Elena Vesnina facts for kids

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In this article, the patronymic is Sergeyevna and the family name is Vesnina.

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Elena Vesnina
Елена Веснина

Vesnina with her Olympic gold medal in 2016

Full name

Elena Sergeyevna Vesnina

Country (sports)

Russia

Residence

Sochi, Russia

Born

1 August 1986 (age 38)
Lvov, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union

Height

1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Turned pro

2002

Retired

2024

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Coach

Eugenia Maniokova

Prize money

US$ 13,052,758

Singles

Career record

419–341 (55.13%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 13 (20 March 2017)

Grand Slam singles results

Australian Open

4R (2006, 2013)

French Open

3R (2015, 2017, 2021)

Wimbledon

SF (2016)

US Open

3R (2009, 2014, 2016, 2017)

Other tournaments

Doubles

Career record

437–234 (65.13%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 1 (11 June 2018)

Current ranking

No. 277 (11 November 2024)

Grand Slam doubles results

F (2014, 2018)

W (2013)

W (2017)

W (2014)

Other doubles tournaments

Tour Finals

W (2016)

Olympic Games

W (2016)

Grand Slam mixed doubles results

W (2016)

F (2021)

F (2011, 2012)

SF (2011)

Team competitions

Fed Cup

W (2007, 2008),
record 14–8 (63.64%)

Medal record

Olympic Games

Gold	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Doubles
Silver	2020 Tokyo	Mixed doubles
Universiade
Gold	2013 Kazan	Doubles
Gold	2013 Kazan	Mixed doubles
Silver	2013 Kazan	Team

Elena Sergeyevna Vesnina (born August 1, 1986) is a Russian former professional tennis player. She was once ranked the world No. 1 in doubles.

Vesnina is a four-time Grand Slam champion. She won three women's doubles titles with her partner Ekaterina Makarova. These wins were at the 2013 French Open, 2014 US Open, and 2017 Wimbledon Championships. She also won one mixed doubles title at the 2016 Australian Open with Bruno Soares.

She reached the finals eight more times in women's doubles and four times in mixed doubles. In June 2018, she became world No. 1 in doubles, holding the top spot for five weeks with Makarova. Vesnina won 19 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including the 2016 WTA Finals.

Elena also did very well in singles. She reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 13 in March 2017. She won three WTA singles titles, including the 2017 Indian Wells Open. Her best Grand Slam singles result was reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2016.

She played for Russia in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2006, winning in 2007 and 2008. She also competed in the Olympic Games four times. Vesnina and Makarova won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Vesnina also won a mixed-doubles silver medal with Aslan Karatsev at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Elena Vesnina's Personal Life

Elena Vesnina was born to Sergey and Irina. Her mother was a teacher. She has a younger brother named Dmitry, who also played tennis as a junior. Elena started playing tennis when she was seven years old in Sochi.

In November 2015, Elena Vesnina married a businessman named Pavel Tabuntsov. They have two daughters. Their first daughter, Elizaveta, was born in November 2018. Their second daughter, Anna, was born in 2023.

Becoming a Tennis Star

Elena Vesnina started her professional tennis journey in 2002. She slowly worked her way up the rankings. By 2006, she made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open, which was her first Grand Slam tournament.

Grand Slam Victories and Top Rankings

In 2013, Elena Vesnina won her first WTA Tour singles title at the Hobart International. She also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open that year.

Her biggest success came in doubles. With her partner Ekaterina Makarova, she won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open. They beat top teams to win the championship. Later in 2013, Vesnina won her second WTA singles title at the Eastbourne International.

In 2014, Vesnina and Makarova continued their success. They reached the final of the Australian Open. Then, they won their second major doubles title at the US Open. They did not play any seeded teams on their way to the title.

In 2015, Vesnina and Makarova reached the Wimbledon final. They played a tough match but lost to Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza.

Olympic Gold and World No. 1

The year 2016 was a very important one for Elena Vesnina. She had a great singles run at Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals for the first time. She also won her first mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2016 Australian Open with Bruno Soares.

Later in 2016, Vesnina and Makarova won their first tournament title of the year at the Rogers Cup. The highlight of their year was winning the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio for Russia. They continued their amazing year by winning their first WTA Finals title.

In 2017, Vesnina won her biggest singles title at the Indian Wells Open. She beat several top players, including Venus Williams, to win the championship. This win helped her reach her career-high singles ranking of world No. 13. She also won her second Wimbledon doubles title with Makarova in 2017. They won the final with a rare "double bagel" score of 6–0, 6–0.

In June 2018, Elena Vesnina became the world No. 1 in doubles. This was a huge achievement in her career.

Comeback and Retirement

After taking a break for maternity leave, Elena Vesnina returned to tennis in 2021. She reached the mixed doubles final at the French Open with Aslan Karatsev.

At the delayed Tokyo Olympics, Vesnina won a silver medal in mixed doubles with Aslan Karatsev. This was another Olympic medal for her.

After another break to have her second child, Vesnina made a second comeback in 2024. She played in a few tournaments, including the Paris Olympics. Elena Vesnina announced her retirement from professional tennis in November 2024.

Career Statistics

Performance Timelines

**Key**
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	A	P	Z#	PO	G	F-S	SF-B	NMS	NH

(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

Current through the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2021	SR	W–L	Win%
Australian Open	A	4R	2R	3R	1R	1R	1R	1R	4R	1R	1R	Q1	3R	2R	A	0 / 12	12–12	50%
French Open	A	1R	1R	1R	2R	1R	1R	1R	1R	2R	3R	2R	3R	1R	3R	0 / 14	8–14	36%
Wimbledon	A	2R	3R	2R	4R	1R	2R	2R	2R	2R	1R	SF	2R	A	2R	0 / 13	18–13	58%
US Open	Q2	1R	1R	2R	3R	1R	1R	2R	2R	3R	2R	3R	3R	A	A	0 / 12	12–12	50%
Win–loss	0–0	4–4	3–4	4–4	6–4	0–4	1–4	2–4	5–4	4–4	3–4	8–3	7–4	1–2	2–2	0 / 51	50–51	50%

Doubles

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	SR	W–L	Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	1R	1R	2R	3R	3R	2R	SF	SF	F	QF	3R	QF	F	A	A	A	0 / 13	31–13	70%
French Open	A	QF	1R	2R	F	3R	F	QF	W	2R	SF	F	QF	1R	A	A	1R	1 / 14	38–13	75%
Wimbledon	A	1R	3R	2R	3R	F	SF	QF	3R	3R	F	QF	W	A	A	NH	F	1 / 13	38–11	78%
US Open	A	3R	1R	2R	QF	QF	3R	3R	QF	W	2R	SF	3R	A	A	A	A	1 / 12	29–10	74%
Win–loss	0–0	5–4	2–4	4–4	11–3	11–4	12–4	12–4	15–3	13–3	13–3	14–4	14–3	5–2	0–0	0–0	5–2	3 / 52	136–47	74%
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics	Not Held			QF	Not Held			QF	Not Held			G	Not Held				4th	1 / 4	12–4	75%
Year-end championships
WTA Finals	Did not qualify								F	QF	A	W	SF	A	DNQ	NH	DNQ	1 / 4	5–3	63%
Career statistics
Titles	1	0	1	1	0	0	3	2	2	1	1	3	3	1	0	0	0	Career total: 19
Finals	1	2	3	3	1	1	4	6	3	3	4	5	5	3	0	0	1	Career total: 44
Year-end ranking	126	46	45	18	22	23	10	9	5	7	8	6	3	16	–	–	45

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Doubles: 11 (3 titles, 8 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2009	French Open	Clay	Victoria Azarenka	Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual	1–6, 1–6
Loss	2010	Wimbledon	Grass	Vera Zvonareva	Vania King Yaroslava Shvedova	6–7^(6–8), 2–6
Loss	2011	French Open	Clay	Sania Mirza	Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká	4–6, 3–6
Win	2013	French Open	Clay	Ekaterina Makarova	Sara Errani Roberta Vinci	7–5, 6–2
Loss	2014	Australian Open	Hard	Ekaterina Makarova	Sara Errani Roberta Vinci	4–6, 6–3, 5–7
Win	2014	US Open	Hard	Ekaterina Makarova	Martina Hingis Flavia Pennetta	2–6, 6–3, 6–2
Loss	2015	Wimbledon	Grass	Ekaterina Makarova	Martina Hingis Sania Mirza	7–5, 6–7^(4–7), 5–7
Loss	2016	French Open	Clay	Ekaterina Makarova	Caroline Garcia Kristina Mladenovic	3–6, 6–2, 4–6
Win	2017	Wimbledon	Grass	Ekaterina Makarova	Chan Hao-ching Monica Niculescu	6–0, 6–0
Loss	2018	Australian Open	Hard	Ekaterina Makarova	Tímea Babos Kristina Mladenovic	4–6, 3–6
Loss	2021	Wimbledon	Grass	Veronika Kudermetova	Hsieh Su-wei Elise Mertens	6–3, 5–7, 7–9

Mixed Doubles: 5 (1 title, 4 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2011	Wimbledon	Grass	Mahesh Bhupathi	Jürgen Melzer Iveta Benešová	3–6, 2–6
Loss	2012	Australian Open	Hard	Leander Paes	Horia Tecău Bethanie Mattek-Sands	3–6, 7–5, [3–10]
Loss	2012	Wimbledon	Grass	Leander Paes	Mike Bryan Lisa Raymond	3–6, 7–5, 4–6
Win	2016	Australian Open	Hard	Bruno Soares	CoCo Vandeweghe Horia Tecău	6–4, 4–6, [10–5]
Loss	2021	French Open	Clay	Aslan Karatsev	Desirae Krawczyk Joe Salisbury	6–2, 4–6, [5–10]

Other Important Finals

Year-End Championships

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2013	WTA Championships, Istanbul	Hard (i)	Ekaterina Makarova	Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai	4–6, 5–7
Win	2016	WTA Finals, Singapore	Hard (i)	Ekaterina Makarova	Bethanie Mattek-Sands Lucie Šafářová	7–6^(7–5), 6–3

Olympic Games

Doubles: 2 (1 gold medal)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Gold	2016	Rio Olympics	Hard	Ekaterina Makarova	Timea Bacsinszky Martina Hingis	6–4, 6–4
4th place	2020	Tokyo Olympics	Hard	Veronika Kudermetova	Laura Pigossi Luisa Stefani	6–4, 4–6, [9–11]