Michaëlla Krajicek facts for kids

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Michaëlla Krajicek
Singles
Krajicek at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships
Country (sports)	Netherlands
Residence	Prague, Czech Republic Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
Born	(1989-01-09) 9 January 1989 (age 36) Delft, Netherlands
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Turned pro	2003
Retired	2025
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$ 2,084,849
Career record	324–205 (61.25%)
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 30 (11 February 2008)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (2006)
French Open	3R (2007)
Wimbledon	QF (2007)
US Open	2R (2007, 2011)
Doubles
Career record	284–162 (63.68%)
Career titles	5
Highest ranking	No. 23 (23 March 2015)
Current ranking	No. 826 (17 February 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	SF (2015)
French Open	SF (2014)
Wimbledon	3R (2007)
US Open	3R (2014, 2015)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	QF (2017)
French Open	2R (2015)
Wimbledon	2R (2006, 2014, 2015)
US Open	2R (2006, 2016)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	17–15
Hopman Cup	F (2006)

Michaëlla Krajicek, born on January 9, 1989, is a former professional tennis player from the Netherlands. She won three singles titles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She also won many titles in smaller tournaments on the ITF Women's Circuit. Her highest singles ranking was world No. 30 in February 2008. In doubles, she reached No. 23 in March 2015.

Michaëlla Krajicek's Early Life and Family

Michaëlla Krajicek was born in Delft, Netherlands. She is the younger half-sister of Richard Krajicek, who was also a famous tennis player and won Wimbledon. Her nickname was Kleine Kraai, which means "little crow" in Dutch. Austin Krajicek is her cousin.

Michaëlla had some disagreements with the Dutch Fed Cup team captain, Manon Bollegraf. This led to her not playing for the team for a while. She later resolved these issues and returned to play for the Netherlands in 2011.

She lives in Prague, Czech Republic, which is where her parents are from. In September 2013, she started dating German doubles player Martin Emmrich. They got engaged in June 2014 and married in July 2015. However, they separated in 2017 and divorced in May 2018. Michaëlla now has two sons with her partner, tennis player Jelle Sels.

Michaëlla Krajicek's Tennis Career

Junior Years (2002–2004)

Michaëlla started playing tennis at a young age. In 2002, when she was 13, she helped the Dutch team win the Cesky Telecom World Junior Tennis final. She was the top-ranked junior player in Europe at that time.

In 2003, she won two major junior tournaments, the Yucatán Cup and the Italian Open. She reached the doubles final at the French Open and Wimbledon. At the US Open, she made it to the final but lost. Later that year, she helped the Dutch Junior Fed Cup team win the competition. She finished 2003 as the world No. 2 junior player.

In 2004, Krajicek and Kateřina Böhmová won their first Grand Slam Junior Doubles title at the French Open. She then won her first singles Junior Grand Slam at the US Open, becoming the first Dutch winner of the event in ten years. She ended 2004 as the ITF Junior World Champion, ranked No. 1 in the world for juniors. She also started playing in professional ITF tournaments, winning four titles.

Starting Professional Play (2005)

In 2005, at 16, Krajicek played in her first Grand Slam, the Australian Open. She reached the second round. She also made her first doubles final on the WTA Tour at the Estoril Open.

She became a top-100 player for the first time after the French Open. In October, Krajicek won her first WTA singles title at the Tashkent Open. This was the first WTA tournament win for a Dutch female player in eight years. She finished 2005 ranked No. 58 in the world.

Success and Challenges (2006–2008)

Krajicek started 2006 by reaching the final of the Hopman Cup with Peter Wessels. A week later, she won her second WTA title in Hobart. At the Australian Open, she reached the third round but had to stop playing due to heat exhaustion.

She won her third career title in June 2006 at the 's-Hertogenbosch tournament in the Netherlands. This was a special win as her brother Richard helped organize the event. She beat a top-10 player, Elena Dementieva, for the first time in her career. She ended 2006 ranked No. 35.

Krajicek at the 2007 Australian Open

In 2007, Krajicek reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon. She showed her strong skills on grass courts. However, she lost in a close match to Marion Bartoli. Overall, 2007 was a tougher year for her, with more losses than wins.

The year 2008 was also difficult for Krajicek. She struggled with her form and lost many early matches. Her ranking dropped significantly. She ended the year ranked No. 219 in singles.

Comeback and Injuries (2009–2013)

Krajicek at the 2009 Monterrey Open

In 2009, Krajicek mainly played in smaller ITF tournaments. She reached the quarterfinals of the Cellular South Cup and the doubles final there. She won an ITF event in Boston. She also won two doubles titles in Europe.

Krajicek at the 2010 Stanford Classic

In 2010, she won her only singles title of the year at the Charlottesville Open. She also won a doubles title with Vania King at the U.S. National Indoor Championships.

Krajicek at the 2011 Fed Cup

Krajicek returned to play for the Netherlands in the Fed Cup in 2011. She won all her singles matches in the group stage. At the US Open, she reached the second round, her first Grand Slam main draw since 2008. She ended 2011 back in the top 100.

In 2012, Krajicek reached the quarterfinals in two WTA tournaments in a row, which was a great achievement. However, she had to undergo surgery for her right knee. She also dealt with a viral illness, which kept her out of play for several weeks.

After seven months away from tennis due to heart problems and fatigue, Krajicek returned in 2013. She won a small tournament in Greece. She also won a doubles title at the Suzhou Ladies Open.

Later Career and Retirement (2015–2025)

Krajicek at the 2015 French Open

In 2015, at the Rosmalen Championships, Krajicek set a tournament record by serving 21 aces in one match.

After a break from professional tennis since 2019, Krajicek made a comeback in 2024. She received a wildcard to play in a tournament in Sharm El Sheikh.

