Roberto Bautista Agut: Career and Playing Style

Roberto Bautista Agut has a killer forehand shot; but that doesn't take away from his defensive game. After a slow, but steady, rise throughout his career, Agut has finally made it to the top this season.

Roberto Bautista Agut is a Spanish tennis player with years of experience. He’s maintained the honor of ranking in the top 20 in recent years.

While many people began to notice Bautista Agut for his extraordinary play in the last Wimbledon edition, where he reached semi-finals, his career actually started back in 2009. His first official tournament was the ATP 500 in Valencia.

Since then the player, who was born in a Spanish town on April 14, 1988, has progressively improved his game and ATP rank. By May 2010, he already climbed up to the best-200 and would move on to the top-100 in August 2012.

Bautista Agut’s gameplay

If we had to mention Bautista Agut’s talents in just a few lines, we would first highlight his powerful forehand, specially when he hits the ball straight on. But, his amazing defense and counterattack capabilities are also worth mentioning. On a different note, he uses a two-handed backhand grip.

Bautista Agut also boasts an intimidating serve. He was actually one of the players with the highest percentage of successful first serves in the 2013 circuit. His efficient serves are precisely what allows him to take offense and unleash his forehand.

Achievements

In 2013, Bautista Agut reached the finals for the first time at the Chennai Open in the ATP 250 tour. He faced Janko Tipsarevic in a tough match. A year later, in 2014, he would hold his first trophy at the Libema Open in the ATP 250 tour after beating Benjamin Becker on the grassy courts of Hertogenbosch in the final.

Shortly after the Libema Open, the Spaniard would confirm his progress by winning another title. This time, he won on clay courts, beating Lukas Rosol to take the victory at the Stuttgart Open. Prior to the Stuttgart Open, he reached the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters where he lost to Rafael Nadal.

In the following years, Bautista A gut continued to progress, winning two titles every season. Roberto Bautista Agut’s boasts the following victories:

• 2016 champion of the Sofia and Auckland Open in the ATP 250 Tour. Both tournaments took place on hardcourts.
• 2017 winner of the Winston-Salem Open. While he reached the finals in the Chennai Open in the same year, he didn’t claim victory.
• He won two more titles in 2018 in the Auckland Open, which he had open before, and the Dubai Open in the ATP 500 Tour.

The 2019 season has been looking bright for Bautista Agut. He didn’t only kick it off by winning the Doha Open in the ATP 250 Tour, but he also performed his best in a Grand Slam tournament and reached rank 13 for the first time in his career.

Roberto Bautista Agut in the Davis Cup

Bautista Agut first stepped on the court for the finals in the 2012 David Cup to face his Czech Republican opponent. He was the fifth player on Spain’s national team but didn’t see the court until then.

Two years later in 2014, Bautista Agut received a request to play on the national team again to face Germany. However, he lost both of the matches he played in. That same year, the Spanish team tumbled out of the competition but would return again in 2017.

Since 2017, Roberto Bautista has participated in all the editions with the national team. In 2018 he performed his best and helped the team reach the semi-finals, where they lost to France. His track record at the Davis Cup to date is nine victories and six defeats.

After reading about his amazing career, it’s easy to appreciate his constant progress. Roberto Bautista Agut hasn’t always had it easy, but his dedication, consistency and will has made him one of the best. And he’s not even done yet!