Roberta Vinci facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Roberta Vinci
Singles
Vinci at the 2016 US Open
Country (sports)	Italy
Residence	Palermo, Italy
Born	(1983-02-18) 18 February 1983 (age 42) Taranto, Italy
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Turned pro	1999
Retired	14 May 2018
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	$11,808,215
Career record	565–412 (57.83%)
Career titles	10
Highest ranking	No. 7 (9 May 2016)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (2006, 2010, 2013, 2016)
French Open	4R (2013)
Wimbledon	4R (2012, 2013)
US Open	F (2015)
Doubles
Career record	415–205 (66.94%)
Career titles	25
Highest ranking	No. 1 (15 October 2012)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (2013, 2014)
French Open	W (2012)
Wimbledon	W (2014)
US Open	W (2012)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (2012, 2013)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	W (2006, 2009, 2010, 2013) record 23–8

Roberta Vinci (born 18 February 1983) is a former tennis player from Italy. She was amazing at doubles tennis, winning all the biggest tournaments, called a Career Grand Slam. She even became the world No. 1 in doubles.

Roberta also did very well in singles, reaching her highest ranking of world No. 7 in May 2016. She was 33 years old when she first entered the top 10, making her the oldest player to do so.

She became famous at the 2015 US Open. There, she beat the world No. 1, Serena Williams, in the semifinals. Many people called this one of the biggest upsets in tennis history. Roberta then played her childhood friend Flavia Pennetta in the final, which was the first time two Italian players met in a major final.

Roberta won 35 titles in her career. Ten of these were in singles, and 25 were in doubles. She won many doubles titles with her partner Sara Errani. These included the 2012 French Open, the 2012 US Open, the 2013 and 2014 Australian Opens, and 2014 Wimbledon. By winning these, they became only the fifth pair in tennis history to complete a career Grand Slam in doubles.

Roberta also helped the Italian team win the Fed Cup four times. They beat the Belgian team in 2006, and the U.S. team in 2009 and 2010. She retired from professional tennis in 2018. In 2022, she started playing professional padel, a sport similar to tennis.

Roberta's Early Life

Roberta Vinci was born in Taranto, Italy, on February 18, 1983. Her father, Angelo, was an accountant, and her mother, Luisa, was a homemaker. She has an older brother named Francesco. Roberta started playing tennis when she was six years old. Today, she lives in Palermo.

Roberta's Tennis Journey

Starting Her Career

Roberta began her professional tennis career in 1999 at a tournament in Italy. In the same year, she won the French Open in girls' doubles with her friend Flavia Pennetta. She played in her first major tournament, the US Open, in 2001.

A big win for Roberta came in 2005 when she defeated Anastasia Myskina, a former world No. 2 player. In 2007, she won her first WTA singles title in Bogotá, Colombia. Her opponent, Tathiana Garbin, had to stop playing due to injury.

Key Moments in Her Career

Roberta won her second career title at the Barcelona Open in 2009. She beat several strong players, including Maria Kirilenko in the final. At Wimbledon that year, she reached the third round before losing to Serena Williams.

In 2010, Roberta reached the final at Barcelona again but lost to Francesca Schiavone. Later that year, she won her third WTA title in Luxembourg.

Roberta Vinci in Budapest in 2011

In 2011, Roberta won the Barcelona Open for the second time. She also won her first grass-court title at the UNICEF Open. Later, she won another title in Budapest. One of her biggest wins came at the Canadian Open when she beat the world No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki.

Becoming World No. 1 in Doubles

Vinci at the 2012 US Open

The year 2012 was a huge year for Roberta in doubles. She and her partner, Sara Errani, won six doubles titles, including the French Open and the US Open. They also reached the finals of the Australian Open. Because of their success, Roberta became the world No. 1 in doubles for the first time.

In singles, Roberta reached her first major quarterfinal at the US Open. She beat the world No. 2, Agnieszka Radwańska, but then lost to her doubles partner, Sara Errani.

Continuing Success in 2013

Vinci at the 2013 French Open

Roberta started 2013 by winning the doubles title at the Australian Open with Sara Errani. She also won her eighth WTA singles title at the Katowice Open in Poland.

She reached the fourth round of the French Open and the fourth round of Wimbledon. Later in 2013, she won her ninth singles title at the Internazionali di Palermo, beating Sara Errani in the final. At the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Roberta ended 2013 as world No. 14 in singles and world No. 1 in doubles for the third year in a row.

Completing the Career Grand Slam in Doubles

Vinci at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships

In 2014, Roberta and Sara Errani won the doubles title at the Australian Open for the second time. They also reached the doubles final at the French Open.

The most important doubles win came at Wimbledon. Roberta and Sara won the doubles title there, which meant they had now won all four major Grand Slam tournaments in their careers. This is called a Career Grand Slam.