Michaëlla Krajicek officially retired from tennis in 2025. A special ceremony was held in 's-Hertogenbosch to celebrate her career.

Grand Slam Performance Highlights

Michaëlla Krajicek played in many Grand Slam tournaments throughout her career.

Singles Grand Slam Results

She reached the third round of the Australian Open in 2006 and the French Open in 2007. Her best singles result at a Grand Slam was reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2007. At the US Open, she reached the second round twice, in 2007 and 2011.

Doubles Grand Slam Results

In doubles, she had strong performances. She reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2015 and the French Open in 2014. At Wimbledon, she reached the third round in 2007, 2015, and 2016. She also reached the third round of the US Open in 2014 and 2015.

WTA Tour Finals

Michaëlla Krajicek played in several finals on the WTA Tour, both in singles and doubles.

Singles Titles (3)

She won all three of her singles finals on the WTA Tour:

October 2005: Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan (Hard court) – Defeated Akgul Amanmuradova 6–0, 4–6, 6–3.
January 2006: Hobart International, Australia (Hard court) – Defeated Iveta Benešová 6–2, 6–1.
June 2006: Rosmalen Open, Netherlands (Grass court) – Defeated Dinara Safina 6–3, 6–4.

Doubles Finals (5 titles, 11 runner-ups)

Michaëlla won five doubles titles and was a runner-up eleven times.

July 2006: Palermo Ladies Open, Italy (Clay) – Partnered with Janette Husárová.
July 2006: Budapest Grand Prix, Hungary (Clay) – Partnered with Janette Husárová.
July 2008: Rosmalen Open, Netherlands (Grass) – Partnered with Marina Erakovic.
February 2010: U.S. National Indoor Championships (Hard) – Partnered with Vania King.
May 2014: Nuremberg Cup, Germany (Clay) – Partnered with Karolína Plíšková.

WTA Challenger Finals

Doubles Title (1)

She won one WTA Challenger doubles title:

August 2013: Suzhou Ladies Open, China (Hard) – Partnered with Tímea Babos.

ITF Circuit Finals

Michaëlla Krajicek had great success on the ITF Circuit, winning many titles.

Singles Titles (14–2)

She won 14 singles titles and was a runner-up twice on the ITF Circuit.

July 2004: ITF Brussels, Belgium (Clay)
August 2004: ITF Koksijde, Belgium (Clay)
November 2004: ITF Stockholm, Sweden (Hard)
December 2004: ITF Bergamo, Italy (Carpet)
February 2005: ITF Ortisei, Italy (Carpet)
July 2009: ITF Boston, United States (Hard)
May 2010: Charlottesville Open, United States (Clay)
April 2013: ITF Heraklion, Greece (Carpet)
February 2014: ITF Kreuzlingen, Switzerland (Carpet)
April 2014: ITF Dijon, France (Hard)
September 2015: ITF Albuquerque, United States (Hard)
October 2015: Las Vegas Open, United States (Hard)
July 2016: Lexington Challenger, United States (Hard)
February 2018: ITF Solarino, Italy (Carpet)

Doubles Titles (24–9)

She won 24 doubles titles and was a runner-up nine times on the ITF Circuit.

November 2004: ITF Stockholm, Sweden (Hard) – Partnered with Jolanda Mens.
April 2005: ITF Dinan, France (Clay) – Partnered with Ágnes Szávay.
April 2009: Torhout Open, Belgium (Hard) – Partnered with Yanina Wickmayer.
November 2009: Bratislava Open, Slovakia (Hard) – Partnered with Sofia Arvidsson.
November 2010: GB Pro-Series Barnstaple, UK (Hard) – Partnered with Andrea Hlaváčková.
May 2011: Sparta Prague Open, Czech Republic (Clay) – Partnered with Petra Cetkovská.
July 2011: ITS Cup, Czech Republic (Clay) – Partnered with Renata Voráčová.
April 2013: ITF Heraklion, Greece (Carpet) – Partnered with Indy de Vroome.
September 2013: ITF Clermont-Ferrand, France (Hard) – Partnered with Marta Domachowska.
October 2013: Internationaux de Poitiers, France (Hard) – Partnered with Lucie Hradecká.
November 2013: Open Nantes Atlantique, France (Hard) – Partnered with Lucie Hradecká.
February 2014: ITF Kreuzlingen, Switzerland (Carpet) – Partnered with Eva Birnerová.
May 2014: ITF Prague Open, Czech Republic (Clay) – Partnered with Lucie Hradecká.
July 2014: Carson Challenger, United States (Hard) – Partnered with Olivia Rogowska.
September 2016: ITF Albuquerque, United States (Hard) – Partnered with Maria Sanchez.
October 2016: Las Vegas Open, United States (Hard) – Partnered with Maria Sanchez.
October 2016: Tennis Classic of Macon, United States (Hard) – Partnered with Taylor Townsend.
November 2016: Tevlin Women's Challenger, Canada (Hard) – Partnered with Gabriela Dabrowski.
November 2016: Waco Showdown, United States (Hard) – Partnered with Taylor Townsend.
February 2018: GB Pro-Series Loughborough, UK (Hard) – Partnered with Bibiane Schoofs.
October 2018: ITF Óbidos, Portugal (Carpet) – Partnered with Ingrid Neel.
January 2019: ITF Hong Kong (Hard) – Partnered with Barbora Štefková.
June 2024: ITF Alkmaar, Netherlands (Clay) – Partnered with Sarah van Emst.
July 2024: Amstelveen Open, Netherlands (Clay) – Partnered with Eva Vedder.

World TeamTennis

Michaëlla Krajicek was named the 2016 WTT Female Rookie of the Year. She played for the Springfield Lasers team. She was one of the top players in women's doubles and mixed doubles for the league.

Images for kids

Krajicek at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships