| Grega Žemlja | |
| Residence: | Kranj, Slovenia |
| Birth Date: | 1986 9, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Jesenice, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Turnedpro: | 2004 |
| Retired: | 2017 |
| Plays: | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Careerprizemoney: | $1,242,858 |
| Coach: | Žiga Janškovec |
| Singlesrecord: | 49–52 |
| Singlestitles: | 0 |
| Highestsinglesranking: | No. 43 (15 July 2013) |
| Australianopenresult: | 1R (2010, 2011, 2013) |
| Frenchopenresult: | 2R (2010, 2013) |
| Wimbledonresult: | 3R (2013) |
| Usopenresult: | 3R (2012) |
| Doublesrecord: | 15–24 |
| Doublestitles: | 0 |
| Highestdoublesranking: | No. 252 (21 November 2011) |
| Australianopendoublesresult: | 1R (2013) |
| Frenchopendoublesresult: | 2R (2013) |
| Wimbledondoublesresult: | 1R (2013) |
| Usopendoublesresult: | 1R (2013) |
Grega Žemlja (born 29 September 1986) is a retired Slovenian tennis player. He has won five singles titles and one doubles title on the ATP Challenger Tour. In 2012, he reached the third round of the US Open, the first Slovenian male player ever to reach that stage in a Grand Slam tournament. He is also the first Slovenian ATP player who in 2013 reached third round at Wimbledon. He reached his highest ATP ranking of world No. 43 in singles in May 2013, becoming the first Slovene ATP player to reach the top 50. Žemlja also became the first Slovene player earning over 1 million US dollars in prize money, and he was the highest-paid Slovene player in history until he was passed by Blaž Kavčič. He represented his country as a member of Slovenia Davis Cup team.
2009 was Žemlja's first year at the main draw on the ATP Tour. For the first time in his career he qualified for the main draw of Wimbledon where he lost in first round against Albert Montañés. He was the second Slovenian male player ever to play in the main draw of the Grand Slam tournament.
For the first time in his career he qualified for the main draw of the Australian Open where he lost in first round against Benjamin Becker. He became the first ever Slovenian male player to play in the main draw of Australian Open. Žemlja qualified for the 2010 French Open and scored an upset over the No. 26 seed Juan Mónaco, in his first ever Grand Slam victory. He became the first Slovenian male player to win a single match in the Grand Slam tournament. He also became the first Slovenian male player to perform in three different Grand Slam tournaments on three different surfaces.
For the first time in his career he participated in the ATP World Tour 500 series tournament at 2010 Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C. where he lost the second round match against Andy Roddick. Together with Slovenia Davis Cup Team he won the 2010 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II, ensuring Slovenia to advance to Europe/Africa Zone Group I.
For the second consecutive year, he qualified for the main draw of Australian Open where he lost the first round match against Marcos Baghdatis in five sets. As a lucky loser, he also qualified for the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. He became the first Slovenian male player to win a single match in the main draw of Wimbledon, but lost his second round match against Gaël Monfils.
He played at 2012 Qatar Open in Doha and lost in straight sets against Roger Federer in second round. He received a wild card to participate in the 2012 Wimbledon Championships,[1] where he lost the second round match against Fernando Verdasco.
On 6 August 2012, he entered the top 100 of the ATP rankings. For the first time in his career he qualified for the main draw of the US Open. Beating Ricardo Mello and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in first two rounds, he became the first Slovenian male player ever to reach the third round of the Grand Slam tournament. In the third round[2] he lost against Janko Tipsarević. At 2012 Erste Bank Open tournament in Vienna, Austria, he reached his and Slovenian first male historic ATP Final,[3] where he lost to Juan Martín del Potro. With that result he became the first Slovenian male tennis player to reach TOP 50 on ATP rankings.
At 2013 Australian Open for the first time he directly entered Grand Slam tournament. He retired in the first round against Marcel Granollers. He also played his first men's doubles Grand Slam tournament.
