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- published: 29 Oct 2012
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- author: MrPieroTWV2
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![[HD] Serena Williams vs Sharapova Istanbul 2012 Highlights](http://web.archive.org./web/20121228090956im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CvzVQtO2v8A/default.jpg "No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova against 3rd seed Serena Williams Final from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul")
![[HD] Serena Williams vs Azarenka Istanbul 2012 Highlights](http://web.archive.org./web/20121228090956im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3LPnpU8AoyY/default.jpg "3rd seed Serena Williams against No. 1 Seed Victoria Azarenka Semi Final Match from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul")
![[HD] Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka US Open 2012 Highlights](http://web.archive.org./web/20121228090956im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/orFK8ios984/default.jpg "No. 4 seed Serena Williams against 1st seed Victoria Azarenka final match highlights from the US Open 2012, New York Match highlights and trophy presentation.")
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Argentina
Argentina
i/ˌɑrdʒənˈtiːnə/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina]), is a country in South America, the continent's second largest by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations.
Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentine claims over Antarctica, as well as overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, are suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Argentina also claims the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are administered by the United Kingdom as British Overseas Territories.
A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy, with a "very high" rating on the Human development index. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Analysts have argued that the country has a "foundation for future growth due to its market size, levels of foreign direct investment, and percentage of high-tech exports as share of total manufactured goods", and it is classed by investors as middle emerging economy. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies.
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Australia
Australia (
/əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Australian Open
The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia. First held in 1905, the tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year – the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It features men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles and junior's championships; as well as wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. Since 1988 the tournament has been played on hard courts at Melbourne Park.
The Australian Open typically has very high attendance – second only to the US Open – and was the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its two primary courts, Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena, equipped with retractable roofs.
The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA), and was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1905. This facility is now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre.
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Belarus
Belarus (i/bɛləˈruːs/ bel-ə-ROOSS; Belarusian: Беларусь, Russian pronunciation: [bʲɛlaˈrusʲ] Russian: Беларусь, Белоруссия, Belarus', Belorussiya), officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno (Hrodna), Gomel (Homiel), Mogilev (Mahilyow) and Vitebsk (Vitsebsk). Over forty percent of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested, and its strongest economic sectors are agriculture and manufacturing.
Until the 20th century, the lands of modern-day Belarus belonged to several countries, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Belarus became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). The borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were incorporated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland. The nation and its territory were devastated in World War II, during which Belarus lost about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945 the Belorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.
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Belgium
Belgium (i/ˈbɛldʒəm/ BEL-jəm), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.
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Brazil
Brazili/brəˈzɪl/ (Portuguese: Brasil, IPA: [bɾaˈziw]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, listen (help·info)), is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people. It is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas and the largest lusophone country in the world.
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz. It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile.
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until 1815, when it was elevated to the rank of kingdom and the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was formed. The colonial bond was in fact broken in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal.Independence was achieved in 1822 with the formation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The country became a presidential republic in 1889, when a military coup d'état proclaimed the Republic, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to the ratification of the first constitution in 1824. Its current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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China
China (i/ˈtʃaɪnə/; Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; see also Names of China), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most-populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third- or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area.
The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Its capital city is Beijing. The PRC also claims Taiwan—which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity—as its 23rd province, a claim controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan and the unresolved Chinese Civil War. The PRC government denies the legitimacy of the ROC.
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Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (currently sponsored by the Western & Southern Financial Group) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city.
The event is the biggest summer tennis event in the U.S., as its men's portion is one of nine elite Masters 1000 tournaments on the ATP World Tour and its women's event is one of five Premier 5 events on the WTA Tour. The 2012 event will be held August 11–19. Due to its sponsorship by the Western & Southern Financial Group, the official name of the event is the Western & Southern Open.
The tournament was started in 1899 as the Cincinnati Open (it would later be known by several other names, including the Tri-State Tennis Tournament and ATP Championships), and would eventually grow into the tournament now held in Mason. The original tournament was held at the Avondale Athletic Club, which sat on property that is now Xavier University, and would later be moved to several various locations due to changes in tournament management and surfaces. The first tournament in 1899 was played on clay courts (described in a newspaper article of the time as "crushed brick dust"), and the event was mostly played on clay until 1979 when it switched permanently to hardcourts.
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Croatia
Croatia (i/kroʊˈeɪʃə/ kroh-AY-shə; Croatian: Hrvatska pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]), officially the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Republika Hrvatska listen (help·info)), is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and has diverse, mostly continental and Mediterranean climates. Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The country's population is 4.29 million, most of whom are Croats, with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism.
In the early 7th century the Croats arrived in area of present-day Croatia. They organised the state into two dukedoms by the 9th century. Tomislav became the first king by 925 AD, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Peter Krešimir IV and Dmitar Zvonimir. Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, faced with Ottoman conquest the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918, after World War I, Croatia was included in the short-lived State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs that declared independence from Austria–Hungary and co-founded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A Croatian state briefly existed during World War II as a fascist puppet state. After the war, Croatia became a founding member and a federal constituent of the Second Yugoslavia, a socialist state. In June 1991, Croatia declared independence, which came into effect on 8 October of the same year. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully during the four years following the declaration.
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Czech Republic
The Czech Republic (i/ˈtʃɛk/ CHEK;Czech: Česká republika, pronounced [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka] (
listen), short form Česko Czech pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛskɔ]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the north, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants, is Prague.
It is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.
The Czech state, formerly known as Bohemia, was formed in the late 9th century as a small duchy around Prague, at that time under dominance of the powerful Great Moravian Empire (which reached its greatest territorial extent during the reign of Svatopluk I from the House of Mojmír). After the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power was transferred from Moravia to Bohemia, under the Přemyslids. During the rule of Přemyslid dukes/kings and their successors, the Luxembourgs, the country reached its greatest territorial extent (13th–14th century). Life in the country was significantly affected by the Hussite wars, during which it faced economic embargo and crusades from all over Europe. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy as one of its three principal parts alongside the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Bohemian Revolt (1618–20) led to the further centralization of the monarchy including forced recatholization and Germanization. During radical reforms in the 18th century the Bohemian Crown was even de facto abolished (1749). In the 19th century the Czech lands became the industrial powerhouse of the monarchy and the core of the Republic of Czechoslovakia which was formed in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I.
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Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia (Czech and Slovak: Československo, Česko-Slovensko) was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992. From 1939 to 1945, the state did not de facto exist because of its forced division and partial incorporation into Nazi Germany, but the Czechoslovak government-in-exile nevertheless continued to exist during this period. In 1945, the eastern part of Carpathian Ruthenia was taken over by the Soviet Union. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Form of state:
Neighbours:
Topography:
The country was of generally irregular terrain. The western area was part of north-central European uplands. The eastern region was composed of northern reaches of Carpathian Mountains and Danube River basin lands.
Climate:
The weather was predominantly continental, but varied from the moderate temperature of Western Europe in the west, to more severe weather of Eastern Europe and the western Soviet Union in the east.
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Denmark
The Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark, pronounced [ˈkɔŋəʁiːəð ˈdanmɑɡ̊] ( listen)) is a constitutional monarchy and sovereign state consisting the country of Denmark in northern Europe and two autonomous constituent countries, the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. The kingdom is a unitary state with some power being devolved from Denmark proper to Greenland and the Faroe Islands; this polity is referred to as the Danish Realm. Denmark proper is the hegemonial area, where judicial, executive, and legislative power resides. The Faroe Islands are defined to be a community of people within the kingdom, and the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.
Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, located southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland and many islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm, as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago.
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Family Circle Cup
The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. It is the oldest professional women's tournament with a $750,000 purse. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. From its inception in 1973 to 2000, the tournament was held at the Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island with the exception of 1975 and 1976 when it was played on Amelia Island off the coast of Florida. It moved to Charleston in 2001. It is classified on the WTA Tour as a Premier tournament (before 2009: Tier I). It celebrated its 40th year in 2012 by naming the court in honor of Billie Jean King.
Coordinates: 32°51′41″N 79°54′13″W / 32.86139°N 79.90361°W / 32.86139; -79.90361
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France
France (Englishi/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
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French Open
The French Open, often referred to as Roland Garros (French: Les internationaux de France de Roland-Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros, IPA: [ʁɔlɑ̃ ɡaʁɔs]), named after the famous French aviator Roland Garros, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon. Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam held on clay and ends the spring clay court season.
It is one of the largest events in tennis, and the most watched French event in the world. Because of the slow playing surface and the five-set men's singles matches without a tiebreak in the final set, the event is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world.
Currently, the 2012 French Open is being conducted from May 27 to June 10, 2012 in Paris.
Officially named in French Les internationaux de France de Roland-Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros (the "French Internationals of Roland Garros" or "Roland Garros Tournament" in English), the tournament is often referred to in English as the "French Open" and alternatively as "Roland Garros", which is the designation used by the tournament itself in all languages, including English. In French, a hyphen is inserted after death, hence the French spelling "Roland-Garros".
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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India
India (i/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
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Italy
Italyi/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.
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Japan
Japan
i/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国 
Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally the State of Japan) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called the Diet.
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Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan (i/ˌkɑːzəkˈstɑːn/ or /ˌkæzəkˈstæn/) (Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, pronounced [qɑzɑqstɑ́n]; Russian: Казахстан [kəzɐxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Europe. The ninth largest country in the world by land area, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of 2,727,300 square kilometres (1,053,000 sq mi) is larger than Western Europe. It is neighbored clockwise from the north by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea. Although Kazakhstan does not share a border with Mongolia, its most easterly point is only 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Mongolia's western tip. The terrain of Kazakhstan ranges from flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, and snow-capped mountains to deserts. With 16.6 million people (2011 estimate) Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world, though its population density is less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The capital was moved in 1998 from Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, to Astana.
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Kenya
Kenya ( /ˈkɛnjə/ or /ˈkiːnjə/), officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator. With the Indian Ocean to its south-east, it is bordered by Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the north-east. Kenya has a land area of 580,000 km2 and a population of nearly 41 million, representing 42 different peoples and cultures. The country is named after Mount Kenya, a significant landmark and second among Africa's highest mountain peaks. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi.
Kenya has a warm and humid climate along its coastline on the Indian Ocean which changes to wildlife-rich savannah grasslands moving inland towards the capital Nairobi. Nairobi has a cool climate that gets colder approaching Mount Kenya, which has three permanently snow-capped peaks. The warm and humid tropical climate reappears further inland towards lake Victoria, before giving way to temperate forested and hilly areas in the western region. The North Eastern regions along the border with Somalia and Ethiopia are arid and semi-arid areas with near-desert landscapes. Lake Victoria, the world's second largest fresh-water lake (after Lake Superior in the US and Canada) and the world's largest tropical lake, is situated to the southwest and is shared with Uganda and Tanzania. Kenya is famous for its safaris and diverse world-famous wildlife reserves such as Tsavo National Park, the Maasai Mara, Nakuru National Park, and Aberdares National Park.
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Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup (Russian: Кубок Кремля) is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour. It has been held annually at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia, since 1990.
The Kremlin Cup was first created in 1990 becoming the first international professional tennis tournament to be held in Russia. The tournament started as a men's only event during the first years of its run, before it became a joint event in 1996.
Until 2007, it was held on a carpet surface. It is now held on a RuKortHard surface.
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Latvia
Latviai/ˈlætviə/ (Latvian: Latvija), officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia (border length 343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), to the east by the Russian Federation (276 km), to the southeast by Belarus (141 km), and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden. With 2,067,887 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi) it is one of the least populous and least densely populated countries of the European Union. The capital of Latvia is Riga. The official language is Latvian and the currency is called Lats (Ls). The country has a temperate seasonal climate.
The Latvians are a Baltic people, culturally related to the Lithuanians. Together with the Finno-Ugric Livs (or Livonians), the Latvians are the indigenous people of Latvia.Latvian is an Indo-European language and along with Lithuanian the only two surviving members of the Baltic branch. Indigenous minority languages are Latgalian and the nearly extinct Finno-Ugric Livonian language. In terms of geography, territory and population Latvia is the middle of three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Latvia and Estonia share a long common history: historical Livonia, times of German (Teutonic Order), Polish-Lithuanian, Swedish, Russian, Nazi German and Soviet rule, 13th century Christianization and 16th century Protestant Reformation. Both countries are home to a large number of ethnic Russians (26.9% in Latvia and 25.5% in Estonia) of whom some are non-citizens. Latvia is historically predominantly Protestant, except for the region of Latgalia in the southeast which is historically predominantly Roman Catholic.
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Miami Masters
The Miami Masters (currently sponsored by Sony Mobile) is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park. The tournament is currently held in March each year.
The Miami Masters, which has had multiple sponsorships, was initially known as the Lipton International Players Championships and was a premier event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour from 1985 until 1990 part of the Grand Prix Championship Series. In 2000, there was a change of title sponsor and the event was renamed the Ericsson Open. In 2002, the event became known as the NASDAQ-100 Open. In 2007, the tournament was renamed the Sony Ericsson Open in a deal where the company will pay $20 million over the next four years.
In 2010, a record 300,000 visitors attended matches at the 12-day Sony Ericsson Open making it one of the largest tennis tournaments outside the four Majors. In 2011, 316,267 visitors attended the Open.
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Montreal
Montreal (i/ˌmʌntriːˈɒl/;French: Montréal; pronounced [mɔ̃ʁeal] (
listen)) is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the fifteenth largest in North America. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French (Mont Royal in present French). The city is located on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.
As of May 10, 2011, Statistics Canada identifies Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) (land area 4,259 square kilometres (1,644 sq mi)) as Canada's second most populous with an estimated metropolitan area population of 3,824,221 and a population of 1,886,481 in the urban agglomeration of Montreal, which includes all of the municipalities on the Island of Montreal. The city of Montreal proper had a population of 1,649,519.
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Netherlands
The Netherlands (i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdə(r)lɑnt] or [ˈneɪ̯də(r)lɑnt] ( listen); West Frisian: Nederlân; Papiamento: Hulanda) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with some islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").
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Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (Pawnee: Uukuhuuwasiri ) is the capital and the largest city in the US state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,322,249 residents. Oklahoma City's city limits extend into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, though much of those areas outside of the core Oklahoma County area are suburban or rural (watershed). The city ranks as the eighth-largest city in the United States by land area (including consolidated city-counties; it is the largest city in the United States by land area whose government is not consolidated with that of a county).
Oklahoma City features one of the largest livestock markets in the world. Oil, natural gas, petroleum products and related industries are the largest sector of the local economy. The city is situated in the middle of an active oil field and oil derricks dot the capitol grounds. The federal government employs large numbers of workers at Tinker Air Force Base and the United States Department of Transportation's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. (These two sites house several offices of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department's Enterprise Service Center, respectively.)
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Poland
Polandi/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika; Silesian: Polsko Republika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (/ˌpɔrtə ˈriːkoʊ/ or /ˌpwɛərtə ˈriːkoʊ/), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, [esˈtaðo ˈlibɾe asoˈsjaðo ðe ˈpweɾto ˈriko]—literally, "Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico (Spanish for "rich port") comprises an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands, the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area of the Greater Antilles. However, it ranks third in population amongst that group of four islands, which also include Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Jamaica. Due to its location, Puerto Rico enjoys a tropical climate and also experiences the Atlantic hurricane season.
Originally populated for centuries by indigenous aboriginal peoples known as Taínos, the island was claimed by Christopher Columbus for Spain during his second voyage to the Americas on November 19, 1493. Under Spanish rule, the island was colonized and the indigenous population was forced into slavery and nearly wiped out due to, among other things, European infectious diseases. The remaining population was emancipated by King Charles I in 1520. Spain possessed Puerto Rico for over 400 years, despite attempts at capture of the island by the French, Dutch, and British. The Spanish Crown, in an attempt to keep Puerto Rico from gaining its independence, revived the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815. The decree was printed in three languages — Spanish, English and French — and it fostered the immigration of hundreds of non-Spanish European families.
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Quebec City
Quebec ( /kwəˈbɛk/ or /kəˈbɛk/; French: Québec [kebɛk] ( listen)), also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City (French: Ville de Québec) is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of 2011, the city has a population of 516,622, and the metropolitan area has a population of 765,706, making it the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about 233 kilometres (145 mi) to the southwest.
The narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River proximate to the city's promontory, Cap-Diamant (Cape Diamond), and Lévis, on the opposite bank, provided the name given to the city, Kébec, an Algonquin word meaning "where the river narrows". Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America. The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec) are the only remaining fortified city walls that still exist in the Americas north of Mexico, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the 'Historic District of Old Québec'.
According to the federal and provincial governments, Québec is the city's official name in both French and English, although Quebec City (or its French equivalent, Ville de Québec) is commonly used, particularly to distinguish the city from the province. The city's most famous landmark is the Château Frontenac, a hotel which dominates the skyline. The National Assembly of Quebec, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (National Gallery of Quebec), and the Musée de la civilisation (Museum of Civilization) are found within or near Vieux-Québec.
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Catalan: [rəˈfɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə]; Spanish: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]) (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of 28 May 2012 (2012 -05-28)[update], he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time.
Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles, including a record six French Open titles (tied with Bjorn Borg), the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 21 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He completed the Career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Serbia
Serbiai/ˈsɜrbiə/, officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија / Republika Srbija, pronounced [rɛpǔblika sř̩bija]), is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans. Serbia borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; the Republic of Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the west; additionally, it borders Albania through Kosovo, whose status as part of Serbia is disputed. Serbia covers an area of 88,361 km2 and has a population of just over 7.1 million, while the capital and largest city is Belgrade.
The arrival of the Serbs to the Balkans in the 7th century, established several states, eventually forming the Serbian Empire in the 14th century. By the 16th century, Serbia was conquered and occupied by the Ottoman Empire, at times interrupted by the Habsburgs. In the early 19th century the Serbian revolution re-established the country as the region's first constitutional monarchy, which subsequently expanded its territory and pioneered the abolition of feudalism in the Balkans. The former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina united with Serbia in 1918. Following World War I, Serbia formed Yugoslavia with other South Slavic peoples which existed in several forms up until 2006, when the National Assembly of Serbia declared independence and the legal succession to the former State Union. In February 2008 the parliament of UNMIK-governed Kosovo, Serbia's southern province, declared independence, with mixed responses from international governments.
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Slovakia
The Slovak Republic (short form: Slovakiai/sloʊˈvɑːkiə/ or /sləˈvækiə/; Slovak: Slovensko (help·info), long form Slovenská republika (help·info)) is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi). Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is the capital, Bratislava, and the second largest is Košice. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, OECD and WTO among others. The official language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic language family.
The Slavs arrived in the territory of present day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries during the migration period. In the course of history, various parts of today's Slovakia belonged to Samo's Empire (the first known political unit of Slavs), Principality of Nitra (as independent polity, as part of Great Moravia and as part of Hungarian Kingdom), Great Moravia, Kingdom of Hungary, the Austro-Hungarian Empire or Habsburg Empire, and Czechoslovakia. A separate Slovak state briefly existed during World War II, during which Slovakia was a dependency of Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1944. From 1945 Slovakia once again became a part of Czechoslovakia. The present-day Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
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Slovenia
Slovenia (i/sloʊˈviːniə/ sloh-VEE-nee-ə, Slovene: Slovenija), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija, [reˈpublika sloˈveːnija]) is a Slavic nation state, situated in South-Central Europe, at the crossroad of main European cultural and trade routes. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Croatia to the south and southeast, and Hungary to the northeast. It covers 20,273 square kilometres (7,827 sq mi) and has a population of 2.05 million. It is a parliamentary republic, member of the European Union and NATO. Relative to its geography, history, economy, culture, and language, it is a very diverse country distinguished by a transitional character. It is characterised by a high economic and social level. Its capital and largest city is Ljubljana.
The territory of Slovenia is mainly hilly or mountainous and has an exceptionally high landscape and biological diversity and a mosaic structure, which are a result of natural attributes and the long-lasting presence of humans. Four major European geographic units interweave here: the Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Mediterranean, with a small portion of coastline along the Adriatic Sea, and the Pannonian Plain. The climate is temperate and significantly influenced by the variety of territory, with a strong interaction of the continental climate, the sub-Mediterranean climate and Alpine climate across most of the country. The country is one of the water-richest in Europe, with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karstic underground watercourses. Over half of the territory is covered by forest.
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South Africa
Coordinates: 30°S 25°E / 30°S 25°E / -30; 25
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It is divided into nine provinces and has 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline. To the north of the country lie the neighbouring territories of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an enclave surrounded by South African territory.
South Africa is multi-ethnic and has diverse cultures and languages. Eleven official languages are recognised in the constitution. Two of these languages are of European origin: South African English and Afrikaans, a language which originated mainly from Dutch that is spoken by the majority of white and Coloured South Africans. Though English is commonly used in public and commercial life, it is only the fifth most-spoken home language. All ethnic and language groups have political representation in the country's constitutional democracy comprising a parliamentary republic; unlike most parliamentary republics, the positions of head of state and head of government are merged in a parliament-dependent President.
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Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
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Sweden
Sweden (i/ˈswiːdən/ SWEE-dən; Swedish: Sverige [ˈsværjɛ] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund.
At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of about 9.4 million. Sweden has a low population density of 21 inhabitants per square kilometre (54 /sq mi) with the population mostly concentrated to the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas. Sweden's capital city is Stockholm, which is also the largest city.
Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire. The empire grew to be one of the great powers of Europe in the 17th and early 18th century. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Russia in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, practicing "non-participation in military alliances during peacetime and neutrality during wartime". However, Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 1995 and is a member of the OECD.
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Switzerland
Switzerland (German: die Schweiz[ˈʃvaɪts]; French: Suisse [sɥis(ə)]; Italian: Svizzera [ˈzvit͡sːɛra]; Romansh: Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ] or [ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ]), in its full name the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.
The Swiss Confederation has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area.
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Toronto
Toronto (/təˈrɒntoʊ/, colloquially /ˈtrɒnoʊ/) is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from the Mississaugas of the New Credit. The settlement was later established as the Town of York and proclaimed as the new capital of Upper Canada by its lieutenant-governor, John Graves Simcoe. In 1834, York was incorporated as a city and renamed to its present name. The city was ransacked in the Battle of York during the War of 1812 and damaged in two great fires in 1849 and in 1904. Since its incorporation, Toronto has repeatedly expanded its borders through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities, most recently in 1998.
With over 2.6 million residents, it is the fifth most populous city in North America. Its metropolitan area has over 5.5 million residents. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe, which has a population of nearly 9 million people as of 2011. The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,583,064, and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 6,054,191 in the 2011 Census. Its cosmopolitan and international population reflects its role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada. Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities by percentage of non-native-born residents, with about 49% of the population born outside Canada. Toronto is also consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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West Germany
West Germany (German: Westdeutschland) is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.
During this period, West Germany and the communist East Germany were divided by the Inner German border. After 1961, West Berlin was physically separated from East Berlin as well as from East Germany by the Berlin Wall. This situation ended when East Germany was dissolved and its five states joined the ten states of the Federal Republic of Germany along with the reunified city-state of Berlin. The enlarged Federal Republic of Germany with sixteen states (known simply as "Germany") is thus the continuation of the pre-1990 Federal Republic of Germany.
The Federal Republic of Germany was established from eleven states formed in the three Allied Zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom and France (the "Western Zones"). The city of Bonn was its provisional capital city. The fourth Allied occupation zone (the East Zone, or Ostzone) was held by the Soviet Union. The parts of this zone lying east of the Oder-Neisse were in fact annexed by the Soviet Union and communist Poland; the remaining central part around Berlin became the communist German Democratic Republic (abbreviated GDR; in German Deutsche Demokratische Republik or DDR) with its de facto capital in East Berlin. As a result, West Germany had a territory about half the size of the interwar democratic Weimar Republic.
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Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (/zɪmˈbɑːbweɪ/ zim-BAHB-way; officially the Republic of Zimbabwe) is a landlocked country of southern Africa. It shares a 125-mile (200-kilometre) border on the south with the Republic of South Africa and is bounded on the southwest and west by Botswana, on the north by Zambia, and on the northeast and east by Mozambique. The capital is Harare (formerly called Salisbury). Zimbabwe achieved majority rule and internationally recognised independence in April 1980 following a long period of colonial rule and a 15-year period of white-dominated minority rule, instituted after the minority regime’s so-called Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965.
Zimbabwe has three official languages: English, Shona and Ndebele. Zimbabwe began as the British self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia, created from land held by the British South Africa Company. President Robert Mugabe is the head of State and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. Morgan Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister. Mugabe has been in power since the country's internationally recognised independence in 1980.
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Adrian Quist
Adrian Karl Quist (23 January 1913 – 17 November 1991) was an Australian male tennis player.
Adrian Quist was born in Medindie, South Australia. The tennis legend grew up in Adelaide and once played Harry Hopman, however he lost, only because he gave Hopman a head start. He was a three-time Australian Championships men's singles champion but is primarily remembered today as a great doubles player. He won the Australian doubles title 10 years in a row, the last eight together with John Bromwich and he was also one of the winners of a "Career Doubles Slam".
In his 1979 autobiography tennis great Jack Kramer writes that in doubles "Quist played the backhand court. He had a dink backhand that was better for doubles than singles, and he had a classical forehand drive with a natural sink. And he was fine at the net, volley and forehand."
Quist was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1984.
Adrian Quist also held the most Davis Cup victories by any Australian until Lleyton Hewitt surpassed that record on 18 September 2010 in Cairns.
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Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwańska [aɡˈɲɛʂka radˈvaɲska] ( listen) (born 6 March 1989 in Kraków) is a Polish professional tennis player. As of 28 May 2012, she is ranked world no. 3. Known for constructing points and making intelligent use of the court, she has won ten WTA singles titles.
In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player to claim a WTA singles title when she won the Nordea Nordic Light Open. The following year, she became the first Polish player to reach the WTA Top 10. Radwańska has won two WTA Awards, being voted Most Impressive Newcomer in 2006, and Fan Favorite Singles Player in 2011. She has also reached five Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Agnieszka Radwańska was born in Kraków. She began playing tennis at the age of four, after her father introduced her to the sport. Her younger sister, Urszula, is also a tennis player. Radwańska has named Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis as inspirations. In 2009, Radwańska became a WTA ambassador for Habitat for Humanity. She has also studied tourism at universities in Kraków.
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Ai Sugiyama
Ai Sugiyama (杉山愛, Sugiyama Ai?) (born July 5, 1975 in Yokohama, Japan) is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992. In her career, she won 6 singles titles and 37 doubles titles, including three Grand Slam women's doubles titles (1 with Frenchwoman Julie Halard-Decugis and 2 partnering Belgian Kim Clijsters). Sugiyama has the all-time record, for both male and female players, for her 62 consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances. She was the first Asian to rank no.1 in either singles or doubles.
In 1993, at age 17, Sugiyama played tennis legend Martina Navratilova in her native city, losing in three sets. The same year, she made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon but lost in the first round to world number 30 Gigi Fernández in three sets.
In 1994, Sugiyama again reached the main draw at Wimbledon but lost in her first round to world number six and compatriot Kimiko Date. Later that year she reached her first singles final in Surabaya but was forced to retire against Elena Wagner. She went on to win the Japan Open doubles at Tokyo, her first tour title. Later that year, she broke into the WTA Top 100.
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Aleksandra Wozniak
Aleksandra Wozniak (born September 7, 1987, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional tennis player. She turned professional in November 2005. Wozniak achieved a career-best ranking of no. 21 on June 22, 2009, making her the fourth-highest ranked Canadian singles player of all time. She has won one WTA and nine ITF tournaments. At the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford in 2008, she became the first Canadian in 20 years to capture a WTA singles title and is the only Quebecer in history to have accomplished such a feat. She reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 3 on January 31, 2005. She was named Female Player of the Year by Tennis Canada four times (2009, 2008, 2006, 2004). Wozniak is currently Canada's highest-ranked women's singles player.
Wozniak's family immigrated to Canada from Poland in 1983. She speaks Polish, English and French fluently. She has an elder sister Dorota who, also, plays tennis. Aleksandra started playing tennis at the age of three. She was inspired to pick up a racquet by her sister and Monica Seles, her idol growing up and was coached by her father, Antoni.
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Alice Marble
Alice Marble (b. September 28, 1913, Beckwourth, California – d. December 13, 1990, Palm Springs, California) was a World No. 1 American tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam championships (1936–40): 5 in Singles, 6 in Women's Doubles, and 7 in Mixed Doubles.
Born in the small town of Beckwourth, Plumas County, California, Marble moved with her family at the age of five to San Francisco. A tomboy, she excelled in many sports, including baseball; but her brother persuaded her to try the more lady-like tennis. She quickly mastered the game, playing in Golden Gate Park. She suffered a setback at age fifteen when she was raped by a stranger, but she overcame the trauma and won several California junior tournaments.
The first lady to serve and volley, and noted for aggressive play called the "killer instinct" approach. This may account for her decisive and easy victories in challenge and early rounds. Marble being all business on the court, after defeating an opponent love and love, would go back to the locker room and chat-discussing the match as a friend and confidant.[citation needed] the right-handed Marble was again[clarification needed] challenged in 1934 after collapsing during a match at the French Championships. Doctors diagnosed her with pleurisy and tuberculosis, and she took an extended rest.
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Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Keys was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.
Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.
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Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik (born 27 January 1981) is an Australian professional female tennis player. She was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the Australian Open in 2005 and the French Open in 2007. She retired from the sport in September 2008, however, announced a comeback in 2009. Molik has expressed her intention to focus on her new life as a mother, rather than professional tennis.
Molik was born in Adelaide, South Australia and currently lives in Perth. She attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School in West Pymble, Sydney, before completing her schooling in Adelaide. She married Tim Sullivan in February 2011 and gave birth to their first child, son Yannik Jude Sullivan, on 10 January 2012.
She won her first grand slam doubles title at the 2005 Australian Open with partner Svetlana Kuznetsova. She reached the top ten on the WTA tour for the first time in early 2005 following her first Grand Slam quarterfinal singles appearance, at the Australian Open, where she lost 9–7 in the final set to Lindsay Davenport.
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Alina Jidkova
Alina Vladimirovna Jidkova (born January 18, 1977 in Moscow, Soviet Union), soubriquet Alinka, is a former Women's Tennis Association tennis player.
Jidkova's father, Vladimir, is an engineer; mother, Lina, is a school teacher; brother, Dmitriy, owns a construction business. When young, she was one of many players that have been training at Nick Bollettieri academy in Florida. Her most memorable tennis experience was playing Lindsay Davenport for the first time in the 3rd round at the Australian Open and beating Serena Williams in 2004 in Linz. She has career victories over Serena Williams, Jelena Janković, Mary Pierce, Chanda Rubin, Samantha Stosur, Daniela Hantuchová, Amanda Coetzer, and many other big names in women's tennis.
Jidkova underwent knee surgery on 3 April 2001 for torn meniscus suffered during practice after Miami, returning to action in late April.
Jidkova resides in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S., and is married to entrepreneur Sascha Ghods. The two married on December 18, 2010, in a ceremony in Vienna, Austria.
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Alison Riske
Alison Riske (born July 3, 1990) is a professional American tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 104, which she reached on May 9, 2011. Her career high in doubles is 199, which she reached on November 7, 2011.
The daughter of Al and Carol Riske, she first played tennis at the age of 3 years old after her dad took her out to hit. Her father worked in the secret service and later as an FBI investigator, while her mother was a school teacher, but both are now retired. Her sister, Sarah, is also a tennis player who played for Vanderbilt and had a brief professional career, reaching as high as No. 372. Her brother, Dan, played college tennis for West Liberty State, and is now an accountant.
Educated by the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, she played the fall of 2006 for Peters Township High School, where she led the girls' tennis team to the Pennsylvania State championship, and won the championship in singles. The following year, she won the USTA National Collegiate Clay Court Championship to earn a spot in the US Open qualifying draw, where she won her first match over Sorana Cîrstea before losing to Julie Ditty. She also won the ITA Summer Claycourt Championship and finished second at the USTA National Hardcourts that year. In early 2008, she earned the No. 1 ranking in her country in Girls 18s competition. She got her first taste of the professional circuit later that year, when she served as a hitting partner for the United States Fed Cup team in their semifinal against Russia.
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Alizé Cornet
Alizé Cornet (born 22 January 1990) is a French professional tennis player and the current French number three (Behind Marion Bartoli and Aravane Rezaï). She was born in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, and has a career-high ranking of No. 11, achieved on 16 February 2009. Cornet also has an extensive juniors record, winning the 2007 Girls' Singles at Roland Garros. She has won 1 WTA title.
She made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open in 2005 and made it to the second round, where she lost to Amélie Mauresmo. In 2006, she reached the second round again by beating Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in the first round. She could not repeat this performance in 2007, as she lost in the first round to Venus Williams 6–4, 6–3. Cornet was defeated in the Wimbledon 2007 qualifying event by Olga Govortsova 7–6, 3–6, 6–4, but made it to the main draw as a lucky loser when Li Na of China withdrew. Cornet reached the second round before being defeated by the experienced Ai Sugiyama 4–6, 6–0, 6–3. Also in 2007, she won a $50000 ITF tournament in Dnipropetrovsk, beating Stefanie Vögele 6–4, 6–3 in the final. In the 2007 US Open, Cornet lost to Jelena Janković in the 3rd round 4–6 6–2 6–3.
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Alona Bondarenko
Alona Volodymyrivna Bondarenko Dyachok (Ukrainian: Альона Володимирівна Бондаренко, born 13 August 1984 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian tennis player. She has a younger sister Kateryna Bondarenko who also plays on the Tour. She formerly paired with her older sister Valeria in doubles. She is currently ranked World No. 114 in singles and World No. 327 in doubles by the WTA.
Her career high singles ranking was Number 19, achieved on 14 April 2008. She defeated former World No. 1 Jelena Janković in the third round of the 2010 Australian Open. She won the 2008 Australian Open women's doubles tournament with her sister Kateryna, beating Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er in the finals.
Bondarenko started competing in the pro tour in 1999 at the age of 14, were she competed in ITF Circuit, she reached two second rounds in Tallinn, Estonia and Kharkiv, Ukraine, two first-round exits in Bucharest3 in Romania and in Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland, and failed to qualify in two events as well in Tbilisi and Batumi both were held in Georgia.
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Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003) was a World No. 1 American sportswoman who became the first African-American woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour and the first to win a Grand Slam title in 1956. She is sometimes referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the color barrier. Gibson was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Born at 9:00 am EDT on August 25, 1927 in Silver, Clarendon County, South Carolina to Daniel and Annie Bell Gibson, Althea had two siblings, a brother, Daniel Jr. (known as "Bubba"), and a sister, Mildred.
Gibson continued to improve her tennis game while pursuing an education. In 1946 she moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, to work on her tennis game with Dr. Hubert A. Eaton and enrolled at Williston High School. She went to college at Florida A&M.
In 1958, Gibson retired from amateur tennis. Before the open era began, there was no prize money, other than an expense allowance, and no endorsement deals. To begin earning prize money, tennis players had to give up their amateur status. As there was no professional tour for women, Gibson was limited to playing in a series of exhibition tours.
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Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo French pronunciation: [ameli simɔn moʁɛsmo]; (born 5 July 1979) is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon.
Mauresmo first attained the top ranking on 13 September 2004, holding it for five weeks on that occasion. She was the fifteenth world no. 1 in women's tennis since the computer rankings began. She is well known for her powerful one-handed backhand and strong net play. She officially announced her retirement from professional tennis on 3 December 2009, ending a career of ten years. She returned to Wimbledon in 2010, acting as a grass court advisor for Frenchman and 2007 Wimbledon doubles champion Michaël Llodra.
Mauresmo was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She began playing tennis at the age of four, after being inspired by Yannick Noah's win in the 1983 French Open on television. It was after his win that her parents bought her her first tennis racket. Later on in 1998 Yannick Noah picked her on the French team for the Fed Cup. Her mother, Françoise is a homemaker and her father Francis, who died in March 2004, was an engineer. She also has a brother Fabien who is an engineer.
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Ana Ivanovic
Ana Ivanovic (Serbian Cyrillic: Ана Ивановић, Ana Ivanović; Serbian pronunciation: [âna iʋǎːnoʋitɕ] ( listen)) (born November 6, 1987, in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of May 28, 2012, she is ranked 14th on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open. Competing as a professional since 2003, she has won 11 WTA Tour singles titles. When on form, Ivanovic is known for her aggressive style of play.
Ivanovic's mother Dragana (Драгана), a lawyer, supports her daughter during most of her matches. Her father Miroslav (Мирослав), a self-employed businessman, attends as many events as he possibly can. Ana has a younger brother, Miloš (Милош), with whom she loves to play basketball.
Aside from her tennis career, Ivanovic also studies finance at a university in Belgrade and Spanish in her spare time. Her inspiration to begin playing was Monica Seles, who at that time played for Yugoslavia.
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Anastasia Myskina
Anastasiya Andreyevna Myskina (Анастасия Мыскина [ɐnəstɐˈsʲijə ˈmɨskʲɪnə]; born July 8, 1981, Moscow, Russia) is a professional tennis player from Russia. She won the 2004 French Open singles title, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam main draw singles title. Subsequent to this victory she rose to number 3 on the WTA ranking, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to reach the top three in the history of the rankings. In September 2004 she reached a career high of No.2, but she has not played professional tennis since 2007, and has stated she does not know whether she will return or not. Injury has prevented her from advancing for the past several years.
Myskina turned professional in 2000, the year in which she broke into the WTA top 500. She won her first WTA title in Palermo in only her second appearance in the main draw of a WTA tournament. She made her debut in a Grand Slam tournament at the US Open and the Fed Cup (playing doubles). In 2000, Myskina scored first career Top 20 victory over number 17 Barbara Schett en route to a Sopot semifinal. She debuted at Roland Garros (which she would later win) and Wimbledon. She played in the Sydney Olympics and reached her first Tier I quarterfinal in Zürich, where she lost to world number 1 Martina Hingis. Myskina was plagued by injury that forced her to miss the Australian Open. As a result, she fell out of the Top 100 Rankings. She then had a solid indoors performance, reaching the quarterfinals in Leipzig (became the first Russian to beat Anna Kournikova) and to the semifinals in Moscow, her first career Tier I SF).
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Anastasia Rodionova
Anastasia Rodionova (Pron: Rodi-o-nova) (Russian: Анастаси́я Ива́новна Родио́нова; born 12 May 1982 in Tambov, Soviet Union) is an Australian professional female tennis player, and the current Australian No. 1 in doubles. She achieved her career high rank of #62 on 16 August 2010. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Representing Australia at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Rodionova won the gold medal in both women's singles and women's doubles, and won the silver medal in mixed doubles.
She won the 2000 Russian Championships 18s in singles and doubles.
She was a finalist in Wimbledon 2003 in mixed doubles with Andy Ram.
Rodionova underwent major hip surgery in September 2008 in Melbourne to treat an injury that she had carried since Wimbledon 2003.
Rodionova is an Official Ambassador for Guide Dogs Victoria since January 2009 and regularly visits puppies in training when home in Melbourne.
Rodionova started to play tennis at age 7, but she was introduced to tennis much earlier. Her father Ivan was an amateur player so instead of toys, Rodionova had tennis balls in her pram. He coached her until 18 years old when she left Tambov, Russia and moved to Germany to practice for 3 years before returning to Moscow to live in 2003. She has resided in Melbourne, Australia since 2005. Rodionova's sister Arina has also been a professional tennis player since 2004.
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Anders Järryd
Anders Per Järryd (born 13 July 1961) is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. During his career he won eight Grand Slam doubles titles (three French Open, two Wimbledon, two US Open, one Australian Open), reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.
Järryd was born in Lidköping, Västra Götaland. While growing up he also played bandy in Lidköpings AIK.
Järryd turned professional in 1980. He won his first tour doubles title in 1981 in Linz, Austria. One year later he captured his first top-level singles title, also at Linz. In 1983, Järryd won his first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open, partnering his fellow Swede Hans Simonsson. Järryd had a strong year in 1984, winning two singles and five doubles titles. He also finished runner-up in the men's doubles at the US Open that year, partnering Stefan Edberg.
1985 saw Järryd's career-best Grand Slam singles performance, when he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon before being knocked-out in four sets by Boris Becker. Järryd reached his career-high singles ranking World No. 5 in July 1985, and captured the World No. 1 doubles ranking that August. At the French Open and US Open, Järryd progressed to career best finishes in those two tournaments, finishing the fourth round and quarterfinal respectively. In 1986 he won the WCT Finals by beating Boris Becker in the final, while he and Edberg were the men's doubles runners-up at the French Open.
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Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi ( /ˈɑːndreɪ ˈæɡəsi/; born April 29, 1970) is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game. Described by the BBC upon his retirement as "perhaps the biggest worldwide star in the sport's history", Agassi's performances, along with his unorthodox apparel and attitude, have seen him cited as one of the most charismatic players in the history of the game, and credited for helping revive the popularity of tennis during the 1990s.
In singles tennis, Agassi is an eight-time Grand Slam champion who competed in 15 Grand Slam finals, and an Olympic gold medalist. A multi-surface specialist, he is the first of two male players to have achieved a singles Career Golden Slam, and one of four to have achieved a singles Career Grand Slam in the Open Era (one of seven in history). He was the first male player to win all four Grand Slams on three different surfaces (hard, clay and grass), and is the last American male to win the French Open (1999) and the Australian Open (2003). Agassi also won 17 ATP Masters Series titles, the 1990 ATP Tour World Championships, and was part of a winning Davis Cup team in 1990 and 1992. He is the only male singles player in history to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments, the Olympic gold medal and the ATP Tour World Championships: a distinction dubbed as a "Career Super Slam" by Sports Illustrated.
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Andrea Hlaváčková
Andrea Hlaváčková (born 10 August 1986 in Plzeň) is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. Her highest singles ranking is world no. 87, which she reached on 31 January 2011, and her highest doubles ranking is world no. 7, reached on 7 May 2012. In her career, Hlaváčková has won 10 WTA doubles title, as well as 17 ITF doubles titles and seven ITF singles titles. Hlaváčková won the doubles title at the 2011 French Open, partnering Lucie Hradecká.
Hlaváčková won her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) doubles title in 2003, on October 19, with compatriot Tereza Szafnerová. The team defeated Lucie Kriegsmannová and Pavlína Šlitrová in the final.
In 2006, Andrea won her first and only ITF singles title in Tenerife, Spain, winning over Monique Adamczak in the final. Hlaváčková won her first ITF doubles title of 2006 in Jersey, Channel Islands, with Matea Mezak. Hlaváčková and Renata Voráčová won a title in Fontanafredda, Italy over Daniela and Sandra Klemenschits. In late 2006, she won three straight doubles events that she entered. All of them came with compatriot Nikola Franková in November and December.
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Andrea Temesvári
Andrea Temesvári (born 26 April 1966 in Budapest, Hungary) is a former professional tennis player once ranked as high as World No. 7. She won the Italian Open at sixteen, but injuries later hampered her career. She received the Most Improved Player Award by WTA Tour and TENNIS Magazine in 1982. At the 1986 French Open she won the women's doubles title with Martina Navratilova. Temesvári retired in 1997.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
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Andy Murray
Andrew "Andy" Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a Scottish professional tennis player, ranked No. 4 in the world, and was ranked No. 2 from 17 to 31 August 2009. Murray achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on 16 April 2007. He has been runner-up in three Grand Slam finals: the 2008 US Open, the 2010 Australian Open and the 2011 Australian Open, losing the first two to Roger Federer and the third to Novak Djokovic. In 2011, Murray became only the seventh player in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year.
Andy Murray was born to Will and Judy in Glasgow, Scotland. His maternal grandfather, Roy Erskine, was a professional footballer who played reserve team matches for Hibernian and in the Scottish Football League for Stirling Albion and Cowdenbeath. Murray's brother, Jamie, is also a professional tennis player, playing on the doubles circuit. Following the separation of his parents when he was nine years old, Andy and Jamie lived with their father. Murray later attended Dunblane High School. Murray is in a five-year relationship with Kim Sears, who is regularly seen attending his matches. The relationship ended briefly in 2009 before they reconciled a short time later in 2010.
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Andy Ram
Andy Ram (Hebrew: אנדי רם; born April 10, 1980) is a professional tennis player from Israel, and the first Israeli tennis player to win a seniors Grand Slam event (mixed doubles title at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, together with Vera Zvonareva). He plays more doubles than singles as he prefers doubles more and wins more matches. He uses a Wilson racquet and is sponsored by Fila for his attire.
He attained his highest doubles ranking through July 2009, # 5, in July 2008. He reached 28 doubles finals and won 15 of them through 2008, mostly with partner Jonathan Erlich; together, they are known in Israel as "AndiYoni".
Ram, born in Montevideo, Uruguay, is Jewish. His father Amiram, a former professional soccer player for Betar Jerusalem in the 1950s, is Israeli. After his father was injured he was sent to Uruguay on "shlihut" ("outreach"), and it was there that he met Ram's mother, who is Uruguayan. He has an older brother and a younger sister. They moved to Jerusalem, Israel when he was 5, which is when he began playing tennis. "It was tough at the beginning because I couldn't speak the language, and was fighting with people in the kindergarten who didn't understand me", said Ram. "My parents decided to send me to the tennis center not long after we arrived."
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Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber (born 18 January 1988 in Bremen) is a professional German tennis player. Kerber has a career high ranking of world no. 10, achieved on 21 May 2012 and is currently the highest ranked German. She has competed as a professional since 2003, and has won 11 ITF titles, and two WTA titles at the 2012 Open GDF Suez and the 2012 e-Boks Open. She has also reached one Grand Slam semi-final at the 2011 US Open.
She is born in Bremen, to father Slawek Kerber and mother Beata, and has one sister. She started playing tennis at age 3, eventually joining the junior circuit, making inroads at events in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, but didn't win a junior title before 2003 at which point she turned professional at the age of 15. Kerber speaks German, Polish and English.
In 2003 obtained her first top 100 victory by defeating Marion Bartoli in the qualifying draw of the WTA German Open 3–6, 6–3, 6–4.
In 2004 Kerber started the year by reaching the finals of an ITF event in Warsaw losing to Marta Domachowska 7–6, 3–6, 6–3 in the finals. She attained her first ITF title entering as a qualifier in Opole, Poland, by defeating Elena Tatarkova 6–2, 6–2 in the finals.
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Ann Kiyomura
Ann Kiyomura-Hayashi (born August 22, 1955) is a former professional tennis player.
Kiyomura played on the WTA Tour from 1973 to 1984. She played in 11 US Opens, reaching the fourth round in 1978. In 1975, she won the Wimbledon women's doubles title, playing with Kazuko Sawamatsu. She reached the final of the Australian Open women's doubles in 1980.
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Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Djambulilovna Chakvetadze (Russian: Анна Джамбулиловна Чакветадзе; born March 5, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player (with Georgian and Ukrainian roots). On September 10, 2007, she reached her career-high professional singles ranking of World No. 5. She has won eight WTA Singles Titles and appeared in the 2007 US Open semifinals. As of April 23, 2012, Chakvetadze is ranked World No. 402.
She began playing tennis at the age of eight after being introduced to the sport by her mother, Natalia. She travels for tournaments with her father. She speaks both Russian and English.
Chakvetadze hit her peak of World No. 5 in 2007 after a semifinal appearance at the US Open. Also in that year, she reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the French Open, both of which were career bests for those events. Four of her eight career singles titles also occurred in 2007. She ended 2010 ranked inside the top 60 at number 56. The same year, she won 1 title and her 8th overall.
In 2003, she made it to the final of the Junior Championships at Wimbledon before falling to Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. The same year, she won the International Bavarian Junior Challenge, defeating Marta Domachowska of Poland 7–6, 6–5. Her record as a junior was 67–19 in singles, and 22–14 in doubles. Her highest world ranking as a junior was #22 achieved in December 2003.
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Anna Kournikova
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova (Russian: Анна Сергеевна Ку́рникова; born 7 June 1981) is a Russian retired professional tennis player. Her beauty and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide, despite her never winning a WTA singles title. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name one of the most common search strings on Google.
Although reaching No. 8 in the world in 2000, she never won a WTA Title in singles. Kournikova's forte has been doubles, where she has at times been the World No. 1 player. With Martina Hingis as her partner, she won Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002. Based on their looks, Hingis and Kournikova referred to themselves as the "Spice Girls of Tennis".
Kournikova's professional tennis career has been curtailed, and possibly ended, by serious back and spinal problems in the past several years. She resides in Miami Beach, Florida, and plays in occasional exhibitions and in doubles for the St. Louis Aces of World Team Tennis. She was a new trainer for season 12 of the television show The Biggest Loser, replacing Jillian Michaels, but will not return for season 13. In addition to her tennis and television work, Kournikova serves as a Global Ambassador for Population Services International's Five & Alive program, which addresses health crises facing children under the age of five and their families.
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Anne Smith
Anne Smith (born July 1, 1959, in Dallas, Texas, United States) is a female former professional tennis player from the United States. Smith's highest women's doubles ranking was World No. 1 in 1980 and 1981. Her highest singles ranking was World No. 12 in 1982.
Anne Smith is the author of Grand Slam: Coach Your Mind to Win in Sports, Business & Life, with a foreword by Billie Jean King, and The MACH 4 Mental Training System: A Handbook for Athletes, Coaches and Parents. Smith is a licensed psychologist in Texas, and Massachusetts and a licensed specialist in school psychology in Texas;. She received a doctor of philosophy degree in educational psychology at The University of Texas and a bachelor of arts in psychology at Trinity University. She was the coach of the WTT Boston Lobsters team in 2005, 2006 & 2007.
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Annie Miller
Annie Miller (1835-1925) was an English artists' model who, among others, sat for the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, William Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais. Her on-off relationship with Holman Hunt has been dramatised several times.
Annie Miller was born in 1835 in a cottage in Chelsea near the Duke of York public house. Her father Henry had been a soldier in the 14th Dragoons and was wounded in the Napoleonic Wars. Her mother was a cleaner. She had a sister Harriet. When her mother died aged thirty-seven they moved in with relatives and her father worked for a local builder.
She was working as a barmaid when she attracted the attention of Hunt.
Miller appeared as the subject of some of Hunt's paintings, perhaps most famously in his The Awakening Conscience, now in the Tate Gallery, though the face was later repainted by the artist. Hunt had planned to marry Annie and so before he left for Palestine in 1854, he made arrangements for her to be educated while he was away. Hunt also left a list of artists, including Millais, for whom Annie could sit. However during Hunt's absence and contrary to Hunt's wishes she also sat for George Price Boyce and for Rossetti. For Rossetti she appeared in works such as Dante's Dream and Helen of Troy.
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Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam ( listen (help·info)) (born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She has won 72 official LPGA tournaments including ten majors and 18 other tournaments internationally, and she tops the LPGA's career money list with earnings of over $22 million—over $8 million ahead of her nearest rival. Since 2006, Sörenstam has held dual American and Swedish citizenship.
The winner of a record eight Player of the Year awards, and six Vare Trophies given to the LPGA player with the lowest seasonal scoring average, she is the only female golfer to have shot a 59 in competition. She holds various all-time scoring records including the lowest season scoring average: 68.6969 in 2004.
Representing Europe in the Solheim Cup on eight occasions between 1994–2007, Sörenstam was the event's all-time leading points earner until her record was surpassed by England's Laura Davies during the 2011 Solheim Cup.
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Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï (Persian: ارغوان رضایی Arqavān Rezāyi Persian pronunciation: [æɾɣævɒːn(-e) ɾezɒːjiː], Latin alphabet: Aravane Rezaï, born 14 March 1987, in Saint-Étienne) is a professional French tennis player. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis.
Rezaï took up tennis aftere a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl. She has defeated many top players on the WTA circuit, such as Jelena Janković, Justine Henin, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina, Francesca Schiavone, Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, Victoria Azarenka, Flavia Pennetta, and Ai Sugiyama. Her career high rank was No. 15, achieved on 11 October 2010.
Rezaï was born to Iranian parents in Saint-Étienne, France.
Rezaï competed for Iran at the Women's Islamic Games, winning gold in 2001 and 2005.
She also won the Chambon sur Lignon open in 2004.
Rezaï started playing for France. For the second year in a row, Rezaï lost in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. However, her French Open run was more successful. She struggled through to the third round of the tournament, defeating Ai Sugiyama of Japan along the way. She fell to Nicole Vaidišová, in a hard fought three-setter. Her Wimbledon dreams were also put on hold as she fell in the first round of qualifying. At the 2006 U.S. Open, she reached the fourth round, her career best Grand Slam singles result.
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Betsy Nagelsen
Betsy Nagelsen McCormack (born October 23, 1956 in St. Petersburg, Florida) is a retired American professional tennis player.
Nagelsen was the world's top junior in 1973. She won the 1973 US Champion Girls' 16 and under singles. She also won the USTA Girls' Sportsmanship Award in 1974. She won the doubles championship at the 1978 and 1980 Australian Opens (with Renáta Tomanová and Martina Navrátilová, respectively). She reached the singles final of the 1978 Australian Open, losing to Christine O'Neil. Over her 21-year career on the WTA Tour, Nagelsen won 26 doubles titles and 4 singles titles.
Nagelsen reached her highest career ranking in singles on February 17, 1986, when she became the World No. 25. She also reached a career high ranking in doubles of No. 11 on March 4, 1988. She had career wins over Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Sue Barker, Pam Shriver, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Rosie Casals, Betty Stöve, and Sylvia Hanika. She was a four-time member of the US Wightman Cup Team in 1974, 1985, 1988 and 1989.
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Betty Stöve
Betty Stöve (born 24 June 1945 in Rotterdam) is a former Dutch professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.
Stove began playing tennis internationally in the mid 1960s. She made her Grand Slam debut at the 1964 Wimbledon. A virus, complicated by a malfunctioning thyroid gland, forced Stöve out of tennis for an 18-month period in the late 1960s. Despite being advised that she should never play tennis again, Stöve recovered and had her best years on the circuit after that.
Stöve's most notable singles match was the 1977 Wimbledon final, which she lost to Virginia Wade: 4–6, 6–3, 6–1. Queen Elizabeth II attended the final against Wade. This would be the last time she would attend Wimbledon until a second round match between Andy Murray and Jarkko Nieminen on June 24, 2010.
Stöve was also a semifinalist at the 1977 US Open, losing to Chris Evert. She also found success in the 1977 US Open by winning the women's doubles with Martina Navrátilová and the mixed doubles with Frew McMillan.
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Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society. She won "The Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men's singles champion, for $100,000, winner take all. She completed a career tour all surfaces win-loss performance of 81.76% (696-165). Her win-loss performance in all Grand Slam singles tournaments was 82.00% (190-39), at the French Open 77.77% (21-6), at Wimbledon 86.36% (95-15), at the US Open 80.55% (58–14), and at the Australian Open 80.00% (16-4).
King is the founder of the Women's Tennis Association, the Women's Sports Foundation, and owner of World Team Tennis, which was founded by her former husband, Larry King, Dennis Murphy, Frank Barman, and Jordan Kaiser.
Billie Jean Moffit was born in Long Beach, California, into a conservative Methodist family, the daughter of a fireman father and housewife mother. Her younger brother Randy Moffitt grew up to become a professional baseball player, pitching for 12 years in the major leagues for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays.
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Bob Bryan
Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998. The Bryan brothers were named ATP Team of the Decade for 2000–2009.
He finished the year as the number one ranked singles player in the nation in 1998 after winning the clay court nationals and reaching the finals of Kalamazoo. The brothers were back to back Kalamazoo doubles champions in 1995 and 1996 and won the US Open Junior doubles title in 1996.
He played for Stanford University in 1997 and 1998, where he helped the Cardinal win back-to-back NCAA team championships. In 1998, he won the "Triple Crown" by taking the NCAA singles, doubles (with his twin brother Mike), and team titles. He was the first man to accomplish this since Stanford's Alex O'Brien did it in 1992.[citation needed]
Both brothers started their professional careers playing World TeamTennis for teams like the Idaho Sneakers through the current season for the Kansas City Explorers.
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Bob Hewitt
Robert "Bob" Anthony John Hewitt (born 12 January 1940 in Dubbo, New South Wales) is a former professional male tennis player from Australia. After he married Dalaille, a young woman from Johannesburg, South Africa he became an South African citizen.
Hewitt's most significant accomplishments were winning all of the Grand Slam doubles titles, both the Men's Doubles Grand Slam titles as well as the Mixed Doubles Grand Slam titles (U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open, French Open) and being central to South Africa's only Davis Cup title in 1974. That victory was a little controversial though with India boycotting the final because the team on the orders of its government refused to play the final in South Africa due to its Apartheid policies which were affecting the ethnic Indian community of the country.
Hewitt had seven titles in singles, along with 65 in doubles. His career prize money amounted to more than a million dollars. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 6. In 1992 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski (Serbian: Бојана Јовановски, pronounced: BO-yan-nah yo-vah-NOV-skee; born 31 December 1991) is a Serbian tennis player. As of 28 May 2012, Jovanovski is ranked world no. 101 and is the third highest ranked Serbian player, after world no. 14 Ana Ivanović and no. 21 Jelena Janković. She ended the 2010 season as the youngest player in the top 100.
Coached by father Zoran Jovanovski, she has won four ITF singles titles, and played for Serbia Fed Cup team in 2009 and 2010. Jovanovski made her WTA Tour debut at 2010 Malaysian Open, losing to Elena Dementieva in the second round. She debuted at a Grand Slam at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, reaching the second round.
Jovanovski began playing tennis aged seven at the Red Star Tennis Club. Aged twelve, she won Serbian national U–14 championships and was the finalist of the U–16. She turned professional in 2006 and played her first professional junior event at the tournament in Pančevo, Serbia, losing 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 to Ana Veselinović. That year, she also lost to Simona Halep in the finals of the Heiveld Indoor Junior Championships by a score of 6–1, 6–2. In 2007 Jovanovski won junior events in Citta' Di Santa Croce, defeating Michelle Larcher De Brito, and reached the finals in Prato and Milan, losing to Romana Tabaková and Anastasia Pivovarova, respectively.
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Candace Parker
Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986) is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and UMMC Ekaterinburg of Russia. She is the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She attended the University of Tennessee and was drafted by the Sparks in 2008. She may be best known for being the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game—she set both milestones as a redshirt freshman on March 19, 2006. She also became only the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008.
A versatile player, she is mainly a forward, but was listed on Tennessee's roster as a forward, center, and guard. She was a starter on the Lady Vols basketball team, winners of the 2007 and 2008 NCAA championships.
Parker won the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice award as the favorite female athlete in the sports category.
Candace Parker was born on April 19, 1986 to Natasha, who currently works for the front office of the Chicago Sky, and Larry, who is in the insurance business. She has two older brothers: Anthony Parker, who is an NBA player, and Marcus, who is a doctor.
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Candy Reynolds
Candy Reynolds (born 24 March 1955) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
During her career, Reynolds won the women's doubles title at the French Open in 1983 (partnering Rosalyn Fairbank). She was also a women's doubles runner-up at the Australian Open in 1980 (partnering Ann Kiyomura), and at the French Open in 1981 (partnering Paula Smith).
Reynolds' career high world rankings were World No. 50 in singles (in 1983) and World No. 24 in doubles (in 1986). Her best singles performance at a Grand Slam event came at the Australian Open in 1980, where she reached the quarterfinals.
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Cara Black
Cara Black (born 17 February 1979 in Salisbury, Rhodesia) is a professional Zimbabwean tennis player. She has won 7 singles titles and 64 women's doubles titles. She has won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and three of the four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles. Black has been one of the foremost doubles players of the early 21st century.
Born in Rhodesia as the daughter of Don and Velia Black, the tennis-playing Cara is the younger sister of Wayne Black and Byron Black, both professional male tennis players. All three compete mostly in doubles; Wayne was the 2001 US Open and 2005 Australian Open champion and Byron was the 1994 French Open winner.
