Pedro Braga

Pedro Braga (born 27 February 1975) is a former professional tennis player from Brazil.

Pedro Braga
Full namePedro Braga
Country (sports) Brazil
Born (1975-02-27) 27 February 1975
Prize money$59,313
Singles
Career record0–1
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 251 (18 November 2002)
Doubles
Career record0–1
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 330 (15 September 2003)

Biography

Early life

Braga, the son of a doctor, comes from Belo Horizonte. He started playing tennis at the age of eight and competed as a junior at Wimbledon and the US Open in 1992.

While at the US Open he was recruited to join Louisiana State University (LSU) on a tennis scholarship.[1]

College tennis

In his sophomore year at LSU in 1995 he earned All-American selection and was named the Louisiana Player of the Year.[2]

At the beginning of the 1996 collegiate season he began struggling with a back injury which by April was bad enough that he was forced to pull out of the competition. An MRI scan revealed that he had suffered a spinal disc herniation and, then aged 21, he was informed he would never play tennis again. After undergoing back surgery he spent almost two-years out of the game before making his comeback in 1998.[2]

Professional tour

Soon after returning from his back injury he began his professional career on the international satellite and challenger circuits. He went on to win a total of 11 ITF Futures titles. The closest he came to making a Grand Slam tournament was the Australian Open in 2003 where he made it to the second round of qualifying.[3]

Braga twice featured in the main draw of the Brasil Open, a tournament on the ATP Tour. In 2003 he partnered Júlio Silva in the doubles and in 2004 he was given a wildcard into the singles competition, where he lost in the first round to Peru's Luis Horna.[4][5]

In 2004 he was found to have tested positive to stanozolol, an synthetic anabolic androgenic steroid.[6] A tribunal handed down a two-year suspension from tennis, which was the maximum possible penalty.[7] The sample came from when he competed in the qualifying rounds of 2003 Brasil Open.[8]

References
  1. Fernández, Gus (10 July 2015). 30-Love - The Life of a Young Tennis Player. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN 9781329366114.
  2. Zanone, Curtis. Braga Is Back - LSU’s All-American Returns From Back Surgery. Bob Larson's College Tennis Weekly.
  3. "Australian Open Qualifying". Democrat and Chronicle. 11 January 2003. p. 6. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. "Confira a programação desta quarta-feira" (in Portuguese). Terra Networks. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  5. "Pedro Braga perde e é o quarto brasileiro eliminado na Bahia" (in Portuguese). Universo Online. 24 February 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. "Brasileiro Pedro Braga sofre severa punição da ATP". Tribuna PR (in Portuguese). 8 June 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  7. "Decision in the case of Pedro Braga". International Tennis Federation. 7 June 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  8. Garber, Greg (28 June 2004). "Is doping accidental or purposeful?". ESPN.com. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
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