Vera Zvonareva facts for kids

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In this article, the patronymic is Igorevna and the family name is Zvonareva.

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Vera Zvonareva

Zvonareva at the 2023 US Open

Full name

Vera Igorevna Zvonareva

Native name

Вера Игоревна Звонарёва

Country (sports)

Russia

Residence

Moscow, Russia

Born

7 September 1984 (age 40)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Height

1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)

Turned pro

September 2000

Retired

May 2024 (last match played)

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Prize money

US$16,549,599

35th in all-time rankings

Singles

Career record

597–325

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 2 (25 October 2010)

Grand Slam singles results

SF (2009, 2011)

QF (2003)

F (2010)

F (2010)

Other tournaments

Tour Finals

F (2008)

Doubles

Career record

314–193

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 7 (19 February 2024)

Grand Slam doubles results

W (2012)

QF (2006, 2024)

F (2010)

W (2006, 2020)

Other doubles tournaments

Tour Finals

W (2023)

Mixed doubles

Career titles

Grand Slam mixed doubles results

QF (2005, 2006)

SF (2006)

W (2006)

W (2004)

Team competitions

Fed Cup

W (2004, 2008), record 8–2

Medal record

Olympic Games

Bronze	2008 Beijing	Singles

Vera Zvonareva (born September 7, 1984) is a Russian professional tennis player. She is currently inactive in the sport. Vera reached a high ranking of No. 2 in singles and No. 7 in doubles worldwide. She has won 12 singles titles, including the Indian Wells Open in 2009. She also played in the finals of the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open in 2010. Vera also won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In doubles, Vera has won five major titles. Three of these were in women's doubles. She won the US Open in 2006 with Nathalie Dechy. She also won the Australian Open in 2012 with Svetlana Kuznetsova. After returning to tennis, she won her third women's doubles major at the US Open in 2020 with Laura Siegemund. Her other two major titles were in mixed doubles. She won the US Open in 2004 with Bob Bryan. Her second mixed doubles title was at the Wimbledon Championships in 2006 with Andy Ram. She also won the doubles title at the 2023 WTA Finals with Laura Siegemund.

Early Life and Family

Vera Zvonareva was born in 1984 in Moscow, Russia. Her parents were Igor Zvonarev and Natalia Bykova. Her father, Igor, played Bandy, which is a type of ice hockey. Her mother, Natalia, played field hockey and won a bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Vera started playing tennis when she was six years old, introduced to the sport by her mother.

Tennis Career Highlights

Starting Out: 1999–2002

Vera began playing in professional tournaments in 1999. She won her first professional event in Moscow in 2000. She also won the Orange Bowl Under-18s event in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, she reached her first WTA Tour final in Palermo. She also made it to the fourth round of the French Open. Her ranking climbed into the top 50 after the US Open that year.

Breaking Through: 2003–2004

In 2003, Vera won her first WTA title in Bol, Croatia. She also beat a top-10 player for the first time. At the French Open, she defeated Venus Williams and reached the quarterfinals. Her ranking entered the top 20. In 2004, Vera won her first Grand Slam title in mixed doubles at the US Open with Bob Bryan. She also won a singles title in Memphis. Vera helped Russia win their first Fed Cup title in 2004. She ended 2004 ranked world No. 11.

Injuries and Comebacks: 2005–2007

Vera defended her Memphis title in 2005. However, she faced injuries in the second half of the year. Her ranking dropped from No. 11 to 42. In 2006, she won two major doubles titles. She won the women's doubles at the US Open with Nathalie Dechy. She also won mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Andy Ram. She won two singles titles that year, including her first on grass. The 2007 season brought more injuries, especially to her left wrist. This kept her out of many tournaments.

Zvonareva at the 2006 Kremlin Cup

Back to the Top 10: 2008

Vera had a strong year in 2008. She reached the final of the Qatar Open and the Charleston Cup. She won her sixth career singles title in Prague. At the Beijing Olympics, Vera won a bronze medal in singles. She helped Russia win the Fed Cup again. She finished the year by reaching the final of the WTA Finals (a tournament for the top eight players).

