Country (sports) | Soviet Union (1988–1991) Belarus (from 1992) | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residence | Minsk, Belarus | ||||||||||||||
Born | Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union | 16 April 1971||||||||||||||
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||
Turned pro | May 1988 | ||||||||||||||
Retired | 2002 | ||||||||||||||
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | ||||||||||||||
Prize money | US$7,792,503 | ||||||||||||||
Int. Tennis HoF | 2010 (member page) | ||||||||||||||
Singles | |||||||||||||||
Career record | 434–252 | ||||||||||||||
Career titles | 4 WTA, 3 ITF | ||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | No. 5 (22 May 1989) | ||||||||||||||
Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||||||||
Australian Open | QF (1995) | ||||||||||||||
French Open | F (1988) | ||||||||||||||
Wimbledon | SF (1998) | ||||||||||||||
US Open | QF (1993) | ||||||||||||||
Doubles | |||||||||||||||
Career record | 714–170 | ||||||||||||||
Career titles | 80 WTA, 3 ITF | ||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | No. 1 (7 October 1991) | ||||||||||||||
Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||||||||
Australian Open | W (1993, 1994, 1997) | ||||||||||||||
French Open | W (1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997) | ||||||||||||||
Wimbledon | W (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997) | ||||||||||||||
US Open | W (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996) | ||||||||||||||
Other doubles tournaments | |||||||||||||||
Tour Finals | W (1993, 1994, 1998) | ||||||||||||||
Olympic Games | Bronze medal (1992) | ||||||||||||||
Mixed doubles | |||||||||||||||
Career titles | 2 | ||||||||||||||
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |||||||||||||||
Australian Open | W (1990, 1995) | ||||||||||||||
Wimbledon | F (1991) | ||||||||||||||
US Open | F (1990) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Natasha Zvereva, or Zverava,[1] (born Natallya Maratawna Zverava; Belarusian: Наталля Маратаўна Зверава; 16 April 1971) is a former professional tennis player from Belarus. She was the first major athlete in the Soviet Union to demand publicly that she should be able to keep her tournament earnings.[2] The team of Zvereva and Gigi Fernández won more women's doubles titles and Grand Slam women's doubles championships than any other team since that of Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver.[3][4]
On 12 July 2010, Zvereva was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame alongside Fernández.
Zvereva used a baseline, counter-punching style centered around topspin and her double-handed backhand. She had great hands,[5] used a variety of spins, and was willing to rush the net and volley.[6] Though Zvereva's talent was never in doubt, she often suffered from lapses in concentration during matches and in her confidence as a singles player.[7][8]
As a junior, Zvereva won the Wimbledon girls singles title in 1986, defeating Leila Meskhi in the final 2–6, 6–2, 9–7. Zvereva also won the US Open girls singles championship in 1987, beating Sandra Birch in the final 6–0, 6–3.
After turning pro, Zvereva won four WTA Tour singles titles and 80 WTA Tour doubles titles, 18 of them n Grand Slam tournaments: five at Wimbledon, four at the US Open, five at the French Open, and four at the Australian Open. She won those Grand Slam doubles titles with four different partners: Gigi Fernández, Martina Hingis, Pam Shriver, and Larisa Savchenko Neiland. She achieved non-calendar year Grand Slams twice: in 1992-93 with Fernández and in 1996-97 with Fernández (three tournaments) and Hingis (Australia).
In addition to her Grand Slam doubles titles, Zvereva teamed with Meskhi to win a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Although Zvereva was a highly accomplished doubles player, and considered by some to be one of the best doubles players of all time[citation needed], she had limited success in singles. Nevertheless in 1988 at only the age of 17, she made her sole grand slam singles final at the French Open beating Martina Navratilova en route. In a highly publicized final, she lost to Steffi Graf 6–0, 6–0 in only 34[9][10][11] minutes (the shortest and most one-side Grand Slam final ever). Graf went on to win all four Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal that year.
