Dinara Safina facts for kids
Safina at the 2008 WTA Championships
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| Full name | Dinara Mubinovna Safina | |||||||||||||
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| Native name | Динара Мубиновна Сафина | |||||||||||||
| Country (sports) |  Russia |
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| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco | |||||||||||||
| Born | 27 April 1986 Moscow, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2000 | |||||||||||||
| Retired | 2014 (last match 2011) | |||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||
| Prize money | $10,585,640 | |||||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||||
| Career record | 360–173 (67.5%) | |||||||||||||
| Career titles | 12 | |||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (20 April 2009) | |||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | F (2009) | |||||||||||||
| French Open | F (2008, 2009) | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | SF (2009) | |||||||||||||
| US Open | SF (2008) | |||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | RR (2008, 2009) | |||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | F (2008) | |||||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||||
| Career record | 181–91 | |||||||||||||
| Career titles | 9 | |||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (12 May 2008) | |||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | QF (2004, 2005) | |||||||||||||
| French Open | 3R (2006, 2007, 2008) | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 3R (2005, 2008) | |||||||||||||
| US Open | W (2007) | |||||||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | QF (2008) | |||||||||||||
| Team competitions | ||||||||||||||
| Fed Cup | W (2005, 2008) | |||||||||||||
| Hopman Cup | F (2009) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Dinara Safina, born on April 27, 1986, is a former professional tennis player from Russia. She was once ranked as the world's number one female tennis player by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). She held this top spot for 26 weeks!
Dinara won 12 big singles tournaments and 9 doubles tournaments. One of her biggest wins was the women's doubles title at the 2007 US Open with her partner Nathalie Dechy. She also reached the finals of three major singles tournaments: the 2008 French Open, 2009 Australian Open, and 2009 French Open. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she won a silver medal in singles.
Dinara officially stopped playing tennis in 2014. This was because of a long-term back injury. Her older brother, Marat Safin, was also a world number one men's tennis player. They are the first brother and sister to both be ranked number one in singles tennis!
About Dinara Safina
Her Early Life
Dinara Safina was born in Moscow, Russia. Her parents were both involved in tennis. Her mother, Rauza Islanova, was her first coach. Her father was the director of a tennis club in Moscow.
Growing up with a famous tennis player brother, Marat, was sometimes tough. Dinara wanted to make her own name in tennis. She said her parents didn't pressure her. When she was eight, her family moved to Valencia, Spain. Because of this, Dinara speaks Russian, English, and fluent Spanish!
How Dinara Played Tennis
Dinara had several coaches during her career. These included Glen Schaap and Željko Krajan. She also worked with Gastón Etlis and Davide Sanguinetti.
Dinara's Tennis Journey
Starting Her Career in 2002
Dinara first played in a main WTA Tour tournament in May 2002. This was at the Estoril tournament on clay courts. She reached the semifinals there. She won her first title in Sopot, Poland. She was the youngest player to win a Tour title in four years! This win helped her get into the top 100 tennis players. Later that year, she played in her first Grand Slam, the US Open. She finished 2002 ranked as world No. 68.
More Wins in 2003
In July 2003, Dinara won her second title in Palermo, Italy. She played in the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon for the first time. She reached the fourth round at the US Open. She also beat a top 20 player for the first time. She ended 2003 as world No. 54.
Climbing the Ranks in 2004
At the Australian Open, Dinara beat a seeded player for the first time. She reached the third round there. She made it to her third career final in Luxembourg. This was her first final on a hard court. She finished 2004 as world No. 44. This was her first time ending the year in the top 50.
Fed Cup Champion in 2005
Dinara kept improving in 2005. She won her third career title in Paris, France. She beat a top 5 player for the first time there. She said it was the best day of her career. She won another title in Prague, Czech Republic, in May.
She played a big part in Russia winning the Fed Cup that year. She teamed up with Elena Dementieva to win a doubles match. This win boosted her confidence. Dinara finished 2005 ranked as world No. 20.
Top 10 Debut in 2006
In 2006, Dinara reached her first major tournament quarterfinal at the French Open. She famously came back from being down 1-5 in the third set to beat Maria Sharapova. She also reached her first final on grass courts. During the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals in singles. She also made it to the doubles final with Katarina Srebotnik. She entered the top 10 in singles rankings for the first time. She finished the year as world No. 11.
US Open Doubles Champion in 2007
Dinara won her first tournament of 2007 in Gold Coast, Australia. She also won the doubles title there. She reached another final in Charleston, USA. In May, she reached her highest ranking yet, world No. 9.
At the US Open, she partnered with Nathalie Dechy to win the women's doubles title. This was her first Grand Slam title! She finished 2007 as world No. 16.
Olympic Silver Medal in 2008
Dinara had a tough start to 2008. But then, in May, she had a breakthrough at the Berlin tournament. She beat world No. 1 Justine Henin. She also beat Serena Williams for the first time. She won the tournament, which she called "the key to her tennis life."
At the French Open, she reached her first Grand Slam final. She beat Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva along the way. She won two more titles in a row in Los Angeles and Montreal. This moved her up to world No. 6.
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At the Beijing Olympics, Dinara won a silver medal. She beat world No. 1 Jelena Janković in the quarterfinals. This made her the first player to beat three different world No. 1 players in the same year! She lost to Elena Dementieva in the gold medal match. She finished 2008 ranked No. 3.
World No. 1 in 2009
Dinara started 2009 by playing with her brother Marat Safin in the Hopman Cup. They reached the final. She then reached the final of the Sydney tournament. At the Australian Open, she made it to her second Grand Slam final. She lost to Serena Williams.
On April 20, Dinara became the 19th player to be ranked world No. 1 by the WTA. She and her brother Marat Safin are the first brother-sister pair to both be world No. 1 in singles!
She won two more titles on clay courts in Rome and Madrid. As the top player at the French Open, she reached her third Grand Slam final. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova. At Wimbledon, she reached the semifinals for the first time. She lost to Venus Williams. She finished the year as world No. 3.
Injuries and Retirement
In 2010, Dinara started to struggle with a back injury. This forced her to miss many tournaments. Her ranking dropped significantly. She tried to come back in 2011, but the injury continued to bother her. She played her last match in May 2011.
In October 2011, her brother Marat Safin said she had decided to retire. However, Dinara later said she needed more time to decide. She officially retired from tennis in 2014 due to her long-term back problems.
Dinara's Big Matches
Safina vs. Kuznetsova
Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova played each other 14 times. Dinara won 8 of these matches. They played in the final of the 2009 French Open, where Kuznetsova won.
Safina vs. Dementieva
Dinara and Elena Dementieva played 10 times. Dementieva won 6 of their matches. Their most important match was the final of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Dementieva won the gold medal for Russia.
Images for kids
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Safina at the 2008 WTA Championships
See also
In Spanish: Dinara Sáfina para niños
