Mardy Fish (born December 9, 1981, Edina, Minnesota), is a American professional tennis player. He is one of several young American tennis players who rose to prominence at the beginning of the 21st century.

Biography

Fish was the son of a tennis teaching professional and a housewife, Tom and Sally Fish. Mardy earned his first taste of fame in 1984 when, at the age of two, a Minneapolis, Minnesota TV station ran a profile of the young athlete hitting tennis balls from the baseline over the net. In 1985, Fish's family moved to Vero Beach, Florida, where Mardy would attend Vero Beach High School for three years. Fish then moved to Boca Prep in Boca Raton, Florida for his senior year of high school. During this year, Mardy lived with the family of Andy Roddick, who went on to become one of the best tennis players of his time. Fish returned to Vero Beach in 2000; he spends part of the year training at Saddlebrook Academy in Tampa, Florida.

Career

Fish turned professional in 2000 at the age of 18. He spent his first few years as a pro playing in the Challenger and Futures circuits, the minor leagues of tennis. He earned his first title on the ATP Tour, tennis' premier professional circuit, in 2002 playing doubles in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, with Andy Roddick.

Fish's career improved significantly in 2003, when he won his first ATP singles title and finished the year ranked 20th in the world. His singles victory came near the end of the season, where he defeated the Swedish player Robin Soderling to win the Stockholm Open in Stockholm, Sweden.

Fish has played well in 2004, reaching the finals at the SAP Open in San Jose, California and in the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. In August, Fish obtained a silver medal for the United States when he lost to Chilean Nicolás Massú in the men's singles final at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

References

• ATP Tennis player profiles. Retrieved Aug. 19, 2004.