Ken Skupski

Ken Skupski Jr. (born 9 April 1983) is a British former professional tennis player who specialised in doubles.

NCAA Doubles finalist 2005 and Two-time Southeastern Conference Coaches Indoor Champion (only player in the history of the Southeastern Conference to win back-to-back titles).

Fourth biggest winning player in the school's history with 107 wins.

Six-time All-American (two Singles, one Doubles and three Academic).

Eight years after he was crowned Wimbledon champion, Richard Krajicek took on Skupski in an exhibition match in Liverpool.

Skupski tied a closely contested clash one set all, then won a Super TieBreak 10–7.

Skupski was looking for a fellow British doubles partner who was capable of going to the top of the game.

Colin Fleming had turned pro in September and Skupski thought Fleming's game style suited his.

Skupski took a bit of a hit because his ranking 250 was much higher than Fleming's at around 900, and so they came to play some low-level Futures and went on a great run.

The pair came to be known as 'Flemski'.

Fleming/Skupski won three Futures in Glasgow, London, Sunderland

and the Caversham International Challenger in Jersey.

Ken Skupski finished the year there because he'd had a long year, but Fleming continued by partnering Jonny Marray in the Czech Republic and winning two Futures in Frydland Nad Ostravici, and Opava

Skupski graduated from Louisiana State University in May 2007.

In June 2009, Skupski and Colin Fleming beat the world no. 1 ranked doubles pair, Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan, at the Queen's Club grass court tournament.

However he was out in the first round at Wimbledon for the second year in a row in five sets having led by two sets to love, again he partnered Fleming.

He did however make into the second round of the mixed doubles losing in straight sets.

In September, the Davis Cup Captain John Lloyd announced that Skupski was part of the Great Britain Davis Cup squad for the Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 relegation play-off against Poland, Skupsi was acting as cover for any injuries and helping the team prepare for Poland's world top-10 ranked doubles team, but didn't play.

Great Britain lost 3–2, and were relegated to Group II of the Davis Cup.

In September 2009 he won at the Open de Moselle in France.

Again partnering Fleming they won 2–6, 6–4, 10–5, against the defending champion, Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra.

Two months later they won their second title at the St Petersburg Open, defeating another French team of Jérémy Chardy and Richard Gasquet in the final in three sets 2–6, 7–5, 10–4.

He reached his career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 44 in July 2010, and won seven titles on the ATP Tour, most notably the 2021 Mexican Open alongside younger brother Neal Skupski, with whom he regularly competed from 2013.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, he won two medals representing England, silver in men's doubles with Ross Hutchins, and bronze in mixed doubles partnering Sarah Borwell.

Skupski also represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup on two occasions in 2010.

Ken Skupski was born in Liverpool.

His father, Ken Sr. of Polish descent, is a retired police officer, his mother Mary is a golfer.

Skupski is a big fan of Liverpool Football Club and is a keen golfer who plays as often as he can and has a handicap of six.

As youngsters, the brothers once lost a game of doubles against a pairing with special educational and emotional needs, which they claim motivated them to train harder and which they attribute to their future success.

In January 2010, Skupski competed at his first Grand Slam outside of Wimbledon at the Australian Open.

Again partnering Fleming they made it into the second before losing in three sets to Michael Kohlmann and Jarkko Nieminen 6–3, 4–6, 3–6.

At the French Open he repeated his feat at the Australian open by losing in at the second in three sets to fourth seeds Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(4–7), again he partnered Fleming.

In June, Skupski reached the final of Eastbourne Open but lost in the final to Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in three sets partnering Colin Fleming.

Following his successful run at the Eastbourne Open he finally got a win at Wimbledon in the first round, but again lost in the second to the much more experienced and second seeds the Bryan brothers in straight sets, he was partnering Fleming.

For the first time in his career he competed at all four Grand Slams in the same year, but at the US Open, Skupski and Fleming lost in the first round in straight sets.

The new Davis Cup Captain Leon Smith selected Skupski to take part in Great Britain's vital Davis Cup tie vs Turkey, at Eastbourne, in July alongside Colin Fleming, James Ward, Jamie Baker, and Alex Ward.

Defeat would have meant Great Britain's relegation to Europe Zone Group III, the lowest tier of the competition.

Skupski and Colin Fleming secured the 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 win that gave Britain an unassailable 3–0 lead, ending a run of five straight defeats, giving Great Britain a first Davis Cup win in three years.

In October, at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, England's Skupski and Ross Hutchins won the Doubles Silver Medal, by losing to Australians Paul Hanley and Peter Luczak in the final.

Skupski is a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, having reached this stage at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships in both men's and mixed doubles, and the 2020 Australian Open in men's doubles.