Daniela Hantuchová
 Hantuchová at the 2008 US Open |
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| Country |  Slovakia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Date of birth | April 23, 1983 |
| Place of birth | Poprad, Slovakia, (then CSSR) |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 62 kg (140 lb; 9.8 st)[1] |
| Turned pro | 1999 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | $7,059,872 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 408–254 |
| Career titles | 3 WTA, 3 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (January 27, 2003) |
| Current ranking | No. 26 (August 23, 2010) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2008) |
| French Open | 4R (2002, 2006, 2010) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2002) |
| US Open | QF (2002) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Championships | RR (2002, 2007) |
| Olympic Games | 2R (2004, 2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 219–153 |
| Career titles | 8 WTA, 1 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (August 26, 2002) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2002, 2009) |
| French Open | F (2006) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2005) |
| US Open | 3R (2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career record | 39–13 |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2002) |
| French Open | W (2005) |
| Wimbledon | W (2001) |
| US Open | W (2005) |
| Last updated on: August 23, 2010. | |
Daniela Hantuchová (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈdanɪjɛla ˈɦantuxɔvaː]; born April 23, 1983) is a Slovak 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 ten.
She is currently coached by Larri Passos.[2] 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 August 23, 2010, Hantuchová is ranked World No. 26 in singles.
Contents |
Personal life
Hantuchová was born in Poprad, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) to father Igor, a computer scientist and mother Marianna, a toxicologist. Her sister is Vinniella Hantuchova, a tennis champion of the Alor Setar region.[1]
When her parents split up in 2003, Hantuchová's performances temporarily worsened.[3] At Wimbledon that year, she lost to the 81st ranked player in the world, failing to convert match points and weeping on court.[4] She also suffered from a weight problem during this period.[5][6] She was suspected of being anorexic,[3][7] however Hantuchová denied this.[8]
Hantuchová speaks three languages (Slovak, English and German)[9], and was trained as a classical pianist.[3] She is thought to be a perfectionist and places a lot of pressure on herself during her training.[3] She qualified for university in Slovakia but deferred it to pursue tennis.
She appeared in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition alongside Maria Kirilenko and Tatiana Golovin in a pictoral entitled Volley of the Dolls.[10]
Career
2002
Hantuchová started the year as the world number 38, being known as a new up-and-coming player, in the Gold Coast where she lost to World No. 7 Justine Henin in the second round in a three setter 1–6, 6–0, 6–3. After reaching the last 16, after qualifying, in Sydney, Hantuchová went on to play at the Australian Open losing in the third round to the second seed Venus Williams 3–6, 6–0, 6–4.
After climbing the rankings to world number 26, having competed in Paris and Antwerp (reaching the round of 16 in both), she went into the prestigious Indian Wells event, defeating Justine Henin in the fourth round 6–3 6–3 and Martina Hingis in the final 6–3 6–4. She was the lowest ranked player of 26th (seeded 18th) to ever win the Tier I event.[11]. In Miami and Amelia Island Hantuchová went on to lose surprisingly in the second rounds. She then played in Charleston only to be beaten by again in the second round by 1995 Australian Open and 2000 French Open Champion, Mary Pierce 6–3, 6–4, Pierce being ranked 232. Playing in Fed Cup she won one of her two singles rubbers against Switzerland. Also in the clay season Hantuchová reached the quarterfinals in Hamburg and Berlin losing to Martina Hingis respectively in straight sets and Anna Smashnova 1–6, 6–2, 6–3. Having entered the French Open as the 11th seed and World No. 13 and losing her previous match in Rome in the first round, she beat Cara Black (after losing to her in Miami earlier in the year) only to lose to former champion Monica Seles in straight sets in the fourth round.
Hantuchová progressed to the semi-finals of Eastbourne losing to Myskina again in aid as a warm-up tournament into Wimbledon, where she beat 7th ranked Jelena Dokić in the round of 16 only to be beaten by the eventual champion, Serena Williams as the 11th seed.
Her US Open Series season was modest as she lost in the second rounds of San Diego and Los Angeles, after having first round byes in both tournaments, but as improvement in match fitness going into the US Open she reached the semi-finals of the Tier I event in Montreal, losing to Amélie Mauresmo, and New Haven, losing to World No. 2 Venus Williams. At the final Grand Slam of the year Hantuchová defeated 1997 French Open champion Iva Majoli in round three, World No. 6 Justine Henin, 6–1, 3–6, 7–6(4) in round four only to be beaten in her second consecutive Slam quarterfinal by Serena Williams (whom again went on to win the title).
