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Agnieszka Radwańska

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Agnieszka Radwańska
Radwańska at the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open
Country (sports) Poland
ResidenceKraków, Poland
Born (1989-03-06) 6 March 1989 (age 35)
Kraków, Poland
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro23 April 2005
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$10,431,677[1]
Singles
Career record346–151
Career titles10 WTA, 2 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 2 (9 July 2012)
Current rankingNo. 4 (15 October 2012)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (2008, 2011, 2012)
French Open4R (2008, 2009, 2011)
WimbledonF (2012)
US Open4R (2007, 2008, 2012)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsRR (2008, 2009, 2011)
Doubles
Career record111–86
Career titles2 WTA, 2 ITF titles
Highest rankingNo. 16 (10 October 2011)
Current rankingNo. 102 (15 October 2012)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (2010)
French OpenQF (2009, 2010)
Wimbledon3R (2007, 2011, 2012)
US OpenSF (2011)
Last updated on: 15 October 2012.

Agnieszka Radwańska [aɡˈɲɛʂka radˈvaɲska] ⓘ (born 6 March 1989) is a Polish professional tennis player. As of 15 October 2012, she is ranked world no. 4. Known for constructing points and making intelligent use of the court,[2] she has won ten career singles titles.

Radwańska reached the final of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first Polish player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam singles final.[3] In 2007, she also became the first Polish player to claim a WTA singles title when she won the Nordea Nordic Light Open. Radwańska has won two WTA Awards, being voted Most Impressive Newcomer in 2006, and Fan Favorite Singles Player in 2011.

Personal life

Born in Kraków, Agnieszka Radwańska began playing tennis at the age of four after her father introduced her to the sport. Her younger sister, Urszula, is also a tennis player. Radwańska has named Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis as inspirations.

In 2009 Radwańska became a WTA ambassador for Habitat for Humanity. She has also studied tourism at universities in Kraków.[4][5]

Career

2005–2006: Early years

Radwańska won the junior singles title at Wimbledon in 2005, defeating Tamira Paszek. She went on to win the junior French Open title in 2006 with a victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.[4] She played her first WTA tournament at the 2006 J&S Cup (later known as the Warsaw Open) in Warsaw, defeating Anastasia Myskina in her opening match. She advanced to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Elena Dementieva in three sets.[6]

At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, she lost in the fourth round to Kim Clijsters. She went on to drop a second-round match to Tatiana Golovin at the US Open. At the Fortis Championships Luxembourg tournament, Radwańska lost in the semifinals to Francesca Schiavone after defeating former world no. 1 Venus Williams in the second round and Dementieva in the quarterfinals.[6]

2007–2008: Tennis firsts

Radwańska in action at the 2007 US Open.

Radwańska participated at the 2007 Australian Open, but she was defeated by Ana Ivanovic in the second round. At the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open, Radwańska defeated her longtime idol,[5] Martina Hingis, in a three-set third-round match. She exited in the fourth round following a loss to Tathiana Garbin.[7]

In August 2007, Agnieszka Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA tour singles title, defeating Vera Dushevina in the final of the Nordea Nordic Light Open.[4] She went on to defeat defending champion Maria Sharapova in the third round of the US Open, before losing to Shahar Pe'er in the fourth round.[7]

Radwańska reached the quarterfinals of the 2008 Australian Open, upsetting world no. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round,[8] then following it up with a defeat of 14th seeded Nadia Petrova before eventually falling to Daniela Hantuchová.[9] At the Pattaya Women's Open in Thailand, Radwańska won her second WTA singles title, beating Jill Craybas in the final. In May 2008, she won the Istanbul Cup on red clay with a victory over Elena Dementieva, earning her third WTA title. She then reached the fourth round of the French Open, but was defeated there by third-seed and eventual semi-finalist Jelena Janković.[10] Radwańska broke Janković's serve at 2–5 and 4–5 down in the second set to force a tiebreak, only to lose it 3–7.

On grass, Radwańska won the International Women's Open in Eastbourne, defeating Nadia Petrova in the final. At Wimbledon, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round, then lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. At the Olympics in Beijing, Radwańska lost a second-round match to Francesca Schiavone. She went on to reach the fourth round of the US Open, losing to Venus Williams. She later went to the 2008 WTA Tour Championships as an alternate and replaced Ana Ivanovic after the latter withdrew. She defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets. Radwańska ended the year as the first Polish woman to surpass US $1 million in career prize money, as well as the first to be ranked world no. 10.[4][9]

2009–2010

Radwańska playing at the 2009 US Open.

