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Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi (born July 29, 1980), nicknamed El Bombardero de La Reina (Spanish "La Reina's Bomber") and Mano de Piedra ("Hand of Stone"), is a professional tennis player from Chile.
González was born in Santiago, Chile. His father, Fernando, is the manager of a flour mill in Santiago and his mother, Patricia, a housewife. He began playing tennis at the age of seven. He moved with his family to the municipality of La Reina in eastern Santiago, where his father presided over a tennis club.
As a junior, González achieved the world number one ranking. He won the US Open boys doubles (with compatriot Nicolás Massú) in 1997, and the French Open singles (defeating a young Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final) and doubles (with Venezuelan José de Armas) in 1998. He became a professional in 1999.
His first ATP title came in 2000 when he defeated compatriot Nicolás Massú in the US Men's Clay Court Championships final in Orlando, Florida. It was the first all-Chilean ATP final since Jaime Fillol defeated Ricardo Acuña in the 1982 Itaparica final.
In 2002 he surpassed former number one player Marcelo Ríos as the top Chilean in the singles rankings, and was one of most improved players on the ATP circuit, jumping 118 positions in the ATP Champions Race. In February of that year he won his second career ATP title in Viña del Mar by defeating Nicolás Lapentti in the final, and later that year he won his third title in Palermo, Italy and reached the semifinals at the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati, and the quarterfinals at the US Open grand slam event.
González repeated his Viña del Mar title in 2004 by defeating Gustavo Kuerten in the final. Later that year, at the Olympic Games in Athens, he and doubles partner Nicolás Massú gave their country its first ever Olympic gold medal, when they defeated Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schüttler of Germany to win the men's doubles tournament. He also won a bronze medal in the men's singles.
González began 2005 in great shape by winning Auckland (New Zealand) in January. In April he won his first doubles tournament as a professional, in Valencia (clay) with doubles partner Martín Rodríguez.
In his career, González has defeated many former number-one players, including Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi (both while they held the top spot), Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras.
González is currently coached by Argentinian Horacio de la Peña.
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Titles (7)
Singles (5)
Doubles (2)
- 2004: Athens Olympic Games (with Nicolás Massú)
- 2005: Valencia (with Martín Rodríguez)