(June 24, 2013) -- Once again, just like last year, tennis fans around the world are likely asking, "Who was that guy that beat
Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon?" Here are 10 fast facts about journeyman
Steve Darcis, who pulled off the biggest win of his career by eliminating the two-time champion.
1. Belgium Born: Darcis was born in Liege, Belgium, on March 13, 1984. He now resides in Saive, Belgium.
2. Early Days: Darcis started playing the sport at 5 years old with his father, who is a tennis coach, and his mother, who is a sports instructor.
3. Idol Worship: Though American serve-and-volley star Pete Sampras is Darcis' favorite player of all time, Darcis also looks up to fellow countrymen Oliver Rochus, Xavier Malisse and Kristof Vilegen.
4. Pro Start: Darcis turned pro in 2003. He reached his first Futures final in Glasgow, where he lost to a then-16-year-old Andy Murray.
5. Breakthrough Year: After struggling with injuries early in his pro career, Darcis made his breakthrough in 2008. That year, he won his first title in Amersfoot on clay and also reached the finals of Memphis. He jumped to a career high ranking of No. 44 in the world.
6. National Glory: The Summer Games at London proved to be a happy experience for Darcis. He earned his first top-10 win over Tomas Berdych while competing for Belgium in the tennis event. That same year, Darcis lead the Belgium Davis Cup team back into the World Group after he won both of his singles matches against Sweden.
7. Wimbledon Shocker: Despite falling out out of the top 100 earlier this summer, Darcis put together one of the best matches of his career to defeat Rafael Nadal in straight sets at Wimbledon. It marked the first-ever first-round loss for Nadal at a Grand Slam in his career.
8. Private Struggles: "I had many injuries.This year I had many problems, like private. Really, I couldn't play for two, three months. I was playing really bad," said the 29-year old Darcis on what the Nadal win meant to him. "But I'm really motivated and I'm feeling really good since a few months. Yeah, hopefully I could keep playing like this in the next rounds."
9. Shark Lover: Darcis' nickname is "shark." That is because as a youngster he grew up liking sharks. He even has a shark tattoo on his shoulder. He hopes one day to be able to swim with them. His Twitter account is even shark-inspired -
@stevedarcishark.
10. On Making History: Darcis, who has one child, was asked about showing this match to his grandchildren later on in his life. "First I will try to catch the DVD of the match, to keep it at home. So I think a lot of people will talk about this match in a few years, and also me I think. So we'll see if I have more children, I have already one, and we'll see."
(Sources: ATP.com, Wimbledon.com)
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(Photo Credit: CameraSport) |