Robredo chases history
Tommy Robredo can make Hopman Cup history if he and Anabel Medina Garrigues win this summer's $1 million mixed teams event at Perth Arena from December 28 to January 4.
No player has won the event three times, with Robredo, Spanish countrywoman Arantxa Sanchez, Slovak Republic's Dominik Hrbaty and Americans Serena Williams and James Blake the best with two titles each.
Robredo teamed with veteran Sanchez as a teenager to beat Americans Monica Seles and Jan Michael Gambill in 2002.
Just 19, Robredo's steady play under pressure proved critical in Spain's win in the final after Sanchez lost her singles to Seles.
Robredo fought off two championship points when trailing 6-3 2-6 4-5 before clinching the third set tie breaker 7-2 in his singles rubber against Gambill to force the tie into the mixed doubles.
He channelled the emotion from his singles win into the doubles, teaming with former world No.1 singles and doubles player Sanchez to claim the deciding mixed doubles rubber 6-4 6-2.
In 2007, Robredo narrowly failed to add a second Hopman championship, losing the final with Medina Garrigues against Russians Dmitry Tursunov and Nadia Petrova.
Three years later, Robredo was again the hero when Spain beat Great Britain's Laura Robson and Andy Murray 2-1 in the final.
Robredo won his singles in three sets against Murray and partnered Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez to victory in the doubles after Martinez Sanchez dropped the opening singles to Robson.
The 31-year-old's experience will be crucial as Spain attempt to win a fourth Hopman Cup.
Only the US (six titles) and the Slovak Republic (three) have won more.
Robredo, a 15-year veteran of the tour, has been a regular in Spanish Davis Cup teams and in the top 20, reaching a career-high No. 5 in August 2006.
A serious leg injury caused his ranking to plummet to 471 in May last year.
Improving that mark by 453 places in 2013, Robredo said he had to overcome self-doubts.
"I was scared I mightn't come back to a great level, especially physically," he said.
"I learnt a lot from that and now just try to focus on trying my best every single day.
"Let's say I'm fine now and out to enjoy every match that I play."
Seeded at No.8 for Hopman Cup XXVI, Robredo and Medina Garrigues clash first-up with Czech duo Petra Kvitova and Radek Stepanek on December 29.
Spain also meet Americans Sloane Stephens and John Isner (December 30) and French combination Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Alize Cornet (January 3).
Medina Garrigues was the linchpin when she and Fernando Verdasco beat Serbians Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic in the final in January.
Robredo said he hoped Medina Garrigues could reproduce the form which made her the standout player in Spain's title win against the Serbs.
"She is a good friend of mine and I think we will make a great combination … hopefully I can be as good a partner as she deserves," Robredo said.