Camila Giorgi

Camila Giorgi ([kaˈmiːla ˈdʒordʒi]; born 30 December 1991) is an Italian professional tennis player. She made her senior international tournament debut in 2006 at the ITF Women's Circuit. After winning her first ITF title in 2009, she made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.

Giorgi went on to reach the fourth round of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships in just her second appearance at the tournament. After her successful run at the championships, she made her top-100 debut in the WTA rankings. The following year, she followed it up with a third round run at the Wimbledon Championships, and made her second Grand Slam fourth round at the US Open. She reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, six years after her Wimbledon breakout tournament. Giorgi reached her first WTA final in 2014 at the Katowice Open and then won her first title at the 2015 Topshelf Open. She reached her best singles ranking of world No. 26 in October 2018.

Giorgi is known for her aggressive style of game and her powerful flat groundstrokes, and is considered to be one of the hardest hitters of the ball on the tour. Her most notable professional wins have come at the 2013 US Open, 2014 BNP Paribas Open, and 2014 Aegon International, defeating former world No. 1 players Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka, respectively.

Giorgi was born in Macerata, Italy, to Sergio, an Argentinian of Italian descent, and an Italian mother. According to a number of newspaper reports, she is Jewish.Giorgi considered emigrating to Israel in 2012, after her father opened negotiations with the Israel Tennis Association over the financial terms for her immigration. Her mother, Claudia Gabriella Fullone, is a fashion designer who designs different dresses for every match. Both moved to Italy from La Plata, Argentina. Sergio Giorgi was drafted in Argentina in 1982, and fought in the Falklands War against the British; he now coaches Camila full-time. As of September 2013, the Giorgi family was based in the Italian city of Pisa.

Camila is one of four children. Her older brother Leandro is studying to be an actor, and younger brother Amadeus is a footballer, who currently plays for Serie D club A.C.D. Campodarsego. She had a sister named Antonela who died in a car accident in Paris.

Junior career

Following an initial interest in artistic gymnastics, Giorgi decided to devote herself to tennis after assisting in her brother's training, when she was five years old. She was subjected to hard training by her father, Sergio. Two years later, 1976 French Open champion Adriano Panatta said of her: "It's the first time I play a girl who plays like Andre Agassi." In 2000, she was spotted by tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, who subsequently offered her seven months of training (previously offered only to Maria Sharapova).

In November 2005, she reached the final of the Nike Junior Tour, but was defeated by Slovakia's Zuzana Luknarova. Giorgi reached the final at the Sey Development Cup in the Czech Republic, and the round of 16 at the Astrid Bowl in Belgium.

2006–10: Early professional years

Giorgi started with 10k tournaments, and obtained her first significant results reaching two semifinals in Baku and Jakarta. At the end of the season, she took part in her first 25k tournament. She closed 2006 with ten wins and seven losses, and with a 944 ranking in the WTA.

She obtained her best results in 2007 in September at Limoges in France, reaching the quarterfinals in a 10k tournament; then in 25k tournaments that she played at the end of the season, in December, in Lagos, Nigeria, where she reached the quarterfinals.

Giorgi started 2008 playing several tournaments in France, where she lived with her family. In May, she played for the first time qualifying for a major tournament circuit, thanks to a wild card obtained at the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome. She lost to Jill Craybas, No. 66 in the world, in a third set tie-breaker. She also played in the first round of the main draw in Rome-Tevere Remo (25k), Contrexéville (50k), and Rimini (75k). In Martina Franca ($25k) she qualified and reached the second round. In November, in Saint Denis (La Réunion, 25k), she reached the quarterfinals. Giorgi finished the year 480th in the WTA rankings.

At the beginning of the 2009 season, Giorgi played few tournaments, failing to qualify for the main draw. She achieved her first important results in April, when she qualified for and reached the quarterfinals of two 25k tournaments. After some successes in tournaments in France, Giorgi won her first ITF tournament in August, in Katowice (25k), starting again from qualifying and defeating players such as Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová (ranked No. 105) and, in the final, Ksenia Pervak (No. 135). After another quarterfinal in Nantes (50k), Giorgi ended with the victory in a 50k tournament in Toronto. With these two successes, she ended the year with 33 wins and 12 defeats, and reached No. 285 in the rankings.

