PLAYER PROFILE

Sam Groth

11
AUSTRALIAN
RANKING
235
ATP
RANKING
  • Age36
  • Born19 October 1987
  • Birth PlaceNarrandera, New South Wales
  • LivesMelbourne, Victoria
  • Height194 cm
  • PlaysRight-handed
  • CoachBilly Heiser
  • Pro Since2004
FOLLOW

On court

  • Learned to play tennis, aged 10, on the grass courts of Corowa, NSW.
  • Played in his first Grand Slam event at the 2009 Australian Open, losing to No.23-seeded American Mardy Fish in the first round.
  • Claimed his maiden ITF Futures Pro Circuit title in Alabama in 2009.
  • Secured further ITF success in 2010, with back-to back wins in Turkey and Bendigo.
  • Hit the fastest serve on record, registering 163.4 mph (263 kph), at the 2012 ATP Challenger in Busan, Korea (note: the ATP does not officially recognise serving speed records because of the variance in radar guns it confirmed “the event was using approved equipment, and that other data gathered appeared within a normal range.”). The previous fastest was an Ivo Karlovic 251 km/h serve.
  • Broke into the world’s top 100 in 2014, following consistent results at ITF and Challenger level.
  • Dream is to achieve a top 10 singles ranking, win a Wimbledon trophy and represent Australia in the Davis Cup.
  • Tennis idols are Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis

Off court

  • Supports the Sydney Swans in the AFL
  • Briefly decided to quit tennis in 2011 following a devastating shoulder injury
  • Nickname on tour is ‘Drago’ because his friends think he looks like Ivan Drago from Rocky IV

Year-end singles ranking history

2016 181
2015 60
2014 81
2013 172
2012 218
2011 575
2010 293
2009 270
2008 265
2007 421
2006 686
2005 1367

 

Titles/Finals

Titles

2016 Las Vegas Challenger

2015 Taipei Challenger, Manchester Challenger

2014 Rimouski Challenger

2013 Mildura ITF

2012 Australia F3 ITF, Korea F1 ITF,

2010 Turkey F9 ITF, Turkey F10 ITF, Australia F13 ITF

2009 U.S.A F7 ITF

Finals

2014 Leon Challenger, Nottingham Challenger, Knoxville Challenger

2013 Champaign Challenger

2012 Burnie Challenger, Korea F2 ITF, Alice Springs F6

2010 Australia F12 ITF,

2009 Uzbekistan Challenger

2007 Australia F7 ITF

2006 Australia F12 ITF

Sam Groth in the news

Social round-up: Proud Aussies starring at Billie Jean King Cup
Storm Sanders celebrates at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Picture: ITF
4 November, 2021

What have Australia's top-ranked players been up to? We've collated tweets and posts from this week to keep fans up to date ...
Read more
Social round-up: Serving inspiration on and off the court
Thanasi Kokkinakis with his Biella trophy. Picture: Instagram
27 May, 2021

What have Australia's top-ranked players been up to? We've collated tweets and posts from this week to keep fans up to date ...
Read more
Social round-up: Celebrating titles and other milestones
Storm Sanders, right, celebrates winning an ITF doubles title with American Caty McNally. Picture: Instagram
13 May, 2021

What have Australia's top-ranked players been up to? We've collated tweets and posts from this week to keep fans up to date ...
Read more
Social round-up: Celebrating friendships in tennis
Social 280421c
29 April, 2021

What have Australia's top-ranked players been up to? We've collated tweets and posts from this week to keep fans up to date ...
Read more
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