Lucie Šafářová facts for kids

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Lucie Šafářová

Šafářová at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships

Country (sports)

Czech Republic

Residence

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Born

4 February 1987 (age 38)
Brno, Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic)

Height

1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)

Turned pro

2001

Retired

2019 (first retirement)

Plays

Left-handed (two-handed backhand)

Coach

Rob Steckley

Prize money

US$ 12,637,555

Official website

lucie-safarova.com

Singles

Career record

448–317 (58.56%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 5 (14 September 2015)

Grand Slam singles results

QF (2007)

F (2015)

SF (2014)

4R (2014, 2017)

Other tournaments

Tour Finals

RR (2015)

Olympic Games

3R (2008)

Doubles

Career record

202–148 (57.71%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 1 (21 August 2017)

Grand Slam doubles results

Australian Open

W (2015, 2017)

French Open

W (2015, 2017)

Wimbledon

QF (2014, 2015, 2018)

US Open

W (2016)

Other doubles tournaments

Tour Finals

F (2016)

Olympic Games

Bronze (2016)

Team competitions

Fed Cup

W (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018), record 14–15

Medal record

Olympic Games

Representing Czech Republic
Bronze	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Doubles

Lucie Šafářová (born 4 February 1987) is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. She was once ranked as the world's best doubles player. She also reached a high ranking of No. 5 in singles.

Lucie is a five-time Grand Slam champion in doubles. She won the 2015 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, 2016 US Open, 2017 Australian Open, and 2017 French Open. She won all these titles with her partner, Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Overall, Šafářová won 15 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She became world No. 1 in doubles in August 2017.

In singles, Šafářová won seven WTA Tour titles. Her biggest singles win was the 2015 Qatar Open. She reached her first major singles final at the 2015 French Open. There, she played against the famous Serena Williams. Lucie also made it to the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2014.

She proudly represented the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup from 2004 to 2019. She helped her team win the competition five times between 2011 and 2018. Šafářová also played at the Summer Olympics three times. She won a bronze medal in doubles at the 2016 Rio Games with her partner Barbora Strýcová.

What is her playing style?
Lucie's amazing career journey
Personal life
Career statistics
See also

What is her playing style?

Šafářová plays tennis left-handed. She uses a two-handed backhand. She is known for her powerful forehand shot, which has a lot of topspin. She is quick to find chances to attack during a match. Her return shots can be amazing winners, but sometimes they can also be mistakes. Her favorite tennis surface to play on is clay.

Lucie's amazing career journey

Early career success (2005–2007)

Lucie Šafářová won her first WTA Tour event in May 2005. This was at the Estoril Open in Portugal. She beat Li Na in a close final. She won her second title in August at the Forest Hills Tennis Classic.

In 2006, she started strong by winning the Gold Coast tournament. She beat world No. 6, Patty Schnyder, in the semifinals.

Šafářová at the 2007 US Open

The year 2007 was a big one for Lucie. At the Australian Open, she surprised everyone by beating the defending champion, Amélie Mauresmo, in the fourth round. She then reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she lost to Nicole Vaidišová. After this, her ranking jumped from No. 70 to 31. She also reached the final of the Paris indoor event. She beat top players like Nicole Vaidišová, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Justine Henin.

Olympic debut and more titles (2008–2010)

In 2008, Šafářová played at the Summer Olympics in Beijing. She competed in both singles and doubles. Later that year, she won the Forest Hills Tennis Classic for the second time. This made her the only player to win that tournament more than once.

Šafářová at the 2009 French Open

In 2009, she reached the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International. She also made it to the third round of the Australian Open.

The 2010 season saw Lucie reach her first final of the year in Paris. She lost to Elena Dementieva in three sets. She also had big wins against top players like Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwańska at other tournaments.

Fed Cup champion and Grand Slam breakthroughs (2011–2014)

Šafářová in 2012

In 2011, Lucie helped the Czech Fed Cup team win their first championship as the Czech Republic. This was a huge team victory!

In 2012, she reached the semifinals of the Canadian Open. This helped her get into the top 20 players for the first time. She also played a key role in helping the Czech team defend its Fed Cup title. She won both her singles matches in the final against Serbia.

In 2013, Šafářová won her fifth WTA singles title at the Challenge Bell.

Šafářová at the 2014 US Open

The year 2014 was very successful for Lucie in singles. At Wimbledon, she reached her first ever Grand Slam semifinal. This was a huge achievement! In November, she was part of the Czech Fed Cup team that won the final against Germany.

Grand Slam doubles champion and singles final (2015)

2015 was a standout year for Lucie. She won her first Grand Slam title in doubles at the Australian Open. She partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. They became a very strong team.

