Mikael_Ymer
Mikael Ymer
Swedish tennis player
Mikael Ymer (born 9 September 1998) is a Swedish former 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 was No. 187, achieved in October 2017. He was the No. 1 Swedish player.[1] He retired following the announcement of an 18-month suspension for violating anti-doping rules in July 2023.[2]
Ymer at the 2019 French Open | |
| Full name | Mikael Wondwosen Yemer[citation needed] |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Sweden |
| Residence | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Born | (1998-09-09) 9 September 1998 (age 25) Skara, Sweden |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Turned pro | 2015 |
| Retired | 2023 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Frederik Nielsen, Kalle Norberg |
| Prize money | US$2,745,945 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 74–81 (47.7%) (ATP Tour, Grand Slam, Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 50 (17 April 2023) |
| Current ranking | No. 116 (23 October 2023) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2021) |
| French Open | 3R (2021, 2022) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2023) |
| US Open | 1R (2020, 2021, 2022) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 7–9 (43.8%) |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 187 (16 October 2017) |
| Current ranking | Not ranked (23 October 2023) |
| Last updated on: 23 October 2023. | |
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]
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.
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.
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, and retirement
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.
On 17 July 2023, CAS announced that Ymer will be suspended for 18 months after having missed three out-of-competition doping test attempts in a 12-month period.[30][31] Ymer said he was innocent and launched an appeal.[32] The suspension was upheld on appeal, with the CAS also making public that Mikael had stated he missed a drug test due to sleeping in after staying up all night to care for his younger brother[33] (presumably Rafael), who Mikael claimed was sick. The CAS reported that the younger brother was at a junior tennis tournament in Finland at the time so Mikael's version of events could not be true.[34] After the suspension was upheld, Ymer announced his retirement from professional tennis on 25 August 2023.[35][36]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 4 | 3–4 | 43% |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 0 / 5 | 5–5 | 50% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | Q3 | NH | 2R | 2R | 3R | 0 / 3 | 4–3 | 57% |
| US Open | A | A | A | A | Q3 | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 3 | 0–3 | 0% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 5–4 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 0 / 15 | 12–15 | 44% |
| ATP Masters 1000 | ||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Masters | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| Miami Masters | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | NH | 3R | A | 1R | 0 / 5 | 3–5 | 38% |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | Q1 | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Madrid Open | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Italian Open | A | A | A | A | A | Q3 | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Canadian Open | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Cincinnati Masters | A | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Shanghai Masters | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | 1R | 2R | A | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0 / 8 | 4–8 | 33% |
| National representation | ||||||||||||
| Davis Cup | Z1 | Z1 | Z2 | Z1 | Z1 | QF | RR | QR | 0 / 2 | 16–7 | 70% | |
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Career | |||
| Tournaments | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 72 | ||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Win–loss | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 18–20 | 23–19 | 11–15 | 74–81 | ||
| Win Percentage | 67% | 25% | 29% | 56% | 46% | 46% | 47% | 55% | 42% | 48% | ||
| Year-end ranking | 596 | 497 | 417 | 255 | 74 | 94 | 93 | 71 | ||||
Doubles
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
|
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Aug 2021 | Winston-Salem Open, United States | 250 Series | Hard |  Ilya Ivashka |
0–6, 2–6 |
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Oct 2016 | Stockholm Open, Sweden |
250 Series | Hard (i) | Elias Ymer |
 Mate Pavić Michael Venus |
6–1, 6–1 |
Singles: 10 (6–4)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | May 2015 | Sweden F3, Båstad | Futures | Clay |  Dragoș Nicolae Mădăraș |
2–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Sep 2015 | Sweden F5, Danderyd | Futures | Hard (i) |  Joe Salisbury |
6–7(3–6), 6–3, 3–6 |
| Win | 2–1 | Feb 2017 | France F4, Lille | Futures | Hard (i) |  Botic van de Zandschulp |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 3–1 | Jan 2019 | Nouméa, New Caledonia | Challenger | Hard |  Noah Rubin |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3–2 | April 2019 | Murcia, Spain | Challenger | Clay |  Roberto Carballés Baena |
6–2, 0–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 3–3 | May 2019 | Bordeaux, France | Challenger | Clay |  Lucas Pouille |
3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 4–3 | July 2019 | Tampere, Finland | Challenger | Clay | Tallon Griekspoor |
6–3, 5–7, 6–3 |
| Win | 5–3 | Sep 2019 | Orléans, France | Challenger | Hard (i) | Grégoire Barrère |
6–3, 7–5 |
| Win | 6–3 | Oct 2019 | Mouilleron-le-Captif, France | Challenger | Hard (i) | Mathias Bourgue |
6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 6–4 | Jan 2023 | Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium | Challenger | Hard (i) |  David Goffin |
4–6, 1–6 |
Doubles: 1 (0–1)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | May 2015 | Sweden F2, Båstad | Futures | Clay | Daniel Appelgren |
Jonathan Mridha Fred Simonsson |
1–6, 7–6(7–5), [7–10] |
Boys' Singles: 1 (1 runner–up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2015 | Wimbledon | Grass | Reilly Opelka |
6–7(5–7), 4–6 |
Ymer's record against those who have been ranked in the top 10, with active players in boldface.
