Santiago Giraldo

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Santiago Giraldo Salazar is a Colombian former professional tennis player born in 1987 in Pereira. He turned professional in 2006 and retired in 2020. A right-hander with a two-handed backhand, he reached the world No. 28 in singles in 2014—the highest ranking ever by a Colombian man—and No. 77 in doubles in 2015. His best result on the ATP Tour was the final of the 2014 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. He has defeated several top players, including former world No. 1s Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Andy Murray, and other top players like Tsonga and Nishikori. In Grand Slams, his best runs were reaching the third round at the French Open (2012) and Wimbledon (2014, 2015). His game is built on a powerful, fast forehand and strong returns, but he could be inconsistent and was sometimes outplayed by quick counter-punchers.