Status: ATP #44 – President of ATP Players Council – winner of seventeen pro doubles titles – winner of ATP Valencia doubles title yesterday with partner Scott Lipsky —
First Tennis Memory: My father owned a small tennis club in Minnesota. All my early tennis memories are playing at the club, hanging around and causing trouble [smiles].
Tennis Inspirations: Learning from my dad. Learning to fall in love with it. How much passion he had for it. He never pushed me, never said I had to play. But just seeing his love for it and all the smiles he put on people’s faces. That’s what I think made me like the same so much.
Last Book Read: David & Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell.
Greatest Sports Moment: Was finals of Australian Open. Grand Slam finals don’t come around often, so. When you get to play one of those it’s pretty special.
Most Painful Moment: Losing in NCAA semifinal. And I was last match on the court and I let my team down and we lost 4-3. So that was pretty bad.
Strangest Match: Once in Indian Wells, Rafa hit Feliciano Lopez in the back of the head with a serve, 130 miles an hour off his head and it went out of the stadium.
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: One was when I was watching at one of my first ever ATP events – I was looking for a seat. Some people invited me to sit in their luxury box – and I didn’t know who it was. I sat the whole match sitting with Federer’s parents. (Where?) Basel – his hometown. That was horrible. I didn’t know till the very end [smiles].
Favorite Tournaments: Stockholm and Queens. I like some of the old tennis clubs. You see some of the history, the traditions of the sport. A lot of times we play in real, like, modern venues. It’s nice to see some of the old courts and look up at the posters of Borg and McEnroe and Lendl. Some of these tournaments have been held for a hundred years. It’s neat to see.
First Famous Player You Met Or Encountered: No memory from when I was young. Probably first year on the ATP World Tour, Agassi was finishing up his career. So getting to meet him just before he finished his career was really cool. (Where?) At Indianapolis.
Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: Basketball.
Three Athletes You Like To Watch & Follow: Hockey – Henrik Lundqvist, goalie for the New York Rangers. Growing up I liked Chris Mullin (NBA shooting guard)….I like how he handles himself off the field, leadership-wise – Russell Wilson (NFL).
Best You Ever Felt On Court: Australian Open is one of my best tournaments. Down there I always feel great. The one year we beat the Bryans. Then the following round we beat Nestor/Zimonjic 2 and 4 on Laver Arena. To beat the top two teams in the world back to back, pretty handily, was probably the best I ever felt.
Funniest Players Encountered: It’s pretty serious these days. Everybody is pretty focused. Surprisingly, a lot of people never see the side of him but behind closed doors in the locker room Federer is more of a jokester than anyone would imagine. (Do you have a little anecdote that will possibly illustrate that?) No [laughs]. I’ll let him keep that to himself. There’s a reason he only lets it out in the locker room [smiles].
Fiercest Competitors Encountered: Bryan Brothers. Every time – nice guys off the court – and on the court they want to rip your head off every time, so [smiles].
DOB: May 22, 1981 In: Rochester, MN
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Moskova Moskova · November 2, 2015 at 10:57 am
about booty – “he is one of only three players from the NCAA Division III ranks to ever make a living on the tour”….who are the other 2 ?
Scoop Malinowski · November 2, 2015 at 11:08 am
Good trivia question mm – have faint idea – was it the Gullikson Bros? — Butorac has won seventeen ATP doubles titles in his career – that’s incredible that a D3 player has been so successful in the ATP in this modern era – Butorac has to be one of the great overachiever stories in tennis history – he’s not only a great player but also a fantastic ambassador for tennis – and I think this interview exemplifies that –
Moskova Moskova · November 2, 2015 at 12:35 pm
not sure….anyone konw the other 2 D3 players that are staples on the ATP ?
Moskova Moskova · November 2, 2015 at 12:43 pm
including your beloved challengers ! lol 😉