Daniela Hantuchová facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daniela Hantuchová

Hantuchová at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships
Country (sports)	Slovakia
Residence	Monte Carlo, Monaco
Born	(1983-04-23) 23 April 1983 (age 42) Poprad, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro	1999
Retired	6 July 2017
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	,436,407 45th in all-time rankings
Singles
Career record	570–415 (57.87%)
Career titles	7
Highest ranking	No. 5 (27 January 2003)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (2008)
French Open	4R (2002, 2006, 2010, 2011)
Wimbledon	QF (2002)
US Open	QF (2002, 2013)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2002, 2007)
Olympic Games	3R (2012)
Doubles
Career record	288–234 (55.17%)
Career titles	9
Highest ranking	No. 5 (26 August 2002)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	F (2002, 2009)
French Open	F (2006)
Wimbledon	QF (2005)
US Open	SF (2011)
Mixed doubles
Career record	40–14 (74%)
Career titles	4
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	W (2002)
French Open	W (2005)
Wimbledon	W (2001)
US Open	W (2005)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	W (2002) Record 36–19
Hopman Cup	W (2005)

Daniela Hantuchová (born 23 April 1983) is a former professional tennis player from Slovakia. She became a professional player in 1999. Her big year was 2002, when she won her first major title at the Indian Wells Open. She beat Martina Hingis in the final. That year, she also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. She finished 2002 ranked among the top ten players in the world. Daniela also helped the Slovak team win the 2002 Fed Cup and the 2005 Hopman Cup.

In January 2003, Daniela reached her highest ranking, becoming world No. 5. She won seven WTA Tour tournaments during her career. This included winning the Indian Wells Open again in 2007. Her last win was the 2015 Thailand Open. Her best result in a major tournament was reaching the semifinals of the 2008 Australian Open. She had big wins against players like Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. In 2013, she became the 37th woman in the Open Era to win 500 career matches.

Daniela was also a very good doubles player, reaching world No. 5 in doubles. In 2005, she achieved a special feat called the "career Grand Slam" in mixed doubles. This means she won all four major mixed doubles titles at least once. Only five female tennis players have done this. She won mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon (2001), the Australian Open (2002), the French Open (2005), and the US Open (2005).

Daniela Hantuchová stopped playing professional tennis on 6 July 2017. After retiring, she became a tennis commentator and expert for TV channels like Amazon Prime and Fox Sports. She also hosts a podcast about sports and entertainment.

Personal Life and Interests

Daniela Hantuchová was born in Poprad, which was then part of Czechoslovakia and is now in Slovakia. Her father, Igor, was a computer scientist, and her mother, Marianna, was a toxicologist. Her grandmother, Helena, who used to be a Slovak national tennis champion, first taught Daniela how to play tennis.

In 2003, Daniela faced some personal challenges, which affected her tennis performance for a while. She was very dedicated to her training, which sometimes led to her losing weight. She speaks several languages fluently, including Slovak, Czech, English, and German, and also knows some Croatian and Italian. She also learned to play classical piano. Daniela is known for being a perfectionist and works very hard in her training. She was accepted into university in Slovakia but chose to focus on her tennis career instead.

In 2009, she appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition with other tennis players like Maria Kirilenko.

Tennis Career Highlights

Starting Professional Tennis (1999-2001)

Daniela Hantuchová became a professional tennis player in 1999. She played in several smaller tournaments and won some titles. In 2000, she reached her first quarterfinal in a WTA tournament at Strasbourg. She also won her first WTA doubles title in Bratislava with her partner Karina Habšudová. In 2001, she reached her first WTA semifinal at the U.S. Indoor Championships. That year, she also won her first Grand Slam title in mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Leoš Friedl. This was a huge achievement for the then 18-year-old.

Breakthrough Year and Grand Slam Success (2002)

Daniela Hantuchová

The year 2002 was a big one for Daniela. She started as world No. 38 and quickly moved up. She reached the doubles final at the Australian Open and won the mixed doubles title there with Kevin Ullyett. This was her second Grand Slam mixed doubles title.

In March, she won her first WTA singles tournament at the Indian Wells Masters. She was ranked No. 25 and beat the world No. 4, Martina Hingis, in the final. This made her the lowest-ranked player to ever win that event. She also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open, showing her strong performance in major tournaments. She ended the year with a great record and a top-ten ranking.

Reaching World No. 5 and Challenges (2003-2005)

In 2003, Daniela reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 5. She continued to reach quarterfinals and semifinals in many tournaments. However, she also faced some tough times, including personal challenges that affected her game. Despite this, she kept working hard.

In 2004, she reached the final at Eastbourne, showing her fighting spirit. In 2005, Daniela achieved a major milestone by completing the "career Grand Slam" in mixed doubles. This means she won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles: Wimbledon (2001), Australian Open (2002), French Open (2005), and US Open (2005). She became only the fifth female player in history to do this.

Hantuchová practicing during the Australian Open in 2005

Consistent Performance and Key Wins (2006-2007)

Hantuchová at the Zurich Open in 2006

In 2006, Daniela had a notable win at the Australian Open, defeating the defending champion Serena Williams. She reached the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. She also helped Slovakia get promoted in the Fed Cup.

In 2007, Daniela won the Indian Wells Open for the second time, which was a big achievement. She beat several top players on her way to the title. This win helped her return to the top 10 rankings. She also won her third career title at the Generali Ladies Linz tournament, which helped her qualify for the year-end WTA Tour Championships. She finished 2007 ranked world No. 9, her first top-ten finish since 2002.