Major Semifinal and Indian Wells Champion: 2009

Vera started 2009 by reaching her first major semifinal at the Australian Open. Her ranking rose to a career-high of world No. 5. She won the Pattaya Open and the Indian Wells Open. At Indian Wells, she also won the doubles title with Victoria Azarenka. However, an ankle injury forced her to miss the French Open and withdraw from Wimbledon. She finished the year ranked world No. 9.

Zvonareva serving at the 2009 US Open

Wimbledon and US Open Finals: 2010

In 2010, Vera reached her first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon. She lost to Serena Williams in the final. Later that year, she reached her second straight Grand Slam final at the US Open. She lost to Kim Clijsters in the final. After the US Open, Vera reached her career-high ranking of world No. 2. She finished the season ranked world No. 2.

Mixed Results and Injuries: 2011–2015

Vera continued to play well in 2011. She reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. She won the Qatar Ladies Open, defeating the world No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki. She faced more injuries in 2012, including a hip and shoulder injury. She missed the entire 2013 season due to shoulder surgery. She made a comeback in 2014 and 2015 but continued to struggle with injuries.

Zvonareva at the 2011 Australian Open

Zvonareva at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Zvonareva at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships

Return to the Tour: 2017–2022

After a two-year break, Vera returned to tennis in 2017. She won her first ITF title since 2002 in Sharm El Sheikh. In 2018, she won her first WTA doubles title in six years at the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy. She also won another doubles title at the Moscow River Cup. In 2019, she returned to the top 100 in singles but faced a wrist injury. In 2020, she won her third US Open women's doubles title with Laura Siegemund. She continued to play doubles successfully in 2021 and 2022, reaching the top 25 in doubles.

Zvonareva at the 2019 French Open

Recent Success: 2023

In 2023, Vera had a great year in doubles. She reached the final of the US Open with Laura Siegemund. She also won two more doubles titles with Siegemund in Ningbo and Jiangxi. The pair qualified for the WTA Finals and won the championship, a huge achievement. She finished 2023 ranked No. 9 in doubles.

Zvonareva at the 2023 US Open

Key Rivalries

Vera vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Vera and Caroline Wozniacki played each other nine times. Vera won five of these matches. They met in three finals, with Wozniacki winning two. They also had important semifinal matches at the 2010 US Open and the 2010 WTA Tour Championships.

Vera vs. Agnieszka Radwańska

Vera had a rivalry with Polish player Agnieszka Radwańska. Radwańska won four of their six matches. Radwańska was known for matching Vera's speed and movement on the court. Their matches were often very close and exciting.

Radwańska and Zvonareva after the 2011 Pan Pacific Open final.

Vera vs. Kim Clijsters

Vera played against Kim Clijsters ten times. Clijsters won seven of these matches. Clijsters won their first five matches. After Clijsters returned to tennis in 2010, Vera won three matches in a row. However, Clijsters then won the 2010 US Open final against Vera.

Vera vs. Samantha Stosur

Vera has played Samantha Stosur eleven times. Stosur has won eight of these matches. Stosur's playing style, with heavy topspin, often made it difficult for Vera to predict her shots.

Personal Life

Vera Zvonareva has a strong educational background. In 2007, she earned a degree in Physical Education. She also studied for a second degree in international economic relations. Vera got married in 2016 to Alexander Kucher. They have a daughter named Evelina, who was also born in 2016.

In July 2023, Vera was not allowed to enter Poland. She had planned to play in a tennis tournament there.