The 2010 season began poorly for Giorgi, as she suffered three defeats in the first round in the first three months of the year. In June she reached the final of a 25k tournament, in Bratislava. In the summer, she played several tournaments in America, where she went to live (in Miami, with her family), without remarkable results. In August, trying for the first time to qualify in a Grand Slam tournament – the US Open – she was defeated in the first round. However, in October, Camila won (losing only one set, in the first round) a 25k tournament in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

2011

In February, Giorgi reached the semifinals in two ITF events, but her best result came in May, when she reached the final of a 50k tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a week later triumphed in Carson ($50,000) yielding a single set and dominating the semifinal with an unprecedented double 6–0. In June, at Wimbledon, Giorgi passed the qualifiers and reached her first appearance in a major tournament, but she lost in the first round to eventual quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova. Giorgi reached semifinals in two other tournaments before closing the year with 36 wins and 21 defeats, and 149th in the WTA rankings, reaching her best ranking in October when she was No. 141 in the world.

2012

Giorgi began her season by playing at the 25k tournament in Innisbrook, Florida. As the top seed, she lost in the second round to Jessica Pegula 2–6, 6–7. Then, she competed at the 25K tournament in Plantation, Florida. Seeded second, she was defeated in the first round by Johanna Konta 6–2, 6–1. In February, Giorgi played in her WTA tournament of the year at the 2012 Memphis International. Seeded fourth for qualifying, she made it to the main draw beating Naomi Broady 6–2, 6–1 and sixth seed Chichi Scholl 6–2, 6–4. In the first round, she stunned top-seed Nadia Petrova 6–4, 6–2. In the second round, she lost to Stéphanie Foretz Gacon 5–7, 4–6. During the week of 5 March, Giorgi competed at the 25k tournament in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. As the second seed, she reached the semifinals where she was defeated by Madison Brengle 7–5, 6–4. Next, Giorgi was the top seed at the 25k tournament in Clearwater, Florida. She made it from qualifying all the way to the quarterfinals where she was stopped by Stefanie Vögele, 6–4, 6–4.

Giorgi played in her first WTA clay-court tournament of the year at the Family Circle Cup. Seeded 19th for qualifying, she made it to the main draw defeating Grace Min 6–4, 6–4 and 12th seed Chan Yung-jan 6–7, 7–5, 6–3. In the first round, Giorgi lost to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 1–6, 3–6. Giorgi fell in the final round of qualifying at the French Open to Heidi El Tabakh 7–6, 4–6, 2–6.

Giorgi qualified for the Wimbledon Championships for the second year in a row defeating Emily Webley-Smith, Olivia Rogowska, and Alexa Glatch. In the first round, she beat 16th seed and compatriot Flavia Pennetta, 6–4, 6–3. Then she defeated Anna Tatishvili 6–3, 6–1, and in the third round 20th seed Nadia Petrova 6–3, 7–6 to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. However, Giorgi's Wimbledon run came to an end when she lost in the fourth round to 3rd seed and eventual finalist Agnieszka Radwańska 2–6, 3–6.

In June, it was reported that Giorgi was considering immigrating to Israel to play on the Israel Federation Cup team. Raphael Gellar of Israel Sports Radio said that "based on her ranking ... [she] would automatically ... [be] second on the team following Shahar Pe'er."

Giorgi began her US Open Series by playing qualifying at the Mercury Insurance Open. As the top seed in qualifying, she lost in the first round of qualifying to Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 4–6, 1–6. Giorgi then received a wild card to compete at the Citi Open. She was defeated in the first round by Irina Falconi 6–2, 2–6, 6–4. Playing as a wild card at the Western & Southern Open, Giorgi beat 14th seed and compatriot Francesca Schiavone in the first round 6–1, 6–3. In the second round, she lost to wild card Sloane Stephens 2–6, 1–6.

2013

While ailing from a shoulder injury, Giorgi lost in the first round in Brisbane, Sydney, and at the Australian Open. Her first win came in April, in Charleston, where she reached the second round but lost in straight sets to Serena Williams. Giorgi qualified for the main draw in Madrid, but lost in the first round to Nadia Petrova in three sets. Two weeks later Giorgi stunned world No. 13 Marion Bartoli in the first round in Strasbourg, but lost in the second round to Eugenie Bouchard.

