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 is a famous Czech professional tennis player. She was once ranked the best doubles player in the world. She also reached 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. Lucie won 15 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She became the world No. 1 in doubles in August 2017. She held this top spot for six weeks.

In singles, Lucie won seven WTA Tour titles. Her biggest win was the 2015 Qatar Open. She reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 5 in September 2015. She also made it to her first major singles final at the 2015 French Open. There, she played against the world No. 1, Serena Williams. Lucie also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2014. She made it to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in 2007.

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

Playing Style and Coaches

Lucie Šafářová plays tennis left-handed. She uses a two-handed backhand. She hits her forehand with a lot of topspin. She is known for hitting powerful shots. She is also quick to find chances to attack. Lucie's return shots can be very strong. She prefers playing on clay courts. She was coached by Rob Steckley for many years. She also worked with František Čermák.

Career Highlights

Early Career: 2005–2006

Lucie won her first WTA Tour event in May 2005. This was at the Estoril Open in Portugal. She beat Li Na in the final. In August, she won her second tournament at the Forest Hills Tennis Classic. She beat Sania Mirza in that final.

In 2006, Lucie started strong. She won the Gold Coast tournament. She beat world No. 6, Patty Schnyder, in the semifinals.

2007: First Grand Slam Quarterfinal

Šafářová at the 2007 US Open

At the start of 2007, Lucie played in the Australian Open. She surprised everyone by beating the defending champion, Amélie Mauresmo. This happened in the fourth round. She then lost in the quarterfinals to Nicole Vaidišová. After this, her ranking went up a lot.

Lucie continued to play well in 2007. She reached the final of the Paris indoor event. She beat top players like Justine Henin. She lost the final to Nadia Petrova. She also beat Mauresmo again at the French Open. She reached the third round or better in all four Grand Slams in 2007. This was her best Grand Slam year so far.

2008: Olympic Games and Second Forest Hills Title

Lucie played in the Hopman Cup and the Sydney International. She had some injury problems early in the year.

At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Lucie played in both singles and doubles. She reached the third round in singles. She won the Forest Hills Tennis Classic for the second time. She was the only player to win this tournament more than once.

2009–2011: Consistent Play

In 2009, Lucie reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane. She also made it to the third round of the Australian Open.

In 2010, Lucie reached her first final of the year in Paris. She lost to Elena Dementieva. She also had good runs at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the Italian Open. She beat top players like Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwańska.

Šafářová at the 2010 US Open

In 2011, Lucie reached the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International. She also had a good run at the Malaysian Open. She reached the final but lost in a close match. She made the quarterfinals in Madrid for the second year in a row. She also reached the final in Copenhagen. She lost to world No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki. Lucie was part of the Czech Fed Cup team that won their first championship as the Czech Republic.

2012–2014: Top 20 and First Major Semifinal

Šafářová in 2012

In 2012, Lucie reached the semifinals of the Canadian Open. This helped her get into the top 20 rankings. She also helped the Czech team win the Fed Cup again. She won both her singles matches in the final.

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

Šafářová at the 2014 US Open

In 2014, Lucie reached her first ever Grand Slam semifinal. This was at Wimbledon. She lost to fellow Czech Petra Kvitová. In November, Lucie helped the Czech Fed Cup team win the final against Germany. She won her singles match, helping her team to victory.

2015: Grand Slam Doubles Champion and Singles Finalist

Lucie had a great year in 2015. She won her first Grand Slam title in doubles. She teamed up with Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Australian Open.

She won her first Premier title at the Qatar Open. She beat former No. 1, Victoria Azarenka, in the final. Lucie also helped the Czech Republic reach the Fed Cup finals again.

Šafářová at the 2015 French Open

At the French Open, Lucie had an amazing run in singles. She beat defending champion Maria Sharapova. She then reached her first Grand Slam singles final. She played against Serena Williams in a tough three-set match. In doubles, she and Mattek-Sands won their second Grand Slam title of the year. This win moved her up to No. 5 in doubles.

Later in 2015, Lucie faced health issues. She had a bacterial infection that put her in the hospital. She still managed to play in the WTA Finals for the first time. She also closed the year by helping the Czech Republic win their fourth Fed Cup title in five years.

2016: Olympic Medal and US Open Doubles Title

Šafářová at the 2016 Birmingham Classic

Lucie missed the start of 2016 due to her bacterial infection. She returned to play at the Qatar Open. She and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won their first doubles title of the year at the Miami Open.

Lucie won her seventh career singles title at the Prague Open. She beat Samantha Stosur in the final. This was her first singles title in over a year.

Šafářová at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

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

At the US Open, Lucie and Mattek-Sands won their third Grand Slam doubles title together. They beat the French team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the final. They also won two more tournaments together in 2016. They reached the finals of the WTA Finals. Lucie ended the year ranked sixth in doubles.

2017: World No. 1 in Doubles

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

In 2017, Lucie and Mattek-Sands won their fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. They won another Grand Slam title at the French Open. Lucie became the world No. 1 in doubles in August 2017.

2018: Injuries and Health Issues

In 2018, Lucie continued to face health and injury problems. She played in the Australian Open and Wimbledon. She reached the quarterfinals in doubles at both events.

2019–2024: Retirement and Comeback

Lucie announced in November 2018 that she would retire from tennis. This was due to her health issues. She planned for her farewell tournament to be at the Australian Open. However, she had to pull out due to body problems. She later said her final tournament would be the 2019 French Open. She played doubles there with Dominika Cibulková.

In 2023, Lucie played in a tournament called Internationaux de Reims-Champagne. She won her first match. But she then withdrew because playing would count as an "official comeback" to professional tennis, which she said it was not.

In 2024, Lucie returned to the WTA Tour. She played as a wildcard with Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the 2024 Prague Open. They reached the final but lost to Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková.

Personal Life

Lucie Šafářová speaks Czech, German, and English.

In July 2019, Lucie announced she was expecting a baby with former NHL player Tomáš Plekanec. Their daughter was born later that year. Lucie married Tomáš Plekanec in 2021. They announced the birth of their son in 2022.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Tournament Performance

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