Alexandra Stevenson facts for kids
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| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | San Diego, California |
| Born | December 15, 1980 La Jolla, California |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | June 1999 |
| Retired | 2018 |
| Plays | Right (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,472,403 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 427–448 (48.8%) |
| Career titles | 0 WTA, 1 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 18 (October 28, 2002) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2001, 2003) |
| French Open | 1R (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1999) |
| US Open | 1R (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 40–82 (32.79%) |
| Career titles | 1 WTA |
| Highest ranking | No. 67 (July 7, 2003) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2001) |
| French Open | 1R (2001, 2003) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2003) |
| US Open | 2R (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 8–7 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2000) |
| US Open | SF (1999) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pan American Games | ||
| Bronze | Winnipeg 1999 | Women's singles |
Alexandra Winfield Stevenson (born December 15, 1980) is an American former professional tennis player. She started learning tennis at age four. Her coach, Angel Lopez, taught her at the San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club. Lopez continued to coach Alexandra throughout her professional career.
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About Alexandra Stevenson
Alexandra Stevenson was born in La Jolla, California. Her mother, Samantha Stevenson, is a sports journalist. Her father is Julius Erving, a famous former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Alexandra met her father for the first time in October 2008. This meeting was shared in an article on ESPN.com. She stays in touch with her father between tournaments.
Alexandra's College Life
Stevenson went to the University of Colorado. She graduated in December 2007 with a degree in Sociology. She was on the Dean's List, which means she earned good grades. Alexandra is the only tennis player who reached the top eight in a major tournament to also graduate from college while playing professionally. In December 2009, she was added to the La Jolla Country Day School Hall of Fame. She joined other famous alumni like Rashaan Salaam, a Heisman Trophy winner.
Alexandra's Tennis Journey
Starting Her Professional Career
Alexandra Stevenson began her professional tennis journey in 1998. She played in the US Open as a special entry, but lost in the first round. In 1999, she played well at a grass court tournament in Birmingham. She reached the quarterfinals there. The next week, she played in the qualifying rounds for Wimbledon. She won all her matches without losing a set.
Wimbledon Success in 1999
Just two weeks after finishing high school, Stevenson made history at Wimbledon. She became only the second qualifier in tennis history to reach the semifinals. This was her second time at Wimbledon, as she had played in the Junior Wimbledon Championships the year before. She beat the 11th seed, Julie Halard, in the third round. In the fourth round, she saved a match point to win against Lisa Raymond. She then defeated Jelena Dokić in the quarterfinals. Her amazing run ended when she lost to the eventual champion, Lindsay Davenport.
During Wimbledon 1999, Stevenson hit 57 aces. Her serve speed was over 120 mph. This made her known for having one of the fastest second serves in women's tennis. Her second serve often reached 105 to 115 mph. After her great performance, Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike, personally signed her to a three-year contract.
Life After Wimbledon
After her exciting Wimbledon performance, Tennis Magazine named Stevenson "Rookie of the Year." People Magazine called her "Most Fascinating." She was interviewed by Barbara Walters and featured in many news stories. Nike even flew flags with her name on them during her first visit to their campus. From 1999 to 2002, Stevenson trained with Nick Bollettieri at IMG Academy. During this time, she played against many top players. These included Nathalie Tauziat, Mary Pierce, Martina Hingis, and Serena Williams. She worked on her strong, all-court playing style.
In 2001, Stevenson reached the quarterfinals in Quebec City and Linz. In Linz, she defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
Reaching Top 20
In 2002, Stevenson's ranking climbed to No. 18 in the world. She had played in Moscow in 2001, being the only American player to do so after the September 11 attacks. In 2002, she had a very close match against Monica Seles in Tokyo. They both served incredibly well, with no breaks of serve until the tiebreakers. The referee, Alan Mills, called it the "finest women's serving match" he had ever seen.
Later in 2002, Stevenson won her first doubles title. She teamed up with Serena Williams in Leipzig, Germany. She also reached the quarterfinals in Filderstadt, beating the number one player, Jennifer Capriati. Stevenson was a finalist in Linz, where she again defeated Capriati and another top ten player. She finished 2002 ranked No. 18.
Dealing with Injuries
In 2003, Stevenson started having shoulder pain at Wimbledon. She tried to strengthen her shoulder, but it was a tear. In September 2004, she had surgery on her right shoulder. After 18 months of recovery and strengthening, she began her comeback in 2006.
She played in the qualifying rounds for 2006 Wimbledon. She won against Jelena Dokić, who she had also played in 1999. However, she then got a pectoral muscle strain and lost in the next round. At the 2006 Cincinnati Open, she again played well in the qualifying rounds. But shoulder pain caused her to lose in the final round. By 2009, her shoulder was much stronger. In 2010, her physical therapist said her shoulder felt like it had never been injured. In April 2012, Stevenson won the Sarasota Clay Court Invitational.
Her Unique Playing Style
Alexandra Stevenson was known as a powerful player on the WTA Tour. She joined other strong players like Venus Williams and Serena Williams. She is 6 feet 1 inch tall and plays right-handed. She uses a one-handed backhand. Her serve, forehand, and one-handed backhand were all very strong parts of her game. Her fastest serve was recorded at 125 mph. From 1999 to 2004, she had the fastest second serve in women's tennis. It was usually between 105 and 115 mph. She was the first woman to hit 57 aces during the Wimbledon tournament in 1999.
Her powerful game came from years of practice. When she was nine, she traveled from San Diego to Los Angeles for coaching. Robert Lansdorp helped her develop her strong groundstrokes. He even changed her two-handed backhand to a one-handed backhand. Pete Fischer, who also coached Pete Sampras, helped her with her serve. He designed drills to make her serve as smooth as Sampras'.
Life After Playing Tennis
Working in Broadcast
Starting in August 2019, Alexandra Stevenson joined the ESPN tennis team. She has worked as a commentator for the US Open qualifying and main matches. She also commented on the 2020 and 2021 US Open tournaments for ESPN.
Personal Life and Tributes
On September 11, 2001, Stevenson lost a friend named Manny Del Valle. He was a firefighter who died at the World Trade Center. Manny used to drive players at the US Open. Stevenson wrote an article in The New York Times about him. In 2002, the four Grand Slam tournaments allowed her to wear a patch of Del Valle's fire company on her Nike cap.
Tennis Achievements
WTA Tour Finals
Alexandra Stevenson reached two singles finals on the WTA Tour. She was a runner-up in both.
- In February 2002, she lost to Lisa Raymond at the National Indoor Championships in the United States.
- In October 2002, she lost to Justine Henin at the Linz Open in Austria.
She won one doubles title on the WTA Tour.
- In September 2002, she won the doubles title at the Sparkassen Cup Leipzig in Germany. She teamed up with Serena Williams.
ITF Circuit Finals
Stevenson won one singles title and was a runner-up once on the ITF Circuit.
- In February 1998, she won the Midland Tennis Classic in the United States.
- In May 2009, she was a runner-up at the Carson Challenger in the United States.
She was a runner-up in two doubles finals on the ITF Circuit.
- In May 2015, she was a runner-up at the ITF Indian Harbour Beach tournament in the United States.
- In September 2016, she was a runner-up at the Atlanta Tennis Open in the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Alexandra Stevenson para niños
