Max Mirnyi

Sport: Tennis

Born: 6 July 1977; Minsk, Byelorussian SSR

Honors:

Honored Master of Sport of the Republic of Belarus (2001)

Order of the Fatherland 3rd Class

Career highlights:

Gold (mixed doubles with Victoria Azarenka), Olympic Games in London, 2012

Champion (men’s doubles), US Open, 2000, 2002

Champion (men’s doubles), Roland Garros, 2005-2006, 2011-2012

Champion (mixed doubles with Serena Williams) US Open, 1998

Champion (mixed doubles with Serena Williams), Wimbledon, 1998

Champion (mixed doubles with Victoria Azarenka), US Open, 2007

Champion (mixed doubles with Andrea Hlavackova), US Open, 2013

Winner of 53 ATP tournaments (one title in singles, Rotterdam Open, 2003)

Winner (doubles), ATP Finals, 2006, 2011

World No.18 (singles), August 2003

World No.1 (doubles), June 2003

Biography:

Max Mirnyi was born on 6 July 1977 in Minsk to the family of athletes. His father Nikolai was a professional volleyball player, who played in the RSFSR elite division, and mother Tatiana was a swimmer, who set the national record in 200m butterfly in 1971.

Max took up tennis at the age of six at the behest of his father, who became one of his first coaches. Max learned the basics of tennis at the MAZ junior sport school of Olympic reserve. At the age of 13, he went to the USA to enroll at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in 1992.

In 1996, Max Mirnyi began competing in major ATP tournaments. He made a debut in the doubles with Kevin Ullyett at the 1997 Shanghai Open, winning his first ATP title. However, true success came in 1998 when he won the champion titles in the mixed doubles with 16-year-old Serena Williams at two Grand Slam tournaments, the US Open and Wimbledon.

In February 2003, Max clinched his first and only ATP singles title in Rotterdam. On the way to the Rotterdam title he beat Mario Ancic, Ivan Ljubicic, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Roger Federer, and Raemon Sluiter. This victory rose him to World No.18 in singles. Max Mirnyi is the only Belarusian tennis player who won ATP tournaments in both singles and doubles. He is also the first Belarusian tennis player to win a Grand Slam in doubles.

In June 2003, Max reached doubles World No.1 and remained at the top of the ranking for 57 weeks. He entered the history of the world tennis as a doubles player.

Max Mirnyi took part in three Olympic Games. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he performed in singles and doubles, but did not make it past the quarterfinals.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Max Mirnyi was eliminated in the singles quarterfinals. In the doubles, he teamed up with Vladimir Voltchkov to be beaten by the Bryan brothers in the second round.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London were the most successful Olympics for Max Mirnyi. He won a gold medal in mixed doubles together with Victoria Azarenka, for the first time in the history of Belarus.

The history of Team Belarus’ participation in the Davis Cup would be incomplete without Max Mirnyi. In 1994, at the age of 16, he debuted for Team Belarus in Europe/Africa Zone Group III. By 2003, Max Mirnyi together with Vladimir Voltchkov helped Belarus make it to the Davis Cup World Group and reached semifinals in September 2004. Max Mirnyi represented Belarus in 96  Davis Cup games (61 wins, 35 losses).

In September 2018, Max Mirnyi announced his retirement from tennis



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