Career Statistics

Performance in Major Tournaments

Vera has played in many Grand Slam tournaments throughout her career. She reached two Grand Slam singles finals in 2010, at Wimbledon and the US Open. She won three Grand Slam women's doubles titles and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Singles

Tournament	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	SR	W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	1R	4R	2R	1R	4R	1R	SF	4R	SF	3R	A	1R	2R	A	A	Q1	Q1	A	1R	1R	A	0 / 14	23–14
French Open	4R	QF	3R	3R	1R	A	4R	A	2R	4R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	Q3	Q3	A	A	0 / 9	18–9
Wimbledon	2R	4R	4R	2R	1R	A	2R	3R	F	3R	3R	A	3R	A	A	A	1R	A	NH	2R	A	Q2	0 / 13	24–13
US Open	3R	3R	4R	A	3R	3R	2R	4R	F	QF	A	A	A	A	A	Q2	2R	A	1R	1R	A	1R	0 / 13	26–13
Win–loss	6–3	9–4	11–4	4–3	2–4	5–2	5–4	10–3	16–4	14–4	4–2	0–0	2–2	1–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–1	0–1	1–3	0–1	0–1	0 / 49	91–49
Year-end championships
WTA Finals	DNQ		RR	DNQ			F	RR	SF	SF	DNQ								NH	DNQ			0 / 5	9–10
Career statistics
Titles	0	1	1	1	2	0	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Career total: 12
Finals	1	1	3	1	3	1	8	2	6	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Career total: 30
Year-end ranking	45	13	11	42	24	23	7	9	2	7	98	N/A	251	182	N/A	204	123	141	163	87	273	256

Doubles

Tournament	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	...	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	SR	W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	1R	SF	QF	3R	A	3R	A	2R	W	A	1R	A		A	1R	A	3R	3R	A	A	1 / 11	22–10
French Open	A	3R	3R	QF	A	2R	A	2R	2R	A	A	A	A		A	2R	2R	1R	A	1R	QF	0 / 11	15–10
Wimbledon	A	2R	QF	2R	A	2R	1R	F	A	A	A	1R	A		2R	A	NH	3R	A	QF	A	0 / 10	17–10
US Open	A	A	A	W	2R	2R	2R	QF	2R	A	A	A	A	A	3R	A	W	A	A	F	A	2 / 9	26–7
Win–loss	0–0	3–3	9–3	13–3	3–2	3–3	3–3	8–3	3–2	6–0	0–0	0–2	0–0		3–2	1–2	7–1	4–3	2–1	9–3	3–1	3 / 41	80–37
Year-end championships
WTA Finals	DNQ				SF	DNQ											NH	DNQ		W	DNQ	1 / 2	4–2
Career statistics
Titles	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0		2	1	1	0	2	4	0	Career total: 16
Finals	1	2	3	2	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	0		2	1	1	0	2	5	0	Career total: 23
Year-end ranking	73	15	10	18	72	48	58	33	83	33	N/A	345	174		56	71	40	53	31	9

Mixed doubles

Tournament	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2010	2012	2021	2023	2024	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	QF	QF	1R	A	A	2R	A	A	0 / 4	5–4	56%
French Open	A	A	A	SF	A	A	A	A	1R	1R	0 / 3	3–3	50%
Wimbledon	A	A	A	W	A	2R	2R	2R	A	A	1 / 4	8–2	80%
US Open	1R	W	A	1R	A	A	A	A	1R	A	1 / 4	5–3	63%
Win–loss	0–1	5–0	2–1	10–3	0–1	1–1	1–0	2–2	0–2	0–1	2 / 15	21–12	64%

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner–ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2010	Wimbledon	Grass	Serena Williams	3–6, 2–6
Loss	2010	US Open	Hard	Kim Clijsters	2–6, 1–6

Doubles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runner–ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	2006	US Open	Hard	Nathalie Dechy	Dinara Safina Katarina Srebotnik	7–6^(7–5), 7–5
Loss	2010	Wimbledon	Grass	Elena Vesnina	Vania King Yaroslava Shvedova	6–7^(6–8), 2–6
Win	2012	Australian Open	Hard	Svetlana Kuznetsova	Sara Errani Roberta Vinci	5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Win	2020	US Open	Hard	Laura Siegemund	Nicole Melichar Xu Yifan	6–4, 6–4
Loss	2023	US Open	Hard	Laura Siegemund	Gabriela Dabrowski Erin Routliffe	6–7^(9–11), 3–6