Šafářová at the 2015 French Open

She then won her first WTA Premier title at the Qatar Open. She beat former world No. 1, Victoria Azarenka, in the final. At the French Open, she had an amazing run in singles. She beat the defending champion Maria Sharapova and reached her first Grand Slam singles final. There, she played against Serena Williams in a memorable match. In doubles, she and Mattek-Sands won their second Grand Slam title of the year at the French Open. This win helped her reach No. 5 in doubles.

Later in 2015, Lucie faced health issues due to a bacterial infection. Despite this, she qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time. She also helped the Czech Republic win their fourth Fed Cup title in five years.

Olympic medal and doubles dominance (2016–2017)

Šafářová at the 2016 Birmingham Classic

Lucie missed the start of 2016 due to her bacterial infection. She made a great comeback by winning her seventh career singles title at the Prague Open.

At the Rio Olympics, she won her first Olympic medal. She earned a bronze medal in doubles with her partner Barbora Strýcová.

Šafářová at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

At the US Open, she and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won their third Grand Slam doubles title together. They continued their success by winning two more tournaments in 2016. They also reached the finals of the WTA Finals.

Šafářová with Siniaková (right) in a 2017 Fed Cup doubles match

In 2017, Šafářová and Mattek-Sands continued their incredible doubles run. They won their fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. They then won their fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open. This amazing success led to Lucie becoming the world No. 1 in doubles in August 2017!

Retirement and comeback (2018–2024)

In 2018, Lucie continued to face health challenges. She announced her retirement from singles and doubles after the Australian Open. However, due to ongoing health issues, she had to pull out of that tournament. Her final tournament was later announced to be the 2019 French Open.

In 2023, she played in a tournament in France, but later withdrew. She explained that it was not meant to be an "official comeback" to professional tennis.

However, in 2024, she made a special return to the WTA Tour. She played as a wildcard pair with her longtime partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the 2024 Prague Open. They even reached the final of the tournament!

Personal life

Lucie Šafářová speaks three languages: her native Czech, German, and English.

In 2019, Lucie announced she was expecting a baby with former NHL player Tomáš Plekanec. Their daughter was born later that year. Lucie and Tomáš got married in 2021, and they welcomed their son in 2022.

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament 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	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	SR	W–L
Australian Open	A	Q1	1R	QF	1R	3R	1R	3R	1R	2R	3R	1R	A	2R	3R	0 / 12	14–12
French Open	A	1R	1R	4R	2R	2R	2R	2R	2R	1R	4R	F	3R	1R	2R	0 / 14	20–14
Wimbledon	A	1R	A	3R	1R	1R	1R	2R	1R	2R	SF	4R	4R	2R	3R	0 / 13	18–13
US Open	Q2	1R	2R	3R	1R	1R	1R	3R	3R	2R	4R	1R	2R	4R	2R	0 / 14	16–14
Win–loss	0–0	0–3	1–3	11–4	1–4	3–4	1–4	6–4	3–4	3–4	13–4	9–4	6–3	5–4	6–4	0 / 53	68–53

Doubles

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	SR	W–L	Win%
Australian Open	A	1R	1R	A	3R	1R	2R	1R	QF	QF	W	A	W	QF	A	2 / 11	23–9	72%
French Open	A	1R	1R	1R	2R	2R	3R	1R	QF	1R	W	1R	W	2R	1R	2 / 14	20–12	63%
Wimbledon	1R	A	1R	1R	1R	2R	1R	1R	1R	QF	QF	1R	2R	QF	A	0 / 13	11–12	48%
US Open	1R	1R	1R	2R	1R	2R	1R	1R	3R	2R	A	W	SF	2R	A	1 / 13	15–12	56%
Win–loss	0–2	0–3	0–4	1–3	3–4	3–4	3–4	0–4	8–4	7–4	15–1	6–2	16–1	7–4	0–1	5 / 49	65–43	60%

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 1 (runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2015	French Open	Clay	Serena Williams	3–6, 7–6^(7–2), 2–6

Doubles: 5 (5 titles)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	2015	Australian Open	Hard	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	Chan Yung-jan Zheng Jie	6–4, 7–6^(7–5)
Win	2015	French Open	Clay	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	Yaroslava Shvedova Casey Dellacqua	3–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	2016	US Open	Hard	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	Caroline Garcia Kristina Mladenovic	2–6, 7–6^(7–5), 6–4
Win	2017	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	Andrea Hlaváčková Peng Shuai	6–7^(4–7), 6–3, 6–3
Win	2017	French Open (2)	Clay	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	Ashleigh Barty Casey Dellacqua	6–2, 6–1