Black partnered with her brother Wayne to win the 2002 French Open and 2004 Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles events. Black has also engaged in long-term partnerships with Elena Likhovtseva, Irina Selyutina, Rennae Stubbs, Liezel Huber, Anastasia Rodionova, and most recently Shahar Peer.
In August 2005, Black announced that she would marry her longtime boyfriend, Australian mental and fitness trainer Brett Stephens.
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Carly Gullickson
Carly Gullickson (born November 26, 1986, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American professional tennis player. Her career-high WTA singles ranking is No. 123, which she reached on July 20, 2009. Her career high doubles ranking is No. 52, set at April 3, 2006. She is the daughter of former major league baseball player Bill Gullickson, and the older sister of tennis player Chelsey Gullickson. She won the 2009 U.S. Open mixed doubles event, partnering with Travis Parrott.
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Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki (born 11 July 1990) is a Danish professional tennis player. She is a former world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 23 January 2012, she held this position for 67 weeks. She is the first Scandinavian woman to hold the top ranking position and 20th overall.
Since her WTA debut in 2005, she has improved her year-end ranking each year until finishing on top in both 2010 and 2011. She has won 18 WTA singles titles as of August 2011, three in 2008, three in 2009, six in 2010 (the most since Justine Henin's ten in 2007), and six in 2011. She was runner-up at the 2009 US Open and the 2010 WTA Tour Championships in Doha to Kim Clijsters. She won the 2006 Wimbledon Girls' Singles title but has yet to win a women's Grand Slam title. She also holds two WTA titles in doubles.
Wozniacki is the daughter of Polish Roman Catholicimmigrants, Piotr and Anna Wozniacki. Anna played on the Polish women's national volleyball team, and Piotr played professional football. The couple moved to Denmark when Piotr signed for the Danish football club Boldklubben 1909. Wozniacki's older brother Patrik Wozniacki is a professional footballer for Hvidovre IF in Denmark.
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Cathy Freeman
Catherine Astrid Salome "Cathy" Freeman, OAM (born 16 February 1973) is a former Australian sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at which she lit the Olympic Flame. Freeman was the first ever Aboriginal Commonwealth Games gold medalist at age 16 in 1990. 1994 was her breakthrough season. At the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada, Freeman won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m. She also won the silver medal in the 1996 Olympics and came first at the 1997 World Champion in the 400 m event. 1998 saw Freeman taking a break from running due to injury. She returned to form with a first place in the 400 m at the 1999 World Championships. She announced her retirement from athletics in 2003.
Freeman was born in Slade Point, Mackay, Queensland, where the local athletics track is now named after her. Her coach throughout her athletic career was Peter Fortune. In 1999, she married Sandy Bodecker, separating in February 2003. In 2009, she married James Murch, with whom she gave birth to a girl in 2011. In 1998, she was awarded Australian of the Year, in 2001 the World Sportswoman of the Year and the Medal of the Order of Australia.
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Chanda Rubin
Chanda Rubin (born February 18, 1976) is an American tennis player. Winning seven WTA Tour singles titles, she reached her highest ranking World No. 6 on April 8, 1996, after reaching semifinals at the 1996 Australian Open. Rubin is also former World No. 9 in doubles, winning the Australian Open in 1996 partnering with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
Throughout her long career, she has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the world even though she has been plagued by injuries. Rubin was the third African-American woman in the Open era to reach the top ten after Zina Garrison and Lori McNeil.
Rubin reached the quarterfinals at the French Open in 1995, 2000, and 2003. She also reached the Australian Open semifinals in 1996, defeating Gabriela Sabatini in the fourth round and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals before losing to Monica Seles 6–7, 6–1, 7–5. Rubin has defeated several other top players, including Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Amélie Mauresmo, and Serena Williams. Her 2002 upset of Williams ended the top-ranked player's winning streak of 21 matches, a stretch that carried Williams through titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.
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Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers ( /ʃəˈnɛl ˈskɛpərz/; born 13 March 1984, in Harrismith) is a South African professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking is No. 37, which she reached on 10 October 2011. Her career high doubles ranking is 91, set at 30 August 2010.
She is sponsored by Babolat racquets and K-Swiss for clothing. She is coached by Roger Anderson.
Scheepers turned pro in 2000 and played two ITF events.
In 2001 She reach 4 finals in the ITF level and won all with 3 of them coming from Durban, South Africa a local tournament and one in the United States.
In 2002, she reached 3 ITF finals winning one in Mackay, Australia and losing in the other two in Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
In 2003, she played her first Tour level event in the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts and won her first main draw tour level match after getting through the Qualifying draw over Samantha Stosur but lost to Tathiana Garbin in the next round. She then had a 19 match losing streak in the Qualifying draws of Tour Level and ITF events and Main Draw of ITF events.
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Chris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert (born December 21, 1954) is a former world #1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No. 1 singles player in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1981.
Evert's career win–loss record in singles matches of 1,309–145 (90.05%) is the best of any professional player, man or woman, in the Open Era. On clay courts her career match win loss rate of 94.05% (316/20) remains a WTA record. In tennis writer Steve Flink's book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, he named Evert as the third best female player of the 20th century, after Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. Evert never lost in the first or second rounds of a Grand Slam singles tournament. She won 157 singles championships. In women's doubles, Evert won three Grand Slam titles and 29 regular tour championships.
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Christina McHale
Christina McHale (born May 11, 1992) is a professional American tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is no. 32, and in doubles it is no. 141. McHale has beaten numerous top WTA tour players, including two-time Grand Slam event winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, Caroline Wozniacki (ranked world no. 1 at the time), Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, and Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli.
Christina McHale was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. She is the daughter of John and Margarita McHale. Her father John is an Irish American while her mother Margarita was born in Cuba. Her family lived in Hong Kong from the time she was three until she was eight, and she speaks a degree of Mandarin Chinese. In 2000, the McHale family moved back to the United States and bought a home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. In June 2006, she graduated from Upper School of the Englewood Cliffs Public Schools as the eighth-grade valedictorian.
Christina McHale currently trains at the USTA Training Center in Carson, California. At the age of 15, she left her home to train at the USTA Training Center headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. She was also homeschooled through Kaplan Online High School since she was 15. Her sister Lauren is a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she plays tennis for the Tar Heels.
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Cilly Aussem
Cilly Aussem (Cologne, 4 January 1909 – 22 March 1963 in Portofino, Italy) was a German female tennis player.
She was the first German to win the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1931. She also won the women's single titles at the French Championships and German Championships in 1931. Aussem's coach and mixed doubles partner was Bill Tilden. They won the mixed doubles title at the 1930 French Championships.
According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Aussem was ranked in the world top ten in 1928, 1930, 1931, and 1934, reaching a career high of World No. 2 in those rankings in 1930 and 1931 just behind Helen Wills Moody.
Aussem was born in Cologne and was the daughter of a wealthy salesman. At the age of fourteen, she returned to Cologne after spending several years in Geneva getting an education. It was at this time that she started taking tennis lessons. Aussem's mother, Helen, was the first to notice her talent. She contacted Roman Najuch, the reigning world professional champion. Najuch referred Aussem to Willy Hanneman, a tennis coach from Cologne. Hannemann taught Aussem a great sliced backhand, a precisely placed serve, and an effective drop shot.
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Conchita Martínez
Inmaculada Concepción ("Conchita") Martínez Bernat (born 16 April 1972) is a former professional tennis player from Monzón, Aragón, Spain. She is the only Spanish woman to have won the singles title at Wimbledon, when she beat Martina Navrátilová in the 1994 Women's Singles. She also was the singles runner-up at the 1998 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open. Martinez is currently the tournament director at the Andalucia Tennis Experience.
Martínez used extreme topspin on her forehand and slower topspin and slice on her backhand. She was a patient baseliner who won matches by disrupting her opponents' rhythm through changes of spin, pace, depth, height, and angle. She was known for expending "plenty of time and energy securing the ball with which she had just won the previous point so she could serve it again," a major irritant to her opponents.
Born in Monzón, Martínez turned professional in 1988. At the age of just 16, she reached the fourth round at the French Open in her third professional tournament. She upset Lori McNeil en route. In 1989, her breakthrough year, Martínez beat Gabriela Sabatini to win the title at Tampa and won two other tournaments. She also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, losing to Steffi Graf. She finished the year World No. 7. In 1990 and 1991, Martínez won a further six titles and again reached the quarterfinals at the French Open both years (losing to Graf in 1990 and Monica Seles in 1991).
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Corina Morariu
Corina Morariu (born January 26, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan) is a retired American professional tennis player of Romanian heritage.
Morariu (pronounced: mo-RA-R'ju) turned professional in 1994. Mainly known as a doubles specialist, she won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1999 with Lindsay Davenport. She also won the mixed doubles title at the 2001 Australian Open with Ellis Ferreira. She reached the Australian Open women's doubles final with Davenport in 2005. She also reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles in 2000.
In 2001, Morariu was diagnosed with leukemia and began a program of chemotherapy. During this time, Jennifer Capriati dedicated her 2001 French Open victory to Morariu. She also received an inspirational letter from Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor. After recovering from cancer, along with shoulder surgery, Morariu was largely restricted to doubles play. The WTA then created the Corina Comeback Award, which was presented to Morariu by Capriati.
Morariu retired from the tour in 2007. She is an International Sports Ambassador for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and has released a memoir titled Living Through the Racket: How I Survived Leukemia...and Rediscovered My Self. Following her retirement, she began working as a commentator for Tennis Channel.
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Cyril Suk
Cyril Suk III (born 29 January 1967 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former professional tennis player. A doubles specialist, Suk has won one Grand Slam men's doubles title and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles during his career.
Suk comes from a prominent Czech tennis family. His mother, Věra Suková, was a women's singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1962. His father, Cyril Suk II, was President of the Czechoslovakian Tennis Federation. His sister, Helena Suková, was an even more successful professional player on the women's tour who teamed-up with Suk to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in the 1990s .
In 1985, Suk partnered fellow-Czech Petr Korda to win the boy's doubles title at the French Open. Suk and Korda were ranked the joint-World No. 1 junior doubles players that year.
Suk claimed his first Grand Slam mixed doubles title in 1991 at the French Open, partnering sister Helena. In 1992, he teamed up with Larisa Neiland to win the Wimbledon mixed doubles title. He went on to win the Wimbledon mixed doubles crown on two further occasions partnering Helena – in 1996 and 1997. In 1998, Suk teamed up with Sandon Stolle to win the US Open men's doubles title.
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Dally Randriantefy
Dally Randriantefy (born 23 February 1977 in Antananarivo, Madagascar) is a former professional female tennis player.
Her highest rank on the WTA tour is No.44 and her best results have been a semi-final appearance at the WTA Strasbourg tournament (a Tier III event) in 2005 and winning seven ITF singles titles. She retired from professional tennis after a first round loss at the 2006 Australian Open against Akgul Amanmuradova.
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Daniel Nestor
Daniel Mark Nestor, CM (Serbian: Данијел Нестор, Danijel Nestor), born on September 4, 1972, in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia, is a Serbian-born Canadian professional tennis player from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In his career thus far he has won 76 men's doubles titles, including a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the ATP World Tour Finals 4 times, and 7 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. In addition, Nestor won the 2007 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Elena Likhovtseva. This pairing also reached the finals of the 2006 Australian Open and the 2006 French Open. Nestor also won the 2011 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Katarina Srebotnik. In June 2011, he captured the 2011 French Open men's doubles title with Max Mirnyi.
His 76 doubles titles make him the third most decorated champion among active doubles players, and fourth all time. He is the only player in tennis history to have won all four Grand Slams, all of the Masters Series events, the Year End Championships and Olympic gold medal in doubles at least once. He was named ATP Doubles Team of the Year in 2002 and 2004 (with Mark Knowles) and 2008 (with Nenad Zimonjić).
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Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈdaɲi̯ɛla ˈɦantuxɔvaː]; born April 23, 1983) is a Slovakian professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.
She is currently coached by Larri Passos. Her WTA Tour mentor in the "Partners for Success" program was Martina Navrátilová, who was her doubles partner for a brief period in early 2005. As of May 28, 2012, Hantuchová is ranked World No. 18 in singles.
In 2005, she became the fifth female tennis player to win the mixed doubles title in all four Grand Slam tournaments during her career.
Hantuchová was born in Poprad, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) to father Igor, a computer scientist, and mother Marianna, a toxicologist.
When her parents split up in 2003, Hantuchová's performances temporarily worsened. At Wimbledon that year, she failed to convert several match points and was seen weeping on court. She also suffered from a weight problem during this period. She was suspected of being anorexic, but denied this.
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Darlene Hard
Darlene Hard (born January 6, 1936, Los Angeles, California, United States) is an American former amateur tennis player. Known for her volleying ability and strong serves, she captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Championships in 1960 and 1961.
With eight different partners, she won a total of 13 women's doubles titles in Grand Slam tournaments. Her last doubles title, at the age of 33 at the 1969 US Open, came six years after she had retired from serious competition to become a tennis instructor. She also played the US Open singles tournament in 1969, losing in the second round to Françoise Durr 6–3, 6–3.
According to Lance Tingay of the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Hard was ranked among the top ten in the world from 1957 through 1963, reaching a career high of number 2 in those rankings in 1957, 1960, and 1961. Hard was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1954 through 1963. She was the top-ranked U.S. player from 1960 through 1963.
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David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern (Valencian pronunciation: [daˈvit feˈreɾ ˈɛɾn]; born April 2, 1982 in Xàbia, Marina Alta, Valencian Community) is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently World No. 5 in the ATP Rankings and is the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000. Ferrer is known as a clay-court specialist, although he has had success on hard courts as well, as evidenced by his semifinal appearances at the 2007 US Open and 2011 Australian Open. He was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2008, 2009 and 2011. He was also runner-up at the Tennis Masters Cup in 2007. He first achieved a top–10 ranking in 2006 and reached a career high ranking of no. 4.
Ferrer was born in Xàbia in the province of Alicante, but he moved to Gandia at age 13, followed two years later by a move to Barcelona to attend the Catalan Tennis Federation. He spent nine months at Equelite, Juan Carlos Ferrero's Academy in Villena, before moving back to Xàbia while practicing in Denia.
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Diana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino, California) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and UMMC Ekaterinburg from Russia. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.
Taurasi grew up in Chino, California and attended Don Antonio Lugo High School where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California. She was also named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. Taurasi finished her prep career ranked third in state history with 3,047 points (behind Giuliana Mendiola's 3,069 and Cheryl Miller's 3,446). Taurasi was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points, and earned MVP honors.
Taurasi was born to her parents Mario and Liliana. Taurasi has an older sister, Jessika. Her father was born in Italy and raised in Argentina, which is also the native land of her mother Liliana. Her parents moved to the U.S. before she was born. Diana's father was a professional soccer player in Italy. He had logged several years as a goalie.
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Dianne Fromholtz
Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat (born 10 August 1956, in Albury, Australia) is a former professional tennis player.
Balestrat began playing tennis at the age of 7. She left school at the age of 16 to play in international tournaments. She turned pro in 1973 and joined the WTA Tour.
She reached the finals of the Australian Open in January 1977, losing to fellow Australian Kerry Melville Reid. She was a semifinalist twice at the French Open, in 1979 and 1980. She also reached the semifinals of the US Open in 1976.
Balestrat won six singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4 in 1979. Partnering with Helen Gourlay Cawley, she won the Australian Open women's doubles in January 1977. She had career wins over Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Margaret Court, Virginia Wade, Pam Shriver, and Gabriela Sabatini. She holds an 8-7 career record over King.
On 30 August 2000, Balestrat was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for her strong commitment to Tennis.
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Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina (Russian: Динара Михайловна Сафина, Tatar: Динара Мөбин кызы Сафина, Dinara Möbin kızı Safina), born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1.
Safina was runner up in singles at the 2008 French Open, 2009 Australian Open, and the 2009 French Open, falling to Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, respectively. She has had success at Grand Slam events in women's doubles by winning the 2007 US Open with Nathalie Dechy. She also won the Olympic silver medal in women's singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
She is the younger sister of former World No. 1 men's player Marat Safin. She and her brother are the first brother-sister tandem in tennis history to both achieve No.1 rankings.
Safina was born in Moscow, Russia to ethnic Tatar parents. Her mother, Rauza Islanova, was her trainer when she was younger; while her father is director of the Spartak tennis club in Moscow. Her brother Marat is a former world No. 1 on the ATP Tour. Speaking of growing up in such a successful tennis family, Safina stated: "Being the little sister in such a big tennis family is not an easy situation. Maybe that's why it took me longer to develop. My father is very competitive, but my parents didn't put pressure on me. I wanted to find my identity. I wanted to be something by myself, like being a big player by myself. So at the beginning I was putting too much pressure on myself. But then gradually I found myself, and I learned how to do better with that situation." At age 8, Safina and her family moved to Valencia, Spain, and as a result Safina speaks fluent Spanish as well as Russian and English.
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Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý (born 4 January 1978, Bratislava) is a professional tennis player from Slovakia. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 12.
Hrbatý was born on 4 January 1978 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. His father was an architecture engineer and his younger brother is an umpire. When he was younger, Hrbatý was European junior competitor in skiing and from the age of 11, he focused on tennis full time.
He is engaged to Nelly Petrová; he proposed after Slovakia won the Hopman Cup on 10 January 2009 (with Dominika Cibulková). He also won the tournament for Slovakia in 2005 with Daniela Hantuchová. This makes Hrbatý a dual winner to move into the company of Serena Williams, James Blake, Tommy Robredo and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
Hrbatý turned professional in 1996. During the year he reached six Challenger finals and achieved a 35–15 match record. He ended the year as the youngest player in the top 100.
In 1997, Hrbatý won the Košice Challenger title defeating Nicolás Lapentti. He also reached his first ATP Tour final in Palermo, losing to Alberto Berasategui. His first doubles success on the Tour was reaching the final of Umag with Karol Kučera.
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Don Budge
John Donald ("Don" or "Donnie") Budge (June 13, 1915 – January 26, 2000) was an American tennis champion who was a World No. 1 player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional. He is most famous as the first player, male or female, and only American male to win in a single year the four tournaments that comprise the Grand Slam of tennis and second male player to win all 4 Grand Slams in his career after Fred Perry. He won 10 Majors of which six Grand Slams and four Pro Slams, the latter achieved on three different surfaces. Budge was considered to have the best backhand in the history of tennis, at least until the emergence of Ken Rosewall in the 1950s and 1960s.
Born in Oakland, California, Budge was the son of a Scottish immigrant and former football player - his father had played several matches for the Rangers reserve team before emigrating to the United States. Growing up, he played a variety of sports before taking up tennis. He was tall and slim and his height would later help what is still considered one of the most powerful serves of all time.[citation needed] Budge studied at the University of California, Berkeley in late 1933 but left to play tennis with the U.S. Davis Cup auxiliary team.
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Donald Johnson
Donald James "Don" Johnson (born September 9, 1968, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) is a former professional tennis player from the United States who reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 2002. Although born in Bethlehem, PA he was raised and learned the sport of tennis in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania[1]. Johnson attended Fairview High School in Erie, Pennsylvania and won the PIAA State Singles Championship in 1984. During his career, he won the Wimbledon men's doubles title in 2001 (partnering Jared Palmer), and the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2000 (partnering Kimberly Po). He also won the doubles title at the Tennis Masters Cup in 2000 (partnering Piet Norval). He won a total of 23 top-level doubles titles.
Prior to turning professional, Johnson played collegiate tennis for the University of North Carolina from 1987-1991. As a youngster, he earned the Sportsmanship Award at the USTA National Junior Championships in 1986.
A = did not attend tournament
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Doris Hart
Doris Hart (born on June 20, 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former World No. 1 American female tennis player.
As a child, she suffered from osteomyelitis, which resulted in a permanently impaired right leg. She started playing tennis when she was 10 years old, greatly encouraged by her brother Bud.
Hart's first Grand Slam title was in women's doubles at Wimbledon in 1947, when she was still a student at the University of Miami (Florida).
Hart's first Grand Slam singles title came at the 1949 Australian Championships. She also won singles titles at the French Championships in 1950 and 1952, Wimbledon in 1951, and the U.S. Championships in 1954 and 1955. In 1951, she beat her long-time doubles partner, Shirley Fry Irvin, in the Wimbledon final. In 1954, she saved a match point while defeating Louise Brough Clapp in the final of the U.S. Championships.
Hart reached at least the quarterfinals in 32 of the 34 Grand Slam singles tournaments she played, failing to reach that round only in her first two tournaments (when she was 15 and 16 years old). She won 6 of the 18 Grand Slam singles finals she contested. She was the champion of the last Grand Slam singles tournament she played, the 1955 U.S. Championships. Her last Grand Slam doubles tournament was the 1969 US Open, where she and partner Carole Graebner lost in the first round.
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Dája Bedáňová
Dája Bedáňová (born Daniela Bedáňová 9 March 1983 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia) is a former professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. She lives in Leonberg, Germany. Bedáňová turned pro in 2000 and retired in 2005.
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Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova (Russian: Екатерина Валерьевна Макарова, born on 7 June 1988) is a professional tennis player from Russia. She achieved her career high ranking of number 29 on June 6, 2011.
She began playing tennis when she was six years old and joined the senior women's circuit at the age of fifteen.
In her first professional tournament in Elektrostal, Russia as a wildcard, she reached the quarter-finals losing to Olga Savchuk 6–3, 3–6, 0–6. At the Zhukovsky, Russia, she lost in the first round after qualifying. This was her last tournament of 2003.
She then played in Cairo, Egypt, reaching the second round as a qualifying. At Antalya, Turkey a she won her career first title over Kateryna Avdiyenko 6–3, 6–3. Appearing at Felixstowe, Great Britain she lost in the first round. At Târgu Mureş, Romania, she claimed her second $10,000 title without dropping a set, defeating Simona Matei in the finals. In Moscow, she lost in the first round to Tatsiana Uvarova 4–6, 6–4, 6–7. At Balashikha, she lost to Elena Vesnina 3–6, 5–7,in the second round after qualifying. In Moscow as a wildcard in the qualifier, she earned her first top 100 victory over Tatiana Perebiynis 2–6, 6–4, 4–0 ret and Polish World No. 83 Marta Domachowska 7–6, 6–4 but lost to compatriot Anna Chakvetadze. In Minsk, Belarus, she came through qualifying in straight sets, losing to Ekaterina Dzehalevich 2–6, 1–6 in the quarterfinals.
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Elena Dementieva
Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva (Russian: Елена Вячеславовна Дементьева, Russian pronunciation: [jɪˈlʲenə dʲɪˈmʲentʲjɪvə]; born 15 October 1981) is a retiredRussian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 3, which was accomplished on 6 April 2009. She announced her retirement on 29 October 2010, after her final match at the 2010 WTA Tour Championships. Dementieva ended her career ranked World No. 9.
Dementieva was born in Moscow to Viatcheslav, an electrical engineer, and Vera, a teacher—both recreational tennis players. She was rejected by Dynamo Sports Club and the Central Red Army Tennis Club at the age of 7, before enrolling at Spartak Tennis Club, where she was coached for 3 years by Rauza Islanova, the mother of Marat Safin and Dinara Safina. She then moved to the Central Red Army Club with Sergei Pashkov, when she was 11. She was later coached by her mother Vera and her older brother Vsevolod. She has homes in Monaco, Moscow and Boca Raton, Florida. Dementieva enjoys snowboarding, reading, baseball and traveling. On 16 July 2011, Dementieva married hockey player Maxim Afinogenov in Moscow.
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Elena Likhovtseva
Elena Alexandrovna Likhovtseva (Russian: Елена Лиховцева [jelena lixɔftseva];[dubious – discuss] born 8 September 1975 in Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union, now Kazakhstan) is a Russian former tennis player. She turned professional in January 1992 at the age of 16.
Likhovtseva's career best appearance in a Grand Slam was when she reached the semi finals of the French Open 2005 before she was defeated by Mary Pierce, 6–1 6–1. Elena is also one of the few people in either the men's or women's game to have lost a tiebreaker from 6–0 up (this was also against Mary Pierce, in Moscow; Pierce went on to win the tournament). Together with Mahesh Bhupathi, she won the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles championship in 2002. She has also been a runner-up in a number of other contests, including the Australian Open women's doubles event in 2004, French Open Women's Doubles in 2004 and Mixed Doubles in 2003, and the 2000 and 2004 US Open Women's Doubles. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won the first round of the Women's Doubles with partner Svetlana Kuznetsova, but was defeated in the second. She won the 2007 Australian Open Mixed Doubles championship with Daniel Nestor. After losing all four singles of the year, Likhovtseva's best performance in 2008 was the quarter-finals at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with Lisa Raymond.
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Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina (Russian: Елена Сергеевна Веснина) (born Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, on 1 August 1986) is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009. She is coached by former ATP tour player Andrei Chesnokov.
In October 2002, aged sixteen years and two months, she gained direct entry into the qualifying draw for her first $10,000 tournament at Giza, Egypt, and succeeded in qualifying for the main draw before losing a close three-set match.
The very next week, once again qualifying at Al-Mansoura to enter the main draw, where she won two further matches in straight sets, beating Hana Šromová of the Czech Republic in Round Two, to reach her first ever $10,000 quarter-final in just her second event played. However, she defaulted her quarter-final tie to her opponent.
In 2003 she began the year entering two successive ITF events India. at Chennai and Bangalore, and not only succeeded in qualifying both times, but also reached her first semi-final and another quarter-final in the main draws, notably losing to future star Akgul Amanmuradova at the quarter-final stage at Bangalore.
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Elizabeth Smylie
Elizabeth Smylie (née Sayers) (born 11 April 1963 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian former tennis player.
She won the Western Australian Sports Star of the Year award in 1985.
She won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 1990 and 1993.
She was the first ever opponent of Steffi Graf in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, in the first round of the Australian Open in 1983.
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Elna Reinach
Elna Reinach (born 2 December 1968 in Pretoria, South Africa ) is a South African former pro tennis player.
With Patrick Galbraith, she won the US Open mixed doubles championship in 1994. She played in the 1992 Summer Olympics, where she lost in the first round to Jennifer Capriati. Reinach was runner-up at the French Open with Danie Visser in 1993. Her brother, Fanie, coached her and their sister, Monica, as well as Lori McNeil, Lindsay Davenport, and Laura Gildemeister.
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Els Callens
Els Callens (born 20 August 1970 in Antwerp) was a professional female tennis player from Belgium. She became a pro in January 1990.
Her biggest achievement came in 2000 during the Summer Olympics in Sydney where she won the bronze medal in doubles, partnering Dominique Van Roost-Monami.
She retired on Wednesday 26 October 2005 after she lost her second round match at the Gaz de France Stars tournament in Hasselt.
Nowadays, Callens is a sports commentator for the Belgian public broadcast één.
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Emilio Sánchez
Emilio Ángel Sánchez Vicario (born 29 May 1965, in Madrid, Spain) is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He won three Grand Slam doubles titles and the men's doubles silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games. He is the brother of multiple Grand Slam winner Arantxa.
Sánchez turned professional in 1984 and won his first top-level singles title in Nice, France in 1986. He won 15 singles titles during his career, including the Italian Open (Tennis Masters Series event) in 1991. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 7.
In men's doubles, Sánchez captured 50 men's doubles titles, including three at Grand Slam events. In 1988, he won the men's doubles titles at both the French Open (with Andrés Gómez) and the US Open (with Sergio Casal). He won the French Open title again (with Casal) in 1990. Sánchez and Casal were also the men's doubles runners-up at Wimbledon in 1987, and the pair won the silver medal for Spain at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Sánchez was ranked World No. 1 in men's doubles in 1989.
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Evie Dominikovic
Evie Dominikovic (born 29 May 1980 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian tennis player. Dominikovic turned professional in 1997. Her best grand slam result is making it to the third round at the 2001 Australian Open and at the 2002 French Open.
As of 8 March 2007, her world ranking was 1306th. Her best ranking was 64th, achieved on 10 September 2001. Dominikovic also plays doubles tennis, where she was ranked 539th in the world, as of 8 March 2007; her best doubles ranking was 52nd, achieved on 5 August 2002. She has won three career doubles titles.
Her younger sister (by seven years) is a fellow Australian tennis player, Daniella Dominikovic. Evie Dominikovic also has a child.
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Fiorella Bonicelli
Fiorella Bonicelli (born December 21, 1951) is a retired professional tennis player from Uruguay. During her career, she won the 1975 French Open mixed doubles title with Thomaz Koch. She also won the 1976 French Open women's doubles title with Gail Lovera, defeating Kathy Harter and Helga Niessen Masthoff 6–4, 1–6, 6–3. At the Fed Cup, her singles record is 11-4, and doubles record 6–8. During her career, she reached one Grand Slam singles quarterfinal, at the 1978 French Open, where she lost to Virginia Ruzici 6–7, 6–4, 6–8.
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Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta (born 25 February 1982 in Brindisi, Apulia) is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 28 May 2012, Pennetta is ranked World No. 20 in singles and World No. 16 in doubles.
Pennetta has won nine career WTA singles titles, including back-to-back titles in Bogotá and Acapulco in 2005. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Francesca Schiavone, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. She was also a member of their winning team in 2009 and 2010, when they beat the United States on both occasions.
Pennetta has defeated multiple Grand Slam singles champions such as Justine Henin, Mary Pierce, Martina Hingis, Francesca Schiavone, Amélie Mauresmo, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Janković. Pennetta is also one of only seven women to beat Williams[who?] three consecutive times. In doubles, Pennetta won her first Grand Slam title at the 2011 Australian Open with partner Gisela Dulko, and also reached the 2005 US Open final partnered with Elena Dementieva. She has also reached the US Open quarterfinals three times in singles.
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Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃeska skjaˈvoːne]; born 23 June 1980 in Milan) is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 28 May 2012, Schiavone's ranking is World No. 12; her career high ranking is World No. 4, achieved on 31 January 2011.
Schiavone employs an all court game and has a very classic approach to her clay game. She uses an extreme eastern grip on her one handed backhand. Chris Fowler and Brad Gilbert described her forehand as a "buggy whip."
Schiavone has won four singles titles on the WTA tour, but has also achieved ten runner-ups in total, eight of them since the autumn of 2005. Schiavone lost her first eight career finals before finally winning her first title in July 2007. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Flavia Pennetta, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. This match was a doubles match and Kirsten Flipkens partnered Henin and Roberta Vinci partnered Schiavone. In 2009 she won the Fed Cup with Italy for the second time against the USA, and also made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time. In 2010 Italy with Schiavone won the Fed Cup for the third time.
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Frank Sedgman
Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the World No. 1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time. Sedgman, Kramer wrote, "was as quick as anybody who ever played the game, but he couldn't keep the heat on."
In a four-year span from 1949 through 1952 Sedgman won 22 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, three fewer than John Newcombe and six fewer than Roy Emerson won over longer periods of time. In both singles and doubles, Sedgman was the major force in the first three years of the Australian domination of the Davis Cup matches in which they won 15 victories in an 18-year span from 1950 through 1967.
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Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row. Perry also became the last British player to win the men's Wimbledon championship in 1936.
Perry was the first player to win all four Grand Slam singles titles (though not all in the same year) and completed this "Career Grand Slam" at the age of 26. Although Perry began his tennis career aged 18, he was also a Table Tennis World Champion in 1929.
In 1933, Perry helped lead the Great Britain team to victory over France in the Davis Cup; the team's first success since 1912, followed by wins over the United States in 1934, 1935, and a fourth consecutive title with victory over Australia in 1936.
Perry was acclaimed across the tennis world, but was not universally admired in his homeland, and was widely ostracised by the tennis establishment for turning professional after completing a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles triumphs. After becoming disillusioned with the class-conscious nature of the Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain, the working-class Perry moved to the United States before becoming a naturalised US citizen in 1938. In 1942, he was drafted into the US Air Force during the Second World War.
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Fred Stolle
Frederick "Fred" Sydney Stolle (born 8 October 1938) is a former Australian tennis player. He was born in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia. He is the father of former Australian Davis Cup player Sandon Stolle.
Stolle won two Grand Slam tournament singles titles, the 1965 French Championships and the 1966 US Championships, but failed to win Wimbledon and the Australian Championships, finishing as runner-up in these tournaments and losing to compatriot Roy Emerson on no fewer than five occasions.
Stolle won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles, partnering with compatriots Bob Hewitt (4 titles), Roy Emerson (4 titles) and Ken Rosewall (2 titles). In addition Stolle won 7 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
As a member of the Australian Davis Cup team Stolle won the Davis Cup title in 1964 , 1965 and 1966 . In 1964 Stolle and Emerson were briefly suspended from the Australian Davis Cup team for going on an overseas tour in defiance of a Lawn Tennis Association of Australia order to remain in Australia until April.
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Frew McMillan
Frew Donald McMillan (born 20 May 1942 in Springs, South Africa) is a former professional male tennis player from South Africa.
He won five major doubles championships including three Wimbledons with Bob Hewitt. Altogether, he won 63 doubles titles, surpassed only by John McEnroe and Tom Okker.
The most notable aspect of his game was that he had both a two-handed backhand and forehand, which simultaneously increased his power while restricting his mobility. In the 1967 Wimbledon, the pair did not lose a set, and McMillan did not once lose a service game.
McMillan was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1992. He works as a tennis commentator for Eurosport and on BBC Radio 5 during Wimbledon.
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Gabriela Sabatini
Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini (born 16 May 1970 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a former professional Argentine tennis player. She was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s. She won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1990, the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, two WTA Tour Championships in 1988 and 1994, and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.
Sabatini also won most of the highest level regular events on the women's tour, including Miami and Rome (four times), and she scored a total 10 wins over every reigning number one player she faced during her career.
Sabatini first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior. She started playing tennis at the age of 6, and won her first tournament at age 8. In 1983, age 13, she became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. She won six major international junior titles, including the French Open girls' singles, and was ranked the World No. 1 junior player in 1984.
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Gail Chanfreau
Gail Chanfreau (born Gail Sherriff 3 April 1945), also known as Gail Lovera and Gail Benedetti, is a former amateur and professional tennis player.
Chanfreau was born in Australia, but moved to France in 1968. Chanfreau made her first appearance in the Federation Cup for Australia in 1966. She played for France from 1969 to 1980.
When Gail beat her sister Carol Sherriff, who reached the third round of the Australian Open on five occasions, 8-10, 6-3, 6-3 in the 1966 Wimbledon Championships second round, that was the second match between sisters at Wimbledon, the first being in the 1884 Wimbledon Championships when Maud Watson beat Lillian. The next Wimbledon match between sisters was in 2000 between Serena and Venus Williams.
Chanfreau reached the quarter-final of the Australian Open in 1967 and 1972, and the quarter-final of the French Open in 1968 and 1971. She won the French Open doubles in 1967, 1970 and 1971 with Françoise Durr and 1976 with Fiorella Bonicelli.
At the Cincinnati Masters, she reached the singles final in 1969, only to fall to future International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Lesley Turner Bowrey, 1–6, 7–5, 10-10 (retired).
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Geoff Masters
Geoff Masters (born 19 May 1950 in Brisbane, Queensland) is a former Australian tennis player.
In 1977 Masters and Ross Case won the doubles in Wimbledon.
Masters can be heard calling Australian Open matches for television.
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Gigi Fernández
Beatriz "Gigi" Fernández (born February 22, 1964, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a former professional tennis player, the first female athlete from her native Puerto Rico to turn professional, the first Puerto Rican woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal and the first to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals representing the United States of America, and reached the World No. 1 ranking in women's doubles. She reached a career high singles ranking of 17 in 1991. Since retiring from the professional tour in 1997 at the age of 33, Fernández has been a tennis coach and entrepreneur.
Fernandez was recognized primarily as a doubles specialist during her professional career. Fernández won a non-calendar year doubles Grand Slam with 17 Grand Slam women's doubles title – six French Open, five US Open, four Wimbledon, and two Australian Open winning at least one Grand Slam title every year from 1988–1997, except 1989, and for three straight years winning three of the four Grand Slam doubles titles in the same year (1992–1994). She won 14 of her 17 Grand Slam titles partnering Natasha Zvereva; their partnership is the second most successful doubles pair in Grand Slam history after Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver in the Open era.
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Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko (born January 30, 1985) is an Argentine female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where she has been a World No. 1 player. Partnering with Flavia Pennetta, Dulko won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships and the 2011 Australian Open in doubles.
Dulko was born and raised in Tigre, Buenos Aires Province. Her brother Alejandro, who is seven years her junior, is her coach. Dulko was born to Ana and now deceased Estanislao, who was of Hungarian descent. At the age of twelve, she moved from Argentina to Miami, Florida, in order to pursue a professional tennis career.
Dulko is married to fellow Argentine, Fernando Gago, who is a footballer currently playing for A.S. Roma.
As a Junior, she won three of the four Grand Slam events in doubles, including the 2000 US Open with María Emilia Salerni, the 2002 Australian Open with Angelique Widjaja, and the 2001 Wimbledon Championships with Ashley Harkleroad. As a professional, she has won sixteen doubles championships.
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Greer Stevens
Greer "Cat" Stevens (born 15 February 1957 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) is a retired South African professional tennis player.
Stevens in 1980 reached a career high singles ranking of World No. 7 and the Wimbledon quarterfinals in both singles and doubles. She also played for the Boston Lobsters of World TeamTennis. Greer retired at the end of 1980, having had her career best year.
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Hana Mandlíková
Hana Mandlíková (born 19 February 1962, in Prague) is a former Czech professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia and later Australia. During her career, she won four Grand Slam singles titles – two at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, and one at the US Open. She was the runner-up at four Grand Slam singles events and won one Grand Slam women's doubles title, the US Open in 1989 with Martina Navratilova. Beginning with the 1980 US Open and extending through Wimbledon in 1981, Mandlíková played in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals.
Struggling with injuries and a lack of confidence, Mandlíková retired at the relatively early age of 28.
Mandlíková is the daughter of Vilém Mandlík, who was an Olympic 200 meter semifinalist for Czechoslovakia in 1956. Hana married Australian restaurateur Jan Sedlak in Prague in 1986: they divorced two years later, shortly after Mandlikova obtained Australian citizenship. In June 2002, she gave birth to twins Mark Vilém and Elisabeth Hana. Their father was a friend who was to have no role in their upbringing; Mandlikova intending to raise them with her partner, fitness trainer Liz Resseguie.
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Heinz Günthardt
Heinz Peter Günthardt (born February 8, 1959 in Zürich) is a former tennis player from Switzerland, who won five singles titles during his professional career, including the Rotterdam WCT in 1980.
In doubles Günthardt captured a total number of thirty titles. The right-hander reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on April 7, 1986, when he became the World No. 22. Günthardt won the men's doubles at the 1985 Wimbledon Championships, and the mixed doubles at the 1985 US Open partnering Martina Navrátilová. He was also a member of the Swiss team at the 1988 Olympic Games.
He was the coach of all-time great Steffi Graf, from the start of 1992 until the end of Graf's tennis playing career in July 1999, and he has also worked briefly with Jelena Dokić. From February to November 2010 he worked with former WTA No. 1 Ana Ivanović.
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Helen Gourlay
Helen Gourlay Cawley (born 23 December 1946) is a retired female tennis player from Australia.
She was born in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
Cawley reached the singles final of two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the 1971 French Open and the December 1977 Australian Open to countrywoman Evonne Goolagong Cawley. Despite both players marrying men with the same surname, they are not in any way related to each other.
Cawley's greatest success was in women's doubles. She was a four-time winner of the Australian Open (1972, 1976, 1977 (January), 1977 (December)). She won Wimbledon in 1977 and was the runner-up there in 1974. And she was twice the runner-up at the French Open (1971 and 1977).
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
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Helena Suková
Helena Suková (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɦɛlɛna ˈsukovaː]) (born 23 February 1965, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. During her career, she won 14 Grand Slam titles, 9 of them in women's doubles and 5 of them in mixed doubles. She also was a four-time Grand Slam singles runner-up and won 10 singles titles and 69 doubles titles.
Suková comes from a prominent Czech tennis family. Her mother, Věra Pužejová Suková, was a women's singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1962. Her father, Cyril Suk II, was president of the Czechoslovakian Tennis Federation.
Her brother, Cyril Suk III, is a former professional player on the men's tour who teamed with Suková to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, at the French Open in 1991 and at Wimbledon in 1996 and 1997.
Suková turned professional in 1981. Her career-high world rankings were fourth in singles and first in women's doubles.
Suková was a singles runner-up at the Australian Open twice (in 1984 and 1989) and at the US Open twice (in 1986 and 1993). Suková's most memorable Grand Slam singles win was against Martina Navratilova in a semifinal of the 1984 Australian Open, where she ended Navratilova's 74-match winning streak and her chance at winning a calendar year Grand Slam. Chris Evert defeated her in the final.
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Ilana Kloss
Ilana Sheryl Kloss (born 22 March 1956) is a former professional tennis player and the commissioner of World Team Tennis.
Kloss was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before turning professional, in 1972 she won the Wimbledon juniors singles title. In 1974 she won U.S. Open juniors singles title, and was the youngest player ever to be ranked # 1 in South Africa.
Kloss was ranked # 1 in the world in doubles in 1976. That year, she won doubles titles at the U.S. Open, the Italian Open, the U.S. Clay Courts, the German Open, the British Hard Courts Championship, and Hilton Head, as well as the mixed doubles title at the French Open.
She was ranked as high as # 19 in the world in singles play in 1976.
In 1977 she won both the German and Canadian championships, and the British clay court championship. In 1973, she won the title in Cincinnati with Pat Walkden, defeating Evonne Goolagong and Janet Young in the final.
Most of her women's doubles titles were achieved with partner Linky Boshoff.
After retiring, Kloss took part in the 35-and-over tour, winning the U.S. Open doubles and mixed doubles championship in 1999.
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Ilie Năstase
Ilie Năstase (Romanian pronunciation: [iˈli.e nəsˈtase], born July 19, 1946, in Bucharest, Romania) is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 (August 23) and 1974 (June 2). He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles (57 singles and 45 in doubles). He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. Năstase won seven Grand Slam titles: two in singles, three in men's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. He also won four Masters Grand Prix year end championship titles and seven Championship Series titles (1970–73) the precursors to the current Masters 1000. In 2005, Tennis magazine ranked him as the 28th-best player of the preceding forty years. He is the second male player to win a Grand Slam without dropping a set and the first one to achieve this feat at French Open (1973).
At the beginning of his career in 1966 Năstase travelled around the world competing with his good friend Ion Ţiriac. Together, they represented Romania in the Davis Cup competition, being three times runners up: in 1969, 1971 and 1972.
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Irina Falconi
Irina Falconi (born May 4, 1990 in Portoviejo, Ecuador) is a professional American tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is World No. 73, which she reached on April 18, 2011. Her career high in doubles is World No. 184, which she reached on August 1, 2011. She is currently coached by Jeff Wilson.
She was given a wild card into the 2010 US Open qualifying tournament and managed to qualify defeating Mona Barthel, Anastasia Pivovarova and Stéphanie Dubois.
Falconi went out in the 1st Round of the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon. The 2011 US Open was more successful for Falconi, who defeated Klara Zakopalova and Dominika Cibulkova before losing to Sabine Lisicki.
Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).
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Irina Spîrlea
Irina Spîrlea (born March 26, 1974 in Bucharest) is a former tennis player from Romania, who turned professional in 1990. She won four singles and six doubles titles during her career. The right-hander reached her highest individual ranking on the WTA Tour on October 13, 1997, when she became number 7 in the world. She retired in 2000.
Spîrlea married her former coach, Italian Massimiliano Pace, in 2001, and has a son born in 2002.
In 1996 Spîrlea became the first player in the history of the Women's Tennis Association to receive a match default for conduct when she swore at an official in "gutter Italian" during a match played in Palermo, Italy.
Spîrlea is known for a bumping incident with Venus Williams during a changeover in the semifinals of the 1997 US Open. Spîrlea collided with Williams near the net post while changing ends, claiming that Venus Williams was arrogant and didn't move. Spîrlea went on to lose the match 6–7, 6–4, 6–7 in a third-set tiebreak, after holding two match points, at 6–4 and 6–5 in the tie breaker. Williams' father blamed Spîrlea's racism as the cause of the collision and later called her an "ugly, white turkey". Spîrlea cited Williams' arrogance, saying in a press conference following the match, "I'm not going to move. She never tries to turn" and "She thinks she's the (expletive) Venus Williams." Williams however shrugged off the confrontation saying "I thought we both weren't looking. I'm sorry she feels that way. It's not a big thing to me. No one said 'Excuse me'. Ironically, at the Australian Open in 1998 she was drawn against Venus' sister, Serena, in the first round. This made her the first-ever opponent of Serena Williams in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. Had Spîrlea won she would have gone on to face Venus in the second round. However, she was defeated by Serena in three sets and the sisters would instead go on to play against each other.
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Iva Majoli
Iva Majoli Marić (Iva Majoli) (born August 12, 1977) is a former professional tennis player from Croatia. She upset Martina Hingis to win the women's singles title at the French Open in 1997. Majoli also won eight singles titles and one women's doubles title during her career.
Majoli was born in Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia and turned professional in 1991 at the age of 14. At age 19, Majoli won the 1997 French Open singles title, defeating Martina Hingis in straight sets. Most had expected Hingis, 16 years old, to win the title. Majoli, however, played aggressively from the baseline and ended Hingis's 37-match winning streak and handed Hingis her first sound defeat in a final of a grand slam. Her adept ground-strokes kept Hingis moving, therefore Hingis was not allowed to control the rallies.
Majoli played her best tennis as a teenager, reaching her career high ranking of World No. 4 in 1996. After a quarterfinal appearance at the 1998 French Open, she failed to reach the fourth round of any subsequent Grand Slam singles tournament. Her game steadily declined, with her ranking plummeting to World No. 131 in 2003. In the final years of her tennis career, Majoli suffered from a series of injuries – most notably a shoulder injury – and struggled to play consistently. Her jet-setting lifestyle, well documented by the press, may have contributed.
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Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɪvɛta ˈbɛnɛʃovaː]; born on 1 February 1983 in Most, Czechoslovakia) is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.
In the 2006 Australian Open, for the first time, she reached the third round of a Grand Slam by beating 5th seed Mary Pierce 6–3, 7–5. She lost in the next round 6–4, 6–1 to former No.1 Martina Hingis.
Entering as a qualifier in the 2008 French Open, she reached the third round, beating 15th seed and compatriate Nicole Vaidišová 7–6(2), 6–1 in the first round, and losing to compatriate Petra Cetkovská 6–3, 6–3.
Benešová started the year by playing the first edition of the Brisbane International. She lost in the first round to qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva, 1–6, 6–4, 6–2. A week later, Benešová lost in the final of the tournament in Hobart, Australia to fellow-Czech Petra Kvitová. At the Australian Open, Benešová lost in the second round to eventual semifinalist and fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva 6–4, 6–1.
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Jacco Eltingh
Jacco Folkert Eltingh (born 29 August 1970 in Heerde, Gelderland) is a former professional male tennis player and former World No. 1 doubles player from the Netherlands.
He is best remembered for his success in doubles with fellow countryman Paul Haarhuis. Together they managed to win all four Grand Slam doubles titles at least once.
Eltingh reached his career high singles ranking in February 1995, when he climbed to World No. 19. In his professional career he has won 4 singles and 44 doubles titles.
In November 2005, Eltingh was elected to the ATP Board as the player representative for Europe.
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Jack Sock
Jack Sock (born September 24, 1992) is an American tennis player. The men's junior US Open champion in 2010, he is best known for winning the 2011 US Open mixed doubles title with fellow American Melanie Oudin.
Sock played his first ITF junior tournament in October 2008, aged 16, at the Pan American Championships. In the 2009 US Open, his third junior tournament, he reached the semifinals of the junior doubles with Matthew Kandath, and the third round of the junior singles.
Sock played relatively infrequently on the junior circuit, however, entering just two further tournaments: the Dunlop Orange Bowl in 2009 and the junior singles at the 2010 U.S. Open. At this tournament, he received a wildcard entry, but proceeded to the final. There, he defeated fellow American Denis Kudla, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2, to become the first American winner of the junior championships since Andy Roddick in 2000. He won the Boy's Junior National Tennis Championship in 2010 and 2011, earning a wildcard in both years for the main draw of the US Open.
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James Blake
James Riley Blake (born December 28, 1979) is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of April 2012, Blake is ranked World No. 74 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances (10–14 record), whilst his career-high singles ranking is World No. 4. His career highlights include reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open (2008) and US Open (2005, 2006). His two titles for the United States at the Hopman Cup are an event record. Blake was a key performer for the United States 2007 Davis Cup championship team, going 2–0 in the championship tie vs. Russia at second singles. In 2005, Blake was presented with the Comeback Player of the Year award for his remarkable return to the tour. Later, in 2008, Blake was awarded another honor by the ATP where he was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year. On July 3, 2007, Blake's autobiography Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life, which discussed his comeback after his unlucky 2004 season, was released and debuted at No. 22 on the New York Times Best Seller list. He co-wrote this book with Andrew Friedman.
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Jamie Hampton
Jamie Lee Hampton (born January 8, 1990) is a professional American tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. On March 19, 2012, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of World No. 85. Hampton lived in Enterprise, Alabama until she was 13, when she moved to Auburn, Alabama. Before graduating Auburn High School in 2008, Hampton twice won the USTA Girls’ 18s doubles title, receiving a wild card to the doubles U.S. Open draw. Hampton turned pro in 2009, playing her first U.S. Open in 2010.
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Jamie Murray
Jamie Robert Murray (born 13 February 1986 in Dunblane) is a British tennis player from Scotland who specialises in doubles and is Britain's number 1 doubles player. He is the older brother of Andy Murray. He won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2007 with Jelena Janković. Murray had an early career partnership with Eric Butorac, winning three titles in 2007. Having split with Butorac at the end of 2007, Murray has since played with a large number of players: his six subsequent ATP finals since have been with different partners. He has also competed regularly alongside his brother Andy, with whom he has won two titles.
Jamie Murray was born to Willie and Judy in Dunblane, Scotland. At the age of 11, Jamie finished runner up in the boys under 12 category at the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl. Murray was the junior world #2 when he was about 13 years old and was selected to be educated at The Leys School while being coached by national coaches. Jamie's younger brother Andy said of this experience that the LTA 'ruined' him when he went to Cambridge. In 2004 he partnered his brother to the semi final of the Junior US Open
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Jana Novotná
Jana Novotná (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjana ˈnovotnaː]) (born 2 October 1968 in Brno, Czechoslovakia) is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. She played a serve and volley game, an increasingly rare style of play among women during her career. She won the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1998 and was runner-up in three previous Grand Slam tournaments. Novotná also won 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
Novotná turned professional in 1986. In the early years of her career, she was known primarily for her success as a doubles player. In the early 1990s, Novotná began to have success in singles once four-time Grand Slam singles champion Hana Mandlíková became her coach.
At the 1990 French Open, Jana Novotna achieved her best results in Grand Slam singles play up until that point. Having reached the round of 16, Novotna (seeded 11th) would have to deal with Gabriela Sabatini (seeded 4th) from Argentina. In their four previous meetings, Sabatini got the best of Novotná in three of those matches, including two straight set wins over Novotná. This time proved to be different, as Jana turned the tables against Sabatini 6-4, 7-5. Although Jana had disposed of Sabatini, she would have to face yet another difficult opponent in the Quarterfinals, Katerina Maleeva (seeded 8th) from Bulgaria. In their two previous meetings Jana had lost both times, and after Katerina won the opening set, it appeared Jana was about to lose a third consecutive time to Katerina. However, Jana came back to defeat Katerina 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Despite her success, Jana's toughest test by far would be against top seeded Steffi Graf of Germany in the semifinals. When Jana faced Steffi three years before at the 1987 French Open, Steffi won handily in straight sets. And this time proved no different, as Steffi easily defeated Jana 6-1, 6-2.
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Janette Husárová
Janette Husárová (born June 4, 1974 in Bratislava) is a professional female tennis player from Slovakia. She is probably best remembered for winning the WTA Tour Championships women's doubles title in 2002 partenering Russian Elena Dementieva. With Dementieva she reached final of US Open Doubles competition in the same year, losing to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez.
She was a member of the Slovak team winning Fed Cup together with Daniela Hantuchová in 2002.
In her career, Husárová has won 25 WTA Tour doubles titles, including the Season-Ending Championships and 3 Tier I tournaments [Berlin, Moscow (2002) and Tokyo (2005)]. She reached her highest ranking in 2003 (No. 3 in doubles and no. 31 in singles).
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Janica Kostelić
Janica Kostelić (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈjanitsa ˈkɔstɛlitɕ]; born January 5, 1982) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer and four-time Olympic gold medalist from Croatia. In addition to the Olympics, she won five gold medals at the World Championships. In World Cup competition, she won thirty individual races, three overall titles, three slalom titles, and four (unofficial) combined titles.
Kostelić is the only woman to win four gold medals in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics (in 2002 and 2006), and the only woman to win three alpine skiing gold medals in one Olympics (2002).
Kostelić was the World Cup overall champion in 2001, 2003, and 2006. On January 15, 2006, Kostelić became only the third woman in World Cup history (after Swede Pernilla Wiberg and Austrian Petra Kronberger) to win World Cup races in all of the sport's five disciplines. On February 5, 2006 Kostelić became the second female skier (after Petra Kronberger) to win all five disciplines in one season.
In the summer of 2006, she decided to not compete in the 2007 season, due to chronic knee and back pain. She had endured ten knee surgeries and thyroid surgery during her career. Following a year away from competition, Kostelić announced her retirement from racing in April 2007.
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Janko Tipsarević
Janko Tipsarević (Serbian Cyrillic: Јанко Типсаревић, Serbian pronunciation: [jâːŋkɔ tipsǎːrɛʋit͡ɕ]) (born 22 June 1984) is a Serbian tennis player. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 8, achieved on 2 April 2012. He is the 117th player in history to crack the top 10.
In his career, he has won two ATP tour championships, two Futures and nine tournaments in the ATP Challenger Series. Tipsarevic has also won the 2001 Australian Open Junior title.
Tipsarević has achieved two victories over a World No. 1 player, having defeated compatriot Novak Djokovic twice. He also has twelwe (12) victories against other players from the top 10, consisting of four wins against Tomáš Berdych, two against Andy Roddick, and one against Fernando González, Mikhail Youzhny, David Ferrer, James Blake, Gaël Monfils, and Andy Murray. He also has wins against former World No. 1 players, Carlos Moyá, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Arguably his most notable matches to date are his third-round match at the 2008 Australian Open, where he lost to Roger Federer 7–6, 6–7, 7–5, 1–6, 8–10, & reaching the quarter-finals at the 2011 US Open, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets. He has also defeated former top-ten players Andy Roddick and Fernando González at Grand Slam level.
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Jared Palmer
Jared Eiseley Palmer (born July 2, 1971 in New York City, New York, USA) is a professional tennis player who won 28 professional doubles titles and one singles title in his career on the ATP Tour. He also won four double titles on the challenger's circuit (two in 1992 and two in 1993). Palmer turned professional in 1991 after winning the 1991 NCAA Division 1 singles title as a sophomore playing for Stanford University.
Palmer's biggest doubles titles came at the 1995 Australian Open and the 2001 Wimbledon. Palmer also won the ATP Masters Series event at Indian Wells in 2000. Additionally, Palmer reached the doubles final at two other Grand Slam events, Wimbledon in 1999 and the US Open in 2001. Palmer made the finals at six additional AMS events: Canada (1994 and 2001), Miami (1994 and 2002), Hamburg (1999) and Paris (1999).
Palmer was ranked the World No. 1 men's doubles player on March 20, 2000. He was also ranked as high as World No. 35 in singles. His lone singles title on the ATP tour came at (Pinehurst in 1994). Palmer retired from tennis in 2005 after earning US$3,471,164 in career prize money while on the ATP Tour.
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Jean Borotra
Jean Robert Borotra (13 August 1898–17 July 1994) was a French champion tennis player. He was one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from his country who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Borotra reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 2.
Borotra was born in Domaine du Pouy, Biarritz, Aquitaine and married an English woman.
Known as "the Bounding Basque", he won five Grand Slam singles titles in the French, Australian, and British championships, failing to win only in the American championships, as he was defeated in the final by his countryman René Lacoste 6-4 6-0 6-4, thus missing a career Grand Slam. His first appearance was in the French Davis Cup team of 1921.
A member of François de la Rocque's Parti social français (PSF), he became 1st General Commissioner to Sports from August 1940 to April 1942 during Vichy France, leading the Révolution nationale's efforts in sports policy.
Arrested by the Gestapo in November 1942, Borotra was deported to a concentration camp in Germany and then Itter Castle in North Tyrol until May 1945.
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Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković or Jelena Jankovic(Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Јанковић, pronounced [jɛ̌lɛna jǎːnkɔv̞itɕ], born February 28, 1985) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no. 21, being coached by the former Dinara Safina coach, Željko Krajan.[citation needed]
Janković was born in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, as the third child of Veselin and Snežana, both economists.[citation needed]. She has two brothers, Marko and Stefan. She is a student at the Megatrend University in Belgrade, studying economics; however, she has put her course of study on indefinite hold as she continues to pursue her tennis career. Janković learned her first tennis skills at the Tennis Club 'Red Star'. As a nine-and-a-half year old she was introduced to tennis by her elder brother and fitness coach Marko. With 11 years has won the national championship in the competition to 12 years. She was later trained at the Tennis Academy of Nick Bollettieri. As a junior she won the 2001 Australian Open and junior no. 1 in the world. In 2001, she started to play on the WTA Tour; she reached the second round at her first tournament at the Indian Wells Masters.
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Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Marie Capriati (born March 29, 1976) is a former world number one ranked professional tennis player, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 13 years 11 months when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca Raton, Florida, losing there to Gabriela Sabatini. Capriati reached the semifinals of the French Open in her debut and later became the youngest ever player to crack the top 10 at age 14 years, 235 days in October of that year. Between 1990 and 1993, Capriati won six singles titles, including a Gold Medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, defeating Steffi Graf in the final. Following a first round loss at the 1993 U.S. Open, the burned out Capriati took a 14-month break from competitive pro tennis. Her personal struggles during this time (including arrests for shoplifting and possession of marijuana) were well-documented by the press.
In 1998, Capriati won her first Grand Slam singles match in five years at Wimbledon. During the next two years, Capriati slowly returned to championship form, winning her first title in six years in Strasbourg, France in 1999 and regaining a top 20 ranking. At the 2001 Australian Open, the reinvigorated Capriati became the lowest seed to ever win the championship when she defeated Martina Hingis (ranked number one in the world at the time) in straight sets for her first Grand Slam championship. She also won the French Open that year, claiming the number one ranking in October. After successfully defending her Australian Open crown in 2002, Capriati became a top ten mainstay until injuries derailed her career in 2004.
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Jennifer Hopkins
Jennifer Dent (born Jennifer Hopkins on September 2, 1981) is an American professional tennis player.
She has won six International Tennis Federation (ITF) women's circuit titles in her career and nearly cracked the top 50. In 2001, she reached her first single final in Hobart (meantime she lost to Italian Rita Grande). In 2003, she played some ITF women's circuit events, reaching the final in Atlanta and the semifinals at Dothan-USA. In 2005, she won her first doubles title at Strasbourg with Jelena Kostanić. However, she has so far never gone beyond the second round in any of the four major tournaments that make up the Grand Slam. She last played in an ITF tournament in October 2005 in Bangkok.
She married Taylor Dent on December 8, 2006 in Sarasota, Florida. On January 26, 2010, she gave birth to a baby boy, Declan James Phillip Dent.
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Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969) is an American actress, businesswoman, dancer and recording artist. Often referred to as J.Lo, she is reportedly the highest earning actress of Latin descent. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, she enrolled in singing and dancing classes as a child and grew up in a musically influenced household. She started her career as a fly girl on the television comedy program In Living Color and a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson. Lopez gained recognition in the action-thriller Money Train (1995). Her first leading role was in the biographical film Selena (1997), which was her breakthrough role, earning her an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress and Golden Globe nomination. She earned her second ALMA Award for her performance in Out of Sight (1998), which made her the highest-paid Latin actress. She has since appeared in various films including The Cell (2000), The Wedding Planner (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004), Monster-in-Law (2005), The Back-up Plan (2010) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012).
