Benjamin Balleret

Background

His father, Bernard Balleret, was also a professional tennis player.

Career

Juniors

As a junior Balleret reached as high as Number. 19 in the junior world singles rankings (and Number 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 Association of Tennis Professionals Masters Series.

These wins earned Balleret a spot in the main draw, and his performance there is what earned him international headlines.

Balleret"s impressive run came to an end in the third round, in which he lost to world number one Roger Federer. After Balleret"s performance at this prestigious clay court event, he shot up 134 positions in the rankings to World Number.

217.

In 2013, Balleret and Guillaume Couillard played the longest professional tiebreak in known tennis history, lasting 70 points (36–34).

Achievements

• Balleret is a member of the Monaco Davis Cup team 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). 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 United States. Open and Wimbledon semi-finalist Jonas Björkman (at the time ranked 71st in the world and seeded third in the qualifying draw). 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 won the match 7–6(34), 6–1 in the third qualifying round for the United States of America F1 Futures in Plantation, Florida. He won the Pensacola Futures tournament in 2013.