Arnaud Clément (; born 17 December 1977) is a French former professional tennis player and Davis Cup captain. Clément reached the final of the 2001 Australian Open and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 10 in April 2001. He also had a career-high doubles ranking of No. 8. He won four ATP singles titles (Lyon 2000, Metz 2003, Marseille 2006, Washington 2006), and twelve doubles titles including 2007 Wimbledon, partnering Michaël Llodra, and two Masters titles.
He was the French Davis Cup captain from 2013 to 2015.
Career
He turned professional in 1996, and achieved his career highlight at the 2001 Australian Open, reaching the men's singles final, where he was defeated by Andre Agassi in straight sets. En route, Clement defeated the then-unseeded future world No. 1, Roger Federer, and the former world No. 1, Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Throughout his career, he has beaten top players such as Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter, Carlos Moyá and more recently Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. In doubles, Clément often partnered with fellow Frenchmen Sébastien Grosjean and Michaël Llodra.
Until 2010, Clément held the record for the longest match by time in the history of the Open Era. At Roland Garros 2004, Fabrice Santoro defeated Clément 6–4, 6–3, 6–7, 3–6, 16–14 in six hours and 33 minutes. John Isner and Nicolas Mahut would eventually beat this record six years later at Wimbledon.
In March 2006, Clément ended his two-and-a-half-year period of not winning an ATP singles title by capturing the Marseille Open, defeating world No. 2, Rafael Nadal, in the semifinals and Mario Ančić in the finals.Arnaud Clement Defeats Mario Ancic in Marseille In August 2006, Clément won his first ATP title in the United States, defeating Murray in straight sets in the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.Arnaud Clement beats odds to win Legg Mason Classic
In July 2007, Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra won the men's double title at Wimbledon, beating world No. 1 and top seeds defending champions, Bob and Mike Bryan,Clement, Llodra stun Bryan brothers in Wimbledon doubles final thus winning his first Grand Slam doubles title (Llodra had won two previous titles with Fabrice Santoro, making it his third Grand Slam title). He and Llodra were ecstatic, and celebrated by throwing their shirts, rackets, and towels into the crowd.
In July 2008, Arnaud Clément and Rainer Schüttler, both in their early 30s, played against each other in a Wimbledon quarterfinal singles match. Because of rain delays and darkness, play was suspended over a period of two days. Eventually, the match went in favour of Schüttler. The match went five sets and over five hours combined within the two playing days. The fifth set's score was 8–6. Finishing in five hours and twelve minutes, it was the third-longest men's singles match in Wimbledon history.
In June 2012, Arnaud Clément formalized his retirement from professional tennis at the age of 34, after a 16-year career.
Personal life While playing, he often wore a bandana and sunglasses. The sunglasses have been medically prescribed for Clement because of severe eye problems he has encountered through his life, which had nearly left him blind as a child. At only 13 months old, he was diagnosed with unilateral coloboma, meaning the condition only affects one eye, at that time Clément was only given a 40/60% chance of having healthy eyesight for the rest of his life, throughout his tennis career Clément has worn sunglasses to protect his eyes.
Clément was selected to represent one of the world's best-known and most important fashion labels, Lacoste. He was seen from May 2004 onwards in a pan-European print and TV campaign alongside the Danish pop singer Natasha Thomas. The advert was directed and shot by Bruno Aveillan.
Clément has been in a relationship with French pop singer Nolwenn Leroy since 2008. "Love story : Nolwenn Leroy et Arnaud Clément". Marie Claire. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
Significant finals Grand Slam finals Singles: 1 (1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 2001Australian OpenHard Andre Agassi4–6, 2–6, 2–6
Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin2007WimbledonGrass Michaël Llodra Bob Bryan Mike Bryan6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4Loss2008Australian OpenHard Michaël Llodra Jonathan Erlich Andy Ram5–7, 6–7(4–7)
Masters 1000 finals Doubles: 2 (2 titles) ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin2004Indian Wells MastersHard Sébastien Grosjean Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett6–3, 4–6, 7–5Win2006Paris MastersCarpet (i) Michaël Llodra Fabrice Santoro Nenad Zimonjić7–6(7–4), 6–4
ATP career finals Singles: 11 (4 titles, 7 runner-ups) LegendGrand Slam tournaments (0–1)ATP Masters Series / ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0)ATP International Series Gold / ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0)ATP International Series / ATP World Tour 250 Series (4–6)Finals by surfaceHard (3–3)Clay (0–0)Grass (0–3)Carpet (1–1)Finals by settingOutdoor (1–5)Indoor (3–2)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss0–1Open 13, FranceInternationalHard (i) Fabrice Santoro3–6, 6–4, 4–6Win1–1Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, FranceInternationalCarpet (i) Pat Rafter7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5)Loss1–2Australian Open, Melbourne, AustraliaGrand SlamHard Andre Agassi4–6, 2–6, 2–6Loss1–3Rosmalen Championships, NetherlandsInternationalGrass Sjeng Schalken6–3, 3–6, 2–6Loss1–4Rosmalen Championships, NetherlandsInternationalGrass Sjeng Schalken3–6, 4–6Win2–4Open de Moselle, FranceInternationalHard (i) Fernando González6–3, 1–6, 6–3Loss2–5Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, FranceInternationalCarpet (i) Rainer Schüttler5–7, 3–6Win3–5Open 13, FranceInternationalHard (i) Mario Ančić6–4, 6–2Win4–5Washington Open, United StatesInternationalHard Andy Murray7–6(7–3), 6–2Loss4–6Nottingham Open, United KingdomInternationalGrass Ivo Karlović6–3, 4–6, 4–6Loss4–7Auckland Open, New Zealand250 SeriesHard John Isner3–6, 7–5, 6–7(2–7)
Doubles: 22 (12 titles, 10 runner-ups) LegendGrand Slam tournaments (1–1)ATP Masters Series / ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (2–0)ATP International Series Gold / ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0)ATP International Series / ATP World Tour 250 Series (7–9)Finals by surfaceHard (7–7)Clay (1–0)Grass (1–1)Carpet (3–2)Finals by settingOutdoor (3–4)Indoor (9–6)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin1–0Grand Prix Hassan II, MoroccoInternationalClay Sébastien Grosjean Lars Burgsmüller Andrew Painter7–6(7–4), 6–4Loss1–1Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, FranceInternationalCarpet (i) Sébastien Grosjean Daniel Nestor Nenad Zimonjić1–6, 2–6Win2–1Open 13, FranceInternationalHard (i) Nicolas Escudé Julien Boutter Max Mirnyi6–4, 6–3Loss2–2Adelaide International, AustraliaInternationalHard Michaël Llodra Bob Bryan Mike Bryan5–7, 3–6Win3–2Indian Wells Masters, United StatesMastersHard Sébastien Grosjean Wayne Black Kevin Ullyett6–3, 4–6, 7–5Win4–2Open de Moselle, FranceInternationalHard (i) Nicolas Mahut Ivan Ljubičić Uros Vico6–2, 7–6(10–8)Win5–2St. Petersburg Open, RussiaInternationalCarpet (i) Michaël Llodra Dominik Hrbatý Jaroslav Levinský6–3, 6–2Loss5–3Sydney International, AustraliaInternationalHard Michaël Llodra Mahesh Bhupathi Todd Woodbridge3–6, 3–6Loss5–4Milan Indoor, ItalyInternationalCarpet (i) Jean-François Bachelot Daniele Bracciali Giorgio Galimberti6–7(8–10), 7–6(8–6), 6–4Loss5–5Rosmalen Championships, NetherlandsInternationalGrass Chris Haggard Martin Damm Leander Paes1–6, 6–7(3–7)Win6–5Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, FranceInternationalCarpet (i) Julien Benneteau František Čermák Jaroslav Levinský6–2, 6–7(3–7), [10–7]Loss6–6Stockholm Open, SwedenInternationalHard (i) Michaël Llodra Jonas Björkman Max Mirnyi4–6, 4–6Win7–6Paris Masters, FranceMastersCarpet (i) Michaël Llodra Fabrice Santoro Nenad Zimonjić7–6(7–4), 6–2Win8–6Open 13, France (2)InternationalHard (i) Michaël Llodra Mark Knowles Daniel Nestor7–5, 4–6, [10–8]Win9–6Wimbledon, United KingdomGrand SlamGrass Michaël Llodra Bob Bryan Mike