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Jill Craybas
Jill N. Craybas (born July 4, 1974) is an American professional tennis player. She is one of the oldest players on the WTA Tour, having turned pro in 1996. From the 2000 US Open to the 2011 US Open, Craybas competed in 45 consecutive Grand Slam main draws, her best result coming in the 2005 Wimbledon Championships where she reached the fourth round which included wins over Marion Bartoli and Serena Williams.
Craybas was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1993 to 1996. As a senior in 1996, she won the NCAA women's singles tennis championship. Craybas graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications in 1996, and has said in interviews that she hopes to enter film or television production when her playing career ends. She was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2008.
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Jim Pugh
Jim Pugh (born February 5, 1964 in Burbank, California) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won three Grand Slam men's doubles titles (two Australian Open, one Wimbledon) and five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (three Australian Open, one Wimbledon, one US Open). Pugh reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1989.
Pugh was a member of the U.S. team that won the Davis Cup in 1990. Partnering with Rick Leach, he won the doubles rubbers in all four of the rounds which the U.S. played in that year and clinched the team's victory in the final with a win over Pat Cash and John Fitzgerald of Australia. Pugh has a 6–0 career record in the Davis Cup.
Pugh won 27 doubles titles (22 men's doubles and 5 mixed doubles). He also won one top-level singles title at Newport, Rhode Island in 1989. (His career-high singles ranking was World No. 37 in 1987.) Pugh won his last career doubles title at Los Angeles in 1992. Pugh was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame.
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Jo Durie
Jo Durie (born 27 July 1960, in Bristol, United Kingdom) is a former world number 5 professional tennis player from the United Kingdom. During her career, she won two Grand Slam titles, both in the mixed doubles.
After a successful junior career Durie turned professional in 1977, playing her first match at Wimbledon that year against the eventual champion Virginia Wade. In 1980 Durie suffered a major back injury which kept her out of the game for eight months. However she made a successful return to the woman's tennis circuit in 1981, reaching the 4th round of the singles at Wimbledon and the US Open and climbing to her highest singles ranking of 35.
1983 proved to be her most successful year as a singles player. At the Australian Open she reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final. As an unseeded player Durie then went onto reach the semi-finals of the French Open, beating both Pam Shriver and Tracy Austin along the way. Her dramatic rise up the singles rankings that year ended with another Grand Slam singles semi-final appearance at the US Open, where she eventually lost to Chris Evert in straight sets. Her most successful year at Wimbledon as a singles player came in 1984 when she reached the quarter-finals, beating a 15-year old Steffi Graf in a memorable fourth round match. It was just after Wimbledon in 1984 that she reached a career high singles ranking of World No. 5.
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JoAnne Russell
JoAnne Russell (born October 30, 1954) is a former American professional tennis player. With partner Helen Gourlay Cawley, Russell won the Wimbledon Ladies' Doubles title in 1977. They beat the team of Chris Evert and Rosie Casals in the first round and the top-ranked team of Martina Navratilova and Betty Stöve in the final (6–3, 6–3). Russell reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 22.
She is also aunt of the upcoming Russell Wise Taylor, who in 2006 won Athlete of the week in two publications: the Baltimore Sun and the Catholic Review.
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John Newcombe
John David Newcombe, AO, OBE (born 23 May 1944 in Sydney) is a former World No. 1 tennis player.
He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of Australia's Davis Cup winning team in 1964. He won his first Grand Slam title in 1965 by taking the Australian Championships doubles title with fellow Australian Tony Roche. That same year, the duo won the Wimbledon doubles title. They teamed to win the Australian doubles championship three more times, Wimbledon another four times and the US Championships in 1967, the French Championships in 1967, and the French Open in 1969. They won 12 Grand Slam titles, more than any other men's team in tennis history.
Newcombe's powerful serve and volley was the backbone of his attacking game. He frequently came up with a second-serve ace. He was the top ranked amateur in the world in 1967 according to Lance Tingay, although Rex Bellamy ranked him second behind Roy Emerson. As a professional, Newcombe was the joint world number one player in 1970 and 1971. In singles play, he was a two-time winner of the Australian Open, a three-time winner of Wimbledon, and a two-time winner of the US Open.
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Jonas Björkman
Jonas Lars Björkman (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjuːnas ˈbjœrkman]; born 23 March 1972, Alvesta, Sweden) is a former World Number 4 Swedish professional tennis player. He is also a former World No. 1 in doubles. Björkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup Doubles championships.
On 20 November 2006, he replaced Dick Norman as the oldest player in the ATP Top 100 (singles) when Norman dropped out of the Top 100 for the last time. On 9 June 2008, aged 36 years and 2 months, Björkman was himself succeeded in this honour by Fabrice Santoro after dropping out of the Top 100 in his turn.
Björkman has enjoyed successful long-term doubles partnerships with Jan Apell, Jacco Eltingh, Nicklas Kulti, Max Mirnyi, Patrick Rafter, Kevin Ullyett, and Todd Woodbridge. He has won the career Grand Slam in men's doubles, holding a total of 9 major championships.
The son of tennis coach and mailman Lars Björkman, Jonas began playing tennis at the age of six. At 18, he won the Swedish Junior Championship and was among the top 5 junior Swede players. He married Petra on 2 December 2000 in Stockholm and has a son, Max (born 15 January 2003). He plays right-handed and has a particularly good record against left-handed players. He claims it's because his father plays left-handed.[citation needed]
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Jonathan Stark
Jonathan Stark (born 3 April 1971, in Medford, Oregon) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. During his career he won two Grand Slam doubles titles (1994 French Open men's doubles and 1995 Wimbledon mixed doubles). Stark reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1994.
Stark was born in Southern Oregon in the city of Medford on April 3, 1971. He grew up in Medford and attended South Medford High School. In college he played tennis for Stanford University, where he was a singles and doubles All-American in 1990 and 1991. He reached the NCAA doubles final in 1991, partnering Jared Palmer. On July 17, 1997, he married Dana, and they have two sons and a daughter.
Stark turned professional in 1991 and joined the ATP Tour. In 1992, he won his first tour doubles title at Wellington. His first top-level singles title came in 1993 at Bolzano (beating Cédric Pioline in the final).
In 1994, Stark captured the men's doubles title at the French Open, partnering Byron Black (the pair were also runners-up at the Australian Open that year). He reached his career high singles ranking of World No. 36 in February. The following year, Stark won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title, partnering Martina Navratilova.
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Judy Tegart
Judy Tegart Dalton (born 12 December 1937) is a retired professional Australian tennis player who won nine Grand Slam doubles titles. She won at least one women's doubles title at each Grand Slam tournament, a "Career Grand Slam". Five of her doubles titles were in partnership with Margaret Court. Dalton was the runner-up in ten Grand Slam doubles tournaments.
Dalton reached the final at Wimbledon in 1968, where she lost to Billie Jean King 9–7, 7–5 after defeating Court in a quarterfinal and Nancy Richey Gunter in a semifinal. She also reached the singles semifinals at Wimbledon in 1971 at the age of 33, losing to Court in three sets, and at the Australian Championships in 1968, losing to King in three sets. Her final Grand Slam tournament was the 1977 Australian Open, where at the age of 40 she lost to top-seeded and eventual champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley in a quarterfinal 6–3, 6–1.
Dalton was unusual in that she did not reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament outside of Australia until she was 29 years of age. From Wimbledon in 1967 until the end of her career, she reached at least the quarterfinals in half of the Grand Slam singles tournaments she played (ten out of twenty).
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Justine Henin
Justine Henin (French pronunciation: [ʒys.tin enɛ̃]; born 1 June 1982), known as Justine Henin-Hardenne between 2002 and 2007, is a retired professional Belgian tennis player and former World No. 1.
Henin won 43 WTA singles titles and seven Grand Slam singles titles, including four French Open titles, one Australian Open title, and two US Open titles. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships twice and the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Tennis experts cite her mental toughness, the completeness and variety of her game, her footspeed and footwork, and her one-handed backhand (which John McEnroe has described as the best single-handed backhand in the women's or men's game) as the principal reasons for her success.
Critics and all-time-great players have made testament to Henin's talent. Upon Henin's first retirement from the WTA in the early part of the 2008 season, Billie Jean King said that "pound for pound, Henin is the best tennis player of her generation", as well as that "Justine is the best women's athlete I've ever seen."Andre Agassi said of Henin, "Justine Henin is one of the most talented women ever to have played the game of tennis." In 2007, 18 time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova said that "She is head and shoulders above everyone else right now." John McEnroe concurred, saying that Henin is "The player I most like to watch." Henin made a return to the WTA in early 2010, losing the final of the Australian Open in only her 2nd tournament back.
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Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer (born 22 May 1981 in Vienna) is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of World No. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but is right-handed in everyday life. He has a younger brother, Gerald Melzer, with whom he has played doubles in several tournaments.
In 1999, he won the boys' singles event at Wimbledon. For many years, he was known as one of the best players on the tour not to have progressed past the third round of a Grand Slam event. He ended this streak when he reached the semifinals of the French Open in 2010. He has also had success in doubles, winning the mens doubles event at Wimbledon in 2010 and the US Open in 2011 with Philipp Petzschner, as well as the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon in 2011 with Iveta Benešová.
He is endorsed by Adidas and Dunlop Sport. Melzer is currently coached by Joakim Nystrom.
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Kanye West
Kanye Omari West ( /ˈkɑːnjeɪ/; born June 8, 1977) is an American musician, film director and fashion designer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synthpop, and classical music.
West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008, and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. West released a collaborative album, Watch the Throne with Jay-Z in 2011, which is the duo's first collaborative album. His five solo albums, all of which have gone platinum, have received numerous awards and critical acclaim. As of 2012, West has won a total of eighteen Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all-time. All albums have been very commercially successful, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy becoming his fourth consecutive No. 1 album in the U.S. upon release. West has had 5 songs exceed 3 million in digital sales as of July 2011, with "Gold Digger" selling 3,086,000, "Stronger" selling 4,402,000, "Heartless" selling 3,742,000, "E.T." selling over 4,000,000 and "Love Lockdown" selling over 3,000,000 placing him third in overall digital sales of the past decade. He has sold over 30 million digital songs in the United States making him one of the best-selling digital artists of all-time.
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Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik (born March 12, 1981 in Slovenj Gradec) is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Srebotnik is right-handed, 1.80 m, weighs 65 kg and lives in Dubai. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on August 7, 2006.
Srebotnik won 4 singles titles on the WTA-tour and was a steady top 30 player for several years. However, she had her best results on the doubles circuit, winning 30 titles (as of January 16, 2012), including one doubles Grand Slam title (Wimbledon 2011), as well as five Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles. She reached the No. 1 position on the WTA doubles ranking on July 4, 2011.
In juniors, she won the 1998 Wimbledon singles title and was singles runner-up at the US Open. Srebotnik attained the second spot on the junior rankings in 1997 and 1998.
Srebotnik made her ITF Debut in 1995. She won the ITF singles tournament in Ismailia (1996), Zadar (1997); Šibenik (1998) and in Dubai (1999). In 1998, Srebotnik won her first Tour doubles title at the Makarska Open (with Tina Križan), and became later that year doubles runner-up at Maria Lankowitz (also with Križan). In 1999, her win at the ITF tournament in Dubai, gave her ‘feed up’ direct entry into her first-ever singles Tour event at Estoril, where she became the fourth player ever to win her Tour debut event by defeating Kuti Kis in the final. She broke into the Top 100 on April 12, 1999 at No.88. Srebotnik reached the semifinal at Palermo, and played in her first Grand Slam main draw at Roland Garros, losing in the second round; but winning the mixed doubles tournament with Norval.
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Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Bondarenko (Ukrainian: Катерина Володимирівна Бондаренко, born 8 August 1986) is a professional female tennis player from Ukraine and a doubles champion at Australian Open 2008.
The younger sister of professional tennis players Valeria and Alona Bondarenko, she was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She was introduced to tennis by her parents at age 4. She plays right-handed and turned pro in 2000. As of 10 January 2011 she is ranked World No. 89 in singles and World No. 104 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association. Her career-high rankings in singles and doubles are World No. 29 and World No. 9, respectively.
She pulled off the biggest singles win of her career so far at the 2009 Rogers Cup held in Toronto, Canada, by beating Venus Williams, the third seed at that event, in three sets. She has also defeated Ana Ivanović twice in professional matches, as well as in the 2004 Wimbledon Championships girls final; and Elena Dementieva at the 2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open.
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Kathy Jordan
Kathryn "Kathy" Jordan (born December 3, 1959, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA) is a former American tennis player. During her career, she won 7 Grand Slam titles, 5 of them in women's doubles and 2 of them in mixed doubles. She also was the 1983 Australian Open women's singles runner-up and won 1 singles title and 41 doubles titles.
Jordan turned professional in 1979. Her best performance in a Grand Slam singles tournament was runner-up at the 1983 Australian Open, where she lost to Martina Navratilova 6–2, 7–6.
She was the first player to defeat Chris Evert before the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament. Jordan defeated Evert 6–1, 7–6 in the third round of Wimbledon in 1983 after Evert had reached at least the semifinals of her first 34 Grand Slam singles tournaments.
In women's doubles, Jordan won five Grand Slam titles, four of which were in partnership with Anne Smith. She also won a career Grand Slam in women's doubles, winning the 1980 French Open, 1980 and 1985 Wimbledon, 1981 US Open, and 1981 Australian Open.
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Kazuko Sawamatsu
Kazuko Sawamatsu (Japanese: 沢松和子, born January 5, 1951 in Nishinomiya) is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. Along with Ann Kiyomura, she is the first person of Asian desent to win a Grand Slam Title, as well as being the first Asian national to do so.
She competed in a number of major LTA tournaments in the 1970s on the world circuit. At the 1975 Australian Open - Women's Singles she reached the quarter finals and won the 1975 Wimbledon ladies doubles title with partner Ann Kiyomura the same year.
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Kelly Holmes
Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE, MBE(Mil.) (born 19 April 1970) is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She set British records in numerous events and still holds the records over the 600, 800, 1000, and 1500 metres distances.
Inspired by Sebastian Coe, Holmes began competing in middle distance events in her youth. She joined the British Army but continued to compete at the organisation's athletics events. She turned to the professional athletics circuit in the early 1990s and in 1994 she won the 1500 m at the Commonwealth Games and took silver at the European Championships. She won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships but suffered from various injuries over the following two years, failing to gain a medal at her first Olympics in Atlanta 1996. She won silver in the 1500 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and bronze in the 800 m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; her first Olympic medal.
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Ken Flach
Kenneth Eliot "Ken" Flach (born 24 May 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won 4 Grand Slam men's doubles titles (2 Wimbledon and 2 US Open), and 2 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (1 Wimbledon and 1 French Open). He also won the men's doubles Gold Medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, partnering Robert Seguso. Flach reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1985.
Flach played doubles on the US Davis Cup team from 1985–1991, compiling an 11–2 record. He was also a member of the US team which won the World Team Cup in 1985.
During his career, Flach won 36 doubles titles (34 men's doubles and 2 mixed doubles). His final career title was won in 1994 at Scottsdale, Arizona.
Prior to turning professional, Flach played tennis for Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where he won the NCAA Division II singles championships in 1981, 1982 and 1983, and teamed-up with Seguso to reach the 1983 Division I doubles final.
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Ken Fletcher
Kenneth Norman Fletcher (15 June 1940 - 11 February 2006) was an Australian tennis player who won numerous doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.
He was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to parents Norm and Ethel Fletcher. He was educated at St Laurence's College and showed early promise as a championship tennis player there. His greatest success as a tennis player came in 1963, when he became the only man to win a calendar year Grand Slam in mixed doubles, partnering fellow Australian Margaret Court . He reached the final of the Australian Open in 1963, losing to Roy Emerson .
After this achievement, he went on to record mixed doubles championships in the Australian Open in 1964, French Open in 1964 and 1965, and Wimbledon in 1965, 1966, and 1968. All of his mixed doubles Grand Slam titles were in partnership with Smith Court.
He also achieved a Grand Slam title in men's doubles in the 1964 French Open, playing with Roy Emerson. At the Wimbledon men's doubles championship, he was a finalist with Robert Hewitt in 1965, the champion in 1966 partnering John Newcombe, and a finalist again in 1967 with Roy Emerson. In total Fletcher won 27 international tennis titles.
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Ken McGregor
Kenneth Bruce McGregor (2 June 1929 – 1 December 2007) was a tennis player from Australia who won the Men's Singles title at the Australian Championships (now known as the Australian Open) in 1952. He and his longtime doubles partner, Frank Sedgman, are generally considered one of the greatest men's doubles teams of all time. In 1951 and 1952, they won seven consecutive Grand Slam doubles titles – a feat that has never been matched. McGregor was also a member of three Australian Davis Cup winning teams in 1950-1952. At the end of 1952, Jack Kramer induced both Sedgman and McGregor to turn professional.
McGregor was a fine all-round athlete, excelling in cricket, Australian rules football, and tennis. At 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), he had a powerful serve and overhead. The great tennis player Ellsworth Vines said of McGregor: "He was the same height as Pancho Gonzales, faster, moved as well and could jump higher, and once he got to the net he was difficult to pass because of his prehensile reach. The handsome Aussie had the most extraordinary overhead of all time." In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, who brought McGregor into professional tennis, wrote that "McGregor was one of the weakest players but one of the nicest guys who ever played for me in the pros. As nearly as I could tell, all he wanted to do was save up some money, go back Down Under and play Australian-rules football, which in fact, he played better than he did tennis. And that's what he did."
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Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert ("Ken") Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934) is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles (and completed the Pro Grand Slam in 1963). Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam. He is considered to be one of the top male tennis players of all time. He had a renowned backhand and enjoyed a long career at the highest levels from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. He was one of the two best male players for about nine years and was the World No. 1 player for a number of years in the early 1960s. He was ranked among the top 20 players, amateur or professional, every year from 1952 through 1977. Rosewall is the only player to have simultaneously held Pro Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (1962-1963). He was the first male player during the open era to win a Grand Slam without dropping a set (1971 Australian Open).
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Kerry Harris
Kerri Harris (born 19 September 1949) is an Australian former professional tennis player, active from 1967 to 1975, who reached the semi-final of the 1972 Australian Open, and reached four Grand Slam doubles finals, of which she won one, in the 1972 Australian Open.
Harris first reached a Grand Slam final in the 1971 French Open Women's Doubles, partnering Helen Gourlay. Françoise Durr and Gail Chanfreau won the final 6-4 6-1.
Harris won the final of the 1972 Australian Open Women's Doubles tournament partnered by Helen Gourlay, beating Patricia Coleman-Gregg and Karen Krantzcke 6-0 6-4. In the Women's Singles, seeded numer 6, she reached the semi-final, beating third seed Gail Chanfreau 6-3 7-6 in the quarter-final, and losing to Virginia Wade 7-6 2-6 6-0.
She reached the Women' Doubles final of the 1973 Australian Open and 1974 Australian Open partnering Kerry Melville-Reid on both occasions. In 1973, Margaret Court and Virginia Wade won the final 6-4 6-4, and in 1974, Evonne Goolagong and Peggy Michel won 7-5 6-3.
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Kerry Reid
Kerry Melville Reid, MBE, (born 7 August 1947, in Mosman, New South Wales) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. During her 17-year career, Reid won one Grand Slam singles title and 26 other singles titles and was the runner-up in 40 singles tournaments. Reid was included in the year-end world top ten rankings for 12 consecutive years (1968–1979)[citation needed]. She won at least one tournament annually from 1966 through 1979, except for 1975. Her career-high ranking was World No. 5 from 1971 through 1974, behind Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, and Chris Evert.
Reid began her Grand Slam tennis career in 1963 when she reached the third round of the Australian Championships. In 1966, she reached the semifinals of both the Australian and U.S. Championships (defeating Billie Jean King, in the second round of the latter tournament). In 1967, Reid again reached the semifinals of the Australian Championships and reached the semifinals of the French Championships for the only time.
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Kevin Curren
Kevin Melvyn Curren (born 2 March 1958 in Durban, South Africa) is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.
Curren became a naturalized American citizen in April 1985.
Curren played both tennis and cricket at Glenwood High School in Durban. He also quickly rose among the ranks as a junior at Montclair Lawn Tennis Club in Montclair, Durban. At college he played tennis for the University of Texas at Austin in the United States and won the NCAA singles title in 1979. He turned professional later that year, and won his first top-level singles title in 1981 in Johannesburg.
In 1983, Curren reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, beating defending champion, Jimmy Connors, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3, 7–6, in the fourth round, a big upset. Curren lost to unseeded New Zealander Chris Lewis in a dramatic five-set semifinal match, 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-8, which allowed Lewis to become only the seventh unseeded player to reach the Wimbledon final. In 1984, Curren powered his way through the draw and played Mats Wilander in the final of the Australian Open, after making a comeback from two sets down to defeat Ben Testerman in the semifinals. Wilander won the match, played on the grass courts at Kooyong, in four sets, 6–7, 6–4, 7–6, 6–2.
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Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters (Dutch pronunciation: [kɪm ˈklɛistərs] ( listen); born 8 June 1983) is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 28 May 2012, Clijsters is ranked no. 47 in singles. Clijsters is a former world no. 1 in both singles and doubles.
Clijsters has won 41 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. She has won four Grand Slam singles titles: three at the US Open, in 2005, 2009, and 2010 and one at the Australian Open in 2011. She has also been runner-up in four Grand Slam singles tournaments, and won the WTA Tour Championships singles title in 2002, 2003, and 2010. In doubles, she won the French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2003. Clijsters announced her retirement with immediate effect on 6 May 2007, but almost two years later, on 26 March 2009, she publicly declared her intent to return to the WTA tour for the 2009 summer hard court season. In only her third tournament back, she won her second US Open title, becoming the first unseeded player and wildcard to win the tournament, and the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.
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Kimberly Po
Kimberly Po-Messerli (born October 20, 1971, in Los Angeles, California) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
During her career, Po won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2000 (partnering Donald Johnson). She was also a women's doubles runner-up at the US Open in 2001 (partnering Nathalie Tauziat), and a mixed doubles runner-up at the US Open in 1999 (partnering Johnson).
Po won a total of six top-level doubles titles. Her career high world rankings were World No. 6 in doubles (in 2001) and World No. 14 in singles (in 1997). Her best singles performance at a Grand Slam event came at the Australian Open in 1997, when she reached the quarter-finals before being knocked-out by Amanda Coetzer.
Po married Oliver Messerli in 2001, and henceforth was known for the rest of her career as Kimberly Po-Messerli.
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Květa Peschke
Květoslava "Květa" Peschke (Czech: Květa Peschkeová, née Hrdličková; born July 9, 1975 in Bílovec, Czechoslovakia) is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. She plays mostly on the baseline, with her best shot being the forehand. Her favourite surfaces are hard court and carpet.[citation needed] At Wimbledon 2011 Květa Peschke claimed her first grand slam doubles title alongside Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik. Peschke became the first Czech player to win the Wimbledon women's doubles title since Jana Novotná in 1998. Peschke and Srebotnik also took over the No. 1 ranking in doubles and they won a WTA Award as 'Doubles Team of the Year' in November 2011.
Prior to 2003, Peschke was known as Květa Hrdličková
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Larisa Neiland
Larisa Savchenko Neiland (born Larisa Savchenko on 21 July 1966 in Lviv) is a former tennis player who represented Latvia. A former number-one ranked doubles player, Neiland won two women's doubles Grand Slam titles. She also won two singles titles and sixty-five doubles titles.
Neiland turned professional in 1983. In 1984, Neiland reached the third round of the French Open as a qualifier, which was her best singles result at the French Open. She won her first singles title in Chicago in January 1984, where she only lost a set.
In 1988, Neiland reached her first grand slam doubles final with Natasha Zvereva. They lost 10-12 in the final set to Gabriela Sabatini and Steffi Graf, who, in that same year won all four grand slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal. In 1989, also with Zvereva, Larisa won her first doubles grand slam over Graf and Sabatini in straight sets.
In 1991, Neiland captured the Wimbledon title with Zvereva. In 1992, she lost in the U.S. Open final to Jana Novotná and Helena Suková. She won her first mixed doubles title at Wimbledon, as well, when she and Cyril Suk teamed and won over Dutch duo Jacco Eltingh and Miriam Oremans. That year, she reached the number one doubles ranking. Neiland then reached her next five doubles runner-ups with Novotná. Each and every final played with Novotna was lost, the first being the U.S. Open in 1991 and losing to Pam Shriver and Zvereva.
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Leander Paes
Leander Adrian Paes (Bengali: লিয়েন্ডার পেজ; born 17 June 1973) is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament. He is the sports ambassador of Haryana. Paes completed the career grand slam in men's doubles after winning the Australian Open in 2012. Having won seven doubles and six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles and finishing as runner up in numerous other Grand Slam finals, he is considered to be one of the greatest and most respected contemporary doubles and mixed doubles players in the world. He is among the most successful professional Indian tennis players and is also the former captain of the Indian Davis Cup team. He is the recipient of India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, in 1996–1997; the Arjuna Award in 1990; and the Padma Shri award in 2001 for his outstanding contribution to tennis in India. Paes is the great-grandson of the Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
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Leoš Friedl
Leoš Friedl (born January 1, 1977 in Jindřichův Hradec) is a Czech professional tennis player best known for his doubles play with František Čermák. He is coached by Lubomir Gerla. In his career, he has won 15 top-level doubles titles and $1,027,625 in prize money. Having turned professional in 1997, Friedl won the 2001 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Daniela Hantuchová, where they beat Mike Bryan and Liezel Huber, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2.
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Lesley Turner Bowrey
Lesley Rosemary Turner Bowrey AM (born 16 August 1942 in Trangie, New South Wales) is an Australian female tennis player.
Bowrey won 13 Grand Slam titles during her career: two in singles, seven in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles. She lost in the final of 14 other Grand Slam events.
Bowrey twice won the singles title at the French Championships. In 1963, she defeated Ann Haydon Jones in the final, and in 1965, she defeated Margaret Court in the final.
Bowrey was the runner-up at four Grand Slam singles tournaments. She lost in the final of the French Championships to Court in 1962 and to Françoise Durr in 1967. She lost in the final of the Australian Championships to Court in 1964 and to Nancy Richey Gunter in 1967.
Bowrey was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and received the Sarah Palfrey Danzig Award in 1997. The award is given to the female player who by character, sportsmanship, manners, and spirit of cooperation has contributed to the growth of the game of tennis.
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Lew Hoad
Lewis Alan ("Lew") Hoad (Glebe, New South Wales, 23 November 1934 – 3 July 1994 in Fuengirola, Spain) was a former World No. 1 tennis player.
In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, ranks Hoad as one of the 21 best players of all time. For five straight years, beginning in 1952, he was ranked in the world top 10 for amateurs, reaching the World No. 1 spot in 1956. Hoad turned professional in July 1957.
In 2012 Rod Laver, writing for Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun, ranked Lew as the greatest player of the "Past Champions" era of Tennis. Laver described his strengths of "Power, Volleying and Explosiveness" as justification of his accolade.
Hoad won four majors as an amateur, and won the 1959 Tournament of Champions as a professional.
With his movie-star good looks, powerful physique, and outgoing personality, Hoad became a tennis icon in the 1950s. As Kramer says,
Strength played an important part of Hoad's game, as he often drove for winners rather than rallying and waiting for the right opportunity. Although he assaulted his opponents, he also had the skill to win the French Championships on the slower clay court. According to Kramer, "Hoad had the loosest game of any good kid I ever saw. There was absolutely no pattern to his game.... He was the only player I ever saw who could stand six or seven feet behind the baseline and snap the ball back hard, crosscourt. He'd try for winners off everything, off great serves, off tricky short balls, off low volleys. He hit hard overspin drives, and there was no way you could ever get him to temporise on important points."
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Liezel Huber
Liezel Huber (née Horn; born August 21, 1976, Durban, South Africa) is a professional tennis player who competes for and resides in the United States, having been a naturalized citizen on there since July 2007. Huber has won four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles with partner Cara Black, one with Lisa Raymond, and two mixed doubles titles with Bob Bryan. On November 12, 2007, she became the co-World No. 1 in Doubles with Cara Black. On April 19, 2010, Huber became the sole No. 1 for the first time in her career.
At age 15, she moved to the United States from South Africa to attend the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1992. Huber has since resided in the U.S. She married Tony Huber, an American citizen, in February 2000. In 2005, she started a foundation, Liezel's Cause to raise money and gather basic supplies to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
She competed for the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in doubles, partnering with former world number 1 (both in singles and doubles) Lindsay Davenport; the pair lost in the quarterfinals.
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Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Ann Davenport (born June 8, 1976 in Palos Verdes, California) is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years. She is one of only four women (the others are Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert) since 1975 who has been the year-end world no. 1 at least four times, and was ranked world no. 1 on eight different occasions. Davenport finished 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005 as the top-ranked player. She was coached most of her career by Robert Van't Hof.
Davenport is the daughter of Wink Davenport, who was a member of the U.S. volleyball team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and Ann Davenport. She attended both Chadwick School in Palos Verdes Peninsula, California and Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California.
Davenport married Morgan Stanley investment banker and former University of Southern California All-American tennis player, Jonathan Leach, in 2003. Davenport took a break from competitive tennis in late 2006 and much of 2007 to have a baby. On June 10, 2007, she gave birth to a son, Jagger Jonathan, in Newport Beach, California. She gave birth to a daughter, Lauren Andrus, on June 27, 2009 in Newport Beach, California. She currently owns a home in the Irvine, California neighborhood of Shady Canyon and also in Laguna Beach, California. She gave birth to her third child, daughter Kaya Emory, on January 16, 2012.
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Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Caroline Vonn (née Kildow; born October 18, 1984) is an American alpine ski racer with the U.S. Ski Team. She has won four overall World Cup championships – one of only two female skiers to do so, along with Annemarie Moser-Pröll – with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010, plus another in 2012. Vonn won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first ever in the event for an American woman. She has also won five consecutive World Cup season titles in the downhill discipline, four consecutive titles in Super G, and three consecutive titles in the combined as of 2012.
Vonn is one of five women to have won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing – downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined – and has won 53 World Cup races in her career as of March 14, 2012. Only two women have more World Cup victories in their careers, Austrian Annemarie Moser-Pröll with 62 and Swiss Vreni Schneider with 55, both retired from active racing. With her Olympic gold and bronze medals, two World Championship gold medals in 2009 (plus three silver medals in 2007 / 2011), and four overall World Cup titles, Vonn has become the most successful American skier in the history of alpine skiing.
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Linky Boshoff
Delina Ann Boshoff-Mortlock (known professionally as Linky Boshoff) was born on 12 November 1956, and is a former professional tennis player who won the 1976 US Open women's doubles title with her partner Ilana Kloss. She retired in 1978 and is now married with three children, although she has continued to play the game at a recreational level.
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Lisa Raymond
Lisa Raymond (born August 10, 1973) is an American professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. On June 12, 2000, she reached the world number one ranking in doubles. Her career high singles ranking was fifteenth in October 1997.
Earning more than US$8 million in prize money in her career, Raymond has reached the quarterfinals in singles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon. Raymond, who plays right-handed, has wins over Venus Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. She also is one of the few players to win a career Grand Slam in doubles.
Of her four singles titles, two have come at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee.
Raymond was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team. As a Gator, she won the NCAA singles title in 1992 and 1993 and led the Gators to their first-ever NCAA national team championship in 1992. She was the first player to win all three collegiate Grand Slam titles in a single season (1992). She received the 1992 Volvo Rookie of the Year award, the 1992 Tennis Magazine Collegiate Player of the Year award, the 1992 and 1993 Broderick Award, and the 1993 Honda Award for collegiate tennis.
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Louise Brough
Althea Louise Brough Clapp (born March 11, 1923) was a World No. 1 American female tennis player.
She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma but moved to Beverly Hills, California when she was four years old. She was taught by Dick Skeen and had a classic forehand and backhand and a paralyzing American twist serve. She was one of the great volleyers in history. She won thirteen titles at Wimbledon, seventeen titles at the U.S. Championships, three titles at the French Championships, and two titles at the Australian Championships. Her 35 Grand Slam titles ties her with Doris Hart for fifth on the all-time list, behind only Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, and Margaret Osborne duPont.
Brough Clapp appeared in 21 of the 30 finals contested at Wimbledon from 1946 through 1955 in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles.
From 1942 through 1950, Brough Clapp and duPont won nine consecutive women's doubles titles at the U.S. Championships, which is the longest championship run in history in any event at any Grand Slam tournament. Brough Clapp and duPont did not play as a team at the U.S. Championships in 1951 or 1952 but in 1953, they returned to extend their record match winning streak to 41 before losing to Hart and Shirley Fry Irvin in the final 6–2, 7–9, 9–7. Their career record as a team at the U.S. Championships was 58–2, winning 12 of the 14 times they entered the tournament and losing only five sets in those 14 years.
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Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká (born 21 May 1985 in Prague) is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. In her career, Hradecká has won 13 WTA doubles titles, including the 2011 French Open, in which she won her first Grand Slam title.
Hradecká has won 18 ITF singles titles, but no WTA singles titles. She has won 11 WTA and 29 ITF doubles titles.
She won her first doubles title on the WTA Tour in 2006 at Portorož with partner Renata Voráčová, as the fourth-seeded team. In the final, the Czech team defeated Eva Birnerová and Émilie Loit, the second seeds, by walkover. They also had a victory over the top seeds Maria Elena Camerin and Emmanuelle Gagliardi in the semifinal.
She reached the third round of doubles competition with Hana Šromová as qualifiers at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships before going down to fifth seeds Meghann Shaughnessy and Anna-Lena Grönefeld. En route they defeated twelfth seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amélie Mauresmo, both Grand Slam singles champions at the time and the previous year's Wimbledon doubles runner-ups by walkover.
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Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafářová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlutsɪjɛ ˈʃafaːr̝ovaː]) (born 4 February 1987) is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.
Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles, one double title and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en route. She has reached ten singles finals: Estoril (clay), 's-Hertogenbosch (grass), Forest Hills (hard) in 2005; Gold Coast (hard) in 2006; Open GDF Suez, Paris (carpet) in 2007; Forest Hills in 2008; Bell Challenge, Quebec City in 2009; Open GDF Suez, Paris (indoors) in 2010, and the BMW Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur and Danish Open, Copenhagen in 2011. She is ranked world no. 22 as of 28 May 2012.
Šafářová plays left-handed with a two-handed backhand, and possesses a high topspin forehand similar to that of male tennis star Rafael Nadal. Her timing off the ground allows her to project groundstrokes with power, and she is quick to spot opportunities to take the initiative. Šafářová is notorious for having a volatile return, capable of hitting clean winners, as well as unforced errors. Her preferred surface is clay.
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Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi is an Indian professional tennis player widely regarded as among the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament (with Rika Hiraki). With his win at the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2006, he joined the elite group of eight tennis players who have achieved a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
Mahesh Bhupathi is best known as one of the top doubles players in the '90s and '00s. In 1999, Bhupathi won three doubles titles with Leander Paes, including Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He and Leander became the first doubles team to reach the finals of all four Grand Slams, the first time such a feat has been achieved in the open era and the first time since 1952. On 26 April of that year, they became the world no. 1 doubles team. Bhupathi also won the US Open mixed doubles with Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
In 2006, Bhupathi teamed with Martina Hingis in the Australian Open mixed doubles competition. Entering the tournament unseeded and as wildcards, the first-time pair defeated four seeded opponents along the way, while only dropping a single set throughout. Bhupathi and Hingis defeated the sixth-seeded team of Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3, to capture the championship. It was the sixth mixed doubles Grand Slam for Bhupathi, and a first for Hingis. By winning the Australian Open, Bhupathi completed a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
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Manon Bollegraf
Manon Maria Bollegraf (born 10 April 1964 in Den Bosch, Noord-Brabant) is a former professional female tennis player from the Netherlands, who finished fourth in women's doubles at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States.
Bollegraf reached her highest individual ranking on the WTA Tour on 9 July 1990, when she became World No. 29. She won 26 doubles tournaments in her career and her highest doubles ranking was World No. 4, achieved on 16 February 1998.
She was a member of the Dutch tennis team that reached the final of the Fed Cup in 1997, losing to France.
Bollegraf won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, the 1989 French Open and the 1991 US Open, both teaming up with Tom Nijssen. Partnering Rick Leach, she won the Australian Open and US Open mixed doubles titles in 1997.
Bollegraf was a member of the Idaho Sneakers Team Tennis with Amy Frazier and Jonathan Leach; coached by Greg Patton (Boise State University men's tennis coach).
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Manuela Maleeva
Manuela Georgieva Maleeva-Fragniere (Bulgarian: Мануела Георгиева Малеева) (born 14 February 1967) is a Bulgarian former professional tennis player. She played on the Women's Tennis Association tour between 1982 and 1994. Through her marriage Maleeva began representing Switzerland officially from January 1990 until her retirement in February 1994.
Maleeva was born in Sofia, the oldest of the three children of Yuliya Berberyan and Georgi Maleev. Her mother, who came from an Armenian family, was the best Bulgarian tennis player in the 1960s. After she retired from professional tennis in the 1970s, Berberyan started a coaching career. She coached all three of her daughters, Manuela, Katerina, and Magdalena, each of whom became WTA top ten players.
In 1982, Maleeva won the junior French Open. Later that year, she made her debut on the senior tour and ended the year ranked in the top 200.
In 1984, Maleeva won five tournaments and recorded wins over Chris Evert, Hana Mandlíková, Helena Suková, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Wendy Turnbull, Kathy Jordan, and Zina Garrison Jackson. After winning the tournament in Indianapolis, Maleeva rose to World No. 3 in the rankings. Once in the top ten, she did not leave it until 1992. Also in 1984, Maleeva won her only Grand Slam title – in mixed doubles at the US Open with American Tom Gullikson.
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Mara Santangelo
Mara Santangelo (born 28 June 1981 in Latina, Lazio) is a former professional female tennis player from Italy. She retired from the sport on 28 January 2011.
Santangelo reached the fourth round at the 2004 Australian Open, defeating 16th-seeded Magüi Serna, Barbara Schett, and 19th-seeded Eleni Daniilidou—losing to eventual champion and World No. 1 Justine Henin after having been up 4–2 in the second set, 6–1, 7–6(5). She also won her first WTA title in 2006, defeating Jelena Kostanić in the final, her first victory on the WTA level.
She took a set from top-seeded Amélie Mauresmo in the third round of the 2006 US Open, after leading 3–6, 6–3, 2–0, only to lose the next six games in the deciding set. She also defeated Anastasia Myskina in 2006, her first win over a top 20 player.
She and her Italian team mates Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgian team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match because of an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy.
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Marcin Matkowski
Marcin Matkowski (born 15 January 1981 in Barlinek) is a right-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Mariusz Fyrstenberg; they have been playing together since 2003, he occasionally plays mixed doubles with Caroline Wozniacki.
Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth and final contenders in the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup. This was mainly because of the best Grand Slam result in their history, in which they reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open until 2011 when they reached the US Open Men's Doubles Final, losing a controversial decision to Philipp Petzschner and his partner Jurgen Melzer. A ball clearly struck Mr. Petzschner on the left shin during a net exchange and rebounded over the net onto the sideline. When confronted about this, Mr. Petzschner denied this, though instant replay clearly shows the ball ricocheting off his leg.
Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).
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Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.
Fish has won six tournaments on the main ATP Tour, and has reached the final of four Masters Series events: Cincinnati in 2003 and 2010, Indian Wells in 2008, and Montreal in 2011. His best result at a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the quarter final stage at the 2007 Australian Open, the 2008 US Open, and the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.
In April 2011, Fish overtook compatriot Andy Roddick to become the American No. 1 in the ATP rankings. As of 21 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 8. His current career-high singles ranking is World No. 7.
Fish is the son of a tennis teaching professional and a housewife, Tom and Sally Fish. He was born in Edina, Minnesota. In 1984 a Minneapolis TV station ran a profile of Fish, at the age of two, hitting tennis balls from the baseline over the net. In 1986, Fish's family moved to Vero Beach, Florida. He attended Vero Beach High School for tenth grade, then moved to Boca Prep in Boca Raton, Florida for his junior and senior years of high school. He, Andy Roddick, and Jesse Levine all attended Boca Prep International School. During 1999 he lived with Roddick's family, and the two played on the same tennis and basketball teams.
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Margaret Court
Margaret Court AO MBE (born 16 July 1942), also known as Margaret Smith Court, is an Australian tennis player and Christian minister. Best known for her sporting career, at one point she was ranked as the world's top tennis player.
In 1970, she became the first woman during the open era and the second woman in history to win the singles Grand Slam (all four majors in the same calendar year). Court won a record 24 of those titles during her career. She also won 19 women's doubles and 19 mixed doubles titles, giving her a record 62 Major titles overall. She is the only woman to win the mixed doubles Grand Slam, and she did it twice. Her all surfaces (hard, clay, grass and carpet) career match winning percentage of 91.74 (1177/106) is an all-time record.Her win-loss performance in all Grand Slam singles tournaments was 90.12% (210–23), at the French Open 90.38% (47–5), at Wimbledon 85.10% (51–9), at the US Open 89.47% (51–6), and at the Australian Open 95.31% (61–3). She also shares the Open Era record for most Grand Slam singles titles as a mother with Kim Clijsters. The International Tennis Hall of Fame states, "For sheer strength of performance and accomplishment there has never been a tennis player to match (her)". She is regarded by some to be the greatest female tennis player of all time.
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Maria Bueno
Maria Esther Andion Bueno (born October 11, 1939) is a former professional tennis player from Brazil. During her 11-year career (plus a two-year comeback in 1976-77), she won 19 Major titles (seven singles, 11 women's doubles, one mixed doubles).
In 1960, Bueno became the first woman ever to win all four Grand Slam double titles in one year (three with Darlene Hard and one with Christine Truman Janes).
Bueno began playing tennis at a very young age and, without having received any formal training, won her first tournament at age 12. She was 14 when she captured her country’s women's singles championship.
Joining the international circuit in 1958, Bueno won the singles title at the Italian Championships and the first of her Grand Slam titles, capturing the women's doubles at Wimbledon with Althea Gibson.
The following year, Bueno won her first singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Darlene Hard in the final. She also won the singles title at the U.S. Championships, earning the World No. 1 ranking for 1959 and the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award. Bueno was the first non-North-American woman (she is an American - South American - woman) to capture both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships in the same calendar year. In her native Brazil, she returned as a national heroine, honored by the country’s president and given a ticker-tape parade on the streets of São Paulo.
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Maria Kirilenko
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Кириле́нко) (born 25 January 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player. Kirilenko won her first WTA Tour title in 2005, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the China Open. Kirilenko reached no. 16, her career-high singles ranking, on the WTA tour in May 2012. She won the junior event at the 2002 Canadian Open, as well as the 2002 US Open junior tournament. She has reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2010 Australian Open. As of 28 May 2012, Kirilenko is ranked world no. 16.
Born in the Soviet Union of paternal Ukrainian heritage, Kirilenko is a good friend to fellow WTA players Maria Sharapova, Daniela Hantuchová, Victoria Azarenka, Ana Ivanović, Agnieszka Radwańska, Nadia Petrova, and Marta Domachowska.
Kirilenko dated fellow Russian player, Igor Andreev for several[quantify] years. In November 2011, Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals identified Kirilenko as his girlfriend on his Twitter account
Maria Kirilenko started showing a passion for tennis at age 5, but it was difficult to get practice in while still attending school. Her father enrolled her in a tennis school, and hours of training started to pay off as she won several tournaments.
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Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мария Юрьевна Шарапова [mɐˈrʲijə ˈjurʲjɪvnə ʂɐˈrapəvə] ( listen), US: /ʃɑrəˈpoʊvə/, UK: /ʃærəˈpoʊvə/; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and former world no. 1. A United States resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 26 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She has also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in 2004. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked Sharapova world no. 1 in singles on four separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last regained the ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. As of May 28, 2012, Sharapova is ranked world no. 2. She has been in six Grand Slam finals with the final record 3–3.
Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 at age 17, when she defeated two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top 10 of the WTA Rankings with the win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the no. 1 ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-world no. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and world no. 2 Justine Henin in the final.
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Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli (born 2 October 1984) is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.
Bartoli has defeated three reigning world no. 1 players in her career so far. She defeated Justine Henin in the semifinal of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, 1–6, 7–5, 6–1, Jelena Janković in the fourth round of the 2009 Australian Open, 6–1, 6–4 and Victoria Azarenka 6–3, 6–3 in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open. She has also recorded wins over other top players such as Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanović, Lindsay Davenport, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Sam Stosur and Kim Clijsters.
She is known for her unorthodox style of play using two hands on both her forehand and backhand. On January 30th 2012 she rose to a new career high ranking of No.7 in the world.
Bartoli was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire. She is of Corsican, Catalan, and metropolitan French descent. She started playing tennis at the age of six. Bartoli trained in a small facility as a youngster, where there was not much room behind the baseline. Her father, Walter, gave up his career as a doctor to become her full-time coach when Bartoli won the 2001 Junior US Open title, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.
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Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA. She won five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but forfeited all medals and prizes dating back to September 2000 after her October 2007 admission that she took performance-enhancing drugs as far back as the 2000 Summer Olympics, and that she had lied about it to a grand jury investigating performance-enhancer creations by Victor Conte and the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (a.k.a. BALCO).
At the time of her admission and subsequent guilty plea, Marion Jones was one of the most famous people to be linked to the BALCO scandal. Forty-one days later, Major League Baseball player Barry Bonds was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and four counts of perjury linked to his own testimony before the BALCO grand jury in December 2003.
Jones was born to Marion (who is Belizean) and George Jones (who is African American) in Los Angeles, California. She holds dual citizenship with the United States and Belize (her mother's home country). Her parents split when she was very young, and Jones' mother remarried a retired postal worker, Ira Toler, three years later; Toler became a stay-at-home dad to Jones and her older half-brother, Albert Kelly, until his sudden death in 1987. Jones turned to sports (running, pickup basketball games, and anything else her brother Albert was doing athletically) as an outlet for her grief, and by the age of 15 she was routinely dominating California high school athletics both on the track and the basketball courts.
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Mariusz Fyrstenberg
Mariusz Fyrstenberg (born 8 July 1980 in Warsaw) is a left-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Marcin Matkowski; they have been playing together since 2003.
Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth and final contenders in the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup. This was mainly because of the best Grand Slam result in their history, in which they reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open until 2011 when they reached the US Open Men's Doubles Final, losing a controversial decision to Philipp Petzschner and his partner Jurgen Melzer. A ball clearly struck Mr. Petzschner on the left shin during a net exchange and rebounded over the net onto the sideline. When confronted about this, Mr. Petzschner denied this, though instant replay clearly shows the ball ricocheting off his leg.
Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).
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Mark Knowles
Mark Knowles (born September 4, 1971 in Nassau, Bahamas) is a former World number 1 doubles professional male tennis player from the Bahamas, who will go down as one of the greatest athletes of his country for his longevity within his sport and charitable contributions off the court.
After being awarded a scholarship to the Nick Bollettieri's famed academy, Knowles played three seasons at UCLA, where he earned All-American honors in both singles and doubles. His highest ATP singles ranking is World No. 96. He has been very successful in doubles, partnering Daniel Nestor, Mahesh Bhupathi, Brian MacPhie and Mardy Fish. With Nestor, Knowles won the 2002 Australian Open, the 2004 U.S. Open, and the 2007 French Open. He also won the 2009 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Anna-Lena Grönefeld of Germany.
On July 5, 2006, Knowles participated in one of the longest matches in Wimbledon history, lasting 6 hours and 9 minutes.
Knowles played singles and doubles for the Bahamas Davis Cup team for more than 13 years and he is a five-time Olympian, reaching the quarterfinals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
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Mark Woodforde
Mark Raymond Woodforde, OAM (born 23 September 1965) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. He is best known as one half of "The Woodies", a doubles partnership with Todd Woodbridge.
Woodforde was born in Adelaide, and joined the men's professional tennis ATP Tour in 1984. Woodforde won four singles titles, including his hometown Adelaide tournament twice. His best result in a Grand Slam was reaching the semi-final of the Australian Open in 1996, his 38th Grand Slam singles tournament, which remains a record for the longest time taken to reach a maiden semi-final. Woodforde is best known for his doubles success, having won twelve Grand Slam doubles titles in his career – one French Open, two Australian Opens, three U.S. Opens, and a record six Wimbledons. Eleven of these victories came as a member of the Woodies, and he won the 1989 U.S. Open doubles with John McEnroe. He also won five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles – one French Open, two Australian Opens, one U.S. Open, and one Wimbledon; thus making an overall total of 17 Grand Slam doubles titles.
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Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis (born 30 September 1980) is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles (three Australian Opens, one Wimbledon, and one US Open). She also won nine Grand Slam women's doubles titles, winning a calendar year doubles Grand Slam in 1998, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title.
Hingis set a series of "youngest-ever" records before ligament injuries in both ankles forced her to withdraw temporarily from professional tennis in 2002 at the age of 22. After several surgeries and long recuperations, Hingis returned to the WTA tour in 2006. She then climbed to world number 6 and won three singles titles. On 1 November 2007, Hingis announced her retirement from tennis after testing positive for cocaine during Wimbledon in 2007. She denied using the drug, but decided not to appeal the imminent ban.
In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.
Hingis was born in Košice, (then part of Czechoslovakia, now in modern Slovakia), to accomplished tennis players Melanie Molitorová and Karol Hingis. Molitorová was a professional tennis player, who was once ranked tenth among women in Czechoslovakia, and was determined to develop Hingis into a top player as early as pregnancy. Her father was ranked as high as nineteenth in the Czechoslovakian tennis rankings. Hingis's parents divorced when she was six, and she and her mother relocated around a year later to Trübbach in Switzerland. Her father, who continued to live in Košice as a tennis coach, said in 1997 that he had seen little of his daughter after the split.
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Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova (Czech: Martina Navrátilová; born Martina Šubertová; October 18, 1956) is a retired Czech American tennis player and a former World No. 1. Billie Jean King said about Navratilova in 2006, "She's the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived."
Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 major mixed doubles titles. She reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times, including nine consecutive years from 1982 through 1990, and won the women's singles title at Wimbledon a record nine times. She and King each won 20 Wimbledon titles, an all-time record. Navratilova is one of just three women to have accomplished a career Grand Slam in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles (called the Grand Slam "boxed set") a record she shares with Margaret Court and Doris Hart. She holds the open era record for most singles titles (167) and doubles titles (177). She recorded the longest winning streak in the open era (74 consecutive matches) and three of the six longest winning streaks in the women's open era. Navratilova, Margaret Court and Maureen Connolly share the record for the most consecutive major singles titles (six). Navratilova reached 11 consecutive major singles finals, second all-time to Steffi Graf's 13. In women's doubles, Navratilova and Pam Shriver won 109 consecutive matches and won all four major titles in 1984, i.e. the Grand Slam. Also the pair set an all time record of 79 titles together and tied Louise Brough Clapp's and Margaret Osborne duPont's record of 20 major women's doubles titles as a team. In addition she won the season ending WTA Tour Championships a record 8 times and made the finals a record 14 times and won the doubles title a record 11 times. Navratilova is the only person of either sex to have won eight different tournaments at least seven times.
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Marty Riessen
Marty Riessen (born December 4, 1941 in Hinsdale, Illinois) played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as No. 11 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings (achieving that ranking on September 4, 1974). Renowned for his doubles play, Riessen was also a regular doubles partner of Australian tennis great Margaret Court, winning six of his seven major mixed titles and a career grand slam alongside her. Additionally a winner of two men's doubles grand slams, his highest doubles ranking was No. 3 on March 3, 1980.
Marty Riessen played collegiate tennis at Northwestern University, where he reached the NCAA Singles finals three times: 1962 (falling to Rafael Osuna of USC); 1963 and 1964 (falling to Dennis Ralston of USC both times). He was a semifinalist at the NCAA doubles championship with Clark Graebner in 1963 and 1964.
He won six singles titles in the open era, with the biggest coming in Cincinnati in 1974. (He won numerous other pre-open era titles, including two other Cincinnati titles in the pre-Open Era.) He also reached the quarterfinals in singles at both the Australian Open and the US Open in 1971.
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Mary Ann Eisel
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Mary Joe Fernández
Mary Joe Fernández Godsick (María José Fernández) (born 19 August 1971, in the Dominican Republic) is an American former professional tennis player. She was the runner-up in three Grand Slam singles tournaments and won two Grand Slam women's doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Fernández first came to the tennis world's attention as an outstanding junior player who won four straight Orange Bowl junior titles. In 1985, aged 14 years and 8 days, Fernández became the youngest player to win a main draw match at the U.S. Open when she defeated Sara Gomer in the first round.
Fernández turned professional in 1986. She won her first tour doubles title in 1989 at Dallas, partnering Betsy Nagelsen. Her first top-level singles title came in 1990 at the Tokyo Indoor championships. She reached her first Grand Slam singles final in 1990 at the Australian Open, where she was defeated by Steffi Graf. She finished 1990 ranked a career-high World No. 4 in singles.
In 1991, Fernández teamed with Patty Fendick to win the women's doubles title at the Australian Open. She was back in the Australian Open singles final in 1992, this time losing to Monica Seles. Fernández was selected to represent the United States at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, winning a gold medal in women's doubles (with Gigi Fernández) and a bronze medal in singles.
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Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce (born 15 January 1975, in Montreal, Canada) is a French-American tennis professional playing on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour. She is a citizen of France, Canada, and the United States but plays for France in team competitions and the Olympics.
Pierce has won four Grand Slam titles, two in singles and two in doubles. She has reached six Grand Slam singles finals, most recently at the US Open and French Open in 2005. Her Grand Slam singles titles came at the 1995 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open. She won the 2005 Wimbledon mixed doubles championship and has reached three Grand Slam doubles finals. She has won 18 WTA singles titles and 10 WTA doubles titles, including five Tier I singles events. She also has twice reached the final of the season-ending WTA Tour Championships, most recently in 2005.
Pierce was born in Montreal, Canada to Yannick and Jim Pierce. Yannick is French and Jim is American, qualifying Mary for citizenship in all three countries. She was raised in the United States. She has represented France in international tennis competitions many times. She speaks English and French fluently. Mary was previously engaged to baseball player Roberto Alomar and then later to Air France pilot David Emmanuel Ades, but broke off both engagements.
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Maureen Connolly
Maureen Catherine ("Little Mo") Connolly Brinker (September 17, 1934 – June 21, 1969) was an American tennis player who was the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments during the same calendar year.
Connolly was born in San Diego, California, U.S. As a child, she loved horseback riding, but her mother was unable to pay the cost of riding lessons. So, she took up the game of tennis.
Connolly's career began at the age of 10 on the municipal courts of San Diego. Her first coach, Wilbur Folsom, encouraged her to switch from a left-handed grip to right and she soon became a baseline specialist with tremendous power, accuracy, and a strong backhand. After Folsom she was coached by Eleanor 'Teach' Tenant who had also previously coached Alice Marble the Wimbledon champion of 1939. At age 14, she won 56 consecutive matches and the following year became the youngest ever to win the U.S. national championship for girls 18 and under.
At the 1951 U.S. Championships, the 16 year old Connolly defeated Shirley Fry to become, at that time, the youngest ever to win America's most prestigious tennis tournament.
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Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi (Belarusian: Максім Мікалаевіч Мірны; Russian: Максим Николаевич Мирный; born 6 July 1977 in Minsk) is a professional tennis player from Belarus.
Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a record of 47 wins and 27 losses in 35 ties played. He holds eight Grand Slam titles: men's doubles in the 2000 and 2002 US Open and in the 2005, 2006 and 2011 French Open; and mixed doubles in the 1998 and 2007 U.S. Opens and 1998 Wimbledon. He earned the nickname "The Beast" during his time on tour. Mirnyi has played with a host of doubles partners, namely forming long-term partnerships with Mahesh Bhupathi, Jonas Björkman, Lleyton Hewitt, Jamie Murray, Andy Ram, and Daniel Nestor, and short-term partnerships with other top competitors on the doubles tour and the top singles tennis player Roger Federer.
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Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin (born September 23, 1991 in Marietta, Georgia, United States) is an American tennis player and former world junior no. 2. Her current career ranking is world no. 269, as of May 28, 2012. She won the mixed doubles title at the US Open in 2011 with fellow American Jack Sock.
Oudin is of French descent and has a twin sister, Katherine, and a younger sister, Christina. She was home schooled from seventh grade on so that she could have more time for tennis practice, but admits envying her twin sister's experiences at a regular school. She says her idol is Justine Henin because "she proved you don't have to be tall to win things." Her grandmother inspired her and her sister to play tennis when she gave them racquets and lessons when they were young.
Oudin is a defensive counterpuncher. She uses her speed and footwork to get balls back from the other side of the court. Her best shot is her forehand which she can really hit with power. Her slice backhand is basically defensive but accurate. Good dropshots and clean volleys are useful assets in her game, as well.
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Meredith McGrath
Meredith McGrath is a former professional tennis player. She was born on April 28, 1971 in Midland, Michigan, USA and made her debut on the Women's Tennis Association tour in 1988. She won three singles titles in a ten year career, at Oklahoma City and Eastbourne in 1994 and Birmingham in 1996. She reached the Wimbledon women's singles semi finals in 1996. She retired with a 140–83 record in singles and a 189–40 record in doubles.
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Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra (born May 18, 1980) is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.
Llodra was born in Paris, where his father Michel played for football club Paris Saint-Germain. A left-hander, his serve-and-volley style is modelled on that of his idol, Stefan Edberg.
Llodra and his wife Camille were married on September 9, 2003, and have two children, a daughter, Manon (born March 23, 2004) and a son, Teo (born September 5, 2007). He is a well-known supporter of French football club Paris Saint-Germain, and has often been seen wearing the club's shirt prior to tennis games.
Llodra reached his first Grand Slam final, the Australian Open Men's Doubles, with Fabrice Santoro. Unseeded, they lost to Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. During the semifinals, Llodra inadvertently hit a bird.
Llodra won his first Grand Slam title, the Australian Open Men's Doubles, with Fabrice Santoro. Their opponents in the final were once again Knowles and Nestor.
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Michaëlla Krajicek
Michaëlla Krajicek (Czech: Michaela Krajíčková) (born 9 January 1989) is a Dutch professional tennis player. Her highest WTA ranking (singles) was number 30 on 11 February 2008. She currently is the best ranked player from the Netherlands.
Michaëlla Krajicek was born on 9 January 1989 in Delft. She is the younger half-sister of former professional tennis player and Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, and she is therefore nicknamed Kleine Kraai (Little Kraai, Kraai is a reference to Krajicek but also means crow in Dutch).
An article in a Dutch newspaper with statements from the Fed Cup captain Manon Bollegraf caused Krajicek to stop participating for the Dutch team. Bollegraf commented on Krajiceks relationship with her coach Allistar McCaw. In April 2010 Krajicek confirmed she was in a relationship with McCaw. McCaw started as her fitness coach in 2007. In 2011 she returned in the Fed Cup team after resolving her differences with Bollegraf.
She lives in Prague, Czech Republic, which is the home city of her parents.
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Mike Bryan
Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American professional tennis player. He stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No. 1 doubles player for the last several years.
He played for Stanford University in 1997 and 1998, where he helped the Cardinal win back-to-back NCAA team championships. In 1998, he won the NCAA doubles title with his twin brother Bob.
Both brothers started their professional careers playing World TeamTennis for teams like the Idaho Sneakers through the current season for the Kansas City Explorers.
