Hana Mandlíková facts for kids
Mandlíková in 2009
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| 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) |
| Hopman Cup | Australia F (1989 with Pat Cash) |
Hana Mandlíková (born 19 February 1962) is a famous former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic and Australia. She was one of the best players in the world during the 1980s. She reached the world No. 3 ranking in women's singles.
Hana won 27 singles titles in her career. This includes four major championships called Grand Slams. She won the Australian Open in 1980 and 1987. She also won the French Open in 1981 and the US Open in 1985. She also won 19 doubles titles, including the US Open in 1989 with Martina Navratilova. Hana was a key player for Czechoslovakia in the Federation Cup, helping them win three times. She was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994.
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. He competed in the 200-meter race at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games.
Tennis Career
Hana Mandlíková started playing tennis at a young age. She quickly showed great skill and became a top junior player.
Junior Success
In 1978, the International Tennis Federation started ranking junior players. Hana Mandlíková was the very first female world No. 1 junior player. This showed everyone she was a rising star in tennis.
Becoming a Professional Player
Hana became a professional tennis player in 1978. She quickly made a name for herself on the world stage.
First Grand Slam Wins
Hana won her first major title at the Australian Open in 1980. She was only 18 years old. She beat Wendy Turnbull in the final. The next year, she won the French Open. She defeated tennis legend Chris Evert in the semifinals. Then she won against 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 these finals, she lost to Chris Evert. Between 1980 and 1981, she reached four Grand Slam singles finals in a row!
Breaking Winning Streaks
Hana was known for ending impressive winning streaks of other players. At the 1981 French Open, she stopped Chris Evert's amazing 72-match winning streak on clay courts.
In 1983, Hana helped Czechoslovakia win the Federation Cup for the first of three times in a row. The next year, she beat Martina Navratilova in a final in California. This ended Navratilova's 54-match winning streak. Hana reached her highest ranking of world No. 3 in April 1984.
More Grand Slam Victories
At the 1985 US Open, Hana 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 Navratilova in the final. This win made her only the third woman to win Grand Slam titles on all three main court surfaces: grass, clay, and hard courts.
In 1986, Hana won a women's doubles title with Wendy Turnbull. They won the WTA Tour Championships. They beat the top two doubles teams in the world to do it. Hana also reached the Wimbledon singles final again that year, but lost to Navratilova.
Hana had another big win in 1986. She beat Steffi Graf in the quarterfinals of the French Open. Graf had won 23 matches in a row before that match.
In 1987, Hana won her fourth and final Grand Slam singles title. She beat Martina Navratilova in the final of the Australian Open. This was another time she ended a long winning streak for Navratilova, who had won 56 matches in a row. This was also the last Australian Open played on grass courts.
Later Career and Retirement
Hana became an Australian citizen in 1988. She continued to play well, reaching the quarterfinals of the 1988 Australian Open. However, injuries started to affect her performance.
In 1989, she played for Australia in the first Hopman Cup with Pat Cash. They reached the final but lost to Czechoslovakia. Later 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 at the age of 28. She had won 27 singles and 19 doubles titles. She is one of only 13 women in the modern era of tennis to have reached the singles finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments.
After retiring, Hana became a coach. She coached Jana Novotná to win the Wimbledon singles title. She also coached the Czech Republic's Olympic and Fed Cup teams.
Hana Mandlíková was honored for her amazing career in 1994. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Hana Mandlíková became an Australian citizen in 1988. She has two children, twins Mark Vilém and Elizabeth Hana, 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
