Jarkko Nieminen is a former Finnish professional tennis player, who achieved a career-best ranking of World No.13 in singles
Finland tennis icon Jarkko Nieminen has been inducted into his country’s sporting Hall of Fame. Nieminen has represented his country at the highest level of professional Tennis for more than 15 years. During his career, Nieminen achieved commendable success globally which was unseen in his country’s tennis history.
Till date, Nieminen is the only Finnish player to have won an ATP singles title and to have reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles event. After turning pro in 2000, Nieminen continued to play till 2016 and won seven ATP titles during this period. His highest-ever ranking of World no.13 in ATP singles is a major highlight of his professional career. Nieminen is widely regarded as the flag-bearer of Finnish Tennis.
In his illustrious career, Nieminen has had several moments of glory. He initially hogged the limelight after winning the 1999 US Open Junior Grand Slam title. In 2001, he became the first Finnish player to reach an ATP final. In 2002, Nieminen became the first Finn to be ranked in the top 50 of men’s singles.
Nieminen got a major breakthrough in 2005, when he defeated the, then World No.7 Andre Agassi. He won his first-ever ATP singles title the very next year in Auckland. In 2006, Nieminen broke into the top 15 for the first time in his career after a successful Wimbledon campaign.
Nieminen retired from the ATP tour in 2015, with 400 professional wins in his bag. He played his final match against his friend and rival, Roger Federer. Despite retiring from professional tennis, he did comeback to represent his nation in the 2016 Davis Cup. Finland won the tie and it marked the end of Nieminen’s career.
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