Bryan6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4Win10–6Open de Moselle, France (2)InternationalHard (i) Michaël Llodra Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski6–1, 6–4Loss10–7Australian Open, AustraliaGrand SlamHard Michaël Llodra Jonathan Erlich Andy Ram5–7, 6–7(4–7)Win11–7Open de Moselle, France (3)InternationalHard (i) Michaël Llodra Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski5–7, 6–3, [10–8]Win12–7Open 13, France (3)250 SeriesHard (i) Michaël Llodra Julian Knowle Andy Ram3–6, 6–3, [10–8]Loss12–8Open de Moselle, France250 SeriesHard (i) Michaël Llodra Colin Fleming Ken Skupski6–2, 4–6, [5–10]Loss12–9Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France250 SeriesHard (i) Sébastien Grosjean Julien Benneteau Nicolas Mahut4–6, 6–7(6–8)Loss12–10Zagreb Indoors, Croatia250 SeriesHard (i) Olivier Rochus Jürgen Melzer Philipp Petzschner6–3, 3–6, [8–10]
Performance timelines
Singles Tournament1997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012SRGrand Slam tournaments Australian OpenA1R2R4RF2RA1R1R1R2R1R2R1R1RQ10 / 13 French Open1R1R2R2R1R3R4R1R2RA1R1R2R1R2R2R0 / 15 Wimbledon3R1R2R2R4R4R2R1R1R2R1RQF1R3R1RQ10 / 15 US OpenQ11R4RQF4R4R2R2R3R1R2R1RQ13RQ1A0 / 12Grand Slam SR0 / 20 / 40 / 40 / 40 / 40 / 40 / 30 / 40 / 40 / 30 / 40 / 40 / 30 / 40 / 30 / 10 / 55ATP Masters SeriesIndian WellsAAA1R3R1R2R2R2R2R2R1RA2RAA0 / 10MiamiA1R2R2R3R2R2R2R3R2R2R2R1R1RQ12R0 / 14Monte CarloQ11R1R3R1R1R2R1RA1R2RQ1Q1Q2AQ10 / 9RomeA2R2RQ21R2R2R1RAAAQ2Q2AAA0 / 6Madrid (Stuttgart)AA1R2R2R1R1RAAA1RAAAAQ10 / 6CanadaA1R2R2RQF1R2RA2R2R2R1RAQ1AA0 / 10CincinnatiA1R1RSF2R1R3R1RQ21R2R2RAQ2AA0 / 10ShanghaiNot HeldAAAA0 / 0Paris2R1R1R2R2R2RA1R2R2R1RQ13R2RQ2A0 / 12HamburgAAQ1Q21R1R2R1RAA2RANM10 / 5Masters Series SR0 / 10 / 60 / 70 / 70 / 90 / 90 / 80 / 70 / 40 / 60 / 80 / 40 / 20 / 30 / 00 / 10 / 82Year-end ranking941045618173831106694254936378152295
Doubles Tournament19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012SRGrand Slam tournaments Australian OpenAAAAA3RSFA2R1R2R1RF1RQF2RA0 / 10 French OpenA1R1R1R1RSFA3R2R1RA3R1R1R1R1R1R0 / 14 WimbledonAAAAA1RAAA2RAWA2R1RQF3R1 / 7 US OpenAAAAA2R2RA1R1RQF2R1RA1R1RA0 / 9Grand Slam SR0 / 00 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 40 / 20 / 10 / 30 / 40 / 21 / 40 / 30 / 30 / 40 / 40 / 31 / 41ATP Masters SeriesIndian WellsAAAA2RA1RAW1RA2R2RAAAA1 / 6MiamiAAAAA1R1RAQFQF2RSFQFAQFAA0 / 8Monte CarloAAA1R2R2RSF1R1RA2R1R2RAAA1R0 / 10RomeAAAA1R2RAA2RAA2R2RAAAA0 / 5Madrid (Stuttgart)AAAAAAAAAAA2R2RAAAA0 / 2CanadaAAA1R1RA1RAAAAQF1RAAA0 / 10CincinnatiAAAAAA1RA1RAA2RAAAA0 / 3ShanghaiNot HeldAAA0 / 0ParisAQF1R1R1R2RQFA1R1RWSFSF2R2R2R1 / 14HamburgAAAAAA2R1R1RAAQFANM10 / 4Masters Series SR0 / 00 / 10 / 10 / 30 / 50 / 40 / 70 / 21 / 70 / 31 / 30 / 90 / 70 / 10 / 20 / 10 / 12 / 62Year-end ranking45322323865711640391943186281429726179
Top 10 wins Season1997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012TotalWins200425100110100017
#PlayerRankEventSurfaceRd.Score19971. Sergi Bruguera7Vienna, AustriaCarpet (i)1R6–2, 7–6(8–6)2. Patrick Rafter3Lyon, FranceCarpet (i)1R6–3, 7–6(7–5)20003. Nicolás Lapentti7Australian Open, MelbourneHard2R3–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–2, 4–1 ret.4. Yevgeny Kafelnikov5Cincinnati, United StatesHard3R6–4, 6–15. Andre Agassi1US Open, New YorkHard2R6–3, 6–2, 6–46. Andre Agassi7Lyon, FranceCarpet (i)SF6–3, ret.20017. Yevgeny Kafelnikov5Australian Open, MelbourneHardQF6–4, 5–7, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–3)8. Yevgeny Kafelnikov7World Team Cup, DüsseldorfClayRR6–3, 6–020029. Thomas Johansson9Rotterdam, NetherlandsHard (i)2R6–2, 6–310. Thomas Johansson8Rome, ItalyClay1R6–4, 6–411. Thomas Johansson9French Open, ParisClay2R7–6(7–4), 6–1, 6–312. Sébastien Grosjean10US Open, New YorkHard2R6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 6–2, 6–413. Sébastien Grosjean8Lyon, FranceCarpet (i)QF6–3, 7–6(7–3)200314. Carlos Moyá4Montreal, CanadaHard1R7–6(7–4), 4–6, 6–3200615. Rafael Nadal2Marseille, FranceHard (i)SF2–6, 6–3, 7–5200716. Novak Djokovic4Queen's Club, United KingdomGrass3R2–6, 6–3, 6–4200917. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga8Lyon, FranceHard (i)QF5–7, 6–4, 7–6(10–8)
References
External links