Zvereva is one of the few players to have beaten both Graf and Monica Seles, both former world number 1's, in the same Grand Slam singles tournament. Ten years later at Wimbledon in 1998, Zvereva finally defeated the fourth seeded Graf in the third round 6–4, 7–5 and also the sixth seeded Seles in a quarterfinal 7–6(4), 6–2. This was also notable because it was Zvereva's sole win over Graf in 21 career singles matches.[12] She lost in the semi-finals to Nathalie Tauziat which was to be her second best career grand slam singles result. Starting with the French Open in 1987 and extending through Wimbledon in 2000, Zvereva played in 51 of the 54 Grand Slam singles tournaments held, reaching the quarterfinals or better eight times.
In addition to her Grand Slam women's doubles titles, Zvereva twice won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open. She partnered with Jim Pugh to win the title in 1990 and with Rick Leach in 1995.
Zvereva retired from professional tennis in 2003. Her last appearance in a Grand Slam Tournament was in Wimbledon 2002, where she lost on the first round to Marlene Weingärtner 6–4, 3–6, 2–6. She played in the invitational doubles event in 2007.
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1988 | French Open | Clay | Steffi Graf | 0–6, 0–6 |
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1988 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Larisa Savchenko | Steffi Graf Gabriela Sabatini |
3–6, 6–1, 10–12 |
Winner | 1989 | French Open (1) | Clay | Larisa Savchenko | Steffi Graf Gabriela Sabatini |
6–4, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 1989 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Larisa Savchenko | Jana Novotná Helena Suková |
1–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 1990 | French Open (1) | Clay | Larisa Savchenko-Neiland | Jana Novotná Helena Suková |
4–6, 5–7 |
Runner-up | 1991 | French Open (2) | Clay | Larisa Savchenko-Neiland | Gigi Fernández Jana Novotná |
4–6, 0–6 |
Winner | 1991 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Larisa Savchenko-Neiland | Gigi Fernández Jana Novotná |
6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 1991 | US Open (1) | Hard | Pam Shriver | Jana Novotná Larisa Neiland |
6–4, 4–6, 7–6(7–5) |
Winner | 1992 | French Open (2) | Clay | Gigi Fernández | Conchita Martínez Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
6–3, 6–2 |
Winner | 1992 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Larisa Neiland |
6–4, 6–1 |
Winner | 1992 | US Open (2) | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Larisa Neiland |
7–6(7–4), 6–1 |
Winner | 1993 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Pam Shriver Elizabeth Smylie |
6–4, 6–3 |
Winner | 1993 | French Open (3) | Clay | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Larisa Neiland |
6–3, 7–5 |
Winner | 1993 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Larisa Neiland |
6–4, 6–7(9–11), 6–4 |
Winner | 1994 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Patty Fendick Meredith McGrath |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 1994 | French Open (4) | Clay | Gigi Fernández | Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond |
6–2, 6–2 |
Winner | 1994 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
6–4, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 1995 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
3–6, 7–6(7–3), 4–6 |
Winner | 1995 | French Open (5) | Clay | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
6–7(6–8), 6–4, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 1995 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
7–5, 5–7, 4–6 |
Winner | 1995 | US Open (3) | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Brenda Schultz Rennae Stubbs |
7–5, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 1996 | French Open (3) | Clay | Gigi Fernández | Lindsay Davenport Mary Joe Fernandez |
2–6, 1–6 |
Winner | 1996 | US Open (4) | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
1–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
Winner | 1997 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Martina Hingis | Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond |
6–2, 6–2 |
