Nicole Bradtke

Last updated

Nicole Bradtke
Country (sports) Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Residence Melbourne
Born (1969-09-22) 22 September 1969 (age 55)
Melbourne, Australia
Turned pro1986
Retired1997
PlaysRight-handed (two handed backhand)
Prize money$1,298,912
Singles
Career record243–191
Career titles3 WTA, 4 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 24 (24 May 1993)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open 4R (1989, 1993)
French Open SF (1988)
Wimbledon 4R (1995)
US Open 3R (1987)
Doubles
Career record222–164
Career titles9 WTA
Highest rankingNo. 11 (6 April 1992)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open 3R (1992, 1996)
French Open SF (1988, 1990)
Wimbledon SF (1989)
US Open SF (1989)
Mixed doubles
Career titles2
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open W (1992)
French Open F (1990)
Wimbledon F (1987)
US Open W (1992)
Medal record
Olympic Games – Tennis
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1992 Barcelona Doubles

Nicole Bradtke (née Provis) (born 22 September 1969) is a retired professional tennis player from Australia.

Contents

Bradtke won three singles and nine doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She reached the semifinals of the 1988 French Open, and won a bronze medal in doubles at the 1992 Summer Olympics, partnering Rachel McQuillan. In mixed doubles, she reached four Grand Slam finals, winning two of those partnering Mark Woodforde. Bradtke reached career-high rankings of No. 24 in singles and No. 11 in doubles. She retired from professional tennis in 1997 after a shoulder injury.

Professional career

The young Nicole Provis (Bradtke) started playing tennis at the age of seven. Whilst still at school, she played her first professional tennis match in 1985, and made her debut at the Australian Open later that year. She found early success in mixed doubles, finishing runner-up at the 1987 Wimbledon Championships with Darren Cahill.

Bradtke burst into prominence in 1988, when she made the semifinals of the French Open as a relative unknown. She beat Sybille Niox-Château, Emmanuelle Derly before defeating two seeded players, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch and Sylvia Hanika, as well as Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (who had earlier beaten Chris Evert) before losing to Natasha Zvereva, despite holding two match points.

In early 1989, she reached the top 30, but failed to fulfill her early promise and quickly settled into the lower top 100 range, despite making further fourth rounds at the 1989 Australian Open and the 1990 French Open and winning her first title at home in Brisbane in 1992.

She then went on to great success in mixed doubles, winning both the 1992 Australian Open and the 1992 US Open with her partner, Mark Woodforde; and women's doubles, earning a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

She enjoyed a minor resurgence in singles in 1993, winning her second tour title in Kuala Lumpur and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. She also earned her biggest career victory during that year, beating world No. 1 Steffi Graf in a Fed Cup tie. [1] Bradtke later helped Australia to reach the final, where they lost to the Spanish team.

After playing only eight events in 1994, she dropped out of the top 100, before recovering in 1995, earning another big victory over Gabriela Sabatini at the tournament in Berlin and returning to the top 40 in the world.

Bradtke retired after the 1997 Australian Open.

Personal life

She is married to Mark Bradtke, a former Australian professional basketball player, since 1994. Together they have two boys, Austin (born 2000) and Jensen (born 2004), and run an indoor sports centre in Melbourne. She previously served as a coach for the Australian Fed Cup team, as well as undertaking private coaching. She has worked with fellow Australians Samantha Stosur and Alicia Molik. In 2007, she joined the National High Performance Academy team.

Her sister Natasha is married to Todd Woodbridge, making him her brother-in-law. [2]

Her eldest son Austin was selected by the Melbourne Football Club as a category B rookie in 2019 but delisted in 2021 without playing a senior game. [3]

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss 1987 Wimbledon Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Darren Cahill Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jo Durie
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jeremy Bates
7–6(12–10), 6–3
Loss 1990 French Open Clay Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Danie Visser Flag of Spain.svg Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Flag of Mexico.svg Jorge Lozano
7–6(7–5), 7–6(10–8)
Win 1992 Australian Open Hard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Woodforde Flag of Spain.svg Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Todd Woodbridge
6–3, 4–6, 11–9
Win 1992 US Open Hard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Woodforde Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Helena Suková
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tom Nijssen
4–6, 6–3, 6–3

WTA career finals

Singles (3–1)

