Helena Sukova ( Czech Helena Suková , phonetically correct Helena ; born February 23, 1965 in Prague ) is a former professional tennis player , performing under the flag of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic .
- Two-time finalist of the Olympic Games ( 1988 , 1996 ) in the women's doubles.
- Nine-time winner of the Grand Slam tournaments in the women's doubles (holder of a “career” Grand Slam: she won all Grand Slam tournaments, but in different years).
- Five-time winner of the Grand Slam mixed doubles .
- Winner of 78 WTA tournaments (10 in singles).
- Four-time winner of the Federation Cup in the Czechoslovak team.
- Ex is the first racket of the world in the women's doubles.
- Member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame since 2018 (the decision to be included in the lists was made in January, the official ceremony will be held in July) [2] .
| Helena Sukova | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date of Birth | |
| Place of Birth | Prague , Czechoslovakia |
| Citizenship | |
| Place of residence |  Monte Carlo |
| Height | 188 cm |
| The weight | 68 kg |
| Carier start | January 1983 |
| Retirement | July 1998 |
| Working hand | right |
| Prize, $ | 6 051 115 |
| Singles | |
| V / p matches | 614-307 |
| Titles | 10 WTA, 3 ITF |
| Highest position | 4 ( March 18, 1985 ) |
| Grand Slam Tournaments | |
| Australia | final (1984, 1989) |
| France | 1/2 (1986) |
| Wimbledon | 1/4 (1985-1988, 1993) |
| USA | final (1986, 1993) |
| Doubles | |
| V / p matches | 752-220 |
| Titles | 68 WTA, 7 ITF |
| Highest position | 1 ( February 5, 1990 ) |
| Grand Slam Tournaments | |
| Australia | victory (1990, 1992) |
| France | victory (1990) |
| Wimbledon | victory (1987, 1989, 1990, 1996) |
| USA | victory (1985, 1993) |
Content
- 1 Sports career
- 2 Participation in the finals of Grand Slam tournaments (26)
- 2.1 Single discharge (4)
- 2.1.1 Losses (4)
- 2.2 Women's Doubles (14)
- 2.2.1 Wins (9)
- 2.2.2 Losses (5)
- 2.3 Mixed doubles (8)
- 2.3.1 Wins (5)
- 2.3.2 Losses (3)
- 2.1 Single discharge (4)
- 3 notes
- 4 References
Sports career
Helena Sukova was born into a family of tennis players: her father Cyril Suk was the president of the tennis federation of Czechoslovakia, and her mother, Vera Sukova , was the finalist of the 1962 Wimbledon tournament . Helena's brother, Cyril the Younger, was also a professional tennis player.
Helena won her first WTA tournament in Newport News in January 1982 , the year before the official transition to the professional. Since the same year, she has been playing for the Czechoslovak team in the Federation Cup .
Already in 1983, Sukova wins the Federation Cup with the Czechoslovak team. She will repeat this success with the Czechoslovak team twice more in a row and for the fourth time in 1988 . In total, Sukova played 54 games for the Czechoslovak team and another 19 for the Czech Republic, won 45 matches and lost 11 in singles, won 12 and lost 5 in pairs.
In 1984, Sukova entered her first grand slam tournament final - Australian Open , interrupting a series of 74 victories by Martina Navratilova along the way. In the final, she is inferior to Chris Evert in three sets. At the same tournament, Sukova, together with the representative of the Federal Republic of Germany, Claudia Code-Kielsch, also passes for the first time to the finals of the women's couples competition, where Navratilova, together with Pam Shriver, took revenge for the defeat in singles. This victory brought Navratilova and Shriver the title of owners of the Grand Slam; to this day they are the only female couple owning this title.
In 1985, Sukova wins her first Grand Slam tournament, the US Open , again paired with Code-Kielsch. In the final, they defeat Navratilova and Shriver. Over time, the doubles category will become the main one for Sukova, although it was in 1985 that she reached fourth place in the WTA ranking among single tennis players, her highest position in singles.
In 1988, Sukova, paired with her compatriot Yana Novotna, went to the finals of the women's doubles tournament at the Olympics in Seoul . There they are inferior in three sets to the American pair Harrison - Shriver ; the intensity of the struggle is evidenced by the score in the third, decisive set - 10: 8 in favor of the American women.
1990 could be a historic year for Sukova and Novotnaya: they won the pair competition at the Australian Open, the French Open and the Wimbledon tournament and reached the final of the US Open, where they were opposed by a pair of Martin Navratilova - Gigi Fernandez ; they have already met with these rivals twice this year - once they won and one lost. If Novotna and Sukova had won this meeting, they would have become the second female pair in history to have won the classic Grand Slam, after Navratilova and Shriver, who did this in 1984 ; but Navratilova and Fernandez won 6: 2, 6: 4, and 1990 remained for Sukova only the year in which she completed her career Grand Slam.
