Elise Mertens facts for kids
Mertens at the 2024 Washington Open
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| Country (sports) | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Hamont-Achel, Belgium |
| Born | 17 November 1995 Leuven, Belgium |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Turned pro | 2013 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Christopher Heyman |
| Prize money | US$ 18,107,463
|
| Singles | |
| Career record | 478–282 (62.89%) |
| Career titles | 10 |
| Highest ranking | No. 12 (26 November 2018) |
| Current ranking | No. 20 (3 November 2025) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2018) |
| French Open | 4R (2018, 2022, 2023) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2019, 2022, 2025) |
| US Open | QF (2019, 2020) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2020) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 408–171 (70.47%) |
| Career titles | 24 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (10 May 2021) |
| Current ranking | No. 1 (2 February 2026) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2021, 2024, 2026) |
| French Open | SF (2019) |
| Wimbledon | W (2021, 2025) |
| US Open | W (2019) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2022, 2025) |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2020) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | QF (2018, 2019), record 13–7 |
| Hopman Cup | RR (2018) |
Elise Mertens (born 17 November 1995) is a professional tennis player from Belgium. She became the world No. 1 in women's doubles on 10 May 2021. She was the third Belgian player to reach a top ranking in singles or doubles. Elise has won many titles on the WTA Tour, including 10 singles titles.
Elise is a six-time champion in major doubles tournaments. She won the US Open in 2019 and the Australian Open in 2021 with Aryna Sabalenka. She also won Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2024 with Hsieh Su-wei. In 2025, she won the Wimbledon Championships with Veronika Kudermetova. Most recently, she won the Australian Open in 2026 with Zhang Shuai.
She was also a finalist at Wimbledon in 2022 with Zhang Shuai. She reached the final again in 2023 with Storm Hunter. Overall, Elise has won 23 doubles titles. This includes the WTA Finals in 2022 and 2025 with Veronika Kudermetova.
Elise is also a strong singles player. She reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2018. She also made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2019 and 2020. Her highest singles ranking was world No. 12 in November 2018. She has played for Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2017. She also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in both singles and doubles.
Contents
- About Elise Mertens
- Elise's Tennis Journey
- Starting Out in 2015-2016
- 2017: First Singles Title and Top 40 Ranking
- 2018: Big Wins and Grand Slam Semifinal
- 2019: Doubles Success and US Open Title
- 2020: US Open Quarterfinals Again
- 2021: World No. 1 in Doubles and Two Major Titles
- 2022: WTA Finals Champion and Wimbledon Finalist
- 2023: More Doubles Titles and World No. 1 Again
- 2024: Australian Open Champion and More Doubles Success
- 2025: Two Singles Titles and Fifth Major Doubles Title
- 2026: Third Australian Open Title and Back to World No. 1 in Doubles
- Elise's Playing Style
- Career Statistics
- See also
About Elise Mertens
Elise Mertens was born in Leuven, Belgium. Her mother, Liliane, was a teacher, and her father, Guido, made furniture. Elise was taught at home and loved learning languages. She speaks French, English, and Flemish Dutch.
Her older sister, Lauren, is an airline pilot. Lauren introduced Elise to tennis when Elise was just four years old. Growing up, Elise admired famous Belgian tennis players Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters. She even trained at the Kim Clijsters Academy for several years.
Elise's Tennis Journey
Starting Out in 2015-2016
Elise first played in a big WTA Tour event in 2015. This was in the doubles competition at the 2015 Copa Colsanitas. She played with Nastja Kolar. In 2016, she won her very first doubles title at the Auckland Open. Her partner was An-Sophie Mestach.
2017: First Singles Title and Top 40 Ranking
In January 2017, Elise won her first singles title at the Hobart International. She beat Monica Niculescu in the final match. This win helped her enter the top 100 players in the world for the first time. Her ranking reached world No. 69.
2018: Big Wins and Grand Slam Semifinal
Elise started 2018 by winning the Hobart International again. She was the first woman to win this tournament two years in a row. She also won the doubles title there with Demi Schuurs.
At the Australian Open, Elise reached her first Grand Slam semifinal. She beat several strong players, including Elina Svitolina. This made her only the third Belgian woman to reach the semifinals at this tournament. She then lost to Caroline Wozniacki.
After the Australian Open, Elise won two more singles titles. She won the Lugano Open and the Morocco Open. She also reached the fourth round at the French Open.
2019: Doubles Success and US Open Title
In 2019, Elise won her first big singles title at the Qatar Ladies Open. She defeated top players like Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.
She had amazing success in doubles with her partner Aryna Sabalenka. They won the doubles titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. This rare achievement is called the "Sunshine Double." These wins helped Elise enter the top 10 in doubles rankings.
Later that year, Elise and Aryna won their first Grand Slam doubles title. They triumphed at the US Open. Elise also reached the singles quarterfinals at the US Open. She finished the year ranked No. 17 in singles and No. 6 in doubles.
2020: US Open Quarterfinals Again
Elise continued her strong performance in 2020. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. She also made it to the final of the Prague Open.
At the US Open, Elise reached the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. She beat Sofia Kenin before losing to Victoria Azarenka. She and Aryna Sabalenka also won the doubles title at the Ostrava Open.
2021: World No. 1 in Doubles and Two Major Titles
Elise started 2021 by winning her sixth singles title at the Gippsland Trophy. At the Australian Open, she and Aryna Sabalenka won their second Grand Slam doubles title.
In May 2021, Elise reached a huge milestone. She became the world No. 1 in doubles for the first time. She was the second Belgian player to achieve this.
