# Sam Querrey
**Sam Querrey** (Sam Austin Querrey, born 1987 in San Francisco, California) is an American former professional tennis player known for his powerful serve and forehand, a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 11, and two Wimbledon upsets of reigning world No. 1 players, [Novak Djokovic](https://www.edgepedia.org/novak-djokovic) in 2016 and [Andy Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-murray) in 2017[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) • [2](https://time.com/4392192/sam-querrey-novak-djokovic-wimbledon/). He won 10 ATP singles titles and 5 doubles titles, and after retiring in August 2022 he became a professional pickleball player and a tennis podcaster[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) • [3](https://pickleballunion.com/interviews/putting-down-the-tennis-racket-for-a-pickleball-paddle-an-interview-with-sam-querrey/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987, San Francisco, CA; resident of Las Vegas, NV[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) |
| Physical | 1.98 m (6'6"), 95 kg (209 lb); right-handed with a two-handed backhand[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) |
| Career high | ATP singles No. 11 on 26 February 2018; doubles No. 23 on 17 May 2010[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) |
| Titles | 10 ATP singles titles (2008-2017), 9 finals; 5 doubles titles[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) |
| Career record | 369-298 singles through 2019 (54.1% win rate over 2006-2022); career prize money $13,679,265[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) • [4](https://tennis-db.com/players/country/united-states) |
| Signature results | Beat world No. 1 Djokovic at Wimbledon 2016 and world No. 1 Murray at Wimbledon 2017 to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal[2](https://time.com/4392192/sam-querrey-novak-djokovic-wimbledon/) • [5](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/querrey-stuns-a-world-no-1-at-wimbledon-again) |
| Post-tennis | Retired August 2022; plays professional pickleball on the PPA Tour and co-hosts the Nothing Major podcast[3](https://pickleballunion.com/interviews/putting-down-the-tennis-racket-for-a-pickleball-paddle-an-interview-with-sam-querrey/) • [6](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sam-querrey-compares-american-player-223000836.html) |
## Early life and turning professional
Querrey began playing tennis at age 4 after being introduced to the game by his mother, Chris. His father, Mike, is a mortgage banker and former baseball player who was drafted by the [Detroit Tigers](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-tigers)[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf). He earned his first ATP ranking point a day before his 16th birthday, in 2003[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf).
In 2006 he signed a letter of intent to play college tennis at the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california), then turned down the scholarship to become a professional in June 2006[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) • [7](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf). In his first tournament as a professional he won the Yuba City Challenger event[7](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf). He broke into the Top 50 as a 19-year-old on 20 August 2007 after a run to the [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati) quarterfinals, and that July he notched his first career win over a Top 10 player and hit a record 10 consecutive aces against [James Blake](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-blake-tennis) at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) • [8](https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/sam-querrey).
## Career titles and ranking
Querrey's 10 singles titles came mostly on home hard courts: Las Vegas (2008), Los Angeles (2009, 2010, 2012), Memphis, Belgrade, and London/Queen's Club (all 2010), Delray Beach (2016), and Los Cabos and Acapulco (2017)[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf). He finished 13 straight seasons in the Top 100 from 2007 to 2019, peaking at No. 11 on 26 February 2018; he would have broken into the Top 10 by winning his 2018 Indian Wells quarterfinal, which he lost to [Milos Raonic](https://www.edgepedia.org/milos-raonic)[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf).
His best season by ranking was 2017, when he finished No. 13 with a 36-23 record and two titles[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf). In February 2017 he beat [David Goffin](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-goffin), Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios, and [Rafael Nadal](https://www.edgepedia.org/rafael-nadal) in one week at Acapulco[9](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/12/andy-murray-wimbledon-quarter-final-sam-querrey-match-report). Injuries interrupted two seasons: he missed three months in 2011 after right elbow surgery and three months in 2019 with an abdominal injury[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf).
## The Wimbledon upsets of 2016 and 2017
**Djokovic, 2016.** In the third round at Wimbledon, Querrey, seeded 28th and ranked 41st, beat the reigning world No. 1, two-time defending champion, and holder of the last four Grand Slam titles, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6, finishing with 31 aces to Djokovic's seven. The win ended Djokovic's bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam since [Rod Laver](https://www.edgepedia.org/rod-laver) in 1969, and it was the first time Djokovic had exited a Grand Slam in the third round since 2009[2](https://time.com/4392192/sam-querrey-novak-djokovic-wimbledon/). Querrey lost in the quarterfinals to eventual finalist Milos Raonic[5](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/querrey-stuns-a-world-no-1-at-wimbledon-again).
**Murray, 2017.** A year later, the No. 24 seed defeated world No. 1 and defending champion Andy Murray, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-1, in the quarterfinal to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal[5](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/querrey-stuns-a-world-no-1-at-wimbledon-again). Murray, who was visibly hampered by a hip injury, lost the last two sets in a combined 49 minutes[9](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/12/andy-murray-wimbledon-quarter-final-sam-querrey-match-report).
