Benjamin Balleret

Benjamin Balleret
	Balleret at the 2014 Open de Nice Côte d'Azur
Country (sports)	Monaco
Residence	Monte Carlo, Monaco
Born	15 January 1983 (age 41); Monte Carlo, Monaco
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro	2001
Retired	2017
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$275,090
Singles
Career record	26–28
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 204 (19 June 2006)
Current ranking	No. 277 (7 April 2014)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	Q1 (2007, 2010, 2014)
French Open	Q3 (2007)
Wimbledon	Q2 (2010)
US Open	Q1 (2006, 2010)
Doubles
Career record	1–2
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 508 (24 November 2008)
Medal record
Games of the Small States of Europe
	Last updated on: 29 May 2013.

Benjamin Balleret (born 15 January 1983) is a professional tennis player from Monaco. Balleret is a member of the Monaco Davis Cup team.

Personal life

His father, Bernard Balleret, stepmother Alexia Dechaume-Balleret, and aunt Virginie Paquet are also former tennis players. Balleret's half-brother and protégé Valentin Vacherot also plays the sport professionally,^[1] as does their cousin, Arthur Rinderknech.^[2]^[3]

Tennis career

Juniors

As a junior Balleret reached as high as No. 19 in the junior world singles rankings (and No. 29 in doubles) in 2001.

Pro tour

Balleret is best known for his April 2006 fairy tale run to the third round of the Monte Carlo Open, an ATP Masters Series. Entering the tournament, he was ranked 351st in the world and had competed only in challenger tournaments and several Davis Cup matches (he played for the Monegasque team in 2004 and 2005 and compiled a modest record of 4 wins and 5 losses).^[4] However, on 16 April 2006, he received a wild card into the qualifying draw of the Monte Carlo Open and won upsets over seeded, far more accomplished players than he including clay court specialist Albert Portas (at the time ranked 106th in the world and seeded 13th in the qualifying draw) as well as U.S. Open and Wimbledon semi-finalist Jonas Björkman (at the time ranked 71st in the world and seeded third in the qualifying draw). These wins earned Balleret a spot in the main draw, and his performance there is what earned him international headlines. He won upsets over Christophe Rochus (at the time ranked 44th in the world) and Sébastien Grosjean (at the time ranked 23rd in the world, number one in France, and seeded thirteenth in the main draw). Balleret's impressive run came to an end in the third round, in which he lost to world number one Roger Federer.^[5]

After Balleret's performance at this prestigious clay court event, he shot up 134 positions in the rankings to World No. 217.

In 2013, Balleret and Guillaume Couillard played the longest professional tiebreak in known tennis history, lasting 70 points (36–34). Balleret won the match 7–6(34), 6–1 in the third qualifying round for the USA F1 Futures in Plantation, Florida.^[6] He won the Pensacola Futures tournament in 2013.