Legend
Grand Slam (0)
Tour Championships (0)
Tier I (0)
Tier II (0)
Tier III (0)
Tier IV (3)
Tier V (0)
ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Jan 1992 Brisbane, AustraliaHard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rachel McQuillan 6–3, 6–2
Win2–0Apr 1993 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaHard (i) Flag of the United States.svg Ann Grossman 6–3, 6–2
Loss2–1 May 1993 Lucerne, SwitzerlandClay Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport 1–6, 6–4, 2–6
Win3–1 Jan 1995 Auckland, New ZealandHard Flag of the United States.svg Ginger Helgeson 3–6, 6–2, 6–1

Doubles (9–4)

Legend
Grand Slam (0)
Tour Championships (0)
Tier I (1)
Tier II (0)
Tier III (1)
Tier IV (5)
Tier V (2)
ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0 May 1988 Strasbourg, FranceClay Flag of the Netherlands.svg Manon Bollegraf Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jenny Byrne
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Janine Thompson
7–5, 6–7(11–13), 6–3
Win2–0 Aug 1989 Albuquerque, USHard Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Elna Reinach Flag of Italy.svg Raffaella Reggi
Flag of Spain.svg Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
4–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win3–0 May 1990 Berlin, West GermanyClay Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Elna Reinach Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hana Mandlíková
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jana Novotná
6–2, 6–1
Win4–0 May 1990 Strasbourg, FranceClay Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Elna Reinach Flag of the United States.svg Kathy Jordan
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Elizabeth Smylie
6–1, 6–4
Loss4–1 May 1991 Rome, ItalyClay Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Elna Reinach Flag of the United States.svg Jennifer Capriati
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Monica Seles
5–7, 2–6
Loss4–2 May 1991 Berlin, GermanyClay Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Elna Reinach Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Larisa Savchenko
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Natalia Zvereva
3–6, 3–6
Win5–2 May 1991 Geneva, SwitzerlandClay Flag of Australia (converted).svg Elizabeth Smylie Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Cathy Caverzasio
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Manuela Maleeva
6–1, 6–2
Win6–2 Jun 1991 Birmingham, UKGrass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Elizabeth Smylie Flag of the United States.svg Sandy Collins
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Elna Reinach
6–3, 6–4
Loss6–3Jan 1992 Brisbane, AustraliaHard Flag of the Netherlands.svg Manon Bollegraf Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jana Novotná
Flag of Latvia.svg Larisa Neiland
4–6, 3–6
Win7–3 Feb 1992 Oklahoma, USHard (i) Flag of the United States.svg Lori McNeil Flag of the United States.svg Katrina Adams
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Manon Bollegraf
3–6, 6–4, 7–6(8–6)
Win8–3Jan 1993Melbourne, AustraliaHard Flag of France.svg Nathalie Tauziat Flag of the United States.svg Cammy MacGregor
Flag of the United States.svg Shaun Stafford
1–6, 6–3, 6–3
Loss8–4 Jun 1995 Birmingham, UKGrass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kristine Kunce Flag of the Netherlands.svg Manon Bollegraf
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rennae Stubbs
6–3, 4–6, 4–6
Win9–4 May 1996 Strasbourg, FranceClay Flag of Indonesia.svg Yayuk Basuki Flag of the United States.svg Marianne Witmeyer
Flag of the United States.svg Tami Jones
5–7, 6–4, 6–4

ITF Circuit finals

Singles (4–0)

$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1.31 October 1986 Sydney, AustraliaHard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michelle Bowrey 6–3, 6–3
Win2.3 December 1989 Melbourne, AustraliaHard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kate McDonald 1–6, 6–0, 7–5
Win3.27 November 1994 Bendigo, AustraliaHard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Annabel Ellwood 6–4, 6–7, 6–2
Win4.17 December 1995 Nuriootpa, AustraliaHard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rachel McQuillan 7–5, 6–0

Doubles (0–1)

ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1.31 October 1986 Sydney, AustraliaHard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Louise Field Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michelle Jaggard-Lai
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lisa O'Neill
w/o

References

  1. "Bookies favour Stosur to lift French Open crown".
  2. Daffey, Paul (13 February 2005). "Best sporting love matches". The Age. Melbourne.
  3. Cleary, Mitch (23 May 2018). "Demons win race for sporting thoroughbred". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 3 August 2018.