Fernando Verdasco: Coming of Age?

(This entry was originally published in this blog December 2008 and it is based on the information of that time.)

Born on November 15, 1983 in Madrid, Spain, Fernando Verdasco started playing tennis at the age of 4 and had an all-time coach upon reaching 8. Well, that is the story of young Verdasco. Now, at 25, Fernando Verdasco is one of the leading tennis players in Spain, perhaps the second best after world no. 1 Rafael Nadal. Well, you might argue with me on this regard, indicating his on-court success. No doubt, Fernando Verdasco does not have any major success in the grand slam tournaments. In fact, reaching 4^th round is the best performance for Fernando Verdasco so far in his career. He has only 2 ATP tour titles so far without having any Tennis Masters Cup or ATP Masters Series title to his credit.

Well, still if you look at his performance over the last one year, you must admit that Fernando Verdasco has been pretty much consistent on the court. In fact, he achieved his highest career ranking 11 on 21 July 2008. Though Verdasco slipped in the ranking and currently stands at 16 in ATP ranking, the player is considered to have come of age finally after his recent performance with Spain’s Davis Cup winning team who defeated favorite Argentina 3-1 in the final. Fernando Verdasco won both his single and doubles match in the competition to lead Spain to clinch the Davis Cup trophy.

For a long time, Fernando Verdasco has been failed to live up to the expectation. There was no doubt about his talent and potential, but his talent and potential were not refluxing in the results. However, time has come to consider Verdasco as one of the biggest challengers of major titles in 2009, if he continues his current form and builds on his recent success next year as well. Verdasco will start the new season with the Brisbane tennis tournament, starting from 9 January 2009, just before the Australian Open 2009 which begins from 19 January.

Love Relationship with Ana Ivanovic: Rumor? Not At All

Fernando Verdasco has recently admitted that he is dating with Serbian tennis star Ana Ivanovic and they are getting along well with each other. Upon persuasions by the reporters, Verdasco did not hide his off-court relationship with Ana Ivanovic, the winner of French Open 2008. The two love-birds are spending time together in Mallorca at this moment, besides continuing their pre-season preparations. Ana Ivanovic has bought a new house in Mallorca recently for 4.5 million euros. Reports have in the media that the two were also spotted together in Ivanovic’s new house in Mallorca.

Well, this is the not the first time, Fernando Verdasco is in a relationship. In fact, he was reportedly involved with Argentine tennis player Gisela Dulko, Spanish model and actress Dafne Fernandez and Spanish model Priscila De Gustin in the past.

So, don’t you think that Fernando Verdasco has already come of age, both on and off the court?