Together with his twin brother Bob he has been very successful in doubles. They have won 68 doubles titles (winning their record-setting 62nd title at the 2010 Farmers Classic in Los Angeles) including 11 Grand Slam titles. In 2005, he and Bob made it to the finals of all the 4 Grand Slam tournaments, only the second time such a feat has been achieved in the Open era. The Bryan Brothers are currently ranked No.1 in the ATP. Due to their success, they have been nicknamed The Wonder Twins after a fictional comic book duo.
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Mima Jaušovec
Mima Jaušovec listen (help·info) is former Yugoslavian female tennis player. She was born on July 20, 1956, in Maribor, PR Slovenia, FPR Yugoslavia). In singles she reached a career high of No. 6 in 1982, in doubles she reached a career high of No. 211 in 1986.
Jaušovec's only Grand Slam success came in the 1977 French Open singles championship. The following year, 1978, she again reached the final but was defeated by Virginia Ruzici. In 1983, she reached her third French Open singles final, losing to Chris Evert. Jaušovec's other notable tournament championships include the 1978 German Open and the 1976 Italian Open.
Jaušovec teamed with Ruzici to win the women's doubles title at the 1978 French Open. They defeated Lesley Turner Bowrey and Gail Sherriff Lovera in the final. That same year, Jaušovec and Ruzici were the runners-up at Wimbledon, losing to Kerry Melville Reid and Wendy Turnbull.
Jaušovec active tennis career spanned fifteen years, from 1973 through 1988. Today, she is the head coach of the Slovenian national female tennis team. She was an unsuccessful candidate of the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia for the 2004 European Parliament election.
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Mirjana Lučić
Mirjana Lučić (born March 9, 1982, in Dortmund, West Germany) is a Croatian professional tennis player. She enjoyed a promising career on the WTA Tour in the late 1990s, during which she set several "youngest-ever" records, won one Grand Slam women's doubles title at the Australian Open in 1998 when she was only 15 years old, partnering Martina Hingis, and reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1999. Following a series of personal problems from 2000 onwards, she faded from the scene. After toiling through the challenger circuit through much of the next decade, Lučić reemerged as a top 100 player following the 2010 season. Married Daniele Baroni on November 15, 2011 to become Mirjana Lučić Baroni
Lučić began playing tennis at age four by hiding in the car when her older sister went to tennis classes and then sneaking into the lessons herself. As a junior player, she won the girls' singles title at the US Open in 1996, and the girls' singles and doubles crowns at the Australian Open in 1997, becoming only the third player in the Open Era to win two junior Grand Slam singles titles by the age of 14 (the others being Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati).
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Mona Guerrant
Mona Guerrant, also known as Mona Guerrant-Schallau or Mona Schallau (born 28 November 1948) was an American professional tennis player.
She was born in Marengo, Iowa.
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Monica Seles
Monica Seles (Serbian: Моника Селеш, Monika Seleš, Hungarian: Szeles Mónika, pronounced [sɛlɛʃ], born December 2, 1973) is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born and raised in Novi Sad, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007. She won nine Grand Slam singles titles, winning eight of them while a citizen of Yugoslavia and one while a citizen of the United States.
She became the youngest-ever champion at the 1990 French Open at the age of 16. She was the world no. 1 player in the women's game during 1991 and 1992, but in 1993 she was forced out of the sport for more than two years following an on-court attack in which a man stabbed her in the back with a 9-inch-long knife. She enjoyed some success after returning to the tour in 1995, including a Grand Slam singles title at the 1996 Australian Open, but was unable consistently to reproduce her best form. She played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open, but her official retirement announcement was not issued until February 2008.
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Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova (Надежда Викторовна Петрова; born June 8, 1982 in Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Russian professional tennis player.
Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005. In doubles, she won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004 with Meghann Shaughnessy. As of 7 May 2012 (2012 -05-07)[update], Petrova is ranked World No. 31 in singles and World No. 16 in doubles.
Petrova was born in Moscow. Her parents were both very athletic – her father Viktor was a leading hammer thrower, while her mother Nadezhda Ilyina won a bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in the 400 meter relay. Both her parents are still athletics coaches. As a child, Nadia did a lot of travelling around the world with her parents. She eventually settled in Egypt, where she trained with Mohammed Seif and her parents. Petrova states hard courts as her favourite surface, however, she has been most successful on clay courts. She is currently coached by Vladimir Platenik
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Nancy Richey
Nancy Richey (born August 23, 1942 in San Angelo, Texas, United States) is a former tennis player from the United States.
Richey won two Grand Slam singles titles (1967 Australian Championships and 1968 French Open) and four Grand Slam women's doubles titles (1965 U.S. Championships and 1966 Australian, Wimbledon, and U.S. Championships). She was ranked World No. 2 in singles at year-end in 1969. Richey won 69 singles titles during her career and helped the U.S. win the Federation Cup in 1969. She won the singles title at the U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships a record six consecutive years, from 1963 through 1968.
Richey was married to Kenneth Gunter from 1970 to 1976, reverting to her maiden name following her divorce. She is the sister of fellow player Cliff Richey.
She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
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Natasha Zvereva
Natasha Zvereva, or Zverava, (born Natallya Maratauna Zverava (Belarusian: Наталля Маратаўна Зверава); 16 April 1971) is a former tennis player from Belarus. Zvereva was the first major athlete in the Soviet Union to demand publicly that she should be able to keep her tournament earnings. The team of Zvereva and Gigi Fernández won more women's doubles titles and Grand Slam women's doubles championships than any other team since the team of Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. Navratilova, speaking of the abilities of the two teams, said that she and Shriver were better, but "We were power. They are finesse. It would have been close."
Zvereva is currently the captain of the Belarusian Fed Cup team. On 12 July 2010, Zvereva was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame alongside Fernandez.
Zvereva used a baseline, counter-punching style centered around topspin and her double-handed backhand. She had great hands, used a variety of spins, and was willing to rush the net and volley. Though Zvereva's talent was never in doubt, she often suffered from lapses in concentration during matches and in her confidence as a singles player.
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Nathalie Dechy
Nathalie Dechy (born on February 21, 1979 in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe) is a French former professional tour tennis player.
Dechy is a three-time doubles Grand Slam champion, winning the 2006 US Open women's doubles title with Vera Zvonareva, the 2007 French Open mixed doubles title with Andy Ram, and the 2007 US Open women's doubles title with Dinara Safina. Her biggest singles achievement is reaching the semifinals of the 2005 Australian Open, where she was just two points away from the final, before eventually losing to Lindsay Davenport.
At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, she faced World No.1 and reigning French Open champion, Ana Ivanović. She took the first set and even had match point during the second before succumbing 6–7, 7–6, 10–8.
She is a member of the notorious "generation 1979" alongside Amélie Mauresmo, Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, Emilie Loit and Séverine Brémond.
Dechy was born to a father from continental France and a Canadian mother from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She holds dual French-Canadian citizenship, but has never, she says, considered representing Canada in tennis competition. On 25 January 2010 she gave birth to a baby boy Lucas
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Neale Fraser
Neale Andrew Fraser AO MBE (born 3 October 1933) is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Australia, born in Melbourne, Victoria, the son of a Victorian judge.
He began playing tennis at age 11 and attended St Kevin's College, Melbourne (Class of 1950) where he became Captain of Tennis at the school.[citation needed]
Fraser won the Wimbledon singles in 1960 and the US Championships singles in 1959 and 1960. Fraser failed to win the Australian Championships, finishing as runner-up on three occasions (1957, 1959 and 1960) and held a championship point in the 1960 final. Team play – doubles and Davis Cup – proved nearest to Fraser's heart. In doubles, Fraser took three Australian (1957, 1958, and 1962), French (1958, 1960, and 1962) and US (1957, 1959, and 1960) titles, and two Wimbledon (1959, and 1961) with three different partners, Ashley Cooper, Lew Hoad, and Roy Emerson.
Fraser was also successful in the mixed doubles, winning the Australian in 1956 with Beryl Penrose, Wimbledon in 1962, and the US from 1958 to 1960 with Margaret Osborne duPont. He holds the distinction of having won the US National (now Open) singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles in 1959 and then successfully defending those titles a year later. Since that time, no one has equalled that feat in a single year, let alone successively.
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Nenad Zimonjić
Nenad Zimonjić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ненад Зимоњић, Serbian pronunciation: [nê̞nad zîmo̞ɲit͡ɕ]; born June 4, 1976 in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a professional Serbian tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 3 in men's doubles. He is the second tennis doubles player from Serbia to hold the World No.1, after Slobodan Živojinović.
Zimonjić turned pro in 1995 and remained relatively unknown outside his native country until a surprise victory in the Mixed Doubles at the 2004 Australian Open. Paired for the first time with Russian Elena Bovina, he beat defending champions Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes in straight sets in an hour and nine minutes 6–1, 7–6 . Alongside Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, he won the 2006 French Open crown with a straight-sets victory over Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva, 6–3, 6–4. At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, Zimonjić reached the final of the Men's Doubles (alongside France's Fabrice Santoro) and the quarter-finals of the Mixed Doubles.
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Nicole Bradtke
Nicole Bradtke (née Provis) (born 22 September 1969, in Melbourne) is a retired professional tennis player from Australia.
Bradtke won three singles and nine doubles on the WTA Tour in her career. She reached the semifinals of the 1988 French Open, and won a bronze medal in doubles at the 1992 Summer Olympics, partnering Rachel McQuillan. In mixed doubles, she reached four Grand Slam finals, winning two of those partnering Mark Woodforde. Bradtke reached career-high rankings of No. 24 in singles and No. 11 in doubles. She retired from professional tennis in 1997 after a shoulder injury.
Bradtke started playing tennis at the age of seven. She played her first professional match in 1985 and made her debut at the Australian Open later that year. She found early success in mixed doubles, finishing runner-up at the 1987 Wimbledon Championships with Darren Cahill.
Bradtke burst into prominence in 1988, when she made the semifinals of the French Open as a relative unknown. She beat two seeded players, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch and Sylvia Hanika, as well as Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (who had earlier beaten Chris Evert) before losing to Natasha Zvereva, despite holding two match points.
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Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић or Novak Đoković; pronounced [nɔ̂ʋaːk dʑɔ̂ːkɔʋitɕ] ( listen); born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked World No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) since 4 July 2011. He has won five Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008, 2011 and 2012 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open. By winning three Majors in 2011, Djokovic became the sixth male player in the open era to win three Majors in a calendar year.
He is the first male player representing Serbia to win a Major singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events, separately and consecutively. Amongst other titles, he won the Tennis Masters Cup in 2008 and was on the team which won the 2010 Davis Cup. He also won the bronze medal in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He has won 11 Masters 1000 series titles placing him joint fourth on the all time list. Djokovic has quickly moved up in the rankings of history. Tennis Channel ranked him number 40 , and former player Pat Cash said he is one of the greatest ever.
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Olga Morozova
Olga Vasilyevna Morozova (Russian: Ольга Васильевна Морозова) (born 22 February 1949 in Moscow, USSR) is a retired female tennis player who competed for the Soviet Union. She was the runner up in singles at the 1974 French Open and 1974 Wimbledon Championships.
Morozova won the Wimbledon junior's singles title in 1965 at the age of 16. Morozova was the first Russian tennis player to reach the singles final of a major tournament, when she was the runner-up at the 1972 Italian Open. Perhaps the peak of her career occurred in 1974, when she was the women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon and the French Open, losing to Chris Evert in both tournaments.
Morozova became the first Russian tennis player to win a Grand Slam title when she teamed with Evert to win the women's doubles championship at the French Open in 1974. Earlier, she and Alex Metreveli were the first players from the Soviet Union to reach a Grand Slam final when they teamed at Wimbledon in 1968, losing to Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher. They also reached the final at Wimbledon in 1970, losing to Rosemary Casals and Ilie Năstase.
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Oracene Price
Oracene Price (born April 3, 1952) is an American tennis coach. She is best known for being the mother of Venus and Serena Williams, top professional tennis players. She is the former wife of Richard Williams, whom she divorced in 2002. As a coach and parent, she has regularly been called unflappable and calm.
Price was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1952. Her father was an automotive worker.[citation needed] She graduated from Buena Vista High School in 1970 and from Western Michigan University.[citation needed] She has three daughters from a previous marriage with Yusef Rasheed: Yetunde Price (1972-2003), who was former beauty salon owner and registered nurse; Lyndrea Price, a Web designer; and Isha Price, a Lawyer. After Rasheed's death, while working as a nurse, Oracene married Richard Williams and had two more daughters, Venus and Serena Williams. She helped her husband as he began coaching Venus and Serena in tennis. The Williams family moved to Florida on the offer of Rick Macci to coach their daughters for free.
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Owen Davidson
Owen Davidson (born 4 October 1943 in Melbourne) was a professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s.
Partnering Billie Jean King, Davidson managed to win eight grand slam mixed doubles titles. Davidson was one of very few to win a calendar year slam for mixed doubles, when he won the Australian Championships, French Championships, Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships all in the same year-1967.
At the Australian Championships, Davidson teamed with Lesley Turner Bowrey and with King to win the other three grand slams. His best grand slam singles result was at Wimbledon in 1966, when he reached the semifinals. He is also the 1972 Australian Open and the 1973 US Open men's doubles champion, partnering John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 2010. He was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame at the Rod Laver Arena Melbourne on 26 January 2011 (Australia Day).
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Pam Shriver
Pamela Howard Shriver (born July 4, 1962), is a former American professional tennis player and currently a tennis broadcaster for ESPN. During the 1980s and 1990s, she won 133 top-level titles, including 21 women's doubles titles and one mixed doubles title at Grand Slam tournaments. She also won a women's doubles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul with Zina Garrison as her partner, although her usual doubles partner was Martina Navratilova.
Shriver was well known for her variety, including sharp volleys and all-around solid technique at the net. She also possessed a destructive slice forehand approach, which set her apart from the rest of the women's field.
Shriver first came to prominence at the 1978 US Open where, as a 16-year-old amateur, she reached the women's singles final. She defeated the reigning Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova in a semifinal 7–6, 7–6. Shriver then lost to Chris Evert in the final 7–5, 6–4. Shriver also won the first of her 21 career singles titles in 1978 at Columbus, Ohio.
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Pam Teeguarden
Pam Teeguarden (born April 17, 1951) is a former American professional tennis player in the 1970s and 1980s, ranked in the top 20 from 1970-1975 according to John Dolans Womans Tennis Ultimate Guide prior to computer rankings. She won two Grand Slam Doubles Titles and was a quarter finalist in singles at the U.S. Open and The French Open. Her father Jerry, well known coach, helped Margaret Court win the coveted Grand Slam (all four Grand Slam titles in one year) in 1970 and Virginia Wade to her 1977 Wimbledon triumph. Pam was voted the "Most Watchable Player" based on play and appearance by a group of Madison Avenue Advertising Executives or "Mad Men" while playing at the US Open. Pam played in 19 consecutive US Opens holding the record until Chris Evert played in 20. She wore the first all black tennis outfit in the history of tennis in 1975 at The Bridgestone Doubles Championships in Tokyo, starting a trend that is still popular today. Pam was the first woman tennis player signed by Nike. She played on the victorious Los Angeles Strings Team Tennis Team in 1981 and won the Team Tennis Mixed Doubles Division with Tom Gullikson in 1977 and were runner ups in the league that year.
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Paola Suárez
Paola Suárez (born 23 June 1976 in Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a top 10 tennis player in the early 2000s (decade). She gained prominence in 2004 by reaching the finals of nine straight WTA doubles tournaments, and by reaching the singles semifinals of the French Open tournament, held in Paris.
"La Negra" Suárez began playing professional tennis at the age of fifteen, in 1991. In 1994, she joined the professional tour as a singles player. It was not until the 2000s (decade), however, that she became an international figure in her sport, by reaching the semis of the aforementioned French Open, a prestigious grand slam tournament.
Suárez won four WTA titles (2004 Canberra, 2003 Vienna, 1998 & 2001 Bogotá) and 12 other minor tournaments. In 2004, Paola hoped to obtain the French Open title that would become her first grand slam championship, but lost in the semi-finals against Elena Dementieva. That year, she was ranked number nine in the world among women tennis players by the WTA, which has been her highest ranking as a singles player thus far. That same year, she won the bronze medal in women's doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics with Patricia Tarabini.
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Pat Cash
Patrick Hart "Pat" Cash (born 27 May 1965) is a retired Australian professional tennis player who won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1987.
Cash first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior player in the early 1980s. He was awarded a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport. He was ranked the top junior player in the world in 1981, and in 1982 he won the junior titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He turned professional in 1982 and won his first top-level singles title that year in Melbourne.
Cash established a reputation on the tour as a hard-fighting serve-and-volleyer and for wearing his trademark black-and-white checked headband and his cross earring.
In 1983, Cash became the youngest player to play in a Davis Cup final. He won the decisive singles rubber against Joakim Nyström as Australia defeated Sweden 3–2 to claim the cup.
In 1984, Cash reached the men's singles semi-finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He lost in three sets in the Wimbledon semi-finals to John McEnroe and was defeated in the semi-finals at the US Open by Ivan Lendl, who won their match in a fifth set tiebreaker. This day regarded as the greatest day in US open history featured the 3 set thriller women's final Evert v Navratilova and a McEnroe v Connors 5 set marathon creating the day now known as 'Super Saturday'
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Patrick Galbraith
Patrick Galbraith (born 16 April 1967, in Tacoma, Washington) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
A doubles specialist, Galbraith reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1993. During his career he won 38 top-level doubles titles. He was a mixed doubles champion at the US Open in 1994 (partnering Elna Reinach) and 1996 (partnering Lisa Raymond). He also won the men's doubles title at the ATP Tour World Championships in 1995 (partnering Grant Connell). He was a men's doubles runner-up at Wimbledon in both 1993 and 1994, and a mixed doubles runner-up at French Open in 1997. He retired from the professional tour in 1999, having won prize money totalling US$2,684,136.
Prior to turning professional, Galbraith played tennis for UCLA from 1986-1989, where he was a three-time All-American and an NCAA doubles champion in 1988.
A = did not attend tournament
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Patty Fendick
Patty Fendick is a former professional women's tennis player [1] and is the current head women's tennis coach at the University of Texas.
She was born on March 31, 1965 in Sacramento, California and played collegiately at Stanford University, where the team won the NCAA title three times. In 1987, she was named ITA player of the year, after enjoying a 57 match winning streak on the Stanford tennis team. She won two NCAA Singles Titles in '86 and '87.
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Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder (born 14 December 1978 in Basel from Willy and Iris Schnyder ) is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No. 1 players in her career, including Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Amélie Mauresmo, Jelena Janković, Ana Ivanović and Caroline Wozniacki.
During her long career, she reached six Grand Slam singles quarterfinals and one Grand Slam singles semifinal. She won 11 WTA singles titles and 5 WTA doubles titles and earned over US$8.4 million in prize money.
In 1996, Schnyder made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the French Open. In 1997, she quickly rose up through the rankings, and by August 1998 she had entered the WTA Top 10. However, Schnyder fell out of the Top 10 in April 1999, and spent the next 6 years ranked in the 15–30 range before re-entering the Top 10 in May 2005.
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Paul Haarhuis
Paul Vincent Nicholas Haarhuis (born 19 February 1966) is a Dutch former professional tennis player. He is a former World No. 1 doubles player. He won six Grand Slam men's doubles titles, five with Jacco Eltingh and one with Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Haarhuis was born on 19 February 1966 in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He played tennis for Florida State University.
In June 1995, he reached his highest singles ranking of World No. 18. He is best remembered for his success in doubles with fellow countryman Jacco Eltingh, winning five Grand Slam titles together. In his career he has won one singles title and 54 doubles titles.
He is, together with Sergi Bruguera, Richard Krajicek, Leander Paes, and Michael Stich, the only player of the same generation with a positive head-to-head record against Pete Sampras: 3–1.
After retiring, he won the end of the year Blackrock Masters Tennis tournament in the Royal Albert Hall in 2005 and 2006, beating legends such as Goran Ivanišević and John McEnroe. He completed a hat-trick of victories in the tournament in 2007, beating Frenchman Guy Forget.
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Paul McNamee
Paul McNamee (born 12 November 1954, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is a retired Australian tennis player and prominent sports administrator.
McNamee won two singles and twenty-three doubles titles during his professional career. A right-hander, he reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 12 May 1986 when he became the world number 24. McNamee reached his highest doubles ATP-ranking on 8 June 1981 when he became the world number 1. McNamee won 24 men's doubles titles including four Grand Slam doubles titles in his career. He won the 1979 Australian Open and the 1980 and 1982 Wimbledon Championships with Peter McNamara and the 1983 Australian Open with Mark Edmondson. When John McEnroe won Wimbledon in 1984, McNamee was the only player to take a set off McEnroe throughout the entire championship when he won the third set of their first round match.
McNamee was also a member of the Australian Davis Cup Team which won the Davis Cup in 1983 and 1986.
In 1987, McNamee became Melbourne's last officially crowned King of Moomba, subsequently a Moomba Monarch was selected (male Monarchs were popularly, but unofficially, still called King of Moomba).
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Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE (born 17 December 1973) is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon, two-time New York Marathon champion, and won the 2002 Chicago Marathon.
Radcliffe is a former world champion in the marathon, half marathon and cross country. She has also been European champion over 10,000 metres and in cross country. On the track, Radcliffe won the 10,000 metres silver medal at the 1999 World Championships and was the 2002 Commonwealth champion at 5000 metres. She has represented Great Britain at the Olympics four times consecutively (1996 to 2008), but has not won a medal on the Olympic stage.
Radcliffe is an asthma sufferer who is against the use of drugs in sport. She is married to her coach, Gary Lough, and has two children.
Her running has earned her a number of accolades including the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Laureus World Comeback of the Year, IAAF World Athlete of the Year, AIMS World Athlete of the Year (three times) and a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). She has also been nominated for World Sportswoman of the year on several occasions. In 2010, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
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Pauline Betz
Pauline May Betz Addie (August 6, 1919 – May 31, 2011) was an American professional tennis player. She won five Grand Slam singles titles and was the runner-up on three other occasions. Jack Kramer has called her the second best female tennis player he ever saw, behind Helen Wills Moody.
Betz attended Los Angeles High School and learned her tennis from Dick Skeen. She continued her tennis and education at Rollins College (graduating in 1943), where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She went on to win four United States Singles Championships.
Addie won the first of her four singles titles at the U.S. Championships in 1942, saving a match point in the semifinals against Margaret Osborne duPont while trailing 3–5 in the final set. The following year, she won the Tri-State tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, defeating Catherine Wolf in the final 6–0, 6–2 without losing a point in the first set, a "Golden Set". She won the Wimbledon singles title in 1946, the only time she entered the tournament, without losing a set. Her amateur career ended when she explored the possibilities of turning professional.
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Peggy Michel
Peggy Michel (born 2 February 1949) was an American professional tennis player. She was a doubles specialist who won three Grand Slam titles, all with Evonne Goolagong.
She was born in Santa Monica, California.
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Pete Sampras
Peter "Pete" Sampras (/ˈsæmprəs/; born August 12, 1971) is a retired Greek–American tennis player and former world number 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Sampras debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and played his last top-level tournament in 2002 when he won the US Open, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final. He was the year-end world no. 1 for six consecutive years (1993–1998), a record for the open era. His seven Wimbledon singles championships are also an Open Era record. He spent 286 weeks at no. 1, the most of any male player. His five US Open singles titles is an Open Era record shared with former world no. 1 players Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. Sampras is the last American male to win Wimbledon (2000) and the ATP World Tour Finals (1999).
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Petra Kvitová
Petra Kvitová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtra ˈkvɪtovaː], English: /kəˈvɪtəvə/; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed shots and variety, she has won seven WTA singles titles. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 2 in October 2011, and is currently ranked world no. 4.
Kvitová won the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and the 2011 WTA Tour Championships singles titles, becoming the first Grand Slam event winner born in the 1990s, and the third player to win the WTA Championships in her first attempt. She also reached the semifinals of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships and the 2012 Australian Open.
Petra Kvitová was born to Jiří Kvita and Pavla Kvitová in Bílovec, Czech Republic (in 1990 still in Czechoslovakia). Her father Jiří introduced her to tennis. During her childhood, she admired Czech player Martina Navratilova. Kvitová trained in her hometown until the age of 16, and was then encouraged by an instructor to pursue a professional career in tennis.
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Phil Dent
Phillip "Phil" Dent, born on 14 February 1950, in Sydney, Australia, is a former professional tennis player. Dent's high water mark as a pro singles player was reaching the Australian Open final in 1974, which he lost to Jimmy Connors 7–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3. Dent was also the Men's Doubles champion at the Australian Open in 1975 (with teammate John Alexander), and the Mixed Doubles champion at the US Open in 1976 (with teammate Billie Jean King).
Dent also reached five more Men's Doubles finals in Grand Slam Tournaments, finishing second in the Australian Open in 1970, 1973, and 1977, and second in the French Open in 1975 and 1979. Dent was a member of the Australian tennis teams that won the Davis Cup in 1977 and the World Team Cup in 1979.
Before turning professional, Dent won the Boy's Singles titles at both the Australian Open tournament and at the French Open in 1968.
During his professional career, Dent won 3 top-level singles titles (in Sydney and in Brisbane, Australia, both in 1979, and the former also in 1971) and 25 doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 17 (in 1977). Dent retired from professional tennis in 1983.
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Catalan: [rəˈfɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə]; Spanish: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]) (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of 28 May 2012 (2012 -05-28)[update], he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time.
Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles, including a record six French Open titles (tied with Bjorn Borg), the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 21 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He completed the Career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.
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Raffaella Reggi
Raffaella Reggi (born 27 November 1965, in Faenza, Italy) is a former professional tennis player from Italy, known for her fiery on-court personality, expressiveness and gesticulations.
As a junior, Reggi won the Orange Bowl 16 and under in 1981. She was a member of the Continental Players Cup Team in 1982.
Reggi won the mixed doubles title at the US Open in 1986, partnering Sergio Casal. She was a singles quarter-finalist at the French Open in 1987, and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 13 in 1988. One of the highlights of her career was winning the Italian Open in 1985.
In 1985 she became the first Italian woman to win the Italian Open since Annelies Ullstein-Bossi won in 1950. The two remain the only Italian women to reach the singles final of Italy's top tennis tournament since World War II.
Reggi finished her career with five singles titles and four doulbles titles. She was a member of the Italian Fed Cup team from 1982 through 1991 and the Italian Olympic Team in 1988 and 1992. She had career victories over Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Jana Novotná, Hana Mandlíková, Manuela Maleeva, Nathalie Tauziat, Helena Suková, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Zina Garrison, and Jo Durie.
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Regina Maršíková
Regina Maršíková (born 11 December 1958 in Prague) is a former Czechoslovakian tennis player.
Maršíková's single titles were at Rome, Toronto and Christchurch in 1978, Phoenix in 1980 and Berlin in 1981. In Grand Slam competition she never went further than the semifinals (three, all at the French Open, 1977–79).
Maršíková's major doubles win was at the French Open in 1977 with Pam Teeguarden.
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Rennae Stubbs
Rennae Stubbs (born 26 March 1971 in Sydney) is an Australian tennis player. She was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. She has won several Grand Slam doubles titles and represented Australia at four successive Olympic Games; Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
Stubbs has recorded more doubles triumphs than any other Australian woman—60 from 1992 to the conclusion of the 2010 WTA Tour—enjoying success with eleven different partners. She also won two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles with male partners. In 2001, Stubbs won the season-ending WTA Championships with regular partner Lisa Raymond and the pair were named ITF World Champions.
Stubbs is the longest-serving member of the Australia Fed Cup team, having played for 17 years since 1992, with a 28–9 win/loss record in doubles; the second highest in Australian Fed Cup Team history behind Wendy Turnbull (29–8). She retired after the 2011 Fed Cup tie with Italy. However, Stubbs suddenly came back to the WTA Tour by playing at the Miami Masters with Jill Craybas.
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Renáta Tomanová
Renáta Tomanová (born December 9, 1954 in Jindřichův Hradec) is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia.
In 1976, Tomanová reached the singles final at both the French Open and the Australian Open. She lost at the French Open to Sue Barker 6–2, 0–6, 6–2 and at the Australian Open to Evonne Goolagong Cawley 6–2, 6–2. Tomanová also reached the women's doubles final at the Australian Open with her partner Lesley Turner Bowrey, where they lost to Goolagong and Helen Gourlay Cawley.
In 1978, Tomanová teamed with Betsy Nagelsen to win the women's doubles title at the Australian Open, defeating Naoko Sato and Pam Whytcross in the final 7–5, 6–2.
Tomanová also won the girls' singles title at the 1972 French Open.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
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Rick Leach
Rick Leach (b. December 28, 1964, in Arcadia, California) is a former professional tennis player and a coach from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won 5 Grand Slam men's doubles titles (3 Australian Open, 1 Wimbledon, 1 US Open), and 4 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (2 Australian Open, 1 Wimbledon, 1 US Open). Leach reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1990.
Leach was a member of the US team which won the Davis Cup in 1990. Partnering Jim Pugh, he won the doubles rubbers in all four of the rounds which the US played in that year, and clinched the team's victory in the final with a win over Pat Cash and John Fitzgerald of Australia.
Prior to turning professional, Leach became the first four-time Division 1 All-American in singles and doubles at the University of Southern California (where he played for his father Dick), and won the NCAA doubles title in 1986 and 1987. He is currently the coach of the St. Louis Aces. His brother, Jon Leach, is married to tennis star Lindsay Davenport.
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Robert Lindstedt
Robert Lindstedt (born 19 March 1977 in Sundbyberg, Stockholm County) is a Swedish professional tennis player, who turned pro in 1998, and is a doubles specialist. Lindstedt is currently as of january 2012 ranked 10th in the doubles ranking.
Lindstedt played college tennis in the United States, playing first at Fresno State University before moving to Pepperdine University, where he completed his collegiate career. While at Pepperdine, he teamed with Kelly Gullett in doubles competition. They were runners up at the 1998 NCAA individual competition at the University of Georgia, receiving All-America honors for the second year in a row.
Lindstedt won two doubles titles in 2007. He won his first in Mumbai with Jarkko Nieminen against Indian Rohan Bopanna and Pakistani Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. Lindstedt's second came paired with Jordan Kerr in Tokyo, beating Frank Dancevic and Stephen Huss. In 2008. Lindstedt paired with Marc Gicquel to win the Washington event, and was a semi-finalist at the ATP Master Series event in Indian Wells with Richard Gasquet, in Tokyo with Jordan Kerr and in Kitzbühel with Jürgen Melzer.
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Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci (born 18 February 1983 in Taranto) is an Italian tennis player. As of 28 May 2012, Vinci is ranked world no. 19 in the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won 19 WTA Tour titles, six in singles and 13 in doubles.
Her first title came in the 2007 Copa Colsanitas, over Tathiana Garbin. She won her second title at the 2009 Barcelona Ladies Open, over Maria Kirilenko. Her third title was at the 2010 BGL Luxembourg Open, over Julia Görges. Her fourth title was for her second victory after 2009 at the 2011 Barcelona Ladies Open, over Lucie Hradecká. Her fifth title was her first win on grass at the 2011 's-Hertogenbosch, over Jelena Dokic. Her third victory in 2011 and sixth title was in Budapest.
She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Flavia Pennetta, and Francesca Schiavone beat the Belgian team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin-Hardenne had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which allowed Italy to win their first Fed Cup trophy. With the Italian team, she also won the Fed-Cup in 2009 and 2010 against the USA.
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Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for most singles titles won in history of tennis, with 200 career titles. He was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970 (from 1964 to 1967 in the professional circuit) . He is the only tennis player to have twice won the Grand Slam (all four major singles titles in the same year) – first as an amateur in 1962 and second as a professional in 1969. He is the only male player and was the first player, male or female, to have won the Grand Slam during the open era (in 1988 Steffi Graf also achieved this feat). Laver won a total of twenty major tournaments, including eleven Grand Slam tournament titles and nine Pro Slam titles. In 1967, Laver also won the Professional Grand Slam. In addition he won nine Championship Series titles (1970–75) the precursors to the current Masters 1000. Laver won and excelled on all the surfaces of his time (grass, clay and wood/parquet), and was ranked as the best professional player in the world during the five-year period he was excluded from the Grand Slam tournaments. Rod Laver is the second and last male player to win each major title twice in his career. Only Roy Emerson and Margaret Court had won all four Grand Slam tournaments twice before Laver in the history of tennis. Laver is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Within his slams there are also 6 in doubles and 3 in mixed doubles.
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Roger Federer
Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːdəʁɐ]) (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP No. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks from 2 February 2004 to 18 August 2008. Federer has occupied the #1 ranking for 285 overall weeks, one week short of the record 286 weeks held by Pete Sampras. As of 28 May 2012, he is ranked World No. 3. Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles. He is one of seven male players to capture the career Grand Slam and one of three (with Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal) to do so on three different surfaces (clay, grass, and hard courts). He is the only male player in tennis history to have reached the title match of each Grand Slam tournament at least five times and also the final at each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men's record ten in a row, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open, the lone exception being the 2008 Australian Open. He holds the record of reaching the semifinals or better of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments over five and a half years, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. At the 2012 Australian Open, he reached a record 31st consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. During the course of his run at the 2012 French Open in Roland Garros, Federer eclipsed Jimmy Connors long standing record of 233 match wins in Grand Slam tournaments when he defeated Adrian Ungur in a second round match.
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Rosalyn Fairbank
Rosalyn Doris Fairbank-Nideffer (born November 2, 1960, in Durban) is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. She played her first grand slam in 1979, with her last appearance coming as late as 1997. She won a WTA Tour singles event in Richmond in 1983 and numerous doubles titles, with the highlight being her Grand Slam titles at the 1981 French Open with Tanya Harford and 1983 with Candy Reynolds. She won 317 singles and 472 doubles matches on the tour during her long career.
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Rosemary Casals
Rosemary "Rosie" Casals (born September 16, 1948) is a former American professional tennis player.
Rosemary Casals earned her reputation as a rebel in the staid tennis world when she began competing in the early 1960s. During a tennis career that spanned more than two decades, she won more than 90 tournaments and worked for the betterment of women's tennis. She was a motivating force behind many of the changes that shook the tennis world during the 1960s and 1970s. Many of these changes helped make tennis the popular sport that it is today.
Casals was born in 1948 in San Francisco, California, to poor parents who had immigrated to the United States from the Central American country of El Salvador. Less than a year after Casals was born, her parents decided they could not care for her and her older sister Victoria. Casals's great-uncle and great-aunt, Manuel and Maria Casals, then took the young girls in and raised them as their own. When the children grew older, Manuel Casals took them to the public tennis courts of San Francisco and taught them how to play the game. He became the only coach Casals would ever have. But Nick Carter, former touring pro, father to Denise who was once nationally ranked, and made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, gave her some lessons. He was the teacher of many ranking junior players, Jeoff Brown national junior doubles champ, and others at Arden Hills, Carmichael, California, where Mark Spitz trained. She used a continental forehand like him, with the power in it all his students had, using the racket back, step, and hit method.
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Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson (born 3 November 1936) is an Australian former World No. 1 tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam tournament singles titles and 16 Grand Slam tournament men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam events. His 28 Major titles are an all-time record for a male player. Most of his titles were won in the final years of the period where the Major tournaments were open only to amateur players, just before the start of the open era when professionals were admitted into tennis's most prestigious events. Roy Emerson is the first male player to win each Major title at least twice in his career. In the history of tennis, only Margaret Court achieved this feat before him. He is one of only seven men to win all four Majors in his career (the others are Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal). He was the first male player to win 12 Majors (this was surpassed by Pete Sampras (14) and Roger Federer (16)). Tennis critics and former and current tennis players consider Emerson to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
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Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki (/lɨˈzɪki/; born 22 September 1989 in Troisdorf) is a German professional tennis player.
Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career (one in 2009 and two in 2011) and one doubles tournament (in 2011). She reached the semi-finals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. She achieved her career high rank of World No. 12 on 21 May 2012. After struggling with injuries in 2010, Lisicki rebounded in 2011 and re-entered the top 100 of the world rankings. She is only the second player in Wimbledon history to make it to the semifinals while entering the tournament as a wildcard.
Since 2004 Lisicki has trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA where she is sponsored and managed by IMG. She is coached by her father who studied sport science in Wrocław and Cologne.
Lisicki had a successful year in 2007 on the ITF circuit and climbed from World No. 497 to World No. 198 in the WTA rankings. She won two titles, one in Jersey and the other in Toronto, Canada. She defeated top-seed Katie O'Brien on 2 August 2007 at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open.
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Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur (English pronunciation: /ˈstoʊzər/ STOH-zər, born 30 March 1984) is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No. 1 on the WTA Tour in doubles with Lisa Raymond from the United States.
Stosur was born in Brisbane, Queensland, the daughter of Tony and Diane, and has two brothers, Dominic and Daniel. She is of Polish descent through her grandfather. When she was six, the family house and business on the Gold Coast was destroyed by a flood, and the family moved to Adelaide. There she started playing tennis, when she was given a racquet for Christmas at the age of eight. While her parents worked long hours at the cafe they had started, Stosur played at local courts with older brother Daniel, who later encouraged their parents to take her to tennis lessons. Stosur attended Helensvale State High School on the Northern Gold Coast. She went away on her first overseas trip at the age of 13, competing in the World Youth Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Sandrine Testud
Sandrine Testud (born April 3, 1972 in Lyon, France) is a former professional female tennis player from France.
Testud broke into top 20 singles rankings in July 1997. On February 7, 1999, she became the fourth Frenchwoman after Françoise Durr, Mary Pierce and Nathalie Tauziat to break into singles top 10 rankings. This marked the first time France had three women ranked in singles Top 10 simultaneously. (Mary Pierce at No. 5, Nathalie Tauziat at No. 6 and Testud at No. 9). France was the third nation after the USA and Australia to have more than two representatives in the singles Top 10 at any one time. She finished in the top 20 singles rankings for five consecutive years between 1997 and 2001. In the summer of 2002, she took a break from the tennis circuit when she discovered that she was pregnant with her first child. She resumed her career 12 months after the birth of her child and retired in the summer of 2005.
She won a total of 3 WTA Tour singles and 4 WTA Tour doubles titles. Her biggest singles tournament victory was at the 1998 Tier II tournament in Filderstadt, Germany, where she defeated world number two Lindsay Davenport in the final. She was the runner-up in WTA Tour singles and doubles tournaments on 7 occasions each. Her third career-title victory that came in Hawaii over Justine Henin happened in a final that was delayed for a day due to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001. Her last WTA Tour singles final was in Dubai where she lost to Amélie Mauresmo in what was the fourth all-French final in WTA Tour history. She has gone beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament on two occasions: She reached the quarter-finals at the 1997 US Open and the 1998 Australian Open. Testud played in the season-ending Tour Championships for five consecutive years from 1997 to 2001; reaching the singles semi-final and doubles quarterfinal in her last appearance in 2001.
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Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza (Hindi: सानिया मिर्जा, Telugu: సానియా మీర్జా, Urdu: ثانیہ مرزا ) (born 15 November 1986, in Bombay) is a professional Indian tennis player. She began her tennis career in 2003 and is well known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings in singles and top 10 in doubles. Mirza has defeated many top players, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli and Former World No. 1's Martina Hingis & Dinara Safina.
Mirza has won one WTA singles title so far, at Hyderabad in 2005. She has won one Grand Slam title: the mixed doubles event at the 2009 Australian Open. She was also the runner-up on two other Grand Slam occasions: the mixed doubles event at 2008 Australian Open and the women's doubles event at Roland Garros 2011.
In 2004 she was awarded the Arjuna award by the Indian Government. In 2006, Mirza was awarded a Padma Shri, India's fourth highest honour for her achievements as a tennis player. In March 2010, The Economic Times named Mirza in the list of the "33 women who made India proud". Mirza was also the most searched Indian sportsperson on Google in 2009. In addition, Mirza was one named one of the '50 heroes of Asia' by the Time Magazine (2005).
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Sara Errani
Sara Errani (born April 29, 1987 in Bologna, Italy), nicknamed "Poco Gigante", is a professional female tennis player from Italy. On May 21, 2012, she reached a new career-high of no. 23 on the Tour rankings. On May 14, 2012, Errani became a top 10 doubles player and had a career high rank of World No. 8. She won five WTA titles in her career, and also has two ITF Titles.
At age 12 her father sent her to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. At 16 she moved to Valencia, in Spain, to be coached by Pablo Lozano and David Andres.
Errani competed in her first event at the $10,000 Cagliari event in her native country of Italy in 2002 where she lost to Sun Tiantian 6–1, 6–0. She continued to compete in the ITF, where her best performance of the year was a semifinal appearance in $10,000 Zaton. She continued to participate mainly on the ITF, where she won her first tournament 6–1, 6–4 over Lucia Jiminez in Melilla, Italy 2005.
Her first WTA title of her career was in the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo, where she defeated Mariya Koryttseva. On July 27, 2008, she captured her second career title in two weeks defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6–3, 6–3. She has also won six doubles WTA titles.
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Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on November 2, 2009. She is the only female player to have won over $35 million in prize money.
Her 27 Grand Slam titles places her ninth on the all-time list: 13 in singles, 12 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. She was also the first woman, along with sister Venus Williams, to hold all four Grand Slam doubles titles simultaneously since Martina Hingis did so in 1998. Her 13 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list. Williams ranks fourth in Grand Slam women's singles titles won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each). She has won more Major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active player, male or female.
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Sergio Casal
Sergio Casal Martínez (born 8 September 1962 in Barcelona, Spain) is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he won three Grand Slam doubles titles, as well as the men's doubles Silver Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Casal turned professional in 1981. He won his first top-level doubles title in 1983 at Aix-en-Provence. He captured a total of 47 men's doubles titles during his career. Partnering his fellow Spaniard Emilio Sánchez, he won the men's doubles titles at the US Open in 1988 and the French Open in 1990. The pair were also the men's doubles runners-up at Wimbledon in 1987 and won the Silver Medal for Spain at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Casal also won the US Open mixed doubles title in 1986, partnering Raffaella Reggi. Casal's career-high doubles ranking was World No. 3.
Casal also won one top-level singles title at Florence in 1985. He was a singles runner-up at Aix-en-Provence in 1983, and at the Paris Open in 1986. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 31.
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Shelby Cannon
Shelby Cannon (born August 19, 1966, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi), is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
Cannon enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 3 doubles titles and finished runner-up an additional 6 times. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 27 in 1993.
Cannon played college tennis for the Tennessee Volunteers. At least while on tour, Cannon kept a residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
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Sherwood Stewart
Sherwood Stewart (born June 6, 1946, in Goose Creek, Texas, United States) played amateur and professional tennis in the 1970s and 1980s. Stewart was ranked as high as No. 60 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings on December 31, 1978, and No. 4 in doubles on January 3, 1983.
He won 51 doubles titles, the biggest of them coming at the 1984 Australian Open, the French Open in 1976 and 1982, in Cincinnati in 1974, in Monte Carlo in 1984, and in Hamburg in 1976. He was also in three additional Grand Slam doubles finals during his career.
After retiring from playing, he became a coach, most notably of Zina Garrison.
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Shirley Fry Irvin
Shirley June Fry Irvin (June 30, 1927) was a World No. 1 American female tennis player who was born in Akron, Ohio, United States.
Irvin is one of sixteen persons to have won each Grand Slam singles tournament at least once during the person's career. The others are Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Doris Hart, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Serena Williams, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Irwin also is one of only seven persons to have won each Grand Slam tournament in same-sex doubles. The others are Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Doris Hart, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, and Roy Emerson.
Irvin won the last three Grand Slam singles tournaments she played. Her victories in those tournaments included wins over Althea Gibson in a quarterfinal of Wimbledon in 1956 and in the finals of the 1956 U.S. Championships and 1957 Australian Championships.
At the U.S. Championships in 1942, Irvin reached the singles quarterfinals at the age of 15. At Wimbledon in 1953, Irvin and her partner Doris Hart lost a total of four games during the women's doubles tournament and won three matches without losing a game, including the semifinals and final, the latter of which was a win over Maureen Connolly Brinker and Julie Sampson Haywood.
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Silvia Farina Elia
Silvia Farina Elia (born April 27, 1972 in Milan, Italy) is a former female tennis player from Italy. She reached a career high of World No. 11 on 20 May 2002. She won her first ITF title at Caltagirone in 1991 and her first WTA tournament at Strasbourg in 2001. She made her début Grand Slam appearance at the 1991 French Open and was coached by husband Francesco Elia, whom she married September 1999.
Farina Elia made steady progression on the ITF circuit during the early 1990s and finished her first year in the top 100 in 1991. She completed her first victory over a top ten player (Gabriela Sabatini, Roland Garros) in 1994 and won her first doubles title the next year. In 1996, she represented Italy at the Atlanta Olympics. 1998 was considered her breakthrough year, reaching the final of four tournaments and in the process securing a place in the year end top 20. She was 26 at the time and thus considered a "late bloomer". She only reached one singles final in 1999 but made a greater impact in doubles, winning three tournaments.
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Simona Halep
Simona Halep (born September 27, 1991) is a world top-50 tennis player playing on the ITF Women's Circuit and the WTA Tour, and is currently the number-two ranked women's tennis player in Romania, behind Monica Niculescu (out of 6 in the top-100).
Halep's father Stere runs a cheese and milk factory. She started playing tennis at age four, in emulation of her older brother. She has self-described her playing style as being "an aggressive baseliner," while New York Times columnist Michael Kimmelman described her as "a scrappy player from Romania, short but with potent ground strokes and a scrambler’s talent." In a post-match interview Serena Williams once commented that Halep "serves well [for] her height... She has so much power on her serve."
She started the year with a final in Nottinghill, losing to Arantxa Rus, then defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open Junior Championships, before losing in the semifinal to Jessica Moore.
At the ITF $50,000 tournament in Bucharest, Halep eliminated former Roland Garros semi-finalist Sesil Karatantcheva in the first round, before losing in the quarterfinals to Sorana Cîrstea in three sets, 6–3, 3–6, 1–6.
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Sloane Stephens
Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player.
Stephens was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Sybil Smith (who, in 1988 as a swimmer at Boston University, became the first African-American female to be named First Team All-American in Division I history) and John Stephens, a professional American football player. Stephens had no connection with her father until she was 13, when she began a close over-the-phone friendship with him. John Stephens was killed in a car accident on September 1, 2009, just before the start of the US Open. Stephens attended her father's funeral in Louisiana, but remained entered in the US Open.
She has cited Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and Kim Clijsters as her inspirations in tennis.[citation needed]
Stephens had a breakthrough year in 2008, when she finished the US Open Junior doubles as runner-up alongside partner Mallory Burdette. Later at the Grade A Orange Bowl, she made it to the semifinals as a wildcard, before losing in three sets to compatriot Christina McHale.
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Steffi Graf
Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf (born 14 June 1969, in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany) is a former World No. 1 German tennis player.
In total, Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court's 24. In 1988, she became the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Calendar Year Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.
Graf was ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for a record 377 total weeks—the longest period for which any player, male or female, has held the number-one ranking since the WTA and the Association of Tennis Professionals began issuing rankings. She also holds the open era record for finishing as the year-end World No. 1 the most times, having done so on eight occasions. She won 107 singles titles, which ranks her third on the WTA's all-time list after Martina Navratilova (167 titles) and Chris Evert (154 titles).
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Stéphanie Dubois
Stéphanie Dubois (born October 31, 1986) is a Canadian professional tennis player. She turned professional in 2004 and she achieved a career-best ranking of No. 87 in the world on January 30, 2012.
Dubois made her first appearance in in July 2004 in the Fed Cup World Group Play-offs against Switzerland. She reached her first WTA quarter-final at the 2005 Bell Challenge in Quebec City. At the 2006 Rogers Cup, she defeated Kim Clijsters when Clijsters retired from the match, her biggest win so far. In 2007, Dubois and Renata Voráčová reached the Bell Challenge final but lost to Christina Fusano and Raquel Kops-Jones in straight sets. In 2008, she got in the main draw of the Australian Open and the French Open, participating in a first in the latter, where two Quebec native players were in the main draw by their own ranking for the first time. In 2008, Dubois had 3 match points against 8th seed Anna Chakvetadze in the first round of Wimbledon but lost 2–6, 6–1, 8–6. In 2009, Dubois won the $75,000 ITF Women's Circuit Vancouver Open by beating the top seed Sania Mirza in three sets, 1–6, 6–4, 6–4. Also in 2009, she defeated Kristina Mladenovic in the first round of the US Open, her first main draw win, before losing to Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. She also reached the second round at Wimbledon in 2011 where she lost to World No. 11 Andrea Petkovic 6–3, 4–6, 6–3. She reached at the end of July 2011 the second WTA quarter-final of her career at the Citi Open in College Park, but lost to Tamira Paszek in a match that lasted almost 4 hours by the score of 5–7, 6–4, 7–6. In January 2012, Dubois won her first round match at the Australian Open for the first time, with a 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 win over Elena Vesnina. She lost in the second round to 30th seed Angelique Kerber by the score of 7–5, 6–1.
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Sue Barker
Susan (Sue) Barker, MBE (born 19 April 1956 in Paignton, Devon) is an English television presenter and former professional tennis player. During her tennis career, she won the women's singles title at the French Open and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3. She is now one of the main sports presenters at the BBC.
Barker's tennis career began in 1973 and she won her first top-level singles title in 1974. She won three additional titles in 1975. Barker first reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament in 1975 at the Australian Open. She won the German Open in 1976, beating Renáta Tomanová of Czechoslovakia in the final 6–3, 6–1, and won the French Open the same year, again defeating Tomanová in the final. In 1977 she won two singles titles, reached the semifinals at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and upset Martina Navratilova to reach the Virginia Slims Tour Championships final, where she lost in three sets to Chris Evert.
After an injury-plagued 1978 during which her ranking dropped to World No. 24, she won three singles titles and reached three other finals in 1979. She was named the tour's "Comeback Player of the Year" by her fellow professionals. Barker reached one final in 1980 and won the last singles title of her career at Brighton in 1981, finishing the year ranked World No. 16. She won her last doubles title in 1982 at Cincinnati, and played her last professional match in 1984.
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Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian (simplified Chinese: 孙甜甜; traditional Chinese: 孫甜甜; pinyin: Sūn Tiántián; born 12 October 1981 in Zhengzhou, Henan, China) is a Chinese female tennis player.
In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back.
In 2002, she found repeat success at the next level up, winning two $25,000 tournaments: firstly in April, at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (beating countrywoman Zheng Jie in the semi-final and Korean Jeon Mi-ra in the final); and then in August at Beijing (beating Zheng Jie in the semi-final again, and Rika Fujiwara of Japan in the final)
In 2003, she reached the final of a $50,000 tournament at Modena despite entering as a lucky loser to countrywoman Yan Zi in the final round of qualifying. Having defeated several high-quality opponents in the forms of Martina Suchá, Maret Ani and Gala León García, she lost in the final against Melinda Czink.
This year, she also gained entry into several WTA tournaments, most notably coming through qualifying at Doha by defeating Yuliana Fedak, Ľubomíra Kurhajcová and Maria Sánchez Lorenzo, only to lose in the deciding set of her opening round match against Nicole Pratt; and at the US Open after a narrow victory over Selima Sfar, only to lose to Saori Obata at the first hurdle in the main draw. But she finished the year ranked World No. 141.
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Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (24 May 1899, Compiègne, Oise – 4 July 1938) was a French tennis player who won 31 Championship titles between 1914 and 1926. A flamboyant, trendsetting athlete, she was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international female sport stars, named La Divine (the divine one) by the French press.
A daughter of Charles and Anaïs Lenglen, Suzanne Lenglen was born in Compiègne, department of the Oise, north of Paris. During her youth, she suffered from numerous health problems including chronic asthma, which also plagued her at a later age. Because his daughter was so frail and sickly, Charles Lenglen, the owner of a carriage company, decided that it would be good for her to compete in tennis and gain strength. Her first try at the game was in 1910, when she played on the tennis court at the family property in Marest-sur-Matz. The young girl enjoyed the game, and her father decided to train her further in the sport. His training methods included an exercise where, the story goes, he would lay down a handkerchief at various places on the court, to which his daughter had to direct the ball.
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Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ( Светла́на Алекса́ндровна Кузнецо́ва (help·info)); born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of May 7, 2012 ranked No. 28 in the WTA singles and No. 31 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in seven doubles finals, winning twice. She has qualified five times for the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships but has never qualified for the semifinals.
Her first Grand Slam title came at the 2004 US Open, making her the third Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title, after Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova who won at the 2004 French Open and 2004 Wimbledon tournaments respectively. Kuznetzova's second Grand Slam title was the 2009 French Open, defeating Serena Williams in the quarterfinal, Samantha Stosur in the semifinal, and compatriot Dinara Safina in the final in straight sets. At the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open singles tournament she was the runner-up, both times to Belgian player Justine Henin. As a result, Kuznetsova obtained her new WTA ranking of No. 2, her best to that date. Kuznetsova has won a total of 13 WTA and 1 ITF singles titles and 15 WTA doubles titles to date and US$16,372,146 in prize money, making her the second top Russian earner on court and number 11 of all female tennis players to date and No. 5 of active players, after only Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, and Maria Sharapova respectively.
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Sylvia Hanika
Sylvia Hanika (born 30 November 1959 in Munich, West Germany) is a former professional tennis player from Germany. She is best remembered for finishing runner-up at the French Open in 1981, and for winning the Year End Championships in 1982. She was ranked as high as no. 5 in the world and played left-handed.
Hanika turned professional in 1977. In 1981, Hanika reached the women's singles final at the French Open, where she was defeated 6–2, 6–4 by Hana Mandlíková.
In 1982, Hanika posted the biggest win of her career when she defeated World No. 2 Martina Navrátilová 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the final of the Avon Series Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Garden was also the site of Hanika's last big singles win: a 6–4 6–4 defeat of #3 Chris Evert in the first round of the Virginia Slims Championships in 1987.
Hanika won her final top-level singles title in Athens in 1986. She retired from the tour in 1990, having won four professional singles titles and one doubles title.
Between serves she was known to bounce the ball more than anyone tennis commentator and historian Bud Collins remembers: ". . . as many as into the 30s. If she faulted on the first, it was awful, another 30 or so bounces."
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Tamira Paszek
Tamira Shelah Paszek (born December 6, 1990 in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg, Austria) is a professional tennis player from Austria. As of July 4, 2011, she is the no.1 ranked tennis player from Austria in the WTA ranking, at No. 41.
She is currently being coached by Andrei Pavel (former coach of Jelena Janković) having previously been coached by Angel Giminez and Larri Passos (former coach of former ATP No.1 Gustavo Kuerten).[citation needed]
Paszek was introduced to tennis by her mother, Françoise Paszek, at age four-and-a-half. Her mother is Chilean born, and her father is Ariff Mohamed, who is Tanzanian-born, Kenya-raised and lived in Canada. Both her paternal grandparents are from India.[citation needed]
She attended Gymnasium Dornbirn-Schoren and Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium Schoren.
As a junior, Paszek was a finalist in the 2005 Girls' Singles Championship at Wimbledon and at the US Open – Girls' Singles in 2006.
In September 2005 she won her first title at an ITF tournament in Sofia. In October of the same year she received a wild card to appear at her first WTA tournament in Linz; she defeated Elena Vesnina in the first round and lost to Ana Ivanović after a tough first set.
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The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons (2001–2006), concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox.
The show was loosely based on Mac's stand-up comedy acts. In real life, Bernie "Mac" McCollough was married with one daughter; Mac's character on the show (a stand-up comedian) was married with no kids of his own. The pilot episode, aired on November 14, 2001, set up the basic premise for the show: the character Bernie Mac takes in his sister's children after she enters rehab (a premise taken from one of Mac's routines in the 2000 film, The Original Kings of Comedy).
Much of the humor in the show was derived from Mac's continual adjustment to and his unique take on parenthood. A frequent motif of the show was the juxtaposition of Mac's acerbic comments, such as his threats to "bust the (children's) heads 'til the white meat shows," and the deep parental affection he felt towards the trio, which often brought him to the verge of tears during happy moments. Towards the end of the series, Bryanna's long-lost father (Anthony Anderson) returns and drops by from time to time to help Bernie and Wanda with the kids.
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Todd Woodbridge
Todd Andrew Woodbridge, OAM (born 2 April 1971) is an Australian former tennis player. He was born in Sydney and went to school in the ACT at Lyneham High School (The Best High School of all) then turned professional in 1988. He is best known for his successful Doubles partnerships with Mark Woodforde and later Jonas Björkman. He is among the most successful doubles players of all time, having won 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles (nine Wimbledons, three US Opens, three Australian Opens and one French Open), and a further six Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (three US Opens, one Wimbledon, one French Open, one Australian Open). Additionally, he was a gold medalist with Woodforde at the 1996 Summer Olympics to complete a career Golden Slam. In total he has won a record 83 ATP doubles titles.
In 2002, he was inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport 'Best of the Best'.
He is best known as one of the top doubles players in the world for most of the 1990s and into the early 2000s (decade). His primary doubles partnerships were first with fellow Australian Mark Woodforde and later with Swede Jonas Björkman. Woodbridge and Woodforde are often referred to as "The Woodies" in the tennis world. Woodbridge also had a career high singles ranking of 19 after reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1997, beating Patrick Rafter before losing to Pete Sampras. He did however have the distinction of being one of the few players to beat Sampras at Wimbledon, knocking him out in the first round in 1989.
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Tom Gullikson
Tom Gullikson (born September 8, 1951, in La Crosse, Wisconsin) is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from the United States.
During his career as a player, Tom won 16 top-level doubles titles – ten of them partnering with his now-deceased identical twin brother, Tim Gullikson. The brothers were runners-up in the men's doubles competition at Wimbledon in 1983. Tom also won the mixed doubles title at the US Open in 1984, with his teammate Manuela Maleeva.
Tom won one top-level singles title (at Newport in 1985). His career-high rankings were World No. 34 in singles and World No. 9 in doubles (both in 1984). He retired from the professional tour in 1987.
After retiring as a player, Tom became one of the original members of the United States Tennis Association Player Development Program, coaching players such as Todd Martin, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. He served as Director of Coaching for the program from 1997 to 2001.
Tom was the United States Davis Cup Captain from 1994 to 1999. He captained the teams that won the Davis Cup in 1995 and were runners-up in 1997.
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Tom Nijssen
Tom Nijssen (born 1 October 1964 in Maastricht) is a former professional tennis player from the Netherlands.
A doubles specialist, he won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles with Manon Bollegraf, the French Open in 1989 and the U.S. Open in 1991. They were runner-up at the Wimbledon mixed doubles tournament in 1993. In 1992 Nijssen and Helena Suková were the U.S. Open mixed doubles finalists.
Nijssen's highest ATP singles ranking was World No. 87 on 17 April 1989. He reached his best ATP doubles ranking on 11 May 1992 when he became No. 10.
A = did not attend tournament
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Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés (born 1 May 1982 in Hostalric, Girona) is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No. 5, which he first reached on 28 August 2006 soon after winning the Hamburg Masters.
He turned professional in 1998 and was coached by José Manuel "Pepo" Clavet and is now coached by Karim Perona. Robredo considers his forehand to be his best shot, and red clay is his favorite surface.
Robredo began playing tennis regularly when he was five and his family moved to Olot, where his father Ángel became the director of the local tennis club, Club Natació Olot. (Robredo's mother Dolores is herself a former assistant coach.) He was coached by his father until 1996 when he joined the Spanish Tennis Federation at the Centre d'Alt Rendiment ("High Performance Center"), a famous center for professional sports training in Sant Cugat del Vallès. He turned professional in 1998.
As a junior player, Robredo won the Junior Orange Bowl 16–Under in both singles and doubles (with Marc López) in 1998. As a professional he made the singles and doubles finals of a Futures-level event, winning the doubles title with Pedro Cánovas. In 1999 he made the semifinals of the boys' event at the French Open and won a Futures tournament in singles as well as another in doubles. Earlier that year in Robredo's hometown tournament of Barcelona – his first event at the ATP Tour level – he recorded a win over Marat Safin, who was then ranked in the world's top thirty, before going on to lose to top ten player Todd Martin.
