Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Taro Daniel

Discover the career path of Taro Daniel, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Taro Daniel is an American-Japanese professional tennis player. His highest singles ranking was world No. 58, achieved in January 2024. Daniel won one ATP Tour singles title at the 2018 Istanbul Open and has nine ATP Challenger Tour singles titles. He is currently the No. 3 ranked Japanese singles player.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2011: ATP Ranking Improvement

From 2011 to 2013, Taro Daniel raised his ATP ranking from world No. 978 to 241.

November 2012: ATP Challenger Tour Semifinals

In November 2012, Taro Daniel reached the semifinals at the Yokohama on the ATP Challenger Tour.

November 2013: First Challenger Final

In November 2013, Taro Daniel reached his first Challenger final at the Yeongwol, where he lost to Bradley Klahn.

2014: Chile Open Quarterfinals

In 2014, Taro Daniel qualified for his first ATP tournament, making the quarterfinals of the Chile Open, after defeating Federico Delbonis. His run was ended by Nicolas Almagro.

2014: Grand Slam Main-Draw Debut

In 2014, Taro Daniel qualified for the US Open to make his Grand Slam main-draw debut, losing to Milos Raonic in the first round. The next week, he reached the final at the Seville Challenger, where he was defeated by Pablo Carreño Busta.

2014: Davis Cup Nomination

In 2014, Taro Daniel was nominated for the first time for the Japan Davis Cup team for the World Group quarterfinal against the Czech Republic. He played the singles rubber, but lost to Lukáš Rosol and Jiří Veselý.

November 2015: Top 100 ATP Ranking

On 23 November 2015, Taro Daniel entered the top 100 in the ATP rankings for the first time at world No. 93.

2015: First ATP Challenger Tour Title in Vercelli

In 2015, Taro Daniel defeated Filippo Volandri to claim his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Vercelli. He also qualified for the French Open, losing to Fernando Verdasco in the first round. Additionally, he won the Fürth Challenger, defeating Blaž Rola and Albert Montañés.

2015: First Davis Cup Match Win

In 2015, at the Davis Cup World Group play-offs against Colombia, Taro Daniel won the first Davis Cup match of his career, beating Alejandro Falla. He also completed the 2015 season with his third Challenger title in Yokohama, winning over Go Soeda.

2016: Davis Cup World Group

In 2015, Taro Daniel's victory completed a come-from-behind victory against Colombia to remain in the World Group for 2016.

2016: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Debut

In 2016, Taro Daniel qualified for the Monte-Carlo Masters to make his ATP World Tour Masters 1000 main-draw debut, reaching the second round. He also competed at Bucharest and Estoril, reaching the second rounds in both tournaments. In the French Open, he advanced to the second round and competed in the Wimbledon Championships.

2016: Australian Open & Davis Cup

In 2016, Taro Daniel received direct entry to the main draw of the Australian Open, losing in the first round to Lukáš Rosol. At the Davis Cup World Group first round in Birmingham, he was defeated by Andy Murray.

2017: US Open Second Round

In 2017, Taro Daniel reached the second round of the US Open where he lost to Rafael Nadal.

August 2018: Career High Ranking

In August 2018, Taro Daniel climbed to his career-high ranking of No. 64.

2018: ATP Tour Singles Title

In 2018, Taro Daniel won one ATP Tour singles title at the Istanbul Open and finished the 2018 season ranked No. 77.

2018: Indian Wells Masters Third Round

In March 2018, at the Indian Wells Masters, Taro Daniel qualified for the main draw and defeated Novak Djokovic to reach the third round.

2018: End of Season Ranking

Taro Daniel finished the 2018 season ranked No. 77.

2021: Serbia Open Semifinals

In 2021, Taro Daniel, as a lucky loser, reached the semifinals in 2021 Serbia Open in Belgrade, where he beat João Sousa, John Millman and Federico Delbonis, but lost to Matteo Berrettini.

2022: Loss to Andy Murray

At the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March, Taro Daniel lost to Andy Murray, giving the Scot the 700th match win of his career on the ATP Tour.

2022: Australian Open Third Round

In 2022, Taro Daniel made it to the third round of the Australian Open for the first time in his career, beating Tomás Barrios and Andy Murray. He lost to Jannik Sinner in the third round.

2022: End of Season Ranking

Taro Daniel finished the 2022 season ranked No. 92.

2023: BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open

At the 2023 BNP Paribas Open, Taro Daniel reached the third round of a Masters. He received a wildcard into the 2023 Miami Open where he defeated Alexander Zverev to reach back-to-back Masters third rounds in two weeks. As a result he returned to the top 100.

2023: Highest Year-End Career Ranking

Taro Daniel finished the 2023 season ranked No. 75, his highest year-end career ranking.

January 2024: Career-High Singles Ranking

In January 2024, Taro Daniel achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 58, and he also reached his second ATP final at the 2024 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand defeating top seed Ben Shelton and became the No. 1 Japanese male player.

January 2024: ATP Final at ASB Classic

In January 2024, Taro Daniel reached his second ATP final at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, defeating Ben Shelton. As a result, he reached the top 60 at world No. 58 in the singles rankings and became the No. 1 Japanese male player. He lost to Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets.