She is the first Polish female tennis player competing in the Open Era to reach the Top 50 on the WTA ranking. Her highest career singles ranking is world No. 47, which she achieved in September 1995. She is also the first Polish female tennis player to represent her country at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Katarzyna is considered as a precursor of professional tennis in Poland. She was competing in an extremely unfavorable political and economic situation in the hard years last decade of communist rules and the early transformation period.
Katarzyna Nowak is the only Polish tennis player whose career continued through one of the most difficult periods in Polish history: martial law 1981-1983, political and economical sanctions, the fall of Communism and the first years of Poland's transformation.
Her results and success have contributed to the beginning of building the professional structures of tennis in Poland. Her determination, courageous attitude, and fight was a great inspiration for the next generation growing and leaving in a free democratic Poland. She represented Poland throughout her career, and despite the adversities that severely limited the development of her international career, she never decided to leave the country. She always represented her country with dignity and returned to Poland, despite all obstacles and inconveniences.[2]
She is also recognized as a symbol of the era of the Polish tennis breakthrough, which occurred following the fall of communism and the political transformation of the country from the Polish People's Republic to the Third Republic of Poland.
Early life and tennis career
She began playing at the times of the hard rules of the communist period in Poland: tennis was considered by the authorities as a sport reserved for the elite and was not profitable because it was not among the Olympic sports then.[3]
Poland was facing economic catastrophe until the fall of Communism.[4]
In 1979, at age 10, Katarzyna was encouraged to start playing tennis by her father Stanisław, a former soccer player of Start Łódź and a great sports enthusiast. Her mother Maria, an economist, was also very supportive of her.
As a girl, Katarzyna showed a lot of strength, determination and full engagement, which quickly drew the attention of the Polish Tennis Federation who placed her on the national team at the age of 14. She became a national champion in all age categories, winning two titles in 16-and-under competitions as well as four titles in 18-and-under.
As a junior, Katarzyna had difficulties traveling because of the political situation in Poland. At first, she could not obtain visas for the United States or Australia and after each tournament abroad, she had to return to Poland to get another visa. As a result, she could not play as many tournaments as her opponents, maybe half of what the others were doing.
Each tournament was like an adventure. For instance, invited to the Jal Cup, she went alone to Tokyo where she reached the semi-finals. Or she arrived in Paris only on Sunday evening to play her first round of the French Open junior tournament on Monday!
She was already 18 years old, in her last junior year, when she had the opportunity to obtain all the necessary visas. In spite of all these difficulties, Katarzyna won eight titles and was runner up in 4 tournaments on the ITF Junior Tour. She won 18 and under tournaments in Umag, Mexico, San Juan Puerto Rico, San Jose Costa Rica, Tashkent, Katowice, Nyiregyhaza and in Czechoslovakia.
She advanced to quarter-finals of the 18 and under European Championships in Lisbon. In 1987 she was ranked 7th in the world ITF Junior ranking.
Due to the economic situation in Poland in the early 80s, Katarzyna was not able to combine her junior career with competition at the professional level which was the natural norm for other junior tennis players around the world.
After winning three rounds of qualifications at French Open, she qualified to the second round in 1994 – losing to Lindsay Davenport, future world No. 1.
She also qualified and advanced to the third round in 1995 – losing to Kimiko Date, No. 4 at the WTA.
Nowak also reached the second round of Wimbledon in 1992.
In the years 1988-1995, she was the leader of the Polish Billie Jean King Cup’s Team in: Melbourne (1988), Tokyo (1989), Atlanta (1990), Nottingham (1991), Frankfurt (1992-1994) and Barcelona (1995).
She played her first match for the Polish team in 1988 in Melbourne where Italy dominated Poland 2-1. Nowak beat Laura Garrone to score her team’s only point.
In 1991, the Polish team defeated six seeded France, with Katarzyna Nowak beating Nathalie Tauziat, a future Wimbledon runner-up.
The best result came one year later in Frankfurt: Katarzyna Nowak, Magdalena Mróz and Katarzyna Teodorowicz advanced to the Fed Cup quarter-finals for the first time in history, winning against Sweden and Israel.
As the N°1 in her team, Katarzyna Nowak defeated Catarina Lindqvist and Anna Smashnova. This success was only repeated by one other Polish team in 2015. Nowak won a total of 9 singles matches in Fed Cup.
Her best achievements in Poland
She won 7 Polish championship titles in senior and was nominated the best Polish tennis player in years 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995.
The end of her career
She retired from the professional tour in 1998 due to back pain.
She has been a tennis commentator and expert on the Polsat Sport Television from 2004 to 2022, commentating on the biggest tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon, Miami Open, Indian Wells, Rolex Monte Carlo, Internacjonale di Italia Rome, French Open, Rolex Szanghaj, Cincinnati Open...
As a tennis expert and analyst Katarzyna gives regularly her wild and rich comments and opinion to such a media as: Przegląd Sportowy, Polish Radio, Tennis Magazyn, Wprost, PAP, Onet.pl and others. Her multhitreading anlisys are built on a 45 years knowled and experiences as a tennis player and on more than 20 years working in media .
Awards and distinctions
In 2021, for the 100th anniversary of the Polish Tennis Federation, she was awarded an Order of Rebirth of Poland for her outstanding sport achievements in such a difficult period, her pioneer role and civic action for the development and promotion of sport.
In 2025 during Billie Jean King Cup in Gorzów Wielkopolski Katarzyna was honourd by president of Polish Tennis Federation a special statuette for servicess to the Polish national team and to the development and popularization of tennis in Poland.
In 2015, she received an award for her extreme commitment and for contributing to Polsat Sport 1 as the best sports channel in Poland
Mentor and motivating speaker
Using expertise knowledge and experience from the whole carrera in wchich besides technical and strategic skills she mastered a mental strength on a top world level. As a mentor , Katarzyna used to support kids and teenager to develope a verious skills, but mainly was concetrating on their emontional and mental part as a esencjalne of success.
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