Nino Merola
{{Short description|British real tennis player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox real tennis player
| full_name = Nino Merola
| country_represented = {{flagicon|GBR}} United Kingdom
| residence = {{flagicon|GBR}} United Kingdom
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|10|29|df=yes}}
| plays = Right-handed
| club = Radley College Real Tennis Club
| singlestitles = 0
| highestsinglesranking = 16
| currentsinglesranking = 16
| AustralianOpenresult = 1R (2023, 2024)
| BritishOpenresult = QF (2024)
| USOpenresult = 2R (2018)
| doublestitles = 0
| currentdoublesranking = 17
| highestdoublesranking = 17
| AustralianOpenDoublesresult = QF (2023, 2024)
| BritishOpenDoublesresult = SF (2024)
| USOpenDoublesresult = SF (2025)
|}}
Nino Merola (born 29 October 1991) is a British professional real tennis player, currently working as the senior professional at Radley College.{{cite web |title=Player Profile: Nino Merola |url=https://www.royaltenniscourt.com/champions-trophy/players/nino-merola |website=Royal Tennis Court |access-date=24 February 2025}} He is currently ranked sixteenth in the world at singles and seventeenth in the world at doubles. His most notable results were reaching the doubles semi finals and singles quarter final at the 2024 British Open, as well as the quarter finals of the 2024 Champions Trophy.
Career
Merola discovered real tennis while working at Radley College. He worked spells at the International Tennis Club of Washington and the Seacourt Tennis Club before returning to Radley as the senior professional under Chris Ronaldson.{{cite web |title=US Open Program 2023 |url=https://uscourttennis.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/US-Open-2023-Program-6.pdf |website=United States Court Tennis Association |access-date=24 February 2025}} Although he entered several major tournaments including the British Open and the US Open, he didn't proceed past the first round between 2016 and 2022.
Merola's breakout came at the 2023 British Open. Winning through qualifying, he beat Louis Gordon in the first round in five sets before taking a set off incumbent World Champion Camden Riviere, the lowest ranked player to do so in over 16 years.{{cite web |title=British Open Singles and Doubles Championships 2023 |url=https://www.tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/tournaments-fixtures/british-open-singles-and-doubles-championships-3#draws |website=Tennis and Rackets Association |access-date=24 February 2025}} In the doubles draw of the same tournament, he and Henry Henman also took a set from Riviere and Tim Chisholm, the incumbent World Doubles Champions.
In 2024, he won the Category A Open in Manchester and was awarded the Most Valuable Player at the IRTPA Super League.{{cite web |title=FLM Super League - Final Day |url=https://www.irtpa.com/flm-super-league-final-day/ |website=International Real Tennis Professionals Association |access-date=24 February 2025}} He progressed through qualifying at the Champions Trophy and reached the second quarter finals, defeating Bryn Sayers in the first quarter final.{{cite web |title=The Real Tennis Champions Trophy 2024 |url=https://www.royaltenniscourt.com/tournaments/champions-trophy/2024 |website=Royal Tennis Court |access-date=24 February 2025}} At that year's British Open, he reached his first Open singles quarter final, defeating French amateur champion Matthieu Sarlangue in the round of 16. In the doubles, he partnered with Ben Taylor-Matthews and reached the semi final stage, taking another set off of Riviere and Chisholm in the process.{{cite web |title=British Open Singles and Doubles Championships 2024 |url=https://www.tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/tournaments-fixtures/british-open-singles-and-doubles-championships-2024 |website=Tennis and Rackets Association |access-date=24 February 2025}}
In 2025, Merola reached his first doubles semi final at the US Open, again partnered with Taylor-Matthews. They defeated Lewis Williams and Darren Long in the quarter final.
