Jürgen Melzer

Left-handed Austrian tennis player Jürgen Melzer, briefly the husband of Czech colleague Iveta Benešová from 2012-15, became a triple Olympian from Athens 2004 to London 2012. He reached the singles quarter-finals in 2008 as his best result, before losing to the eventual champion, and Spain’s world #1, Rafael Nadal by two sets to nil. In the men’s doubles Melzer partnered Julian Knowle in 2008 and Alexander Peya in 2012, and reached the second round on both occasions.

Melzer was one of the most successful Austrian tennis players ever winning three grand slam titles, two in men’s doubles and one in mixed doubles. Partnering German Philipp Petzschner he won the Wimbledon final in 2010, and the US Open in 2011. With his future wife, Benešová won the Wimbledon mixed doubles in 2011.

Melzer’s highest ever world singles ranking was #8 and in men’s doubles #6, both in 2011. He won the ATP World Tournament of Memphis in 2012, and the ATP Challenger Tournaments of Mönchengladbach (2001), Boca Raton (2004), Dallas (2013), Budapest (2017), and Wrocław (2017).

Melzer was even more successful in men’s doubles, winning the ATP World Tournaments of Tokyo (2009 with Knowle), Shanghai (2010 with Leander Paes), Rotterdam (2011 with Petzschner), Hamburg (2019 with Oliver Marach), and St. Petersburg (2020 with Édouard Roger-Vasselin). Additionally, he won six more ATP Challenger Tournaments.

Melzer’s brother Gerald also became a professional tennis player, while their father Rudolf was Mayor of the town of Deutsch-Wagram between 1998-2001. Melzer, who was elected Sportsman of the Year in Austria in 2010, became sports director of the Austrian Tennis Federation in 2023. After his divorce from Benešová, Melzer dated former swimmer Fabienne Nadarajah and they raised a son.