Radwańska reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Medibank International Sydney, losing in three sets to eventual champion Elena Dementieva. She was defeated in the first round of the Australian Open by Kateryna Bondarenko.[11]

At the 2009 BNP Paribas Open, she defeated Samantha Stosur and Aleksandra Wozniak en route to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At the Sony Ericsson Open, she lost a three-set fourth-round match to Venus Williams. She reached the fourth round of the 2009 French Open, falling in three sets to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. She and Urszula also reached the quarterfinals in doubles. She went on to reach her second consecutive quarterfinal at Wimbledon, falling to Venus Williams.

She reached her first semifinal of the 2009 season in Tokyo, where she fell in three sets to eventual champion Maria Sharapova. She reached her first final of the year in China, losing in straight sets to Svetlana Kuznetsova.[11]

Radwańska and her doubles partner Maria Kirilenko reached the semifinals of the 2010 Australian Open, losing to the world no. 1 pairing of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in three sets.[12] In Indian Wells, Radwańska won her fifth straight match against Marion Bartoli, and went on to upset Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals before losing to Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. Radwańska entered the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was defeated in the quarter-finals by Venus Williams.[12]

At the 2010 French Open, she defeated Elena Baltacha in the first round, but her unsuccessful clay court season continued as she suffered a loss to Yaroslava Shvedova in the second round. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, she was defeated in the fourth round by Li Na, whom she had beaten at the same stage the previous year.[12]

Due to a stress fracture in her foot, Radwańska's 2010 season ended at the China Open, where she lost a three-set match to Angelique Kerber.[13]

2011: Ascent

Radwańska reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Kim Clijsters.[14] She went on to reach the fourth round in Indian Wells, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka, and the quarterfinals in Miami, losing to Vera Zvonareva. However, she won the Miami doubles title with Daniela Hantuchová, defeating Nadia Petrova and Liezel Huber. She went on to reach the fourth round of the 2011 French Open, losing to Maria Sharapova.

Radwańska suffered her earliest ever exit at Wimbledon, when she was defeated in the second round by Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovská. At the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, Radwańska advanced to the final and defeated rival Vera Zvonareva in straight sets. With the victory, she earned her first title since winning in Eastbourne in 2008. At the 2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto, she once again defeated Zvonareva in the third round, coming back from a 0–4 deficit in the second set. She went on to lose a three-set semifinal match against Samantha Stosur.[14]

After defeating her sister Urszula in the first round of the US Open, she was upset in the second round by eventual semifinalist Angelique Kerber.[14] She avenged this loss at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, defeating Kerber in three sets before advancing to the final, where she won her third straight match against Vera Zvonareva, earning her first Premier 5 title.

At the 2011 China Open, she defeated Zheng Jie, Sofia Arvidsson, Ana Ivanović, and Flavia Pennetta in straight sets, before winning a three-set final against Andrea Petkovic. She qualified for her first season-ending championship at the WTA Championships in Istanbul, taking the 8th spot when Marion Bartoli was unable to win the title in Moscow.

Going into the 2011 WTA Tour Championships, Radwańska was labeled by the media as one of the hottest players on tour.[15][16] She dropped a three-set opening match to Caroline Wozniacki. She then won her fourth straight match against Vera Zvonareva, coming back from a 3–5 deficit in the third set and saving three match points. To advance to the semifinals, she needed to win at least one set against Petra Kvitová, but eventually lost in straight sets. She ended the year ranked 8th with a 46–18 record, and was named WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player.[14]

2012: World No 2 & first Grand Slam final

During the first four months of 2012, Radwańska won two singles titles and amassed a record of 28–5, defeating all opponents but then-world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka.[17]

Following losses in the Apia International, the Australian Open, and the Qatar Total Open, she won her first title of the season at the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Julia Görges in straight sets. After advancing to the quarterfinals in Indian Wells, she reached a new ranking of world no. 4.[18] Her second title came at the Sony Ericsson Open, where she defeated Venus Williams in the quarterfinals and Marion Bartoli in the semifinals, advancing to a championship match against Maria Sharapova. Radwańska won the championship without losing a set throughout the tournament.[18][19]

Her fifth loss of the season, and fifth to Azarenka, came in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.[19] She then entered the Mutua Madrid Open, where she lost to Azarenka in the semifinals, securing the world no. 3 ranking.[20] At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, she lost her opening-round match to Petra Cetkovská, marking her first loss of the year to someone other than Azarenka. In the final of the Brussels Open, Radwańska defeated Simona Halep in straight sets, winning her third WTA title of the year and tenth in her career. At the French Open, she defeated Venus Williams in the second round, but then fell in the third round to Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Radwańska reached her first career Grand Slam final at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Maria Kirilenko in the quarterfinals and Angelique Kerber in the semifinals, losing the championship match to Serena Williams in three sets. By advancing to the final, she became the first Polish player in the Open Era to reach the championship round of a Grand Slam singles tournament, and attained a new ranking of world no. 2.[3][19] Radwańska was the flag bearer for Poland in the 2012 Summer Olympics.[21] She lost in the opening round to Julia Görges.[22]

