Who is 31YO ATP Pro Marcos Giron? Everything You Need to Know About the American Star

The Australian Open is heating up, and the excitement is hitting new highs! With the first two rounds already delivering jaw-dropping moments, the third round promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats. One of the most anticipated clashes features Jannik Sinner, a rising powerhouse in tennis, taking on an opponent who’s quietly stealing the spotlight—Marcos Giron.

Giron depicted some stellar performances at the Australian Open in his first two matches. Playing against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in the first round, the American star failed to win the first set. But depicting immense resilience, he bounced back in style to eventually win the match in four sets. His heroics continued in the second round too, where he Tomás Martín Etcheverry of Argentina. With both players attempting to secure a spot in the third round, Etcheverry gave tough competition to the American player but fell short in front of his 8 fiery aces. But who exactly is Giron and how much do we know about him?

Born on July 24, 1993, the 31-year-old started playing tennis at the tender age of six when his mom fed him balls at a local park. Growing up, he idolized the legends of the sports like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Roger Federer, and desired to emulate them on the courts one day. And soon, his desires started turning into a reality.

Giron started playing college tennis for UCLA in 2012 and remained a part of the team for two years. In 2014, he captured the NCAA singles title, before eventually turning pro in the same year. The star player loves playing on the hard courts and relies on his forehand to baffle his opponents. However, his enthusiasm and determination to dominate the tennis arena faced a major setback, just a year after he turned pro.

In December 2015, Giron was forced to undergo a right-hip surgery that compelled him to stay away from action. And just when he thought to make a comeback, another surgery on his left hip in February 2016 fueled his challenges and kept him away from the tour for eight months. This created a lot of trouble for the star player who took some time before finally displaying some sensational tennis again.

The American star broke into the Top 100 in 2020 and never looked back. He reached the third round of the Roland Garros in the following year after outshining Grigor Dimitrov in the first round. In 2023, he registered one of the biggest victories of his career at an ATP 1000 event, by defeating the then No. 6 Holger Rune. While success was definitely delayed for the star player, it did not evade him for long. Giron reached his first ATP Tour final at age 29 in his home state of California at San Diego in 2022 and in the 2nd finals at Dallas last year. He also ensured to secure a career-high ranking of 37 and broke into the Top 50. But Giron’s interests are not limited to tennis.

The 31-year-old enjoys being outdoors and playing other sports, like skiing and mountain biking. But besides sports, he is also passionate about helping people and if he wasn’t a tennis player, he would followed in the footsteps of his father and become a doctor.

Now, as far as his Australian Open campaign is concerned, Giron will be facing an Italian dynamo in the next round. And guess what, he is struggling to find some loopholes!

Marcos Giron dishes out honest opinion about Jannik Sinner’s skills

Marcos Giron and Jannik Sinner have competed against each other only once so far that too 15th months ago in Shanghai, where the Italian star dominated the courts. Situations have changed immensely since then and Giron knows that the challenge is not easy for him.

Speaking about his opponent, Giron was only praises. “He hits his serves big. His forehand is big. His backhand is big. He moves well. He’s got good hands. He competes every single point from start to finish, and he returns great,” he said. Continuing further, he added, “He pretty much almost doesn’t have any holes, he’s got weapons and he’s confident. It’s a hell of a challenge. There were very few guys last year that were able to beat him. It is pretty amazing what he’s been doing and how, and the level he’s sustained.” However, he seems to have some plans in mind for the clash.

When quizzed about how he is preparing for the Sinner challenge, Giron shared, ““I think it’s a mix of trying to expose the couple of things that he maybe doesn’t do well, and then also play my game and play to the best level. I’m going to have to be aggressive. I’m going to have to take chances. But I’m going to have to play within myself, and have to do it for a very long time in order to have a chance.” With fans gearing up for yet another thriller, a major question looms large: Can Marcos Giron pull out the biggest upset of the tournament? Well, that remains to be seen