Country (sports) | Zimbabwe |
---|---|
Residence | London, England |
Born | Harare, Zimbabwe | 17 February 1979
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
Turned pro | 1998 |
Retired | 2015 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Prize money | US$7,687,467 |
Singles | |
Career record | 312–241 |
Career titles | 1 WTA, 6 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 31 (15 March 1999) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | 2R (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004) |
French Open | 4R (2001) |
Wimbledon | 3R (1998, 2003, 2005) |
US Open | 2R (1998, 2002, 2004) |
Other tournaments | |
Olympic Games | 2R (2004) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 750–305 |
Career titles | 60 WTA, 11 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 1 (17 October 2005) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (2007) |
French Open | F (2005) |
Wimbledon | W (2004, 2005, 2007) |
US Open | W (2008) |
Other doubles tournaments | |
Tour Finals | W (2007, 2008, 2014) |
Mixed doubles | |
Career record | 88–48 |
Career titles | 5 |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (2010) |
French Open | W (2002) |
Wimbledon | W (2004, 2010) |
US Open | W (2008) |
Cara Cavell Black (born 17 February 1979) is a Zimbabwean former professional tennis player. Black was primarily a doubles specialist, winning 60 WTA Tour and 11 ITF doubles titles. A former doubles world No. 1, she won ten major titles. By winning the 2010 Australian Open mixed doubles title, Black became the third woman in the Open Era to complete the career Grand Slam in mixed doubles (after Martina Navratilova and Daniela Hantuchová). Having also won one singles title on the WTA Tour, Black peaked at world No. 31 in the singles rankings in March 1999. [1]
Black was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) to Donald and Velia Black. Her father and older brothers, Wayne and Byron Black, were all professional tennis players themselves. The siblings all competed mostly in doubles – Wayne was the 2001 US Open and 2005 Australian Open champion [2] and Byron was the 1994 French Open winner. [3]
Black partnered with her brother Wayne to win the 2002 French Open and 2004 Wimbledon Championships mixed-doubles events. Black has also engaged in long-term partnerships with Irina Selyutina, Elena Likhovtseva, Rennae Stubbs, Liezel Huber, and most recently Sania Mirza.
In August 2005, Black announced that she would marry her longtime boyfriend, Australian mental and fitness trainer Brett Stephens. [4] The couple's son was born in 2012 following her break from tennis after Wimbledon 2011. [5]
Cara has won five Grand Slam women's doubles titles in her career: Wimbledon 2004, 2005, and 2007; Australian Open 2007; and US Open 2008. She reached the 2000 US Open doubles final with Elena Likhovtseva. She has also won five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, two of them partnering with her brother Wayne: the 2002 French Open and the 2004 Wimbledon Championships (they reached the final of the 2004 French Open and the semifinals of the 2003 French Open and 2003 US Open). She won three further titles in partnership with Leander Paes: the 2008 US Open, the 2010 Australian Open and the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.
From 1996 through to 2000, Black's debut years, she won 8 ITF doubles titles, 1 WTA doubles title in Auckland, and 4 ITF singles titles.
Her only WTA singles title came at Waikoloa in 2002. She also won a big ITF doubles tournament in Santa Clara in 1999. In November 2005, Black was runner-up in the WTA Championships doubles title. Australian Samantha Stosur and American Lisa Raymond defeated Australian Rennae Stubbs and Black 6–7 (5–7), 7–5, 6–4. [6]
In 2007, Black came back to partner Liezel Huber. They won the 2007 Australian Open and Wimbledon. The team ended the year as the number one team, winning the year-end championships over Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama 5–7, 6–3, [10–8]. [7]
Black represented Zimbabwe at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. [8] She lost to 2nd seeded Jelena Janković from Serbia in the first round on 11 August 2008. She teamed up with Leander Paes from India for the mixed doubles at the US Open, triumphing over Liezel Huber and Jamie Murray in the finals.
In 2009, she won five doubles titles leading to the year-end championships in Doha, Qatar.
Black started 2010 strongly by winning two tournaments leading up to the Australian Open, coming to the slam with an unbeaten record. Black made it to the finals in both the women's doubles and mixed doubles. She and Huber lost the women's doubles final to Venus and Serena Williams in straight sets, 4–6, 3–6. However, she and Leander Paes won the mixed doubles in straight sets. The victory marked Black's first mixed doubles victory at the Australian Open. The victory also completed a 'Career Grand Slam' in mixed doubles.