Later on that year, Hantuchová also reached the quarterfinal in Leipzig and the final in Filderstadt, losing to Kim Clijsters 4–6 6–3 6–4, the only set Hantuchová has taken from Clijsters in their nine meetings. She then went on to reach the quarterfinals of Zurich, losing to eventual champion Patty Schnyder in three tight sets, the semi-finals in Linz and winning both of her singles rubbers in the Fed Cup final, winning Slovakia their only title to date against Spain. This impressive season amassed her enough points to compete at the prestigious annual Tour Championships losing in the first round to 17th ranked Magdelena Maleeva 6–2, 7–5. Hantuchová's record for the year 56–25 and was 6–10 against top 10 players; 6–2 in singles Fed Cup play (helping lead Slovakia to their first Fed Cup victory against Spain in the final); 10–6 on indoor carpet, 6–2 on grass, 11–7 on clay, and 29–10 on hardcourts.
2003
Hantuchová started 2003 solidly, reaching the quarterfinals at her first three events in Sydney, losing to Lindsay Davenport 6–4 3–6 7–6(3), Venus Williams 6–4 6–3 at the Australian Open (her third Slam quarterfinal in a row), and Elena Dementieva in Paris 7–5 6–3. Hantuchová reached her first semifinal of the year at her fourth event in Antwerp, losing to Williams again, 6–1 6–4. By then, Hantuchová's ranking was at a career high No. 5. Defending a title for the first time in her career, Hantuchová advanced to the fourth round in Indian Wells, losing to Amanda Coetzer 6–4 6–4. Despite a first round loss to Alicia Molik in Miami, Hantuchová rebounded in the Tier I Charleston event, making her fifth quarterfinal in seven events, losing to Ashley Harkleroad 6–2 6–1. She made her sixth quarterfinal at her next event in Amelia Island, losing to eventual champion Dementieva 6–0 6–1. Hantuchová went undefeated in first round Fed Cup play against Germany, winning both of her matches. Following Fed Cup, she again made it to the quarterfinals for the seventh time of the year at the Tier I Berlin tournament, losing to Kim Clijsters 6–0 6–3.
At the French Open, Hantuchová lost in the second round in a marathon match to Harkleroad again 7–6(2) 4–6 9–7 making 101 unforced errors, leading to long-time coach Nigel Sears criticising her attitude publicly.[12] Following the match, her extremely thin physique was noticed for the first time publicly and some wondered about Hantuchová's health. Kicking off the grass season in Eastbourne, Hantuchová lost in the quarterfinals to Conchita Martínez, but more famously she lost in the second round of Wimbledon to Shinobu Asagoe 0–6 6–4 12–10, with Hantuchová breaking down crying during the latter stages of the match in the midst of making 57 unforced errors. Some theorized that the media's continued interest regarding her weight and the pressure of success at 19 years of age, in addition to her on-court breakdown and her parents' divorce, her coach walked out during the middle of the match. This helped to explain subsequent fall of Hantuchová from the top of women's tennis. Following Wimbledon Hantuchová went 6–8 for the rest of the year, 0–4 against top 10 players She ended the year with an overall record of 28–23 and she fell to No. 17 in the world. Further signs of the pressure and problems she was facing during this period was that in July she made herself unavailable for Slovakia in the Fed Cup in order to concentrate on her singles career and in November she parted company with Sears.[13]
2004
2004 proved to be a continuation of Hantuchová's poor second half of 2003, with many of the same struggles (she briefly hired Harold Soloman, who had previously coached her friend Jennifer Capriati as well as Anna Kournikova before re-hiring Sears in March),[14] She reached just three quarterfinals, her first of which at the first Tier I event in Tokyo was not until halfway through the season. At Tokyo, however, she garnered her thus far only victory over Maria Sharapova in the second round, falling to Davenport 6–2 6–2 in the quarters. The tournament that saved her from a poor 2004 was Eastbourne, in which she defeated Ai Sugiyama in the quarterfinals 6–1 7–6(7) and Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals 4–6 6–4 6–4 before losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third final of her career, 2–6 7–6(2) 6–4. However, Hantuchová was serving for the championship, up 6–2 6–5, but got broken.
Hantuchová was ranked No. 54 as she entered Eastbourne, but found herself ranked No. 38 as she went into Wimbledon, losing to eventual champion Sharapova in the third round 6–3 6–1. Hantuchová would make one more quarterfinal at New Haven, losing to Lisa Raymond 6–4 6–3. At the US Open one week later, Hantuchová lost in three sets to Patty Schnyder in the third round. She finished the year ranked No. 31, with a 24–24 win-loss record. She finished 1–4 against top 10 players overall, the sole victory over Mauresmo.
