Status: Former ATP player. Winner of one ATP doubles title (Delray Beach). Reached a career high ranking of #100 in 2001. Operates the Armando Tennis Academy with his father Hugo Sr. in Bradenton.
DOB: May 27, 1978 In: Miami, FL
First Tennis Memory: “Watching my sister (Romina) play and playing with the wall at our club in Argentina.”
Tennis Inspirations: “Wow, so many…my sister, Jim Courier, Alberto Mancini, Pete Sampras, Pat Cash, Ivan Lendl, I could go on and on.”
First Famous Tennis Player You Ever Met: “Andre Agassi. At the Bollettieri Academy. I was 12 and we hit some balls for the Donnay people.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov (#6 ATP at the time) 61 61 in Kitzbuhel, Austria and then hugging my dad (Hugo Sr.) in the locker room. And beating Gustavo Kuerten in Stuttgart in 2004 or 2005, he was one of my favorite players ever. He was also an inspiration.”
Most Painful Moment: “When I injured my wrist at 22 and I was ranked around 110 and I found out I was going to be out for ten months.”
Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: “I love playing because I love to compete, I love the life lessons I have learned thanks to the game of tennis, and I love that its just you out there.”
Which Match(es) Were You At Your Very Best: “I felt my best when I beat Kafelnikov and also when I beat Guga. I was very nervous going into both those matches but once I settled down I knew I wasn’t going to lose.”
Favorite Court To Play On: “Red clay court is my favorite court…Phillipe Chartier is an amazing court, hands down the best court in the world for me.”
Favorite Players To Watch: “I love to watch Federer, Rafa, Murray, Nalbandian and Gaudio. From the older guys, I would say Guga, Courier, Muster.”
Last Book Read: “‘Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew.’ One of the best tennis books I have ever read! Brilliant. And also read ‘Buddha’ by Deepak Chopra.”
Racquet You Play With: “Babolat Pure Drive Plus. Love it!”
Shoes You Play In: “Adidas.”
Closest Friends From Tennis: “Xavier Malisse (they won Delray doubles together in 2007), Tommy Haas, Gaston Gaudio, Mariano Zabaleta.”
Funniest Player Encountered: “Monfils can be pretty funny… I’ll have to go with him!”
Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Toughest? Everyone is tough as nails on Tour…but Rafa, Djokovic, Ferrer are definitely at the top.”
Strangest Match: “Was watching Corretja fold (break) three racquets after winning a semifinals of doubles in Kitzbuhel [smiles]. I had no idea what was going on. Also a match in Bournemouth, England between Mariano Zabaleta and Stefan Koubek. The wind was soooo bad. They start the third set breaker and Zabaleta has this huge wind at his back and goes up 6-0. They switch sides and now Koubek has the wind in his favor and gets it to 6-6 – the wind was a joke. As they switch sides, Zabaleta has this huge smile on his face and wins it 8-6. No one won a point against the wind!”
Funny Tennis Memory: “I was playing against Carlos Berloq in Buenos Aires. And when I broke his serve to go up a set and a break in the second set he went back to the fence and punched the fence….I hear this loud DONG! There was a metal lightpost behind the fence that he didn’t see and he crushed his hand. I won the next two games without losing a point. Poor guy could barely hold the racquet! I thought that was funny I’m sure he didn’t [smiles].”
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