Xavier Malisse was born on July 19th, 1980 in Kortrijk, Belgium. He turned pro in 1998 and has won twice on the ATP Tour. His first win came at Delray Beach in 2005. He then had an excellent start to the 2007 season by winning in Chennai and at Delray Beach.

Malisse is renowned for his enormously powerful forehand. He has a bad temper on court which have effected his performances from time to time. His best performance in a grand slam came at Wimbledon 2002 when he reached the semi finals. He has reached the 4th round at the US Open three times.