Patty Schnyder facts for kids
 |
|
| Country (sports) |  Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Residence | Basel |
| Born | 14 December 1978 Basel |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Turned pro | 1994 |
| Retired | 2011–2015, 2018 |
| Plays | Left (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $8,570,479 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 669–430 (60.87%) |
| Career titles | 11 |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (14 November 2005) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2004) |
| French Open | QF (1998, 2008) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2007) |
| US Open | QF (1998, 2008) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Grand Slam Cup | F (1998) |
| Tour Finals | RR (2005) |
| Olympic Games | 3R (2004) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 230–245 (48.42%) |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Highest ranking | No. 15 (6 June 2005) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2009) |
| French Open | SF (2005) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2004) |
| US Open | SF (2004) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | QF (1996) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2009) |
| French Open | 1R (2010) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1998) |
| US Open | 1R (2004, 2009) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | F (1998), record 50–23 |
Patty Schnyder (born 14 December 1978) is a retired professional tennis player from Switzerland. She was once ranked among the top 10 singles players in the world.
Patty had some amazing wins during her career. She defeated two players who were ranked world No. 1 at the time. These were Martina Hingis in 1998 and Jennifer Capriati in 2002. She also beat other famous former No. 1 players like Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, and Maria Sharapova.
During her career, Patty reached the quarterfinals of six major tournaments called Grand Slams. She also made it to one Grand Slam semifinal. She won 11 singles titles and 5 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She earned nearly $8.6 million in prize money!
Contents
Patty Schnyder's Life Story
On 5 December 2003, Patty Schnyder married her German coach, Rainer Hofmann. He was also an IT specialist. They got married at a resort in Baden-Baden, Germany.
In early 2014, three years after she first retired from tennis, Patty announced that she and Rainer were getting divorced. In November 2014, she became a mother to a daughter named Kim Ayla. She later shared that Jan Heino, her current partner, is Kim's father.
Patty Schnyder's Tennis Journey
Early Career and Top-10 Success (1994–2011)
Patty Schnyder started her professional tennis journey in 1994. In 1996, she played in her first main tournament at a Grand Slam event, the French Open. She quickly moved up the rankings in 1997. By August 1998, she was among the top 10 players in the WTA rankings.
However, Patty left the top 10 in April 1999. For the next six years, her ranking stayed between 15 and 30. She returned to the top 10 in May 2005.
Patty won 11 singles titles during her career. One big win was in Zürich, where she beat former world No. 1, Lindsay Davenport. She also won five doubles titles. Her first title in the United States was in August 2005 at the Cincinnati Open.
In 2002, at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, Patty had an amazing run. She defeated four top-10 players in a row. This included Serena Williams and the world No. 1 at the time, Jennifer Capriati. This tournament is the biggest women-only tennis event in the United States.
Patty's best performance at a Grand Slam was at the 2004 Australian Open. She reached the semifinals there. She eventually lost to Kim Clijsters. That same year, she also reached the semifinals at big WTA tournaments in Charleston and Zurich.
The year 2005 was Patty's most consistent season. She reached five tournament finals. She won two of them, the Gold Coast and Cincinnati events. She was also a runner-up at the big tournaments in Rome and Zurich. She reached her highest career ranking of world No. 7 after the WTA Championships at the end of the season.
The year 2006 was also good for Patty. She stayed in the top 10. She reached the finals in Charleston and Stanford. In Charleston, she beat top player Justine Henin in the semifinals.
In 2007, Patty's ranking dropped out of the top 10. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. At the French Open, she had a tough match against Maria Sharapova. Patty had two chances to win but lost in the final set. At Wimbledon, she lost to the No. 1 player, Justine Henin. In July, she reached the final of the Acura Classic. She beat former No. 1 Martina Hingis and Elena Dementieva. She then lost to Sharapova in the final.
Patty started 2008 by reaching the semifinals in Gold Coast. At the Australian Open, she lost in the second round. She then played in the Bangalore Open in India. She reached the final but lost to Serena Williams.
At the US Open, Patty was seeded 15th. She reached the quarterfinals for the first time in ten years. She lost to Elena Dementieva in that match. At the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic, Patty won her first title in over three years. She defeated Tamira Paszek in the final. At the 2009 Madrid Open, she beat world No. 10 Nadia Petrova and world No. 4 Jelena Janković. She then lost to world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the semifinals.
The year 2010 was challenging for Patty. She missed the Australian Open due to an injury. She reached the final in Budapest but lost. At the US Open, she had two match points in the third round but lost the match. She also made it to her second final of the year in Linz. However, she lost quickly to Ana Ivanovic.
Patty did not play at the start of the 2011 season because of illness. At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round. In March 2011, a sports report listed Patty as one of the most underrated players on the WTA Tour. After some disappointing losses, Patty hinted that she would retire later that year. In April, she helped Switzerland get back into World Group II at the Fed Cup. She officially announced her retirement in May 2011. She said she was tired and lacked motivation for professional tennis.
Comeback and Second Retirement (2015–2018)
After her daughter was born in late 2014, Patty Schnyder wanted to get back in shape. So, in mid-2015, she returned to playing professional tennis. She competed in smaller tournaments called ITF Circuit events. She won her first title during her comeback in September in Prague.
In 2016, Patty played a full season of 20 tournaments. Her ranking improved from No. 488 to No. 298. She made her return to the WTA Tour at the Charleston Open. She won an ITF tournament in Båstad that year.
In 2017, Patty's comeback gained momentum. She won two more ITF tournaments. She also reached the finals in three other events. At her home tournament in Gstaad, she won her first main-draw match on the Tour since 2011. These results helped her re-enter the top 200 rankings. She also got to play in the qualifying rounds of the US Open.
In 2018, Patty qualified for the US Open. This was just a few months before her 40th birthday! She played against Maria Sharapova in the first round, their first match in ten years. On 23 November 2018, Patty announced her retirement from professional tennis for the second time.
Images for kids
-
Patty Schnyder playing at the French Open in 2009.
See also
In Spanish: Patty Schnyder para niños