Performance timeline
=Singles=
{{Performance key|short=yes}}
Current through the 2025 US Open{{cite web |title=Player Profile – Nino Merola |url=https://www.irtpa.com/player-profile/343/ |website=International Real Tennis Professionals Association}}
| class="wikitable nowrap" style=text-align:center;font-size:94%
!Tournament!!2016!!2017!!2018!!2019!!2020!!2021!!2022!!2023!!2024!!2025 | SR | W–L!!Win % | |||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef | |||||||||||
| colspan="14" style="text-align:left" |Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||
| align=left| Australian Open
| A | A | A | A | A | NH | A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=afeeee|1R | A | 0 / 2 | 0–2 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=2|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| align=left| British Open
| A | A |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 |bgcolor=afeeee|1R | NH |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 |bgcolor=afeeee|2R |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF | | 0 / 4 | 3–4 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=3|lost=4|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| align=left| US Open
|bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=afeeee|2R | A | A | A | A |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q2 | A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R | 0 / 4 | 0–4 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=4|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0 / 10 | 3–10 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=3|lost=10|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| colspan="14" style="text-align:left" |IRTPA Sanctioned Tournaments | |||||||||||
| align=left| Champions Trophy
| NH | A | A | A | colspan=2 | NH | A | A |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF | | 0 / 1 | 1–1 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=1|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| align=left| IRTPA Championship
| NH | A |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 |bgcolor=afeeee|1R | colspan=6 | NH | 0 / 1 | 0–1 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| align=left| US Pro
|bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 | A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 | NH | A | A | A | A | | 0 / 1 | 0–1 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0 / 3 | 1–3 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=3|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| colspan="14" style="text-align:left" |Career Statistics | |||||||||||
| style="font-weight:bold;background:#EFEFEF;" | |2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | colspan=3|Career |
| style="background:#EFEFEF"
|align=left|Tournaments | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |colspan="3"|Career total: 13 | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |colspan="3"|Career total: 0 | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |colspan="3"|Career total: 0 | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Overall win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–1 | colspan="2" | 4–13 |{{tennis win percentage|won=4|lost=13|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|align=left|Win % |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=2|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=2|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=2|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=3|lost=3|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} |colspan="3"|Career total: {{tennis win percentage|won=4|lost=13|integer=yes}} |
=Doubles=
| class="wikitable nowrap" style=text-align:center;font-size:94%
!Tournament!!2016!!2017!!2018!!2019!!2020!!2021!!2022!!2023!!2024!!2025 | SR | W–L!!Win % | |||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef | |||||||||||
| colspan="14" style="text-align:left" |Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||
| align=left| Australian Open
| A |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 | A | A | A | NH | A |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF | A | 0 / 2 | 0–2 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=2|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| align=left| British Open
| A | A |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF | NH |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF | style="background:yellow;" | SF | | 0 / 4 | 3–4 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=3|lost=4|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| align=left| US Open
|bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=ecf2ff| Q1 |bgcolor=afeeee|1R | A | A | A | A |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF | A | style="background:yellow;" | SF | 0 / 4 | 2–4 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=4|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0 / 10 | 5–10 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=5|lost=10|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| colspan="14" style="text-align:left" |IRTPA Sanctioned Tournaments | |||||||||||
| align=left| IRTPA Championship
| A |bgcolor=afeeee|1R |bgcolor=ffebcd|QF | colspan=7 | NH | 0 / 2 | 2–2 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=2|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 2 | 2–2 |bgcolor=efefef|{{tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=2|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| colspan="14" style="text-align:left" |Career Statistics | |||||||||||
| style="font-weight:bold;background:#EFEFEF;" | |2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | colspan=3|Career |
| style="background:#EFEFEF"
|align=left|Tournaments | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |colspan="3"|Career total: 12 | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |colspan="3"|Career total: 0 | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |colspan="3"|Career total: 0 | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|style=text-align:left|Overall win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | colspan="2" | 7–12 |{{tennis win percentage|won=7|lost=12|integer=yes}} | |||||||||||
| style=font-weight:bold;background:#efefef
|align=left|Win % |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=2|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=1|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=0|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=0|lost=1|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=2|lost=3|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=2|integer=yes}} |{{tennis win percentage|won=1|lost=1|integer=yes}} |colspan="3"|Career total: {{tennis win percentage|won=7|lost=12|integer=yes}} |