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Flavia Pennetta
Singles
Flavia Pennetta at the 2015 French Open
Country (sports)	Italy
Residence	Brindisi, Italy
Born	(1982-02-25) 25 February 1982 (age 43) Brindisi
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro	25 February 2000
Retired	29 October 2015
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	$14,197,886 42nd in all-time rankings
Official website	flaviapennetta.eu
Career record	582–365 (61.46%)
Career titles	11
Highest ranking	No. 6 (28 September 2015)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	QF (2014)
French Open	4R (2008, 2010, 2015)
Wimbledon	4R (2005, 2006, 2013)
US Open	W (2015)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2015)
Olympic Games	3R (2012)
Doubles
Career record	393–243 (61.79%)
Career titles	17
Highest ranking	No. 1 (28 February 2011)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (2011)
French Open	QF (2010, 2015)
Wimbledon	SF (2010, 2012)
US Open	F (2005, 2014)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	W (2010)
Olympic Games	QF (2008)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	W (2006, 2009, 2010, 2013), record 25–5

Flavia Pennetta (born 25 February 1982) is a former professional tennis player from Italy. She made history as the first Italian woman to reach the top ten in singles. This happened on 17 August 2009. She also became the first Italian to be ranked world No. 1 in doubles on 28 February 2011.

Flavia is a major champion. She won the 2011 Australian Open women's doubles title with her partner Gisela Dulko. Her biggest win was the 2015 US Open singles title. In that final, she played against her childhood friend Roberta Vinci. It was the first time two Italian players met in a major final.

Pennetta won ten other WTA singles titles during her career. This includes the 2014 Indian Wells Open, where she beat the top two players. She was also a key player for the Fed Cup team. She helped Italy win four titles in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2013. In doubles, she also won the 2010 WTA Finals with Gisela Dulko. She was a runner-up at the 2005 and 2014 US Open doubles tournaments.

After winning the 2015 US Open, Flavia announced she would retire. She played her last tournament at the WTA Finals. She ended her career with a top-ten singles ranking.

Flavia Pennetta was honored as a Knight of Order of Merit of the Republic. This special award was given to her on 24 January 2007.

Career Highlights
Personal Life
Equipment
Honours
Career Statistics
- Grand Slam Finals
  - Singles: 1 (1 title)
  - Doubles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)
Grand Slam Performance Timelines
- Singles
- Doubles
See also

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Tennis

Flavia Pennetta started playing tennis when she was five years old. Her father introduced her to the sport. When she was 17, she won the 1999 French Open in girls' doubles. She won this title with her fellow Italian player, Roberta Vinci.

Pennetta began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit in 1997. By 2002, her ranking reached the top 100 for the first time.

First Big Wins

In 2004, Flavia won her first WTA Tour title. This happened at the clay-court tournament in Sopot, Poland. She beat Klára Koukalová in the final.

The year 2005 was also important for her. She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. She also made it to her first Grand Slam final in doubles at the US Open.

Breaking into the Top 20

In 2008, Flavia Pennetta reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. This was at the US Open. She beat several strong players, including Venus Williams and Amélie Mauresmo. This helped her move into the top 20 players in the world.

Pennetta reached the quarterfinals of the 2008 US Open, her first at a Grand Slam.

In 2009, Flavia continued to do well. She reached the top ten in singles for the first time in her career. She was the first Italian woman ever to achieve this. She also helped Italy reach the Fed Cup final.

Pennetta at the 2009 US Open.

Doubles Champion and World No. 1

The year 2010 was great for Flavia in doubles. She won the doubles title at the Miami Open with her partner Gisela Dulko. They also won the WTA Finals together.

In 2011, Flavia achieved a huge milestone. She won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open. She and Gisela Dulko were a very strong team. On 28 February, Flavia became the first Italian tennis player to be ranked world No. 1 in doubles.

Pennetta at the French Open in 2011.

Overcoming Challenges

In 2012, Flavia faced a challenge. She had a wrist injury that required surgery. This meant she couldn't play in the US Open that year. Her ranking dropped out of the top 50.

