Kirsten Flipkens facts for kids
_(48199369822).jpg)
Flipkens at the 2019 French Open
|
|
| Country (sports) |  Belgium |
|---|---|
| Residence | Mol, Belgium |
| Born | 10 January 1986 Geel, Belgium |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Turned pro | 2003 |
| Retired | July 2023 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Maxime Braeckman |
| Prize money | $6,239,546 |
| Official website | kirstenflipkens.be |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 542–400 (57.54%) |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 13 (5 August 2013) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 4R (2013) |
| French Open | 2R (2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2013) |
| US Open | 3R (2009) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 170–166 (50.6%) |
| Career titles | 7 |
| Highest ranking | No. 23 (1 July 2019) |
| Current ranking | No. 221 (22 April 2024) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2022) |
| French Open | SF (2019) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2017, 2018, 2022, 2023) |
| US Open | QF (2022) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2020, 2022, 2023) |
| French Open | 1R (2013) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2018) |
| US Open | F (2022) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | F (2006), record 18–35 |
Kirsten "Flipper" Flipkens (born 10 January 1986) is a former professional tennis player from Belgium. She also works as a coach. Kirsten reached her highest ranking of No. 13 in the world. She won one singles title and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She also won many titles on the lower-level ITF Women's Circuit.
Kirsten was very successful as a junior player. She won the girls' doubles title at the US Open in 2002. In 2003, she won the singles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open. Her best performance as a senior player was reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2013. That same year, she was named Sportswoman of the Year in Belgium. In 2016, Kirsten played in her first Olympic Games in Rio. She reached the third round in singles. She has also played for Belgium in the Fed Cup for 16 years, which is more than any other Belgian player. Because of this, she received the Fed Cup Commitment Award in 2016.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Tennis
Kirsten Flipkens was born on 10 January 1986 in Geel, Belgium. She was the only child of a car dealer and a housewife. Kirsten started playing tennis when she was four years old. She also played football, volleyball, and basketball. When she was 12, she decided to focus on tennis as her career.
She then went to a tennis academy in Wilrijk. There, she became good friends with famous tennis player Kim Clijsters. After winning Wimbledon and the US Open as a junior player at age 17, she left school. She wanted to become a professional tennis player. Kirsten speaks Dutch, English, French, and German. She wears glasses because she is near-sighted, which is one of her well-known features.
Junior Tennis Success
Kirsten had a great junior career.
- In 2001, she won a bronze medal at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Spain.
- In 2002, Kirsten and Elke Clijsters won the US Open girls' doubles title. They beat Shadisha Robinson and Tory Zawacki in the final.
- In 2003, she won the Wimbledon Championships in girls' singles. She beat Anna Chakvetadze in the final.
- Later in 2003, she also won the US Open in girls' singles. She defeated Michaëlla Krajicek in the final.
After these big wins, Kirsten was chosen to join the Belgium Fed Cup team in 2003. She played her first Fed Cup match against Meghann Shaughnessy, who was ranked No. 17 in the world. Kirsten finished 2003 as the world No. 1 junior player in both singles and doubles. She was also named the ITF Junior World Champion.
Becoming a Professional Player
First Steps and Injuries (2001–2008)
Kirsten played her first professional match in 2001 when she was 15. The next year, she won her first professional singles title. She won two $10,000 tournaments on the ITF Circuit. In 2003, she played her first WTA Tour event in Antwerp.
In 2004, Kirsten tried to play in the main draw at Wimbledon for the first time. She later found out she had a back injury that kept her from playing for several months. She returned in 2005 but struggled to qualify for major tournaments like the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
In 2006, Kirsten made good progress. She played in the main draws of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. At the French Open, she won her first Grand Slam match. She also played mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Andy Murray. In 2007, she had another injury, this time to her wrist, which stopped her from playing for months. In 2008, she played mostly in smaller ITF tournaments. She won three titles and improved her ranking from No. 287 to No. 104.
Breaking into the Top 100 (2009–2010)
In 2009, Kirsten won her first match at the Australian Open. She then reached the third round at Wimbledon, which was her best Grand Slam result at the time. She had a set point against the top-seeded player, Dinara Safina, but lost the match.