2005
Hantuchová reached the third round of the Australian Open, losing to Dementieva in a tight three-setter, 7–5 5–7 6–4. Following that, she made her first quarterfinal of the year in Tokyo for the second straight year, losing to Kuznetsova 7–6(4) 7–6(4). At her next event she reached the semifinals in Doha, losing to Sharapova 6–2 6–4. Then she made another quarterfinal at her next tournament in Dubai, losing to Serena Williams 6–4 6–3; at Dubai also, in the first round, she garnered her 10th top 10 victory over No. 8 Alicia Molik 7–6(8) 6–2. Hantuchová made the third round at the French Open and Wimbledon, losing to Clijsters 6–4 6–2 in Paris and eventual champion Venus Williams 7–5 6–3 in England.
Hantuchová had a successful US Open series run, where she reached the semifinals in Cincinnati, getting upset by No. 74 Akiko Morigami 6–4 6–4. After Cincinnati, in Stanford, Hantuchová lost to Clijsters in the quarterfinals 6–3 6–1. And after a second round loss in San Diego to Sugiyama, Hantuchová reached her fourth final in Los Angeles, getting a walkover in the quarterfinals over Sharapova, and got revenge against Dementieva in the semifinals, defeating her 6–3 6–4 (Hantuchová stands 2–0 against Dementieva in semifinals). In the final, for the seventh time in their head-to-head, Clijsters defeated Hantuchová 6–4 6–1. For the third time at the event, Hantuchová made the quarterfinals in New Haven, losing to Davenport 6–2 7–6(5).
Hantuchová would lose to eventual quarterfinalist Venus Williams in the third round at the US Open. In Luxembourg, Hantuchová made her eighth quarterfinal of the season, losing to Nathalie Dechy 6–1 6–4. In Filderstadt the following week, Hantuchová made the semifinals, her third of the year, defeating No. 10 Patty Schnyder in the second round and Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals; she lost to Davenport in the semifinals. And at the final Tier I event of the year, Hantuchová pushed Davenport to three sets and had match points in the second set in Zurich before losing 3–6 7–5 6–2. And in her final event of the year, in Linz, Hantuchová made her 10th quarterfinal, losing to Schnyder 6–2 6–1. Hantuchová finished 2005 with a 3–10 record against the top 10, 37–25 overall record with 2–1 on indoor carpet, 3–4 on clay, 2–3 on grass, 30–17 on hardcourts, reaching 10 quarterfinals, three semifinals, and one final.
2006
In 2006 Hantuchová reached the quarterfinals of Sydney with a win over top 10 player Patty Schnyder and got to the semifinals of Auckland. She continued this form at the Australian Open with her third round 6–1, 7–6 (5) victory over defending champion and seven-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, who had entered the tournament with a lack of match practice and questions over her fitness. This victory (the only over Serena in her career) ensured Daniela progressed to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in three years. She lost to 4th-seeded Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the fourth round.
Thereafter she was unable to find a consistent level of form. She reached the fourth-round at the Australian Open, but prior to the clay court season she parted company for a second time (and permanently) with Sears.[15] He was replaced by Angel Giminez. After the split with Sears she played her first Fed Cup matches for Slovakia in almost 3 years (Slovakia had slipped from being winners in 2003 to languishing in the Europe/Africa zone having being relegated every year in Hantuchová's absence). It was a successful return with Hantuchová winning her both singles and doubles matches against Luxembourg, her singles match against The Netherlands and the decisive singles rubber in the tie against Great Britain. With the help of Hantuchová's 4–0 record over the 6-day period Slovakia booked a place in the World Group II play-off against Thailand.
Despite disappointing results in the warm-up tournaments she equalled her Australian Open performance by getting to the fourth round of both the French Open and Wimbledon before extending her 2006 Fed Cup record to 6–0 by winning both her singles matches in Slovakia's 5–0 rout of Thailand, which ensured their promotion to the World Group II. Her fourth-round streak at Grand Slams ended when she was beaten by a resurgent Serena Williams at the second round of the US Open, which was the culmination of a very disappointing American hard court season (her record was 7–6 including the US Open, failing to get past the last 16 of any of the tournaments she entered).
Daniela showed what she is capable of producing the week before Stuttgart beating an in-form Tatiana Golovin in straight sets before losing out to Dinara Safina. The following week she reached the quarterfinals of Stuttgart with an easy victory over the now top 10 player Safina in the 2nd round, the same player to whom she had lost convincingly the previous week. This was both her first victory over a top 10 player and appearance in a quarter final since January. In October 2006, Hantuchová reached the final of the Zurich Open. In the first round, she upset 6th seed Patty Schnyder. In the second round, she defeated her doubles parter Ai Sugiyama. Daniela was then scheduled to play World No.1 Amélie Mauresmo in the quarter finals. However, Mauresmo withdrew due to a right shoulder injury. In the semi finals, Daniela upset World No.4 Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4 6–2 to reach the final of the Tier I event. In the final, Daniela lost in a tight 3 setter to 2nd seed Maria Sharapova. Sharapova winning 6–1 4–6 6–3. The results in this tournament were the culmination of Hantuchová's up turn of form which kept her in the world's top 20 as she had arrived in Zurich outside the top group for the first time in over 11 months. The injury she suffered to her right rib,[16] after Mary Pierce hit a shot at her in doubles, caused her the most serious injury of her career and also forced her to retire in her match against Vesnina the following week in Linz. Hantuchová finished the year ranked 17th in the world with a 34–25 record. She went 24–17 on hard courts, 5–4 on clay, 3–2 on grass and 2–2 on carpet. She was 4–6 against top 10 players beating Schnyder (twice), Safina and Kuznetsova, with losses to Sharapova (twice), Clijsters, Henin-Hardenne, Dementieva and Nadia Petrova.