At the French Open, Giorgi lost again in the first round. Former top-15 player Peng Shuai defeated her in two sets. At Wimbledon, Giorgi got to the third round, beating British wild card Samantha Murray in straight sets and then Romanian No. 1 Sorana Cîrstea. However, she lost in straight sets in the third round to eventual champion Marion Bartoli.

At the US Open, Giorgi had one of the biggest upsets of her career, defeating former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets. She subsequently lost to compatriot Roberta Vinci in the fourth round.

2014: Breakthrough, two WTA finals

Giorgi competed at the Australian Open, where she reached for the first time the second round beating Australian wildcard Storm Sanders in three sets.She lost in the next round to Alizé Cornet, despite a 4–1 lead in the deciding set. In February, Giorgi competed for the first time in the Fed Cup. She defeated Madison Keys and Italy went on to defeat the U.S. team 3–1.

In March, Giorgi qualified for the main draw in Indian Wells. There, she beat Andrea Petkovic, Sorana Cîrstea, and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova, ranked No. 5 during the tournament. With this victory, she improved her record to 3–2 lifetime against top-10 opponents. She lost in the fourth round to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta.

In April at the BNP Paribas Katowice Open, she defeated defending champion Roberta Vinci, Shahar Pe'er, and Carla Suárez Navarro to reach the final, which she lost to Alizé Cornet in three sets after holding a match point at 5–4 in the third. In Rome Giorgi defeated top-10 player Dominika Cibulková in the first round, but lost to Christina McHale after winning the first set. Giorgi finally beat Alizé Cornet who was second seed in Strasbourg, after losing two significant matches to her. At the French Open, Giorgi defeated Bojana Jovanovski in the first round, but she lost to 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.

Giorgi competed in Eastbourne, beating Victoria Azarenka in the first roundbefore going down to Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals. At Wimbledon, she lost in the second round to Alison Riske. Giorgi reached the quarterfinals in Bad Gastein and then lost in the first round at next three tournaments. Giorgi made a good run in New Haven, defeating Caroline Wozniacki who would finish summer hard-court season with 19–4 and Garbiñe Muguruza, before losing in the semifinal to Magdaléna Rybáriková. She was upset early in the US Open however, losing to a ranked 221 in the world Anastasia Rodionova after serving for the match in the second set.

Giorgi lost in the opening rounds in Wuhan and Beijing to Elina Svitolina and Lucie Šafářová respectively. She broke her series of losses in Linz defeating Andrea Petkovic for the third time in the season. Then she advanced to her second WTA final without losing a set, but lost to Karolína Plíšková in three sets, again after holding a match point on the opponent's serve. The Italian ended her season reaching quarterfinals in Moscow where she defeated the third seed Flavia Pennetta for the second time in her career before losing to Kateřina Siniaková in over three hours. Giorgi finished the season with 8–3 record against top-20 players and reached a career-high ranking of 31 before the US Open.

2015: First WTA title

Giorgi played in Hobart and reached the quarterfinals, despite serving 23 double faults in the first round against Storm Sanders. At the Australian Open Giorgi reached the third round for the first time, beating Flavia Pennetta and Tereza Smitková, before losing to Venus Williams, despite serving for the match in the second set. Giorgi played in Fed Cup and beat Alizé Cornet to give Italy a 2–0 lead against France, however, she lost her second match to Caroline Garcia. Italy later lost the tie being the first ever team to lose after a 2–0 lead at the World Group stage.

After early losses in Indian Wells and Miami, Giorgi once again performed well in Katowice, reaching her second consecutive final by defeating top seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinal. In the final, however, she fell to Anna Karolína Schmiedlová in straight sets.

After a close match with world No. 1 Serena Williams, Giorgi endured a disappointing clay-court season, losing in the first round of her three warm-up events for the French Open. She secured her first win in five matches against Tatjana Maria in the first round of the French Open before falling to eventual quarterfinalist Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets in the second round.

