Status: ATP no. 61. Winner of eight career singles titles (including 2016 Delray Beach) and four doubles. Career high singles ranking was no. 17.
Ht: 6-6 Wt: 200
DOB: Oct. 7, 1987 In: San Francisco, CA
Childhood Heroes: “I never had a certain hero. I always watched Agassi and Sampras growing up, those are the two guys I sort of idolized.”
Nicknames: “I’m called Sammy The Bull – I don’t know how I got that one. And all those guys on the Challenger Tour called me Q Ball.”
First Memory Of Tennis: “Would be when I lived in Las Vegas, I was eight, taking a lesson from my old coach Owen, inside in an indoor court. I think that was my first serious lesson with a coach.”
First Car: “’74 VW Vanagon, blue and white. It’s all re-done, there’s a bean bag in the back. Stereo system. It’s cool.”
First Job: “This job right now, professional tennis player.”
Greatest Career Moment: “I don’t know if there’s been one greatest moment. There’s been a few. Winning my first title in Vegas. Also winning Queens before Wimbledon. The prestigious event. And I think the third one would be I guess playing at the US Open against Nadal in the fourth round. Davis Cup has been a highlight. There’s not one for me, there’s really been a few.”
Most Painful Moment: “Worst moment…probably losing in Davis Cup.”
Closest Tennis Friends: “Isner is one of my best friends. I’m good friends with Mardy, James, the Bryans, all the Americans, I mean we’re all pretty close.”
Funniest Players Encountered: “Isner’s funny. Mardy’s pretty funny. Bob and Mike Bryan I think. I don’t interact a whole lot with the guys from Europe, I’m sure some of them are funny.”
Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Probably Rafa.”
Which Match Were You At Your Best: “Against Marcos Baghdatis, second round Memphis (2009). I won 61 62 and everything felt perfect. Pretty much playing every ball perfectly.”
Favorite Meal: “Chicken parmigian.”
Favorite Movie: “Happy Gilmore.”
Funny Tennis Memory: “I was playing a match and I went back for a lob – my foot got caught back in between the fence and the concrete. My shoe fell off so I played the rest of the point with just like my sock on [smiles]. At Southern California sectionals when I was fourteen.”
Interesting Fact: Sam holds the ATP record for consecutive aces – when he made ten aces in a row against James Blake in 2007 on an outdoor hardcourt.
People Qualities Most Admired: “A positive attitude, a good outlook on life, outgoing, fun, generous, all those things.”
Sam once smacked ten straight aces
Scoop Malinowski · June 25, 2015 at 11:00 am
Good to see Sam in the QF of Nottingham, where he will play Simon, been a bit of a dry spell for Sam to win a singles title, Nottingham would certainly be nice to win for Q Ball.
Scoop Malinowski · June 25, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Wow, Sam beats Simon 64 in third, he was previously 1-4 head to head vs. Simon Sez. Q Ball into the SF of Nottingham. This could be a huge win for Sam, he’s lost a lot of close ones like this to top players maybe this one will spark something.
Dan markowitz · June 25, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Nice win but you have to put Sam the favorite against Simon on grass. And Sam once won Queens but has never ventured far at Wimby. QBall is the ultimate non-slam performer. He’s never ventured past the 3rd round of a slam I think but once. Also anyone’s favorite movie being Happy Gilmour can’t be taken seriously.
Scoop Malinowski · June 25, 2015 at 2:24 pm
We know Sam is capable of doing damage at majors, he has two lethal weapons. just needs to get on a roll and get his confidence going. Who knows, Sam can be the next Wawrinka who was also a major underachiever for years. Before he won his first major Stan was a fringe player. Sam is two and a half years younger than the once mild mannered Stanimal. Who knows maybe Q Ball is now suddenly finding his phone booth and is in the midst of transforming himself into… THE SAMIMAL 🙂 About favorite movies, what are some of yours Danimal?
Dan Markowitz · June 25, 2015 at 5:26 pm
No chance, QBall is never going to sniff a slam quarters not to say anything about him winning a slam. He doesn’t move well enough and his overall shotmaking drops a great deal in five set matches.
My favorite movies: Reds, Heaven Can Wait (Warren Beatty flicks), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Graduate, Manhattan and Annie Hall (Woody Allen flicks), MASH, Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks), “Sideways” and last year’s “Foxcatcher” (Did you see that, Scoop? It’s a phenomenal movie about these two real-life Olympic wrestlers.)
Scoop Malinowski · June 25, 2015 at 9:25 pm
If Sam can find is inner Samimal, he can win majors, just like Stanimal, but the hard part is getting in touch with his inner beast and bringing out The Samimal. Danimal you are locked into that 70s era of films it was a great era, Jaws, 3 Days of the Condor, Rocky, Star Wars. I liked Butch Cassidy a lot, the others I haven’t seen in full. I read the story about Dupont and the wresters, interesting story, need to see that movie. My favorites are also from early era: City Lights Charlie Chaplin, Citizen Kane, Camille, Angels With Dirty Faces, Metropolis with the Moroder soundtrack, 2001, Shining, Beauty and the Beast Jean Cocteau version, Cinema Paradiso, Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Camille, Dial M For Murder, anything by Kubrick, Barry Linden. Brides of Dracula.