2007
Hantuchová's first tournament of the year was at the Tier IV ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, where she lost in the second round to Virginie Razzano. Hantuchová then lost to Nicole Vaidišová in the first round of the Tier II New South Wales Open/Medibank International in Sydney and reached her second consecutive Australian Open fourth round, where she lost to World No. 5 Kim Clijsters 6–1, 7–5.
Hantuchová was then upset in the first round of the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo by Roberta Vinci. Three weeks later at the Tier II Dubai Tennis Championships, Hantuchová defeated Maria Kirilenko in the second round 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(4) before losing her quarterfinal match against Amélie Mauresmo in three sets. The following week at the Tier II Qatar Total Open in Doha, Hantuchová trailed World No. 6 Martina Hingis in their quarterfinal match 4–1 in the second set before coming back to win 1–6, 6–4, 6–4. She then lost her semifinal match against World No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova. In her seventh tournament of the year, Hantuchová won six matches, the last four of which were upsets of higher seeded players, to win the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California. She upset Hingis in the fourth round, Shahar Pe'er in the quarterfinals 6–2, 5–7, 7–6(5), Li Na in the semifinals, and Kuznetsova in the final in straight sets.[3]
Hantuchová, however, struggled in her next four events. She was upset in the third round of the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida by Vera Zvonareva. On clay at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, Hantuchová lost to Sybille Bammer in the quarterfinals. Two weeks later, Hantuchová lost both of her Fed Cup matches against the Czech Republic in Bratislava on clay, losing to Vaidišová and Lucie Šafářová. Losing her fourth consecutive match, Hantuchová was upset in the first round of the Tier I Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin by Zuzana Ondrášková. Hantuchová then reached her first career clay court semifinal at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. She upset seventh-seeded Anna Chakvetadze in the third round before losing to second-seeded Kuznetsova in the semifinals. At the French Open, Hantuchová was upset in the third round by Anabel Medina Garrigues 4–6, 7–6(2), 7–5.
After defeating Eleni Daniilidou in the third round of the Tier III grass court DFS Classic in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Hantuchová was guaranteed a return to the top 10 for the first time since August 2003. She then lost to Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals 5–7, 6–4, 7–5. The following week at the Tier III Ordina Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, Hantuchová defeated World No. 6 Ana Ivanović in the quarterfinals before losing to Chakvetadze in the semifinals. This result caused Hantuchová to drop out of the top 10. Hantuchová was the tenth-seeded player at Wimbledon and did not lose a set in her first two matches. She then defeated Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik in the third round 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 before losing to World No. 8 Serena Williams in the fourth round 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–2. Immediately after Wimbledon, Hantuchová helped Slovakia win its Fed Cup World Group II play-off against Serbia. On an indoor hard court in Košice, she beat Ana Timotić and Vojislava Łukić.
Hantuchová played five tournaments during the North American summer hard court season. She began the US Open Series by losing to Chakvetadze in the semifinals of the Tier II Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California. This result put her back in the top 10. At the Tier I Acura Classic in San Diego, she lost to World No. 16 Venus Williams in the second round. The following week at the Tier II JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles, Hantuchová retired from her third round match with Elena Dementieva while trailing 6–3, 4–1. Hantuchová once again fell out of the top 10 after losing in the second round of the Tier II Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Connecticut to eventual runner-up Ágnes Szávay. At the US Open, Hantuchová was the ninth-seeded player but lost to Ukraine's Julia Vakulenko in the first round 6–4, 3–6, 6–1. It was Hantuchová's earliest loss at this tournament since her debut in 2001 and her earliest loss at a Grand Slam tournament since the 2004 French Open.
Hantuchová then played four consecutive tournaments. She reached her second final of the year at the Tier III Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali, losing to Lindsay Davenport in three sets. At the Tier III Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, India, Hantuchová lost in the semifinals to Maria Kirilenko but reentered the top 10. Traveling back to Europe, Hantuchová played in the Tier II Fortis Championships Luxembourg. She defeated Patty Schnyder in the quarterfinals and Bartoli in the semifinals to advance to her third final of the year for the first time in her career. Hantuchová then lost to World No. 6 Ivanović in the final 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 after leading the match 6–3, 3–0. At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Hantuchová defeated Šafářová in the first round but lost in the second round to Dementieva. This loss, however, did not prevent Hantuchová from rising to World No. 9, her highest ranking in over four years.
