Sabine Lisicki facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sabine Lisicki

Lisicki at the 2019 Wimbledon qualifying
Full name	Sabine Katharina Lisicki
Country (sports)	Germany
Residence	Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
Born	(1989-09-22) 22 September 1989 (age 35) Troisdorf, West Germany
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro	2006
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Richard Lisicki
Prize money	US$7,202,429
Singles
Career record	363–272
Career titles	4
Highest ranking	No. 12 (21 May 2012)
Current ranking	No. 502 (21 October 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	4R (2012)
French Open	3R (2013, 2015)
Wimbledon	F (2013)
US Open	4R (2011, 2015)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	3R (2012)
Doubles
Career record	84–60
Career titles	4
Highest ranking	No. 35 (9 April 2012)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2016)
French Open	3R (2013)
Wimbledon	F (2011)
US Open	QF (2012)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	2R (2012)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2013)
Wimbledon	3R (2017)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	SF – 4th place (2012)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	F (2014), record 10–7
Hopman Cup	RR (2009, 2010)

Sabine Katharina Lisicki (born 22 September 1989) is a German professional tennis player. She is currently inactive.

Sabine Lisicki became a professional tennis player in 2006. She became well-known in 2009 when she reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She also won her first major title that year. In 2013, she made it to the final of the Wimbledon Championships. She is famous for holding the world record for the fastest serve by a female tennis player. She also held the record for hitting the most aces in a single match.

Lisicki has faced many injuries throughout her career. Despite these challenges, she has often made strong comebacks. She has won four singles titles and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour.

About Sabine Lisicki

Sabine's parents moved to West Germany from Poland in 1979. Her father, Dr. Richard Lisicki, is part German and part Polish. Her mother, Elisabeth, is Polish. Sabine was born in Troisdorf, Germany, in 1989. Her father, who has a degree in sport science, introduced her to tennis when she was seven. He also became her coach. Her mother is an artist who specializes in ceramics.

Early Tennis Journey

Since 2004, Lisicki has trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. This academy is famous for training many top tennis players. Early in her career, Sabine and her family faced money problems. They often had to drive across Europe to attend tournaments because they could not afford flights. Sabine shared that her parents worked very hard to support her tennis dreams. She said they sometimes had to cancel tournaments because they could not pay for them.

In 2006, Lisicki played her first main match on the WTA Tour at the German Open. In 2007, she had a great year on the ITF Circuit. She climbed from world No. 497 to No. 198 in the rankings. She won two titles that year.

Career Highlights

Starting Her Journey in 2008

At the Australian Open, her first major tournament, Sabine Lisicki reached the third round. She beat the 16th-seeded player, Dinara Safina. In the Fed Cup against the United States, she defeated Lindsay Davenport. Lisicki also reached the fourth round of the Miami Open. In October, she played in her first WTA tournament final at the Tashkent Open.

Breakthrough Year: 2009

Lisicki at the 2009 Pan Pacific Open

In 2009, Lisicki won her first WTA Tour title at the Charleston Open. She did not lose a single set in the tournament. She beat top players like Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. She also helped Germany win a Fed Cup match against China.

Lisicki reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon. She beat the 2009 French Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Caroline Wozniacki. She was eventually defeated by world No. 1, Dinara Safina. Later that year, she reached the final of the Luxembourg Open.

Injuries and Comebacks: 2010-2012

Lisicki at the 2010 US Open

In March 2010, Lisicki suffered an ankle injury that kept her from playing for five months. Her ranking dropped out of the top 200. She later said that she had to learn to walk again. She always believed she could return to tennis.

In 2011, Lisicki made a great comeback. She won the Birmingham Classic. Then, as a wildcard entry, she reached the semifinals of Wimbledon. She became only the second woman in Wimbledon history to reach the semifinals as a wildcard. She won another WTA tournament, the Texas Open, two months later. She was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year.

Lisicki at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships

In 2012, Lisicki reached her highest career ranking of world No. 12. She again reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. She beat top seed Maria Sharapova in the fourth round. This was the third time she had beaten the reigning French Open champion at Wimbledon. However, she faced another ankle injury that affected her results.

Lisicki at the 2012 Indian Wells Open

At the 2012 London Olympics, Lisicki played in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. She reached the third round in singles and the semifinals in mixed doubles with Christopher Kas. They finished in fourth place.

