Sylvia Hanika
Country (sports) | West Germany (1959–1990) Germany (1990–present) |
---|---|
Residence | La Manga, Spain |
Born | (1959-11-30) 30 November 1959 (age 64) Munich, West Germany |
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Turned pro | 1977 |
Retired | 1990 |
Plays | Left-handed (one handed-backhand) |
Prize money | US$ 454,347 |
Singles | |
Career record | 378–223 (62.9%) |
Career titles | 6 |
Highest ranking | No. 5 (12 September 1983) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (1983) |
French Open | F (1981) |
Wimbledon | 4R (1982, 1987) |
US Open | QF (1979, 1981, 1983, 1984) |
Other tournaments | |
Tour Finals | W (1982) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 47–48 |
Career titles | 1 |
Highest ranking | No. 92 (14 August 1989) |
Sylvia Hanika (born 30 November 1959) is a former professional tennis player from Germany. She is remembered for finishing as the 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.
Career
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 Navratilova 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 No. 3 Chris Evert in the first round of the Virginia Slims Championships in 1987.
Hanika won her final top-level singles title in Athens, Greece in 1986. She retired from the tour in 1990, having won six 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."[1]
Major finals
Grand Slam final
Singles: 1 (0 titles, 1 runner–up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1981 | French Open | Clay | Hana Mandlíková | 2–6, 4–6 |
Year-End Championships final
Singles: 1 (1 title, 0 runners-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1982 | New York City | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova | 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
WTA career finals
Singles: 24 (6–18)
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Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | Jul 1978 | Båstad | Clay | Elly Appel-Vessies | 2–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 2. | Jul 1978 | Kitzbühel | Clay | Virginia Ruzici | 4–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 3. | Nov 1978 | Christchurch | Grass | Regina Maršíková | 2–6, 1–6 |
Win | 1. | Jan 1979 | Boise | Carpet (i) | Sherry Acker | 6–3, 6–2 |
Loss | 4. | May 1979 | Rome | Clay | Tracy Austin | 4–6, 6–1, 3–6 |
Loss | 5. | Jul 1979 | Kitzbühel | Clay | Hana Mandlíková | 6–2, 5–7, 3–6 |
Loss | 6. | Jan 1981 | Cincinnati | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 4–6 |
Win | 2. | Feb 1981 | Seattle | Carpet (I) | Barbara Potter | 6–2, 6–4 |
Loss | 7. | May 1981 | French Open | Clay | Hana Mandlíková | 2–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 8. | Jul 1981 | Kitzbühel | Clay | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 5–7, 6–7 |
Win | 3. | Jul 1981 | Monte Carlo | Clay | Hana Mandlíková | 2–6, 6–3, 5–6 ab. |
Loss | 9. | Mar 1982 | Los Angeles | Carpet (i) | Mima Jaušovec | 2–6, 6–7(4–7) |
Win | 4. | Mar 1982 | Avon Championships | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Loss | 10. | Jan 1983 | Washington | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 1–6, 1–6 |
Loss | 11. | Jan 1983 | Houston | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 3–6, 6–7(5–7) |
Loss | 12. | Feb 1983 | Oakland | Carpet (i) | Bettina Bunge | 3–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 13. | Mar 1983 | Boston | Carpet (I) | Wendy Turnbull | 4–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
Loss | 14. | Sep 1983 | Hartford | Carpet (i) | Kim Shaefer | 4–6, 3–6 |
Win | 5. | Oct 1984 | Brighton | Carpet (I) | JoAnne Russell | 6–3, 1–6, 6–2 |
Win | 6. | Sep 1986 | Athens | Clay | Angelikí Kanellopoúlou | 7–5, 6–1 |
Loss | 15. | Feb 1987 | San Francisco | Carpet (i) | Zina Garrison | 5–7, 6–4, 3–6 |
Loss | 16. | Aug 1987 | Mahwah | Hard | Manuela Maleeva | 6–1, 4–6, 1–6 |
Loss | 17. | Feb 1988 | Wichita | Hard (i) | Manuela Maleeva | 6–7(5–7), 5–7 |
Loss | 18. | Jul 1988 | Aix-en-Provence | Clay | Judith Wiesner | 1–6, 2–6 |
Doubles: 3 (1–2)
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Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Nov 1978 | Christchurch | Grass | Katja Ebbinghaus | Lesley Hunt Sharon Walsh | 1–6, 5–7 |
Loss | 0–2 | Jan 1980 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Kathy Jordan | Billie Jean King Martina Navratilova | 3–6, 4–6 |
Win | 1–2 | Nov 1988 | Adelaide | Hard | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | Lori McNeil Jana Novotná | 7–5, 6–7(4–7), 6–4 |
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | Career SR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | QF | 2R | A | NH | 4R | 4R | 1R | A | 0 / 6 |
French Open | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | F | 2R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 1R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 0 / 13 | |
Wimbledon | A | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 4R | 3R | 1R | A | 0 / 12 | |
US Open | A | 1R | QF | 3R | QF | A | QF | QF | 3R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 12 | |
SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 43 | |
Year-end Ranking | 118 | 35 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 21 | 50 | 14 | 17 | 41 | 125 |
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
See also
- Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final
References
- ^ "Strange Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Players" by Christopher Clarey, 21 June 2008 in The New York Times.
External links
- Sylvia Hanika at the Women's Tennis Association
- Sylvia Hanika at the International Tennis Federation
- Sylvia Hanika at the Billie Jean King Cup
- v
- t
- e
1972: Chris Evert
1973: Chris Evert
1974: Evonne Goolagong
1975: Chris Evert
1976: Evonne Goolagong
1977: Chris Evert
1978: Martina Navratilova
1979: Martina Navratilova
1980: Tracy Austin
1981: Martina Navratilova
1982: Sylvia Hanika
1983: Martina Navratilova
1984: Martina Navratilova
1985: Martina Navratilova
1986 (Mar): Martina Navratilova
1986 (Nov): Martina Navratilova
1987: Steffi Graf
1988: Gabriela Sabatini
1989: Steffi Graf
1990: Monica Seles
1991: Monica Seles
1992: Monica Seles
1993: Steffi Graf
1994: Gabriela Sabatini
1995: Steffi Graf
1996: Steffi Graf
1997: Jana Novotná
1998: Martina Hingis
1999: Lindsay Davenport
2000: Martina Hingis
2001: Serena Williams
2002: Kim Clijsters
2003: Kim Clijsters
2004: Maria Sharapova
2005: Amélie Mauresmo
2006: Justine Henin
2007: Justine Henin
2008: Venus Williams
2009: Serena Williams
2010: Kim Clijsters
2011: Petra Kvitová
2012: Serena Williams
2013: Serena Williams
2014: Serena Williams
2015: Agnieszka Radwańska
2016: Dominika Cibulková
2017: Caroline Wozniacki
2018: Elina Svitolina
2019: Ashleigh Barty
2021: Garbiñe Muguruza
2022: Caroline Garcia
2023: Iga Świątek