At the Tier I Zurich Open, Hantuchová defeated Dinara Safina in the first round 7–6(2), 7–6(4) before losing to Agnieszka Radwańska. One week later, Hantuchová won her third career title at the Tier II Generali Ladies Linz. In the semifinals, she defeated Vaidišová for the first time in her career 2–6, 6–2, 7–6(3). Hantuchová then defeated Schnyder in the straight-sets final. This title enabled Hantuchová to qualify for the year-ending Sony Ericcson Championships in Madrid. But Hantuchová did not advance past the round robin stage in Madrid. She lost to Maria Sharapova and Ivanović before beating Kuznetsova to finish third in her group. Hantuchová's win-loss record for 2007 was 52–28. She was 6–11 versus top 10 players, with two victories against Hingis, two against Kuznetsova, one against Ivanović, and one against Chakvetadze. The losses were to Clijsters, Mauresmo, Chakvetadze (twice), Kuznetsova (twice), Vaidišová, Serena Williams, Ivanović (twice), and Sharapova. Hantuchová finished the year at World No. 9, her first top-10 finish since 2002.
2008
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Hantuchová started the year at the Medibank International in Sydney. She defeated Russian Dinara Safina in the first round before eventually losing to World No. 12 Czech Nicole Vaidišová in the second round. At the Australian Open, Hantuchová reached her first Grand Slam semifinal.[17] She won her first three matches without losing a set. In the quarterfinals, she beat Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwańska, who had defeated second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova in earlier rounds. Hantuchová then lost to Ana Ivanović in a semifinal 0–6, 6–3, 6–4 despite Hantuchová leading the match 2–0 in the second set. After the match, Hantuchová claimed that Ivanović had been distracting her by squeaking her shoes on the court before serving, a claim Ivanović disputed.[18] Hantuchová's performance at this tournament caused her Women's Tennis Association ranking to improve one spot to World No. 8. Hantuchová then played two indoor tournaments in Europe. At the Open Gaz de France in Paris, she lost to seventh-seeded Ágnes Szávay of Hungary in the quarterfinals. She was the third-seeded player at the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, where she again reached the quarterfinals. A blister on her right hand caused Hantuchová to retire during the quarterfinal against Timea Bacsinszky.
Hantuchová was then scheduled to play at the Qatar Total Open, the first Tier I event of the year, and the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, a Tier II event, but withdrew from both because of fatigue. Hantuchová played both of the two-week Tier I events in the United States. At the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, Hantuchová was the defending champion and fifth seed. She lost to fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals. In doubles, Hantuchová and Ai Sugiyama lost in the semifinals to Safina and Elena Vesnina, the eventual champions. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Hantuchová failed to reach the fourth round in this event for the ninth consecutive year. She lost to former doubles partner Sugiyama in the third round 6–4, 6–7(8), 7–5 despite leading 3–0 in the third set. In doubles, Hantuchová partnered with Lindsay Davenport to reach the quarterfinals where they lost to Sugiyama and Katarina Srebotnik, who went on to win the event.
The following week at the Tier II Bausch & Lomb Championships on clay in Amelia Island, Florida, Hantuchová was the third seed but lost in the second round to Karolina Šprem. Hantuchová spent the month of May and most of June recovering from a stress fracture in her right foot, which resulted in her withdrawal from the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome,[19] the Tier III Istanbul Cup,[20] the French Open,[21][22] and the Tier III Ordina Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. She recovered in time for Wimbledon but lost in the second round to unseeded Alisa Kleybanova 6–3, 4–6, 6–1.
Hantuchová played four hard court tournaments between Wimbledon and the US Open. She lost in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California and in the second round of the following week's tournament, the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles. Hantuchová was seeded tenth at the Summer Olympics in Beijing. She defeated Sugiyama in the first round before losing in the second round to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. The following week at the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, Hantuchová lost in the quarterfinals to Alizé Cornet of France. Hantuchová was seeded eleventh at the US Open, where she was upset in the first round by qualifier Anna-Lena Grönefeld.
To end the year, Hantuchová played seven tournaments in Asia and Europe. She lost in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali and in the first round of the Tier I Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo to Francesca Schiavone. In Beijing at the China Open, she lost to World No. 2 Jelena Janković in the quarterfinals. After losing in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, the second round of the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow, and the second round of the Tennis.com Zürich Open, Hantuchová was seeded third at the Fortis Championships Luxembourg. However, she lost to World No. 39 Sorana Cîrstea in the quarterfinals. Because she won only 11 of 26 singles matches after the Indian Wells tournament, Hantuchová finished the year ranked World No. 21, her lowest and first finish out of the top 20 since 2004. She was 0–5 during the year versus players ranked within the top 10 at the time the matches were played, with losses to Ivanović, Sharapova, Janković, and Vera Zvonareva (twice).