Later that year, Elise won her third Grand Slam doubles title at Wimbledon. She partnered with Hsieh Su-wei. They won a very close final match. This win helped her regain the world No. 1 doubles ranking. Elise also played for Belgium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
2022: WTA Finals Champion and Wimbledon Finalist
In 2022, Elise continued to shine in doubles. She won her 15th doubles title at the Dubai Championships with Veronika Kudermetova. She also reached the doubles final at Miami and Wimbledon.
At Wimbledon, she and Zhang Shuai reached the final for a second consecutive time. Elise regained her world No. 1 doubles ranking in June 2022.
Later in the year, Elise won her seventh singles title at the Jasmin Open in Tunisia. She then qualified for the WTA Finals in doubles with Veronika Kudermetova. They won the title, making Elise the first Belgian to win the WTA Finals in doubles.
2023: More Doubles Titles and World No. 1 Again
Elise had another strong year in 2023. She reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with her new partner, Storm Hunter.
In singles, she returned to the top 30 after reaching the fourth round at the 2023 Miami Open. She also made it to the fourth round of the French Open.
In doubles, Elise and Storm Hunter won their fifth WTA 1000 title at the Italian Open. Elise returned to the top 10 in doubles rankings. She became world No. 1 in doubles again on 25 September 2023. This was after reaching the semifinals of the Guadalajara Open. They then won the title at Guadalajara.
Elise also successfully defended her singles title at the Jasmin Open. She finished 2023 ranked No. 2 in doubles.
2024: Australian Open Champion and More Doubles Success
Elise started 2024 by reaching her third singles final at the Hobart International. She then won her fourth major doubles title at the Australian Open. She partnered with Hsieh Su-wei again, and they defeated a strong team in the final. This victory helped Elise regain her No. 1 ranking in doubles.
With Hsieh, Elise also won the Indian Wells Open and the Birmingham Classic. They reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. Elise and Hsieh qualified for the WTA Finals.
2025: Two Singles Titles and Fifth Major Doubles Title
In 2025, Elise reached the final of the Hobart International for the second year in a row. She then won her ninth WTA singles title at the Singapore Open.
Partnering with Veronika Kudermetova, she reached the doubles finals at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
Elise won her tenth singles title at the Rosmalen Open. She saved an amazing eleven match points on her way to winning the title. This equaled a record for match points saved in a tour-level match this century.
At Wimbledon, partnering with Kudermetova, Mertens claimed her fifth major women's doubles title. They defeated Hsieh and Ostapenko in the final.
In November, Mertens teamed with Kudermetova to win the doubles title at the season-ending WTA Finals.
2026: Third Australian Open Title and Back to World No. 1 in Doubles
At the Australian Open, Elise teamed up with Zhang Shuai. They reached the final and won the title. This victory helped Elise return to the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles.
Elise's Playing Style
Elise Mertens is a baseline player. This means she plays mostly from the back of the court. Her game combines strong defense with powerful shots. She hits her shots flat, sending them deep into the court.
Her backhand is especially strong and helps her win many points. Elise is also great at returning serves. She can hit many return winners and handle powerful first serves.
Elise has a strong first serve, which can reach speeds of 119 mph (192 km/h). Her second serve is also effective, with a lot of spin. Because of her doubles experience, Elise is good at playing near the net.
She is very fit, fast, and covers the court well. This allows her to defend strongly and keep points going. She can turn defense into offense very effectively. Elise is known for her mental toughness and consistency. Her favorite surface to play on is grass, but she has had most of her success on hard courts.
Career Statistics
Grand Slam Performance Timelines
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | Q2 | A | SF | 3R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 0 / 9 | 23–9 | 72% |
| French Open | A | Q3 | 3R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 0 / 9 | 19–9 | 68% | |
| Wimbledon | Q3 | Q2 | 1R | 3R | 4R | NH | 3R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 0 / 8 | 15–8 | 65% | |
| US Open | Q1 | 1R | 1R | 4R | QF | QF | 4R | 1R | 3R | 4R | 3R | 0 / 10 | 21–10 | 68% | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 13–4 | 11–4 | 9–3 | 10–4 | 9–4 | 8–4 | 7–4 | 6–4 | 3–1 | 0 / 36 | 78–36 | 68% |
Doubles
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | W | SF | QF | W | 2R | W | 3 / 10 | 31–7 | 82% |
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | QF | 0 / 9 | 15–9 | 63% | |
| Wimbledon | A | 2R | 3R | 3R | QF | NH | W | F | F | SF | W | 2 / 9 | 33–7 | 83% | |
| US Open | A | A | 2R | QF | W | QF | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | SF | 1 / 9 | 21–8 | 72% | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 15–3 | 6–3 | 16–2 | 12–4 | 10–4 | 11–3 | 14–3 | 6–0 | 6 / 37 | 100–31 | 76% |
Grand Slam Tournaments Finals
Doubles: 8 (6 titles, 2 runner-ups)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2019 | US Open | Hard | 7–5, 7–5 | ||
| Win | 2021 | Australian Open | Hard | 6–2, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 2021 | Wimbledon | Grass | 3–6, 7–5, 9–7 | ||
| Loss | 2022 | Wimbledon | Grass | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 2023 | Wimbledon | Grass | 5–7, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 2024 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | 6–1, 7–5 | ||
| Win | 2025 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | 3–6, 6–2, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 2026 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | 7–6(7–4), 6–4 |
Year-End Championships
Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2021 | WTA Finals, Mexico | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 2022 | WTA Finals, US | Hard (i) | 6–2, 4–6, [11–9] | ||
| Win | 2025 | WTA Finals, Saudi Arabia (2) | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–4), 6–1 |
See also
In Spanish: Elise Mertens para niños