Mikael Ymer

Last updated

Mikael Ymer
Ymer M. RGQ19 (21) (48002588912).jpg
Ymer at the 2019 French Open
Full nameMikael Wondwosen Yemer[ citation needed ]
Country (sports)Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
Residence Stockholm, Sweden
Born (1998-09-09) 9 September 1998 (age 26)
Skara, Sweden
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro2015
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach Frederik Nielsen, Kalle Norberg
Prize moneyUS$2,755,011
Singles
Career record74–82 (ATP Tour, Grand Slam, Davis Cup)
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 50 (17 April 2023)
Current rankingNo. 754 (17 March 2025) [1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open 3R (2021)
French Open 3R (2021, 2022)
Wimbledon 3R (2023)
US Open 1R (2020, 2021, 2022)
Doubles
Career record7–9
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 187 (16 October 2017)
Current rankingNot ranked (12 August 2024)
Last updated on: 12 August 2024.

Mikael Ymer (born 9 September 1998) is a Swedish professional tennis player. He had a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 50, achieved on 17 April 2023. In the ATP doubles ranking his career high is No. 187, achieved in October 2017. He is the current No. 5 Swedish singles player. [2] Ymer was the No. 1 Swedish player until 2023.

Contents

Early life

Ymer was born in Skara, Sweden to Ethiopian immigrant parents. He is the younger brother of fellow tennis player Elias Ymer. [3] His other younger brother, Rafael, is a tennis player on the juniors' circuit. [4]

Juniors

Mikael contested his first junior major final at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships but was defeated by American Reilly Opelka in straight sets. [5]

In 2015 Ymer managed to claim his second European Championships title (U18), beating Bernabé Zapata Miralles in the final in straight sets.

Professional career

2016–2018: Maiden ATP title in doubles, Masters 1000 debut and first win

He made his Masters 1000 debut at the 2017 Miami Open as a wildcard and won his first match at this level in the 2018 edition of the same tournament after also receiving a wildcard.

2019–2021: Major & Masters & Top 70 debuts, Two Majors & Masters third rounds, Maiden final

He made his Grand Slam main draw debut through qualifying at the 2019 French Open where he recorded his first Major win against fellow qualifier Blaž Rola in straight sets.

He finished year 2019 ranked No. 74 in the singles rankings.

He made his debut at the 2020 Australian Open and defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama in the first round. He reached a new career-high ranking of No. 67 on 2 March 2020. [3]

Ymer reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career at the 2021 Australian Open. He did so by defeating 26th seed Hubert Hurkacz and qualifier Carlos Alcaraz, before losing to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. [6] At the 2021 Miami Open he reached also the third round for the first time at a Masters 1000 defeating 27th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.

As world No. 105 at the 2021 French Open, Ymer achieved the biggest win of his career by defeating world No. 15 Gaël Monfils in the second round. [7] With this victory, he once again reached the third round of a major, this time losing to Jannik Sinner. [8]

At the 2021 Winston-Salem Open, Ymer beat eleventh seed Albert Ramos Viñolas, lucky loser Max Purcell, and thirteenth seed Frances Tiafoe to reach his first ATP semi-final. [9] He continued with a win over fifteenth seed Carlos Alcaraz to reach his first ATP final, making him the first Swedish tour-level finalist since Robin Söderling at the 2011 Swedish Open. [10] Ymer lost the final to Ilya Ivashka in straight sets in 56 minutes. [11]

In August, Ymer played at the 2021 US Open, losing to Jenson Brooksby in the first round. [12]

He finished year 2021 ranked No. 93 in the singles rankings.

2022: French Open third round, Maiden ATP 500 semifinal

Ymer was not able to defend his third round showing at the 2022 Australian Open, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round.