2009
Hantuchová began the 2009 tour by participating in the Brisbane International as the tournament's fourth-seeded player. She was upset in the first round by Sara Errani 6–7(1), 6–4, 6–0. Hantuchová then played the Medibank International in Sydney where she lost in the second round to sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwańska.
At the Australian Open in Melbourne, the first Grand Slam event of the year, Hantuchová was seeded nineteenth and defeated home favourite Casey Dellacqua in their first round match 7–6(11), 6–4, she then beat Mathilde Johansson of France in the second round before losing to fifteenth-seeded Alizé Cornet of France in the third round 4–6, 6–4, 6–2. In the doubles competition, Hantuchová and her partner Ai Sugiyama made it to the final, where they lost to Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams.
At the Open GDF SUEZ in Paris, Hantuchová beat Ekaterina Makarova in the first round before losing to Cornet in the second round. This was the third consecutive time she has lost to Cornet. Hantuchová then played in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, where she lost to eventual runner-up Virginie Razzano in the third round. Because of her results at this tournament, Hantuchová's ranking improved five places to World No. 36. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, a Premier Mandatory event, Hantuchová was the only two-time singles champion in the draw. Seeded 30th, Hantuchová fell to Sybille Bammer in the fourth round 6–3, 6–2. Unseeded for the first time since 2001 at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, another Premier Mandatory event, Hantuchová lost to 22nd seeded Anna Chakvetadze in the second round 6–3, 6–1.
Starting off the spring clay court season as a wildcard at the MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Hantuchová defeated eighth-seeded Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the second round 6–3, 7–5. She then lost to eventual champion and second seed Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals 6–2, 6–2. Playing in the Fed Cup World Group Play-offs, Hantuchová defeated Alizé Cornet 6–7(2), 6–3, 6–4 in the first round rubber but lost to Amélie Mauresmo 7–5, 6–4 in her next match.
Hantuchová played four tournaments before Roland Garros on European clay. She lost in the early rounds of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Rome Masters and the Madrid Masters to Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Janković respectively. In doubles at Rome, Hantuchová and Ai Sugiyama defeated No.1 seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the quarterfinals. However, the pair lost to Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai 7–5, 7–6(5) in the final. Her fourth event was the Warsaw Open where she reached her second career clay court semi-final but Hantuchová lost to Romanian qualifier and eventual champion Alexandra Dulgheru 6–4, 6–7(2), 6–1. Hantuchová was unseeded at the French Open and lost to Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano in the first round 6–3, 6–3.
On grass, Hantuchová was seeded sixth at the Ordina Open in 's-Hertogenbosch. She fell to No.1 seed Safina 1–6, 6–4, 6–3 in the quarterfinals. Competing at her 9th Wimbledon, Hantuchová was unseeded in singles for the first time since 2004. She came from behind to defeat local teenager Laura Robson 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 in the first round. She then upset 16th seed and last year's semifinalist Zheng Jie 6–3, 7–5 and doubles partner Sugiyama 6–4, 6–3. However, Hantuchová fell to No.2 seed and eventual champion Serena Williams in the fourth round 6–3, 6–1.
Hantuchová played her first round match at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, winning in three sets against defending champion Aleksandra Wozniak, 6–4, 4–6, 7–5. She then defeated No.7 seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the second round 4–6, 7–6(6), 6–1 but fell to No.3 seed Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals 6–2, 6–4. In the LA Women's Tennis Championships she lost to Dinara Safina 6–2 6–4. In the Western & Southern Financial Women's Open she lost to Flavia Pennetta 6–3, 6–3 after upsetting No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva 7–6(6), 0–6, 7–6(5). In the Rogers Cup in Toronto she fell to qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova in the first round 7–6(1), 7–6(4).
Hantuchová was seeded 22nd at the US Open. She defeated Meghann Shaughnessy, Timea Bacsinszky and Vania King but fell in the fourth round to No.2 seed and defending champion Serena Williams 6–2, 6–0.
At the Hansol Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea, Hantuchová was the top seed but was upset by eventual chmapion Kimiko Date Krumm in the quarterfinals 7–6(3), 4–6, 6–4. She then competed in the Toray Pan Pacific Open and the China Open were she reached the second round in both before losing in three sets to No.11 seed Agnieszka Radwańska and No.13 seed Nadia Petrova respectively.
Hantuchová finished off the season in Europe at the BGL Luxembourg Open where she was upset by unseeded Shahar Pe'er in the quarterfinals 6–2, 7–6(4).