Winner | 1997 | French Open (6) | Clay | Gigi Fernández | Mary Joe Fernandez Lisa Raymond |
6–2, 6–3 |
Winner | 1997 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | Gigi Fernández | Nicole Arendt Manon Bollegraf |
7–6(7–4), 6–4 |
Runner-up | 1997 | US Open (1) | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Lindsay Davenport Jana Novotná |
3–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 1998 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Lindsay Davenport | Martina Hingis Mirjana Lučić |
4–6, 6–2, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 1998 | French Open (4) | Clay | Lindsay Davenport | Martina Hingis Jana Novotná |
1–6, 6–7(4–7) |
Runner-up | 1998 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Lindsay Davenport | Martina Hingis Jana Novotná |
3–6, 6–3, 6–8 |
Runner-up | 1998 | US Open (2) | Hard | Lindsay Davenport | Martina Hingis Jana Novotná |
3–6, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 1999 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Lindsay Davenport | Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova |
5–7, 3–6 |
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 1990 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Jim Pugh | Zina Garrison Rick Leach |
4–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 1990 | US Open (1) | Hard | Jim Pugh | Elizabeth Smylie Todd Woodbridge |
4–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 1991 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Jim Pugh | Elizabeth Smylie John Fitzgerald |
6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
Winner | 1995 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Rick Leach | Gigi Fernández Cyril Suk |
7–6(7–4), 6–7(3–7), 6–4 |
Outcome | Year | Location | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bronze | 1992 | Barcelona | Clay | Leila Meskhi (EUN) | Tied | DNP |
Meskhi and Zvereva lost in the semifinals to Gigi Fernández and Mary Joe Fernández 4–6, 5–7. In 1992, there was no bronze medal play-off match, both beaten semifinal pairs received bronze medals.
Outcome | Year | Location | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1988 | New York | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver |
3–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 1989 | New York | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver |
3–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 1993 | New York | Carpet (i) | Gigi Fernández | Larisa Neiland Jana Novotná |
6–3, 7–5 |
Winner | 1994 | New York | Carpet (i) | Gigi Fernández | Larisa Neiland Jana Novotná |
6–3, 6–7(4–7), 6–3 |
Runner-up | 1995 | New York | Carpet (i) | Gigi Fernández | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
2–6, 1–6 |
Winner | 1998 | New York | Carpet (i) | Lindsay Davenport | Alexandra Fusai Nathalie Tauziat |
6–7(6–8), 7–5, 6–3 |
|
|
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 3 November 1986 | Little Rock | Carpet (i) | Kathy Rinaldi | 6–4, 6–7(7–9), 6–0 |
Runner-up | 2. | 2 November 1987 | Little Rock | Hard | Sandra Cecchini | 0–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 3. | 9 November 1987 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–1, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 4. | 23 May 1988 | French Open | Clay | Steffi Graf | 6–0, 6–0 |
Runner-up | 5. | 13 June 1988 | Eastbourne | Grass | Martina Navratilova | 6–2, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 6. | 15 August 1988 | Montreal | Hard | Gabriela Sabatini | 6–1, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 7. | 31 October 1988 | Worcester | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 8. | 3 April 1989 | Hilton Head Island | Clay | Steffi Graf | 6–1, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 9. | 9 October 1989 | Moscow | Carpet (i) | Gretchen Magers | 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 1. | 1 January 1990 | Brisbane | Hard | Rachel McQuillan | 6–4, 6–0 |
Winner | 2. | 8 January 1990 | Sydney | Hard | Barbara Paulus | 4–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 10. | 10 June 1991 | Birmingham | Grass | Martina Navratilova | 6–4, 7–6(8–6) |
Runner-up | 11. | 11 October 1993 | Filderstadt | Hard (i) | Mary Pierce | 6–3, 6–3 |
