Nielsen Prefers Singles To Potential Career Success In Doubles

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 7th November 2012

Jonathan Marray of Britain and his partner Frederik Nielsen of Denmark hold their trophies after defeating Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania in their men's doubles tennis match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London

Nielsen Prefers Singles To Potential Career Success In Doubles

REFILE - CORRECTING BYLINE Jonathan Marray of Britain (R) and his partner Frederik Nielsen of Denmark hold their trophies after defeating Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania in their men's doubles tennis match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London July 7, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth |

Wimbledon champion Frederick Nielsen could make a lucrative life if he stuck to playing men’s doubles but the only Dane ever to win a title at the All England Club remains insistent he is devoted to singles even though he’s 29 years old and ranked world no.362.

Nielsen could have contested last week’s BNP Paribas Masters in Paris with the man he won Wimbledon alongside, Britain ’s Jonny Marray. Instead he chose to make a few euros in appearance money playing in the Italian Club League.

This week he is back beside Marray in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and the pair got off to a winning start with a 6‑4, 6‑7, 12‑10 win over the Indian duo of Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna. Nevertheless Nielsen remains insistent he will not specialize on doubles, even though for the time being is guaranteed to play a much higher quality of tournaments.

“It’s actually not a decision that I have to make,” explained Nielsen. “The reason why I play tennis is because I love it. I see myself as a tennis player. I’m not a singles player or a doubles player. I’m not prepared to sacrifice one thing for the other.

“If I changed my philosophy and my outlook on life in order to play doubles, then it wouldn’t make my happy. If I skipped singles now, it would be for the sake of results and money and that kind of stuff. That’s never going to motivate me. Quite the contrary, it’s going to make it not enjoyable for me.

“If I sacrifice that then I’m sacrificing the beliefs that I’m playing tennis on, and I’m not ready to do that. I don’t care if I have to play tennis, singles in a lower‑ranked tournament, than doubles would bring me, because I know there’s other places that I want to be.”

Nielsen, one half of the first ever wild carded doubles team to win the Wimbledon title added: “I think it’s also the reason why I’m able to play good doubles, because I enjoy my tennis in every aspect in singles and doubles. I think I wouldn’t be able to play as good tennis if I played doubles full‑time.”

The Dane is currently found in 23rd spot on the ATP World Tour’s doubles rankings, three places below his occasional partner Marray who reached the BNP Paribas Masters semi-final alongside Australian Paul Hanley.

Marray meanwhile continues to search for a permanent doubles partner and said: “I’m not really set with anyone for next year. So I’m still on the lookout for a regular partner. It’s not bearing fruit as of yet. But we’ll see how the next few weeks go and hopefully if we do well here in London , I’ll be more attractive to anyone else.”