The milestone carried two records. It took Querrey 42 Grand Slam appearances to reach his first major semifinal, the longest wait of the Open era, surpassing [Mark Woodforde](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-woodforde)'s previous mark of 38[5](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/querrey-stuns-a-world-no-1-at-wimbledon-again) • [10](https://lavercup.com/player/sam-querrey). He was also the first American man to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since [Andy Roddick](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-roddick) at 2009 Wimbledon[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) • [11](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-long-sad-american-tennis-drought-is-over/). In the semifinal he lost to Marin Cilic, 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5[12](https://as.com/tenis/2017/07/01/wimbledon/1498920219_307351.html).
## Playing style
Querrey's game was built on two weapons, the serve and the forehand, and his favorite surface was hard court[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf). At 6'6" he fit the big-server mold alongside players such as John Isner, and his serve was most effective on grass, where he said a well-placed first serve is harder for an opponent to time[13](https://asapsports.ai/show_interview.php?id=141992). His career record against the Top 10 was 22-64, and against the era's leading players he went 4-22 against the "Big Four", with the win over Djokovic the largest of them[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf) • [14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/07/11/at-wimbledon-sam-querrey-has-calm-confidence-and-now-a-date-with-andy-murray/).
## Retirement, pickleball, and broadcasting
Querrey announced his retirement from professional tennis in August 2022, closing his career with a four-set loss to Ilya Ivashka at the US Open[15](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/not-just-serena-another-hard-hitting-american-sam-querrey-says-goodbye-to-the-ga). He had played pickleball casually with friends for about five years before retiring, and after watching a Major League Pickleball event in Newport Beach in 2022 he decided to turn professional, joining the PPA Tour for the 2023 season[3](https://pickleballunion.com/interviews/putting-down-the-tennis-racket-for-a-pickleball-paddle-an-interview-with-sam-querrey/).
He also moved into media. He co-hosts the Nothing Major podcast with fellow former players [John Isner](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-isner), Jack Sock, and Steve Johnson[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sam-querrey-compares-american-player-223000836.html).
## Personal life
Querrey married Abby on 9 June 2018 and served on the ATP Player Council for the 2018-20 term[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf). His hobbies include basketball, table tennis, and golf, and he is a fan of the [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers)[1](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf).
## References
1. [Sam Querrey player bio, 2020 ATP Media Guide](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/media-guide/2020/2020-atp-media-guide-v3.pdf)
2. [Sam Querrey, Novak Djokovic and the Year of the Underdogs, Time (2 July 2016)](https://time.com/4392192/sam-querrey-novak-djokovic-wimbledon/)
3. [Putting Down The Tennis Racket For A Pickleball Paddle: An Interview With Sam Querrey, Pickleball Union (2024)](https://pickleballunion.com/interviews/putting-down-the-tennis-racket-for-a-pickleball-paddle-an-interview-with-sam-querrey/)
4. [United States ATP Players, TennisDB](https://tennis-db.com/players/country/united-states)
5. [Querrey stuns a world No. 1 at Wimbledon, again, Tennis.com (12 July 2017)](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/querrey-stuns-a-world-no-1-at-wimbledon-again)
6. [Sam Querrey compares American player to Roger Federer, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sam-querrey-compares-american-player-223000836.html)
7. [Historical Dictionary of Tennis, Querrey entry](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf)
8. [Sam Querrey profile, Team USA](https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/sam-querrey)
9. [Andy Murray hobbles out of Wimbledon to Sam Querrey in last eight, The Guardian (12 July 2017)](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/12/andy-murray-wimbledon-quarter-final-sam-querrey-match-report)
10. [Sam Querrey player profile, Laver Cup](https://lavercup.com/player/sam-querrey)
11. [A Long, Sad American Tennis Drought Is Over, FiveThirtyEight (2016)](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-long-sad-american-tennis-drought-is-over/)
12. [Consulta los resultados y el cuadro de Wimbledon 2017, AS](https://as.com/tenis/2017/07/01/wimbledon/1498920219_307351.html)
13. [Sam Querrey Wimbledon interview transcript, ASAP Sports (2 July 2018)](https://asapsports.ai/show_interview.php?id=141992)
14. [At Wimbledon, Sam Querrey has calm, confidence and now, a date with Andy Murray, The Washington Post (11 July 2017)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/07/11/at-wimbledon-sam-querrey-has-calm-confidence-and-now-a-date-with-andy-murray/)
15. [Not Just Serena: Sam Querrey says goodbye to the game at the US Open, Tennis.com (2022)](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/not-just-serena-another-hard-hitting-american-sam-querrey-says-goodbye-to-the-ga)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis players and seasons › Individual tennis player biographies › North American tennis player biographies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license