He played against Roger Federer for the second time in his career in Rotterdam at 2013 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament of ATP 500 series. He lost in two sets in the first round. For the first time in his career he played in main draw of ATP 1000 Masters series at 2013 Miami Masters. As a first Slovenian he reached the third round and lost in two sets against Gilles Simon.
At 2013 French Open he reached second round where he lost in four sets against Kei Nishikori. In men's doubles partnering Aljaž Bedene they lost in two sets against Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi/Jean-Julien Rojer in the second round. This is the first historic win in the first round of Grand Slam Slovenian men's doubles and first Slovene men's doubles performance in the French Open.
At 2013 Wimbledon Championships, he beat Michael Russell and 29th seed Grigor Dimitrov, becoming the first Slovene player in the third round of Wimbledon, where he lost in straight sets to Juan Martín del Potro. Partnering Aljaž Bedene in the first round of men's doubles they lost against Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana. This was the first Slovene men's doubles team at Wimbledon.
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Slovenia F2, Maribor | Futures | Clay |  Carlos Berlocq | 6–7(1–7), 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 1–1 | Hungary F1, Budapest | Futures | Clay |  Sebő Kiss | 1–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 1–2 | Bosnia & Herzegovina F1, Sarajevo | Futures | Clay | Ilija Bozoljac | 4–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 2–2 | Slovenia F1, Kranj | Futures | Clay |  Roman Vögeli | 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | ||
| Win | 3–2 | Slovenia F2, Maribor | Futures | Clay | Vilim Visak | 6–1, 7–5 | ||
| Win | 4–2 | Slovenia F3, Koper | Futures | Clay |  Marco Pedrini | 6–7(2–7), 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 4–3 | Bosnia & Herzegovina F1, Sarajevo | Futures | Clay |  Cesar Ferrer-Victoria | 3–6, 6–7(6–8) | ||
| Win | 5–3 | Slovenia F1, Portorož | Futures | Hard | Rasmus Nørby | 6–1, 6–0 | ||
| Loss | 5–4 | Germany F15, Kempten | Futures | Clay | Tobias Summerer | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 5–5 | Portugal F5, Ponta Delgada | Futures | Hard | Vjekoslav Skenderovic | 4–6, 1–6 | ||
| Loss | 5–6 | Australia F1, Wollongong | Futures | Hard |  Robert Smeets | 5–7, 1–6 | ||
| Win | 6–6 | Germany F19, Leimen | Futures | Hard | Marcel Zimmermann | 6–3, 7–5 | ||
| Win | 7–6 | Croatia F3, Poreč | Futures | Clay | Andrea Arnaboldi | 7–6(7–4), 6–1 | ||
| Win | 8–6 | Slovenia F1, Krško | Futures | Clay | Marcel Zimmermann | 4–6, 6–4, 6–1 | ||
| Win | 9–6 | Slovenia F3, Koper | Futures | Clay | Blaž Kavčič | 2–6, 6–1, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 9–7 | Recanati, Italy | Challenger | Hard | Horacio Zeballos | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 9–8 | Croatia F10, Dubrovnik | Futures | Clay | Simone Vagnozzi | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 10–8 | Cancún, Mexico | Challenger | Clay | Martín Alund | 6–2, 6–1 | ||
| Loss | 10–9 | Burnie, Australia | Challenger | Hard | Brydan Klein | 3–6, 3–6 | ||
| Loss | 10–10 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Challenger | Clay | Paolo Lorenzi | 6–1, 6–7(4–7), 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 10–11 | Cancún, Mexico | Challenger | Clay | Nicolás Massú | 3–6, 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 10–12 | Honolulu, United States | Challenger | Hard |  Michael Russell | 0–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 11–12 | Caloundra, Australia | Challenger | Hard | Bernard Tomic | 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | ||