Black and Huber broke up as exclusive doubles partners in April 2010. Since then, Black has partnered with Shahar Pe'er, Elena Vesnina, Yan Zi, Lisa Raymond, Daniela Hantuchová, Marina Erakovic, and Anastasia Rodionova. Even though she made the final of Warsaw and won a small tournament in Birmingham, she mostly achieved modest results after the break-up. Partnering with Vesnina and Hantuchová respectively, she lost in the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon. Partnering with Rodionova, she lost in the semifinals of the US Open to eventual champions Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova. Black then missed all tournaments following the US Open and did not qualify for the WTA Championships for the first time since 1999. Black ended 2010 ranked 13th in doubles, the first time she finished a year outside the top 10 since 2000.
However, Black continued her successful partnership with Paes in 2010 as the pair won the mixed-doubles title at Wimbledon and reached the quarterfinals at the US Open.
Entering the 2011 season, Black continued her partnership with Australian Anastasia Rodionova where they reached the semifinal of the Brisbane International and lost in the first round of Sydney International.
During the Australian Open, Black and Rodionova were seeded fifth and reached the quarterfinals where they lost to Huber and Nadia Petrova. In mixed doubles, Black partnered with Leander Paes and they were seeded fourth. They were eliminated in the second round by Chan Yung-jan and Paul Hanley in a tight straight sets loss, 6–7, 6–7. Despite Black being eliminated from both doubles and mixed doubles, Black was a sideline commentator for Seven, including the grand final for ladies doubles, and was present for former doubles partner Rennae Stubbs's speech.
Then, Black did not play until June, where she returned at the ITF Nottingham. She paired-up with Russian Arina Rodionova. She was eliminated in the first round. Her next tournament was the Nottingham Challenge where she made it to the quarterfinals alongside British Sarah Borwell. Then, at the Eastbourne International, she and Israeli Shahar Pe'er were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Going into the Wimbledon Championships, she lost in her third round match to eventual champions Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. In mixed doubles, she lost in the quarterfinals with Indian Leander Paes against Daniel Nestor and Yung-Jan Chan.
Black did not compete on the WTA Tour during 2012, and began playing again in October on two $25k events in Australia with Arina Rodionova. The pair won the title in Traralgon, defeating Ashleigh Barty and Sally Peers in the final. However, Black and Rodionova lost to the same team in the finals of Bendigo the following week. She finished the year ranked outside the world's top 600.
During the 2013 season, Black had a significant comeback, as she returned to the WTA Tour at the Auckland Open, partnering Anastasia Rodionova in doubles. The pair managed to defeat the top three seeds to win the doubles title, Black's first WTA doubles title with Rodionova, and her first doubles title since 2010. Black and Rodionova lost in the 3rd round of the Australian Open, and won only one match between Indian Wells and Miami, after which the two parted ways. During the clay court season, Black began playing alongside Marina Erakovic, and they made an immediate impact, reaching the finals of the Premier Mandatory tournament in Madrid, as well as in Strasbourg. At the French Open, the pair reached the quarterfinals before losing to second seeds Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká. Despite reaching the final of the Birmingham Classic, Black and Erakovic went out in the second round of Wimbledon. After losing their opening match in Cincinnati, the pair reached the third round of the US Open, losing to Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia.
Black began working with Sania Mirza in September, with whom she ended up winning back to back Premier-5 tournaments in the far east. In Tokyo, Black and Mirza defeated the top seeded team of Hsieh Su-wei and Peng Shuai in the semifinals before taking out Chan Hao-ching and Liezel Huber. It was Black's first Premier 5 title since 2009, and her second of the season. This was immediately followed by a win at the China Open, where en route to the final, they once again took out the top seeds of world number 1 team Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the semifinals, before defeating Vera Dushevina and Arantxa Parra Santonja in the final. It was the first time since 2010 that Black had won back-to-back doubles titles, and it took her back up into the world's top 20, finishing the year ranked number 13 in the world.
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 2000 | US Open | Hard | Elena Likhovtseva | Julie Halard-Decugis Ai Sugiyama | 0–6, 6–1, 1–6 |
Winner | 2004 | Wimbledon | Grass | Rennae Stubbs | Liezel Huber Ai Sugiyama | 6–3, 7–6(7–5) |
Runner-up | 2005 | French Open | Clay | Liezel Huber | Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–4, 3–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 2005 | Wimbledon | Grass | Liezel Huber | Svetlana Kuznetsova Amélie Mauresmo | 6–2, 6–1 |
Winner | 2007 | Australian Open | Hard | Liezel Huber | Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung | 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–1 |
Winner | 2007 | Wimbledon | Grass | Liezel Huber | Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
Winner | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Liezel Huber | Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur | 6–3, 7–6(10–8) |
Runner-up | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Liezel Huber | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 2–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 2010 | Australian Open | Hard | Liezel Huber | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 4–6, 3–6 |
By winning the 2010 Australian Open title, Black completed the mixed doubles Career Grand Slam. She became the sixth female player in history to achieve this.
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2002 | French Open | Clay | Wayne Black | Elena Bovina Mark Knowles | 6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2004 | French Open | Clay | Wayne Black | Tatiana Golovin Richard Gasquet | 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 2004 | Wimbledon | Grass | Wayne Black | Alicia Molik Todd Woodbridge | 3–6, 7–6(10–8), 6–4 |
Winner | 2008 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Liezel Huber Jamie Murray | 7–6(8–6), 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2009 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes | Anna-Lena Grönefeld Mark Knowles | 5–7, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Carly Gullickson Travis Parrot | 2–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 2010 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Ekaterina Makarova Jaroslav Levinský | 7–5, 6–3 |
Winner | 2010 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes | Lisa Raymond Wesley Moodie | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) |
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | SR | W–L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | Absent | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | QF | W | QF | QF | F | QF | A | 3R | QF | 1 / 15 | 31–14 | |||||
French Open | Absent | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | SF | 3R | F | QF | SF | SF | SF | 3R | A | A | QF | QF | 0 / 14 | 38–14 | |||||
Wimbledon | Absent | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | SF | 3R | W | W | SF | W | SF | SF | 3R | 3R | A | 2R | 2R | 3 / 16 | 43–13 | ||||
US Open | Absent | 1R | 1R | F | SF | SF | SF | 3R | QF | QF | 2R | W | F | SF | A | A | 3R | SF | 1 / 15 | 46–14 | ||||
Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 10–4 | 12–4 | 10–3 | 15–3 | 12–4 | 17–2 | 17–3 | 14–4 | 13–4 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 8–4 | 11–4 | 5 / 60 | 158–55 |
Year-end championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tour Championships | Absent | QF | F | F | SF | F | F | F | W | W | F | A | A | A | A | W | 3 / 11 | 15–8 | ||||||
Career statistics | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | No. | |
Titles | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 71 | |
Finals reached | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 124 | |
Overall W–L | 1–1 | 6–1 | 9–2 | 16–7 | 19–7 | 18–19 | 28–26 | 32–21 | 52–18 | 46–19 | 48–24 | 45–15 | 59–18 | 43–19 | 69–14 | 66–14 | 49–16 | 41–16 | 9–7 | 7–1 | 38–17 | 49–21 | 750–303 | |
Year-end ranking | – | – | 479 | 306 | 159 | 78 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 77 | 497 | 13 | 4 | No. 1 | |
Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Career SR | Career win–loss |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | W | 2R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1 / 15 | 16–14 |
French Open | A | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | W | SF | F | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | A | SF | 2R | A | 1 / 14 | 23–13 |
Wimbledon | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 3R | W | 2R | SF | QF | 3R | F | W | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2 / 16 | 38–14 |
US Open | A | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | SF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | W | F | QF | A | 1R | QF | A | 1 / 14 | 24–13 |
Grand Slam MDR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 2 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 5 / 60 | N / A |
Grand Slam W–L | 2–1 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 3–4 | 11–3 | 12–3 | 8–4 | 6–4 | 3–4 | 11–3 | 10–4 | 14–2 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | N / A | 101–54 |
Martina Hingis is a Swiss former professional tennis player. Hingis was the first Swiss player, male or female, to win a major title and to attain a world No. 1 ranking. She spent a total of 209 weeks as the singles world No. 1 and 90 weeks as doubles world No. 1, holding both No. 1 rankings simultaneously for 29 weeks. She won five major singles titles, 13 major women's doubles titles, and seven major mixed doubles titles, for a combined total of 25 major titles. In addition, she won the season-ending WTA Finals two times in singles and three in doubles, an Olympic silver medal in doubles, and a record 17 Tier I singles titles.
Sania Mirza is an Indian former professional tennis player. A former doubles world No. 1, she won six major titles – three in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 until her retirement from singles in 2013, she was ranked by the Women's Tennis Association as the No. 1 Indian in singles. Throughout her career, Mirza has established herself as one of the most known, highest-paid, and influential athletes in India.
Ai Sugiyama is a Japanese former tennis player. She reached the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles on the WTA Tour and had a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. In her career, she won six singles and 38 doubles titles, including three Grand Slam titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. Sugiyama held the all-time record, for both male and female players, for her 62 consecutive Grand Slam main-draw appearances, until she was surpassed by Roger Federer at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships.
Lisa Raymond is an American former professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. Raymond has eleven major titles to her name: six in women's doubles and five in mixed doubles. On June 12, 2000, she reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles for the first time, becoming the 13th player to reach the milestone. Raymond was ranked No. 1 on five separate occasions in her career over a combined total of 137 weeks and finished as the year-end No. 1 doubles player in both 2001 and 2006. She currently holds the record of most doubles match wins (860) and most doubles matches played (1,206) in WTA history, and earned more than $10 million in prize money in her career.
