'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Polish giant Jerzy Janowicz is the first male player from his nation to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam. And the 6 ft 8 inch Janowicz will hope to ride his big serve and booming forehand to reach the finals when he takes on British favorite Andy Murray at Wimbledon later today.
Here are 10 little-known facts about Janowicz:
1) As a junior, Janowicz peaked at No. 5 in the world in 2008.
He reached the Boys’ singles final at the 2007 US Open and 2008 French Open, losing in straight sets to Ricardas Berankis (highest ATP ranking no. 67) and Yang Tsung-Hua (highest ranking no. 164), respectively.
2) In October 2012, Janowicz qualified and beat three Top 20 and two Top 10 players en route to his first ATP World Tour final at the Paris Masters.
He was the first qualifier to reach an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final since 2007 Miami. Janowicz lost in the finals to world No. 5 David Ferrer in straight sets.
His run to the Paris Masters final even inspired a Polish rap song, “Bajka o Jerzyku czyli Niezwykle Przygody Jerzego Janowicza w Paryzu” (Fairytale adventures of Jerzy Janowicz in Paris).
3) Janowicz is the first Polish player to rank in the Top 30 since Wojtek Fibak, who peaked at no. 29 in the world in 1984. Fibak also once coached Pope John Paul II.
4) Janowicz had to rely on the generosity of Polish New Yorkers to buy him some new tennis shoes at the 2008 US Open where he was playing the juniors event.
His parents had to sell their sports shops to ensure they were able to fund his travel on the tennis circuit.
He also missed the 2011 Australian Open because he could not afford to buy the plane ticket.
5) After winning a junior tournament in Saudi Arabia in 2006, he was approached to play for Qatar and offered some heavy financial assistance in return.
He refused the offer immediately.
Marta Domachowska
6) He is currently dating Polish WTA player Marta Domachowska, 27 years old, who arrived at Wimbledon in time for his quarter-final on Wednesday.
Domachowska is currently ranked no. 266 and has been as high as no. 37 in 2006.
7) Janowicz became an internet sensation in January when a video of him going “nuts” (in his own words) during an Australian Open match against India’s very own Somdev Devvarman went viral.
After screaming, “How many times? How many times?” at the umpire, he dropped to his knees and spat on the court.
The Pole came from two sets to love down to win that match in five sets.
He snapped again at the Miami Masters in March, and received advice about tempering his aggression from psychologist Pawel Habrat, who has also worked with the Polish national football team.
8) Janowicz admits “I was a bad boy at primary school. In high school, I was fighting with everyone, with the teachers. I was a really bad guy.”
9) Partnering with Philippines’s Treat Huey, Janowicz reached the doubles final at the Indian Wells Masters series event in March this year.
Janowicz/Huey beat the Murrays, James Blake/Mardy Fish and Peya/Soares before going down to the top-ranked Bryan Brothers in the finals in three sets.
10) Off the court, the Pole seems to be a fan of Nadal but not of Djokovic and Federer.
In an interview from a few months ago, he commented, “I don’t have any idols, I’m not following the examples of anyone. I liked Sampras for style, Safin for character. I like watching Federer, but lately I am missing Nadal because he hasn’t playing for 8 months.”
He elaborated that he liked Nadal “because there is no fake, he behaves like in life. Djokovic is fake, he shows off and acts. Federer is a guy who wants to be above everything. In this context there might be something unnatural of him, hard to feel he is one of us.
“When lower ranked players were protesting because Slam organizers were paying us only 14% of their income, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic were on our side, though there are millionaires, Federer said that according to him is OK.”