At the US Open, she reached the third round again. She beat Jelena Dokic and Anabel Medina Garrigues. She then lost to her fellow Belgian and future champion, Kim Clijsters. In October 2009, Kirsten reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal. By the end of 2009, she entered the top 100 players in the world for the first time.
Kirsten continued to play well in 2010. She reached the quarterfinals at the Hobart International. At the Australian Open, she lost to Justine Henin. In March, she reached the third round at Indian Wells. At the French Open, she won her first-round match before losing to Maria Sharapova. She also reached the semifinals at the Rosmalen Championships. Kirsten had wrist problems again and had surgery at the end of 2010.
First WTA Tour Title (2011–2012)
Kirsten struggled at the start of 2011. She did not win a main draw singles match on the WTA Tour until May. She reached the semifinals at the Morocco Open. After a tough second half of 2011, she played on the ITF Circuit again.
In April 2012, doctors found four serious blood clots in her leg. This stopped her from playing for two months. Her ranking dropped to No. 262. She even lost her funding from the Flemish Tennis Association. When she returned, she surprised everyone by beating Samantha Stosur at the Rosmalen Championships. She reached the semifinals there. She also qualified for the US Open and made it to the second round.
In September 2012, Kirsten won her first WTA title at the Tournoi de Québec. She beat top players like Dominika Cibulková and Lucie Hradecká. She continued her success at the Generali Ladies Linz tournament. She beat Ana Ivanovic and reached the semifinals. These results helped her reach a career-high ranking of No. 58. Kim Clijsters also started helping her as a part-time coach.
Wimbledon Semifinalist and Top 15 (2013)
Kirsten started 2013 very strongly. She reached the quarterfinals at the ASB Classic. The next week, she made it to the semifinals at the Hobart International. At the Australian Open, she reached the fourth round for the first time in a Grand Slam. She lost to Maria Sharapova in that round.
She then reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Indoor Championships and the Miami Open. At the Miami Open, she beat Petra Kvitová. She started the French Open as the 21st seed. After the French Open, Kirsten entered the top 20 players in the world.
_(2).jpg)
To get ready for Wimbledon, Kirsten played in the Birmingham Classic. She then reached the final of the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships. At Wimbledon, Kirsten was the 20th seed. She surprised everyone by reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. She beat Flavia Pennetta and former champion Petra Kvitová. However, she lost to the eventual champion, Marion Bartoli, in the semifinals. During this match, Kirsten hurt her knee, which kept her from playing for a month. A month later, she reached her highest ranking ever, No. 13 in the world.
At the Canadian Open, she beat Venus Williams and reached the quarterfinals. She then lost to the world No. 1, Serena Williams. At the US Open, she lost in the first round to Venus Williams. She finished 2013 as world No. 20.
Steady Results (2014–2015)
_(14403079696).jpg)
Kirsten started 2014 by reaching the semifinals in Auckland. She then reached the quarterfinals in Hobart. At the Australian Open, she made it to the second round. In February, she reached the quarterfinals in Paris. A month later, she made it to the fourth round at the Miami Open. She lost to Maria Sharapova in both of these events.
At the French Open, Kirsten lost in the second round. She had to withdraw from the doubles tournament after fainting during practice. Doctors checked her heart, but later found she was healthy.
Kirsten played well on grass courts. She reached the quarterfinals at the Birmingham Classic. At Wimbledon, she reached the third round before losing to Angelique Kerber. In the second half of 2014, her results were not as strong. She reached the quarterfinals at the Connecticut Open. At the US Open, she lost in the first round.
At the end of 2014, she played in the International Premier Tennis League for the Manila Mavericks. She played well in mixed doubles with Daniel Nestor. She finished the year ranked No. 46.
.jpg)
Kirsten started 2015 with a knee injury. She reached her first quarterfinal of the season at the Katowice Open. In April, she had a leg injury that almost stopped her from playing the French Open. She managed to play but lost in the first round. She won only one match on grass in 2015, at Wimbledon. After Wimbledon, her ranking dropped out of the top 100.
In July, she reached her first semifinal of 2015 at the İstanbul Cup. This helped her get back into the top 100. She then reached the final of a $100,000 tournament in Vancouver. At the US Open, she lost in the first round. After the US Open, she had a cyst on her wrist, which stopped her from playing. She returned at the Linz Open and reached the semifinals, beating former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. She finished 2015 as world No. 93.