In February, at the 2022 Open Sud de France, Ymer reached the semi-finals, defeating three French players Corentin Moutet, third seed Gaël Monfils (his second top-20 win) and Richard Gasquet. [13] [14]

At the 2022 French Open he reached the third round at this Major for the second consecutive time in his career defeating James Duckworth and 29th seed Dan Evans [15] before losing to 4th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Ymer in 2nd round match at Citi Open, August 3, 2022 Mikael Ymer, Citi Open, Aug 3, 2022.jpg
Ymer in 2nd round match at Citi Open, August 3, 2022

At 2022 Wimbledon Championships he reached the second round defeating Daniel Altmaier.

At the 2022 Citi Open he defeated Andy Murray [16] and 15th seed Aslan Karatsev to reach the round of 16. Next he defeated Emil Ruusuvuori to reach the quarterfinals of an ATP 500 tournament for the first time. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Sebastian Korda in three sets to advance to his first ATP 500 semi-final in his career. As a result, he moved close to 40 positions up the rankings back into the top 80 to No. 77 on 8 August 2022.

At the 2022 Winston-Salem Open, Ymer received a wildcard but lost in the second to qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler. As a result, his ranking fell to No. 99 on 29 August 2022. At the US Open he lost in the first round.

At the 2022 Firenze Open he reached the semi-finals as a qualifier defeating again fifth seed Aslan Karatsev [17] and Roberto Carballés Baena but lost to JJ Wolf. [18] As a result, he moved 20 positions up in the rankings back into the top 80 on 17 October 2022. At his home tournament in Stockholm using a special exempt status, he reached the quarterfinals where he lost to top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. [19] As a result, he moved up to No. 76 on 24 October 2022. He continued his good form qualifying for the main draw of the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters for the second year in a row. He won his first round match defeating Alexander Bublik. He lost to world No. 8 Félix Auger-Aliassime in a three tight set match with two tiebreaks that lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes. [20]

2023: Top 50 debut, Wimbledon third round, suspension

Ymer started his 2023 season in Adelaide. At the first tournament, he lost in the first round to qualifier Roman Safiullin. [21] Getting past qualifying at the second tournament, he reached the quarterfinals where he was defeated by eventual champion, Kwon Soon-woo. [22] He lost in the first round of the Australian Open to 31st seed Yoshihito Nishioka. [23]

Making it past qualifying at the first edition of the BW Open, Ymer made it to the final where he lost to top seed David Goffin. [24] As a result, he reached the top 60 in the rankings on 30 January 2023. Representing Sweden in the Davis Cup tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he won both of his matches beating Mirza Bašić and Damir Džumhur. [25] [26] Sweden ended up winning the tie over Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–1 to advance to the Davis Cup Finals. [27] At the Open Sud de France, he lost in the first round to seventh seed Emil Ruusuvuori. [28] At the Rotterdam Open he qualified again for the main draw but lost to wildcard Tallon Griekspoor. At the 2023 Open 13 Provence he reached the quarterfinals after a walkover from sixth seed David Goffin in the second round. He lost to top seed and eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz. He reached a new career high of world No. 51 on 10 April 2023 and the top 50 a week later.

Ymer was disqualified from his match at the 2023 ATP Lyon Open against Arthur Fils after smashing a racquet against the umpire's chair. [29]

He reached the quarterfinals at the 2023 Eastbourne International. At the 2023 Wimbledon Championships he reached the third round for the first time at this Major defeating world No. 9 Taylor Fritz in five sets after being two sets to love down.

In July 2023, the CAS issued an 18-month competition ban to Ymer for an anti-doping rule violation relating to three missed tests in a twelve month period ("whereabouts failures"). [30] CAS overturned an earlier ruling by an independent tribunal that had found Ymer not negligent. [31]

Although Ymer announced in August 2023 that had decided retired from tennis, [32] he reversed his decision in April 2024 and returned to competition at the end of his period of ineligibilty in January 2025 winning an ITF tournament in Luxembourg. [33] [34]

Performance timelines

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#P#DNQAZ#POGSBNMSNTIPNH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