| Loss | 11–13 | Rijeka, Croatia | Challenger | Clay | Rui Machado | 3–6, 0–6 | ||
| Loss | 11–14 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Challenger | Clay | Paolo Lorenzi | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 11–15 | Salzburg, Austria | Challenger | Hard |  Benoît Paire | 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 12–15 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Challenger | Grass |  Karol Beck | 7–6(7–3), 4–6, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 13–15 | Anning, China | Challenger | Clay | Aljaž Bedene | 1–6, 7–5, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 14–15 | Beijing, China | Challenger | Hard |  Wu Di | 6–3, 6–0 | ||
| Win | 15–15 | Portorož, Slovenia | Challenger | Hard |  Martin Fischer | 6–4, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 15–16 | Iran F4, Kish | Futures | Hard | Jules Marie | 1–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 16–16 | Iran F5, Kish | Futures | Hard | Jules Marie | 6–3, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 17–16 | China F4, Yuxi | Futures | Hard |  Kim Cheong-Eui | 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | ||
| Loss | 17–17 | Portorož, Slovenia | Challenger | Hard | Luca Vanni | 3–6, 6–7(6–8) | ||
| Loss | 17–18 | Las Vegas, United States | Challenger | Hard | Thiemo de Bakker | 6–3, 3–6, 1–6 | ||
| Loss | 17–19 | Gwangju, South Korea | Challenger | Hard |  Ričardas Berankis | 3–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 17–20 | Nanjing, China | Challenger | Clay | Ričardas Berankis | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 17–21 | Traralgon, Australia | Challenger | Hard | Jordan Thompson | 1–6, 2–6 |
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| Result | class=unsortable | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | class=unsortable | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Slovenia F2, Maribor | Futures | Clay | Rok Jarc | Germán Puentes-Alcaniz Antonio Baldellou-Esteva | 2–6, 1–6 | |||
| Loss | 0–2 | Serbia & Montenegro F6, Niš | Futures | Clay | Rok Jarc | Nikola Ćirić Goran Tošić | 0–1 ret. | |||
| Win | 1–2 | Tunisia F5, Monastir | Futures | Hard | Bostjan Osabnik |  Maciej Diłaj Piotr Dilaj | 7–6(7–3), 6–3 | |||
| Loss | 1–3 | Tunisia F6, Mégrine | Futures | Hard | Bostjan Osabnik |  Haythem Abid Malek Jaziri | 6–7(3–7), 3–6 | |||
| Loss | 1–4 | Bosnia & Herzegovina F1, Sarajevo | Futures | Clay | Rok Jarc | Ilija Bozoljac Goran Tošić | 3–6, 5–7 | |||
| Win | 2–4 | Slovenia F1, Kranj | Futures | Clay | Rok Jarc | Fabio Colangelo Alessandro Da Col | 2–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–3 | |||
| Win | 3–4 | France F17, Saint-Dizier | Futures | Hard | Rok Jarc | Olivier Charroin Gary Lugassy | 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–0 | |||
| Loss | 3–5 | Portugal F4, Albufeira | Futures | Hard | Blaž Kavčič | Vjekoslav Skenderovic Joško Topić | 3–6, 0–6 | |||
| Loss | 3–6 | Australia F1, Wollongong | Futures | Hard | Xavier Audouy | Alberto Francis Troy Hahn | 6–1, 2–6, 3–6 | |||
| Loss | 3–7 | Italy F11, Padova | Futures | Clay | Blaž Kavčič | Alejandro Fabbri Gabriel Trujillo Soler | 6–7(5–7), 2–6 | |||
| Loss | 3–8 | Marburg, Germany | Challenger | Clay | Guillermo Olaso | Matthias Bachinger Denis Gremelmayr | 4–6, 4–6 | |||
| Win | 4–8 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Challenger | Clay | Aljaž Bedene | Roberto Bautista Agut Iván Navarro | 6–3, 6–7(10–12), [12–10] | |||
| Loss | 4–9 | Slovenia F1, Bled | Futures | Clay | Aljaž Bedene | Mislav Hizak Tristan-Samuel Weissborn | walkover | |||
| Win | 5–9 | Sacramento, United States | Challenger | Hard | Blaž Kavčič | Daniel Brands Dustin Brown | 6–1, 3–6, [10–3] |
