Sergiy Stakhovsky

Born on January 6, 1986, Sergiy Stakhovsky is deemed Ukraine’s best tennis player. Sergiy turned professional in 2003 and is fondly called “Stako” by many. Stako ventured into the sport of tennis due to his grandfather. When he was only six years old, his grandfather often took him to their tennis center. There, the coaches started to notice Stako’s exceptional talent and drive to win all at the age of nine.

Stako is currently ranked number 46 in the ATP rankings. In 2004, he finished the tennis season ranked number 335 in the ATP rankings. In 2005, he made a better record for his career due to his exceptional performance in the doubles circuit. He was able to win the doubles title in Sarajevo and the doubles title in Prague. He finished number 173 in the singles rankings.

In 2006, Stako competes in the Davis Cup to tie against Belgium. He was able to reach several semifinals during this season and was able to compete in another Davis Cup Tie against Great Britain. His most memorable moment in 2006 was when he defeated Dmitry Tursonov, number 21 ranked player in the ATP. He also continued winning tournaments in the doubles circuit.

2007 was not a good year for Stako as his rankings in the singles circuit dropped. He was able to enter several qualifiers during this year. In 2008, Stako’s career had a complete turn-around. He was awarded the 2008 Singles Champion in Segovia, Spain and was also named the 2008 Singles Champion in Zagreb Intl., Croatia. He also broke into the Top 100 rankings this year.

Stako is a right handed player who favors hard surfaces. He is coached by Tarik Benhabiles and Erwan Le Ridant.

Although Stako is currently ranked at No. 46 as of November 15, 2010, he was at No. 31 earlier in 2010, which was his highest rank ever achieved as a singles player. He also has a record of 38-40 today.