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Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtomaːʃ ˈbɛrdɪx]; born September 17, 1985, in Valašské Meziříčí) is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semi-finals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters (which is a part of the ATP Masters 1000) in 2005. He has since reached the finals of the Miami Masters in 2010 and the Madrid Open in 2012, losing to Andy Roddick and Roger Federer, respectively. He reached a career high of World No. 6 on October 18, 2010.
Berdych turned pro in 2002, winning two Futures events, both in his country of the Czech Republic, in Czech F8 defeating Pavel Šnobel in the finals 6–2, 6–3, and in Czech F5 defeating Ladislav Chramosta 6–4, 6–3.
In 2003, Berdych won three Futures events in Great Britain F5 over Peter Clarke 6–1, 6–4, in the Challenger in Budaors, Hungary over Ivaylo Traykov 6–2, 6–3, and Challenger of Graz, Austria Julian Knowle 6–4, 5–7, 6–2. He also reached the final of Great Britain F1, losing to Wesley Moodie 6–7, 6–7. He also reached six other semifinals. He won his first ATP Tour match in the 2003 US Open over Tomas Behrend 5–7, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3, but lost in the next round to Juan Ignacio Chela 6–2, 1–6, 4–6, 3–6.
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Tony Roche
Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche (born 17 May 1945) is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles, reaching a career-high singles ranking of World No. 2. He is also very well known for coaching multi-Grand Slam winning World No. 1s, Ivan Lendl, Patrick Rafter, Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt and former World No. 4, Jelena Dokić.
Roche grew up playing in Australia under the tutelage of Harry Hopman, who also coached other Australian tennis players such as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.
A left-hander, Roche had a successful singles and double career. He won one singles Grand Slam tournament, the 1966 French Open at Roland Garros. He was five times the runner-up at Grand Slam tournaments: the French Championships in 1965 and 1967, Wimbledon in 1968, and the US Open in 1969 and 1970. With John Newcombe, he won 12 Grand Slam men's doubles tournaments.
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Tracy Austin
Tracy Ann Austin Holt (born December 12, 1962, in Palos Verdes, California) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States who won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1979 and 1981 and the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1980, before a series of injuries cut her career short.
Austin defeated 35-year-old Billie Jean King in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1979 6–4, 6–7, 6–2 before losing to Martina Navrátilová in straight sets in the semifinals. Austin then became the youngest ever US Open champion, aged 16 years and 9 months. In the final, she faced Chris Evert who was bidding to win the title for the fifth consecutive year: Austin won the match 6–4, 6–3. Earlier that year, Austin had ended Evert's 125-match winning streak on clay by beating her in three sets in a semifinal of the Italian Open.
Austin lost in the semifinals of both Grand Slam tournaments she played in 1980. Evonne Goolagong Cawley, seeded fourth and the eventual champion, defeated Austin 6–3, 0–6, 6–4 at Wimbledon. As the top seed and defending champion at the US Open, Austin was expected to extend her five-match winning streak against third-ranked Evert. Austin raced to a 4–0 lead in the first set before Evert won 16 of the final 20 games to take the match 4–6, 6–1, 6–1. Evert went on to beat Hana Mandlíková in the final, thus securing for herself the year-ending World No. 1 ranking. Austin was ranked the World No. 1 singles player at times during 1980/81, partly because she captured the two sponsors' tour-ending events, defeating Navrátilová to win the Avon Championships in March and Andrea Jaeger to capture the Colgate Series Championships in January 1981. In 1980, Austin won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with her brother John, becoming the first brother and sister team ever to win a Grand Slam title together.
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Travis Parrott
Travis Parrott (born August 16, 1980 in Portland, Oregon) is an American professional ATP tennis doubles player. He is primarily a doubles specialist. Travis is the son of Brian Parrott, a pro tennis organizer who helped bring a pair of Davis Cup events to Portland in the 1980s.
Parrott competed in the doubles at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, where he won his first round match with his partner Filip Polášek against sixth seeded Czech duo Pavel Vízner and Martin Damm 6-4, 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-4. He and Polasek and defeated South African Rik de Voest and Polish player Łukasz Kubot 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. In the third round, they were defeated by Leander Paes and Lukáš Dlouhý, 7-6(2), 7-6(6), 6-4.
Parrott also participated in the 2008 French Open with Polasek, losing in the first round, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. He was a surprise winner of the Mixed Doubles 2009 US Open with Carly Gullickson as wildcards. This was the first time they'd ever played together, and Gullickson had originally planned to team with Rajeev Ram. In 2010, Parrott planned on playing with Alex Belote, but their partnership has been put on hold.
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Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgarian: Цветана Кирилова Пиронкова) (born 13 September 1987) is a Bulgarian tennis player. She was born and lives in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Pironkova is right-handed and plays with a two-handed backhand. She achieved her career high of world no. 31 on 13 September 2010. She is best known for defeating Venus Williams three times at Grand Slam tournaments. She is currently the Bulgarian No. 1, and has won six ITF titles in her career. She has been recognized as one of the most beautiful women in sports by MSN.
Pironkova was born in 1987 to Kiril Enchev Pironkov, a former canoeing champion and Radosveta Chinkova Nikolova, a former swimming champion. She started playing tennis at the age of 4, when her father Kiril introduced her to the game. Kiril later became her coach.
Pironkiva plays right-handed, and uses a double backhand. In 2001, Pironkova won the Atlantic Cup International Junior Tournament held in Bulgaria, and her career high in juniors was world no. 227 on 25 March 2002.
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Vania King
Vania King (traditional Chinese: 金久慈, simplified Chinese: 金久慈, Hanyu Pinyin: Jīn Jiǔcí) (born February 3, 1989 in Monterey Park, California, US) is a Taiwanese American female tennis player. King won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles with Kazakh partner Yaroslava Shvedova.
King's parents moved to the United States from Taiwan in 1982. She is the youngest of four children. Her brother Phillip was a four-time All-American at Duke University and two-time US junior champion.
In 2006 King won her only WTA singles title at the PTT Bangkok Open, a Tier III tournament with $200,000 in total prize money. She defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn in the final. On November 6, 2006, King achieved her career-high singles ranking of 50th overall.
In 2009, she reached the Mixed Doubles final at the French Open, alongside Brazilian player Marcelo Melo, losing to number 1 seeds Liezel Huber/Bob Bryan.
King lost in the second round of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships to No. 15 Flavia Pennetta. She played in the ladies doubles with Anna-Lena Grönefeld, losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Venus and Serena Williams.
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Varvara Lepchenko
Varvara Petrovna Lepchenko (Russian: Варвара Петровна Лепченко; born May 21, 1986 in Tashkent, Soviet Union) is an Uzbek-American female professional tennis player. She reached her singles career high of no. 59 on May 14, 2012. She has won eleven ITF singles titles during her career.
Lepchenko was born in 1986 and started playing tennis at age seven; her father Petr became her coach. She reached a junior career high of no. 244 on January 5, 2004. She turned pro in 2001.
In 2006, she reached the second round of the US Open, and later that year she reached her career high of no. 84 on October 2, 2006. She has won eleven ITF titles in her career, all in the United States. Her most recent title came in 2011, in Kansas City, MO. In the 2009 MPS Group Championships, as a lucky loser, she upset 4 seed Patty Schnyder in the first round. She also reached the final of an ITF tournament in Cuneo this year.
In 2011, Lepchenko recorded the biggest win of her career by defeating 18th seed Flavia Pennetta in the first round of the French Open.[citation needed]
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Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980), is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 53 as of May 28, 2012 in singles. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first black woman to achieve this feat during the Open Era.
Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list and is more than any other active female player except for her younger sister Serena Williams. Venus Williams' titles consist of: seven in singles, twelve in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Those seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth place on the all-time list. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. Venus Williams is one of only three women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships through the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.
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Vera Dushevina
Vera Yevgenyevna Dushevina (Вера Евгеньевна Душевина; born 6 October 1986) is a Russian professional female tennis player. She was born in Moscow but now resides in Khimki, Russia. In 2006, she privately amended the presentation of her surname so as to be more English-language-friendly, adopting Dushevina in place of Douchevina.
Dushevina began playing tennis at the age of seven under her father, Yevgeny, an engineer. Her mother, Elena is a teacher.[citation needed]
Vera played her first Main Draw match at the 2002 J&S Cup by qualifying but lost to Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–1, 7–6(2). She was able to win her first WTA tour match at the 2003 NASDAQ-100 Open, after qualifying she defeated Patricia Wartusch 6–0, 6–3 but lost to fourth seed Justine Henin 6–3, 6–2 in the second round. She then won her first professional tour title at the ITF in Innsbruck, Austria coming through the qualifying draw and defeating Melinda Czink 7–6(4), 6–2 in the final. In her next tournament she was able to reach her first WTA Tour semifinals at the 2003 Nordea Nordic Light Open including defeating her first top 50 player, world no. 35 Denisa Chládková 6–2, 6–3 but lost to Jelena Kostanić in the semifinals. She then played her first Slam main draw match after qualifying but lost to Ashley Harkleroad 6–4, 6–2 in the first round. In the 2003 Kremlin Cup she upset then world no. 28 Lisa Raymond 6–2, 7–6(4), but lost to 7th seed Vera Zvonareva 6–2, 6–1.
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Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva (Russian: Вера Игоревна Звонарёва, pronounced [ˈvʲerə zvənɐˈrʲɵvə] ( listen); born September 7, 1984) is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 11. Zvonareva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the finals of the 2008 WTA Tour Championships, 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and 2010 US Open. She also was a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Zvonareva was born September 7, 1984 in Moscow to Igor Zvonarev and Nataliya Zvonareva (née Bykova). Igor played Bandy in the USSR championship with Dynamo Moscow, while Nataliya played field hockey and was the bronze medalist at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Vera was introduced to tennis at the age of six by her mother, although no other members of her family play tennis.
Zvonareva started to compete on the ITF Circuit in 1999, debuting at an ITF tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia. She won three qualifying matches there to reach the main draw before losing in the first round. The next year, she won an ITF event in Moscow, Russia without dropping a set, despite being unranked. The event was just the second event she had played in her professional career. Five weeks later, she made her WTA-level debut at the Tier I tournament in Moscow, beating World No. 148 Elena Bovina, before losing to World No. 11 Anna Kournikova in the second round. In 2001, she failed to qualify for WTA events in Key Biscayne, Florida and Moscow, but reached a semifinal at the ITF Circuit tournament in Civitanova, Italy. During this time, she also showed her adeptness in juniors' competition by winning the Orange Bowl under-18s event in 2000 and 2001.
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Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka (Belarusian: Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка, Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current World No. 1 as of 28 May 2012.
She won the 2012 Australian Open singles title, becoming the first Belarusian player to win a Grand Slam in singles. Her other achievements include winning two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, the 2007 US Open with Max Mirnyi and the 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan.
At age 16, Azarenka moved to Scottsdale, Arizona from Minsk, Belarus, to train. In this she was aided by National Hockey League goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and his wife, who is a friend of Azarenka's mother. In 2010 she briefly considered a break from the sport of tennis to focus on education, however, after a conversation with her grandmother she decided to continue playing. It is the inspiration from her grandmother that is regarded as the key for her continued developments in the sport. Azarenka is romantically involved with tennis player Sergei Bubka Jr, son of former Olympic gold medalist and World Champion, Sergey Bubka.
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Virginia Ruzici
Virginia Ruzici (born 31 January 1955) is a former professional tennis player from Romania. She was born in Câmpia Turzii, Romania and turned professional in 1975. One of her main assets on court was her powerful forehand.
In a career spanning twelve years, Ruzici won 11 career singles titles, including one Grand Slam title, the 1978 French Open. In the final she beat 1977 French Open champion Mima Jaušovec 6–2, 6–2. Ruzici also won the French Open doubles event with Jaušovec in 1978 and reached the mixed doubles final in 1977, making her one of only seven women to reach all three finals of one Grand Slam in the open era.[citation needed]
Ruzici remained in the world's top twenty from 1977 to 1983. She regularly featured in the Romania Fed Cup team throughout her career, and began playing for them in 1973, two years before turning professional.
At Wimbledon 1978, Ruzici lost a notable match in the quarter final round to the Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley who was playing with an injured ankle. Cawley's injury lead to her collapsing on court and her husband, Roger Cawley, came on to the court to aid his wife, technically defaulting the Australian from the match. When Mrs. Cawley recovered, Ruzici agreed to continue the match, but lost 7–5 6–3 and was praised for her sportsmanship. It has often been stated during TV commentaries that Ruzici's victory in 1980 at a tournament in Salt Lake City was watched by Richard Williams who was inspired by her triumph and prize money to teach his daughters Venus Williams & Serena Williams to play tennis.
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Virginia Wade
Sarah Virginia Wade, OBE (born 10 July 1945) is a former English tennis player. She won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships. She won the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, in that tournament's centenary year, the last time any Briton has won a singles championship at that tournament. After retiring from competitive tennis, she coached for four years.
Born in Bournemouth in England, Wade learned to play tennis in South Africa, where her parents moved when she was one year old. Her father was the Archdeacon of Durban. When Wade was 15, the family moved back to England and she went to Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and Talbot Heath School. She went on to study mathematics and physics at the University of Sussex, graduating in 1966.
Wade's tennis career spanned the end of the amateur era and the start of the open era. In 1968, she scored two notable firsts. As an amateur, she won the inaugural open tennis competition — the British Hard Court Open at Bournemouth. She turned down the US$720 first prize. Five months later, she had become a professional and captured the women's singles championship at the first U.S. Open (and the prize-money of $6,000)($40,100 today), defeating Billie Jean King in the final.
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Vivian Cheruiyot
Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (born September 11, 1983 in Keiyo District) is an athlete from Kenya who specialises in long distance running. She represented Kenya at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics. Cheruiyot won a silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and became the world champion in the event at the 2009 edition.
After taking a silver at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, she won a number of outdoor titles that year, becoming African champion, Commonwealth Games champion and IAAF Continental Cup champion, as well as winning the 2010 IAAF Diamond League title.
She holds the Kenyan record and Commonwealth record for the 5000 m with her best time of 14:20.89, which was set at the DN Galan in 2011.
Cheruiyot is trained by Ricky Simms. She was born near Keiyo in the Rift Valley Province, coming from the same village as another female runner Alice Timbilili.
Her breakthrough year came in 1999: at the age of fifteen she took the junior silver medal at the 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships behind Werknesh Kidane. At the 1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics she won the bronze medal in the 3000 metres. She earned a senior call-up for the 1999 All-Africa Games, where she managed a bronze medal in the 5000 metres. She became the junior champion at the 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She gained selection for the 2000 Olympic Games and reached the 5000 m final after setting personal bests in the qualifying rounds. She was much slower in the final and was the last runner to finish.
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Wayne Black
Wayne Hamilton Black (born 17 November 1973 in Salisbury, now Harare) is a former professional male tennis player from Zimbabwe.
Black is the son of Don and Velia Black and the brother of Cara Black and Byron Black, also professional tennis players. He attended the University of Southern California and was an All-American in singles and doubles (1993, 1994). Black retired from the doubles circuit at the end of 2005. He won two men's doubles Grand Slam titles (2001 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open) with compatriot Kevin Ullyett and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (2002 French Open and 2004 Wimbledon) with sister Cara.
As a junior Wayne played league tennis for Highlands Sports Club in Harare.
Black reached his career-high doubles ranking of 4 on 31 January 2005, following his second Grand Slam title win at the 2005 Australian Open with compatriot Kevin Ullyett. Black, like his two siblings, was a doubles specialist.
A = did not attend tournament
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Wendy Turnbull
Wendy Turnbull, MBE, (born 26 November 1952 in Brisbane, Australia) is a retired Australian professional tennis player. During her career, she won 9 Grand Slam titles, 4 of them in women's doubles and 5 of them in mixed doubles. She also was a 3-time Grand Slam singles runner-up and won 13 singles titles and 55 doubles titles.
Turnbull turned professional in 1975. Her career high rankings were third in singles and fifth in doubles. She was ranked in the year-end world top 20 for ten consecutive years (1977 through 1986) and in the year-end world top 10 for eight consecutive years from 1977 to 1984. She was nicknamed "Rabbit" by her peers because of her foot speed around the court.
Turnbull was a singles runner-up at the 1977 US Open, the 1979 French Open, and the 1980 Australian Open. She won four women's doubles titles and five mixed doubles titles at Grand Slam events.
She was a 12-time runner-up in Grand Slam doubles events: eleven times in women's doubles and one time in mixed doubles. Nine of her eleven women's doubles losses were to teams that included Martina Navratilova.
wn.com/Wendy_Turnbull -
Wikipedia Persondata
wn.com/Wikipedia_Persondata -
Winifred McNair
Winifred Margaret Slocock McNair (9 August 1877 – 28 March 1954) was a female tennis player from Great Britain. She is best remembered for her women's doubles (partnering Kathleen McKane) gold medal at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.
1This was actually the all-comers final as Ethel Thomson Larcombe did not defend her 1912 Wimbledon title, which resulted in the winner of the all-comers final winning the challenge round and, thus, Wimbledon in 1913 by walkover.
wn.com/Winifred_McNair -
Yan Zi
Yan Zi (Chinese: 晏紫; pinyin: Yàn Zī; born November 12, 1984 in Chengdu, Sichuan), is a Chinese professional tennis player.
In 2005, at the age of 20, Yan Zi won her first and only WTA Tour singles title at the Guangzhou Tier III tournament. The tournament did not have any major players.
In singles, she first reached the World Top 100 in January 2006, achieving a then career-high of World No. 72 that March before failing to defend her breakthrough run of results the previous year and dropping back outside the Top 100 that October. Her ranking had slumped to 262 by February 2007 after a year of disappointing results, but her results then picked up again over the rest of 2007; and she regained the top 100 for the first time in ten months after a spectacular run at Canada's Tier I Rogers Cup in August, reaching the semifinals before finally being heavily defeated by World No. 1 Justine Henin 3–6, 0–6.
In doubles, Yan Zi's highest ranking to date is number 4 and she has won two grand slam titles partnering with Zheng Jie. While she has been good at doubles, her singles performance has been inconsistent as her form fluctuates. She has winning records against top 10 stars Jelena Janković 2–0, Ana Ivanović 1–0, and Marion Bartoli 1–0.
wn.com/Yan_Zi -
Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova (Russian: Яросла́ва Вячесла́вовна Шве́дова, born 12 September 1987 in Moscow) is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player of Russian descent. She has achieved a career high ranking of No. 29 as of 21 June 2010. She has won 1 WTA singles title, 3 ITF Women's Circuit singles titles and 3 doubles titles, including the 2010 Wimbledon and US Open Ladies' Doubles titles. She was taught tennis at the age of six by her father who is currently her coach. She has made one Grand Slam singles quarterfinal, at the 2010 French Open.
In February 2007, she unexpectedly reached the final of the Sony Ericsson International, beating homecrowd favourite and No.2 seed Sania Mirza in the quarterfinals, 6–7 (2–7), 6–4, 6–4. In the final, she defeated top-seeded defending champion Mara Santangelo 6–4, 6–4, to win her first WTA Tour title. This win caused her to be in the top 100 for the first time, at 78.
At the 2007 Miami Masters, she came through qualifying and impressively recorded her first-ever top 20 win over future number one Ana Ivanović in the second round, beating her 7–5, 6–4. Tathiana Garbin beat her 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 in the third round.
wn.com/Yaroslava_Shvedova -
Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (Russian: Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, Elena Gadžievna Isinbaeva) (born 3 June 1982) is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 2008), a five-time World Champion and the current world record holder in the event. As a result of her accomplishments, she is widely considered the greatest female pole-vaulter of all time.
Isinbayeva has been a major champion on nine occasions (Olympic, World outdoor and indoor champion and European outdoor and indoor champion). She was also the jackpot winner of the IAAF Golden League series in 2007 and 2009. After poor performances at world championships in 2009 and 2010, she took a year-long break from the sport.
She became the first woman to clear the five-metre barrier in 2005. Isinbayeva's current world records are 5.06 m outdoors, a record Isinbayeva set in Zurich in August 2009, and 5.01 m indoors, a record set in February 2012. The latter was Isinbayeva's twenty-eighth pole vault world record.
Isinbayeva was named Female Athlete of the Year by the IAAF in 2004, 2005 and 2008, and World Sportswoman of the Year by Laureus in 2007 and 2009. She was given the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports in 2009. She is one of only seven athletes (along with Valerie Adams, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jacques Freitag, Jana Pittman, Dani Samuels) to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletic event.
wn.com/Yelena_Isinbayeva -
Yetunde Price
Yetunde Hawanya Tara Price (August 9, 1972 – September 14, 2003) was the elder half-sister and personal assistant to leading tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. At the time of her death, she was 31 years old, the eldest of Oracene Price's five daughters, mother of three children, a registered nurse and owner of a beauty salon. Price came into the public eye when she was the victim of murder by shooting on September 14, 2003, in Compton, in Los Angeles County, California, known for its history of gang violence. She was shot in the head while riding in an SUV driven by her boyfriend (whom police reported was the intended victim) and died at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.
Compton rapper Game's song "Dreams" is dedicated to her memory, as it states at the end of the track.
Southside Crips gang member Robert Edward Maxfield, 25, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter on March 22, 2006, the day before his third trial for the killing was scheduled to start. The first two trials ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict. Prosecutors alleged during trial that Maxfield, surrounded by fellow gang members at a crack house, seized a firearm and took aim at the SUV when it approached. On April 6, 2006, Judge Steven Suzukawa sentenced Maxfield to 15 years in prison.
wn.com/Yetunde_Price -
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie (simplified Chinese: 郑洁; traditional Chinese: 鄭潔; pinyin: Zhèng Jié, Mandarin pronunciation: [tʂə̂ŋ tɕjɛ̌]; born 5 July 1983 in Chengdu, Sichuan) is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on 18 May 2009. As of 7 May 2012, Zheng is ranked World No. 33 in singles and World No. 17 in doubles.
Zheng is one of the most successful tennis players from China. She has won four WTA singles titles – Hobart in 2005 and Estoril, Stockholm in 2006, and Auckland in 2012. She has also won twelve doubles titles, eleven of them with Yan Zi including Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2006. She won the bronze medal in doubles with Yan Zi at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her career high doubles ranking is World No. 3. Zheng has reached the singles semi-finals at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, defeating a World No. 1, Ana Ivanović, in the process, becoming the first Chinese female player to advance to the semi-finals at a Grand Slam. She also advanced to the semi-finals at the 2010 Australian Open.
wn.com/Zheng_Jie -
Zina Garrison
Zina Lynna Garrison (born November 16, 1963 in Houston, Texas) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. During her career, she was a women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1990, a three-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, and a women's doubles gold medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games.
An African-American and the youngest of seven children, Garrison started playing tennis at the age of 10 and entered her first tournament at the age of 12. Her success as a junior player quickly made the tennis world take notice. At the age of 14 she won the national girls' 18s title. And then in 1981, she won both the Wimbledon and US Open junior titles and was ranked the World No. 1 junior player. Garrison graduated from Sterling High School in Houston in 1982.
Garrison began suffering from the eating disorder bulimia when she was 19, following the death of her mother. "I had never been comfortable with my looks and felt I had lost the only person who loved me unconditionally", Garrison told the British Observer Sport Monthly in 2006. "The pressure of being labeled 'the next Althea Gibson' only made things worse. I felt I was never going to be allowed to grow into just becoming me."[citation needed]
wn.com/Zina_Garrison
Williams, Serena Filmography
- WimbleToad (2014)
- WimbleToad (2014)
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2012 (2012)
- TeenNick Halo Awards (2011)
- I Like How It Feels (2011)
- 125 Years of Wimbledon: You Cannot Be Serious (2011)
- French Open 2010 (2010)
- Wimbledon Championships 2010 (2010)
- Wimbledon Official Film 2010 (2010)
- Wimbledon Official Film 2009 (2009)
- Arthur Ashe Kids' Day 2009 (2009)
- Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation (2009)
- MTV Video Music Awards 2009 (2009)
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2009 (2009)
- US Open 2009 (2009)
- Wimbledon Championships 2009 (2009)
- The Minerva Awards 2008: Billie Jean King (2008)
- US Open 2008 (2008)
- Arthur Ashe Kids' Day 2008 (2008)
- Props (2007)
- Forbes Celebrity 100: Who Made Bank? (2006)
- Arthur Ashe Kids' Day (2006)
- The History of Argentine Tennis (2006)
- 2005 American Music Awards (2005)
- 25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Special (2005)
- 2005 Trumpet Awards (2005)
- Before, During and 'After the Sunset' (2005)
- Charity Jam (2005)
- ESPY Awards (2005)
- Out of Africa: Heroes and Icons (2005)
- Fashion Rocks (2004)
- Hair Show (2004)
- Non-Denominational All-Star Celebrity Holiday Special (2004)
- The Teen Choice Awards 2004 (2004)
- VH1 Big in 04 (2004)
- ESPY Awards (2004)
- The Jazzspel with Eric J (2003)
- Raising Tennis Aces: The Williams Story (2003)
- ESPY Awards (2003)
- Elvis Lives (2003)
- MTV Video Music Awards 2003 (2003)
- She Got Game (2003)
- Glam Slam: WTA Fashion Show (2003)
- Cleavage (2002)
- Heroes of Black Comedy (2002)
- ESPY Awards (2002)
- VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards (2002)
- Essence Awards (2001)
- Sydney 2000: Games of the XXVII Olympiad (2000)
Famous quotes by Serena Williams:
"I'm not used to crying. . . . It's a little difficult. All my life I've had to fight. It's just another fight I'm going to have to learn how to win, that's all. I'm just going to have to keep smiling."
"All my life I've kinda dreamed of being the best, and doing the best, and it hasn't always been easy for me. So I've been trying, but it's really special to have come such a long way, it's just really fulfilling. And the fact that I'm just making history right now and the fact that I was able to win four in a row, it doesn't happen every day."
"I was just tired of losing. . . . Life was passing me by."
"I talked with Tom Hanks. I saw that movie 'Turner and Hooch' at least 50 times. It took all my guts to go up to him. I went up to him, I was like, 'Can I have a picture?' We talked acting; he wanted to know what I was doing. We talked a little tennis. I mean, he knew all about myself and my sister."
"I can't become satisfied, because if I get satisfied, I'll be like, "Oh, I've won Wimbledon, I've won the U.S. Open. Now can I relax." But now people are really going to be fighting to beat me."
"Family's first, and that's what matters most. We realize that our love goes deeper than the tennis game."
"I decided I can't pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it."
"Venus told me the other day that champions don't get nervous in tight situations. That really helped me a lot. I decided I shouldn't get nervous and just do the best I can."
"Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come."
"For the younger sisters, we always look up to the older sisters because they're always ahead of us and they always win."
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[HD] Serena Williams vs Sharapova Istanbul 2012 Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 17:50
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova against 3rd seed Serena Williams Final from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul
http://wn.com/_HD_Serena_Williams_vs_Sharapova_Istanbul_2012_Highlights
No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova against 3rd seed Serena Williams Final from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul
[HD] Serena Williams vs Azarenka Istanbul 2012 Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:52
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
3rd seed Serena Williams against No. 1 Seed Victoria Azarenka Semi Final Match from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul
http://wn.com/_HD_Serena_Williams_vs_Azarenka_Istanbul_2012_Highlights
3rd seed Serena Williams against No. 1 Seed Victoria Azarenka Semi Final Match from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul
- published: 26 Oct 2012
- views: 36700
- author: MrPieroTWV2
Full Match Serena Williams vs. Victoria Azarenka 2012 WTA Istanbul Annual Finals Red Group
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 94:23
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
Full Match Serena Williams vs. Victoria Azarenka 2012 WTA Istanbul Annual Finals Red Group
http://wn.com/Full_Match_Serena_Williams_vs_Victoria_Azarenka_2012_WTA_Istanbul_Annual_Finals_Red_Group
Full Match Serena Williams vs. Victoria Azarenka 2012 WTA Istanbul Annual Finals Red Group
- published: 25 Oct 2012
- views: 34679
- author: garrylegrand
Serena Williams vs Andrea Hlavackova 2012 US Open Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:36
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Serena Williams vs Andrea Hlavackova 2012 US Open 4th round Highlights. Serena wins 6-0 6-0
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_vs_Andrea_Hlavackova_2012_US_Open_Highlights
Serena Williams vs Andrea Hlavackova 2012 US Open 4th round Highlights. Serena wins 6-0 6-0
- published: 03 Sep 2012
- views: 34878
- author: JOTennisVids
[HD] Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka US Open 2012 Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 22:52
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
No. 4 seed Serena Williams against 1st seed Victoria Azarenka final match highlights from the US Open 2012, New York Match highlights and trophy presentation.
http://wn.com/_HD_Serena_Williams_vs_Victoria_Azarenka_US_Open_2012_Highlights
No. 4 seed Serena Williams against 1st seed Victoria Azarenka final match highlights from the US Open 2012, New York Match highlights and trophy presentation.
- published: 10 Sep 2012
- views: 74539
- author: MrPieroTWV2
Venus Williams/Serena Williams vs Lisa Raymond/Liezel Huber 2012 Wimbledon SF Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:14
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
Highlights between the William Sisters aganist Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber.......
http://wn.com/Venus_Williams_Serena_Williams_vs_Lisa_Raymond_Liezel_Huber_2012_Wimbledon_SF_Highlights
Highlights between the William Sisters aganist Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber.......
- published: 19 Jul 2012
- views: 33159
- author: 2991Hawaiianguy
Serena Williams vs Petra Kvitova 2012 Wimbledon Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:09
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Serena vs Zvonareva 2012 London Olympics Highlights here www.telly.com - Serena Williams vs Petra Kvitova 2012 Wimbledon Quarter-final Highlights HD. Full match highlights unlike those crappy ones that are around the same length but only part of the match.
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_vs_Petra_Kvitova_2012_Wimbledon_Highlights
Serena vs Zvonareva 2012 London Olympics Highlights here www.telly.com - Serena Williams vs Petra Kvitova 2012 Wimbledon Quarter-final Highlights HD. Full match highlights unlike those crappy ones that are around the same length but only part of the match.
- published: 03 Jul 2012
- views: 80567
- author: JOTennisVids
Serena Williams vs Angelique Kerber 2012 YEC Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:18
- Updated: 23 Dec 2012
Serena Williams vs Angelique Kerber 2012 WTA Tour BNP Paribas Year End Championships Istanbul Round Robin Highlights
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_vs_Angelique_Kerber_2012_YEC_Highlights
Serena Williams vs Angelique Kerber 2012 WTA Tour BNP Paribas Year End Championships Istanbul Round Robin Highlights
- published: 23 Oct 2012
- views: 11410
- author: JOTennisVids
David Letterman - Serena Williams
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:08
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
Golden Slam champ Serena Williams discusses Wimbeldon, the Olympics and taping her feet for success on the court.
http://wn.com/David_Letterman_Serena_Williams
Golden Slam champ Serena Williams discusses Wimbeldon, the Olympics and taping her feet for success on the court.
- published: 23 Aug 2012
- views: 259597
- author: CBS
Serena Williams does Karaoke with Jimmy Fallon
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:56
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
Recorded on September 11, 2012 using a Flip Video camera.
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_does_Karaoke_with_Jimmy_Fallon
Recorded on September 11, 2012 using a Flip Video camera.
- published: 11 Sep 2012
- views: 61004
- author: Johnny M
Wimbledon 2012 Final Highlights - Serena Williams Wins Fifth Wimbledon Crown
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:21
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Watch highlights as Serena Williams seals her fifth Wimbledon singles crown and her 14th Grand Slam title with a 6-1 5-7 6-2 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska. The title is Williams' first Grand Slam victory since winning Wimbledon in 2010 and sees her match sister Venus's five Wimbledon titles. If you like this video please subscribe to my channel to see more videos like this. Also when you click 'Like' please share on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks
http://wn.com/Wimbledon_2012_Final_Highlights_Serena_Williams_Wins_Fifth_Wimbledon_Crown
Watch highlights as Serena Williams seals her fifth Wimbledon singles crown and her 14th Grand Slam title with a 6-1 5-7 6-2 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska. The title is Williams' first Grand Slam victory since winning Wimbledon in 2010 and sees her match sister Venus's five Wimbledon titles. If you like this video please subscribe to my channel to see more videos like this. Also when you click 'Like' please share on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks
- published: 07 Jul 2012
- views: 82515
- author: beanyman62
Serena Williams Reflects On 2012 US Open Title
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 23:24
- Updated: 22 Dec 2012
Serena Williams reflects on winning her 4th US Open crown & 15th Grand Slam title on Sunday after defeating Victoria Azarenka. For more videos & live matches visit: www.usopen.org
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_Reflects_On_2012_US_Open_Title
Serena Williams reflects on winning her 4th US Open crown & 15th Grand Slam title on Sunday after defeating Victoria Azarenka. For more videos & live matches visit: www.usopen.org
- published: 10 Sep 2012
- views: 17637
- author: wta
Serena Williams Discusses 2 Gold Medals and Crip Walk Dance at Olympics 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:40
- Updated: 22 Dec 2012
Serena William Discuss taking two gold medals in Tennis Olymics Venus and Serena Williams won the women's doubles title on Sunday at the Olympics, giving the sisters 4 medals.
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_Discusses_2_Gold_Medals_and_Crip_Walk_Dance_at_Olympics_2012
Serena William Discuss taking two gold medals in Tennis Olymics Venus and Serena Williams won the women's doubles title on Sunday at the Olympics, giving the sisters 4 medals.
- published: 08 Aug 2012
- views: 38391
- author: Superhood357
Serena Williams vs Ekaterina Makarova Full Match US Open 2012 3 Round
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 45:21
- Updated: 12 Dec 2012
Serena Williams (USA)[4] def. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-4 6-0 Complete Serena Williams vs Ekaterina Makarova US Open 2012 3 Round
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_vs_Ekaterina_Makarova_Full_Match_US_Open_2012_3_Round
Serena Williams (USA)[4] def. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-4 6-0 Complete Serena Williams vs Ekaterina Makarova US Open 2012 3 Round
- published: 02 Sep 2012
- views: 8922
- author: garrylegrand
![[HD]Serena William vs Maria Sharapova Final Highlights - WTA Championships Istanbul 2012](http://web.archive.org./web/20121228090956im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/60NWRxKqLoc/default.jpg "[HD]Serena William vs Maria Sharapova Final Highlights - WTA Championships Istanbul 2012")
[HD]Serena William vs Maria Sharapova Final Highlights - WTA Championships Istanbul 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:08
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 to win the WTA Championships for the third time on Oct. 28, 2012
http://wn.com/_HD_Serena_William_vs_Maria_Sharapova_Final_Highlights_WTA_Championships_Istanbul_2012
Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 to win the WTA Championships for the third time on Oct. 28, 2012
- published: 29 Oct 2012
- views: 10513
- author: FootballSky
![[HD] Serena Williams vs Li Na Istanbul 2012 Highlights](http://web.archive.org./web/20121228090956im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wcjsA9JoEYk/default.jpg "[HD] Serena Williams vs Li Na Istanbul 2012 Highlights")
[HD] Serena Williams vs Li Na Istanbul 2012 Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:45
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
3rd seed Serena Williams against 8th Seed Li Na round robin from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul
http://wn.com/_HD_Serena_Williams_vs_Li_Na_Istanbul_2012_Highlights
3rd seed Serena Williams against 8th Seed Li Na round robin from 2012 WTA Tour Championships, Istanbul
- published: 25 Oct 2012
- views: 15388
- author: MrPieroTWV2
Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka Serena WinsTie Break Wimbledon 2012 Semi Finals 05-07-2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:14
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka Serena enters finals Wimbledon 2012 Semi Finals 05-07-2012
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_vs_Victoria_Azarenka_Serena_WinsTie_Break_Wimbledon_2012_Semi_Finals_05-07-2012
Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka Serena enters finals Wimbledon 2012 Semi Finals 05-07-2012
- published: 05 Jul 2012
- views: 84202
- author: SportsEuroFootball
Serena Williams - More Than Just Power
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 20:21
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
For everyone out there who thinks that the only reason Serena Williams has won 15 grand slam singles titles, 13 grand slam doubles titles, 4 Olympic gold medals, and a career Golden Slam is purely because of her "power", think again! While nobody denies that Serena is among the most powerful and athletic women ever to play her sport, these attributes alone do not bring success in a technical sport such as tennis. There are many other powerful athletes on the tennis tour who haven't even come close to matching Serena's accomplishments. Davenport, Kuznetsova, Petrova, Safina, and Sharapova were all "power" players, while Capriati, Clijsters and Henin can all match the athleticism of Williams. Venus can match Serena in both of these categories. But none of them have been able to consistanly achieve as Serena has. The main reason is the mental edge she has over them. This video demonstrates the variety of shots that Serena can employ which often goes overlooked when people just assume that she just hits the ball as hard as she can each stroke. It also shows the strategy that she uses against certain players in different situations. Serena rarely ever gets credit for her technical abilities or her ability to out think her opponents. She scores and A in both categories!
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_More_Than_Just_Power
For everyone out there who thinks that the only reason Serena Williams has won 15 grand slam singles titles, 13 grand slam doubles titles, 4 Olympic gold medals, and a career Golden Slam is purely because of her "power", think again! While nobody denies that Serena is among the most powerful and athletic women ever to play her sport, these attributes alone do not bring success in a technical sport such as tennis. There are many other powerful athletes on the tennis tour who haven't even come close to matching Serena's accomplishments. Davenport, Kuznetsova, Petrova, Safina, and Sharapova were all "power" players, while Capriati, Clijsters and Henin can all match the athleticism of Williams. Venus can match Serena in both of these categories. But none of them have been able to consistanly achieve as Serena has. The main reason is the mental edge she has over them. This video demonstrates the variety of shots that Serena can employ which often goes overlooked when people just assume that she just hits the ball as hard as she can each stroke. It also shows the strategy that she uses against certain players in different situations. Serena rarely ever gets credit for her technical abilities or her ability to out think her opponents. She scores and A in both categories!
- published: 23 Nov 2012
- views: 2285
- author: wesmartin91
Serena Williams vs Li Na 2008 Stuttgart Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:20
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
Serena Williams vs Li Na 2008 Stuttgart 2nd round Highlights. 0-6 6-1 6-4........ Something about Stuttgart and Serena. Lost for the 1st time to Sveta there in 2007 and then to Li in 2008. I make highlights of wins and losses from my faves as I love tennis in general. Plus I know they learn from them.
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_vs_Li_Na_2008_Stuttgart_Highlights
Serena Williams vs Li Na 2008 Stuttgart 2nd round Highlights. 0-6 6-1 6-4........ Something about Stuttgart and Serena. Lost for the 1st time to Sveta there in 2007 and then to Li in 2008. I make highlights of wins and losses from my faves as I love tennis in general. Plus I know they learn from them.
- published: 22 Dec 2012
- views: 519
- author: JOTennisVids
Racist? Serena Williams Responds to Impression
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:10
- Updated: 28 Dec 2012
"Lying low in the offseason doesn't keep Serena Williams from making news. Earlier this month, Williams was inadvertently drawn into a controversy when former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark imitated her at an exhibition in Brazil. Wozniacki made fun of Williams' ample build by stuffing towels into her top and skirt."* Serena Williams has finally responded to Caroline Wozniacki's impression of her in which she stuffed her clothing to look like the voluptuous tennis star. Is Williams okay with it? Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss the imitation and how it was received. *Read more from Douglas Robson/ USA Today: www.usatoday.com
http://wn.com/Racist?_Serena_Williams_Responds_to_Impression
"Lying low in the offseason doesn't keep Serena Williams from making news. Earlier this month, Williams was inadvertently drawn into a controversy when former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark imitated her at an exhibition in Brazil. Wozniacki made fun of Williams' ample build by stuffing towels into her top and skirt."* Serena Williams has finally responded to Caroline Wozniacki's impression of her in which she stuffed her clothing to look like the voluptuous tennis star. Is Williams okay with it? Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss the imitation and how it was received. *Read more from Douglas Robson/ USA Today: www.usatoday.com
- published: 28 Dec 2012
- views: 15016
- author: TheYoungTurks
Full Match Final 2012 WTA Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova Istanbul Annual Championships
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 103:01
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
Full Match + Full Presentation Ceremony Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova Final 2012 WTA Istanbul Annual Championships
http://wn.com/Full_Match_Final_2012_WTA_Serena_Williams_vs_Maria_Sharapova_Istanbul_Annual_Championships
Full Match + Full Presentation Ceremony Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova Final 2012 WTA Istanbul Annual Championships
- published: 28 Oct 2012
- views: 16645
- author: garrylegrand
Serena Williams answers quiz questions
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:22
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Live @ Wimbledon presenter Cara Robinson tests Serena Williams' career knowledge For more great videos visit: www.wimbledon.com
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams_answers_quiz_questions
Live @ Wimbledon presenter Cara Robinson tests Serena Williams' career knowledge For more great videos visit: www.wimbledon.com
- published: 28 Jun 2012
- views: 11947
- author: wimbledon
✚ Serena Williams vs Azarenka - US Open 2012: Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 20:08
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka - US Open 2012 Semi Final Highlights (HD) Please watch in HD(720p) for the best video quality output. ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights!
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Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka - US Open 2012 Semi Final Highlights (HD) Please watch in HD(720p) for the best video quality output. ________________________________________________ ► FACEBOOK: goo.gl ► TWITTER: goo.gl ► YOUTUBE: goo.gl ________________________________________________ ★ Please don't forget to Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE to my Channel for more WTA Highlights!
- published: 12 Sep 2012
- views: 16509
- author: QueenMariaSharapova2
photo: US Navy / HMC Josh Ives
27 Dec 2012
Imperial adventures are nothing new in the Middle East. Neither is their glorification, as Peter O’Toole’s pained Lawrence of Arabia eternally reminds us. But for a decade or so now, things have been heating up, as if to coincide with climate change and fears of declining petroleum reserves ... The Belly for Belligerence? ... The question loomed over beltway intelligentsia like an ephemeral Gordian knot ... We’re All Hawks Now ... While George W ... ....(size: 9.3Kb)
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
27 Dec 2012
Washington. Six people, including two young children, were left dead in weather-related accidents, as winter snowstorms complicated travel for many Americans in the Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday. Snow totals in parts of Indiana ranged from 6 to 12 inches, CNN reported. About 350 snowploughs were clearing roads throughout the city. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told residents they should avoid nonessential travel ... IANS ... ....(size: 2.2Kb)
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra, File
26 Dec 2012
Cairo • The official approval of Egypt’s disputed, Islamist-backed constitution Tuesday held out little hope of stabilizing the country after two years of turmoil and Islamist President Mohammed Morsi may now face a more immediate crisis with the economy falling deeper into distress ... Join the Discussion. The battle over the constitution left Egypt deeply polarized at a time when the government is increasingly cash-strapped ... The U.S ... " ... ....(size: 5.7Kb)
photo: AP / K.M.Chaudary
27 Dec 2012
Large crowds of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) supporters are gathering to mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Ms Bhutto died in a gun and bomb attack during her 2007 election campaign. Hundreds of thousands of people have set up camp near the Bhutto family's ancestral home in Sindh province ... He cannot contest an election until his 25th birthday. Show of strength ... ....(size: 2.4Kb)
TSN Canada
28 Dec 2012
BRISBANE, Australia -- Serena Williams has arrived for the Brisbane International and says she's fine after minor foot surgery that forced her to withdraw from a Thailand exhibition....(size: 0.8Kb)
The Times of India
28 Dec 2012
American superstar Serena Williams has played down concerns about recent foot surgery as she looks to continue her dominance of the women's game at next week's Brisbane International ... The 31-year-old Williams won seven titles in 2012, including Wimbledon, the US Open, the WTA Championship and the Olympics, and finished the year ranked number three in the world ... "It feels great to be back in Brisbane," Williams said....(size: 3.0Kb)
Canberra Times
28 Dec 2012
US tennis star Serena Williams arrived in Brisbane today ... Tennis superstars Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki have arrived in Australia to open their summer campaigns at the Brisbane International. Chasing her sixth Australian Open crown, Williams ... "It feels great to be back in Brisbane," Williams said....(size: 1.6Kb)
The Independent
28 Dec 2012
Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams will be fit to play at the Brisbane International, which begins this weekend, after injury scares, organisers said ... But the Russian, along with Williams one of the biggest draws in women's tennis, is due to arrive for the Dec....(size: 1.2Kb)
Reuters
28 Dec 2012
Serena Williams used the second half of the year to demonstrate that she continues to be head and shoulders above her rivals in the women's game, whatever the rankings suggest ... Fellow 31-year-old Serena Williams had a relatively slow start to the year but after losing in the first round of the French Open to Virginie Razzano she was unstoppable....(size: 5.2Kb)
The Daily Telegraph Australia
28 Dec 2012
It was actually Serena Williams' hitting partner Sascha Bajin who flamed the rumours a month ago, when he tweeted a message of congratulations to the Danish tennis star. While Wozniacki, Williams and Bajin have a history of practical jokes, the jesting may now be proven to have been on the money ......(size: 2.0Kb)
my SA
28 Dec 2012
College basketball. New Mexico shocks No. 8 Cincinnati. ... 8 Cincinnati its first loss ... Cincinnati (12-1) moved up to No ... Tennis ... Sharapova, Serena ready for Brisbane ... French Open champion Maria Sharapova and Wimbledon winner Serena Williams will be ready to play in Brisbane next week after overcoming injury concerns, tournament organizers said. Williams pulled out of an exhibition in Thailand last week after she had surgery on her toes....(size: 4.1Kb)
Canberra Times
28 Dec 2012
Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova, Samantha Stosur, Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt, Marinko Matosevic ... Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin del Potro, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Samantha Stosur, Li Na....(size: 5.6Kb)
Indian Express
28 Dec 2012
Serena Williams used the second half of the year to demonstrate that she continues to be head and shoulders above her rivals in the women's game, whatever the rankings suggest ... Nadal, one of four different winners of the men's grand-slam titles this year, has not played a match since a shock Wimbledon defeat by Lukas Rosol ... contd. PAGE. 1234 ....(size: 1.6Kb)
The Guardian
28 Dec 2012
Dec 28 (Reuters) - Here are the key moments from the world of sports in 2012 ... June 11 - Rafa Nadal beats Novak Djokovic to win the French Open tennis championship for a record seventh time ... July 7 - Serena Williams wins Wimbledon for the fifth time, her first grand slam success since she survived a life-threatening blood clot on her lungs ... September 9 - Serena Williams survives a torrid battle with Victoria Azarenka to win the U.S....(size: 11.9Kb)
Sun Sentinel
28 Dec 2012
(Reuters) - Sporting quotes from 2012.. OLYMPICS. "These were happy and glorious Games," - IOC president Jacques Rogge at the closing ceremony. "I did everything I wanted to ... "I'm now a legend ... - - -. SOCCER ... - - -. TENNIS ... Open ... Each time I just get up and I dust myself off and I pray and I'm able to do better," - Serena Williams after coming back from a life-threatening illness to win the Wimbledon, Olympic and U.S. Open titles. - - -. GOLF ... ....(size: 3.4Kb)
Deccan Chronicle
28 Dec 2012
In 2012, Serena Williams was the player of the year on the WTA Tour, with the veteran American overcoming her worst ever Grand Slam performance -- a first round defeat at the French Open -- to win Wimbledon, the Olympics, US Open and then the end-of-season WTA Championships title. "I definitely think I can improve some more," said Williams, who now has 15 Grand Slam singles titles....(size: 4.3Kb)
The Times of India
28 Dec 2012
In 2012, Serena Williams was the player of the year on the WTA Tour, with the veteran American overcoming her worst ever Grand Slam performance -- a first round defeat at the French Open -- to win Wimbledon, the Olympics, US Open and then the end-of-season WTA Championships title. "I definitely think I can improve some more," said Williams, who now has 15 Grand Slam singles titles....(size: 4.5Kb)
For this tennis player's detailed statistics, records, and other achievements, see Serena Williams career statistics.
 Serena Williams at the 2011 AEGON International |
|
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida[1] |
| Born | (1981-09-26) September 26, 1981 (age 30) Saginaw, Michigan |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 70.3 kg (155 lb) |
| Turned pro | September 1995 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | US$ 36,019,574 (1st all-time among women athletes and 4th all-time among tennis athletes) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 523–106 (83%) |
| Career titles | 41 WTA[1] (10th in overall rankings) |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (July 8, 2002) |
| Current ranking | No. 5 (May 28, 2012) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010) |
| French Open | W (2002) |
| Wimbledon | W (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010) |
| US Open | W (1999, 2002, 2008) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Championships | W (2001, 2009) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 153–20 (88.4%) |
| Career titles | 20 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (June 7, 2010) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010) |
| French Open | W (1999, 2010) |
| Wimbledon | W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009) |
| US Open | W (1999, 2009) |
| Other Doubles tournaments | |
| Olympic Games |  Gold medal (2000, 2008) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career record | 27–3 (90%) |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1999) |
| French Open | F (1998) |
| Wimbledon | W (1998) |
| US Open | W (1998) |
| Last updated on: May 28, 2012. | |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's tennis | ||
| Competitor for the United States |
||
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Doubles |
| Gold | 2008 Beijing | Doubles |
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on November 2, 2009.[2] She is the only female player to have won over $35 million in prize money.
Her 27 Grand Slam titles places her ninth on the all-time list: 13 in singles, 12 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. She was also the first woman, along with sister Venus Williams, to hold all four Grand Slam doubles titles simultaneously since Martina Hingis did so in 1998. Her 13 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list.[3] Williams ranks fourth in Grand Slam women's singles titles won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each).[3] She has won more Major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active player, male or female.
Williams has won two Olympic gold medals in women's doubles.[4] She has won more career prize money than any other female athlete in history.[5] Serena has played older sister Venus in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of these matches. They have met in eight Grand Slam finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, which was the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam finals. The pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles together. She is the first player, male or female, to win 5 Australian Open singles titles during the open era.
Early life[link]
Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan, to Richard Williams and Oracene Price. She is of African American heritage and is the youngest of Price's five daughters: half-sisters Yetunde (1972–2003), Lyndrea and Isha Price, and full sister Venus.[1] When the children were young, the family moved to the city of Compton in Los Angeles county, where Serena started playing tennis at the age of five.[6] Her father home-schooled Serena and her sister Venus[7] and to this day, Serena Williams was and remains coached by both her parents.[1]
Williams' family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach[8] when she was nine so that she could attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci, who would provide additional coaching. Macci spotted the exceptional talents of the sisters. He did not always agree with Williams' father but respected that "he treated his daughters like kids, allowed them to be little girls".[9] Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Williams was 10, since he wanted them to take it slow and focus on school work. Another motivation was racial, as he had allegedly heard parents of white players talk about the Williams sisters in a derogatory manner during tournaments.[10] At that time, Williams had a 46–3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked No. 1 among under 10 players in Florida.[11] In 1995, when Serena was in the ninth grade, Richard pulled his daughters out of Macci's academy, and from then on took over all coaching at their home. When asked in 2000 whether having followed the normal path of playing regularly on the junior circuit would have been beneficial, Williams responded: "Everyone does different things. I think for Venus and I, we just tried a different road, and it worked for us."[11]
Playing style[link]
Williams is primarily a baseline player. Her game is built around taking immediate control of rallies with a powerful and consistent serve (considered by some to be the best in the women's game),[12] return of serve, and forceful groundstrokes from both her forehand and backhand swings. Williams' forehand is considered to be among the most powerful shots in the women's game as is her double-handed backhand. Williams strikes her backhand groundstroke using an open stance, and uses the same open stance for her forehand. Williams's aggressive play, a "high risk" style, is balanced in part by her serve, which combines great power and placement with very high consistency.[13] Her serve has been hit as hard as 128 mph (206.5 km/h), the second-fastest all-time among female players (Venus recorded the fastest with 129 mph).[citation needed] Serena also possesses a very solid volley and powerful overhead which is very useful for her net game. Although many think of Williams as only an offensive player, she also plays a strong defensive game.[14]
Professional career[link]
1995–98: Professional debut[link]
Williams's first professional event was in September 1995, at the age of 13, at the Bell Challenge in Quebec City. She lost in the first round of qualifying to world no. 149 Annie Miller in less than an hour of play and earned US$240 in prize money.
Williams did not play a tournament in 1996. The following year, she lost in the qualifying rounds of three tournaments, before winning her first main-draw match in November at the Ameritech Cup Chicago. Ranked world no. 304, she upset world no. 7 Mary Pierce and world no. 4 Monica Seles, recording her first career wins over top 10 players and becoming the lowest-ranked player in the open era to defeat two top 10 opponents in one tournament.[1] She ultimately lost in the semifinals to world no. 5 Lindsay Davenport. She finished 1997 ranked world no. 99.
Williams began 1998 at the Medibank International Sydney. As a qualifier ranked world no. 96, she defeated world no. 3 Davenport in the quarterfinals, before losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the semifinals. Williams made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open, where she defeated sixth-seeded Irina Spîrlea in the first round, before losing to sister Venus in the second round in the sisters' first professional match.[15] Williams reached six other quarterfinals during the year, but lost all of them, including her first match against world no. 1 Martina Hingis at the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, and her second match against Venus at the Italian Open in Rome. She failed to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam tournament the remainder of the year, losing in the fourth round of the French Open to Sánchez Vicario, and the third round of both Wimbledon and the US Open, to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Spîrlea, respectively. She did, however, win the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi, completing the Williams family's sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slam tournaments. Williams won her first professional title in doubles in Oklahoma City with Venus, becoming the third pair of sisters to win a WTA title.[1] The Williams sisters won two more doubles titles together during the year. Serena finished the year ranked world no. 20 in singles.
1999–2001: Becoming a top-10 player[link]
Williams lost in the third round of the 1999 Australian Open to Sandrine Testud. The following month, she won her first professional singles title, when she defeated Australian Open runner-up Amélie Mauresmo, 6–2, 3–6, 7–6, in the final of the Open Gaz de France in Paris. With Venus also winning the IGA Superthrift Classic in Oklahoma City that day, the pair became the first sisters to win professional tournaments in the same week.[16] A month later, Serena won her first Tier I singles title at the Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California by defeating world no. 7 Steffi Graf, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5, in the final. At the following tournament, the Tier I Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Williams defeated world no. 1 Martina Hingis in the semifinals, before Venus ended her 16-match winning streak in the first all-sister singles final in WTA history.[1] On April 5, 1999, Serena made her top-10 debut at world no. 9.
Williams played three tournaments during the 1999 European spring clay court season. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Tier I Italian Open in Rome to World No. 1 Hingis and in the quarterfinals of the Tier I German Open in Berlin to World No. 7 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Serena and Venus won the women's doubles title at the French Open, but Serena was upset by Mary Joe Fernandez in the third round of the singles competition. She then missed Wimbledon because of injury.
When she returned to the tour, Williams won a Fed Cup singles match, before playing two tournaments during the 1999 North American summer hard-court season. She won the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles, defeating world no. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and Julie Halard-Decugis in the final. Williams was seeded seventh at the US Open, where she defeated world no. 4 Monica Seles, world no. 2 Lindsay Davenport, and world no. 1 Hingis to become the second African-American woman (after Althea Gibson in 1958) to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at this tournament, their second Grand Slam title together.
To complete 1999, Williams won a doubles match in the Fed Cup final against Russia, her third tournament of the year at the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, and lost in the second round of the tournament in Filderstadt. Williams ended the year ranked world no. 4 in just her second full year on the main tour.
Williams started 2000 by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to 16th seeded Elena Likhovtseva. She failed to defend her titles in Paris and Indian Wells, although she did win the Faber Grand Prix in Hanover. Williams missed the French Open because of injury. She returned at Wimbledon, where she lost to eventual champion Venus in the semifinals after Serena had lost just 13 games in advancing to the second Grand Slam semifinal of her career. The Williams sisters teamed to win the doubles title at the event. Williams successfully defended her title in Los Angeles in August, defeating world no. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and world no. 2 Davenport in the final. She reached the final of the Du Maurier Open in Montreal, Canada the following week, where an injury forced her to retire from her match with Hingis. Her defense of the US Open title ended when she lost in the quarterfinals to second-seeded Davenport. Williams teamed with Venus to win the gold medal in doubles at the Sydney Olympics in September. She then won her third singles title of the year the following week at the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo. She finished the year ranked world no. 6.
Williams played two tournaments in Australia at the beginning of 2001, losing to world no. 1 Hingis in the quarterfinals of both the tournament in Sydney and the Australian Open. Serena and her sister Venus won the women's doubles title at the latter tournament, becoming only the fifth doubles team in history to win all four Grand Slam women's doubles titles during their career, a "Career Grand Slam".
She did not play again until March, when she defeated Kim Clijsters in the final of the Tier I Tennis Masters Series in Indian Wells, California. She advanced to the final there when Venus withdrew just before the start of their semifinal match. Venus claimed that an injury prevented her from playing, but the withdrawal was controversial. Neither Williams sister has entered the tournament since.[17] The following week at the Tier I Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Williams lost to Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals.
Williams did not play a clay-court tournament before the 2001 French Open, where she lost in the quarterfinals to Capriati, 2–6, 7–5, 2–6. Williams also did not play a grass-court tournament before Wimbledon, where she again lost in the quarterfinals to Capriati, 7–6, 5–7, 3–6, marking the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament at which Williams had exited in the quarterfinals.
Williams played three tournaments during the 2001 North American summer hard-court season. After losing in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Los Angeles, Williams captured her second title of the year at the Tier I Rogers Cup in Toronto, defeating Seles in the semifinals and world no. 3 Capriati in the final. Williams was seeded tenth at the US Open, where she defeated world no. 6 and Wimbledon runner-up Justine Henin in the fourth round, world no. 3 Davenport in the quarterfinals, and world no. 1 Hingis in the semifinals, before losing to sister Venus in the final. That was the first Grand Slam final contested by two sisters during the open era.
At the 2001-ending Sanex Championships in Munich, Williams defeated Silvia Farina Elia, Henin, and Testud en route to the final. She then won the championship by walkover when Davenport withdrew before the start of the final because of a knee injury. Williams finished 2001 at world no. 6 for the second straight year.
2002–03: The "Serena Slam"[link]
Injury forced Williams to retire from her semifinal match at the Medibank International Sydney and to withdraw from the 2002 Australian Open. She won her first title of the year at the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic in Scottsdale, USA, defeating world no. 2 Jennifer Capriati in the final. She then won the Tier I Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne for the first time, becoming one of three players in the open era to defeat the world's top 3 at one tournament,[1] after beating world no. 3 Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals, world no. 2 and sister Venus in the semifinals, and world no. 1 Capriati in the final. Her 6–2, 6–2 win over Venus was her second career win over her sister.
Williams played three clay court tournaments before the 2002 French Open. Her first tournament was at Charleston, where she was the third seed. Serena reached the quarterfinals after wins over Jennifer Hopkins and Nathalie Dechy, but eventually lost to world no. 30, Patty Schnyder, 6–2, 4–6, 5–7. She reached her first clay-court final in May, at the Eurocard German Open in Berlin, losing to Justine Henin in a third set tiebreak. The following week, Williams won her first clay court title at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating Capriati in the semifinals and Henin in the final.[18] This raised her ranking to a new high of world no. 3. Williams, as the third seed at the French Open, made the last eight at the tournament with wins over Martina Sucha, Dally Randriantefy, Janette Husárová, and a three-set win over Vera Zvonareva. In her quarterfinal match, she defeated '00 champion, Mary Pierce, 6–1, 6–1. In the semifinals, she faced defending champion and world no. 1, Jennifer Capriati. After an outstanding display of tennis, Williams advanced to her first French Open final, 3–6, 7–6, 6–2. In the final, she faced world no. 2 and older sister, Venus. Serena won in the final, 7–5, 6–3, to claim her second Grand Slam title, her first in almost two and a half years. Serena rose to a career high of no. 2 after the win, second only to older sister Venus
At the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, Williams defeated Evie Dominikovic, Francesca Schiavone, Els Callens, and Chanda Rubin to reach her third Wimbledon quarterfinal. In her next match, Williams breezed past Daniela Hantuchová, 6–3, 6–2, and Amélie Mauresmo, 6–2, 6–1, to reach the final for the first time. There, she again defeated defending champion and no. 1 Venus, 7–6, 6–3, to win a Grand Slam singles title without dropping a set for the first time in her career. This victory earned Williams the world no. 1 ranking, dethroning her sister and becoming only the second African-American woman to hold that ranking.[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at the tournament, the fifth Grand Slam doubles title for the pair.