Radwańska was defeated in the fourth round of the 2012 US Open by Roberta Vinci. She again reached the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, losing in three sets to Nadia Petrova. She exited the China Open following a quarterfinal loss to Li Na; it was her third loss to the Chinese player this season.[19]

Rivalries

Radwańska vs. Zvonareva

Radwańska and Zvonareva following the 2011 Pan Pacific Open final.

Radwańska has a rivalry with Russian player Vera Zvonareva,[23][24] which began in 2007. Radwańska leads the series 4–2.[25]

Throughout their meetings, Radwańska has proven able to match Zvonareva's pace and movements around the court.[26] Zvonareva is considered the more powerful of the two, while Radwańska has been noted as more focused at times,[16][26] utilizing what Sports Illustrated's Courtney Nguyen dubbed "selective aggression" during the pair's 2011 matches.[27]

Their first match occurred during the 2007 Kremlin Cup, with Zvonareva winning in straight sets. The two did not play again until the 2011 season, when Radwańska won four of their five matches—including the finals of the Mercury Insurance Open and the Pan Pacific Open. Their final meeting of 2011 was an acclaimed match at the WTA Championships.[28][29] Trailing 3–5 in the third set, Radwańska saved three match points and went on to win 1–6, 6–2, 7–5. The victory marked her fourth straight win against Zvonareva, who she described as "very consistent and always tough to beat."[30]

Radwańska vs. Azarenka

Radwańska and Victoria Azarenka first played in 2006. Azarenka leads their head-to-head 11–3. During the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, Radwańska won their first meeting in straight sets. The two would go on to meet regularly in the following seasons, often in quarterfinal or semifinal matches. Throughout the first four months of 2012, the only player to defeat Radwańska was Azarenka.[19][31]

Playing style and equipment

Radwańska hitting a crouching forehand.

In 2012, Tom Perrotta of The Wall Street Journal called Radwańska "the most tactically sound, subtle tennis player in the world."[32]

Radwańska's game is founded on variety, mobility, and a tendency to anticipate her opponent's movements.[18] She often uses this style to construct rallies—either opening the court up for a winner, or prompting a surprised opponent to hit a misplaced return.[32][2] Her primary weapons include a mixture of slices and lobs, along with her ability to hit the ball at a variety of angles.[26][33] She also makes use of a disguised drop shot, often swung with the same motion as a normal stroke during a rally.[34] She is also noted for her crouching shots, during which she quickly drops in place to return or redirect a low ball, along with her use of an overhead backhand while on defense.[26][34]

Tennis commentators, including former pro Wojciech Fibak, have compared her playing style to that of Martina Hingis, with Fibak describing her as "a natural mover who understands the geometry of the court".[35] Radwańska has cited Hingis as an inspiration.[5] She and Hingis had their lone career meeting in 2007, with Radwańska winning in three sets.[36]

Radwańska uses Babolat Pure Drive Lite GT racquets, and is sponsored by Lotto apparel.[4]

Coaching team

In 2011, Radwańska began working with Fed Cup coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who replaced her father. Borna Bikic, a veteran coach on the WTA Tour, briefly joined them in 2012.[37]

Career statistics

Main article: Agnieszka Radwańska career statistics

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (0–1)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 2012 Wimbledon Grass United States Serena Williams 1–6, 7–5, 2–6

Singles performance timeline

Tournament 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 SR W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open A A A 2R QF 1R 3R QF QF 0 / 6 15–6
French Open A A A 1R 4R 4R 2R 4R 3R 0 / 6 12–6
Wimbledon A A 4R 3R QF QF 4R 2R F 0 / 7 23–7
US Open A A 2R 4R 4R 2R 2R 2R 4R 0 / 7 13–7
Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 7–2 6–4 14–4 8–4 7–4 9–4 15–4 0 / 26 66–26

Doubles performance timeline

Tournament 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 SR W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open 1R 1R 2R SF 3R 3R 0 / 6 9–6
French Open 3R 1R QF QF 1R 2R 0 / 6 9–6
Wimbledon 3R 2R 1R 2R 3R 3R 0 / 6 8–6
US Open 2R 1R 1R 3R SF A 0 / 5 7–5
Win–Loss 5–4 1–4 4–4 10–4 8–4 5–3 0 / 23 33–23

Awards

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