Brydan Klein is an Australian-born British professional tennis player. He
prefers to play on a fast surface, such as grass or hard. Klein has yet to
become an active competitor on the main ATP Tour. However, he did receive a
wildcard from Tennis Australia for the 2008 Australian Open, but lost to Paul
Capdeville in the first round of the Grand Slam event. He is a winner of the
junior Australian Open. Currently, Klein competes mainly on the
ATP Challenger Series and ITF Men's Circuit.
Career = Early career =
Klein began his professional tennis career playing on the ITF Men's Circuit
in various events across Australia aged just 15. He featured sporadically on the
ITF Circuit throughout 2005 and 2006, winning his first title alongside
Matthew Ebden in a doubles event in Traralgon in October 2006. During that
year, he also competed at Challenger level for the first time in his career.
At the start of 2007, Klein competed in the Australian Open Junior
Championships, and won the event after beating Jonathan Eysseric in three sets
in the final. This resulted in Klein reaching a career high juniors ranking
of no. 4. Throughout 2007, Klein began playing Futures tournaments on a much
more regular basis, and secured his first singles title in Sawtell,
Australia in October that year, beating Miles Armstrong 6–1, 6–3 in the final.
At the start of the following year, he received a wildcard into the main draw
of the 2008 Australian Open, although lost 4–6, 5–7, 4–6 to Paul Capdeville in
the opening round. Shortly after, he returned to Futures action and earned
his second singles title win in Mildura, defeating number one seed Nathan Healey
in the final. He went on to win a further two singles titles during the
year, both of which coming away from Australia, in New Zealand and Belarus
respectively. Klein ended 2008 ranked no. 256, a ranking that was 350 places
higher than his year-end 2007 ranking. = 2009–2012 =
Klein received wildcard entries into both the Brisbane International and the
2009 Australian Open. A first round loser in Brisbane, Klein acquired his
first Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open against Björn Phau 6–4,
6–3, 4–6, 6–3, before falling to Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets in
the Second Round. Following his Australian Open efforts, Klein won the
2009 McDonald's Burnie International, the first challenger title win of his
career. He did not lose a set during the tournament, securing the title courtesy
of 6–3, 6–3 victory over Grega Žemlja in the final. Klein followed the win up by
securing both singles and doubles Futures victories in Mildura the
following week, having also won the singles event in 2008. He beat Matthew
Ebden in the final of that tournament, before teaming up with him to win the
doubles title. Following his impressive start to 2009, Klein was called up to
represent Australia at Davis Cup level, and played in Australia's 3–2 win over
Thailand in a Second Round match, although lost his match to Danai
Udomchoke. He also entered the 2009 French Open, but lost in the opening
qualifying round to Kevin Anderson. Klein began to play at Challenger level
and on the ATP World Tour throughout 2009 to little success, although did
reach a career singles high of no. 174 when he reached the last 16 during his
controversial participation at the 2009 Aegon International. He ended 2009 by
returning to playing at Futures level in Australia, with a year-end ranking of
no. 200. His 2010 campaign started slowly, with
First Round qualifying defeats in Brisbane, Sydney and the 2010 Australian
Open, before suffering a First Round loss in the Burnie Challenger, the
tournament he had won a year earlier. By February 2010, his ranking had dropped
200 places to outside the top 400 after failing to defend his ranking points.
Klein subsequently returned to the Futures Circuit in an attempt regain
form, and was able to secure his first singles title in over a year when he
defeated compatriot John Millman in three sets in Little Rock, Arkansas in
April 2010. Klein returned to Australia, and proceeded to win two further Futures
titles, both of which on clay, within the space of a week in early May that
year. In the summer of 2010, he headed to North America to prepare for the 2010
US Open, and played in various Challenger tournaments as part of his
preparation programme ahead of the tournament – reaching the quarter-final
stage of both the Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos, California, as well
as the Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby in Granby, Quebec, Canada.
Despite his extensive stay in the continent, Klein suffered a convincing
3–6, 1–6 loss to Kevin Kim in the opening qualifying round of the US Open.
During the latter stages of 2010, Klein reached four straight finals in Futures
tournaments in Australia and New Zealand, but lost all four. He ended
2010 ranked at no. 214. Similarly to 2010, Klein's start to 2011
witnessed a number of First Round losses, including another opening round
qualification defeat at the Australian Open, this time at the hands of
Konstantin Kravchuk. Klein had been banned from competing for a main draw
wildcard for the event following "a string of on-court misdemeanours". Todd
Woodbridge, Tennis Australia's director of men's tennis, stated the ban was for
"numerous accounts of unacceptable behaviour at tournaments both locally
and internationally". During the first three months of the year, Klein won just
one main draw match from nine tournaments. He struggled for form
throughout the year, and competed at Futures level for the remainder of his
2011 campaign, yielding just one singles title in Kalgoorlie, Australia, in
October. Klein remained in Europe for most of the year, and won five doubles
titles during his time there – and a further three towards the latter stages
of the year in Australia, all of which at Futures level. Klein ended the year
ranked no. 451 in singles, a drop of over 200 places from his 2010 ranking.
