Ilija Bozoljac
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| Country (sports) |
 Yugoslavia (2002–2003) Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006) Serbia (2006–present) |
|---|---|
| Residence | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Born |
August 2, 1985 Aleksandrovac, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Turned pro | 2002 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed both sides) |
| Prize money | $718,822 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 11–20 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 101 (29 January 2007) |
| Current ranking | – |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2007) |
| French Open | 2R (2006) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2008, 2010) |
| US Open | Q3 (2010, 2011) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 8–14 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 99 (22 February 2016) |
| Current ranking | No. 143 (12 September 2016) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2007, 2010) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | F (2013) |
| Last updated on: 14 September 2016. | |
Ilija Bozoljac (Serbian Cyrillic: Илија Бозољац; Serbian pronunciation: [ˈilija bɔˈzɔːʎats]) (born August 2, 1985) is a professional male tennis player from Serbia.
On 29 January 2007, Bozoljac achieved his career-high singles ranking of world no. 101.
Professional career
2006
2006 was arguably Bozoljac's best year. In January, he had his best result at the ATP level in Zagreb, beating no. 170 Dudi Sela to qualify, and then beating no. 77 Daniele Bracciali and no. 34 Feliciano López, before losing to no. 81 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
2008
In May, Bozoljac narrowly missed qualifying into the 2008 French Open, losing to no. 75 Eduardo Schwank in the qualifying round.
In June, Bozoljac entered the main draw of 2008 Wimbledon as a lucky loser, after beating Nick Monroe and Robert Smeets, but losing to Stefano Galvani in the qualifying round in five sets.
2010
Bozoljac qualified for Wimbledon and progressed to the second round, where he was defeated in four tight sets by defending champion Roger Federer.
He was a reserve player on the Serbia Davis Cup team when they won the Davis Cup title.
2013
Bozoljac began 2013 by returning to the ITF Men's circuit, taking three singles titles in the opening three months.[1]
In April, Ilija and his doubles partner Nenad Zimonjić beat Bob and Mike Bryan in the Davis Cup World Group quarterfinals against the United States, winning 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1), 5-7, 4-6, 15-13 in a performance described by Sports Illustrated as "Bozo goes Beast Mode...there was Bozoljac playing out of his mind in a five-set win that left everyone shaking their heads".[2] Bozoljac was praised by the Bryan brothers and by U.S. team captain Jim Courier, who said "Let's all tip our hats to his performance. We had him 15-30 a couple times, and the guy came up with some incredible shots."[3]
Style of play
Bozoljac is known for his unique style of play. He often changes the way he performs forehands and backhands, hitting double-handed forehands and single-handed backhands. He also has a strong serve, but he has to limit the strength of his serve due to a back injury. Nevertheless, he still serves well over 200 km/h.
Career finals
Team competition: 1 (0–1)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Team competition | Surface | Partner/Team | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | November 15–17, 2013 | Davis Cup, Belgrade, Serbia | Hard (i) | Novak Djokovic Dušan Lajović Nenad Zimonjić |
 Tomáš Berdych Radek Štěpánek Lukáš Rosol Jan Hájek |
2–3 |
Singles finals (13–13)
| Legend |
|---|
| ATP Challenger Tour (4–10) |
| ITF Futures (9–3) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 22 August 2005 | Bukhara, Uzbekistan | Hard |  Denis Istomin |
4–6, 7–6(7–2), 5–6 ret. |
| Runner-up | 2. | 10 July 2006 | Poznań, Poland | Clay | Jan Hájek |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 4 September 2006 | Donetsk, Ukraine | Clay | Tomáš Cakl |
6–4, 3–6, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 22 October 2007 | Rimouski, Canada | Carpet (i) |  Brendan Evans |
7–6(7–3), 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 5. | 8 September 2008 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Clay |  Giancarlo Petrazzuolo |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 6. | 15 September 2008 | Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina | Clay |  Daniel Gimeno-Traver |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 1 June 2009 | Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass | Brendan Evans |
7–6(7–4), 4–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Runner-up | 8. | 12 October 2009 | Tiburon, California, United States | Hard |  Go Soeda |
6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 9 November 2009 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Hard (i) | Taylor Dent |
3–6, 6–7(6–8) |
| Runner-up | 10. | 15 February 2010 | Belgrade, Serbia | Carpet (i) |  Karol Beck |
5–7, 6–7(4–7) |
| Runner-up | 11. | July 11, 2011 | Aptos, United States | Hard |  Laurynas Grigelis |
2–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Runner-up | 12. | September 29, 2013 | Fergana, Uzbekistan | Hard |  Radu Albot |
6–7(9–11), 7–6(7–3), 1–6 |
| Winner | 13. | February 15, 2014 | Kolkata, India | Hard |  Evgeny Donskoy |
6–1, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 14. | July 20, 2014 | Recanati, Italy | Hard |  Gilles Müller |
1–6, 2–6 |
References
- ↑ Harvey, Luke (13 March 2013). "Bozoljac wins in Lille". ITF Pro Circuit. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
- ↑ Nguyen, Courtney (April 18, 2013). "23 highlights from the 2013 season". SI.com.
- ↑ Cripe, Chadd (April 7, 2013). "Advantage Serbia: Unlikely doubles pair outlasts Americans Bob and Mike Bryan in five-set thriller". Idaho Statesman.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ilija Bozoljac. |
- Official website
- Ilija Bozoljac at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Ilija Bozoljac at the International Tennis Federation
- Ilija Bozoljac at the Davis Cup
- Bozoljac Recent Match Results
- Bozoljac World Ranking History
Association of Tennis Professionals: Top ten Serbian male doubles tennis players as of 28 November 2016 | |
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