Player: Danai Udomchoke
Age: 30
Nation: Thailand
Current Ranking: 201
Today's Result: loss to Gilles Simon (12th seed, France) in five sets
Photo via The Nation
I first knew Udomchoke as Davis Cup teammate of Paradorn Srichaphan, one of my all-time favorites. Danai's never attained Paradorn's level of success but he's put together a solid, if unspectacular, career nonetheless. He's won eight Challenger-level titles, all on hard court, and also won a gold medal in singles at the 2006 Asian Games. As is customary for men in Thailand, he spent two weeks as a Buddhist monk:
Photo via Buddhist Celebrities
Catching Up with Old Friends
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Curtain Call, US Open Day 8) - Ferrero fought bravely but eventually fell to Viktor Troicki (19th, Serbia) in five sets. This was Ferrero's 11th Australian Open. His best finish was the semifinals in 2004. He missed a lot of 2011 with an injury so even at age 31, he has an opportunity to boost his ranking, currently #48 in the world.
How interesting that most of the men of Thailand all spend time as a monk. I didn't know that. Have fun watching the open. And thanks for joining Tumble 4 YA AND putting it in your sidebar. We're going to have so much fun. :D
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