Klein took a three-month break from the Circuit from October 2011 to late
January 2012, returning to action in the qualifying draw at the 2012 McDonald's
Burnie International, although was beaten by Dane Propoggia in straight
sets in the Second Round of qualifying. The following week, he improved to reach
the quarter-finals of the 2012 Caloundra International. Klein then reached the
final of the Futures event in Mildura in February 2012, an event that he had
previously won twice, but lost to Hiroki Moriya in three sets. He spent the
summer months of the year playing in Turkey and Spain Futures events; beating
Frenchman Jules Marie to win in Bakio, Spain, as well as securing two titles in
Turkey by beating the young Italian Lorenzo Giustino in the final in
Tekirdağ and then Mohamed Safwat in Antalya. He also won consecutive
Challenger doubles titles alongside compatriot Dane Propoggia; firstly in
San Benedetto del Tronto and then in Recanati. Klein's fine form during the
summer continued when he reached the semi-finals of the 2012 President's Cup
in Astana, Kazakhstan, before losing to the eventual champion, Evgeny Donskoy.
His performances throughout the year enabled him to earn a place in
qualifying at the 2012 US Open, where he was defeated by Karol Beck in the second
round of qualification. During the year, he won three singles titles, as well as
twelve doubles titles, ending 2012 ranked at no. 241 in singles and no. 134
in doubles. = 2013– =
Klein began the year by competing at the 2013 Australian Open, but lost in
straight sets in the First Round of qualifying to Riccardo Ghedin. Klein and
doubles partner Propoggia reached another Challenger doubles final, but
lost to the pairing of John-Patrick Smith and Ruan Roelofse at the 2013
McDonald's Burnie International. The pair would go one better in early March
2013, securing their third Challenger title by beating Alex Bolt and Nick
Kyrgios in the final of the 2013 Nature's Way Sydney Tennis
International. The result gave Klein a career high doubles ranking of no. 118.
Switch to Great Britain In April 2013, the LTA, the national
governing body of tennis in Great Britain, were informed of Klein's desire
to switch his nationality from Australian to British through the
International Tennis Federation. A month later, it was announced that Klein had
completed his switch to playing under a British licence. Despite being born in
Rockingham, Australia, his mother was from Manchester, England, and therefore
Klein was able to switch allegiance. The move followed Tennis Australia's
decision to withdraw their support for Klein following a "fractured
relationship" with Klein having "a very chequered history of on-court
behaviours". Klein stated it was a move he had been thinking about for four
years — "It was a very difficult decision and I've had it in the back of
my mind for four years, but haven't wanted to go forward with it. Finally, I
thought, 'Look, I'm 23, I need a new environment, I need to do something to
give myself a chance to improve my game'." The move also allowed Klein to
"ease the financial burden" that has meant he had to fund the previous three
years of touring himself, only gaining access to a coach when he was competing
in Turkey. He hoped the move would help realise his dream of making a "living
out of the sport I love, which would be making top 100 singles and top 50
doubles". Klein also spoke of further aspirations of competing for the Great
Britain Davis Cup team team — "In the years to come, there's Davis Cup if they
want me and my ranking is high enough and, of course, they have a grand slam
the same as us, so there's opportunities there. No.3 is within shooting range of
playing Davis Cup, but obviously I'm not going to go in expecting to play Davis
Cup for a few years." Shortly after the switch, Klein entered
the qualifying for the 2013 French Open, but lost in straight sets in the First
Round of qualification to French wildcard, Mathias Bourgue.
Personal Klein has grown up in a tennis
household; his father, Verne, was a coach and high school teacher and his
older brother also played tennis competitively for a short time.
= Six-month ban = In July 2009, Klein accepted a six-month
ban from the ATP after racially abusing an opponent at a tournament in England.
He used the racist term "kaffir" to describe South African player Raven
Klaasen at the grasscourt event in Eastbourne. He was suspended by the
Australian Institute of Sport, meaning he received no funding, coaching or
fitness support during the length of his ban. He agreed to complete a racial
sensitivity course, and issued a public apology for his actions, stating —
""During the second set, after losing a point, I audibly used a racial slur. It
was not my intention to racially vilify my opponent or cause offence to anybody
else and I am deeply embarrassed that I behaved in this manner. I deeply regret
my serious error in judgment in using this word and I am very sorry for the
offence this has caused. After the match I called my opponent Raven and
apologised for what had happened and also apologised for any offence caused
to his support team". He was fined $14,000 by the ATP, the maximum possible
amount by the organisation, and later fined a further $10,000 following a full
investigation into the incident. Talking about the incident in December
2010, Klein's father said — "It is sad to see him continually punished for what
was, in truth, one single word muttered inaudibly over 18 months ago. It was
reported inaccurately then and continues to be. The way he was disciplined, you
would think it was a constant, repeated offence. What pains me most is the way
that, more than a year later, Brydan's indiscretion is still being dragged up
again and again. He didn't actually know what the meaning of the word 'kaffir'
was. He actually heard the South African players say it. He thought it was a
swear word, so when he said it, he obviously had no idea what he was
saying. He was only 18 years old and the other person didn't even hear it and it
didn't really affect the match.I was there, sitting close to where Brydan was
as humanly as possible apart from being on the court, and you couldn't hear
anything. If you had been there you wouldn't have heard anything either so
it's not like he was ranting or raving at his opponent, calling him names and
being racist, because he's anything but. One day he will be able to tell the
truth but right now he is stuck from telling the truth."
Singles titles = Challenger finals =
= Futures titles = Doubles titles
= Challenger finals = = Futures titles =
References External links
Brydan Klein at the Association of Tennis Professionals
Brydan Klein at the International Tennis Federation
Klein Recent Match Results Klein World Ranking History