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | SR | W–L | Win% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Q1 | A | A | Q3 | 1R | 1R | Q2 | 1R | A | A | Q1 | Q1 | 0 / 3 | 0–3 | |||
| French Open | A | A | A | Q1 | 2R | Q1 | Q1 | 2R | Q1 | A | Q2 | Q1 | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | |||
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | Q2 | 2R | 2R | 3R | Q1 | A | Q2 | Q2 | 0 / 4 | 4–4 | |||
| US Open | A | Q1 | A | Q1 | Q1 | Q3 | 3R | 1R | A | A | Q1 | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | |||
| style=text-align:left | Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 11 | 8–11 | ||
| ATP Tour Masters 1000 | |||||||||||||||||
| Miami | A | A | A | A | A | Q2 | Q1 | 3R | A | A | Q2 | Q1 | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | |||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Q2 | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||
| Canada | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | |||
| Cincinnati | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | A | Q2 | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||
| Shanghai | A | A | A | A | Q2 | Q1 | Q2 | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||
| style=text-align:left | Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 2 | 2–2 |
| Edition | Round | Date | Against | Surface | Opponent | Result | Outcome | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 3-04-2005 | Hard (I) |  Valentin Sanon | 6–4, 6–4, 7–5 | Win | |||||
| QF | 7-15-2005 | Latvia | Clay | Ernests Gulbis | 5–7, 6–3, 6–1, 6–4 | Win | |||||
| SF | 9-25-2005 | Portugal | Clay | Rui Machado | 3–6, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6 | Loss | |||||
| 2006 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 4-07-2006 | Algeria | Clay | Slimane Saoudi | 7–5, 6–2 | Win | ||||
| 4-09-2006 | Lamine Ouahab | 3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 | Loss | ||||||||
| RPO | 7-21-2006 |  Ireland | Grass | Kevin Sorensen | 6–2, 7–5, 6–1 | Win | |||||
| 7-23-2006 | Conor Niland | 6–4, 6–2 | Win | ||||||||
| 2007 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 4-06-2007 |  Estonia | Carpet (I) | Jürgen Zopp | 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–3 | Win | ||||
| 4-08-2007 | Mait Künnap | 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–7(2–7), 6–3 | Win | ||||||||
| QF | 7-22-2007 |  Morocco | Hard | Younes El Aynaoui | 6–7(2–7), 2–6, 4–6 | Loss | |||||
| 2008 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | RPO | 7-18-2008 | Tunisia | Clay | Malek Jaziri | 3–6, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 | Win | ||||
| 2009 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 3-06-2009 |  Egypt | Carpet (I) | Sherif Sabry | 7–5, 7–6(8–6), 6–2 | Win | ||||
| QF | 7-10-2009 | Lithuania | Clay | Ričardas Berankis | 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 | Win | |||||
| 7-12-2009 | Dovydas Sakinis | 6–4, 2–6, 6–1 | Win | ||||||||
| SF | 9-18-2009 | Latvia | Carpet (I) | Andis Juška | 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 | Win | |||||
| 9-20-2009 | Ernests Gulbis | 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 5–7 | Loss | ||||||||
| 2010 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 3-05-2010 |  Norway | Hard (I) | Erling Tveit | 6–2, 6–2, 7–6(7–2) | Win | ||||
| QF | 7-09-2010 | Bulgaria | Clay | Todor Enev | 6–2, 6–1 | Win | |||||
| SF | 9-17-2010 | Lithuania | Hard (I) | Ričardas Berankis | 7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–3 | Win | |||||
| 9-19-2010 | Laurynas Grigelis | 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | Win | ||||||||
| 2011 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 1R | 3-04-2011 |  Finland | Clay (I) | Jarkko Nieminen | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 3–6 | Loss | ||||