Tournament 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SRW–LWin %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open AAAAA 2R 3R 1R 1R 0 / 43–443%
French Open AAAA 2R 1R 3R 3R 1R 0 / 55–550%
Wimbledon AAAA Q3 NH 2R 2R 3R 0 / 34–357%
US Open AAAA Q3 1R 1R 1R A0 / 30–30%
Win–loss0–00–00–00–01–11–35–43–42–30 / 1512–1544%
ATP Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters AAAAANHAA 1R 0 / 10–10%
Miami Masters AA 1R 2R 1R NH 3R A 1R 0 / 53–538%
Monte-Carlo Masters AAAAANHA Q1 A0 / 00–0  
Madrid Open AAAAANHAAA0 / 00–0  
Italian Open AAAAA Q3 AAA0 / 00–0  
Canadian Open AAAAANHAAA0 / 00–0  
Cincinnati Masters AAAAA Q1 AAA0 / 00–0  
Shanghai Masters AAAAANHA0 / 00–0  
Paris Masters AAAA Q1 A 1R 2R A0 / 21–233%
Win–loss0–00–00–11–10–10–02–21–10–20 / 84–833%
National representation
Davis Cup Z1 Z1 Z2 Z1 Z1 QF RR QR 0 / 216–770%
Career statistics
201520162017201820192020202120222023Career
Tournaments11534718181572
Titles0000000000
Finals0000001001
Win–loss2–11–32–55–46–76–718–2023–1911–1574–81
Win Percentage67%25%29%56%46%46%47%55%42%48%
Year-end ranking59649741725574949371

Doubles

Tournament 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Career
Career statistics
Tournaments132100209
Titles100000001
Finals100000001
Overall win–loss4–02–30–20–20–00–01–20–07–9
Year-end ranking276496N/A10551108146382244%

ATP career finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
ATP Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP 500 Series (0–0)
ATP 250 Series (0–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–1)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (0–1)
Indoor (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1 Aug 2021 Winston-Salem Open, United States250 SeriesHard Flag of Belarus.svg Ilya Ivashka 0–6, 2–6

Doubles: 1 (1 title)

Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
ATP Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP 500 Series (0–0)
ATP 250 Series (1–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–0)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0 Oct 2016 Stockholm Open,
Sweden
250 SeriesHard (i) Flag of Sweden.svg Elias Ymer Flag of Croatia.svg Mate Pavić
Flag of New Zealand.svg Michael Venus
6–1, 6–1

ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals

Singles: 11 (7–4)

Legend
ATP Challenger (4–3)
ITF Futures (3–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (5–2)
Clay (2–2)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0May 2015Sweden F3, Båstad FuturesClay Flag of Romania.svg Dragoș Nicolae Mădăraș 2–6, 6–1, 6–2
Loss1–1Sep 2015Sweden F5, Danderyd FuturesHard (i) Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Joe Salisbury 6–7(3–6), 6–3, 3–6
Win2–1Feb 2017France F4, Lille FuturesHard (i) Flag of the Netherlands.svg Botic van de Zandschulp 6–2, 6–3
Win3–1 Jan 2019 Nouméa, New CaledoniaChallengerHard Flag of the United States.svg Noah Rubin 6–3, 6–3
Loss3–2 April 2019 Murcia, SpainChallengerClay Flag of Spain.svg Roberto Carballés Baena 6–2, 0–6, 2–6
Loss3–3 May 2019 Bordeaux, FranceChallengerClay Flag of France.svg Lucas Pouille 3–6, 3–6
Win4–3 July 2019 Tampere, FinlandChallengerClay Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tallon Griekspoor 6–3, 5–7, 6–3
Win5–3 Sep 2019 Orléans, FranceChallengerHard (i) Flag of France.svg Grégoire Barrère 6–3, 7–5
Win6–3 Oct 2019 Mouilleron-le-Captif, FranceChallengerHard (i) Flag of France.svg Mathias Bourgue 6–1, 6–4
Loss6–4 Jan 2023 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumChallengerHard (i) Flag of Belgium (civil).svg David Goffin 4–6, 1–6
Win7–4Jan 2025M25 Esch-sur-Alzette, LuxembourgWTTHard (i) Flag of Norway.svg Nicolai Budkov Kjær 6–1, 5–7, 6–2

