Filippo Volandri (born on
September 5,
1981 in
Livorno,
Italy) is a professional male
tennis player. Volandri, a right-handed player, stands 6'0" tall, and reached a career-high ranking of 28 on May 16,
2005. He turned pro in
1997, and as of January
2006, had earned over $1,300,000 in prize money. In September 2006, he lost the final of the
Bucharest ATP tournament against
Jürgen Melzer (6–1, 7–5). Volandri won the second title of his career in September 2006, beating
Nicolas Lapentti in the final of the
Sicily International in
Palermo 
Rome Masters success
At the
Rome Masters in 2007 Volandri, having entered as a
wild card, recorded the biggest win of his career by dispatching world number one
Roger Federer in straight sets, 6–2 6–4. Volandri celebrated by doing a lap of honour around centre court, high-fiving spectators in the furthest-forward rows.
Afterwards Volandri hailed the victory as not only for himself but for Italy, telling something of the regard in which Federer, who holds the record for the longest spell as the world's top-ranked male player, is held. The result was all the more felt due to Italy's relative under-achievement on the men's tennis scene in recent times. For his part Federer offered few excuses for the out-of-character display.
Hopes that this might be the start of Italy's re-emergence among the top nations of professional men's tennis were heightened when Volandri went on to beat highly-tipped world number 12 Tomas Berdych, 6–2 6–3, in the quarter final. The win meant Volandri would be the first Italian to contest the event's semi-finals since 1978. His run stopped in the semifinals, however, as he lost to Fernando Gonzalez 6–1 6–2.
Singles titles (8)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (2) |
| Challengers (6) |
| No.
| Date
| Tournament
| Surface
| Opponent in the final
| Score |
| 1.
| September 18, 2000
| Biella
| Clay
| Hernán Gumy
| 6–3 6–2 |
| 2.
| March 17, 2003
| Cagliari
| Clay
| Rafael Nadal
| 2–6 6–2 6–1 |
| 3.
| June 9, 2003
| Biella
| Clay
| José Acasuso
| 2–6 7–6 6–4 |
| 4.
| May 17, 2004
| St. Pölten
| Clay
| Xavier Malisse
| 6–1 6–4 |
| 5.
| August 2, 2004
| Trani
| Clay
| Francesco Aldi
| 6–1 6–3 |
| 6.
| September 25, 2006
| Palermo
| Clay
| Nicolás Lapentti
| 5–7 6–1 6–3 |
| 7.
| July 19, 2008
| San Marino
| Clay
| Potito Starace
| 5–7, 6–4, 6–1 |
| 8.
| July 26, 2008
| Cordenons
| Clay
| Óscar Hernández
| 6–3, 7–5 |
External links