Grand Slam Semifinal and Injuries (2008-2012)

Hantuchová at the Australian Open in 2008

In 2008, Daniela reached her first Grand Slam singles semifinal at the Australian Open. She played well, but lost to Ana Ivanovic. Later that year, she faced injuries, including a stress fracture in her foot, which kept her off the court for a while. This affected her ranking, and she finished the year outside the top 20.

In 2009, she reached the doubles final at the Australian Open with Ai Sugiyama. She also had consistent results in singles, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and the US Open. In 2010, she reached a singles final at the Monterrey Open, her first final since 2007. She also had good runs at the Miami Open and the French Open.

In 2011, Daniela won her fifth WTA singles title at the Pattaya Open. She also achieved a big win at the French Open, beating the world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. She continued to have strong performances, reaching the semifinals at Eastbourne and quarterfinals at other events.

The year 2012 was challenging due to more injuries. However, she successfully defended her title at the Pattaya Open. She also had a special moment playing at the London Olympics, where she reached the third round.

Hantuchová at 2012 Wimbledon Championships

Later Career and Retirement (2013-2017)

Daniela Hantuchová in 2013

In 2013, Daniela won her sixth career title at the Birmingham Classic. During this tournament, she achieved her 500th career win, becoming one of only 37 women in the Open Era to reach this milestone. She also had a great run at the US Open, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. This helped her return to the top 50 rankings. She even started playing doubles with former world No. 1 Martina Hingis for a short period.

In 2014 and 2015, Daniela continued to play, but faced more inconsistent results. However, in 2015, she won her seventh WTA Tour title at the Thailand Open. She continued to compete in major tournaments, but her ranking started to drop.

In 2016, she fell out of the top 100 for the first time in many years. In 2017, she played in the qualifying rounds for the Australian Open and some smaller tournaments. On 6 July 2017, during Wimbledon, Daniela Hantuchová announced her retirement from professional tennis.

Playing Style

Daniela Hantuchová is right-handed, but she uses both hands for her backhand shots. She is known for hitting the ball with great timing and excellent technique. She has a flowing style of play, hitting deep and accurate shots from the back of the court. Her two-handed backhand is especially powerful. People often describe her as an "all-court player" because she can play well from anywhere on the court. She has a strong and accurate serve and is also good at playing close to the net. Her height (5 feet 11 inches) helps her cover a lot of ground quickly, which is useful for returning shots. She is also known for her stamina.

Career Statistics

Performance timelines

Grand Slam tournaments

Year-end championships

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 3 (3 runner-ups)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	2002	Australian Open	Hard	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	Martina Hingis  Anna Kournikova	2–6, 7–6(7–4), 1–6
Runner-up	2006	French Open	Clay	Ai Sugiyama	Lisa Raymond  Samantha Stosur	3–6, 2–6
Runner-up	2009	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Ai Sugiyama	Serena Williams  Venus Williams	3–6, 3–6

Mixed doubles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)

By winning the 2005 US Open title, Hantuchová completed the mixed doubles Career Grand Slam. She became only the fifth female player in history to achieve this.

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	2001	Wimbledon	Grass	Leoš Friedl	Mike Bryan  Liezel Huber	4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Winner	2002	Australian Open	Hard	Kevin Ullyett	Gastón Etlis  Paola Suárez	6–3, 6–2
Runner-up	2002	Wimbledon	Grass	Kevin Ullyett	Elena Likhovtseva  Mahesh Bhupathi	2–6, 6–1, 1–6
Winner	2005	French Open	Clay	Fabrice Santoro	Leander Paes  Martina Navratilova	3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Winner	2005	US Open	Hard	Mahesh Bhupathi	Nenad Zimonjić Katarina Srebotnik	6–4, 6–2

Endorsements

Product Endorsement and Equipment

Daniela Hantuchová worked with several brands during her career. She endorsed sportswear from Nike and later Adidas. She also appeared in an advertisement for a Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot phone.

For her tennis rackets, she used different brands over the years. She started with Babolat, then used Yonex, and later Prince. She also used Völkl Tennis rackets for a time. In 2015, she switched to HEAD rackets, and in 2016, she went back to using Babolat.

Video Games

Daniela Hantuchová was also featured as a playable character in several tennis video games. These include games like Top Spin, Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2, Roland Garros 2005, and Virtua Tennis 3. She was also 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
• 2012 London Olympic Games

Awards

• 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
• 2014 WTT Female Most Valuable Player
• 8 January 2019 Order of Ľudovít Štúr, 1st Class.

Images for kids

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  Hantuchová at Eastbourne in 2004

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  Hantuchová at the Zurich Open in 2006

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  Hantuchová with doubles partner Ai Sugiyama at the French Open in 2006

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  Hantuchová at the 2007 Luxembourg Open

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  Hantuchová at the 2007 Bank of the West Classic

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  Hantuchová in July 2008

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  Hantuchová at the 2008 Fortis Championships

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  Hantuchová at the 2009 Brisbane International

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  Hantuchová at the French Open in 2009

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  Hantuchová at the Family Circle Cup in 2010

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  Hantuchová practicing at the Bank of the West Classic in 2010

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  Hantuchová at the Southern California Open in 2011

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  Hantuchová with doubles partner Dominika Cibulková at the Southern California Open in 2012

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  Hantuchová at the 2014 Aegon International

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  Hantuchová at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships

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  Beginning in August, Hantuchová began a doubles partnership with former world No. 1, Martina Hingis

See also

In Spanish: Daniela Hantuchová para niños

• Slovakia Fed Cup team