Hantuchová finished outside the top 20 for the second consecutive year at No. 24 with a win-loss record of 39–25. She went 25–16 on hard courts, 9–7 on clay and 5–2 on grass. She was 1–9 versus top 10 players with losses to Radwańska, Kuznetsova, Janković, Dementieva, Serena Williams (twice) and Safina (three times) with the sole victory over Zvonareva.
2010
Hantuchová started the 2010 tour by competing at the Brisbane International. Seeded fourth, Hantuchová was upset by unseeded Andrea Petkovic in the quarterfinals 6–4, 6–2. At the Medibank International in Sydney, Hantuchová fell to No. 5 seed and eventual champion Elena Dementieva in the second round 6–2, 4–6, 6–2. Seeded 22nd at the Australian Open, Hantuchová fell to 16th seed and eventual semifinalist Li Na in the third round 7–5, 3–6, 6–2.
Hantuchová defeated Zhang Shuai 6–0, 6–1 in the Fed Cup tie against China in Bratislava, Slovakia prior to the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, UAE. In Dubai, Hantuchová upset No.5 seed Dementieva through retirement after winning the first set 6–4. However, she fell to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round 6–3, 6–4.
Hantuchová was seeded No. 2 at the Monterrey Open in Monterrey, Mexico. She became one of the favorites after No. 1 seed Jelena Janković fell in the first round. Hantuchová fought from a set down to beat unseeded Vania King 2–6, 6–2, 6–1 in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Dominika Cibulková 4–6, 6–3, 6–0 in the semifinals. However she fell to No. 3 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the finals 1–6, 6–1, 6–0. It was Hantuchová's first final since Linz in 2007. Hantuchová was upset at the BNP Paribas Open by Roberta Vinci in the second round after injuring her back during training earlier that day. At the Sony Ericsson Open she gained a career best in Miami reaching the fourth round after recording straight set victories over Patty Schnyder and No. 16 seed Nadia Petrova, but lost a very tight three set match to No. 3 seed and eventual finalist Venus Williams 1–6, 7–5, 6–4 in nearly three hours.
Hantuchová began the clay season by competing at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina. She upset No. 2 seed and World No. 7 Jelena Janković in the quarterfinals 1–6, 6–3, 6–3. However, she fell to No. 4 seed and eventual champion Samantha Stosur in her third career clay court semifinal 6–3, 7–6(2). Following Charleston, Hantuchová helped Slovakia earn a place in the World Group I for the 2011 Fed Cup by scoring two singles victories and a doubles victory in the World Group Play-offs against Serbia. She again defeated World No. 7 Janković in one of her singles matches for a second week in a row. Despite first round loses in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, Italy and in the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open in Madrid, Spain, Hantuchová rebounded at the French Open in Paris, France. Seeded No. 23, she upset No. 16 seed Yanina Wickmayer in the third round but fell to No. 4 seed Jelena Janković in the fourth round.
Hantuchová played two tournaments on grass. She was defeated by Samantha Stosur at the AEGON International in Eastbourne, England and was then upset by Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová at The Wimbledon Championships in London, England.
To start off the US Open Series, Daniela suffered a tough opening round loss to No. 6 seed Shahar Peer 0–6, 6–4, 6–3 at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California. At the Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego, California, she upset No. 6 seed Marion Bartoli 3–6, 7–6(3), 6–4 in the first round saving three match points. She then beat Zheng Jie and Alisa Kleybanova to advance to the semifinals where she fell to Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets. Hantuchová then fell in the first rounds of the Cincinnati Masters and the Rogers Cup to eventual semifinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and No. 15 seed Flavia Pennetta respectively. At the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis she fell to Dinara Safina 7–6(4), 7–6(2).
As the 24th seed, Hantuchová defeated Dinara Safina and Vania King at the 2010 US Open before falling to No. 12 seed Elena Dementieva in the third round.
Playing style
Hantuchová can be characterized as an aggressive all-arounder, with the use of "effortless" power and long fluid strokes. Her strengths within her game are definitely seen as her serve, backhand, forehand and ability to hit volleys with the deftest of touch. Weaknesses of Hantuchová's game are her movement around the court, which has improved within the last couple of years, and her mental fragility - this has been a factor in many matches in her career, from her second round losses at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2003 to her 2004 final in Eastbourne, to the 2008 Australian Open semi-final and her fourth round match at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open to name but a few.
Serve
Hantuchová's serve has always been considered as a weapon as she is able to vary speed, placement and spin. One part of her serve that has been commented on is that she has often changed the motion of her serve - for reasons unknown. Towards the beginning of her career she had a very large and fluid action but started to become more and more abbreviated from the season of 2004, which at times was quite unsuccessful and less effective. She then had a successful abbreviated motion from the beginning of 2007 but after an injury lay-off during the 2008 clay court season she returned to Wimbledon with a larger follow through. Again, in 2009 she went to her current and most abbreviated service motion to date.