Doubles: 1 (0–1)

Legend
ATP Challenger (0–0)
ITF Futures (0–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (0–1)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1May 2015Sweden F2, Båstad FuturesClay Flag of Sweden.svg Daniel Appelgren Flag of Sweden.svg Jonathan Mridha
Flag of Sweden.svg Fred Simonsson
1–6, 7–6(7–5), [7–10]

Junior Grand Slam finals

Boys' Singles: 1 (1 runner–up)

ResultYearTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss 2015 Wimbledon Grass Flag of the United States.svg Reilly Opelka 6–7(5–7), 4–6

Record against top 10 players

Ymer's record against those who have been ranked in the top 10, with active players in boldface.

PlayerYearsMPRecordWin % Hard Clay Grass Last Match
Number 1 ranked players
Flag of Italy.svg Jannik Sinner 2019–2252–340%2–10–10–1Win (6–4, 3–6, 6–3) at 2022 Davis Cup
Flag of Spain.svg Carlos Alcaraz 202122–0100%2–0Win (7–5, 6–3) at 2021 Winston-Salem
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andy Murray 202211–0100%1–0Win (7–6(10–8), 4–6, 6–1) at 2022 Washington, D.C.
Flag of Russia.svg Daniil Medvedev 202110–10%0–1Loss (4–6, 4–6) at 2021 Davis Cup Finals
Flag of Serbia.svg Novak Djokovic 202010–10%0–1Loss (0–6, 2–6, 3–6) at 2020 French Open
Number 2 ranked players
Flag of Norway.svg Casper Ruud 202110–10%0–1Loss (6–3, 6–7(5–7), 1–6) at 2021 Kitzbühel
Flag of Germany.svg Alexander Zverev 2015–2230–30%0–20–1Loss (1–6, 3–6) at 2022 Montpellier
Number 3 ranked players
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Milos Raonic 201810–10%0–1Loss (3–6, 3–6) at 2018 Miami
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Stan Wawrinka 202210–10%0–1Loss (4–6, 6–4, 6–7(5–7)) at 2022 Metz
Flag of Greece.svg Stefanos Tsitsipas 2020–2250–50%0–40–1Loss (5–7, 3–6) at 2022 Stockholm
Number 5 ranked players
Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Fritz 202311–0100%1–0Win (3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2) at 2023 Wimbledon
Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 202111–0100%1–0Win (7–5, 6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–4, 6–3) at 2021 Wimbledon
Number 6 ranked players
Flag of France.svg Gaël Monfils 2021–2222–0100%1–01–0Win (6–1, 6–2) at 2022 Montpellier
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Félix Auger-Aliassime 2021–2220–20%0–10–1Loss (7–6(8–6), 4–6, 6–7(6–8)) at 2022 Paris Masters
Number 7 ranked players
Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Verdasco 201611–0100%1–0Win (6–2, 6–1) at 2016 Stockholm
Flag of France.svg Richard Gasquet 2020–2343–175%2–11–0Win (6–3, 7–5) at 2023 Lyon
Number 8 ranked players
Flag of Argentina.svg Diego Schwartzman 202211–0100%1–0Win (6–2, 6–2) at 2022 Davis Cup
Flag of Russia.svg Karen Khachanov 2020–2120–20%0–2Loss (4–6, 5–7) at 2021 Paris Masters
Number 9 ranked players
Flag of Poland.svg Hubert Hurkacz 2020–2331–233%1–2Loss (3–6, 6–3, 6–7(6–8)) at 2023 Marseille
Flag of Italy.svg Fabio Fognini 201810–10%0–1Loss (6–1, 4–6, 2–6) at 2018 Båstad
Number 10 ranked players
Flag of the United States.svg Frances Tiafoe 2019–2132–167%2–1Win (6–7(2–7), 6–2, 6–3) at 2021 Winston-Salem
Flag of Spain.svg Pablo Carreño Busta 202110–10%0–1Loss (5–7, 2–6) at 2021 Metz
Flag of Latvia.svg Ernests Gulbis 201810–10%0–1Loss (4–6, 3–6) at 2018 Stockholm
Total2015–234417–2739%13–19
(41%)
2–6
(25%)
2–2
(50%)
Statistics correct as of 6 July 2023.