Giorgi returned to form at the start of the grass-court season, claiming her first WTA Tour title at the Topshelf Open in Rosmalen, defeating Irina Falconi, Dutch wild card Michaëlla Krajicek, Yaroslava Shvedova in the quarterfinals where Giorgi saved three match points in the final set tie-break, home favourite Kiki Bertens in the semifinals and Belinda Bencic in the final with a score of 7–5, 6–3.

At the Wimbledon Championships, Giorgi was the No. 31 seed and defeated Teliana Pereira and Lara Arruabarrena in the first and second rounds, respectively, then lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the third round.

2016

Giorgi did not proceed deep into the draw of the four Grand Slam tournaments of 2016. She lost to Serena Williams in the first round of the Australian Open, Kiki Bertens in the second round of the French Open, Garbiñe Muguruza in the first round of Wimbledon, and Sam Stosur in the first round of the US Open. Nonetheless, she reached the final of Katowice Open for the third time in a row.

2017

Giorgi began 2017 reaching the semifinals of the Shenzhen Open. She then beat Karolína Plíšková at the Prague Open. She was also successful on grass, reaching the quarterfinals in Birmingham after a victory over Elina Svitolina in the third round of Wimbledon. She won two matches in Western & Southern Open, but missed the last part of the season because of an injury and finished at No. 80 in the rankings (and the leader among her compatriots).

2018

In Sydney, Giorgi won against Petra Kvitová and Agnieszka Radwańska on the way to the semifinals. At Wimbledon she played in the quarterfinals, where she took the first set against Serena Williams. She also reached the semifinals in Tokyo, defeating among others Caroline Wozniacki.

In October she won the Linz Open, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final 6–3, 6–1 and gaining a new career-high ranking of No. 26.

Camila Giorgi's two-handed backhand

Giorgi utilizes aggressive serve-forehand combinations. She is known for her tendency to aim for the lines. She regularly hits deep returns, and takes the ball early while receiving.

In an article for LiveTennis.com, Nicholas Walz commented on Giorgi's game, saying, "Her play is often too erratic – she followed her result at the 2014 Indian Wells Masters tournament (defeating No. 4 seed, Maria Sharapova) by losing in the qualification round of the 2014 Sony Open (two weeks later) to Zarina Diyas."

Giorgi uses a two-handed backhand and flat groundstrokes. Her tendency is to play near and inside the baseline. She is known to be one of the hardest hitters on the tour. Her service is powerful but can be inconsistent. Her preferred surfaces are the fast hard and grass courts.

Singles: 8 (2 titles, 6 runners-up)

Singles: 7 (5 titles, 2 runner–ups)

Giorgi debuted for the Italy Fed Cup team in 2014.

Singles (3–4)

Edition	Round	Date	Against	Surface	Opponent	W/L	Result
2014 Fed Cup	World Group	8 February 2014	United States	Hard (i)	Madison Keys	W	6–2, 6–1
	World Group semifinals	19 April 2014	Czech Republic	Hard (i)	Petra Kvitová	L	4–6, 2–6
2015 Fed Cup	World Group	7 February 2015	France	Clay (i)	Alizé Cornet	W	6–4, 6–2
		8 February 2015			Caroline Garcia	L	6–4, 0–6, 2–6
	World Group Play-offs	18 April 2015	United States	Clay (i)	Serena Williams	L	6–7, 2–6
2016 Fed Cup	World Group	6 February 2016	France	Hard (i)	Kristina Mladenovic	W	1–6, 6–4, 6–1
		7 February 2016		Hard (i)	Caroline Garcia	L	3–6, 4–6

Doubles (0–1)

Edition	Round	Date	Partner	Against	Surface	Opponents	W/L	Result
2014 Fed Cup	World Group semifinals	20 April 2014	Karin Knapp	Czech Republic	Hard (i)	Andrea Hlaváčková Klára Koukalová	L	2–6, 7–5, [9–11]

Singles

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic Games are included in Win–Loss records.

This table is current through the 2019 China Open.

Notes

• In 2014, the Toray Pan Pacific Open was downgraded to a Premier event and replaced by the Wuhan Open.
• 2006: WTA Ranking–944,
  2007: WTA Ranking–833.