| Player | Years | MP | Record | Win % | Hard | Clay | Grass | Last Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number 1 ranked players | ||||||||
| Carlos Alcaraz |
2021 | 2 | 2–0 | 100% | 2–0 | – | – | Win (7–5, 6–3) at 2021 Winston-Salem |
| Andy Murray |
2022 | 1 | 1–0 | 100% | 1–0 | – | – | Win (7–6(10–8), 4–6, 6–1) at 2022 Washington, D.C. |
 Daniil Medvedev |
2021 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Loss (4–6, 4–6) at 2021 Davis Cup Finals |
 Novak Djokovic |
2020 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | – | 0–1 | – | Loss (0–6, 2–6, 3–6) at 2020 French Open |
| Number 2 ranked players | ||||||||
 Casper Ruud |
2021 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | – | 0–1 | – | Loss (6–3, 6–7(5–7), 1–6) at 2021 Kitzbühel |
 Alexander Zverev |
2015–22 | 3 | 0–3 | 0% | 0–2 | 0–1 | – | Loss (1–6, 3–6) at 2022 Montpellier |
| Number 3 ranked players | ||||||||
 Milos Raonic |
2018 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Loss (3–6, 3–6) at 2018 Miami |
 Stan Wawrinka |
2022 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Loss (4–6, 6–4, 6–7(5–7)) at 2022 Metz |
 Stefanos Tsitsipas |
2020–22 | 5 | 0–5 | 0% | 0–4 | 0–1 | – | Loss (5–7, 3–6) at 2022 Stockholm |
| Number 5 ranked players | ||||||||
| Taylor Fritz |
2023 | 1 | 1–0 | 100% | – | – | 1–0 | Win (3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2) at 2023 Wimbledon |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
2021 | 1 | 1–0 | 100% | – | – | 1–0 | Win (7–5, 6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–4, 6–3) at 2021 Wimbledon |
| Number 6 ranked players | ||||||||
| Gaël Monfils |
2021–22 | 2 | 2–0 | 100% | 1–0 | 1–0 | – | Win (6–1, 6–2) at 2022 Montpellier |
 Jannik Sinner |
2019–22 | 5 | 2–3 | 40% | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | Win (6–4, 3–6, 6–3) at 2022 Davis Cup |
| Félix Auger-Aliassime |
2021–22 | 2 | 0–2 | 0% | 0–1 | – | 0–1 | Loss (7–6(8–6), 4–6, 6–7(6–8)) at 2022 Paris Masters |
| Number 7 ranked players | ||||||||
| Fernando Verdasco |
2016 | 1 | 1–0 | 100% | 1–0 | – | – | Win (6–2, 6–1) at 2016 Stockholm |
| Richard Gasquet |
2020–23 | 4 | 3–1 | 75% | 2–1 | 1–0 | – | Win (6–3, 7–5) at 2023 Lyon |
| Number 8 ranked players | ||||||||
 Diego Schwartzman |
2022 | 1 | 1–0 | 100% | 1–0 | – | – | Win (6–2, 6–2) at 2022 Davis Cup |
| Karen Khachanov |
2020–21 | 2 | 0–2 | 0% | 0–2 | – | – | Loss (4–6, 5–7) at 2021 Paris Masters |
| Number 9 ranked players | ||||||||
 Hubert Hurkacz |
2020–23 | 3 | 1–2 | 33% | 1–2 | – | – | Loss (3–6, 6–3, 6–7(6–8)) at 2023 Marseille |
| Fabio Fognini |
2018 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | – | 0–1 | – | Loss (6–1, 4–6, 2–6) at 2018 Båstad |
| Number 10 ranked players | ||||||||
| Frances Tiafoe |
2019–21 | 3 | 2–1 | 67% | 2–1 | – | – | Win (6–7(2–7), 6–2, 6–3) at 2021 Winston-Salem |
| Pablo Carreño Busta |
2021 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Loss (5–7, 2–6) at 2021 Metz |
 Ernests Gulbis |
2018 | 1 | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Loss (4–6, 3–6) at 2018 Stockholm |
| Total | 2015–23 | 44 | 17–27 | 39% | 13–19 (41%) |
2–6 (25%) |
2–2 (50%) |
Statistics correct as of 6 July 2023[update]. |
Wins over top 10 players
- He has a 1–10 (9.1%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.