Reaching a Grand Slam Singles Final

Vinci at the 2015 French Open

In 2015, Roberta and Sara Errani decided to stop playing doubles together to focus more on their singles careers.

Roberta had an amazing run at the US Open. She reached the quarterfinals, then the semifinals. At 32 years old, she became the oldest player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time. In the semifinals, she faced Serena Williams, who was trying to win all four Grand Slams in one year. Roberta pulled off a huge upset, beating Serena in three sets. This win was a shock to many and is remembered as one of tennis's greatest upsets. Roberta then played Flavia Pennetta in the final, losing in two sets. This was the first all-Italian Grand Slam final. After this great performance, Roberta returned to the top 20 in singles.

Breaking into the Top 10

In 2016, Roberta won her tenth career WTA singles title at the St. Petersburg Trophy. This was her first title since 2013. After this tournament, Roberta reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 10. She was 33 years and 4 days old, making her the oldest player to debut in the top 10.

At the US Open, where she had been a finalist the year before, Roberta reached the quarterfinals again. She lost to Angelique Kerber, who went on to win the tournament. Roberta ended 2016 ranked No. 18.

Final Years and Retirement

Roberta continued to play in 2017, reaching the quarterfinals at the St. Petersburg Trophy. She played her final professional tennis match at the Italian Open in May 2018. She lost a close match to Aleksandra Krunić. Roberta shared that she was happy with everything she had achieved in her career.

Padel Career in 2022

After retiring from tennis, Roberta Vinci started playing professional padel in 2022. She teamed up with Giulia Sussarello and reached a ranking of world No. 66 on the World Padel Tour. She also represented Italy at the Padel World Championship.

Roberta's Playing Style

Roberta Vinci was known for her excellent doubles play and her skills at the net. She often used a special shot called a backhand slice. Even though she switched to a one-handed backhand when she was 18, she sometimes wished she hadn't. People also praised her great movement around the court and her understanding of the game. Her playing style, especially her backhand slice and strong forehand, was sometimes compared to the legendary player Steffi Graf.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Finals

Singles: 1 (Runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2015	US Open	Hard	Flavia Pennetta	6–7^(4–7), 2–6

Doubles: 8 (5 Titles, 3 Runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2012	Australian Open	Hard	Sara Errani	Svetlana Kuznetsova Vera Zvonareva	5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Win	2012	French Open	Clay	Sara Errani	Maria Kirilenko Nadia Petrova	4–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	2012	US Open	Hard	Sara Errani	Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká	6–4, 6–2
Win	2013	Australian Open	Hard	Sara Errani	Ashleigh Barty Casey Dellacqua	6–2, 3–6, 6–2
Loss	2013	French Open	Clay	Sara Errani	Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina	5–7, 2–6
Win	2014	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Sara Errani	Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina	6–4, 3–6, 7–5
Loss	2014	French Open	Clay	Sara Errani	Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai	4–6, 1–6
Win	2014	Wimbledon	Grass	Sara Errani	Tímea Babos Kristina Mladenovic	6–1, 6–3

Grand Slam 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	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	W–L
Australian Open	A	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q1	3R	1R	1R	1R	3R	1R	2R	3R	1R	2R	3R	1R	Q1	10–12
French Open	A	Q2	Q2	1R	1R	1R	1R	Q1	1R	2R	3R	1R	4R	1R	1R	1R	1R	A	6–13
Wimbledon	A	1R	Q3	Q3	3R	A	2R	Q2	3R	2R	3R	4R	4R	1R	1R	3R	1R	A	16–12
US Open	1R	Q1	A	1R	1R	1R	1R	2R	1R	1R	3R	QF	QF	3R	F	QF	1R	A	23–15
Win–loss	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–2	2–3	2–3	1–4	1–2	2–4	4–4	6–4	8–4	12–4	2–4	6–4	8–4	0–4	0–0	55–52

Note: Vinci received a walkover in the 2015 US Open, after Eugenie Bouchard sustained concussion. This did not count a win.

Doubles

Tournament	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	W–L
Australian Open	A	3R	1R	QF	1R	1R	2R	2R	2R	2R	1R	F	W	W	3R	3R	A	30–13
French Open	QF	QF	1R	SF	1R	3R	1R	1R	1R	2R	3R	W	F	F	3R	A	A	33–14
Wimbledon	A	3R	1R	3R	1R	A	1R	A	1R	3R	3R	QF	3R	W	3R	1R	A	21–12
US Open	SF	1R	A	1R	3R	2R	1R	A	1R	1R	QF	W	QF	2R	3R	A	A	22–12
Win–loss	7–2	7–4	0–3	9–4	2–4	3–3	1–4	1–2	1–4	4–4	7–4	20–2	16–3	18–2	8–4	2–2	0–0	106–51

Team Competitions

2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013 Fed Cup