| 3-06-2011 | Micke Kontinen | 2–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3 | Win | -bgcolor=#EBC2AF | 2R | 7-08-2011 | Italy | Clay | Fabio Fognini | 6–1, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6 | Loss |
| 7-10-2011 | Simone Bolelli | 5–7, 3–6 | Loss | ||||||||
| 2012 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 1R | 2-10-2012 | Denmark | Hard (I) | Kristian Pless | 6–0, 6–1, 6–4 | Win | ||||
| 2R | 4-06-2012 | South Africa | Hard | Izak van der Merwe | 1–6, 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 | Loss | |||||
| 2013 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 1R | 1-02-2013 | Poland | Hard (I) | Łukasz Kubot | 3–6, 2–6, 0–6 | Loss | ||||
| 3-02-2013 | Jerzy Janowicz | 6–7(4–7), 3–6, 3–6 | Loss |
| Edition | Round | Date | Partnering | Against | Surface | Opponents | Result | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 3-05-2005 | Rok Jarc | Ivory Coast | Hard (I) | Claude N'Goran Valentin Sanon | 6–2, 6–2 ret. | Win | |
| SF | 9-24-2005 | Portugal | Clay | Frederico Gil Leonardo Tavares | 4–6, 2–6, 4–6 | Loss | |||
| 2006 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 4-08-2006 | Rok Jarc | Algeria | Clay | Lamine Ouahab Slimane Saoudi | 2–6, 2–6, 4–6 | Loss | |
| RPO | 7-22-2006 | Luka Gregorc | Ireland | Grass | James Cluskey Stephen Nugent | 6–7(7–9), 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 | Win | ||
| 2007 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 4-07-2007 | Luka Gregorc | Estonia | Clay (I) | Mait Künnap Jürgen Zopp | 2–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 4–6 | Loss | |
| QF | 7-21-2007 | Morocco | Hard | Reda El Amrani Younes El Aynaoui | 6–7(2–7), 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 | Win | |||
| 2008 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 4-12-2008 | Marko Tkalec |  Cyprus | Hard | Marcos Baghdatis Photos Kallias | 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 1–6 | Loss | |
| RPO | 7-19-2008 | Luka Gregorc | Tunisia | Clay | Haithem Abid Malek Jaziri | 6–3, 5–7, 6–7(5–7), 5–7 | Loss | ||
| 2009 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 3-07-2009 | Marko Tkalec | Egypt | Carpet (I) | Karim Maamoun Sherif Sabry | 6–2, 6–3, 6–3 | Win | |
| QF | 7-19-2009 | Andrej Kračman | Lithuania | Clay | Ričardas Berankis Vadim Pinko | 7–6(7–2), 6–3, 6–3 | Win | ||
| SF | 9-19-2009 | Luka Gregorc |  Latvia | Carpet (I) | Ernests Gulbis Deniss Pavlovs | 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 | Win | ||
| 2010 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 3-06-2010 | Luka Gregorc | Norway | Hard (I) | Erling Tveit Stian Boretti | 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5), 7–5 | Win | |
| QF | 7-10-2010 | Bulgaria | Clay | Grigor Dimitrov Ivaylo Traykov | 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–2), 7–6(14–12), 6–3 | Win | |||
| SF | 9-18-2010 | Lithuania | Hard (I) | Ričardas Berankis Laurynas Grigelis | 7–5, 6–4, 1–6, 3–6, 3–6 | Loss | |||
| 2011 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 1R | 3-05-2011 | Luka Gregorc | Finland | Clay (I) | Harri Heliövaara Jarkko Nieminen | 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5 | Win | |
| 2R | 7-09-2011 | Blaž Kavčič | Italy | Clay | Simone Bolelli Daniele Bracciali | 6–7, 6–7, 2–6 | Loss | ||
| 2012 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 1R | 2-11-2012 | Blaž Kavčič | Denmark | Hard (I) | Thomas Kromann Frederik Nielsen | 6–4, 6–7, 6–4, 7–5 | Win | |
| 2R | 4-07-2012 | Blaž Kavčič | South Africa | Hard | Raven Klaasen Izak van der Merwe | 7–6(7–5), 6–7(4–7), 1–6, 4–6 | Loss | ||
| 2013 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 1R | 2-02-2012 | Blaž Kavčič | Poland | Hard (I) | Mariusz Fyrstenberg Marcin Matkowski | 6–3, 2–6, 6–2, 4–6, 13-11 | Win |