Wins over top 10 players

Season201520162017201820192020202120222023Total
Wins0000000011
#PlayerRankEventSurfaceRdScoreMYR
2023
1. Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Fritz 9 Wimbledon, United KingdomGrass2R3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–259

References

  1. "Mikael Ymer". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  2. "Rankings | Singles". ATP Tour.
  3. 1 2 "Mikael Ymer: 'It Doesn't Matter Where You Come From'". ATP Tour . 21 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  4. "Rafael Ymer Juniors Singles Overview". www.itftennis.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. "Ymer makes most of Wimbledon reprieve" . Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  6. "Mikael Ymer [SWE]| Australian Open".
  7. "Monfils Fails to Win Consecutive Matches Again, Shattered by World No.105 Ymer at French Open". 3 June 2021.
  8. "Jannik Sinner Shines, Sets Rafael Nadal Rematch at Roland Garros". ATP Tour.
  9. "Ivashka, Ruusuvuori, Ymer advance in Winston-Salem Open". Associated Press . 27 August 2021.
  10. "Mikael Ymer Beats Carlos Alcaraz to Reach Winston-Salem Final". ATP Tour.
  11. "Ilya Ivashka Clinches First Title in Winston-Salem". ATP Tour.
  12. "Jenson Brooksby Continues Breakthrough at US Open". 5 September 2021.
  13. "Memorable Day and Night for Ymer Brothers on Separate Continents". 4 February 2022.
  14. "Ymer Brothers Tasting Success on Tour". ATP Tour.
  15. "Simona Halep suffers panic attack during French Open defeat". TheGuardian.com . 26 May 2022.
  16. "Mikael Ymer Battles Past Andy Murray in Washington". ATP Tour.
  17. "Roberto Carballés Baena Stuns Matteo Berrettini in Florence". ATP Tour.
  18. "JJ Wolf Powers into Florence Final". ATP Tour.
  19. "Tsitsipas Emerges Unscathed in Dramatic Stockholm QF". ATP Tour.
  20. "Félix Auger-Aliassime Takes Paris Epic for 14th Win in a Row". ATP Tour.
  21. "Adelaide International 1: Khachanov moves into second round". 3 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  22. BULLEY, JIM; JEONG-WON, LIM (12 January 2023). "Kwon Soon-woo beats Mikael Ymer to reach Adelaide International 2 semifinals" . Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  23. "Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka beats Mikael Ymer to advance in Australian Open". 16 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  24. "David Goffin dominates Mikael Ymer and wins the Louvain-la-Neuve BW Open". 29 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  25. "INSPIRED YMER BROTHERS GIVE SWEDEN PERFECT START". www.daviscup.com. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  26. "U.S. sweeps Uzbekistan, advances to group stage in Davis Cup". www.espn.com. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  27. "YMERS DELIVER ALL THREE POINTS TO SEE SWEDEN THROUGH TO THE FINALS". www.daviscup.com. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  28. "#NextGenATP Fils Flies Past Bautista Agut In Montpellier". www.atptour.com. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  29. Macar, Kadir (24 May 2023). "Ymer disqualified in Lyon after destroying umpire's chair". Tennis Infinity. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  30. "Mikael Ymer says 'conscience is clear' after ban for anti-doping violation". BBC Sport. 18 July 2023.
  31. "Ymer reported to have lied to CAS about reasons for missing doping tests". Tennisuptodate.com. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  32. "Mikael Ymer announces his abrupt retirement from tennis after failing to overturn doping ban". AP. 26 August 2023.
  33. Livaudais, Stephanie (15 April 2024). "Mikael Ymer changes his mind on return to tennis amid anti-doping ban: "Retirement was boring"". Tennis.com.
  34. "The Swede's success – won comeback in Luxembourg". Swedish Herald. 26 January 2025.