Olympic Debut and First Doubles Title (2016)
_(28314117282).jpg)
Kirsten started 2016 with a quarterfinal in Auckland. She reached the second round of the Australian Open. In doubles, she and Dominika Cibulková reached the third round, their best Grand Slam doubles result so far. She reached the final of the Monterrey Open, where she lost to Heather Watson. This result brought her back into the top 60.
During the clay-court season, Kirsten had a wrist injury. At the French Open, she lost in the first round. At the Mallorca Open, Kirsten surprised everyone by beating the French Open champion and world No. 2, Garbiñe Muguruza, in the first round. She reached the semifinals there. At Wimbledon, she reached the second round.
Kirsten played in her first Olympics in Rio. In singles, she shocked Venus Williams, a gold medalist, in the first round. She then beat Lucie Šafářová. She lost in the round of 16 to Laura Siegemund. In doubles, she played with Yanina Wickmayer. They reached the round of 16.
She reached the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open. At the US Open, she lost in the first round. By the end of 2016, she won her first doubles title at the Korea Open with Johanna Larsson.
Kirsten also played in the IPTL again. She received the Fed Cup Commitment Award for playing for Belgium in the Fed Cup for 13 years. She was also nominated for "Shot of the Year" at the WTA Awards. She finished 2016 as world No. 63.
Success in Doubles (2017–2020)
_(42260446254).jpg)
In 2017, Kirsten did not have many big singles results. She reached two quarterfinals and the third round of the Miami Open. However, she had great success in doubles. She reached a semifinal early in the season. She made the final of the Nuremberg Cup with Johanna Larsson. She then reached the quarterfinals of the French Open. After this, she entered the top 50 in doubles.
She won her second doubles title at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships with Dominika Cibulková. She also reached the third round at Wimbledon with Sania Mirza. She finished 2017 by reaching the final at the Luxembourg Open.
Later Career and Retirement (2022–2023)
Kirsten announced that 2022 Wimbledon Championships would be her last singles tournament. She won her first match but lost in the second round to Simona Halep.
She won her sixth and seventh doubles titles in 2022 and 2023. She won the Transylvania Open in October 2022 and the Hobart International in January 2023, both with Laura Siegemund.
Kirsten played her last doubles match at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. She reached the third round with Timea Babos.
Playing Style
Kirsten Flipkens describes herself as an "all-court player." This means she can play well from all parts of the court. Her biggest strengths are her serve and her all-around game. Even though she is not very tall, she makes up for it with a good forehand and serve. She is also very quick and agile. She can play almost every type of shot in tennis. Her special shot is a backhand slice. She often uses a "serve-and-volley" style, where she serves and then quickly runs to the net. She likes fast courts, and her favorite surface to play on is grass.
Coaching Team
In December 2012, Maxime Braeckman became Kirsten's full-time coach. She also still worked with Kim Clijsters sometimes. In October 2013, Kirsten and Maxime Braeckman stopped working together.
In May 2014, Kirsten announced she would work with former tennis player Xavier Malisse. However, their partnership ended in June of the same year.
Sponsors and Clothing
Kirsten Flipkens is sponsored by Babolat for her tennis rackets. Her glasses are sponsored by Oakley. She used to wear Adidas clothing. But from 2017, she started her own clothing line. Now, she plays in clothes that she has designed herself. She also designed the official outfits for the Belgian Fed Cup team.
Awards and Recognition
At the end of 2012, Kirsten was nominated for "Comeback Player of the Year" at the WTA Awards. She also received the VTV Award for "Belgian Player of the Year." On 22 December 2013, she won the important award for Sportswoman of the Year in Belgium. She also won the VTV Award for "Belgian Player of the Year" for the second year in a row. In 2016, she received the Fed Cup Commitment Award. This was for playing the most years for the Belgian Fed Cup team. She was also nominated for "Shot of the Year" at the WTA Awards for an amazing shot she made in Seoul.
Career Statistics
Grand Slam Tournament Finals
Mixed Doubles: 1 (Runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2022 | US Open | Hard |  Édouard Roger-Vasselin |
 Storm Sanders John Peers |
6–4, 4–6, [7–10] |
Images for kids
-
Kirsten Flipkens in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Kirsten Flipkens para niños