Williams played just one tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open, losing in the quarterfinals of the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles to Chanda Rubin, ending a 21-match winning streak. As the top-seeded player at the US Open, she defeated Corina Morariu, future rival Dinara Safina, Nathalie Dechy, and Dája Bedáňová to make her fourth consecutive quarterfinal, where she crushed Daniela Hantuchová, 6–2, 6–1, to book a place in the semifinals against former champion and no. 1 Lindsay Davenport. It marked the fourth consecutive time she face Davenport at the US Open. After a tight second set, Serena made her third US Open final in four years, where she faced Venus once more. Serena won the US Open title for the second time with a 6–4, 6–3 win in the final, making it her fourth Grand Slam singles title to date.
Williams won two consecutive singles titles in the fall, defeating Kim Clijsters to win the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo, and Anastasia Myskina to win the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig, Germany. She reached the final at the year-end Home Depot Championships, where she lost to fifth seeded Clijsters in straight sets, ending her 18-match winning streak.
Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 record, eight singles titles, and the world no. 1 ranking. She was the first African-American (male or female) to end a year with that ranking since Althea Gibson in 1958. She was the first woman to win three Grand Slam titles in one year since Hingis in 1997.[1]
At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams went on to reach the semifinals for the first time, where she recovered from 5–2 down in the third set and saved two match points, before defeating Clijsters. She faced her sister Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and won, 7–6, 3–6, 6–4, to become the sixth woman in the open era to complete a Career Grand Slam, joining Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Margaret Court. She also became the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously, joining Maureen Connolly Brinker, Court, Graf, and Navratilova.[19] The Williams sisters won their sixth Grand Slam doubles title together at this event.
Williams then captured singles titles at the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, defeating Clijsters in the semifinals and Capriati in the final. The following week, Williams lost the final at the clay-court Family Circle Cup in Charleston, USA to Henin, her first loss of the year after 21 wins. She also lost to Mauresmo in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Despite these losses, Williams was the top seed at the French Open, where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Henin, 2–6, 6–4, 5–7, marking Williams's first loss in a Grand Slam tournament since 2001. The match was controversial, as Williams questioned Henin's sportsmanship, and spectators applauded Williams's errors.[20] She was know to be dating [Larar Arrington] at the time.
Williams rebounded from the loss at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Henin in the semifinals and Venus in the final, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2. This was Williams' second consecutive Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam singles title overall. This was her last tournament of the year, as knee surgery prevented her from competing in the year's remaining events, including the US Open. As a result, she lost the world no. 1 ranking to Clijsters in August, having held it for 57 consecutive weeks. Williams finished the year ranked world no. 3 and with four titles. On September 14, 2003, while Williams was still recovering from surgery, her sister Yetunde Price was murdered.
2004–06: Injuries and inconsistent results[link]
Williams withdrew from the Australian Open to continue rehabilitating her left knee. She then withdrew from further tournaments, which generated speculation that she was losing interest in the sport.[21] After eight months away from the tour, Williams began her comeback at the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she defeated 16-year-old Russian Maria Sharapova in the fourth round and world no. 8 Elena Dementieva in the final. This was the third consecutive year that Williams had won this tournament.
She then played three clay-court tournaments leading up to the French Open. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, and, the following week at the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, she withdrew before her third-round match because of an injured knee. She was away from the tour for four weeks before playing the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she lost to world no. 9 Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals, 4–6, 4–6. Although ranked world no. 7, she was seeded second at the French Open. She won her first four matches over players ranked outside the top 50, before Capriati beat her in the quarterfinals,3–6, 6–2, 3–6. This was the first time she had lost before the semifinals at a Grand Slam singles tournament since Wimbledon in 2001.
She was seeded first at Wimbledon, even though her ranking had dropped to world no. 10. She reached the final, where she was defeated by 13th-seeded Sharapova 1–6, 4–6. This loss caused her ranking to drop out of the top 10 for the first time since early 1999.
Williams reached her third final of the year at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles on hard courts. She lost there to Lindsay Davenport, 1–6, 3–6, which was her first loss to Davenport since the 2000 US Open. Williams then withdrew before her quarterfinal match at the Acura Classic in San Diego with another left knee injury. This injury caused her to miss both the Tier I Rogers AT&T Cup in Montreal and the Athens Olympics. She returned for the US Open, where she was seeded third even though she was ranked world no. 11. She lost there in the quarterfinals to world no. 8 Capriati, 6–2, 4–6, 4–6. This match featured several missed line calls, including one that led to the suspension of the chair umpire for the remainder of the tournament. This match is commonly referred to as the impetus for the current challenge system.[22][23]
Williams played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. She won her second title of the year at the China Open in Beijing, in which she defeated US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. Five weeks later, she lost in the second round of the tournament in Linz, Austria to world no. 73 Alina Jidkova, but still qualified for the WTA Tour Championships. In the round-robin phase of the tournament, she defeated world no. 5 Dementieva, lost to world no. 1 Davenport, and defeated world no. 3 Anastasia Myskina. She lost to world no. 6 Sharapova in the final, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6. Williams trailed 5–2 in the second set, when she asked for treatment of an abdominal injury that caused her to serve around 65 mph. She led 4–0 in the third set, before Sharapova won the last six games of the match.[24] Williams finished 2004 ranked world no. 7, but did not win a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first time since 2001.
At the 2005 Australian Open, Williams rejected suggestions that she and sister Venus were a declining force in tennis, following Venus's early exit at the tournament.[25] In the quarterfinals, Williams defeated second-seeded Mauresmo, 6–2, 6–2. In the semifinals, she saved three match points in defeating fourth-seeded Sharapova, 2–6, 7–5, 8–6. In the final, Williams defeated world no. 1 Davenport, 2–6, 6–3, 6–0, to win her second Australian Open singles title and seventh Grand Slam singles title. The win moved Williams back to world no. 2, and she stated that she was now targeting the no. 1 spot.[26]
She did not, however, reach the final at any of her next five tournaments. She withdrew before her quarterfinal match at the Open Gaz de France in Paris, citing a stomach illness.[27] Three weeks later, she retired from her semifinal match with Jelena Janković at the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, citing a strained tendon in her right shoulder.[28] Four weeks later, she lost to sister Venus for the first time since 2001 in the quarterfinals of the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, 1–6, 6–7. The following week, a left ankle injury forced her to retire from her quarterfinal match on clay at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island. Five weeks away from the tour did not improve her results, as she lost in the second round of the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome to Francesca Schiavone, 6–7, 1–6. The ankle injury also caused her to miss the French Open.[29]
She returned for Wimbledon as the fourth seeded player, but, after struggling through her first two matches in three sets, she was defeated in the third round by world no. 85 Jill Craybas, 3–6, 6–7.
After winning her first match at the Tier I Rogers Cup in Toronto, a recurrence of her left knee injury caused her to withdraw from the tournament. At the US Open, Williams lost to her sister Venus in the fourth round, 6–7, 2–6. This was the earliest the sisters had met in a Grand Slam tournament since their first meeting at the 1998 Australian Open. Williams played just one more match the remainder of the year, a loss to world no. 127 Sun Tiantian at the tournament in Beijing. She failed to qualify for the year-end championship for the first time since 1998. She finished the year ranked world no. 11, her first time finishing outside of the top 10 since 1998.
Williams did not participate in any of the official warm-up tournaments for the 2006 Australian Open.[30] Williams was the defending champion at the Australian Open, but fell to world no. 17 Daniela Hantuchová in the third round, 1–6, 6–7.[30] She then withdrew from tournaments in Tokyo (citing her lack of fitness)[31] and Dubai and from the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne (citing a knee injury and lack of fitness).[32] On April 10, her ranking fell out of the top 100 for the first time since November 16, 1997. Shortly after, she announced that she would miss both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a chronic knee injury. She said that she would not be able to compete before "the end of the summer", on doctor's orders.[33]
Williams returned to the Tour in July at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati. Ranked world no. 139 because of her inactivity, she defeated world no. 11 Myskina in the first round, 6–2, 6–2, before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva. She also reached the semifinals in Los Angeles, losing to world no. 28 Janković in straight sets.
At the US Open, Williams was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 1998 and needed a wildcard to enter the tournament because her ranking was too low. She lost to top-seeded Mauresmo in the fourth round, 4–6, 6–0, 2–6.[30] She did not play again in 2006, ending the year ranked world no. 95. This was her lowest year-end ranking since 1997. Williams played just four tournaments in 2006.
2007–08: Return to the top 10[link]
Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence, stating her intention to return to the top of the rankings,[34] a comment former player and commentator Pat Cash branded "deluded."[35]
Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Hobart, Australia, a warm-up for the Australian Open.[36] Williams was unseeded at the Australian Open because of her world no. 81 ranking and was widely regarded as "out of shape."[37] In the third round, however, Williams defeated fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova, which was her first win over a top-10 player since defeating Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open final. In the final, Williams defeated top-seeded Maria Sharapova, 6–1, 6–2[38] to win her third Australian Open singles title and her eighth Grand Slam singles title. Williams dedicated the title to her deceased sister Yetunde.[38] Her performance in the final was described by TENNIS.com as "one of the best performances of her career"[37] and by BBC Sport as "arguably the most powerful display ever seen in women's tennis."[39]
Williams next played at the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida in late March. In the final, Williams defeated world no. 1 Justine Henin, 0–6, 7–5, 6–3 after saving 2 match points at 40–15 in the second set.[40]
At the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina on clay courts, Williams retired from her second-round match because of a groin pull. The following week, Williams won her first singles match in the first round Fed Cup tie against Belgium on hard courts,[41] but withdrew from the second singles match to rest her knee. Williams played only one clay-court tournament in Europe before the French Open. In Rome at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Williams lost to 14th-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the quarterfinals, 3–6, 6–2, 6–7.[41] After the tournament, however, she re-entered the top 10 at world no. 9. As the eighth seed at the French Open, Williams lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Henin, 4–6, 3–6.[41] Williams said her performance was "hideous and horrendous" and worse than ever.[42] She also said that she felt "violated".[43]
Despite the loss, Williams was one of the favorites for the Wimbledon title.[44] During her fourth round match against Daniela Hantuchová, Williams collapsed from an acute muscle spasm at 5–5 in the second set. After a medical timeout and holding serve to force a tiebreak, rain forced play to be suspended for nearly two hours. When the players returned, Williams won the match, 6–2, 6–7, 6–2.[45] Williams then lost her quarterfinal match with world no. 1 Henin, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6. Williams started the match with a heavily taped calf and was forced to use a one-handed backhand slice because of a left thumb injury. Williams was criticized for claiming after the match that she would have beaten Henin had Williams been healthy.[46] After Wimbledon, Williams moved up to world no. 7, her highest ranking since 2005.
Because of the thumb injury, Williams did not play a tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open.[41] At the US Open, she beat 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli in the fourth round,[41] but lost her third consecutive Grand Slam singles quarterfinal to Henin, 6–7, 1–6.[41]
In October, Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Stuttgart to world no. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova.[41] Williams then reached her third final of the year at the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow, defeating Kuznetsova in the semifinals, before losing to Elena Dementieva.[41] Nevertheless, Williams's performances at these tournaments raised her ranking to world no. 5 and qualified her for the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid. Her participation there was short. Because of injury, she retired from her first match with Anna Chakvetadze, after losing the first set, and then withdrew from the tournament.[47] Williams finished 2007 as World No. 7 and the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.[41]
Williams started 2008 by participating on the U.S. team that won the Hopman Cup for the fifth time in Perth, Australia.[48] Williams was the seventh seed at the Australian Open, but lost in the quarterfinals to world no. 4 and third-seeded Jelena Janković, 3–6, 4–6.[49] This was her fourth straight loss in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament. In the women's doubles event, Serena and her sister Venus lost in the quarterfinals to the seventh-seeded team of Zheng Jie and Yan Zi.
Williams then withdrew from three tournaments because of an urgent need for dental surgery.[50] Upon her return to the Tour, Williams won three consecutive singles titles. At the Tier II tournament in Bangalore, India, Serena defeated sister Venus in the semifinals, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6,[49] after Serena saved a match point at 6–5 in the third set. This was the first time they had played each other since the fourth round of the 2005 US Open. Serena then defeated Schnyder in the final.[49] At the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Williams won her fifth career singles title there, tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament. Williams defeated world no. 1 Henin in the quarterfinals, world no. 3 Kuznetsova in the semifinals, and world no. 4 Janković in the final.[49] This was her 30th career singles title.
At the clay-court Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, Williams defeated, for the fourth consecutive time, second-seeded Sharapova in the quarterfinals.[49] In the final, Williams defeated Vera Zvonareva[49] to capture her tenth career Tier I title and first clay-court title since the 2002 French Open. Her 17-match winning streak was ended by Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals of the Tier I Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin, 6–2, 1–6, 6–7.[49] Williams was the fifth-seeded player at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome and made it to the quarterfinals, where Alizé Cornet received a walkover over Williams[49] because of a back injury.
Williams was the fifth-seeded player at the French Open. Although she was the only former winner of this tournament in this year's draw, following the sudden retirement of four-time champion Henin, she lost in the third round to 27th-seeded Katarina Srebotnik, 4–6, 4–6.[49]
At Wimbledon, the sixth-seeded Williams reached the finals for the first time in four years. She defeated former world no. 1 and 2006 Wimbledon champion Amélie Mauresmo in the third round, before losing the final to her older sister Venus in straight sets.[49] This was the first Grand Slam final in which the Williams sisters had played each other since 2003. Serena and Venus then teamed to win the women's doubles title without dropping a set the entire tournament, their first Grand Slam women's doubles title since 2003.
Williams then played four World Team Tennis matches for the Washington Kastles,[51] contributing 49 points for her team.
Williams was seeded first at the tournament in Stanford, California, but retired from her semifinal match against qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak while trailing 6–2, 3–1[49] because of a left knee injury. That injury caused Williams to withdraw from the tournament in Los Angeles the following week.
Playing in the singles draw at the Olympics for the first time in Beijing, Williams was the fourth-seeded player in singles, but lost to fifth-seeded and eventual gold-medalist Dementieva in the quarterfinals, 6–3, 4–6, 3–6.[49] Serena and her sister Venus won the gold medal in doubles to add to their victory at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, beating the Spanish team of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final.
Williams was seeded fourth at the US Open and defeated her seventh-seeded sister Venus in the quarterfinals, 7–6, 7–6. Serena trailed 5–3 in both sets and saved two set points in the first set and eight set points in the second set. Williams then defeated Safina in the semifinals and second-seeded Jelena Janković, 6–4, 7–5, in the final, after saving four set points at 5–3 in the second set. This was her third US Open and ninth Grand Slam singles title. This victory returned her to the world no. 1 ranking for the first time since 2003.[52]
At the Tier II Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Williams was the top seed, but lost to world no. 30 Li Na in the second round, 6–0, 1–6, 4–6. Serena also played doubles there with her sister Venus, but they withdrew after winning their first round match because of a left ankle injury to Serena. On October 3, Williams announced her withdrawal from the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow, citing a continuing left ankle injury and a desire to give her body time to recover from a packed playing schedule.[53] Because of her withdrawal, she lost the world no. 1 ranking to Janković.
Williams defeated Safina in her first round-robin match at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, before losing to her sister Venus, 5–7, 6–1, 6–0 in her second round-robin match. She then withdrew from her match against Dementieva, citing a stomach muscle injury. She ended the year ranked world no. 2 and with four singles titles, her strongest performance in both respects since 2003.
2009: Back at world no. 1[link]
At the Medibank International in Sydney, top-seeded Williams lost in the semifinals to Russian Elena Dementieva for the third consecutive time, 3–6, 1–6.
Williams was seeded second at the Australian Open. She claimed her tenth Grand Slam singles title by defeating Dinara Safina in the final, 6–0, 6–3, in 59 minutes. This win returned her to the world no. 1 ranking and resulted in her becoming the all-time career prize money leader in women's sports, overtaking golfer Annika Sörenstam. In women's doubles, Serena and her sister Venus captured the title for the third time.
At the Open GDF SUEZ in Paris, Williams withdrew from the tournament before her scheduled semifinal with Dementieva because of a knee injury. Williams was the top seed at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, a Premier 5 event on the tour. She defeated former world no. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals, before losing to her sister Venus in the semifinals, 1–6, 6–2, 6–7.
At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, a Premier Mandatory event, Williams was upset in the final by 11th seeded Victoria Azarenka. This was the first of four consecutive losses for Williams, the longest losing streak of her career.[54] She was defeated in her opening match at her first three clay-court events of the year, including the Premier 5 Internazionali d'Italia in Rome and the Premier Mandatory Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. She lost the world no. 1 ranking to Safina on April 20. Despite not having won a match on clay in 2009 before the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals there, before losing to the eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6–7, 7–5, 5–7. This ended her 18-match Grand Slam tournament winning streak.
She rebounded at Wimbledon, saving a match point in defeating fourth seeded Dementieva in the semifinals, 6–7, 7–5, 8–6. In the final, Serena defeated her sister Venus, 7–6, 6–2, to win her third Wimbledon title and her 11th Grand Slam singles title. Although Williams was now holding three of the four Grand Slam singles titles, she continued to trail Safina in the WTA rankings, a fact Williams publicly mocked.[55] Williams and her sister Venus teamed to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, their ninth Grand Slam title in women's doubles.
Following Wimbledon, Williams played two Premier 5 tournaments before the US Open. She lost in the third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati and in the semifinals, to world no. 5 Dementieva, of the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
She was seeded second at the US Open, where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters amid controversy involving shouting at a line judge when defending match point, an offense which ultimately cost Williams the point and therefore the match. She continued in the doubles competition, teaming up with Venus to win their third Grand Slam doubles title of the year and tenth of their career.[56][57]
Williams played only two tournaments after the US Open. At the Premier Mandatory China Open in Beijing, she was defeated in the third round by Nadia Petrova. Williams won all three of her round-robin matches at the year-end WTA Tour Championships in Doha, Qatar, defeating world no. 7 Venus Williams, world no. 5 Dementieva, and world no. 3 Kuznetsova. She saved a match point against Venus, before winning in a third-set tiebreak. She then advanced to the final, when US Open runner-up Wozniacki retired from their semifinal match while trailing, 6–4, 0–1. In the final, Williams played Venus for the second time in four days, winning once again, 6–2, 7–6, against her tired and error-stricken sister.[58] This was Serena's second singles title at this event.
Williams finished the year ranked world no. 1 for the second time in her career, having played in 16 tournaments, more than any other year. She also broke the record previously set by Justine Henin for the most prize money earned by a female tennis player in one year, with Williams earning $6,545,586. In doubles, the Williams sisters finished the year ranked world no. 2, despite playing only six tournaments as a pair. She won five Grand Slam titles, putting her total Grand Slam titles at 23.
Williams was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press[59] in a landslide vote (66 of 158 votes – no other candidate received more than 18 votes). She also was the International Tennis Federation World Champion in singles and doubles.[60]
2010[link]
Williams's first scheduled tournament was the Medibank International Sydney. She defeated Frenchwoman Aravane Rezaï in the semifinals, 3–6, 7–5, 6–4, after trailing 5–2 in the second set and being two points from defeat. She then lost the final to world no. 5 and defending champion Elena Dementieva, 3–6, 2–6.
At the Australian Open, Williams was the defending champion in both singles and doubles. She reached the singles quarterfinals without losing a service game or a set, where she eliminated Victoria Azarenka, 4–6, 7–6, 6–2, after trailing 4–0 in the second set. In the semifinals, Williams defeated 16th seeded Li Na, 7–6, 7–6, on her fifth match point to reach her fifth final in Melbourne and her fifteenth Grand Slam singles final. She then defeated 2004 champion Justine Henin, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2, for her twelfth Grand Slam singles title. This was the first time that Henin and Williams had played each other in a Grand Slam tournament final.[61] Williams is the first female player to win consecutive Australian Open singles titles since Jennifer Capriati in 2001–02.[3] In doubles, Serena and Venus successfully defended their title by defeating the top-ranked team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final, 6–4, 6–3.
A leg injury then caused Williams to withdraw from five consecutive tournaments, including the Premier 5 Dubai Tennis Championships and the Premier Mandatory Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne. She returned to the WTA Tour at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she lost to Jelena Janković in the semifinals, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(5–7), after failing to convert a match point while serving at 5–4 in the third set, and then surrendering a 5–2 lead in the deciding tiebreaker.
At the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, she received a first-round bye. In her first match, she made 73 unforced errors in defeating Vera Dushevina in the longest match of her career, 3 hours, 26 minutes, 6–7, 7–6, 7–6. Williams saved a match point at 6–5 in the second set, then injured her upper leg early in the third set. She then fell to 16th seeded Nadia Petrova, 6–4, 2–6, 3–6. Williams won only two of her eighteen opportunities to break Petrova's serve. She teamed with Venus to win the doubles title.
At the French Open, she lost to Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals, 3–6, 7–6, 6–8. Williams made 46 unforced errors and squandered a match point at 5–4 in the final set. It was the first Grand Slam tournament that Williams had not won or been defeated by the eventual champion since the 2008 French Open. Williams had not advanced past the quarterfinals at this event since 2003. She also played doubles with Venus as the top seeds. Their defeat of Huber and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the semifinals improved their doubles ranking to world no. 1. They then defeated 12th seeds Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final, 6–2, 6–3, to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles title.
Her next tournament was Wimbledon, where she defeated Russian Vera Zvonareva in the final, 6–3, 6–2, without facing a break point and breaking the serve of Zvonareva three times.[62][63] She did not lose a set in the tournament.[64] After the match, Martina Navratilova said that Williams is in the top 5 of all the women's tennis players in all of history, which she said that "it's not just about how many Slams you win or how many tournaments you win—it's just your game overall. And she’s definitely got all the goods."[63] Serena was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Venus, winning the last two years. They lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Vesnina and Zvonareva, 6–3, 3–6, 4–6.
In Munich on July 7, Williams stepped on broken glass while in a restaurant.[65] She received 18 stitches, but the following day she lost an exhibition match to Kim Clijsters, 3–6, 2–6, in Brussels before a world-record crowd for a tennis match, 35,681 at the King Baudouin Stadium.[66] The cut foot turned out to be a serious injury, requiring surgery and preventing her from playing for the remainder of 2010. As a result, she lost the world no. 1 ranking to Dane Caroline Wozniacki on October 11, 2010[67] and ended the year ranked no. 4 in singles, despite having played only six tournaments, and no. 11 in doubles after four tournaments.
2011: Comeback after medical complications[link]
Main article: 2011 Serena Williams tennis season
Because of her continuing rehabilitation for her foot injury, Serena withdrew from the 2011 Hopman Cup and the 2011 Australian Open.[68][69] On March 2, 2011, she confirmed that she had suffered a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism.[70][71][72] She made her first appearance on the WTA tour in almost a year at the 2011 AEGON International in Eastbourne,[73] winning her first match since Wimbledon, against Tsvetana Pironkova, but lost to top-seeded world no. 3 Vera Zvonareva in the second round, in a match that lasted over three hours.
Her next tournament was Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion. Despite being ranked no. 26, she was seeded seventh. In her first round match, she defeated French no. 2, Aravane Rezai. She then won her second round match against Simona Halep, and her third round against Maria Kirilenko. Her tournament ended when she lost to ninth seed, Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the round of 16.
Williams then played in Stanford as an unseeded player. She won her opening-round match against Anastasia Rodionova. In her second-round match, she took out Maria Kirilenko in three sets to set up a meeting with Wimbledon finalist Maria Sharapova. Serena won in straight sets. In the semifinals, Serena took on Wimbledon semifinalist, Sabine Lisicki and also defeated her in two sets. Serena won her first final of the season, against Marion Bartoli in two sets. Serena won her 38th career WTA singles title and her first title in 2011.
In her next tournament, Williams won the Rogers Cup, Serena started off strongly by beating Alona Bondarenko. In her second-round match, she beat Julia Goerges in straight sets, as well. After back-to-back three-setters against Jie Zheng and Lucie Safarova, the semifinals matched Serana against one of the most consistent players of the year, Viktoria Azarenka. Serena won, advancing to her second consecutive final. In the final, Serena defeated Samantha Stosur to win her second consecutive title and her 39th career title overall. At the Cincinnati Open, Serena defeated Lucie Hradecka, only to withdraw the next day, citing a right toe injury.
Next on her schedule was the US Open. She was seeded 28th and faced Bojana Jovanovski in the first round, winning the match easily. She next faced Michaëlla Krajicek, winning in two sets. In the third round she defeated Azarenka. She moved into the finals with two set wins over Ana Ivanovic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. She lost the final, 2–6, 3–6, to Samantha Stosur, during a match which featured her verbally abusing the chair umpire.
The US Open final turned out to be Williams' last match in 2011, and she ended the year ranked world no. 12 with 2 titles and with a 22–3 record for the season. She only participated in six tournaments throughout the season.
2012[link]
Main article: 2012 Serena Williams tennis season
Williams started the year by playing her debut at Brisbane International as her preparation for the Australian Open.[74] She defeated Chanelle Scheepers in the first round and Bojana Jovanovski in the second. However, during her match against Jovanovski, she injured her left ankle when serving for the match late in the second set. As a result, Williams was forced to withdraw from the tournament.[75] Next she participated at the Australian Open where she was seeded 12th. She defeated Tamira Paszek in the first round and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in the second round.[76] She beat Hungarian Greta Arn in the third round.[77] Williams was knocked out of the Australian Open by Ekaterina Makarova 6–2, 6–3. Serena however, came back from her loss at the Australian Open, by cruising to a 5–7, 6–1, 6–1, victory over Anastasiya Yakimova, completing the U.S sweep over Belarus in the Fed Cup.
Williams returned to competition in Miami where she was seeded 10th. She avenged her US Open final loss to Samantha Stosur by beating her 7–5, 6–3 in the fourth round in a match where she fired 20 aces. Her quarterfinals berth brought her back to the top 10 of the world ranking. Her run, however, ended in the quarterfinals where Caroline Wozniacki defeated her 4–6, 4–6. A week later, she made her first final appearance of the season in Charleston where she defeated Sam Stosur convincingly 6–1, 6–1 in the semifinals. She went on to win her first title of the season, her 40th career title, after defeating Lucie Šafářová 6–0, 6–1 in the final. Her success at Family Circle Cup brought her ranking up to No. 9 in the world.
Williams started her European clay court season in Madrid as the ninth seed where she advanced to her second consecutive final following a third round victory against Caroline Wozniacki by 1–6, 6–3, 6–2 and world no. 2 , Maria Sharapova, in the quarterfinals by 6–1, 6–3. Her run to the final assured her ranking to increase to world no. 6 [78]. She eventually won her 41st title after defeating the world no.1, Victoria Azarenka, 6–1, 6–3, in the final. A week later, she participated in Rome as the ninth seed where she reached the semifinals. She withdrew before her semifinals match against Li Na citing a lower back injury. Her run, however, will bring her ranking to world no. 5.
On May 29th, 2012 lost in the first round of a major tournament for the first time in her career, falling to Virginie Razzano of France 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 Tuesday at the French Open. The fifth-seeded Williams was two points from victory nine times in the second set, including leading 5-1 in the tiebreaker. But Razzano won six straight points to force a third set, and then took control of the match.
Grand Slam Performance Timeline[link]
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 2R | 3R | 4R | QF | A | W | A | W | 3R | W | QF | W | W | A | 4R | 5 / 12 | 54–7 |
| French Open | 4R | 3R | A | QF | W | SF | QF | A | A | QF | 3R | QF | QF | A | 1R | 1 / 11 | 39–10 |
| Wimbledon | 3R | A | SF | QF | W | W | F | 3R | A | QF | F | W | W | 4R | 4 / 12 | 60–8 | |
| US Open | 3R | W | QF | F | W | A | QF | 4R | 4R | QF | W | SF | A | F | 3 / 12 | 58–9 | |
| Win–Loss | 8–4 | 11–2 | 12–3 | 18–4 | 21–0 | 19–1 | 14–3 | 12–2 | 5–2 | 19–3 | 19–3 | 23–2 | 18–1 | 9–2 | 3–2 | 13 / 47 | 211–34 |
Grand Slam Finals[link]
Singles: 17 (13 titles, 4 runner-ups)[link]
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1999 | US Open | Hard |  Martina Hingis |
6–3, 7–6(7–4) |
| Runner-up | 2001 | US Open | Hard | Venus Williams |
2–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2002 | French Open | Clay | Venus Williams |
7–5, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2002 | Wimbledon | Grass | Venus Williams |
7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
| Winner | 2002 | US Open (2) | Hard | Venus Williams |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2003 | Australian Open | Hard | Venus Williams |
7–6(7–4), 3–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2003 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Venus Williams |
4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2004 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Maria Sharapova |
1–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2005 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
2–6, 6–3, 6–0 |
| Winner | 2007 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Maria Sharapova |
6–1, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2008 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Venus Williams |
5–7, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2008 | US Open (3) | Hard |  Jelena Janković |
6–4, 7–5 |
| Winner | 2009 | Australian Open (4) | Hard | Dinara Safina |
6–0, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2009 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Venus Williams |
7–6(7–3), 6–2 |
| Winner | 2010 | Australian Open (5) | Hard |  Justine Henin |
6–4, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2010 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Vera Zvonareva |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | US Open (2) | Hard |  Samantha Stosur |
2–6, 3–6 |
Rivalry with Venus Williams[link]
Main article: Williams sisters rivalry
Serena Williams has played her sister Venus 12 times in Grand Slam singles tournaments and 11 times in other tournaments (including 11 finals). Serena has a three match lead in the head-to-head series, 13–10. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals.
Controversies[link]
2004 US Open[link]
In her 2004 U.S. Open quarterfinal match against Jennifer Capriati, an overrule was made by chair umpire Mariana Alves in Capriati's favor, even though later video review showed this to be clearly in error. Williams attempted to argue the call, but was not successful. Capriati won the match, but tournament officials dismissed the umpire from the tournament. The controversy renewed calls for the adoption of technology like the MacCam and Hawk-Eye systems.[79]
2009 US Open[link]
In 2009, Williams again was involved in a controversial U.S. Open match, this time against Kim Clijsters in the semifinal round. The drama began at the end of the first set, when Williams slammed her racquet on the court in frustration over losing the set. She was given a warning, with a potential second violation carrying a one-point penalty. While trailing 4–6, 5–6, 15–30, Williams's second serve was called a foot fault, resulting in two match points for Clijsters. Williams gestured with her racquet to the lineswoman who had made the call and yelled at her, including profanities.[80] During the subsequent on-court conference between the head judge, the lineswoman, US Open officials, and Williams, a television microphone picked up Williams saying to the lineswoman, "I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious?"[81] The incident resulted in Williams being penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct — necessitated by the earlier warning for racquet abuse — meaning Clijsters won the match 6–4, 7–5. The following day, Williams was issued the maximum permissible on-site fine of $10,000 (plus $500 for racquet abuse). After further investigation, the Grand Slam Committee in November 2009 fined her $175,000 in lieu of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slam events.[82] They also placed her on a two year probation, so if Williams commits another offense in the next two years at a Grand Slam tournament, she will be suspended from participating in the following US Open. If she commits no offenses in the next two years, her fine will be reduced to $82,500.[82] Williams initially refused to apologize for her outburst, both in her post-match press conference[83] and in an official statement released the following day.[56] She eventually apologized to the lineswoman in a statement two days following the incident.
2011 US Open[link]
In the final of the 2011 U.S. Open against Samantha Stosur, Williams again generated controversy. After shouting "Come on!" as the Australian attempted to return a forehand Williams believed to be a winner, chair umpire Eva Asderaki awarded the point to Stosur based on the USTA's deliberate hindrance rule, which states, "If a player commits any act which hinders his opponent in making a stroke, then, if this is deliberate, he shall lose the point or if involuntary, the point shall be replayed."[84] As the point was 30–40 on Williams's serve, the penalty gave the break of serve to Stosur. Williams became angry with the chair umpire and made several gestures and unflattering comments toward her during the next several changeovers, warning her, "Don't look at me," and telling her that if Asderaki ever saw Williams coming toward her, she should "look the other way". She told the umpire that she was "a loser", "a hater" and "unattractive, on the inside". Williams initially gained momentum in the set following the penalty, breaking back in the next game, but eventually flagged and lost the match, 6–2, 6–3. At the end of the match, she declined to offer the customary handshake to Asderaki. Williams mentioned the incident in her post-match speech as the tournament runner-up, claiming, "I hit a winner, but I guess it didn't count," but added, "It wouldn't have mattered in the end. Sam played really well."[85][86] A writer for ESPN suggested that Williams could avoid being found to have violated the terms of the "probation" on which she was placed following her 2009 outburst, as she did not appear to have used profanity in addressing Asderaki during the match.[87] In the end, Williams was fined $2,000 and was not barred from competing in the 2012 US Open because "...Williams's conduct, while verbally abusive, [did] not rise to the level of a major offence under the grand slam code of conduct."[88]
Off-court activities[link]
Fashion[link]
Williams was once known for her unusual and colorful outfits on court. In 2002, there was much talk when she wore a black lycra [[catsuit] at the US Open.[89] At the 2004 US Open, Williams wore denim skirts and knee-high boots—tournament officials, however, did not allow her to wear the boots during matches.[90] At Wimbledon in 2008, the white trench coat she wore during warm-up for her opening match was the subject of much discussion since it was worn despite the sunny weather.[91] Off-court, Williams has also presented new designs. In November 2004, at the London premiere of After the Sunset she wore a red gown that had a near-topless effect.[92]
Williams formerly had a special line with Puma[93] and currently has a line with Nike. The deal with Nike is worth US$40 million and was signed in April 2004.[94] Since 2004, she has also been running her own line of designer apparel called "Aneres"—her first name spelled backward. In 2009 she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry.[95] The collection, called Signature Statement, is sold mainly on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).
In early 2010, Williams became a certified nail technician in preparation for her upcoming nail collection with a company called HairTech.[96]
Entertainment[link]
Williams has appeared on television and also provided voice work on animated shows: in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons Serena joined the animation along with sister Venus, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.[97] She has also provided guest voice work in a 2005 episode of Playhouse Disney's animated kids show Higglytown Heroes and a 2007 episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender,[98] which she has described as her "favorite show".[99]
Williams has posed for the 2003 and 2004 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[100] In April 2005, MTV announced plans to broadcast a reality show around the lives of Serena and Venus, which was eventually aired on ABC Family. Williams has appeared twice on MTV's Punk'd and in 2007, appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race. In 2002, she played Miss Wiggins in the season 3 episode "Crouching Mother, Hidden Father" of My Wife and Kids;[101] she has also guest-starred during episodes of The Bernie Mac Show, ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[102] In 2007 Williams appeared in the music video of "I Want You" by the American rapper Common, alongside performers Alicia Keys and Kanye West.[103]
In late 2009, Williams became the first active female professional athlete to appear in a feminine hygiene product advertising campaign. A series of online videos and print advertisements for Tampax Pearl tampons showed her hitting balls at Mother Nature, played by Catherine Lloyd Burns, to prevent Mother Nature giving her a red-wrapped gift, representing her menstrual period. In the online videos, the two have dueling press conferences over the "bad blood" between them. "A lot of celebrities are not open to working with our brand, and we're thrilled that Serena is", said a brand manager for Tampax at Procter & Gamble.[104]
In May 2012, a minute of a new hip-hop track by Serena Williams was leaked, along with reports the sports star was planning to release an album.[105]
Miami Dolphins venture[link]
In August 2009, Serena and Venus Williams became part-owners of the Miami Dolphins. The formal announcement was made during a press conference overlooking the practice field. The Williams are the first African-American females to obtain ownership in an NFL franchise. Other prominent owners include: Jimmy Buffett, Gloria and Emilio Estefan (the first Cuban-American owners), and Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez . Stephan Ross, the majority owner of the Dolphins, said "We are thrilled to have Venus and Serena join the Dolphins as limited partners. They are among the most admired athletes in the world and have become global ambassadors for the game of tennis. Their addition to our ownership group further reflects our commitment to connect with aggressively and embrace the great diversity that makes South Florida a multicultural gem."[106]
Charity work[link]
In 2008 Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya.[107][108] She received a Celebrity Role Model Award from Avon Foundation in 2003 for work in breast cancer.[109] Williams has also been involved in a number of clinics at schools and community centers, particularly those which have programs focusing on at-risk youth.[1] She has also won the "Young Heroes Award" from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and Inland (2003) and the "Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award" (2004).[1] In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Williams, along with other ATP and WTA stars decided to forego their final day of preparation for the 2010 Australian Open to form a charity event in which all proceeds will go to the Haiti earthquake victims.[110]
Writing[link]
Serena has published along with her sister Venus Williams and author Hilary Beard[111] a book titled Venus & Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules For Living, Loving and Winning by Boston: Houghton Mifflin in 2005.[111] [112][113][114][115] During the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, Williams said that she is in the process of writing a TV show storyline, which will be converted into script form by her agency. She stated that the show will represent subject matter from a mix of popular American television shows such as Desperate Housewives,, and Family Guy.[116] Serena released her first solo published work, an autobiography entitled On the Line, following the 2009 US Open.
Security[link]
Williams has been the target of an alleged stalker, who was arrested at the gate to her Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., neighborhood on Monday, May 2, 2011. Police report that Patenema Ouedraogo, identified as an African who attended college in Texas, is barred from being near Serena by a preliminary injunction. Police say Ouedraogo was able to track Serena's whereabouts using the social networking site Twitter, and got her address from the letter her attorney sent telling him to stay away from her. Police say Ouedraogo once made it all the way to Serena's dressing room when she made an appearance on the Home Shopping Network at their studios in Tampa, Fla., on April 13, 2011.[117]
Other records and achievements[link]
Main article: Serena Williams career statistics
| Tournament Name | Years | Record accomplished | Player tied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopman Cup | 2003–2008 | Two Hopman Cup Titles won | Dominik Hrbatý Tommy Robredo James Blake Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
| Australian Open | 2003–2010 | 5 singles titles during the open era | Stands alone[3] |
| Australian Open | 2007 | Unseeded winner of singles title | Chris O'Neil (1978) |
| 1999 French Open – 2010 French Open | 1999–2010 | Highest streak of consecutive initial Grand Slam finals won (doubles) (12) | Venus Williams |
| Grand Slam tournaments | 2002 | Won two Grand Slam singles tournaments in the same calendar year in straight sets | Billie Jean King Martina Navratilova Steffi Graf Martina Hingis Justine Henin |
| Grand Slam tournaments | 2000–present | Won 4 Grand Slam singles tournaments in straight sets | Evonne Goolagong |
| Sony Ericsson Open (Key Biscayne) | 2002–2008 | 5 singles titles overall | Steffi Graf |
| 2009 WTA Tour | 2009 | Highest single year earnings at $6,545,586 (2009) | Stands alone |
| 1995–present | Highest prize money career earnings by a female athlete at $34,962,357 | Stands alone | |
| 2010 Wimbledon | 2010 | Most aces served by a female at a Grand Slam (89) | Stands alone |
- At the 1998 Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, she recorded her fifth singles victory over a player ranked in the top 10, which was the fastest (16 matches) that any woman in professional tennis history had done this.
- At the 2002 French Open, she became the first younger sister to defeat her older sister in a Grand Slam tournament.
- On June 10, 2002, she and her sister Venus became the first siblings ever to hold the top two women's singles rankings simultaneously.
- By winning the 2003 Australian Open, she became the first African-American woman to win the singles title at this tournament.
- On September 8, 2008, she regained the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in 5 years, 1 month. That gap is the biggest in professional tennis history.
- She was named one of the Top 10 Most Superstitious Athletes by Men's Fitness.[118]
Awards[link]
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See also: WTA Awards
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Recognition[link]
In 2005, Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 17th-best player in 40 years.[120]
In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.[121]
See also[link]
References[link]
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- ^ Serena to Make Brisbane Debut
- ^ Serena Withdraws from Brisbane International
- ^ Williams Hits Her Zone at Midnight
- ^ Williams Cruises into 2nd Round
- ^ Dream Final in Madrid, Azarenka vs Serena
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- ^ "Serena Williams Upset By Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–3 In US Open Final". The Huffington Post. 11 September 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/11/serena-williams-upset-samantha-stosur-us-open-final_n_957662.html. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Chase, Chris (11 September 2011). "She did it again: Serena Williams blows up in U.S. Open loss". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/She-did-it-again-Serena-Williams-blows-up-in-U-. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Garber, Greg (11 September 2011). "Serena Williams loses cool, then match". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen11/story/_/id/6958687/us-open-serena-williams-loses-cool-match. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Busfield, Steve (12 September 2011). "Serena Williams fined $2,000 for US Open final outburst". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/sep/12/serena-williams-us-open-tennis-fine. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Selena (September 2, 2002). "Tennis; Sunny Outlook Keeps Serena Williams Winning". The New York Times (NYT Company). http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/02/sports/tennis-sunny-outlook-keeps-serena-williams-winning.html. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
- ^ "Serena Dresses in Denim, Boots at U.S. Open". Associated Press. FOX News Network, LLC. August 31, 2004. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,130781,00.html. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- ^ Copping, Nicola (June 24, 2008). "Serena Williams's Wimbledon raincoat stops talk about play". The Times (UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.). http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article4201164.ece. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ "Serena Williams Keen on Fashion Career". Associated Press. FOX News Network, LLC. November 14, 2004. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138502,00.html. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ Batra, Ruhi (January 28, 2007). "Courting both tennis and glamour". The Times of India (Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.). http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com//Courting_tennis__glamour/articleshow/1501836.cms?. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ Brown, Carolyn M. (April 1, 2004). "Serena Williams aces Nike deal worth approximately $40 million". Black Enterprise. Allbusiness.com. http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/minority-owned-businesses/767050-1.html. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
- ^ Marr, Madeleine (March 3, 2009). "Serena Williams has a passion for fashion". The Miami Herald. Miami Herald Media Co.. http://www.miamiherald.com/358/story/974347.html. Retrieved April 25, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Farber, Jim (February 17, 2010). "Serena Williams takes time away from the tennis courts to become a certified nail technician". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/02/17/2010-02-17_serena_williams_takes_time_away_from_the_tennis_courts_to_become_a_certified_nai.html. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ ""The Simpsons" Tennis the Menace (2001)". IMDb.com. IMDb.com, Inc.. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701223/. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Day of Black Sun (1): The Invasion". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/the-day-of-black-sun-1-the-invasion/episode/1121066/summary.html. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
- ^ Kennedy, Lauren Paige. "Serena Williams Gets Back in the Game". WebMD the Magazine. WebMD, LLC.. http://women.webmd.com/features/serena-williams-gets-back-game. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
- ^ Thurmond, Sarah (February 11, 2009). "Golovin, Hantuchova, Kirilenko in SI swimsuit issue". Tennis Magazine. http://www.tennis.com/backcourt/general/backcourt.aspx?id=164656. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
- ^ "On stage or on court, Serena plays the lead". The Sydney Morning Herald. January 13, 2003. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/12/1041990178788.html. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- ^ "Serena to voice queen with 'devious plans' for planet". ESPN. Associated Press. January 30, 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2748802. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
- ^ "Common "I Want You" Video". rapdirt.com. October 23, 2007. http://rapdirt.com/common-i-want-you-video/16687/. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ Newman, Andrew Adam (September 28, 2009). "Serena Williams's Ad Deals Survive Her Outburst on Court". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/business/media/29adco.html. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
- ^ Ashe, Isaac (May 12, 2012). "Tennis star Serena Williams to serve up a single". Loughborough Echo. http://blogs.loughboroughecho.net/soundadvice/2012/05/tennis-star-serena-williams-to.html. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
- ^ Williams sisters buy into Dolphins group ESPN, August 25, 2009
- ^ "Serena Williams in Kenya on charity tour". People's Daily. November 15, 2008. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90783/91323/6534327.html.
- ^ Claire Wanja (November 10, 2008). "Serena Williams to Visit Kenya on Charity cause". Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=53717. Retrieved April 24, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Jewel and Serena Williams Help the Avon Foundation Raise Millions for the Fight Against Breast Cancer". Avon. Avon Products, Inc.. October 15, 2003. http://www.avoncompany.com/women/news/press20031015.html. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ "Stars rally for a common cause". Tennis Australia. January 16, 2010. http://www.tennis.com.au/pages/News.aspx?id=4&pageId=11478&HandlerId=2&archive=false&newsid=6671&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tennis-australia+%28Tennis+Australia%29. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ a b "The Website of Author Hilary Beard – Books". Hilarybeard.com. http://www.hilarybeard.com/books/. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ "Venus and Serena: Serving From the Hip: 10 Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning.(Brief Article)(Book Review)". Highbeam.com. July 1, 2005. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-134387123.html. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "Venus and Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning (9780618576531): Serena Williams Author, Hilary Beard Author". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Venus-Serena-Serving-Living-Winning/dp/0618576533. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "Venus & Serena: Serving From The Hip : Ten Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning". Ecampus.com. March 22, 2005. http://www.ecampus.com/venus-serena-serving-from-hip-ten-rules/bk/9780618576531. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "Venus and Serena Serving From The Hip 10 Rules for Living Loving and Winning, Hilary Beard, Venus Williams, Serena Williams. (Paperback 0618576533)". Paperbackswap.com. March 22, 2005. http://www.paperbackswap.com/Venus-Serena-Serving-Hip-10/book/0618576533/. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "S Williams – June 24, 2009". 2009.wimbledon.org. June 24, 2009. http://2009.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2009-06-24/200906241245864482421.html. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ WPEC-CBS12 News. "Man arrested for stalking Serena Williams finds her via Twitter". CBS12.com. http://www.cbs12.com/articles/williams-4732272-gardens-beach.html. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
- ^ Murphy, Ryan. "Top 10 Most Superstitious Athletes". Mensfitness.com. http://www.mensfitness.com/sports_and_recreation/athletes/181. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "Tiger is Still America's Favorite Sports Star, but Shares Title with Kobe Bryant". Harris Interactive. July 20, 2010. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/mid/1508/articleId/441/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/Default.aspx. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ "40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era (17–20)". Tennis Magazine. May 17, 2006. http://www.tennis.com/features/40greatest/40greatest.aspx?id=700. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ William Lee Adams (June 22, 2011). "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future – Serena Williams". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2079150_2079148_2079126,00.html. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
External links[link]
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- Official website
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- Serena Williams at the Internet Movie Database
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- Serena Williams Profile
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1) 
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Williams, Serena Jameka Ross Evelyn |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | American tennis player |
| Date of birth | September 26, 1981 |
| Place of birth | Saginaw, Michigan, United States |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Serena_Williams
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http://ru.wn.com/Уильямс, Серена
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serena_Williams
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 Victoria Azarenka at the 2012 Qatar Total Open |
|
| Country |  Belarus |
|---|---|
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Born | (1989-07-31) 31 July 1989 (age 22) Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union now Belarus |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 66 kg (150 lb; 10.4 st) |
| Turned pro | 2003 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | $ 13,458,503 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 314–125 |
| Career titles | 12 WTA, 1 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (30 January 2012) |
| Current ranking | No. 1 (28 May 2012)[1] |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2012) |
| French Open | QF (2009, 2011) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2011) |
| US Open | 4R (2007) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Championships | F (2011) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 135–51 |
| Career titles | 6 WTA, 3 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (7 July 2008) |
| Current ranking | No. 38 (28 May 2012) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2008, 2011) |
| French Open | F (2009) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2008) |
| US Open | 2R (2009) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2007) |
| French Open | W (2008) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2007) |
| US Open | W (2007) |
| Last updated on: 28 May 2012. | |
Victoria Azarenka (Belarusian: Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка, Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current World No. 1 as of 28 May 2012.[1]
She won the 2012 Australian Open singles title, becoming the first Belarusian player to win a Grand Slam in singles. Her other achievements include winning two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, the 2007 US Open with Max Mirnyi and the 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan.
Contents |
Personal life[link]
At age 16, Azarenka moved to Scottsdale, Arizona from Minsk, Belarus, to train. In this she was aided by National Hockey League goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and his wife, who is a friend of Azarenka's mother.[2] In 2010 she briefly considered a break from the sport of tennis to focus on education, however, after a conversation with her grandmother she decided to continue playing. It is the inspiration from her grandmother that is regarded as the key for her continued developments in the sport.[3] Azarenka is romantically involved with tennis player Sergei Bubka Jr, son of former Olympic gold medalist and World Champion, Sergey Bubka. [4]
Tennis career[link]
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012) |
Early career[link]
Azarenka debuted on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior tour in November 2003 in Israel, winning one doubles title with countrywoman Olga Govortsova.[5] She continued to participate in ITF tournaments in 2004, and at the end of the season she had a rank of 508 on WTA singles tour.[6] Azarenka had a successful year in 2005, winning two junior Grand Slams: the Australian[7] and US[8] championships. She ended the season as the junior world no. 1 and was named the 2005 World Champion by the ITF, becoming the first Belarusian to do so.[9][10] In addition, she reached her first semifinal on the main tour in Guangzhou, China. She went from the qualifying draw of the tournament to the main draw, where she defeated Martina Suchá and Shuai Peng, before losing to the eventual champion Yan Zi.
2006[link]
In 2006 in Memphis, Azarenka defeated her first top-20 player, Nicole Vaidišová, and two months later defeated her second top-30 player in Jelena Janković at Miami. On clay, Azarenka pushed 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina to 7–6 in the third in Rome, and took clay-court specialist Anabel Medina Garrigues to 9–7 in the third set in the first round at Roland Garros. At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships Azarenka lost in 1st round to 2005 Junior Wimbledon and 2006 Junior French Open Champion and Wildcard Agnieszka Radwanska 5:7 4:6. 2006 US Open, she had her first win over Myskina in the first round, and lost to Anna Chakvetadze in the third round, her best result in a Grand Slam event to that date. In her next tournament, Azarenka reached her second pro-level semifinal in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, losing to Tiantian Sun. She finished the year reaching the final of an ITF event in Pittsburgh, losing to Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak.[11]
2007[link]
Ranked world no. 96, Azarenka began the year by playing two tournaments in Australia. She lost in the second round at the Moorilla Hobart International to Serena Williams. At the Australian Open, Azarenka reached the third round of a Grand Slam singles tournament for the second consecutive time, where she lost to world no. 11 Jelena Janković in straight sets.
She was upset in the first round of the French Open by Karin Knapp of Italy, and at Wimbledon, she lost in the third round to 14th-seeded Nicole Vaidišová.
At the US Open, Azarenka upset former world no. 1 Martina Hingis in the third round, before 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova beat her in the fourth round. In mixed doubles, Azarenka and countryman Max Mirnyi won the title, defeating Meghann Shaughnessy and Leander Paes.[12]
She ended her year at the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow, where she upset world no. 4 Maria Sharapova in the second round.[13] She then lost to the eventual winner of the tournament, world no. 14 Elena Dementieva, in the quarterfinal. At the same tournament, Azarenka and her doubles partner Tatiana Poutchek, also of Belarus, lost in the final to the world no. 3 team of Liezel Huber and Cara Black in three sets. Azarenka's results at the Kemlin Cup elevated her rankings to career highs of world no. 27 in singles and world no. 29 in doubles.
2008[link]
Azarenka began the year at the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts tournament in Gold Coast, Australia. Unseeded, she reached the semifinals, where she beat fifth-seeded Shahar Pe'er of Israel, Azarenka's sixth top-20 victory. In her third career WTA tour final, she lost to Li Na, but the points she earned in this tournament were enough to improve her ranking to a career-best world no. 25.
Azarenka was seeded 26th at the Australian Open. This was her first appearance as a seeded player in a Grand Slam singles tournament. She showed no ill effects from a leg injury while winning her first two matches, but lost in the third round to seventh-seeded and defending champion Serena Williams. In doubles, Azarenka and her partner Pe'er were seeded 12th. They made it to the finals, before losing to the unseeded team of Kateryna and Alona Bondarenko.
She was seeded 16th at the French Open. She defeated 18th-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy in the third round, before losing to fourth-seeded Kuznetsova in the fourth round. Azarenka teamed with American Bob Bryan to win the mixed doubles title at the French Open, defeating the top seeded team of Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjić in the final.
At Wimbledon, Azarenka was seeded 16th in singles and 6th in doubles (with Pe'er). In singles, Azarenka was defeated by 21st-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia in the third round. In doubles, Azarenka and Pe'er reached the quarterfinals, where they lost to the top-seeded team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
Azarenka was seeded 14th at the US Open, but was defeated by 21st-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the third round.
2009[link]
Azarenka began the year at the Brisbane International as the second seed. She defeated Kateryna Bondarenko, Jarmila Groth, Lucie Šafářová, and Sara Errani, all in straight sets to reach her fifth career final. In the final, Azarenka defeated third seed Marion Bartoli, 6–3, 6–1, to win her first WTA career title.
Azarenka was seeded 13th at the Australian Open. She advanced to the fourth round for the first time, winning the first set against world no. 2 Serena Williams, before she was forced to retire because of heat stress, with the score 6–3, 2–4.
At the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, Azarenka was seeded second. She won her second WTA title by beating her doubles partner and top seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Afterwards, Wozniacki and Azarenka won the doubles title, beating Michaëlla Krajicek and Yuliana Fedak in the final.
At the BNP Paribas Open, Azarenka was seeded 8th and reached the semifinals, where she lost to her doubles partner and eventual champion Vera Zvonareva, 3–6, 3–6. Because of her performance at this tournament, Azarenka improved her singles ranking to a career-best world no. 10.[14] She is the second woman from Belarus ever to be ranked that high, following Natasha Zvereva who was ranked world no. 5 in the late 1980s.[14]
At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Azarenka was seeded 11th. She defeated world no. 1 and defending champion Serena Williams in the final, 6–3, 6–1. This was Azarenka's first Tier I or Premier Mandatory event title. Azarenka also became the sixth teenage female singles champion in the history of this tournament, with the others being Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, and Gabriela Sabatini.[15] By winning this tournament, Azarenka's ranking increased to a new career high of world no. 8.
Her next tournament was on clay at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, where she lost to Gisela Dulko in the second round. At the Italian Open, Azarenka lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals.
At Roland Garros, Azarenka was seeded ninth and advanced to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she fell to top seed Dinara Safina, 6–1, 4–6, 2–6. With her partner Elena Vesnina, Azarenka made the final of the ladies doubles at Roland Garros. In the final, they played the Spanish pairing of Garrigues and Ruano Pascual, and the higher-ranked Spanish pair won, 6–1, 6–1.
She withdrew from her first match at the AEGON International, the warm-up for Wimbledon, citing a hip injury.
Azarenka was seeded 8th at Wimbledon. She fell, 2–6, 3–6, to second seed and eventual winner Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.[16]
Receiving a bye in the first round at the Los Angeles, Azarenka fell to Maria Sharapova, 7–6, 4–6, 2–6. In Cincinnati, Azarenka lost to Jelena Janković in the third round 5–7, 6–7, committing 11 double faults. At the Rogers Cup in Toronto, she was seeded ninth. She lost to returning Kim Clijsters in the second round, 5–7, 6–4, 1–6.
At the US Open, Azarenka was seeded eighth. She fell to Francesca Schiavone in the third round, 6–4, 2–6, 2–6.
Seeded eighth at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, she lost to Li Na in the quarterfinals, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7, giving up a 5–1 lead in the first set. In her next tournament the China Open, Azarenka was seeded ninth. She lost in the second round to recent Tokyo champion Maria Sharapova, 3–6, 7–6, 5–7, leading 5–2 in the final set and serving for the match twice. She intended to play the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, but she withdrew.
At the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Azarenka vanquished Jelena Janković in her first-round robin-match, 6–2, 6–3.[17] In her second match, however, Azarenka was defeated by Caroline Wozniacki, 6–1, 4–6, 5–7. Azarenka failed to convert a match point in the final set in which she led by a break on four occasions, and also served for the match at 5–3. Azarenka also conceded her serve at 5–5, to leave Wozniacki serving for the match after receiving a point penalty for racket abuse.[18] Due to her loss to Wozniacki, Azarenka had to defeat second alternate Agnieszka Radwańska to qualify for the semifinals. She led 6–4, 5–2 with a double break, before going on to lose nine of the next ten games, eventually conceding the match after severe cramping in the third set forced her to retire while trailing 6–4, 5–7, 1–4.[19]
Azarenka ended the year ranked world no. 7, with a 45–15 win-loss record, having won three titles and qualified for the year-end championships for the first time in her career. On 15 December, Azarenka split with long-time coach Antonio Van Grichen.
2010[link]
Azarenka began the season at the Hong Kong Tennis Classic exhibition. She was part of Team Europe, along with Caroline Wozniacki and Stefan Edberg. In her first match, she defeated Gisela Dulko, 6–1. The match was played best of one set due to rain. She withdrew from her remaining matches due to illness. She was seeded sixth at the Medibank International. She won her first three matches, all 7–5 in the third set. In the semifinals, she fell to fifth seed Elena Dementieva, 3–6, 1–6.
At the Australian Open, she was seeded seventh. She lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinal, 6–4, 6–7, 2–6, giving up a 4–0 lead in the second set. This was the third consecutive year she has lost to Williams at this tournament. Seeded fourth at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, on her way to the final, she defeated Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals and Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinals. In the final, she lost to defending champion Venus Williams, 3–6, 5–7.
At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open, she was seeded third, but was upset in the third round by María José Martínez Sánchez, 6–7, 2–6.
At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was the defending champion and fourth seed, she lost in fourth round to 14th seed and eventual champion Kim Clijsters. This was the fourth match in the five tournaments this year that Azarenka lost to eventual champions.
At the Andalucia Tennis Experience, she was the top seed. She had to retire in her quarterfinal match against María José Martínez Sánchez, leading 4–0 due to a left thigh injury.
Seeded third at the Family Circle Cup, she had to retire from her first match while leading, 6–2, 2–2, against qualifier Christina McHale. At the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, she was upset in the second round by qualifier Anna Lapushchenkova, who was ranked no. 138 at the time.
At the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, as the ninth seed, Azarenka lost to Ana Ivanović, 4–6, 4–6. As the tenth seed at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, Azarenka retired from her first round match against Shuai Peng, while trailing 0–3 with a groin injury.
At the 2010 French Open, coming back from injury, Azarenka was upset in the first round by unseeded Gisela Dulko, 1–6, 2–6. This loss caused Azarenka to fall to world no. 15. Azarenka was unseeded at the 2010 AEGON International. Struggling with injuries, Azarenka fell to qualifier Ekaterina Makarova in the final.
Azarenka was seeded 14th at the Wimbledon. She lost to Petra Kvitová in the third round. Having served for the first set at 5–4, Azarenka lost nine consecutive games losing, 5–7, 0–6.
To begin the summer hard-court season, Azarenka competed in the 2010 Bank of the West Classic as a wildcard and eight seed. Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova in the final, 6–4 6–1. The win propelled Azarenka to world no. 12. Despite being the favourite to win the Mercury Insurance Open, Azarenka withdrew to recover from a right shoulder injury. Seeded ninth at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open, Azarenka lost to Ana Ivanović, 2–6, 6–7, 2–6, despite serving for the match twice in the second set. However, she won the doubles title, partnering with Maria Kirilenko, defeating Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 7–6, 7–6.
