Ricardo Mello

Brazilian professional tennis player Ricardo Mello was born on December 21, 1980 in Campinas, just one hour away from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mello began playing tennis at the age of six at the Equestrian Club of Campinas. Nickname Papagayo, which means parrot in English, Mello is known for being shy and reserved. He plays his best games on hard courts and is coached by Carlos Albano.

Mello received a wild card into the Challenger in 1996 when he was just 15. The event was held in Campinas. A year later, he played in the Curitiba Challenger as well as other Futures events in the succeeding years. He made his ATP debut in 2001 in Salvador where he reached the quarterfinals. He also reached the final at USA Futures #4. It was in 2001 when he won two Futures titles in three week. Hit was also in 2001 when he won his first Challenger event at Campos do Jordao. A year later, he was a finalist at the Salinas Challenger before winning back-to-back Challengers at Campos do Jordao and Belo Horizonte. He also reached the finals in doubles at the Andorra Challenger.

Mello won his first ATP title in 2004 in Delray Beach where he defeated top seeds Spadea and Ancic. He also reached a career high ranking of 60 at the end of the season. A year later, he finished in the top 100 of the INDESIT ATP race for the second consecutive year after winning 16 matches in the circuit. He would make another top 100 finish six years later, in 2010