First Grand Slam Final: 2013

Lisicki and Janette Husárová during the 2013 French Open

Lisicki started 2013 by reaching the final of the Pattaya Open. She also reached another final in Memphis. In doubles, she won her second WTA doubles title at the Porsche Grand Prix with Mona Barthel. They were the first all-German pair to win this trophy.

Lisicki at the 2013 French Open

At the Wimbledon Championships, Lisicki had an amazing run. She beat the top seed and reigning Wimbledon, US Open, and French Open champion, Serena Williams, in the fourth round. Williams had been on a 34-match winning streak. Lisicki then reached her first Grand Slam final, becoming the first German woman to do so since Steffi Graf in 1999. She lost the final to Marion Bartoli.

Fastest Serve Record: 2014

Lisicki and Martina Hingis at the 2014 Italian Open

In 2014, Lisicki teamed up with tennis legend Martina Hingis for doubles. They won the Miami Open doubles title. This was Lisicki's third doubles title.

At the Stanford Classic in July, Lisicki set a new world record for the fastest serve by a female tennis player. Her serve was measured at 131.0 mph (210.8 km/h). This broke the previous record held by Venus Williams.

Lisicki at the 2014 US Open

Lisicki won her fourth WTA singles title at the Hong Kong Open. This was her first singles title in over three years. She finished the year ranked No. 27 in the world.

Most Aces Record: 2015

In 2015, Lisicki made history again at the Birmingham Classic. In her second-round match, she hit 27 aces. This broke the record for the most aces in a single match by a female player. The previous record was 24 aces, held by Serena Williams and Kaia Kanepi.

At Wimbledon, Lisicki had a streak of reaching the quarterfinals or better in her previous five appearances. However, she lost in the third round that year. After the US Open, she had to stop playing for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. She ended 2015 ranked No. 32.

Continued Challenges: 2016-2020

Lisicki at the 2016 US Open

The years 2016 to 2020 were tough for Lisicki. She continued to struggle with injuries, which affected her performance and ranking. She often found herself in and out of the top 100 players.

Lisicki at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships

In 2020, she suffered a severe injury. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a doubles match. This required surgery and kept her off the court for a long time.

Comeback and New Beginnings: 2022-2023

After 18 months of recovery, Lisicki returned to professional tennis in May 2022. She won her first main draw match on the WTA Tour since 2018 at the Bad Homburg Open. This helped her re-enter the top 500 world rankings.

In 2023, Lisicki achieved a big milestone. She won her first title in nine years at the Calgary Challenger. This was a W60 tournament.

On 8 March 2024, Sabine Lisicki announced that she was expecting a baby. On 8 September 2024, she shared that she had given birth to a daughter.

Playing Style

Sabine Lisicki is known as a "baseliner." This means she plays mostly from the back of the court. She hits "heavy balls" with a lot of topspin and power. She has strong forehand and backhand shots. She is sometimes called "Boom Boom" because of her powerful serve and groundstrokes.

Her Powerful Serve

Lisicki's serve is one of the strongest in women's tennis. It has been described as a "cannon" or a "howitzer." She often serves at speeds over 120 mph. In 2014, she set the WTA record for the fastest serve at 131 mph.

Her serve is her main weapon. In 2013, she was ranked second in the number of aces hit, right after Serena Williams. In 2015, she broke the record for the most aces in a singles match by hitting 27 aces. However, her second serve can sometimes be inconsistent.

Favorite Surface

Lisicki's favorite tennis surface is grass. She has had the most success playing on grass courts, especially at Wimbledon. Interestingly, she used to dislike playing on grass because she is allergic to it. Now, with medication, she loves playing on it.

Personal Life

Sabine Lisicki lives in Bradenton, Florida, USA. She has a Yorkshire Terrier dog named Happy. She speaks German, English, and Polish fluently. Outside of tennis, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and athletics. She is a big fan of the Germany national football team and the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. She is also gluten-intolerant.

Career statistics

Grand Slam performance timelines

Singles

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 1 (runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2013	Wimbledon	Grass	Marion Bartoli	1–6, 4–6

Doubles: 1 (runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2011	Wimbledon	Grass	Samantha Stosur	Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik	3–6, 1–6

Images for kids

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  Lisicki at the 2019 Wimbledon qualifying

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  Lisicki at the 2012 Indian Wells Open

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  Lisicki knocked out former world No. 1 and 2012 French Open champion Maria Sharapova in the fourth round of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships.

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  Lisicki at the 2015 French Open

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  Lisicki at the 2022 Bad Homburg Open

See also

In Spanish: Sabine Lisicki para niños