Hana Mandlíková facts for kids
Mandlíková in 2009
|
|
| Country (sports) |  Czechoslovakia Australia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Prague, Czech Republic & Bradenton, Florida |
| Born | 19 February 1962 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Turned pro | 1978 |
| Retired | 1990 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one handed-backhand) |
| Prize money | $3,340,959 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1994 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 565–194 (74.44%) |
| Career titles | 27 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (16 April 1984) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1980, 1987) |
| French Open | W (1981) |
| Wimbledon | F (1981, 1986) |
| US Open | W (1985) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 330–153 |
| Career titles | 19 |
| Highest ranking | No. 6 (1985) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1987, 1988) |
| French Open | F (1984) |
| Wimbledon | F (1986) |
| US Open | W (1989) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1986Mar) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | Czechoslovakia W (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988) |
| Hopman Cup | Australia F (1989 with Pat Cash) |
Hana Mandlíková (born 19 February 1962) is a famous tennis player who was born in Czechoslovakia. She later became an Australian citizen. During her career, she won four major tennis tournaments called Grand Slam singles titles. These were the 1980 Australian Open, 1981 French Open, 1985 US Open, and 1987 Australian Open.
Hana also reached the finals in four other Grand Slam singles events. She was a runner-up twice at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open. She also won one Grand Slam women's doubles title at the 1989 US Open with Martina Navratilova. Hana Mandlíková was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994. She is seen as one of the best female tennis players of her time.
Hana Mandlíková reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 3 in the world. She was ranked among the top 50 players for 12 years in a row. She also helped Czechoslovakia win the Federation Cup three times in a row from 1983 to 1985. She was one of only a few women to win Grand Slam titles on all three main court surfaces: grass, clay, and hard court. She retired from tennis in 1990. After retiring, she coached Jana Novotná, who later won the Wimbledon singles title. Hana also coached the Czech Republic's Olympic and Fed Cup teams.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Hana Mandlíková was born in Prague, which was then part of Czechoslovakia. Her father, Vilém Mandlík, was also a talented athlete. He was an Olympic runner for Czechoslovakia. He competed in the 200-meter race at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games.
Tennis Career Highlights
Starting Out as a Junior
Hana Mandlíková first became known in the tennis world as a junior player. In 1978, when the International Tennis Federation started ranking junior players, Hana became the very first female world No. 1 junior. This showed everyone how much talent she had from a young age.
Becoming a Professional Player
Hana Mandlíková won her first major singles title at the Australian Open in 1980. She was only 18 years old at the time. She beat Australian player Wendy Turnbull in the final. Her next big win came the following year at the French Open. In that tournament, she beat tennis legend Chris Evert in the semifinals and Sylvia Hanika in the final.
Hana also reached the finals of other major tournaments. She was a runner-up at the US Open in 1980 and 1982. She also reached the final at Wimbledon in 1981. In all three of those finals, she lost to Chris Evert. From 1980 to 1981, she made it to four Grand Slam singles finals in a row. At the 1981 French Open, Hana stopped Chris Evert's amazing 72-match winning streak on clay courts.
In 1983, Hana Mandlíková helped her country, Czechoslovakia, win the Federation Cup. They won this team event three years in a row. The next year, in 1984, Hana beat Martina Navratilova in a match in Oakland, California. This win ended Navratilova's 54-match winning streak. In April 1984, Hana reached her highest world ranking of No. 3.
At the 1985 US Open, Hana Mandlíková achieved something special. She became one of the few players to beat both Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in the same tournament. She defeated Evert in the semifinals and then Navratilova in a close three-set final. This victory made her only the third woman to win Grand Slam titles on grass, clay, and hard court surfaces.
In 1986, Hana teamed up with Wendy Turnbull to win the women's doubles title at the WTA Tour Championships. They beat some of the best doubles teams in the world to win. Hana also reached the Wimbledon singles final that year, but she lost to Martina Navratilova.
A big moment for Hana in 1986 was beating Steffi Graf in the quarterfinals of the French Open. Graf had been on a 23-match winning streak before Hana stopped her.
In 1987, Hana Mandlíková won her fourth and final Grand Slam singles title. She beat Martina Navratilova in the final of the Australian Open. With this win, she again ended a long winning streak by Navratilova, this time after 56 matches. This was also the last Australian Open played on grass courts.
Hana became an Australian citizen in 1988. Her last strong performance in a Grand Slam was at the 1988 Australian Open. As the defending champion, she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Steffi Graf. Injuries caused her ranking to drop in 1988.
In 1989, she played for Australia in the first Hopman Cup with Pat Cash. They reached the final but lost to Czechoslovakia. In September of that year, she teamed up with Martina Navratilova to win the US Open women's doubles title.
Hana Mandlíková retired from professional tennis in 1990 when she was 28 years old. She had won 27 singles titles and 19 doubles titles. She is one of only a few women in the Open Era to have reached the singles finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments. During her career, she was coached by former player Betty Stöve.
Hana Mandlíková was honored by being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994.
Personal Life
Hana Mandlíková has two children, twins named Mark Vilém and Elizabeth Hana. They were born in May 2001.
See also
In Spanish: Hana Mandlíková para niños
- Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final