Nirupama Sanjeev is an Indian former professional tennis player. In the 1998 Australian Open, Sanjeev became the second Indian woman in the Open era to feature in a major main draw, the first one in singles, and the first to win a major match, defeating Gloria Pizzichini. She also won the bronze medal at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games in mixed doubles, partnering Mahesh Bhupathi. Sanjeev was the first Indian woman to enter the top 200 of the rankings in singles.
Liezel Huber is a South African-American retired tennis player who represented the United States internationally since August 2007. Huber has won four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles with partner Cara Black, one with Lisa Raymond, and two mixed doubles titles with Bob Bryan. On 12 November 2007, she became the co-world No. 1 in doubles with Cara Black. On 19 April 2010, Huber became the sole No. 1 for the first time in her career.
Iveta Benešová is a Czech former tennis player. She began playing tennis aged seven and turned professional in 1998. She won two WTA Tour singles and 14 doubles tournaments, and one Grand Slam title in mixed doubles, partnered with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. On 14 September 2012, she married Melzer and adopted his family name. She announced her retirement from tennis on 13 August 2014.
Vania King is a retired American tennis player. A former top-10 doubles player, King won both the Wimbledon and US Open women's doubles titles in 2010 with partner Yaroslava Shvedova, with whom she also reached the final of the 2011 US Open. She won a total of 15 doubles titles on the WTA Tour and reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world. She also ended runner-up in the mixed-doubles final at the French Open in 2009, with Marcelo Melo.
Anastasia Ivanovna Rodionova is a Russian-born Australian former professional tennis player.
Latisha Chan, formerly known by her Chinese name Chan Yung-jan, is a Taiwanese professional tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in doubles. She has won 33 career titles in doubles, including a Grand Slam title at the 2017 US Open alongside Martina Hingis, as well as nine at WTA 1000-level. Chan also finished runner-up at three other Grand Slam events, the 2007 and 2015 Australian Open, and the 2007 US Open. In mixed doubles, she has won three Grand Slam titles: the 2018 French Open, 2019 French Open, and 2019 Wimbledon Championships, all with Ivan Dodig. Highlights of her singles career include reaching the semifinals at the 2006 Japan Open and the final at the Bangkok Open in 2007. She reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 50 on 11 June 2007, and became world No. 1 in doubles on 23 October 2017, the second Taiwanese player to do so, after Hsieh Su-wei. She again topped the doubles rankings on 13 August 2018, and has spent a total of 34 weeks as world No. 1.
Casey Dellacqua is an Australian former professional tennis player and current commentator. Her best singles results on the WTA Tour have been semifinal appearances at the 2012 Texas Tennis Open and 2014 Birmingham Classic, a quarterfinal finish at the 2014 Indian Wells Open and fourth round appearances at the 2008 Australian Open, the 2014 Australian Open and the 2014 US Open; she also won 22 ITF singles titles.
Elena Likhovtseva and Daniel Nestor won the mixed doubles title at the 2007 Australian Open tennis tournament, defeating Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi in the final 6–4, 6–4.
Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 in doubles with nine Grand Slam titles, she is regarded as one of the most successful and versatile doubles players in history. She also reached world No. 23 in singles, and is the highest-ranked Taiwanese player in history in both singles and doubles. She is known for playing with two hands on both sides, flat and quick groundstrokes, crafty and wily gameplay, aggressive volleys, and unorthodox variety of shots.
Jamie Murray and Jelena Janković defeated Jonas Björkman and Alicia Molik in the final, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 to win the mixed doubles tennis title at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships. Murray became the first British champion of a senior Wimbledon title since Jeremy Bates and Jo Durie won the same title at the 1987 Championships. This was the first and only Grand Slam title won by Janković in her career, and she became the first Serbian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament.
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2008 tennis season. The 2008 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup, the year-end championships, and the tennis event at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year.
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2009. Primarily, it provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.
Cara Black and Leander Paes were the defending champions, but they lost in the second round to Chan Yung-jan and Paul Hanley.
Leander Adrian Paes is an Indian former professional tennis player. He is regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all-time and holds the record for the most doubles wins in the Davis Cup. Paes won eight men's doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. He made a total of 34 Grand Slam finals across men's and mixed doubles in his career which is the joint 2nd highest of all-time among men. He holds a career Grand Slam in men's doubles and mixed doubles making him one of only three men in the Open era to achieve this distinction and won the rare men's/mixed double at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships. Paes, together with Mahesh Bhupathi, were the first pair in Open era history to reach the men's doubles finals of all 4 Grand Slams in the same calendar year (1999).
Mahesh Bhupathi and Elena Likhovtseva were the defending champions but decided not to play together. Bhupathi played with Paola Suárez and lost in third round to Nenad Zimonjić and Iroda Tulyaganova, while Likhovtseva competed with Bob Bryan and lost in second round to Andy Ram and Anastasia Rodionova.