However, Flavia worked hard to come back from her injury. In 2013, she showed amazing strength. She reached her first Grand Slam singles semifinal at the US Open. This was a big achievement after her injury.

Pennetta and Elena Baltacha at Wimbledon in 2013.

Winning Big Titles

In 2014, Flavia won the biggest singles title of her career at that point. She became the champion at Indian Wells. She beat top players like Li Na and Agnieszka Radwańska to win the tournament. She also reached the doubles final at the US Open with Martina Hingis.

In 2014, Pennetta reached her fifth US Open quarterfinal.

US Open Champion and Retirement

The year 2015 was the most incredible year for Flavia. She entered the US Open as the 26th seed. She played incredibly well, beating strong opponents like Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitová. She then reached her first Grand Slam singles final.

In the final, she played against her friend Roberta Vinci. Flavia won the match, claiming her first ever US Open title and her first Grand Slam singles title! It was a dream come true. During her acceptance speech, she announced that she would retire at the end of the season. She finished her career with a high ranking of No. 6 in the world.

Pennetta at Wimbledon in 2015.

Flavia Pennetta retired with 28 career titles. This includes her US Open singles title, the Australian Open doubles title, and the WTA Finals in doubles. She also helped Italy win the Fed Cup four times.

Personal Life

Flavia Pennetta was born in Brindisi, Italy. Her parents are Oronzo and Concetta Pennetta. She has an older sister. Flavia started playing tennis at age five. Her tennis idol was Monica Seles.

Flavia Pennetta began dating fellow ATP tennis player Fabio Fognini in early 2014. They got engaged in 2015 and were married in Ostuni in June 2016. They have three children: a son born in 2017, a second child born in 2019, and a daughter born in 2021. Flavia is a Catholic.

Equipment

Coach: Salvador Navarro
Racket: Wilson BLX Blade 98 16/19
Clothing: Adidas
Shoes: Adidas

Honours

Knight of Order of Merit of the Republic (24 January 2007)

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2015	US Open	Hard	Roberta Vinci	7–6^(7–4), 6–2

Doubles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2005	US Open	Hard	Elena Dementieva	Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur	2–6, 7–5, 3–6
Win	2011	Australian Open	Hard	Gisela Dulko	Victoria Azarenka Maria Kirilenko	2–6, 7–5, 6–1
Loss	2014	US Open	Hard	Martina Hingis	Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina	6–2, 3–6, 2–6

Grand Slam Performance Timelines

**Key**
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	A	NH

(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

Singles

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	SR	W–L	Win %
Australian Open	A	A	A	1R	1R	1R	3R	1R	2R	3R	2R	4R	1R	A	QF	1R	0 / 12	13–12	52%
French Open	A	A	A	3R	1R	3R	3R	1R	4R	1R	4R	1R	3R	1R	2R	4R	0 / 13	18–13	58%
Wimbledon	Q2	A	Q2	2R	1R	4R	4R	1R	2R	3R	3R	3R	1R	4R	2R	1R	0 / 13	18–13	58%
US Open	A	A	Q1	1R	1R	1R	A	2R	QF	QF	3R	QF	A	SF	QF	W	1 / 11	31–10	76%
Win–loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	3–4	0–4	5–4	7–3	1–4	9–4	8–4	8–4	9–4	2–3	7–3	10–4	10–3	1 / 49	80–48	63%

Doubles

Tournament	1999–02	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	SR	W–L
Australian Open	A	1R	1R	2R	3R	3R	QF	3R	QF	W	3R	A	2R	3R	1 / 12	24–11
French Open	A	1R	A	2R	2R	1R	2R	3R	QF	QF	3R	2R	3R	QF	0 / 12	19–12
Wimbledon	A	1R	2R	1R	3R	2R	2R	1R	SF	1R	SF	2R	3R	QF	0 / 13	19–13
US Open	A	1R	3R	F	A	2R	1R	1R	QF	3R	A	3R	F	SF	0 / 11	24–11
Win–loss	0–0	0–4	3–3	7–4	5–3	4–4	5–4	4–4	13–4	11–3	8–3	4–3	10–4	12–4	1 / 48	86–47