Max Mirnyi

Born on July 6, 1977, Max Mirnyi is a tennis player from Belarus who is known for his prowess in doubles. Nicknamed 'the beast' for his size and aggressive playing style, Mirnyi has received a number of national and international accolades and has reached the number one spot in the ATP doubles rankings. He won his first ATP doubles title in 1997 in Shanghai. In pursuit of more training, Mirnyi moved to the US and by 2000 he was training at the IMG-Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

Mirnyi is noted for his achievements in doubles and has partnered with other notable greats such as Lleyton Hewitt, Jamie Murray, and Mahesh Bhupathi. His 7 Grand Slam titles include men's doubles in 2000 and 2002 US Open and the 2005 and 2006 French Open. He also won in the mixed doubles in the 1998 and 2007 US Opens, as well as the 1998 Wimbledon. In 2001, he was awarded the highest State Honorary Title by President A. Lukashenko for his achievements in sports. A year later, Mirnyi was named the UN AIDS Ambassador for Belarus.

One of the highlights of the 33 year-old's career was when he attained the number 1 ranking in ATP Doubles in 2003. It was also in this year when he reached the singles ranking of number 18, a career highest, on August 2003. In 2004, he was also voted for a four year term as vice President of Belarus Tennis Federation.

The 33 year-old also enjoyed a strong singles career, placing in the top 50 in the world rankings for 7 straight years. He represented Belarus in the Davis Cup competition, playing for the team since 1994. Mirnyi holds a Davis Cup record of 47 wins and 27 losses in 35 ties.