
Tier II / Premier (0–0)
Tier III, IV & V / International (1–4)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1. 13 April 2014 BNP Paribas Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland (1) Hard (i) France Alizé Cornet 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 5–7
Runner-up 2. 12 October 2014 Generali Ladies Linz, Linz, Austria Hard (i) Czech Republic Karolína Plíšková 7–6(7–4), 3–6, 6–7(4–7)
Runner-up 3. 12 April 2015 BNP Paribas Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland (2) Hard (i) Slovakia Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 4–6, 3–6
Winner 1. 14 June 2015 Topshelf Open, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands Grass Switzerland Belinda Bencic 7–5, 6–3
Runner-Up 4. 10 April 2016 Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland (3) Hard (i) Slovakia Dominika Cibulková 4–6, 0–6

ITF singles finals (5–2)

Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Finals by surface
Hard (3–0)
Clay (2–2)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. 31 August 2009 Katowice, Poland Clay Russia Ksenia Pervak 6–2, 6–3
Winner 2. 19 November 2009 Toronto, Canada Hard Hungary Anikó Kapros 4–6, 6–4, 6–0
Runner-up 1. 16 June 2010 Bratislava, Slovakia Clay Slovakia Lenka Juríková 2–6, 1–6
Winner 3. 18 October 2010 Rock Hill, United States Hard United States Irina Falconi 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 2. 9 May 2011 Raleigh, United States Clay Slovenia Petra Rampre 3–6, 2–6
Winner 4. 22 May 2011 Carson, United States Hard United States Alexa Glatch 7–6(7–4), 6–1
Winner 5. 22 April 2012 Dothan, United States Clay Romania Edina Gallovits-Hall 6–2, 4–6, 6–4

Fed Cup participation

Giorgi debuted for the Italy Fed Cup team in 2014.

Singles (2–3)

Edition Round Date Against Surface Opponent W/L Result
2014 Fed Cup World Group 8 February 2014  United States Hard (i) Madison Keys W 6–2, 6–1
World Group semifinals 19 April 2014  Czech Republic Hard (i) Petra Kvitová L 4–6, 2–6
2015 Fed Cup World Group 7 February 2015  France Clay (i) Alizé Cornet W 6–4, 6–2
8 February 2015 Caroline Garcia L 6–4, 0–6, 2–6
World Group Play-offs 18 April 2015  United States Clay (i) Serena Williams L 6–7(5–7), 2–6

Doubles (0–1)

Edition Round Date Partner Against Surface Opponents W/L Result
2014 Fed Cup World Group semifinals 20 April 2014 Karin Knapp  Czech Republic Hard (i) Andrea Hlaváčková
Klára Koukalová		 L 2–6, 7–5, [9–11]

Head-to-head vs. top 10 ranked players

Players who have been ranked World No. 1 are in boldface.

Wins over Top 10's per season

# Player Rank Event Surface Round Score
2012
1. Italy Sara Errani No. 6 Beijing, China Hard 1st Round 5–4, retired
2013
2. Denmark Caroline Wozniacki No. 8 US Open, New York City, United States Hard 3rd Round 4–6, 6–4, 6–3
2014
3. Russia Maria Sharapova No. 5 Indian Wells, United States Hard 3rd Round 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
4. Slovakia Dominika Cibulková No. 10 Rome, Italy Clay 1st Round 6–4, 7–6(7–2)
5. Belarus Victoria Azarenka No. 8 Eastbourne, United Kingdom Grass 1st Round 4–6, 6–3, 7–5
2015
6. Poland Agnieszka Radwańska No. 9 Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland Hard (i) Semifinals 6–4, 6–2

Singles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF R# RR Q# A P Z# PO G F-S SF-B NMS NH
(W) Won tournament; reached (F) final, (SF) semifinal, (QF) quarterfinal; (R#) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a (RR) round-robin stage; reached a (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent from tournament; played in a (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; won a (G) gold, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament; or (NH) tournament not held.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.
Tournament200820092010201120122013201420152016W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A A A 1R 2R 3R 1R 3–4
French Open A A A A Q3 1R 2R 2R 2–3
Wimbledon A A A 1R 4R 3R 2R 3R 8-5
US Open A A Q1 Q2 1R 4R 1R 2R 4–4
Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 3–2 5–4 3–4 6–4 0–1 17–16
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics A Not Held A Not Held 0–0
WTA Premier Mandatory tournaments
Indian Wells Absent 4R 2R 3–2
Miami Absent 1R Q1 3R 1–2
Madrid NH Absent 1R Q2 1R 0–2
Beijing Tier II Absent 2R A 1R 1R 1–3
Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 0–2 3–2 1-4 5–9
WTA Premier 5 tournaments
Dubai NP5 Absent Not Premier 5 2R NP5 1–1
Doha A Not Held P Absent NP5 0–0
Rome Q1 Absent 2R 1R 1–2
Canada Absent 1R A 0–1
Cincinnati Absent 2R A 1R 2R 2–3
Tokyo Absent 1R A NP5 0–1
Wuhan Not Held 1R 3R 2–2
Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 0–0 1–5 4–4 6–9
Career statistics200820092010201120122013201420152016No.
Tournament Played 0 0 0 1 10 11 23 22 3 70
Titles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Finals 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4
Overall Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 6–10 8–11 33–24 16-13 58–59
Year-End Ranking 480 285 244 149 79 93 35 34

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Diego Sampaolo (24 August 2012). "Vinci wins all-Italian fourth round clash with Giorgi". Ubitennis. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schlecht, Neil (2 September 2013). "Giorgi girl: a small package but big game and big style |". 2013.usopen.org. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Fiske, Gavriel (2 July 2012). "Italian Jewish tennis star bids for Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  4. ↑ ".". Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Wimbledon descubre el Método Giorgi" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. June 28, 2012.
  6. ↑ Ashley Shenker (14 January 2013). "Israelis battle through to Aus Open main draw". The Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  7. ↑ Giorgi lines up Israel move By Simon Griver, June 29, 2012
  8. ↑ "Camila Giorgi". Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  9. ↑ Simon Griver (29 June 2012). "Giorgi lines up Israel move". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Players". WTA Tennis English. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  11. ↑ Jeff Williams (31 August 2013). "Beating Caroline Wozniacki at U.S. Open puts Camila Giorgi in spotlight". Newsday. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Dubai Tennis Championship – Dubai Pictures Gallery". TimeOutDubai.com. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Marvin Glassman (14 February 2014). "Toronto's Fichman thrilled by Canadian upset at Fed Cup". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "BNP Paribas Open – Women's results". Espn.go.com. 1 January 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  15. 1 2 "2014 results". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Wilks, Hannah (9 April 2014). "Camila Giorgi ousts defending champion Roberta Vinci to reach Katowice quarterfinals". livetennis.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 Pilhofer, Aron (2 September 2013). "What to Watch at the U.S. Open on Monday". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  18. ↑ Coffey, Wayne (1 September 2013). "U.S. Open: Camila Giorgi upsets Caroline Wozniacki". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "Camila Giorgi – Roberta Vinci Live". Yahoo.com. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  20. ↑ Walz, Nicholas J. (11 March 2014). "US Open Player to Watch: Camila Giorgi". livetennis.com. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  21. ↑ Wilks, Hannah (11 March 2014). "Maria Sharapova falls to qualifier Camila Giorgi in error-strewn Indian Wells third round". livetennis.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  22. ↑ "Camila Giorgi has talent to stay on Tour, but finding finances a struggle". Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Eastbourne: Drama in Caroline Wozniacki-Camila Giorgi game". Retrieved 19 June 2014.

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