Surfaces
Due to her game relying on aggressive strokes, Hantuchová's preferred surfaces are the faster-playing hard and grass courts, and not as suited to the slower clay courts. This can be seen as all of her career titles are on hard courts and all finals have been played on either hard or grass courts, with capturing only three clay court semi-finals.
Ground Strokes and Net Play
Hantuchová is known for her aggressive, fluid, and naturally powered groundstrokes. Her forehand and backhand are both effective in setting up points. Her powerful and accurate backhand is her most consistent shot, especially when delivered down the line. Her net play is skillful, especially on attack. She often chooses a drive volley to shorten points, and slices with great touch.
Career statistics
Endorsements
Product endorsement and equipment
Until the 2009 US Open, Hantuchová was endorsed by Nike sportswear and had her own line with them for her tournament wear, similar to players such as Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. From the 2009 US Open onwards, Hantuchová began endorsing Adidas sportswear.
Hantuchová also has endorsed three racquet brands. She was first endorsed by Babolat from being a junior until late 2003, then Yonex until the 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo when she then used the Prince Ozone Seven Racquets from the 2007 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.
Video games
Hantuchová has been in many sports/tennis related video games with such players as Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Anna Kournikova. Some of the titles are Top Spin (both Xbox and Play Station 2 versions), Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 and Virtua Tennis 3. Hantuchová is currently ranked third behind Serena Williams and Ana Ivanović in a poll for new downloadable players for Top Spin 3. Hantuchová is also a playable character in Virtua Tennis 2009.
Achievements
Team achievements
- 2000 Eurotel Doubles Champion
- 2002 Fed Cup Champion (Slovakia)
- 2004 Hopman Cup Finalist (with Karol Kučera)
- 2004 Athens Olympic Games
- 2005 Hopman Cup Champion (with Dominik Hrbatý)
- 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Special achievements
- 2001 WTA Newcomer of the Year Award
- 2002 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Award
- 2003 Laureus World Sports Academy Award nominee for World Newcomer of the Year Award
See also
- Slovakia Fed Cup team
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Official WTA profile of Hantuchová". http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/page/Player/Info/0,,12781~3589,00.html. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ↑ "Daniela Hantuchová". ITF. http://www.itftennis.com/womens/players/player.asp?player=20011505. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Hantuchová, Ivanovic persevere despite growing pains at ESPN
- ↑ Alexander: Hantuchova's a beauty of a comeback story, The Press-Enterprise (March 13, 2008)
- ↑ Newbery, Piers (2003-06-26). "Hantuchova 'needs a break'". BBC Sport (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/wimbledon_2003/3023190.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
- ↑ "You're too thin, Hantuchova warned". Independent Online (Independent News and Media). 2009-05-07. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=4&art_id=qw1052304302189S163&set_id=6. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
- ↑ Jenkins, Bruce (2003-06-26). "Tears, but not fears, insists Hantuchova". San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Communications Inc.). http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/26/SP297026.DTL. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
- ↑ Roberts, John (2009-05-29). "Hantuchova, pin-up and world No 9, denies rumours of eating disorder". The Independent (independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/hantuchova-pinup-and-world-no-9-denies-rumours-of-eating-disorder-591318.html. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
- ↑ Official website of Daniela
- ↑ Golovin, Hantuchova, Kirilenko in SI swimsuit issue Tennis.com, February 11, 2009
- ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/year-of-the-big-breakthrough-daniela-hantuchova-611702.html
- ↑ theage.com.au A towering talent
- ↑ news.bbc.co.uk – Hantuchová splits with coach
- ↑ rediff.com – Hantuchová rehires Sears
- ↑ news.bbc.co.uk – Hantuchová parts with coach again
- ↑ tvnz.co.nz – Hantuchová through to final Accessed 28 June 2007
- ↑ Hantuchová praises mental strength
- ↑ Hantuchová blasts Ivanovic tactic
- ↑ Sharapova, Hantuchová pull out of German Open
- ↑ Daniela withdraws from Istanbul
- ↑ Sebastien Grosjean and Daniela Hantuchová withdraw from French Open with injuries
- ↑ Daniela withdraws from the French Open
External links
- Daniela Hantuchová official web site
- Daniela Hantuchová on the Women's Tennis Association
- Daniela Hantuchová at the International Tennis Federation
- Daniela Hantuchová at the Fed Cup
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dája Bedáňová |
WTA Newcomer of the Year 2001 |
Succeeded by Svetlana Kuznetsova |
| Preceded by Justine Henin-Hardenne |
WTA Most Improved Player of the Year 2002 |
Succeeded by Nadia Petrova |
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