| Season | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Total |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | MYR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | |||||||
| 1. | Taylor Fritz |
9 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | 2R | 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 | 59 |
- "Rankings | Singles". ATP Tour.
- "Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer suspended for 18 months for whereabouts failures". Sky Sports. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- "Mikael Ymer: 'It Doesn't Matter Where You Come From'". ATP Tour. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "Rafael Ymer Juniors Singles Overview". www.itftennis.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- "Ymer makes most of Wimbledon reprieve". Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- "Ivashka, Ruusuvuori, Ymer advance in Winston-Salem Open". Associated Press. 27 August 2021.
- "Jenson Brooksby Continues Breakthrough at US Open". 5 September 2021.
- "Memorable Day and Night for Ymer Brothers on Separate Continents". 4 February 2022.
- "Ymer Brothers Tasting Success on Tour". ATP Tour.
- "JJ Wolf Powers into Florence Final". ATP Tour.
- "Adelaide International 1: Khachanov moves into second round". 3 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- BULLEY, JIM; JEONG-WON, LIM (12 January 2023). "Kwon Soon-woo beats Mikael Ymer to reach Adelaide International 2 semifinals". Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- "Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka beats Mikael Ymer to advance in Australian Open". 16 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- "David Goffin dominates Mikael Ymer and wins the Louvain-la-Neuve BW Open". 29 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- "INSPIRED YMER BROTHERS GIVE SWEDEN PERFECT START". www.daviscup.com. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- "U.S. sweeps Uzbekistan, advances to group stage in Davis Cup". www.espn.com. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- "YMERS DELIVER ALL THREE POINTS TO SEE SWEDEN THROUGH TO THE FINALS". www.daviscup.com. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- "#NextGenATP Fils Flies Past Bautista Agut In Montpellier". www.atptour.com. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- Macar, Kadir (24 May 2023). "Ymer disqualified in Lyon after destroying umpire's chair". Tennis Infinity. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- "CAS pressmeddelande" (PDF).
- Mikael Ymer [@MikaelYmer] (18 July 2023). "In January 2022, the ITF charged me with a potential anti-doping rule violation for having 3 missed out of competition test attempts in a 12-month period. I fought that charge at a hearing, and was cleared by an independent tribunal of 3 arbitrators in June of 2022. The ITF appealed that decision despite the fact that the 3 independent arbitrators who cleared me were appointed under its own rules, and asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reach a different decision on the same facts under which I had already been cleared. Yesterday, I learned that the Court of Arbitration for Sports has suspended me from professional tennis for 18 months, despite never having used nor been accused of using banned substances. Having already been cleared once, and wholeheartedly standing by the fact that I do not feel that the 3rd offence was committed, I find their decision to try me again and subsequently find me guilty, unfair. On top of that, I find it difficult to comprehend that they found an 18 month suspension to be a just punishment. I understand that these rules have been put in place to protect the integrity of our sport, and that they are there for a reason. However, I do not believe I broke those rules, and my conscience is clear with God as my witness" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 July 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Ymer reported to have lied to CAS about reasons for missing doping tests". Tennisuptodate.com. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- "Mikael Ymer retires after failing to overturn doping suspension". www.reuters.com. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
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