At the US Open, during the second round against Gisela Dulko and whilst trailing 5–1, Azarenka collapsed on the court. There were concerns that the cause of the fall was heat-related. Azarenka was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was diagnosed with a concussion after hitting her head whilst warming up before the match during a sprint exercise.[20]
At the Toray Pan Pacific Open, she lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals 2–6, 7–6, 4–6. At the China Open, Azarenka retired in her secound-round match, having received a bye, to Timea Bacsinszky while leading, 6–4, 2–3.
At the 2010 Kremlin Cup Azarenka, as the second seed, defeated Maria Kirilenko in the final, 6–3 6–4, coming back from 4–0 down in the second set to win her fifth career title.
Azarenka's performance in Moscow qualified her for the year-end 2010 WTA Tour Championships, where she was in the White Group as the eighth seed. In her first round-robin match, Azarenka lost to Vera Zvonareva, 6–7, 4–6, despite serving for the first set at 5–4 and leading 3–1 in the second. She also lost to Kim Clijsters in her second match, 4–6, 7–5, 1–6, which assured that she did not qualify for the semifinals. Then, in her final match of the tournament and season, she defeated Janković for the second year in a row, 6–4, 6–1. Azarenka ended the year as world no. 10, her second consecutive year-end top-10 finish.
Azarenka then took part in a charitable exhibition match in mid-November with Caroline Wozniacki, beating the Dane, 6–3 6–3, at the Sports Palace in Minsk.
2011[link]
Azarenka began her year at the Medibank International as the seventh seed, where she lost to Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals 3–6, 2–6. At the 2011 Australian Open Azarenka was seeded eighth. She lost to the ninth seed and eventual finalist, Li Na 3–6, 3–6, in the fourth round. Azarenka partnered with Maria Kirilenko in the women's doubles event, but the pair lost to Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta in the final.
Azarenka then travelled to Israel to compete in Fed Cup. Belarus beat Croatia, Austria, and Greece in the group stage, without losing a match. The Belarusian team then defeated Poland 2–0 to qualify for the World Group II play-Offs in April where they played Estonia.
Azarenka's next tournament was the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was seeded 7th. She lost to Flavia Pennetta in the third round. Azarenka then competed at the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open as the sixth seed, but lost to Daniela Hantuchová in the first round in three sets 6–4, 1–6, 2–6.
Azarenka's next event was the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, where she competed as the eighth seed. She retired in the quarterfinals against world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, whilst trailing 0–3, due to a left leg injury. She also became the second person to defeat both Radwańska sisters in the same tournament.
Azarenka then competed at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open as the eighth seed. She reached her second final at the event, where she defeated sixteenth seed Maria Sharapova 6–1, 6–4 to win the title.
At the 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience, Azarenka was the top seed and dropped only fourteen games on her way to the final. She defeated Irina-Camelia Begu 6–3, 6–2, in the final. Azarenka's victory, and Samantha Stosur's inability to defend her points at Charleston, ensured that Azarenka would reach a career high of world no. 5. She then participated in Belarus' 5–0 win over Estonia in the Fed Cup, registering a 6–2, 6–0 win in her singles rubber. In her next tournament the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Azarenka retired after the first set of her first match, having won the first set 6–4 against Julia Goerges, ending her 12-match winning streak. Ironically, Julia went on to win the tournament.
At the 2011 Madrid Masters, Azarenka was seeded fourth. She lost in the final in straight sets to Petra Kvitová, but still rose to a career-high world no. 4. Azarenka then reached the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she was up a set before retiring to eventual champion Maria Sharapova.
Azarenka was the fourth seed at the 2011 French Open. She beat Andrea Hlaváčková in the first round, Pauline Parmentier in the second round, 30th seed Roberta Vinci in the third round, and Ekaterina Makarova in the fourth round to reach her fourth career Grand Slam quarterfinal. She lost to Li Na in the quarterfinals.
Azarenka was the fourth seed at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. She beat 25th seed Daniela Hantuchová in a three-set third-round match, before beating Nadia Petrova. She followed that up with an easy victory over Tamira Paszek, advancing to the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. Azarenka was beaten by Czech player and eventual champion Petra Kvitová, going down in three sets 1–6, 6–3, 2–6.
Her next tournament was the 2011 Bank of the West Classic, where she was the defending champion and top seed. Azarenka was ousted by 124th-ranked Marina Erakovic from New Zealand in the second round. Despite her 'horrible match' in singles, Azarenka claimed the doubles title with partner Kirilenko.
The next tournament Azarenka played was the 2011 Rogers Cup, where she was seeded fourth. After a bye, Azarenka crushed Stephanie Dubois, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Galina Voskoboeva, before being stopped by Serena Williams in the semifinals, 3–6, 3–6. Azarenka reached the doubles final with Kirilenko, but the team was forced to withdraw because of a hand injury to Azarenka. Azarenka pulled out of the 2011 Western & Southern Open with the same injury.
Azarenka's next tournament was the 2011 US Open, where she was seeded fourth. She made it to the third round, where she was defeated by Serena Williams 1–6, 6–7.[21] Despite the early loss, she reached a new career high of no. 3 in the world.
Azarenka reached the semifinals of the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open, losing to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska. In doing so she qualified for the year-end championships in Istanbul.
The Belarusian participated in the China Open, the last of the four mandatory events for 2011, as the second seed. She defeated Polona Hercog in the second round, after receiving a first-round bye. She then withdrew from the tournament citing a right foot strain.
Azarenka would win her third title of the year at the 2011 BGL Luxembourg Open, defeating Monica Niculescu in the final.[22]
Azarenka was placed in the White Group at the 2011 WTA Tour Championships. She beat Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–2 and Li Na 6–2, 6–2 in her first two Round Robin matches. She secured the move to the semifinals despite her loss in three sets, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6, to Marion Bartoli, a substitute for Maria Sharapova. She then beat Vera Zvonareva 6–2, 6–3 to move to the final where she lost to Petra Kvitova 5–7, 6–4, 3–6.[23]
2012[link]
Azarenka claimed her first title of the season at the 2012 Apia International Sydney as the third seed. She defeated her first three opponents, Stefanie Voegele, Jelena Jankovic and Marion Bartoli all in straight sets to advance to the semifinals where she defeated the seventh seed, Agnieszka Radwańska in three sets 1–6, 6–3, 6–2 to reach the final, where she defeated the defending champion Li Na in three sets 6–2, 1–6, 6–3.[24]
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Azarenka competed at the 2012 Australian Open as the third seed, defeating Heather Watson, Casey Dellacqua, Mona Barthel and Iveta Benesova in the first four rounds without dropping a set, losing just 10 games and winning 48. In the quarterfinals, Azarenka faced a sterner test against world no. 8 Agnieszka Radwańska, and lost the opening set on a tie-break before coming back strongly, losing just two further games en route to a 6–7, 6–0, 6–2 win.[25] In the semi-finals, she defeated the eleventh seed and defending champion Kim Clijsters 6–4, 1–6, 6–3[26] to reach her first Grand Slam singles final where she faced the world no. 4 Maria Sharapova, conqueror of 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová in the other semifinal. In a nervous start to the final, Azarenka lost the opening two games of the match, and was within two points of trailing 0–3 after Sharapova took the first two points of the third game. Azarenka came back to hold serve, however, and took the next two games to establish a 3–2 lead, before her opponent held serve to level the score at 3–3. This would prove to be Sharapova's last service hold in the match, as Azarenka then proceeded to win all of the next nine games, to record an emphatic 6–3, 6–0 victory.[27] Unusually, due to the earlier quarter-final defeat of Caroline Wozniacki by Clijsters in the same tournament, whichever of the finalists triumphed in Melbourne would gain sufficient points to replace Wozniacki at the top of the Women's rankings. Azarenka thus recorded her first Grand Slam singles title and became the world no. 1 (with effect from 30 January 2012) in the same match.
Her first tournament as world number one was the 2012 Qatar Total Open. After receiving a bye in the first round, she played German Mona Barthel, dropping just one game in a comprehensive 6–1 6–0 victory. She won her third title of the year in Doha, defeating Barthel, Simona Halep, Yanina Wickmayer, Agnieszka Radwanska and Samantha Stosur all in straight sets. Azarenka planned to compete at the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships. However, after a bye in the first round, she withdrew from the tournament due to an ankle injury.
In March, she played in the 2012 BNP Paribas Open, where she was the top seed. After receiving a bye in the first round, she defeated Mona Barthel in a tough three set match. In the next four rounds, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, Julia Gorges, Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber easily in straight sets, dropping just 16 games. In a re-run of the 2012 Australian Open decider, her opponent in the final was World No. 2 Maria Sharapova, and once again, Azarenka won in straight sets, this time by 6–2 6–3, thus extending her undefeated record in 2012 to 23–0. Azarenka´s next tournament was the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open, where after a bye in the first round, she went to defeat Michaella Krajicek 6–3 7–5 in the second round, Heather Watson 6–0 6–2 on the third round, next round she faced a harder test against Dominika Cibulkova, losing the first set and being 4–0 down on the second set, Azarenka managed to came back and pull out the match, with a final score of 1–6, 7–6(7), 7–5. In the next round she faced Marion Bartoli, who ended Azarenka's 26 match winning streak to start the 2012 season (3–6, 3–6).
In April, she competed at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She received a bye into the second round against Andrea Petkovic, however Petkovic was forced to retire in the second set after suffering an ankle injury during the match, ending it 6–4, 4–4 to Azarenka. Azarenka then faced a tough match from Mona Barthel in the quarter finals but winning in 3 sets 6–4, 6–7, 7–5. She then faced Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi finals and winning comfortably in straight sets 6–1, 6–3. This win meant she had beaten Radwanska in all 5 matches against her this year. Azarenka would then face World No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the final, creating another top 2 seeded final. Sharapova was able to beat Azarenka comfortably in the final in straight sets 6–1, 6–4.
Azarenka then competed at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open. After the first 2 rounds, she faced Ana Ivanovic and won the match 6–4, 6–4. She then faced a tricky challenge from World No. 8 Li Na in the quarter finals but eventually winning in 3 sets 3–6, 6–3, 6–3. In the semi finals she faced yet again Agnieszka Radwanska and was able to win comfortably in straight sets 6–2, 6–4 and in doing so, extending her winning streak to 6 games in a row over Radwanska. In the finals the pressure was on for Azarenka, as Serena Williams was looking very impressive through out the tournament and would face Azarenka in the finals. This was the first meeting since the 2011 US Open match they had in which Williams won. Azarenka was beaten easily in the final by Williams 6–1, 6–3. The result gave Azarenka only her 3rd defeat of the year. Azarenka's next tournament was the 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, she advanced to the third round quite easily but then with drew from the tournament and avoided a third round clash with Dominika Cibulkova, due to a right shoulder strain.
Azarenka's next tournament will be the French Open.
Career statistics[link]
Main article: Victoria Azarenka career statistics
Grand Slam finals[link]
Singles: 1 (1–0)[link]
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Maria Sharapova |
6–3, 6–0 |
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline[link]
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | W–L | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | 4R | QF | 4R | W | 21–6 | |||
| French Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 4R | QF | 1R | QF | 11–6 | ||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | QF | 3R | SF | 15–6 | ||||
| US Open | A | A | A | 3R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 12–6 | ||||
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 7–4 | 9–4 | 13–4 | 7–4 | 14–4 | 7–0 | 59–24 | |||
References[link]
- ^ a b "WTA Rankings". WTA Tour. http://www.wtatennis.com/page/RankingsSingles/0,,12781~0~1~100,00.html. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Pentis, Andrew (1 March 2010). "Rising Azarenka makes waves on tennis court". The Arizona Republic. http://www.azcentral.com/sports/azetc/articles/2009/03/10/20090310spt-azarenka.html. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Reuters: "Azarenka reaches first top tier final". The Guardian (21 April 2008). Retrieved on 29 June 2011.
- ^ Tennis.com: "No tennis talk for couple Bubka and Azarenka". Tennis.com (23 March 2012). Retrieved on 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Victoria Azarenka – Doubles titles". International Tennis Federation. http://beta.itftennis.com/ProCircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?PlayerID=100034773. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Victoria Azarenka ranking history". Women's Tennis Association. http://www.wtatennis.com/page/Player/Stats/0,,12781~11289,00.html. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Australian Open Junior Roll of Honour" (PDF). International Tennis Federation. http://beta.itftennis.com/media/108158/108158.pdf. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "US Open Junior Roll of Honour" (PDF). International Tennis Federation. http://beta.itftennis.com/media/108161/108161.pdf. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "World Champions". International Tennis Federation. http://beta.itftennis.com/juniors/rankings/world-champions.aspx. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Year-End Rankings". International Tennis Federation. http://beta.itftennis.com/juniors/rankings/year-end-rankings.aspx?yr=2005. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Wechsler, Bob. Day by day in Jewish sports history. Google Books. p. 317. http://books.google.com/books?id=aFkwyOIHsr8C&pg=PA317&lpg=PA317&dq=Aleksandra+Wozniak+jewish&source=bl&ots=ALnKiS6X2u&sig=6nAYWJHYDNa4j5xOAd5Rq47jDcM&hl=en&ei=QOwiSsvdDpzFtge04_XcBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#PPA317,M1. Retrieved 2011-08-16. "November 12, 2006 Victoria Azarenka retires after losing first set by 6–2."
- ^ Mirnyi and Azarenka capture US Open mixed doubles title "Mirnyi and Azarenka capture US Open mixed doubles title". APF.com. 6 September 2007. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iekpuSfYgtfZ8T8FlhsBaVNKRRgQ Mirnyi and Azarenka capture US Open mixed doubles title. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Tennis, Kremlin Cup: Kuznetsova advances, Sharapova, Mauresmo, Bartoli upset at Kremlin Cup". The New York Times (10 October 2007). Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ a b Azarenka primed for Top 10. Sonyericssonwtatour.com. Retrieved on 29 June 2011.
- ^ Victoria Azarenka wins Sony title against gimpy Serena Williams. Sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved on 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Rampant Serena crushes Azarenka". BBC Sport. 30 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8127310.stm. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ "Doha Drama – Azarenka beats Jankovic". Montreal Gazette. 27 October 2007. http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2009/10/27/doha-drama-azarenka-beats-jankovic. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Wozniacki rallies to beat Azarenka in Doha". Breitbart.com. 28 October 2009. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9BK8IFG1&show_article=1. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "VWilliams, Jankovic, Wozniacki reach WTA semis". Newsday. 30 October 2009. http://www.newsday.com/sports/tennis/vwilliams-jankovic-wozniacki-reach-wta-semis-1.1560723. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Clarey, Christopher (1 September 2010). "Azarenka Collapses With Mild Concussion". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/sports/tennis/02collapse.html. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Berman, Marc (4 September 2011). "Serena outlasts No. 4 Azarenka at Open". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/tennis/when_there_will_serena_outlasts_NvYMnh5n62wvA4VErNH25O. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Victoria Azarenka wins Luxembourg Open". USA Today. 23 October 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/story/2011-10-23/victoria-azarenka-wins-luxembourg-open/50882000/1. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Kvitova beats Azarenka in WTA Championships". USA Today. 30 October 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/story/2011-10-30/vvitova-captures-wta-championships-title/51004474/1. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Victoria Azarenka claims Sydney title". ESPN. 13 January 2012. http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7457603/victoria-azarenka-overcomes-li-na-sydney-international-final. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Macdonald, Geoff (24 January 2012). "Azarenka Wears Down Radwanska With Power Tennis". Straight Sets (The New York Times). http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/azarenka-wears-down-radwanska-with-power-tennis/?scp=7&sq=azarenka&st=cse. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Azarenka beats Clijsters, reaches Aust Open final". The Miami Herald. 26 January 2011. http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/26/2608862/azarenka-beats-clijsters-reaches.html. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ Murrells, Katy (24 January 2012). "Australian Open 2012: Maria Sharapova v Victoria Azarenka – as it happened". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jan/28/australian-open-2012-maria-sharapova?newsfeed=true. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Victoria Azarenka |
- Official website
- Victoria Azarenka on Facebook
- Victoria Azarenka on Twitter
- Victoria Azarenka at the Women's Tennis Association
- Victoria Azarenka at the International Tennis Federation
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Top ten tennis players
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Azarenka, Victoria |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Belarusian tennis player |
| Date of birth | 31 July 1989 |
| Place of birth | Minsk, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union (now Belarus) |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Victoria_Azarenka
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Viktoryja Azaranka
http://cs.wn.com/Viktoria Azarenková
http://id.wn.com/Victoria Azarenka
http://es.wn.com/Victoria Azarenka
http://ru.wn.com/Азаренко, Виктория Фёдоровна
http://nl.wn.com/Viktoryja Azarenka
http://pt.wn.com/Victoria Azarenka
http://pl.wn.com/Wiktoryja Azaranka
http://fr.wn.com/Victoria Azarenka
http://de.wn.com/Wiktoryja Asaranka
http://hi.wn.com/विक्टोरिया अज़ारेन्का
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Azarenka
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For this tennis player's detailed statistics, records, and other achievements, see Venus Williams career statistics.
See also: Williams sisters
 |
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida |
| Born | (1980-06-17) June 17, 1980 (age 32) Lynwood, California, U.S. |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 72.5 kg (159.8 lbs) |
| Turned pro | October 31, 1994 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | US $28,053,366 (2nd in overall earnings) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 609–151 (80.3%) |
| Career titles | 43 (tied-10th in overall rankings) |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (February 25, 2002) |
| Current ranking | No. 53 (May 28, 2012) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2003) |
| French Open | F (2002) |
| Wimbledon | W (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008) |
| US Open | W (2000, 2001) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Championships | W (2008) |
| Olympic Games | Gold medal (2000) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 150–23 (86.6%) |
| Career titles | 19 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (June 7, 2010) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010) |
| French Open | W (1999, 2010) |
| Wimbledon | W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009) |
| US Open | W (1999, 2009) |
| Career record | 25–6 (80.6%) Mixed Doubles |
| Career titles | 2 Mixed Doubles |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1998) |
| French Open | W (1998) |
| Wimbledon | F (2006) |
| US Open | QF (1998) |
| Last updated on: Mau 28, 2012. | |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's tennis | ||
| Competitor for the USA |
||
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Singles |
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Doubles |
| Gold | 2008 Beijing | Doubles |
Venus Ebony Starr Williams[1] (born June 17, 1980), is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 53 as of May 28, 2012 in singles.[2] She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first black woman to achieve this feat during the Open Era.
Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list[3] and is more than any other active female player except for her younger sister Serena Williams. Venus Williams' titles consist of: seven in singles, twelve in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Those seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth place on the all-time list. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. Venus Williams is one of only three women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships through the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.
Williams has won three Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in women's doubles.[4] She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.
With 43 career singles titles, Williams leads active players on the WTA Tour. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest winning streak since January 1, 2000. She is also one of only two active WTA players to have made the finals of all four Grand Slams, the other player being her sister Serena Williams.[5]
Venus Williams has played against her sister Serena Williams in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of the 23 matches. They have played against each other in eight Grand Slam singles finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they opposed each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, the first time ever in the open era that the same two players played against each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, let alone sisters. On the doubles side, the pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles playing alongside each other.
Contents |
Early life[link]
Venus Williams was born in Lynwood, California, to Richard Williams and Oracene Price. She is the second youngest of Oracene's five daughters: half-sisters Yetunde (died September 14, 2003), Lyndrea and Isha Price, and younger sister Serena.
Williams's family moved from Compton, California, to West Palm Beach, when she was ten, so that Venus and Serena could attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci, who would provide additional coaching. Macci spotted the exceptional talents of the sisters. He did not always agree with Williams's father but respected that "he treated his daughters like kids, allowed them to be little girls".[6] Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Williams was eleven, since he wanted them to take it slow and focus on school work. Another motivation was racial, as he had allegedly heard parents of white players talk negatively about the black Williams sisters during tournaments.[7] At that time, Venus Williams held a 63–0 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked No. 1 among the under-12 players in Southern California.[8] In 1995, Richard pulled his daughters out of Macci's academy, and from then on took over all coaching at their home.
Playing style[link]
Williams is a powerful baseline, equipped with an attacking all-court game. Her game is very well adapted to grass where she feels most comfortable, which is reflected in her five Wimbledon singles titles. Across her career, she has developed into a skillful volleyer and effectively utilizes her long "wingspan" (1.85m) and agility around the net.[9] Williams also has great court coverage using her long reach to play balls that most players would not be able to reach and is capable of hitting outright winners from a defensive position.[10]
Venus Williams holds the record for the fastest serve struck by a woman in a main draw event. At the Zurich Open, she recorded 130 mph (210 km/h).[citation needed] She also holds the record for fastest serve in all four Grand Slam tournaments: 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal – 125 mph (201 km/h), 2007 French Open second round, 2008 Wimbledon final, 2007 US Open first round – 129 mph (208 km/h).[11] At Wimbledon in 2008, her average first serve speed was 115 mph (185 km/h) in the quarterfinal, 116 mph (187 km/h) in the semifinal, and 111 mph (179 km/h) in the final.[citation needed]
Williams has always been a explosive hitter of the ball off the ground, but her backhand is the more consistently reliable of her groundstrokes.[citation needed] Her backhand is equally effective down-the-line or crosscourt (frequently for a set-up approach shot).[citation needed] Her forehand occasionally breaks down under pressure.[citation needed] However, it is still the more powerful of her groundstrokes and yields many winners, from a variety of court positions.[citation needed] Additionally, it is one of the most powerful forehands in the women's game,[citation needed] frequently struck in the 85 – 90 mph (140 km/h) range.[citation needed] In the 2008 Wimbledon women's final, Venus struck a forehand winner measured at 94 mph (IBM/Wimbledon).[citation needed] Only a few women (notably Ivanovic, Serena Williams, and Justine Henin) hit to these speeds off the ground.[citation needed]
Williams's best surface is grass. She has won Wimbledon five times and has reached the final there in eight of the last ten years. The low bounces that grass produces tend to make her first serve an even more powerful weapon.[citation needed] Her movement on grass is also among the best on the WTA tour.[citation needed] Clay is Williams's weakest surface although she has suffered numerous injuries prior to the French Open.[citation needed] Her movement is suspect and her powerful serve and groundstrokes are less effective.[citation needed] Still, she has won numerous[clarification needed] titles on clay.
Professional career[link]
1994–96: Professional debut[link]
Venus Williams turned professional hi on October 31, 1994, at the age of fourteen. In the second round of her first professional tournament, the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, Williams was up a set and a service break against World No. 2 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario before losing the match. That was the only tournament Williams played in 1994.
In 1995, Williams played three more events as a wild card, falling in the first round of the tournament in Los Angeles and the tournament in Toronto but reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament in Oakland, defeating World No. 18 Amy Frazier in the second round for her first win over a top 20 ranked player before losing to Magdalena Maleeva.
Williams played five events in 1996, falling in the first round four times but reaching the third round in Los Angeles, before losing to World No. 1 Steffi Graf.
1997–99: Early success[link]
Williams played 15 tour events in 1997, including five Tier I tournaments. She reached the quarterfinals in three of the Tier I events – the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, the European Indoor Championships in Zürich, and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. In Indian Wells in March, Williams defeated World No. 9 Iva Majoli in the third round for her first win over a player ranked in the top 10. She then lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 8 Lindsay Davenport in a third set tiebreak. Her ranking broke into the top 100 on April 14, 1997. She made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, reaching the second round before losing to Nathalie Tauziat. She then lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Magdalena Grzybowska. During her debut at the US Open, she lost the final to Martina Hingis after defeating Irina Spîrlea in a semifinal famous for "the bump" in which Spîrlea intentionally collided with Williams during a changeover, commenting later that it happened ". . . because she thinks she's the freaking Venus Williams." Richard Williams, her father, later claimed that this incident was racially motivated.[12] She was the first woman since Pam Shriver in 1978 to reach a US Open singles final on her first attempt and was the first unseeded US Open women's singles finalist since 1958. On September 8, 1997, her ranking broke into the top 50 for the first time. She ended the year ranked World No. 22.
r debut at the Australian Open, Williams defeated younger sister Serena in the second round, which was the sisters' first professional meeting. Venus eventually lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 3 Davenport.
Three weeks later, Williams defeated World No. 2 Davenport for the first time in the semifinals of the IGA Tennis Classic in Oklahoma City. Williams then defeated Joannette Kruger in the final to win the first singles title of her career. In her first Tier I event of the year, Williams lost in the semifinals of the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells to World No. 1 Hingis. The following week, Williams won the Tier I Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals. On March 30, 1998, her ranking broke into the top 10 for the first time, at World No. 10.
Williams played only one tournament on clay before the 1998 French Open. At the Italian Open in Rome, she defeated sister Serena in the quarterfinals and World No. 5 Sánchez Vicario in the semifinals before losing to World No. 1 Hingis in the final. Williams lost again to Hingis in the quarterfinals of the French Open. Williams lost her first match at the Direct Line International Championships in Eastbourne on grass before losing to eventual champion and World No. 3 Jana Novotná in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. On July 27, 1998, her ranking rose to World No. 5.
Williams played three tournaments during the North American 1998 summer hard court season. She reached her fifth final of the year at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, defeating World No. 6 Monica Seles in the semifinals before losing to World No. 1 Davenport. Patella tendinitis in her left knee caused her to retire from her quarterfinal match at the tournament in San Diego while trailing Mary Pierce 4–0 in the third set. At the US Open, Williams defeated fourth seeded Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals before losing to second seeded and eventual champion Davenport in the semifinals.
Williams played four tournaments the remainder of 1998. She won her third title of the year at the Grand Slam Cup in Munich in September, defeating World No. 9 Patty Schnyder in the final. She lost in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt before losing in the final of the Tier I Swisscom Challenge in Zürich to World No. 1 Davenport and the semifinals of the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow to Pierce. She had earned enough points during the year to participate in the year-ending Chase Championship but withdrew from the tournament because of tendinitis in her knee. She finished the year ranked World No. 5.
In 1998, Williams teamed with Justin Gimelstob to win the mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open and the French Open. Her sister Serena won the other two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles that year, completing a "Williams Family Mixed Doubles Grand Slam". Williams won the first two women's doubles titles of her career, in Oklahoma City and Zürich. Both titles came with sister Serena, becoming only the third pair of sisters to win a WTA tour doubles title.[13]
Williams started the 1999 tour in Australia, where she lost to World No. 10 Steffi Graf in the quarterfinals of the Medibank International in Sydney and World No. 1 Davenport in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. However, she rebounded at the Faber Grand Prix in Hanover, defeating Graf for the first time in the semifinals before losing the final to World No. 3 Novotná. Williams then successfully defended her titles in both Oklahoma City and Key Biscayne. She defeated Novotná and Graf to reach the final in Key Biscayne, where she defeated Serena in three sets in the first final on the WTA Tour to be contested by two sisters.
Williams played four clay court events during the spring. She lost her first match at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida. Three weeks later, however, she won her first title on clay at the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg, defeating Mary Pierce in the final. Williams then won the Tier I Italian Open in Rome, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and World No. 8 Pierce in the final. At the French Open, she extended her winning streak to 22 matches before losing in the fourth round to World No. 125 Barbara Schwartz. Williams teamed with Serena to win the women's doubles title at this event, the first Grand Slam title the pair won together.
At the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, Williams defeated World No. 17 Anna Kournikova in the fourth round to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, where she lost to eventual runner-up Graf.
Williams rebounded in the summer when she won two Fed Cup matches against Italy and lost in the final of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford to World No. 1 Davenport. One week later, Williams defeated Davenport in the semifinals of the TIG Tennis Classic in San Diego before losing to World No. 2 Hingis in the final. In her last tournament before the US Open, Williams won the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, Connecticut, defeating World No. 5 Seles in the semifinals and Davenport in the final. On August 30, 1999, her world ranking reached third for the first time. Seeded third at the US Open, Williams lost in the semifinals to World No. 1 Hingis in three sets. However, she teamed with singles champion Serena at this event to win their second Grand Slam women's doubles title.
During the remainder of the year, Williams contributed to the USA's victory over Russia in the Fed Cup final, winning one singles rubber before joining Serena to win the doubles rubber. At the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, Venus defeated Hingis in the semifinals before losing to Serena for the first time in the final. Venus won her sixth title of the year at the Tier I event in Zurich, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the final. Four weeks later, she lost to Davenport in the semifinals of the tournament in Philadelphia. Making her debut at the year-ending Chase Championships, Williams lost to Hingis in the semifinals. She finished the year ranked World No. 3.
2000–02: Williams sisters domination[link]
In 2000, Williams missed the first five months of the year with tendinitis in both wrists. She returned to the tour during the European clay court season. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg to Amanda Coetzer and in the third round of the Tier I Italian Open in Rome to Jelena Dokić. Although she had won only two of her four matches before the French Open, she was seeded fourth there. She won her first four matches in Paris without losing a set before losing in the quarterfinals to eighth-seeded and former champion Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in three sets.
Williams then won 35 consecutive singles matches and six tournaments. She won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, defeating World No. 1 Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals, sister Serena in the semifinals, and defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final. She also teamed with Serena to win the women's doubles title at this event.
She won three Tier II events during the North American summer hard court season, defeating Davenport in the final of the tournament in Stanford, California and Monica Seles in the finals of both the tournament in San Diego and the tournament in New Haven, Connecticut.
At the US Open, Williams defeated still-World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and World No. 2 Davenport in the final. At the Olympic Games in Sydney, Williams defeated Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals, Seles in the semifinals, and Elena Dementieva in the final to win the gold medal. She also won the gold medal in women's doubles with her sister Serena. Davenport eventually snapped her winning streak in October in the final of the tournament in Linz. Williams did not play a tournament the rest of the year because of anemia. She finished the year ranked World No. 3 and with six singles titles.
In 2001, Williams reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time, where she lost to World No. 1 Hingis. However, Venus teamed with Serena to win the doubles title at the event, completing a Career Grand Slam in women's doubles for the pair.
Williams also reached the semifinals of the Tier I Tennis Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California, where she controversially defaulted her match with sister Serena just before the match started. Venus had been suffereing from knee tendinitis throughout the tournament and eventually this prevented her from playing. The following day, Venus and her father Richard were booed as they made their way to their seats to watch the final.[14] Serena was subsequently booed during the final with Kim Clijsters and during the trophy presentation. Due to this, neither Williams sister has entered the tournament since.[15] Venus rebounded from the Indian Wells controversy to win the next tournament on the tour calendar, the Tier I Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. She defeated Hingis in the semifinals and World No. 4 Jennifer Capriati in the final, after saving eight championship points. Because of this victory, her ranking rose to a career high of World No. 2.
During the European clay court season, Williams won the Tier II tournament in Hamburg but lost in the third round of the Tier I EUROCARD Ladies German Open to World No. 18 Justine Henin and the first round of the French Open to Barbara Schett. This was only the second time that she had lost in the first round of a Grand Slam singles tournament. Williams then successfully defended her Wimbledon title, defeating third-seeded Davenport in the semifinals and eighth-seeded Henin in three sets in Henin's first Wimbledon final.
During the North American summer hard court season, Williams won for the second consecutive year the tournaments in San Diego, defeating Seles in the final, and in New Haven, defeating Davenport in the final. Williams also won the US Open singles title for the second consecutive year, without dropping a set. In the quarterfinals, she beat fifth-seeded Clijsters, followed by a semifinal victory over World No. 2 Capriati. She played Serena in the final, which was the first Grand Slam singles final contested by two sisters during the open era. Venus won the match and her fourth Grand Slam singles title. Venus also became only the sixth woman in history to win the singles titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years, the others being Martina Navaratilova (twice), Steffi Graf (twice), Althea Gibson, Maureen Connolly Brinker, and Helen Wills Moody (twice).
Williams began 2002 by winning the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts in Gold Coast, Australia, defeating Henin in the final. However, she then lost for the first time in her career to Seles in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Williams then went on to win the Open Gaz de France in Paris when Jelena Dokić withdrew from the final, and the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium, defeating Henin in the final. As a result of her strong start to the season, Williams assumed the World No. 1 position for the first time on February 25, dislodging Capriati. Williams was the first African-American woman ever to hold the ranking. She held it for just three weeks before surrendering it back to Capriati.
Williams failed to defend her title in Miami after losing in the semifinals to Serena. However, she made a strong start to the clay-court season, winning the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, defeating Henin in the final. A week after winning that tournament, she once again replaced Capriati as the World No. 1, before losing it again to Capriati after three weeks. During those three weeks, Williams had made the final in Hamburg, defeating Hingis in the semifinals before losing to Clijsters in the final. Seeded second at the French Open, Williams defeated former champion Seles to reach the semifinals for the first time. There, she defeated Clarisa Fernández. In the final, Williams met Serena for a second time in a Grand Slam final, with Serena winning. Venus once again replaced Capriati as the World No. 1 as a result of reaching the final.
As the top seed at Wimbledon, Williams defeated Henin in the semifinals to make the final for the third consecutive year. However, there, she lost to Serena. This result meant Serena replaced Venus as the World No. 1. The Williams sisters teamed up to win the women's doubles title at the event, their fifth Grand Slam women's doubles title together.
Williams won the titles in San Diego and New Haven for the third consecutive year, defeating Davenport and Dokic to win the former and defeating Davenport in the final of the latter. At the US Open, Williams defeated Seles in the quarterfinals and Amélie Mauresmo in three sets to make the final. Playing Serena for their third consecutive Grand Slam final, Serena won once again. After that, Venus played just four more matches during the season. She reached the semifinals at the year-ending Sanex Championships after defeating Seles in the quarterfinals, but she then was forced to retire against Clijsters due to injury. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 2 having won seven titles, her best showing in both respects of her career.
2003–06: Injuries and losses[link]
Williams started 2003 by defeating fifth seed Justine Henin to make the final of the Australian Open for the first time. In the final, however, she lost to sister Serena. This marked the first time in the open era that the same two players had met in four consecutive Grand Slam finals. Venus and Serena teamed to win the women's doubles title at the event, their sixth Grand Slam title in women's doubles.
In February, Williams won the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium for the second consecutive year, defeating Kim Clijsters in the final. However, shortly afterwards, she began to struggle with injury. She reached the final of the clay court J&S Cup in Warsaw before being forced to retire against Amélie Mauresmo. She then suffered her earliest exit at a Grand Slam tourmament in two years when she lost in the fourth round of the French Open to Vera Zvonareva.
At Wimbledon, Williams was seeded fourth. Williams defeated former champion Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals and Kim Clijsters in the semifinals to advance to her fourth consecutive Wimbledon final, where she lost again to sister Serena.
Wimbledon was Williams' last event of the year as an abdominal injury that occurred during the Clijsters match prevented her from playing again. While she was recovering from the injury, her sister Yetunde Price was murdered.[16] Williams finished the year ranked World No. 11. It was the first time in nearly six years that she had dropped out of the top ten.
In 2004, Williams came back to the tour suffering inconsistent results. As the third seeded player because of a protected ranking, she reached the third round of the Australian Open, where she lost to Lisa Raymond. She then lost in the quarterfinals of her next three tournaments.
Williams began to find her form at the beginning of the clay court season. At the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Williams defeated Conchita Martínez in the final to win her first title in over a year and the second Tier I title on clay of her career. She then won in Warsaw, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final, before reaching the final of the Tier I German Open in Berlin, before withdrawing from that match against Mauresmo due to injury. Going into the French Open, Williams had the best clay court record among the women and was among the favorites to win the title; however, after making the quarterfinals to extend her winning streak on the surface to 19 matches, she lost to eventual champion Anastasia Myskina. Despite her defeat, she re-entered the top ten.
At Wimbledon, Williams lost a controversial second round match to Croatian Karolina Šprem. The umpire of the match, Ted Watts, awarded Šprem an unearned point in the second set tiebreak. Upon the conclusion of the match, he was relieved of his duties.[17] This defeat marked the first time since 1997 that Williams had exited Wimbledon prior to the quarterfinals. After Wimbledon, Williams reached her fourth final of the year at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, where she suffered her first defeat to Lindsay Davenport since 2000.
As the defending champion at the Athens Olympics, Williams lost in the third round to Mary Pierce. She then won three very close matches against Petra Mandula, Shikha Uberoi and Chanda Rubin to make the Fourth Round of the US Open where she lost to Davenport, the first time she had ever lost at the US Open prior to the semifinals. Williams completed the year by losing in the quarterfinals of three indoor tournaments in the fall, a period that included defeat in her first meeting with 17-year-old Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova at the Zurich Open. Williams finished the year as World No. 9 and did not qualify for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships.
In 2005, Williams started the year by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Alicia Molik. She then reached the final in Antwerp, defeating Clijsters and Myskina en route. In the final, Williams was a set and a service break up against Mauresmo before eventually losing.
In March, at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami, Williams defeated sister and Australian Open champion Serena in the quarterfinals, the first time she had defeated Serena since 2001. Venus went on to lose in the semifinals to World No. 3 Sharapova. In May, Williams won her first title in over a year at the clay-court Istanbul Cup, defeating Nicole Vaidišová in the final. However, at the French Open, she lost in the third round to 15-year old Sesil Karatantcheva, who subsequently tested positive for steroids and was suspended.
Williams was seeded 14th at Wimbledon. In the quarterfinals of the tournament, she defeated French Open runner-up Pierce in an epic second set tiebreak, winning it 12–10 to make the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in two years. There, she defeated defending champion and second-seeded Maria Sharapova to make the Wimbledon final for the fifth time in six years. Playing top-seeded Davenport in the final, Williams saved a match point with a backhand winner en route to winning. This was Williams's third Wimbledon singles title, her fifth Grand Slam singles title overall and her first since 2001. It was the first time in 70 years that a player had won after being down match point during the women's final at Wimbledon.[citation needed] In addition, Williams was the lowest-ranked (World No. 16) and lowest-seeded (14th) champion in tournament history.[citation needed] Williams returned to the top ten following the victory.
Following Wimbledon, Williams reached her fourth final of the year in Stanford, where she lost to Clijsters. At the US Open, Williams achieved her second consecutive win over Serena in the fourth round, but then lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. Williams did not qualify for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships because of an injury sustained during the tournament in Beijing. She finished the year ranked World No. 10. It was the first year since 2001 that she had finished a year ranked higher than Serena.
In 2006, Williams was upset in the first round of the Australian Open by Tszvetana Pironkova which was her earliest loss ever at that tournament. After that loss, she did not play again for three months due to a wrist injury. She returned in late April on clay in Warsaw, where she defeated former World No. 1 Martina Hingis in the second round before losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. Wiliams completed the clay-court season by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open, where she lost to Nicole Vaidišová.
Williams was the defending champion and one of the favorites to win the singles title at Wimbledon. However, she lost lost in the third round to 26th-seeded Jelena Janković. After the loss, Williams said that she was having pain in her left wrist, although she admitted that the injury was not the cause of her loss. Williams did not play in the US Open series or the US Open itself due to the wrist injury. During her first tournament in almost three months in October, she reinjured her wrist at the tournament in Luxembourg and lost in the second round to qualifier Agnieszka Radwańska. Williams finished the season as World No. 46, her lowest finish since she began to play on the WTA Tour full-time in 1997. It was the second consecutive year she finished higher than Serena, who finished the year at World No. 95
2007–09: Return to form[link]
Williams withdrew from the 2007 Australian Open, the second consecutive Grand Slam that she had missed due to her recurring wrist injury. She returned in February at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, USA, defeating top-seeded Shahar Pe'er in the final, her first singles title since her victory at Wimbledon in 2005.
At the beginning of the clay-court season, Williams reached the semifinals of the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, where she lost to Jelena Janković on a third set tiebreak. She also lost to fourth seed Janković in the third round of the French Open, her third consecutive loss to Janković. During her second round win over Ashley Harkleroad, Williams hit a 206 km/h (128 mph) serve, which is the second fastest woman's serve ever recorded and the fastest ever recorded during a main draw match.
Williams was ranked World No. 31 going into Wimbledon and was seeded 23rd at the tournament due to her previous results at Wimbledon. Williams was a game away from defeat in her first round match against Alla Kudryavtseva and in her third round match against Akiko Morigami she was two points away from defeat, but she eventually won both 7–5 in the third set. She then advanced to reach her sixth Wimbledon final, after beating Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivnovic en route to the final where she defeated 18th seed Marion Bartoli. Williams thus became only the fourth woman in the open era to win Wimbledon at least four times, along with Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. She also became the lowest-seeded Wimbledon champion in history, breaking the record she herself set in 2005. Williams returned to the top 20 as a result of the win.[18]
At the US Open, after setting a Grand-Slam record 129 mph (208 km/h) serve in the opening round,[19] Williams advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal outside of Wimbledon since 2003. However she then lost to eventual champion Justine Henin. The tournament resulted in Williams's ranking moving up to World No. 9. Williams then won her third title of the year at the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, South Korea, defeating Maria Kirilenko in the final, before then losing in the final of the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo to Virginie Razzano. Williams had earned enough points during the year to qualify for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in Madrid; however, she withdrew because of continuing problems with anemia.[20] Williams finished the year as World No. 8 with three titles, her best performance in both respects since 2002, and a winning percentage of 83 percent.
In 2008, as the eighth seed at the Australian Open, Williams reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. However, she then lost to eventual runner-up Ana Ivanovic. Williams made her first semifinal of the year at the Bangalore Open in Bangalore, India, where she met sister Serena for the first time since 2005 with Serena winning despite Venus holding a match point in the third set tie break.
Williams missed two tournaments at the beginning of the clay-court season due to undisclosed medical problems.[21] At the French Open, Williams was seeded eighth but was eliminated by 26th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta in the third round.
Williams was the defending champion and seventh-seeded player at Wimbledon. Without dropping a set, she reached her seventh Wimbledon singles final. She then won her fifth Wimbledon singles title, and seventh Grand Slam singles title overall, by beating sister Serena in straight sets. This was the first time since 2003 that Venus and Serena had played each other in a Grand Slam final and was the first time since 2001 that Venus had defeated her in a Grand Slam final. Venus and Serena then teamed to win the women's doubles title, their first Grand Slam doubles title together since 2003.
Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the Beijing Olympics to Li Na. She did, however, earn a gold medal along with Serena in women's doubles, their second gold medal as a team, having won together at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. At the US Open, Williams was playing some of her best tennis since dominating the circuit in 2003, However, she was defeated by Serena in an epic quarter final match 6 – 7(6), 6 – 7(7) after Venus led 5 – 3 in both sets. Serena went on to win the title beating World No. 6 Dinara Safina in the semi-finals and World No. 2 Jelena Janković in the finals.
At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany in October, Williams defeated a player ranked in the top three for the first time that season by defeating World No. 3 Dinara Safina to reach her third semifinal of the year. There, she lost to Janković. A fortnight later, Williams won the Zurich Open, defeating Ivanovic in the semifinals before defeating Pennetta in the final to claim her second title of the year and secure a position in the year-ending 2008 WTA Tour Championships in Doha, Qatar. There, Williams defeated World No. 2 Safina, World No. 3 Serena and World No. 5 Dementieva in the preliminary round-robin stage. In the semifinals, Williams defeated World No. 1 Janković before winning the year-ending tournament for the first time by defeating Vera Zvonareva in the final. She ended the year ranked sixth in the world with three titles and a winning percentage of 78 percent.
As the sixth seed at the 2009 Australian Open, Williams lost in the second round to Carla Suárez Navarro after holding a match point in the third set. However, she teamed up with Serena to win the women's doubles title at the event, their eighth Grand Slam doubles title together. Venus rebounded in singles play in February at the Premier 5 (formerly Tier I) Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating defending champion and World No. 4 Dementieva in the quarterfinals and World No. 1 Serena in the semifinals on a third set tiebreak. The latter win meant that Venus led the head-to-head in career matches with her sister for the first time since 2002. Venus went on to defeat Virginie Razzano in the final. This win meant Williams was ranked in the top five for the first time since 2003, while it also marked her 40th professional singles title, only the twelfth player in the open era to achieve the feat.[22] Williams won another title the following week at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico, defeating Pennetta in the final. This was her first title on clay since 2005.
On European clay, Williams reached the semifinals in Rome before losing to World No. 1 Safina. This run meant Williams was ranked in the top three for the first time since 2003. Seeded third at the French Open, Williams lost to Ágnes Szávay in the third round, the third consecutive year she had exited at that stage.[23]
Williams was seeded third at Wimbledon. She advanced to her eighth Wimbledon final where she had won 36 straight sets (held since Wimbledon 2007). In the final however she lost the first set tie break and from then on lost 7–6 6–2 to sister Serena. The Williams sisters teamed up to win the doubles title at the tournament for the fourth time.
In Stanford, Williams defeated Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva to advance to the finals, where she would lose to Marion Bartoli. Teaming with her sister, she played doubles and won the title, defeating Monica Niculescu and Yung-Jan Chan.
At the 2009 US Open, as the third seed, Williams made it to the fourth round before losing to Kim Clijsters in three sets. Venus then teamed up with Serena to play doubles at the open, where they won the title over defending champions and world No. 1s in doubles, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, claiming their third grand slam doubles title in 2009.
Williams' last tournament in 2009 was the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, where she was the defending champion in singles. She was in the maroon group which includes her sister Serena, along with Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova. She lost her first match against Dementieva, and her second match against Serena- both in straight sets, after taking the first set. In her third and final RR match, Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova. Because of Dementieva's loss to Kuznetsova in their round robin match, Venus advanced to the semifinal of the championships. In her semifinal match, she defeated Jelena Janković of Serbia to advance to her second consecutive final in the tournament. In the final, she lost to her sister Serena. In doubles, Venus teamed with Serena as the second seed. However, they lost to Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez in the semifinal. Their doubles record at the end of the year stood at 24–2.
Venus finished 2009 ranked world number 6 in singles (with a winning percentage of 70 percent) and world number 3 in doubles with Serena, in spite of playing only 6 events together in 2009.
2010: Return to top 2[link]
Williams played at the Australian Open as the sixth seed. She defeated 17th-seeded Francesca Schiavone in the fourth round. She was two points from defeating 16th-seeded Li Na in the quarterfinals before losing in three sets. In doubles, she teamed with her sister Serena to successfully defend their title, defeating the top ranked team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final. The Williams sisters are undefeated in Grand Slam women's doubles finals and are 4–0 in Australian Open doubles finals.
Williams then played the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was the defending champion. Seeded third, she successfully defended her title by defeating fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the final.
Williams next played on clay at the Abierto Mexico Telcel in Acapulco where she was the defending champion. She reached the semifinals after recovering from a 1–5 third set deficit to Laura Pous Tió in the quarterfinals. In the final, she defeated first-time finalist Polona Hercog from Slovenia. This was her 43rd career title, the most among active female players.
Her next tournament was the Premier Mandatory Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, where she was seeded third. She defeated World No. 9 Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals and World No. 13 Marion Bartoli in the semifinals to reach her third straight WTA tour final and fourth Sony Ericsson Open final. She was defeated by Kim Clijsters in the final in just 58 minutes, ending her 15-match winning streak. By reaching the final, her ranking improved to World No. 4 and she crossed the $26 million mark in career prize money, the only player besides Serena to do so.
The knee injury that hampered her during the final of the Sony Ericsson Open forced her to skip the Fed Cup tie against Russia and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Williams returned to the tour at the Premier 5 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. She suffered the worst defeat of her career in the quarterfinals, losing to World No. 4 Jelena Janković 6–0, 6–1. Despite this loss, Williams' ranking improved to World No. 3 on May 10.
Her next tournament was the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, a Premier Mandatory tournament. She lost to Aravane Rezaï in the final. In doubles, she teamed with Serena to win the title.
On May 17, her ranking improved to World No. 2, behind only Serena. This was the fourth time that the William sisters' have occupied the top two spots, and the first time since May 2003.
Her next tournament was the French Open, where she played both singles and doubles despite her knee injury. Seeded second in singles, she advanced past the third round at this tournament for the first time since 2006 before losing to Nadia Petrova in the round of 16. She also played doubles with Serena as the top seeds. Their defeat of Huber and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the semifinals increased their doubles ranking to World No. 1. They then defeated 12th seeded Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles title.
Her next tournament was the Wimbledon Championships, where she had reached the final the previous three years. Despite her knee injury, she made it to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Tsvetana Pironkova. Pironkova was ranked 82nd in the world and had never gone past the second round of a Grand Slam event. As a result, Williams dropped to #4 in the world. She was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Serena, having won the tournament in the previous two years. However, they lost this time in the quarterfinals to Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva.
Williams then missed all tournaments in the US Open Series because of a left knee injury but still participated at the US Open as the third seed. She won three matches to move into the fourth round. Williams became one of only two women in 2010 (along with Caroline Wozniacki) to reach at least the fourth round at all four Grand Slam singles tournaments. Williams then defeated Pe'er and French Open champion Schiavone en route to her seventh US Open semifinal, against defending champion Clijsters. Williams dominated the first set of their match and recovered from 5–2 down in the second set but ultimately double-faulted on a key point near the end of the match and lost 4–6, 7–6, 6–4. Because of Serena's withdrawal from the US Open, Venus did not participate at the doubles event where she was the defending champion.
The recovery of her left knee took longer than expected and it forced her to miss the rest of 2010, including the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships and Fed Cup final.[24] Williams ended the year ranked fifth in singles, the first time she ended a year in the top five since 2002, while playing only nine tournaments. She finished the year ranked eleventh in doubles.
2011: Injuries and Illness[link]
Williams started 2011 by participating at the Hong Kong Tennis Classic. She lost both her singles matches against Vera Zvonareva and Li Na, but she managed to help Team America to win the silver group. Her next tournament was the 2011 Australian Open where she was the fourth seed. She retired in the second game of her third round match against the 30th seed Andrea Petkovic due to a hip muscle injury.[25] This was Williams' first retirement during a match in a Grand Slam tournament since 1994 and thus ended her record of most Grand Slam matches without ever retiring, with 250 consecutive matches.[26] This was also her first retirement from a match since LA Women's Tennis Championships in Los Angeles in 2004, ending her 294 consecutive matches without retiring.
The injury forced Williams to pull out of the Fed Cup quarterfinal against Belgium, the Dubai Tennis Championships, and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, where she was the two-time defending champion in both tournaments. She also pulled out of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami causing her ranking to drop to world no. 15. Further, she missed Madrid and Rome. This caused her rankings to drop to world no. 29. Originally scheduled to come back in Brussels, she eventually withdrew from the Premier tournament. Further, she also missed Roland Garros, marking the first Grand Slam tournament since 2003 US Open where neither of the Williams sisters are competing.
Williams then made her first appearance since the Australian Open in Eastbourne. Unseeded, she lost for the first time in eleven meetings to Daniela Hantuchová in the quarterfinals by 2–6, 7–5, 2–6. She was seeded 23rd at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. She played for nearly three hours in her second round match against Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm, winning 6–7(6), 6–3, 8–6. She then defeated Spaniard María José Martínez Sánchez in the third round, 6–0, 6–2, but was defeated by Bulgarian 32nd seed Tsvetana Pironkova in the fourth round 2–6, 3–6.
Originally scheduled to participate in Toronto and Cincinnati, Williams withdrew due to viral illness.[27] Her next scheduled tournament was the US Open.[28] As an unseeded player, Williams defeated Vesna Dolonts 6–4 6–3 in the first round. She was scheduled to meet 22nd seed Sabine Lisicki in the second round, but withdrew before the match began due to Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease with which she was recently diagnosed.[29][30] This marked the first time in her career that she did not reach the quarterfinals or better in any of the grandslam tournaments in a season. As a result, her ranking dropped to world no. 105.
Williams did not play for the rest of the year in competitive level; although she did appear in three exhibitions tournaments in November and early December. She played a match against Serena in Colombia which she won in straight sets 6–4, 7–6(5).[31] The week later, the sisters appeared in Milan, Italy to play exhibition against Italian duo Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta. Williams lost both her singles tie-break matches but won the doubles pairing with her sister.[32] Williams then headed to Barbados to play her third exhibition tournament where she lost 4–6, 3–6 to Victoria Azarenka.
She will end the year ranked world no. 102. This is her first finish of a season ranked outside of the world top 50 since 1997.
2012: Comeback to WTA Tour[link]
Williams was scheduled to play in Auckland as her preparation before the Australian Open.[33] However, she withdrew from the tournament because of her ongoing health problems. Further, she announced in her website that she also withdrew from the Australian Open. However, she also mentioned her intention to come back to the WTA circuit in February.[34] As a result, her ranking dropped further to world no. 135. Williams returned to the competition in the doubles match of the Fed Cup´s World Group II tie between USA and Belarus that was held in Worcester, MA on 4–5 February.[35] She partnered with Liezel Huber and won the dead-rubber 6–1, 6–2.
Williams was granted wildcards to participate in Miami[36] and Charleston[37]. In her first singles match since the 2011 US Open, Williams defeated Japanese veteran, Kimiko Date-Krumm, 6–0, 6–3 in the first round of Miami. She followed up the victory by defeating world no.3, Petra Kvitová, 6–4, 4–6, 6–0 in the second round, her first Top 3 victory since defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009. Then, she beat Aleksandra Wozniak 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–5) in the third round, in a match that lasted almost three hours and where she saved a match point, to advance to the fourth round. In the round of 16, she bested world no. 15, Ana Ivanovic, 6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–2 to reach the quarterfinals where she appeared fatigued and lost to the eventual champion, Agnieszka Radwańska, by 4–6, 1–6. Her run improved her ranking to no. 87. A week later in Charleston, she reached her second consecutive quarterfinals appearance, defeating Jelena Janković en route. She lost in three sets in the quarterfinals to Samantha Stosur.
In the following the clay court season, Williams was granted wildcards to participate in Madrid and Rome. In Madrid, she lost in the second round to Angelique Kerber but still improved her world ranking to no. 63. A week later in Rome, she reached her third quarterfinals of the four tournaments she had participated in with a straight-sets victory against Samantha Stosur in the third round. She lost in the quarterfinals 4–6, 3–6 to the world no. 2, defending and eventual champion Maria Sharapova [38]. Her appearance in Rome increased her ranking to world no. 52 and putting her as the third-ranked American. She lost in the second round of the French Open to Agnieszka Radwańska, 6-2, 6-3.
Sister, Serena Williams[link]
Main article: Williams sisters rivalry
In professional women's tennis, Venus has played her sister Serena 23 times, accumulating a 10–13 record in the series. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. They have met in a total of eight Grand Slam finals, ahead of the number of finals played by Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and by Helen Wills Moody and Helen Jacobs but behind the record of fourteen finals set by Chris Evert and Martina Navrátilová.[39] Currently Venus has 43 career tennis titles, Serena has 40. Serena has 13 slams and Venus has 7.
Fight for equal prize money[link]
Despite years of protesting by tennis pioneer Billie Jean King and others, in 2005 the French Open and Wimbledon still refused to pay women's and men's players equally through all rounds. In 2005, Williams met with officials from both tournaments, arguing that female tennis players should be paid as much as males.[40] Although WTA tour President Larry Scott commented that she left "a very meaningful impression", Williams's demands were rejected.
The turning point was an essay published in The Times on the eve of Wimbledon in 2006. In it, Williams accused Wimbledon of being on the "wrong side of history", writing:
I feel so strongly that Wimbledon's stance devalues the principle of meritocracy and diminishes the years of hard work that women on the tour have put into becoming professional tennis players.
I believe that athletes – especially female athletes in the world's leading sport for women – should serve as role models. The message I like to convey to women and girls across the globe is that there is no glass ceiling. My fear is that Wimbledon is loudly and clearly sending the opposite message....
Wimbledon has argued that women's tennis is worth less for a variety of reasons; it says, for example, that because men play a best of five sets game they work harder for their prize money.
This argument just doesn’t make sense; first of all, women players would be happy to play five sets matches in grand slam tournaments....
Secondly, tennis is unique in the world of professional sports. No other sport has men and women competing for a grand slam championship on the same stage, at the same time. So in the eyes of the general public the men's and women's games have the same value.
Third, ... we enjoy huge and equal celebrity and are paid for the value we deliver to broadcasters and spectators, not the amount of time we spend on the stage. And, for the record, the ladies’ final at Wimbledon in 2005 lasted 45 minutes longer than the men's....
Wimbledon has justified treating women as second class because we do more for the tournament. The argument goes that the top women – who are more likely also to play doubles matches than their male peers – earn more than the top men if you count singles, doubles and mixed doubles prize money. So the more we support the tournament, the more unequally we should be treated! But doubles and mixed doubles are separate events from the singles competition. Is Wimbledon suggesting that, if the top women withdrew from the doubles events, that then we would deserve equal prize money in singles? And how then does the All England Club explain why the pot of women's doubles prize money is nearly £130,000 smaller than the men's doubles prize money?
I intend to keep doing everything I can until Billie Jean's original dream of equality is made real. It's a shame that the name of the greatest tournament in tennis, an event that should be a positive symbol for the sport, is tarnished.[40]
In response, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of Parliament publicly endorsed Williams's arguments.[41] Later that year, the Women's Tennis Association and UNESCO teamed for a campaign to promote gender equality in sports, asking Williams to lead the campaign.[42] Under enormous pressure, Wimbledon announced in February 2007 that it would award equal prize money to all competitors in all rounds, and the French Open followed suit a day later.[43] In the aftermath, the Chicago Sun-Times cited Williams as "the single factor" that "changed the minds of the boys" and a leader whose "willingness to take a public stand separates her not only from most of her female peers, but also from our most celebrated male athletes."[44] Williams herself commented, "Somewhere in the world a little girl is dreaming of holding a giant trophy in her hands and being viewed as an equal to boys who have similar dreams."[45]
Venus herself became the first woman to benefit from the equalization of prize money at Wimbledon, as she won the 2007 tournament and was awarded the same amount as the male winner Roger Federer.
Personal life[link]
On December 13, 2007, Williams received her associate degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with Cum Laude honors and a 3.5 GPA.[46]
Beginning the fall 2011 semester, William's began pursuing a bachelor's degree in the school of business through an online degree program at Indiana University East in Richmond, Indiana.[47] Her ultimate goal is to get an MBA in the near future.[48]
Williams's longtime boyfriend, pro golfer Hank Kuehne, had been a visible presence since Wimbledon 2007, holding her hand during long rain delays and clapping support from the players' box along with her parents and younger sister Serena. "He's a great guy", Williams said. "He understands competition. He's very supportive. I love having him here and everyone else in the box, too."[49] After rumors of engagement, the couple broke up in 2010, after which Kuehne dated and (in May 2011) married his current wife Andy.
In 2003, Venus and Serena Williams's older sister Yetunde Price, 31, was shot dead in Compton, California near the courts on which the sisters once practiced. Price was the Williams sisters' personal assistant. The Williams family issued this statement shortly after the death: "We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde. She was our nucleus and our rock. She was a personal assistant, confidante, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled. Our grief is overwhelming, and this is the saddest day of our lives."[50]
Williams said her family's faith as Jehovah's Witnesses has helped her tremendously.[51]
In 2011, Williams was forced to withdraw from the US Open before her second-round match, following a Sjögren's syndrome diagnosis.[30]
Entrepreneur[link]
Williams is the chief executive officer of her interior design firm "V Starr Interiors" located in Jupiter, Florida. Williams's company designed the set of the Tavis Smiley Show on PBS, the Olympic athletes' apartments as part of New York City's failed bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.[52]
In 2001, Williams was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by the Ladies Home Journal.[53]
In 2007, Williams teamed with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch her own fashion line EleVen. "I love fashion and the idea that I am using my design education to actually create clothing and footwear that I will wear on and off the tennis court is a dream come true for me. The vision has been to create a collection that will allow women to enjoy an active lifestyle while remaining fashionable at the same time. I'm thrilled with everything we've created to launch EleVen."[54][55]
In June 2009, Venus was named 77th in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities compiled by Forbes magazine.[56]
In August 2009, Venus Williams became part-owners of the Miami Dolphins with sister Serena Williams. The announcement was made during a press conference overlooking the practice field. This made Venus and indeed her sister Serena the first African-American females to obtain ownership in an NFL franchise. Stephan Ross, the majority owner of the Dolphins, said "We are thrilled to have Venus and Serena join the Dolphins as limited partners. They are among the most admired athletes in the world and have become global ambassadors for the game of tennis. Their addition to our ownership group further reflects our commitment to connect with aggressively and embrace the great diversity that makes South Florida a multicultural gem."[57]
In late June 2010, Venus Williams released her first book, entitled "Come to Win; on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession" which she co-wrote with Kelly E. Carter. In promotion of the book she embarked on a tour around America in support of the release, whilst also appearing on several talk shows including The Early Show and Good Morning America. This gave her a place on the top 5 The New York Times Best Seller List.[58]
Recognition[link]
In 2005 Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 25th-best player in 40 years in a controversial article.[59][60] Since this ranking, however, she has won an additional three Grand Slam singles titles.