Dan Markowitz · June 26, 2015 at 5:40 am
Geez, you really are into the early flicks. I feel like I just took a film course reading your faves. Yeah, the 70’s were a great time for movies. I always heard Citizen Kane was a great film, but I never fully watched it. I loved Hitchcock’s Psycho and what’s the one where Jimmy Stewart has the broken leg and sees a murder from his apartment window with Grace Kelly.
I left out one of my faves from the 70’s, Pacino’s Dog Day Afternoon. I’m surprised you didn’t say Deniro’s Jake LaMotta film, Raging Bull, but I also loved Deniro in Taxi Driver. Films are funny. Sometimes the best ones, often times, are the small Indy films that you love the feeling for. A more modern movie, probably at least 15 years ago now, was the Coen brothers’ Fargo. Don’t tell me you didn’t see that flick, great great movie.
Dan Markowitz · June 26, 2015 at 5:41 am
By the way, Sam couldn’t win a major if his life depended on it. Sam has hard enough time winning Challengers these days.
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2015 at 7:33 am
WHAT??! You haven’t seen Citizen Kane? It’s only been hailed as “The greatest film ever made. And the greatest film that EVER WILL BE MADE.” I just read a book “My Lunches With Orson” by Henry Jaglom, what a great book, what a genius Welles was. You must see this movie Dan. Rear Window is good. Raging Bull – could never get into it, Rocky is my boxing movie and it pales in comparison. Never actually made it through Raging Bull. Fargo is too gruesome but a very good movie. Taxi Driver is very good, so many quality 70s movies. Just read a book about all those 70s directors Easy Rider and something by Peter Biskind, tons of insider anecdotes about Beatty, Bogdanovich, Dennis Hopper, Coppolla, Scorcese, really good book. We all thought Stanimal couldn’t win a major, why can’t Sam find his inner beast? It’s unlikely, but not impossible..
Ashoke Ganguli · June 26, 2015 at 8:14 am
Hi Scoop,
Sam as you know can do damage in any tournament.I hope you are playing a ton of tennis with your friend Harry in Bradenton.Will you play all the tournaments on the east coast this summer.Be well
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2015 at 8:25 am
If Stan could do it so can Sam, there are many parallels there Ashoke, but Sam has to get his mind right and bring out his inner beast, if he has any, you can’t be too gentlemanly in tennis nowadays it’s just too tough and physical. Sam probably would have won multiple majors if he was back the olden days. Up north now Ashoke, won a 35s last week hard court in West Milford but lost in states on red clay.
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2015 at 8:28 am
Sam could get Fed in second or third round Wimbledon. Some good first rounders – Hewitt vs Jarko, Rafa vs Bellucci, Ymer vs Dr Ivo, Sock vs Groth, Djokovic vs Kohlschreiber, shame Baghdatis had to pull out of Nottingham SF with ankle, also pulled out of Wimbledon. Larcher De Brito out for 3 months with torn ankle ligaments from her two marathon qualies matches. Isner could play Nishikori early at Wimb, remember Isner just trounced Kei this year in straight sets on hard court. Kei hates playing big servers like Isner and Ivo.
Harold · June 26, 2015 at 11:55 am
Henry Jaglom made some great quirky movies in the 80’s.
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2015 at 10:01 pm
Check it out Harold, My Lunches with Orson by Henry Jaglom and Peter Biskind.
Scoop Malinowski · June 27, 2015 at 4:12 pm
Querrey loses a dramatic 67 67 war with Istomin, down 25 in second, Q broke back twice and saved a MP before going up 5-1 in breaker only to lose it on big Istomin rally. First ATP singles title for an ecstatic Istomin, another heartbreaking loss for Q who said he would probably feel better when he wakes up tomorrow morning. Guccione and Sa win the doubles.
Gaurang · June 29, 2015 at 2:32 am
Nice movie listings!! 🙂
I love Hitchcock movies — Vertigo is my favorite, although I also like his The Rear Window, The Rope, etc (I didnt like Psycho that much). I liked Fargo except the violence. Have you guys seen Pulp Fiction — I loved that movie due to the dialogues, though as far as I remember it also had more violence that I like. (I hate “Kill Bill”, etc). Not sure why people like “Taxi Driver” — I saw it long ago but I remember it was weird and also had some unnecessary violence.
Interesting to see “2001” in your list of favorites Scoop. Are you into Sci-Fi?
If you are, then watch out for Martian thats going to be released in November starring Matt Damon.
Scoop Malinowski · June 29, 2015 at 8:19 am
Space Odyssey is one of the coolest movies I ever saw Gaurang, the ending is a little abstract but what a movie, what a message. Kubrick never ever failed to deliver. Read a thing that he was actually killed during Eyes Wide Shut filming by Illuminati because it revealed too much about them and their methods. Kubrick is without a doubt the greatest filmmaker there ever was. A solid sci fi themed movie is always fascinating, Matrix, Close Encounters, The Thing From Another World, Moonraker, Star Wars, War of the Gargantuas, so many to name. You like Hitchcock movies, surprised to see Dial M For Murder absent from your list, that’s the best one. Though Orson Welles said he disliked most of Hitchcock’s films, he only liked the early British ones particularly 39 Steps. Martians with Damon sounds good, hope it’s not just a violence fest.