In the nineties, Sukova began to actively participate in mixed pairs competitions. From 1991 to 1998, she got into the final of the Grand Slam tournaments eight times, including four times with her brother Cyril and three times with Todd Woodbridge , and won five victories (the last in 1997 ). Unlike female couples, Sukova was never able to complete her grand slam mixed career career: she played twice in the Australian Open final in this category, but she could not win.
In 1996, the Novotna - Sukova pair, already under the flag of the Czech Republic, again made it to the finals of the women's doubles tournament at the Atlanta Olympics , but this time they did not manage to win either: Gigi Fernandez again, this time with his namesake Mary Joe Barcelona Olympic champions successfully defended their title in Atlanta, defeating the Czech couple in two sets 7: 6 (6), 6: 4.
In 1998, Sukova officially stopped speaking. The last tournament she won was the tournament in Sydney , where she won in tandem with Martina Hingis . In 2006, she and Cyril Suk were given a wildcard to participate in the mixed pair tournament of the Wimbledon tournament. 43-year-old Helena and her brother lost in the first round to the Italian pair of Pennetta - Prieto .
Grand Slam Finals (26)
Singles (4)
Lost (4)
| Year | Tournament | Rival in the finals | Final Score |
| 1984 | Australian Open | Chris Evert | 6-7 4 , 6-3, 6-1 |
| 1986 | US Open | Martina Navratilova | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 1989 | Australian Open (2) | Steffi Graf | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 1993 | US Open (2) | Steffi Graf | 6-3, 6-3 |
Women's Doubles (14)
Wins (9)
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Rivals in the finals | Final Score |
| 1985 | US Open | Claudia Code-Kielsh | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6-7 5 , 6-2, 6-3 |
| 1987 | Wimbledon Tournament | Claudia Code-Kielsh | Betsy Nagelsen Elizabeth Smiley | 7-5, 7-5 |
| 1989 | Wimbledon Tournament (2) | Yana Novotna | Natalya Zvereva Larisa Savchenko | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 1990 | Australian Open | Yana Novotna | Patti Fendik Mary Joe Fernandez | 7-6 5 , 7-6 6 |
| 1990 | French Open | Yana Novotna | Natalya Zvereva Larisa Savchenko | 6-4, 7-5 |
| 1990 | Wimbledon Tournament (3) | Yana Novotna | Katie Jordan Elizabeth Smiley | 6-4, 6-0 |
| 1992 | Australian Open (2) | Aranta Sanchez-Vicario | Zina Harrison Mary Joe Fernandez | 6-4, 7-6 3 |
| 1993 | US Open (2) | Aranta Sanchez-Vicario | Ines Gorrochategi Amanda Kötzer | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 1996 | Wimbledon Tournament (4) | Martina Hingis | Meredith McGrath Larisa Savchenko-Neyland | 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 |
Lost (5)
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Rivals in the finals | Final Score |
| 1984 | Australian Open | Claudia Code-Kielsh | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1985 | French Open | Claudia Code-Kielsh | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
| 1985 | Australian Open (2) | Claudia Code-Kielsh | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 1988 | French Open (2) | Claudia Code-Kielsh | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6-2, 7-5 |
| 1990 | US Open | Yana Novotna | Martina Navratilova Gigi Fernandez | 6-2, 6-4 |
Mixed Doubles (8)
Victories (5)
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Rivals in the finals | Final Score |
| 1991 | French Open | Cyril Bitch | Carolyn Vis Paul Haarhus | 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| 1993 | US Open | Todd Woodbridge | Martina Navratilova Mark Woodford | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 1994 | Wimbledon Tournament | Todd Woodbridge | Laurie McNeill T.J. Middleton | 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 |
| 1996 | Wimbledon Tournament (2) | Cyril Bitch | Larisa Neiland Mark Woodford | 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 1997 | Wimbledon Tournament (3) | Cyril Bitch | Larisa Neiland Andrey Olkhovsky | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
Lost (3)
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Rivals in the finals | Final Score |
| 1992 | US Open | Tom Neissen | Nicole Provis Mark Woodford | 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 1994 | Australian Open | Todd Woodbridge | Larisa Neiland Andrey Olkhovsky | 7-5, 6-7 7 , 6-2 |
| 1998 | Australian Open (2) | Cyril Bitch | Venus Williams Justin Gimelstob | 6-2, 6-1 |
Notes
- ↑ Collins B. The Bud Collins History of Tennis : An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book - 2 - New York City : New Chapter Press , 2010 .-- P. 710. - ISBN 978-0-942257-70-0
- ↑ Stih and Sukova will become members of the Tenport Hall of Fame in Newport . Championship.com (January 25, 2018). Date of treatment March 28, 2018.