In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.[61]
Equipment[link]
- Coach: Richard Williams, Oracene Price
- Racquet: Wilson BLX Blade Team (104)
- Clothing: EleVen
- Shoes: Nike
Career statistics[link]
Main article: Venus Williams career statistics
Records and achievements[link]
| Tournament Name | Years | Record accomplished | Player tied |
| Summer Olympics | 2000–08 | 3 tennis gold medals (open era) | Stands alone |
| Sony Ericsson Open | 1998–2002 | Most consecutive singles matches won at this tournament (22) | Steffi Graf |
| US Open | 2007 | Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)[62] | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon | 2005 | Longest women's singles final[63] | Lindsay Davenport |
| Wimbledon | 2007 | Lowest-ranked winner (31st)[64] | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon | 2007 | Lowest-seeded winner (23rd)[64] | Stands alone |
| US Open | 2007 | Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)[65] | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon | 2008 | Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)[66] | Stands alone |
| French Open | 2010 | Fastest serve by a woman (207 km/h/128.6 mph)[67] | Stands alone |
| 1999 French Open – 2010 French Open | 1999–2010 | Longest streak of consecutive initial Grand Slam finals won (doubles) (12) | Serena Williams |
- In 1997, Williams became the first woman since Pam Shriver in 1978 to reach the singles final of the US Open on her first attempt.[68]
- In 1997, Williams became the first unseeded singles finalist at the US Open.[68]
- In 1997, the combined ages of Williams at age 17 and Martina Hingis at age 16 in the US Open final were the lowest in the open era history of that tournament.
- At 1999 IGA Classic in Oklahoma City marking the first time in tennis history that sisters won titles in the same week (Serena Williams won Paris).
- At the 1999 Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne became the first pair of sisters in the open era to meet in a tournament final (with Serena Williams).
- In 2000, Williams became the second African-American to win Wimbledon during the open era.
- At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.
- By winning the 2001 Australian Open doubles championship, Venus and Serena Williams became the fifth pair to complete a Career Doubles Grand Slam and the only pair to win a Career Doubles Golden Slam.
- The 2001 US Open marked the first time in the open era, and only the second time in 117 years, that sisters met in a Grand Slam singles final (with Serena Williams).
- In 2001, she became the third woman in the open era, after Navratilova and Graf, to win both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years.
- In February 2002, she became the first African-American woman to become World No. 1 since the computer rankings began in 1975.
- In 2002 became the first ever siblings to rank Top 2 at same time with sister Serena.
- At Wimbledon in 2003, she reached her fourth consecutive Wimbledon final, which since the abolishment of the challenge round system is tied with Helen Wills Moody for fourth behind Martina Navrátilová's nine, Billie Jean King's five, and Chris Evert's five.
- Williams and Hingis hold the open era record for consecutive losses in Grand Slam singles finals (five).
- One of three women, the others being Navratilova and Steffi Graf, to win the Wimbledon singles title at least five times during the open era.
- At Wimbledon in 2009, Williams defeated World No. 1 Dinara Safina in the semifinals 6–1, 6–0, which was the most one-sided women's semifinal at Wimbledon since 1969, when King defeated Rosemary Casals by the same score.
Awards[link]
See also: WTA Awards
|
|
See also[link]
- Hingis – V. Williams rivalry
- Williams sisters rivalry
- List of Grand Slam women's singles champions
- List of Grand Slam women's doubles champions
- List of Grand Slam mixed doubles champions
References[link]
- Notes
- ^ "Family Tree Legends". Family Tree Legends. http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/calbirths?c=search&first=venus&last=williams&spelling=Exact&4_year=1980&4_month=0&4_day=0&5=&7=&SubmitSearch.x=0&SubmitSearch.y=0&SubmitSearch=Submit. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Chase, Chris (July 15, 2010). "Ranking the top-10 women's tennis players of all time – Busted Racquet – Tennis Blog – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/Ranking-the-top-10-women-s-tennis-players-of-all?urn=ten-256242. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ^ "All-Time Women's Majors Titles". Blueridgenow.com. June 5, 2010. http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100605/APS/1006050863. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Williams sisters net gold in doubles, beating off Spaniards in final". ESPN. August 17, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/tennis/news/story?id=3539310. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Chase, Chris (September 13, 2010). "Ranking the top-10 women's tennis players of all time – Busted Racquet – Tennis – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/Ranking-the-top-10-women-s-tennis-players-of-all?urn=ten-256242. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Kaufman, Michelle (April 22, 2007). "Venus, Serena reflect as they prepare for Fed Cup". blackathlete.net. http://blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/Tennis_35/Venus_Serena_Reflect_As_They_Prepare_For_Fed_Cup_3202.shtml. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Peyser, Marc; Samuels, Allison (August 24, 1998). "Venus And Serena Against The World". Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc.. http://www.newsweek.com/id/122703/page/1. Retrieved April 19, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Lydia Pyle, 2005, Venus and Serena Williams, p. 10.
- ^ the ,United States. "Venus Williams: Biography from". Answers.com. http://www.answers.com/topic/venus-williams. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Venus Williams Interview Australian Open – Jan 17". Tennis-x.com. January 17, 2008. http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2008-01-17/i.php. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ 'Harder, Better, Faster...' Article discussing the serve speeds of women in 2008 – Nov 28[dead link]
- ^ "Venus Envy". Sportsillustrated.com. http://sportsillustrated.com/siforwomen/2000/sportswoman/venus_envy/. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "WTA, Info, Venus Williams". WTA Tour, Inc.. http://www.wtatennis.com/player/venus-williams_2257889_9027. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ "What Happened at Indian Wells?". ESPN. March 11, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=drucker_joel&id=3952939. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (September 13, 2010). "Indian Wells boycott hurts Williamses more than it helps". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/blog/ten_experts/post/Indian-Wells-boycott-hurts-Williamses-more-than-;_ylt=Ag28GdIMVj.WIy422nR1Hfs4v7YF?urn=ten,149332. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Keating, Gina; Tippit, Sarah. Eldest sister of Venus, Serena shot dead, Rediff, September 15, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ Burt, Jason. Seeds are shaken by Sprem's flowering talent, The Independent, June 27, 2004. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Williams joins women's elite with fourth Wimbledon title". Sport.monstersandcritics.com. July 7, 2007. http://sport.monstersandcritics.com/tennis/article_1327281.php/Williams_joins_womens_elite_with_fourth_Wimbledon_title. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Sister Sister: Venus sets record with 129 mph (208 km/h) serve; Serena sails". SI.com. August 27, 2007. http://sportsillustrated.com/2007/tennis/08/27/venus.serve/. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
- ^ Sharapova, Hantuchova Round Out Elite Eight Field[dead link]
- ^ "Venus Williams Out of Tennis Indefinitely with Mystery Illness". Tennis-x.com. April 9, 2008. http://www.tennis-x.com/ptfstory/2008-04-09/637.php. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Williams Beats Razzano for 40th Career Singles Title[dead link]
- ^ "Venus crashes out of French Open". BBC Sport. May 29, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8073573.stm. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
- ^ "Venus Williams out for the remainder of 2010; Will miss Fed Cup Final , Pro Tennis – News". USTA. October 6, 2010. http://www.usta.com/venus_williams_out_for_the_remainder_of_2010_will_miss_fed_cup_final/. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ^ "Venus Williams Injury: Tennis Star Withdraws From Australian Open". Huffington Post. January 21, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/21/venus-williams-injury-withdraws-australian-open_n_812021.html. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ "Venus Retires, Petkovic Moves Through". Wtatennis.com. January 21, 2011. http://www.wtatennis.com/news/20110121/venus-retires-petkovic-moves-through_2256076_2272879. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ "Venus Williams Out Again For The Western & Southern Open". tennisnow.com. 2011. http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Venus-Williams-Out-Again-For-The-Western---Souther.aspx. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ Lynch, Lauren. "Venus Williams Out Again For The Western & Southern Open". Tennis Now. http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Venus-Williams-Out-Again-For-The-Western---Souther.aspx. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ "Venus Williams Pulls Out Of U.S. Open : NPR". npr.org. 2011 [last update]. http://www.npr.org/2011/08/31/140098325/venus-williams-pulls-out-of-u-s-open?ft=1&f=1001. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ a b Lila (2011-08-31). "Venus Williams Leaves US Open. 10 Things You Should Know About Sjogren's Syndrome". Celebritydiagnosis.com. http://www.celebritydiagnosis.com/2011/08/venus-williams-leaves-us-open-10-things-you-should-know-about-sjogrens-syndrome/. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ Venus defeats Serena in exhibition in Colombia
- ^ Schiavone beats Venus, Serena in Milan
- ^ "Tennis: Venus Williams pulls out of ASB Classic – Tennis – NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. December 20, 2011. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/tennis/news/article.cfm?c_id=94&objectid=10774337. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ 2012 Australia Open
- ^ [1]
- ^ V. Williams, Gonzalez, and Nalbandian Granted Sony Ericsson Open Wildcards
- ^ Venus Williams Enters Cup
- ^ Maria Sharapova ends Venus Williams' run. Accessed 20 May 2012.
- ^ "ESPN.com Tennis: Women's Grand Slam Title Winners". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/history?type=women. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ a b Williams, Venus. Wimbledon has sent me a message: I'm only a second-class champion, The Times, June 26, 2006. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Blair adds support for equal pay". BBC Sport. June 28, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/5119748.stm. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ WTA Tour and UNESCO to promote gender equality, International Herald Tribune, November 11, 2006. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ Roland Garros Awards Equal Pay[dead link]
- ^ "French Open To Give Equal Paydays To Male, Female Winners", Sports Business Daily
- ^ Slezak, Carol. "We haven't heard last of Venus", Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 2007.
- ^ "Venus Williams Aces Fashion Degree from Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale". Artinstitutes.edu. http://www.artinstitutes.edu/fortlauderdale/press_release.asp?PressID=5420. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Tennis star Venus Williams enrolls at Indiana University East". indystar.com. http://www.indystar.com/article/20110831/SPORTS/110831011/Tennis-star-Venus-Williams-enrolls-Indiana-University-East. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ "Sister Act: Serena and Venus Williams". http://hamptons-magazine.com. http://hamptons-magazine.com/features/articles/sisters-act-serena-and-venus-williams?page=3. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- ^ Robson, Douglas. Venus Williams: Rain brings 'clarity', USA Today, July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Williams sisters 'shocked' by shooting death of oldest sister – Sports". Findarticles.com. September 29, 2003. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_14_104/ai_109568996. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Interview with Venus Williams". CNN. December 19, 2008. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/23/talkasia.venus. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Vstarr Interiors[dead link]
- ^ "#21 to #25". Ladies Home Journal. http://www.lhj.com/lhj/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/lhj/story/data/powerindex_10012001.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/lhj/category/data/c_297.xml&page=5. [dead link]
- ^ "Eleven website". Elevenbyvenus.com. September 6, 2010. http://www.elevenbyvenus.com/. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Venus Unveils EleVen Clothing Range[dead link]
- ^ "#77 Venus Williams". Forbes Magazine. June 3, 2009. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/53/celebrity-09_Venus-Williams_ZX4E.html.
- ^ Williams sisters buy into Dolphins group ESPN, August 25, 2009
- ^ "Venus Williams book on NYT Bestseller list". Usta.com. July 15, 2010. http://www.usta.com/venus_williams_book_on_nyt_bestseller_list/. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era (25–28)". Tennis Magazine. May 17, 2006. http://www.tennis.com/features/40greatest/40greatest.aspx?id=738. Retrieved April 22, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "High time we appreciate Venus Williams". ESPN. September 13, 2010. http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/blog/_/name/espntennis/id/5551143/high-time-appreciate-venus-williams. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
- ^ William Lee Adams (June 22, 2011). "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future – Venus Williams". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2079150_2079148_2079127,00.html. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ 3:21 am ET (July 3, 2005). "Venus rallies to win longest Wimbledon final". MSNBC. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/8430280/ns/sports-tennis. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ a b 7:00 pm ET (June 19, 2008). "A Trio of Favorites at Wimbledon". MSNBC. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25267007. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ "Venus serves up a record". Tvnz.co.nz. August 28, 2007. http://tvnz.co.nz/content/1325292/2422042/article.html. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ "Venus Williams Defeats Sister Serena, Taking Fifth Wimbledon Title". Fox News. July 5, 2008. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376701,00.html. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ "Venus, la force tranquille". L'Équipe. France. May 26, 2010. http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/breves2010/20100526_125119_venus-ne-tremble-pas.html. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ a b 1997 U.S. OPEN: A Phenomenal Final; Hingus (sic) and Williams Show Improvement With Every Match,The New York Times, September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- Bibliography
- Edmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-33165-0.
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Venus Williams |
- Official website
- Venus Williams at the Women's Tennis Association
- Venus Williams at the International Tennis Federation
- Venus Williams at the Fed Cup
- Venus Williams at the Internet Movie Database
- Venus Williams, National Press CLub 2010
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Williams, Venus Ebone Starr |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | American tennis player |
| Date of birth | June 17, 1980 |
| Place of birth | Lynwood, California |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Venus_Williams
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Venus Williams
http://cs.wn.com/Venus Williamsová
http://id.wn.com/Venus Williams
http://es.wn.com/Venus Williams
http://ru.wn.com/Уильямс, Винус
http://nl.wn.com/Venus Williams
http://pl.wn.com/Venus Williams
http://fr.wn.com/Venus Williams
http://de.wn.com/Venus Williams
http://hi.wn.com/वीनस विलियम्स
http://pt.wn.com/Venus Williams
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Williams
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 |
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Wayne, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Born | (1973-08-10) August 10, 1973 (age 38) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 121 lb (55 kg; 8.6 st) |
| College | University of Florida |
| Turned pro | 1993 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | $9,309,169 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 390–299 |
| Career titles | 4 WTA |
| Highest ranking | No. 15 (October 20, 1997) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2004) |
| French Open | 4R (1997) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2000) |
| US Open | 4R (1996) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 781–283 |
| Career titles | 78 WTA, 1 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (June 12, 2000) |
| Current ranking | No. 1 (May 21, 2012) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2000) |
| French Open | W (2006) |
| Wimbledon | W (2001) |
| US Open | W (2001, 2005, 2011) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1996, 2010) |
| French Open | W (2003) |
| Wimbledon | W (1999) |
| US Open | W (1996, 2002) |
| Last updated on: May 21, 2012. | |
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010) |
Lisa Raymond (born August 10, 1973) is an American professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. On June 12, 2000, she reached the world number one ranking in doubles. Her career high singles ranking was fifteenth in October 1997.
Earning more than US$8 million in prize money in her career, Raymond has reached the quarterfinals in singles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon. Raymond, who plays right-handed, has wins over Venus Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. She also is one of the few players to win a career Grand Slam in doubles.
Of her four singles titles, two have come at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee.
Contents |
Career[link]
Early years[link]
Raymond was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team. As a Gator, she won the NCAA singles title in 1992 and 1993 and led the Gators to their first-ever NCAA national team championship in 1992. She was the first player to win all three collegiate Grand Slam titles in a single season (1992). She received the 1992 Volvo Rookie of the Year award, the 1992 Tennis Magazine Collegiate Player of the Year award, the 1992 and 1993 Broderick Award, and the 1993 Honda Award for collegiate tennis.[1][2]
As a junior, Raymond won five U.S. National (USTA) singles and doubles titles, and she was ranked No.1 in the U.S. for players 18 and under in 1990. She was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2003.[3][4]
2005–2007[link]
Played the first half of the year with Rennae Stubbs before beginning a partnership with Samantha Stosur, winning the US Open, her second doubles crown at Flushing Meadows, and the Season Ending Championships, also her second. Raymond and Stosur won six titles together and were named ITF World Doubles Champions of 2005.[5]
In 2006, Raymond and Stosur won ten titles including the French Open and their second Season Ending Championships. By winning the French Open, Lisa Raymond became only the 13th person in history to have won all four double Grand Slams. Finished the year as the co-holders of the number one spot. Won a WTA-leading 10 titles. Raymond and Stosur were again awarded by the ITF as World Doubles Chapmpions of 2006.[5] They also received the WTA Team of the Year award for their achievents.[1]
The year 2007 was a good one for Raymond and Stosur, with the pair winning five titles; also that year Lisa decided to retire from her singles career.[6] However, Stosur was diagnosed with a virus, forcing her to miss the second half of the season meaning Raymond had to play with various partners. Even though they only played half the season together, they had still qualified for the Season-ending Championships but could not compete.
2008–2009[link]
Raymond began 2008 playing with Elena Likhovtseva with solid results but was cut short due to injury but then reunited with former partner Samantha Stosur in May, after the latter's return from injury. They went on to reach the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open, losing both. Raymond also won titles in Memphis and New Haven.
In 2009, Raymond began a partnership with Květa Peschke, where they reached four finals and two semi-finals before their year was cut short by an injury to Peschke, just before Wimbledon. Lisa played with different partners, winning one title, taking her tally to 68.
Raymond now considers her 2008–2009 seasons to be almost 'lost' due to a lack of drive in her fitness.
2010[link]
Raymond started the year by reuniting with former partner Rennae Stubbs. They lost their first round in Sydney, before reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open, as the number six seeds, losing to Venus and Serena Williams. Raymond also made the semi-finals of the Mixed doubles tournament. Raymond and Stubbs won the AEGON International against Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final 6–2 2–6 [13–11] Both Raymond and Stubbs qualified for the WTA Tour Championship at Doha and will face second seeds Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik.
She has won the career grand slam in women's doubles, being the most recent of 13 to accomplish this feat. She also has won four mixed doubles grand slams in three venues (French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) as well. In singles, Raymond is a two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist.
2011[link]
Raymond started the year by teaming up with Julia Georges but in April started a new partnership with Liezel Huber. Starting slowly, by May their results picked up with a quarter-final showing in Warsaw, semi-finals at Roland Garros and Birmingham, runner-ups in Eastbourne and Stanford. They were also quarter-finalists at Wimbledon and Cincinnati. They won their first tournament in Toronto and then claimed the US Open and Tokyo, with a semi-final finish in Beijing which qualified them for the WTA Championships in Istanbul. Both have stated they want to continue their partnership in 2012 and hopefully play the London Olympics. Raymond has now won six women's Grand Slam double titles, three at the US Open, bringing her grand total to 9 (three in mixed) and 73 double titles in total.
Major finals[link]
Grand Slam finals[link]
Doubles: 13 (6–7)[link]
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1994 | French Open | Clay | Lindsay Davenport |
Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 1997 | Australian Open | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Martina Hingis Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 1997 | French Open | Clay | Mary Joe Fernandez |
Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2000 | Australian Open | Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Martina Hingis Mary Pierce |
6–4, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2001 | Wimbledon | Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Kim Clijsters Ai Sugiyama |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2001 | US Open | Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Kimberly Po Nathalie Tauziat |
6–2, 5–7, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 2002 | French Open | Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
 Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2005 | US Open | Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Elena Dementieva Flavia Pennetta |
6–2, 5–7, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2006 | Australian Open | Hard | Samantha Stosur |
 Zi Yan Jie Zheng |
2–6, 7–6(7), 6–3 |
| Winner | 2006 | French Open | Clay | Samantha Stosur |
 Daniela Hantuchová Ai Sugiyama |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2008 | Wimbledon | Grass | Samantha Stosur |
Serena Williams Venus Williams |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Samantha Stosur |
 Cara Black Liezel Huber |
6–3, 7–6(6) |
| Winner | 2011 | US Open | Hard | Liezel Huber |
Vania King Yaroslava Shvedova |
4–6, 7–6(5), 7–6(3) |
Mixed doubles: 8 (4–4)[link]
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1996 | US Open | Hard | Patrick Galbraith |
 Manon Bollegraf Rick Leach |
7–6(6), 7–6(4) |
| Runner-up | 1997 | French Open | Clay | Patrick Galbraith |
Rika Hiraki Mahesh Bhupathi |
6–4, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1998 | US Open | Hard | Patrick Galbraith |
Serena Williams Max Mirnyi |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1999 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes |
Anna Kournikova Jonas Björkman |
6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2001 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes |
Rennae Stubbs Todd Woodbridge |
6–4, 5–7, [11–9] |
| Winner | 2002 | US Open | Hard | Mike Bryan |
 Katarina Srebotnik Bob Bryan |
7–6(9), 7–6(1) |
| Winner | 2003 | French Open | Clay | Mike Bryan |
Elena Likhovtseva Mahesh Bhupathi |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2010 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Wesley Moodie |
Cara Black Leander Paes |
6–4, 7–6(5) |
WTA Tour Championships doubles titles (4)[link]
| Year | Location | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 2001 | Munich | Rennae Stubbs |
Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva |
7–5, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 2005 | Los Angeles | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–7, 7–5, 6–4 |
| 2006 | Madrid | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 2011 | Istanbul | Liezel Huber |
 Kveta Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–4, 6–4 |
WTA Tour Finals[link]
Singles: 12 (4–8)[link]
| Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments (0/0) |
| Olympic Gold (0/0) |
| WTA Championships (0/0) |
| Tier I (0/0) |
| Tier II (0/3) |
| Tier III (4/4) |
| Tier IV & V (0/1) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1. | 22 May 1994 | Lucerne |
Clay | Lindsay Davenport |
7–6(3), 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 12 February 1995 | Chicago |
Carpet (i) |  Magdalena Maleeva |
7–5, 7–6(2) |
| Runner-up | 3. | 6 August 1995 | San Diego |
Hard | Conchita Martínez |
6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 1. | 27 October 1996 |  Quebec City |
Hard (i) | Els Callens |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 23 February 1997 | Oklahoma City |
Hard (i) | Lindsay Davenport |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 12 October 1997 |  Filderstadt |
Hard (i) | Martina Hingis |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2. | 18 June 2000 |  Birmingham |
Grass |  Tamarine Tanasugarn |
6–2, 6–7(7), 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 28 October 2001 |  Luxembourg City |
Hard (i) | Kim Clijsters |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 3. | 23 February 2002 | Memphis |
Hard (i) | Alexandra Stevenson |
4–6, 6–3, 7–6(9) |
| Runner-up | 7. | 15 September 2002 | Waikoloa |
Hard | Cara Black |
7–6(1), 6–4 |
| Winner | 4. | 22 February 2003 | Memphis |
Hard (i) | Amanda Coetzer |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 21 February 2004 | Memphis |
Hard (i) | Vera Zvonareva |
4–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
Doubles: 117 (78–39)[link]
| Legend: Before 2009 | Legend: Starting in 2009 |
|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments (6/7) | |
| Olympic Gold (0/0) | |
| WTA Championships (4/0) | |
| Tier I (20/9) | Premier Mandatory (1/2) |
| Tier II (31/12) | Premier 5 (3/1) |
| Tier III (8/2) | Premier (3/5) |
| Tier IV & V (0/0) | International (2/1) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1. | 26 September 1993 | Tokyo |
Hard | Chanda Rubin |
Amanda Coetzer Linda Wild |
6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2. | 27 February 1994 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Manon Bollegraf Helena Suková |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 5 June 1994 | French Open |
Clay | Lindsay Davenport |
Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 14 August 1994 | Los Angeles |
Hard | Jana Novotná |
Julie Halard-Decugis Nathalie Tauziat |
6–1, 0–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 3. | 5 March 1995 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Larisa Neiland |
2–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 5 November 1995 | Quebec City |
Hard (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Nicole Arendt Manon Bollegraf |
7–6(6), 4–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 4. | 3 November 1996 | Chicago |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Angela Lettiere Nana Miyagi |
6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 5. | 17 November 1996 | Philadelphia |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Nicole Arendt Lori McNeil |
6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 26 January 1997 | Australian Open |
Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Martina Hingis Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 16 March 1997 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Nathalie Tauziat |
Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 8 June 1997 | French Open |
Clay | Mary Joe Fernandez |
Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 6. | 26 October 1997 | Quebec City |
Hard (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Alexandra Fusai Nathalie Tauziat |
6–4, 5–7, 7–5 |
| Winner | 7. | 16 November 1997 | Philadelphia |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Lindsay Davenport Jana Novotná |
6–3, 7–5 |
| Winner | 8. | 22 February 1998 | Hanover |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Elena Likhovtseva Caroline Vis |
6–1, 6–7(4), 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 5 April 1998 | Hilton Head |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Conchita Martínez Patricia Tarabini |
3–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 14 June 1998 | Birmingham |
Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Els Callens Julie Halard-Decugis |
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 9. | 16 August 1998 | Boston |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Mariaan de Swardt Mary Joe Fernandez |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 25 October 1998 | Moscow |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Mary Pierce Natasha Zvereva |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 10. | 28 February 1999 | Oklahoma City |
Hard (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Amanda Coetzer Jessica Steck |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 11 April 1999 | Amelia Island |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Conchita Martínez Patricia Tarabini |
7–5, 0–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 15 August 1999 | Los Angeles |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Larisa Neiland |
6–2, 6–7(5), 6–0 |
| Winner | 11. | 29 August 1999 | New Haven |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Elena Likhovtseva Jana Novotná |
7–6(1), 6–2 |
| Winner | 12. | 17 October 1999 | Zürich |
Hard (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Nathalie Tauziat Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 13. | 24 October 1999 | Moscow |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Julie Halard-Decugis Anke Huber |
6–1, 6–0 |
| Winner | 14. | 14 November 1999 | Philadelphia |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Chanda Rubin Sandrine Testud |
6–1, 7–6(2) |
| Winner | 15. | 30 January 2000 | Australian Open |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Martina Hingis Mary Pierce |
6–4, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Winner | 16. | 21 May 2000 | Rome |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Magüi Serna |
6–3, 4–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 17. | 28 May 2000 | Madrid |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Gala León García María Sánchez Lorenzo |
6–1, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 25 June 2000 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Ai Sugiyama Nathalie Tauziat |
2–6, 6–3, 7–6(3) |
| Winner | 18. | 6 August 2000 | San Diego |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Lindsay Davenport Anna Kournikova |
4–6, 6–3, 7–6(6) |
| Runner-up | 13. | 12 November 2000 | Philadelphia |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 14. | 14 January 2001 | Sydney |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Anna Kournikova Barbara Schett |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 19. | 4 February 2001 | Tokyo |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Anna Kournikova Iroda Tulyaganova |
7–6(5), 2–6, 7–6(6) |
| Winner | 20. | 4 March 2001 | Scottsdale |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Kim Clijsters Meghann Shaughnessy |
walkover |
| Runner-up | 15. | 1 April 2001 | Miami |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Nathalie Tauziat |
6–0, 6–4 |
| Winner | 21. | 22 April 2001 | Charleston |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Paola Suárez |
5–7, 7–6(5), 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 16. | 26 May 2001 | Madrid |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Paola Suárez |
7–5, 2–6, 7–6(4) |
| Winner | 22. | 23 June 2001 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 23. | 8 July 2001 | Wimbledon |
Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Kim Clijsters Ai Sugiyama |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 24. | 9 September 2001 | US Open |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Kimberly Po Nathalie Tauziat |
6–2, 5–7, 7–5 |
| Winner | 25. | 14 October 2001 | Filderstadt |
Hard (i) | Lindsay Davenport |
Justine Henin Meghann Shaughnessy |
6–4, 6–7(4), 7–5 |
| Winner | 26. | 21 October 2001 | Zurich |
Hard (i) | Lindsay Davenport |
Sandrine Testud Roberta Vinci |
6–3, 2–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 27. | 4 November 2001 | Munich |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva |
7–5, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 28. | 13 January 2002 | Sydney |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova |
walkover |
| Winner | 29. | 3 February 2002 | Tokyo |
Carpet (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Els Callens Roberta Vinci |
6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 30. | 3 March 2002 | Scottsdale |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva |
6–3, 5–7, 7–6(4) |
| Winner | 31. | 16 March 2002 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Elena Dementieva Janette Husárová |
7–5, 6–0 |
| Winner | 32. | 1 April 2002 | Miami |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Paola Suárez |
7–6(4), 6–7(4), 6–3 |
| Winner | 33. | 21 April 2002 | Charleston |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Alexandra Fusai Caroline Vis |
6–4, 3–6, 7–6(4) |
| Runner-up | 17. | 9 June 2002 | French Open |
Clay | Rennae Stubbs |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Paola Suárez |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 34. | 22 June 2002 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva |
6–7(5), 7–6(6), 6–2 |
| Winner | 35. | 28 July 2002 | Stanford |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Janette Husárová Conchita Martínez |
6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 36. | 13 October 2002 | Filderstadt |
Hard (i) | Lindsay Davenport |
Meghann Shaughnessy Paola Suárez |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 18. | 2 February 2003 | Tokyo |
Carpet (i) | Lindsay Davenport |
Elena Bovina Rennae Stubbs |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 19. | 2 March 2003 | Scottsdale |
Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Kim Clijsters Ai Sugiyama |
6–1, 6–4 |
| Winner | 37. | 15 March 2003 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Kim Clijsters Ai Sugiyama |
3–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 38. | 20 April 2003 | Amelia Island |
Clay | Lindsay Davenport |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Paola Suárez |
7–5, 6–2 |
| Winner | 39. | 21 June 2003 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Lindsay Davenport |
Jennifer Capriati Magüi Serna |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 40. | 27 July 2003 | Stanford |
Hard | Cara Black |
 Yoon-Jeong Cho Francesca Schiavone |
7–6(5), 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 20. | 3 August 2003 | San Diego |
Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Kim Clijsters Ai Sugiyama |
6–4, 7–5 |
| Winner | 41. | 12 October 2003 | Filderstadt |
Hard (i) | Rennae Stubbs |
Cara Black Martina Navratilova |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 42. | 2 November 2003 | Philadelphia |
Hard (i) | Martina Navratilova |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 21. | 18 April 2004 | Charleston |
Clay | Martina Navratilova |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Paola Suárez |
6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 43. | 22 May 2004 | Vienna |
Clay | Martina Navratilova |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 22. | 28 August 2004 | New Haven |
Hard | Martina Navratilova |
Nadia Petrova Meghann Shaughnessy |
6–1, 1–6, 7–6(4) |
| Winner | 44. | 7 November 2004 | Philadelphia |
Hard (i) | Alicia Molik |
Liezel Huber Corina Morariu |
7–5, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 23. | 2 April 2005 | Miami |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Alicia Molik |
7–5, 6–7(5), 6–2 |
| Winner | 45. | 18 June 2005 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Elena Likhovtseva Vera Zvonareva |
6–3, 7–5 |
| Winner | 46. | 27 August 2005 | New Haven |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Gisela Dulko Maria Kirilenko |
6–2, 6–7(6), 6–1 |
| Winner | 47. | 10 September 2005 | US Open |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Elena Dementieva Flavia Pennetta |
6–2, 5–7, 6–3 |
| Winner | 48. | 2 October 2005 | Luxembourg City |
Hard (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner | 49. | 16 October 2005 | Moscow |
Carpet (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 24. | 6 November 2005 | Philadelphia |
Hard (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–4, 7–6(4) |
| Winner | 50. | 13 November 2005 | Los Angeles |
Hard (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–7(5), 7–5, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 25. | 28 January 2006 | Australian Open |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Zi Yan Jie Zheng |
2–6, 7–6(7), 6–3 |
| Winner | 51. | 5 February 2006 | Tokyo |
Carpet (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 52. | 25 February 2006 | Memphis |
Carpet (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Victoria Azarenka Caroline Wozniacki |
7–6(2), 6–3 |
| Winner | 53. | 18 March 2006 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Meghann Shaughnessy |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 54. | 1 April 2006 | Miami |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Liezel Huber Martina Navratilova |
6–4, 7–5 |
| Winner | 55. | 16 April 2006 | Charleston |
Clay | Samantha Stosur |
Virginia Ruano-Pascual Meghann Shaughnessy |
3–6, 6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 56. | 10 June 2006 | French Open |
Clay | Samantha Stosur |
Daniela Hantuchová Ai Sugiyama |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 26. | 26 August 2006 | New Haven |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Zi Yan Jie Zheng |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 57. | 8 October 2006 | Stuttgart |
Hard (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 58. | 29 October 2006 | Linz |
Hard (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Corina Morariu Katarina Srebotnik |
6–3, 6–0 |
| Winner | 59. | 5 November 2006 | Hasselt |
Hard (i) | Samantha Stosur |
 Eleni Daniilidou Jasmin Wöhr |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 60. | 12 November 2006 | Madrid |
Hard (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 61. | 4 February 2007 | Tokyo |
Carpet (i) | Samantha Stosur |
Vania King Rennae Stubbs |
7–6(6), 3–6, 7–5 |
| Winner | 62. | 17 March 2007 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
 Yung-Jan Chan Chia-Jung Chuang |
6–3, 7–5 |
| Winner | 63. | 3 April 2007 | Miami |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Liezel Huber |
6–4, 3–6, [10–2] |
| Winner | 64. | 13 May 2007 | Berlin |
Clay | Samantha Stosur |
Tathiana Garbin Roberta Vinci |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 65. | 23 June 2007 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Samantha Stosur |
Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs |
6–7(5), 6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 27. | 21 October 2007 | Zürich |
Carpet (i) | Francesca Schiavone |
Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs |
7–5, 7–6(1) |
| Winner | 66. | 1 March 2008 | Memphis |
Hard (i) | Lindsay Davenport |
Angela Haynes Mashona Washington |
6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 28. | 5 July 2008 | Wimbledon |
Grass | Samantha Stosur |
Serena Williams Venus Williams |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 67. | 23 August 2008 | New Haven |
Hard | Květa Peschke |
 Sorana Cîrstea Monica Niculescu |
4–6, 7–5, [10–7] |
| Runner-up | 29. | 7 September 2008 | US Open |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Cara Black Liezel Huber |
6–3, 7–6(6) |
| Runner-up | 30. | 21 September 2008 | Tokyo |
Hard | Samantha Stosur |
Vania King Nadia Petrova |
6–1, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 31. | 15 February 2009 | Paris |
Hard (i) | Květa Peschke |
Cara Black Liezel Huber |
6–4, 3–6, [10–4] |
| Runner-up | 32. | 5 April 2009 | Miami |
Hard | Květa Peschke |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Amélie Mauresmo |
4–6, 6–3, [10–3] |
| Runner-up | 33. | 12 April 2009 | Ponte Vedra Beach |
Clay | Květa Peschke |
Chuang Chia-jung Sania Mirza |
6–3, 4–6, [10–7] |
| Runner-up | 34. | 16 May 2009 | Madrid |
Clay | Květa Peschke |
Cara Black Liezel Huber |
4–6, 6–3, [10–6] |
| Winner | 68. | 18 October 2009 | Osaka |
Hard | Chuang Chia-jung |
Chanelle Scheepers Abigail Spears |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 69. | 13 June 2010 | Birmingham |
Grass | Cara Black |
Liezel Huber Bethanie Mattek-Sands |
6–3, 3–2 ret |
| Winner | 70. | 19 June 2010 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Rennae Stubbs |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–2, 2–6, [13–11] |
| Runner-up | 35. | 8 August 2010 | San Diego |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Maria Kirilenko Zheng Jie |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 36. | 15 August 2010 | Cincinnati |
Hard | Rennae Stubbs |
Victoria Azarenka Maria Kirilenko |
7–6(4), 7–6(8) |
| Runner-up | 37. | 18 June 2011 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Liezel Huber |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–3, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 38. | 31 July 2011 | Stanford |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Victoria Azarenka Maria Kirilenko |
6–1, 6–3 |
| Winner | 71. | 14 August 2011 | Toronto |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Victoria Azarenka Maria Kirilenko |
walkover |
| Winner | 72. | 11 September 2011 | US Open |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Vania King Yaroslava Shvedova |
4–6, 7–6(5), 7–6(3) |
| Winner | 73. | 1 October 2011 | Tokyo |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Gisela Dulko Flavia Pennetta |
7–6(4), 0–6, [10–6] |
| Winner | 74. | 30 October 2011 |  Istanbul |
Hard (i) | Liezel Huber |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 39. | 13 January 2012 | Sydney |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–1, 4–6, [13–11] |
| Winner | 75. | 12 February 2012 | Paris |
Hard (i) | Liezel Huber |
Anna-Lena Grönefeld Petra Martić |
7–6(3), 6–1 |
| Winner | 76. | 19 February 2012 |  Doha |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Raquel Kops-Jones Abigail Spears |
6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 77. | 25 February 2012 |  Dubai |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Sania Mirza Elena Vesnina |
6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 78. | 17 March 2012 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Liezel Huber |
Sania Mirza Elena Vesnina |
6–2, 6–3 |
Team Events[link]
Fed Cup[link]
Country: USA Years Participated: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 Best Result: Winning Team 2000
Overall Record: 14–9 Singles Record: 3–6 Doubles Record: 11–3
Hopman Cup[link]
Country: USA Years Participated: 2006 Best Result: Winning Team 2006 (w/Taylor Dent)
Overall Record: 3–4 Singles Record: 0–4 Mixed Doubles Record: 3–0
Olympics[link]
Country: USA Years Participated: 2004 Best Result: Doubles Quarter-Finalist (w/Navratilova), Singles 3rd Round
Overall Record: 3–2 Singles Record: 2–1 Doubles Record: 1–1
Singles performance timeline[link]
| Tournament | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | W–L | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | 1R | 16–12 | |||||
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 6–12 | |||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 4R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 4R | QF | 3R | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 24–14 | |||||
| US Open | 1R | 1R | LQ | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 25–18 | |||||
Women's doubles performance timeline[link]
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 3R | SF | QF | F | SF | SF | W | 1R | SF | SF | 2R | 2R | F | SF | 1R | 3R | SF | 3R | QF | 57–18 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | F | A | 3R | F | 1R | 1R | 3R | SF | F | 3R | SF | QF | W | SF | 3R | 3R | 3R | SF | 1R | 51–16 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | 3R | QF | SF | 3R | SF | W | QF | SF | SF | 1R | 3R | SF | F | 1R | QF | QF | 51–17 | |
| US Open | 2R | A | A | 2R | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | SF | 3R | QF | W | 3R | 2R | QF | W | SF | 3R | F | 1R | A | W | 54–16 | |
Mixed doubles performance timeline[link]
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | QF | SF | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | QF | A | 2R | QF | 2R | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | 23–17 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | 2R | F | 3R | QF | 3R | QF | 2R | W | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 21–17 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | W | 3R | 3R | QF | QF | 2R | SF | 3R | 2R | 3R | 3R | F | 1R | 28–17 | |
| US Open | 1R | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | W | SF | F | 2R | 1R | F | W | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | QF | 2R | 32–17 | |
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ a b "WTA | Players | Info | Lisa Raymond". Sonyericssonwtatour.com. http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/player/lisa-raymond_2257889_6840. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ "Yearbook – USTA Awards". USTA. January 15, 2011. http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/Organization/Yearbook/23284_2008_USTA_Yearbook__USTA_Awards__page_5/. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ "Nine Inducted Into UF Hall of Fame," GatorZone.com (April 11, 2003). Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ a b "About the ITF – Roll Of Honour". ITF Tennis. http://www.itftennis.com/abouttheitf/facts/rollofhonour.asp. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ Lisa Raymond (March 29, 2007). "Drama in doubles play can be as tense as a marriage". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/lisa_raymond/03/29/doubles/index.html. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lisa Raymond |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Raymond, Lisa |
| Alternative names | Raymond, Lisa M. |
| Short description | American college tennis player, professional tennis player, NCAA singles champion, Australian Open doubles champion, French Open doubles champion, U.S. Open doubles champion, Wimbledon doubles champion |
| Date of birth | August 10, 1973 |
| Place of birth | Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Lisa_Raymond
Related pages:
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http://es.wn.com/Lisa Raymond
http://ru.wn.com/Реймонд, Лиза
http://nl.wn.com/Lisa Raymond
http://pt.wn.com/Lisa Raymond
http://pl.wn.com/Lisa Raymond
http://fr.wn.com/Lisa Raymond
http://de.wn.com/Lisa Raymond
http://hi.wn.com/लीसा रेमंड
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Raymond
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 Liezel Huber at the 2007 Acura Classic |
|
| Country | South Africa United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Born | (1976-08-21) August 21, 1976 (age 35) Durban, South Africa |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 158 lb (72 kg; 11.3 st) |
| Turned pro | 1993 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | $5,463,343 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 175–159 |
| Career titles | 0 WTA, 0 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 131 (29 March 1999) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | Q3 (2002) |
| French Open | 2R (1998) |
| Wimbledon | Q2 (2002) |
| US Open | 1R (1998) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 694–336 |
| Career titles | 52 WTA, 10 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (12 November 2007) |
| Current ranking | No. 1 (7 November 2011) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2007) |
| French Open | F (2005) |
| Wimbledon | W (2005, 2007) |
| US Open | W (2008, 2011) |
| Other Doubles tournaments | |
| WTA Championships | W (2007, 2008, 2011) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2008) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2005) |
| French Open | W (2009) |
| Wimbledon | F (2001) |
| US Open | W (2010) |
| Last updated on: 27 November 2011. | |
Liezel Huber (née Horn; born August 21, 1976, Durban, South Africa) is a professional tennis player who competes for and resides in the United States, having been a naturalized citizen on there since July 2007. Huber has won four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles with partner Cara Black, one with Lisa Raymond, and two mixed doubles titles with Bob Bryan. On November 12, 2007, she became the co-World No. 1 in Doubles with Cara Black. On April 19, 2010, Huber became the sole No. 1 for the first time in her career.
At age 15, she moved to the United States from South Africa to attend the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1992. Huber has since resided in the U.S.[1] She married Tony Huber, an American citizen, in February 2000. In 2005, she started a foundation, Liezel's Cause to raise money and gather basic supplies to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
She competed for the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in doubles, partnering with former world number 1 (both in singles and doubles) Lindsay Davenport; the pair lost in the quarterfinals.
Contents |
Career[link]
Liezel Huber is primarily a doubles specialist, having achieved one of the greatest careers in this discipline. She has won 60 women's doubles titles in her career; of which 50 are on the WTA Tour and 10 on the ITF Women's Circuit. In singles, her greatest result in her career was reaching to the quarterfinals at the tournament in Pattaya City in 2001, where she lost to Slovakian Henrieta Nagyová. She participated in two Grand Slam singles main draws, losing to Lindsay Davenport in the second round of the 1998 French Open. She lost in the 1999 US Open first round to Raluca Sandu. Her highest singles ranking was World No. 131, which she achieved on 29 March 1999. She enjoyed the majority of her first 8 years on tour on the ITF Circuit.
Huber has enjoyed successful women's partnerships with Ai Sugiyama, Martina Navrátilová, Lindsay Davenport, Cara Black, Sania Mirza, Nadia Petrova, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, María José Martínez Sánchez, and Lisa Raymond. Huber has reached at least one Grand Slam women's doubles final for the last five years, since 2007. Huber has also been in the final of all four Grand Slams, winning in all except for the French Open. She has won a total of five Grand Slam women's doubles titles with three partners in ten finals with four partners, and finished as a titlist in two of her five mixed doubles finals.
Huber and her Zimbabwean partner Black made up what many tennis experts regard as one of the greatest women's doubles teams in history between mid-2005. and early 2010. Together, the pair reached seven women's doubles finals, winning four. The duo won a total of 29 titles together on the WTA Tour. The partnership suddenly broke up in April 2010.[2]
Huber has also enjoyed success in mixed doubles, winning two titles with American men's doubles legend Bob Bryan, at the 2009 French Open and 2010 US Open. She reached her first career mixed final with Bob's brother Mike at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, and two additional finals, at the 2005 Australian Open with Kevin Ullyett, and at the 2008 US Open with Jamie Murray.
Liezel Huber has also enjoyed impressive success in the Fed Cup national competition. She logged a 9–3 record on the South Africa Fed Cup team, with all but one match being in doubles. Huber is now a major member of the United States Fed Cup team, compiling a 6–2 record in doubles play. In the competition, Huber has played with Julie Ditty, Vania King, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Melanie Oudin.
Grand Slam finals[link]
Doubles: 10 (5–5)[link]
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-Up | 2004 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ai Sugiyama |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–3, 7–6(7–5) |
| Runner-Up | 2005 | French Open | Clay | Cara Black |
Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez |
4–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon | Grass | Cara Black |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Amélie Mauresmo |
6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2007 | Australian Open | Hard | Cara Black |
Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung |
6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–1 |
| Winner | 2008 | Wimbledon | Grass | Cara Black |
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Cara Black |
Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur |
6–3, 7–6(10–8) |
| Runner-Up | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Cara Black |
Serena Williams Venus Williams |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-Up | 2010 | Australian Open | Hard | Cara Black |
Serena Williams Venus Williams |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-Up | 2010 | US Open | Hard | Nadia Petrova |
Vania King Yaroslava Shvedova |
2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
| Winner | 2011 | US Open | Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Vania King Yaroslava Shvedova |
4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–3) |
Mixed doubles: 5 (2–3)[link]
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2001 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mike Bryan |
Leoš Friedl Daniela Hantuchová |
4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2005 | Australian Open | Hard | Kevin Ullyett |
Samantha Stosur Scott Draper |
6–2, 2–6, [10–6] |
| Runner-up | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Jamie Murray |
Leander Paes Cara Black |
7–6(8–6), 6–4 |
| Winner | 2009 | French Open | Clay | Bob Bryan |
Vania King Marcelo Melo |
5–7, 7–6(7–5), [10–7] |
| Winner | 2010 | US Open | Hard | Bob Bryan |
Květa Peschke Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi |
6–4, 6–4 |
WTA Tour Finals[link]
Doubles: 86 (52–34)[link]
| Legend: Before 2009 | Legend: Starting in 2009 |
|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments (5–5) | |
| Olympic Gold (0–0) | |
| WTA Championships (3–1) | |
| Tier I (6–9) | Premier Mandatory (2–1) |
| Tier II (13–7) | Premier 5 (6–0) |
| Tier III (6–4) | Premier (6–5) |
| Tier IV & V (3–1) | International (2–1) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 19 July 1998 |  Warsaw |
Clay | Karin Kschwendt |
 Olga Lugina Karina Habšudová |
7–6(7–2), 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 12 November 2000 |  Kuala Lampur |
Hard | Vanessa Webb |
Henrieta Nagyová Sylvia Plischke |
6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
| Winner | 1. | 23 September 2001 | Tokyo |
Hard | Cara Black |
Kim Clijsters Ai Sugiyama |
6–1, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2. | 7 October 2001 | Tokyo |
Hard | Rachel McQuillan |
Janet Lee Wynne Prakusya |
6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 3. | 14 October 2001 | Shanghai |
Hard | Lenka Němečková |
Evie Dominikovic Tamarine Tanasugarn |
6–0, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 11 November 2001 | Pattaya City |
Hard | Wynne Prakusya |
Asa Carlsson Iroda Tulyaganova |
4–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | 5 January 2002 |  Auckland |
Hard | Nicole Arendt |
Květa Hrdličková Henrieta Nagyová |
7–5, 6–4 |
| Winner | 5. | 30 March 2003 | Miami |
Hard | Magdalena Maleeva |
Shinobu Asagoe Nana Miyagi |
6–4, 3–6, 7–5 |
| Winner | 6. | 6 April 2003 | Sarasota |
Clay | Martina Navrátilová |
Shinobu Asagoe Nana Miyagi |
7–6(10–8), 6–3 |
| Winner | 7. | 4 May 2003 | Warsaw |
Clay | Magdalena Maleeva |
Eleni Daniilidou Francesca Schiavone |
3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 8. | 24 May 2003 | Madrid |
Clay | Jill Craybas |
Rita Grande Angelique Widjaja |
6–4, 7–6(8–6) |
| Winner | 9. | 26 October 2003 | Linz |
Hard (i) | Ai Sugiyama |
Marion Bartoli Silvia Farina Elia |
6–1, 7–6(8–6) |
| Runner-up | 4. | 11 January 2004 | Gold Coast |
Hard | Magdalena Maleeva |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Elena Likhovtseva |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 10. | 21 February 2004 | Hyderabad |
Hard | Sania Mirza |
Li Ting Sun Tiantian |
7–6(7–1), 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 3 July 2004 | Wimbledon |
Grass | Ai Sugiyama |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
6–3, 7–6(7–5) |
| Runner-up | 6. | 8 August 2004 | Montreal |
Hard | Tamarine Tanasugarn |
Ai Sugiyama Shinobu Asagoe |
6–0, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 7 November 2004 | Phildaelphia |
Hard (i) | Corina Morariu |
Lisa Raymond Alicia Molik |
7–5, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 26 February 2005 | Doha |
Hard | Cara Black |
Francesca Schiavone Alicia Molik |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 2 May 2005 | Berlin |
Clay | Cara Black |
Vera Zvonareva Elena Likhovtseva |
4–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 11. | 9 May 2005 | Rome |
Clay | Cara Black |
Maria Kirilenko Anabel Medina Garrigues |
6–0, 4–6, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 4 June 2005 | French Open |
Clay | Cara Black |
Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez |
4–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 12. | 20 June 2005 | Wimbledon |
Grass | Cara Black |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Amélie Mauresmo |
6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 13. | 19 February 2006 | Bangalore |
Hard | Sania Mirza |
Anastasia Rodionova Elena Vesnina |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 22 March 2006 | Miami |
Hard | Martina Navrátilová |
Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur |
6–4, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 9 April 2006 | Ponte Vedra Beach |
Clay | Sania Mirza |
Shinobu Asagoe Katarina Srebotnik |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 14. | 27 May 2006 | Strasbourg |
Clay | Martina Navrátilová |
Martina Müller Andreea Vanc |
6–2, 7–6(7–1) |
| Runner-up | 13. | 18 June 2006 | Birmingham |
Grass | Jill Craybas |
Jelena Janković Li Na |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 14. | 24 June 2006 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Martina Navrátilová |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Amélie Mauresmo |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 15. | 24 September 2006 | Kolkata |
Hard | Sania Mirza |
Yuliya Beygelzimer Yuliana Fedak |
6–4, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 15. | 1 October 2006 | Luxembourg |
Hard (i) | Anna-Lena Grönefeld |
Francesca Schiavone Květa Peschke |
2–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 16. | 22 October 2006 | Zürich |
Hard (i) | Katarina Srebotnik |
Cara Black Rennae Stubbs |
7–5, 7–5 |
| Winner | 16. | 15 January 2007 | Australian Open |
Hard | Cara Black |
Yung-Jan Chan Chia-Jung Chuang |
6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–1 |
| Winner | 17. | 5 February 2007 | Paris |
Carpet | Cara Black |
Gabriela Navrátilová Vladimíra Uhlířová |
6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 18. | 12 February 2007 | Antwerp |
Carpet | Cara Black |
Elena Likhovtseva Elena Vesnina |
7–5, 4–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 19. | 19 February 2007 | Dubai |
Hard | Cara Black |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Alicia Molik |
7–6(8–6), 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 17. | 3 April 2007 | Miami |
Hard | Cara Black |
Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur |
6–4, 3–6, [10–2] |
| Winner | 20. | 25 June 2007 | Wimbledon |
Grass | Cara Black |
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 21. | 30 July 2007 | San Diego |
Hard | Cara Black |
Victoria Azarenka Anna Chakvetadze |
7–5, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 18. | 19 August 2007 | Toronto |
Hard | Cara Black |
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama |
6–4, 2–6, [10–5] |
| Runner-up | 19. | 25 August 2007 | New Haven |
Hard | Cara Black |
Sania Mirza Mara Santangelo |
6–1, 6–2 |
| Winner | 22. | 8 October 2007 | Moscow |
Carpet | Cara Black |
Victoria Azarenka Tatiana Poutchek |
4–6, 6–1, [10–7] |
| Winner | 23. | 28 October 2007 | Linz |
Hard (i) | Cara Black |
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama |
6–2, 3–6, [10–8] |
| Winner | 24. | 11 November 2007 | Madrid |
Hard (i) | Cara Black |
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama |
5–7, 6–3, [10–8] |
| Winner | 25. | 17 February 2008 | Antwerp |
Carpet | Cara Black |
Květa Peschke Ai Sugiyama |
6–1, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 20. | 24 February 2008 | Doha |
Hard | Cara Black |
Rennae Stubbs Květa Peschke |
6–1, 5–7, [10–7] |
| Winner | 26. | 1 March 2008 | Dubai |
Hard | Cara Black |
Yan Zi Zheng Jie |
7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 21. | 6 April 2008 | Miami |
Hard | Cara Black |
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama |
7–5, 4–6, [10–3] |
| Winner | 27. | 11 May 2008 | Berlin |
Clay | Cara Black |
Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez |
3–6, 6–2, [10–2] |
| Winner | 28. | 15 June 2008 | Birmingham |
Grass | Cara Black |
Virginia Ruano Pascual Séverine Brémond |
6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 29. | 21 June 2008 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Cara Black |
Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs |
2–6, 6–0, [10–8] |
| Winner | 30. | 20 July 2008 | Stanford |
Hard | Cara Black |
Elena Vesnina Vera Zvonareva |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 31. | 3 August 2008 | Montreal |
Hard | Cara Black |
Maria Kirilenko Flavia Pennetta |
6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 32. | 7 September 2008 | US Open |
Hard | Cara Black |
Samantha Stosur Lisa Raymond |
6–4, 7–6(8–6) |
| Runner-up | 22. | 12 October 2008 | Moscow |
Hard (i) | Cara Black |
Nadia Petrova Katarina Srebotnik |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 33. | 19 October 2008 | Zurich |
Hard (i) | Cara Black |
Anna-Lena Grönefeld Patty Schnyder |
6–1, 7–6(7–3) |
| Runner-up | 23. | 26 October 2008 | Linz |
Hard (i) | Cara Black |
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama |
6–4, 7–5 |
| Winner | 34. | 9 November 2008 | Doha |
Hard | Cara Black |
Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs |
6–1, 7–5 |
| Winner | 35. | 15 February 2009 | Paris |
Hard (i) | Cara Black |
Květa Peschke Lisa Raymond |
6–4, 3–6, [10–4] |
| Winner | 36. | 21 February 2009 | Dubai |
Hard | Cara Black |
Maria Kirilenko Agnieszka Radwańska |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 37. | 16 May 2009 | Madrid |
Clay | Cara Black |
Květa Peschke Lisa Raymond |
4–6, 6–3, [10–6] |
| Winner | 38. | 14 June 2009 | Birmingham |
Grass | Cara Black |
Raquel Kops-Jones Abigail Spears |
6–1, 6–4 |
| Winner | 39. | 16 August 2009 | Cincinnati |
Hard | Cara Black |
Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez |
6–3, 0–6, [10–2] |
| Runner-up | 24. | 14 September 2009 | US Open |
Hard | Cara Black |
Serena Williams Venus Williams |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 25. | 1 November 2009 | Doha |
Hard | Cara Black |
Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez |
7–6(7–0), 5–7, [10–7] |
| Winner | 40. | 9 January 2010 | Auckland |
Hard | Cara Black |
Natalie Grandin Laura Granville |
7–6(7–4), 6–2 |
| Winner | 41. | 15 January 2010 | Sydney |
Hard | Cara Black |
Tathiana Garbin Nadia Petrova |
6–1, 3–6, [10–3] |
| Runner-up | 26. | 29 January 2010 | Australian Open |
Hard | Cara Black |
Serena Williams Venus Williams |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 27. | 14 February 2010 | Paris |
Hard (i) | Cara Black |
Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová Iveta Benešová |
W/O |
| Winner | 42. | 18 April 2010 | Charleston |
Clay | Nadia Petrova |
Vania King Michaëlla Krajicek |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 28. | 13 June 2010 | Birmingham |
Grass | Bethanie Mattek-Sands |
Cara Black Lisa Raymond |
6–3, 3–2 ret. |
| Winner | 43. | 1 August 2010 | Stanford |
Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
Chan Yung-jan Zheng Jie |
7–5, 6–7(8–10), [10–8] |
| Runner-up | 29. | 13 September 2010 | US Open |
Hard | Nadia Petrova |
Yaroslava Shvedova Vania King |
2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
| Winner | 44. | 20 February 2011 | Dubai |
Hard | María José Martínez Sánchez |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
7–6(7–5), 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 30. | 26 February 2011 | Doha |
Hard | Nadia Petrova |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
7–5, 6–7(2–7), [10–8] |
| Runner-up | 31. | 3 April 2011 | Miami |
Hard | Nadia Petrova |
Daniela Hantuchová Agnieszka Radwańska |
7–6(7–5), 2–6, [10–8] |
| Runner-up | 32. | 18 June 2011 | Eastbourne |
Grass | Lisa Raymond |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–3, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 33. | 31 July 2011 | Stanford |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Victoria Azarenka Maria Kirilenko |
6–1, 6–3 |
| Winner | 45. | 14 August 2011 | Toronto |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Victoria Azarenka Maria Kirilenko |
W/O |
| Winner | 46. | 11 September 2011 | US Open |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Vania King Yaroslava Shvedova |
4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–3) |
| Winner | 47. | 1 October 2011 | Tokyo |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Gisela Dulko Flavia Pennetta |
7–6(7–4), 0–6, [10–6] |
| Winner | 48. | 30 October 2011 | Istanbul |
Hard (i) | Lisa Raymond |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 34. | 13 January 2012 | Sydney |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
6–1, 4–6, [13–11] |
| Winner | 49. | 12 February 2012 | Paris |
Hard (i) | Lisa Raymond |
Anna-Lena Grönefeld Petra Martić |
7–6(7–3), 6–1 |
| Winner | 50. | 19 February 2012 | Doha |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Raquel Kops-Jones Abigail Spears |
6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 51. | 25 February 2012 | Dubai |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Sania Mirza Elena Vesnina |
6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 52. | 17 March 2012 | Indian Wells |
Hard | Lisa Raymond |
Sania Mirza Elena Vesnina |
6–2, 6–3 |
Grand Slam Statistics[link]
Women's Doubles Performance Timeline[link]
| Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | A | 3R | SF | 2R | 3R | W | QF | QF | F | SF | QF | 33–13 |
| French Open | A | LQ | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | 2R | SF | 1R | 1R | F | 2R | SF | SF | SF | SF | SF | 36–16 | |
| Wimbledon | LQ | A | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | F | W | QF | W | SF | SF | SF | QF | 43–14 | |
| US Open | LQ | LQ | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | A | 3R | 2R | W | F | F | W | 37–13 | |
References[link]
- ^ Sports Illustrated profile
- ^ Collin Matiza (April 27, 2010). "Zimbabwe: Cara Black, Huber Split". http://allafrica.com/stories/201004270066.html. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
External links[link]
- Liezel Huber at the Women's Tennis Association
- Liezel Huber at the International Tennis Federation
- Liezel Huber at the Fed Cup
- Her official website
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Liezel Huber |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Huber, Liezel |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | South African-born U.S. tennis player |
| Date of birth | August 21, 1976 |
| Place of birth | Durban, South Africa |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on November 2, 2009. She is the only female player to have won over $35 million in prize money.
Her 27 Grand Slam titles places her ninth on the all-time list: 13 in singles, 12 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. She was also the first woman, along with sister Venus Williams, to hold all four Grand Slam doubles titles simultaneously since Martina Hingis did so in 1998. Her 13 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list. Williams ranks fourth in Grand Slam women's singles titles won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each). She has won more Major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active player, male or female.