Winner | 3. | 7 February 1994 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Chanda Rubin | 6–3, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 12. | 11 March 1994 | Key Biscayne | Hard | Steffi Graf | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 13. | 28 March 1994 | Hilton Head Island | Clay | Conchita Martínez | 6–4, 6–0 |
Runner-up | 14. | 3 October 1994 | Zürich | Hard (i) | Magdalena Maleeva | 7–5, 3–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 15. | 27 February 1995 | Indian Wells | Hard | Mary Joe Fernández | 6–4, 6–3 |
Winner | 4. | 14 June 1999 | Eastbourne | Grass | Nathalie Tauziat | 0–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
|
|
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Soviet Union | Belarus | |||||||||||||||||
Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | Career SR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | NH | A | A | A | 2R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 1R | QF | 1R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | A | A | 0 / 11 |
French Open | A | 3R | F | 1R | 4R | 2R | QF | 4R | 4R | 1R | 3R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 4R | A | A | 0 / 14 |
Wimbledon | LQ | 4R | 4R | 3R | QF | 2R | QF | QF | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | SF | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | 0 / 15 |
US Open | A | 3R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 4R | 3R | QF | A | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 12 |
SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 52 |
Year End Ranking | 94 | 19 | 7 | 27 | 12 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 10 | 14 | 57 | 25 | 16 | 27 | 79 | NR | NR |
Soviet Union | Belarus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | SR | W–L | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | NH | A | A | A | QF | QF | SF | W | W | F | QF | W | F | F | 2R | A | A | 3 / 11 | 47–8 | ||||||||||
French Open | A | A | 3R | W | F | F | W | W | W | W | F | W | F | QF | 3R | A | 1R | 6 / 14 | 63–8 | ||||||||||
Wimbledon | A | 1R | F | F | SF | W | W | W | W | F | SF | W | F | SF | SF | A | 2R | 5 / 15 | 66–10 | ||||||||||
US Open | A | 1R | 2R | QF | SF | W | W | SF | SF | W | W | F | F | 3R | A | A | 3R | 4 / 13 | 54–10 | ||||||||||
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–2 | 8–3 | 14–2 | 16–4 | 20–2 | 22–1 | 22–1 | 22–1 | 22–2 | 18–3 | 23–1 | 20–4 | 13–4 | 7–3 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 18 / 53 | 230–36 | ||||||||||
Year-End Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tour Championships | A | A | F | F | QF | QF | SF | W | W | F | SF | QF | W | A | A | A | A | 3 / 11 | 17–8 | ||||||||||
Tier I Tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tokyo | Not Tier I | SF | A | W | W | W | F | W | QF | A | A | 4 / 7 | 22–3 | ||||||||||||||||
Chicago | Not Tier I | SF | Not Tier I | Not Held | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Boca Raton | Not Tier I | W | W | Not Tier I | Not Held | 2 / 2 | 8–0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Indian Wells | Not Held | Not Tier I | A | W | W | QF | F | A | 1R | 2 / 5 | 13–3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Miami | Not Tier I | A | 3R | QF | QF | W | F | A | W | F | 3R | 2R | A | 1R | 2 / 10 | 26–7 | |||||||||||||
Charleston | Not Tier I | F | W | W | W | F | F | A | A | QF | SF | A | A | A | 3 / 8 | 24–5 | |||||||||||||
Rome | NH | Not Tier I | A | A | SF | QF | W | W | A | A | A | SF | SF | A | QF | 2 / 7 | 19–5 | ||||||||||||
Berlin | Not Tier I | QF | W | F | W | W | QF | 1R | F | W | A | A | A | 2R | 4 / 10 | 23–6 | |||||||||||||
Montreal / Toronto | Not Tier I | 2R | W | F | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 1 / 5 | 10–2 | |||||||||||||
Zürich | Not Tier I | F | 1R | 1R | F | QF | 1R | F | A | A | QF | 0 / 8 | 11–7 | ||||||||||||||||
Philadelphia | Not Held | Not Tier I | SF | W | QF | Not Tier I | Not Held | 1 / 3 | 7–2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Moscow | Not Held | NTI | W | W | QF | A | A | 1R | 2 / 4 | 10–2 | |||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year-End Ranking | 111 | 94 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 25 | NR | 46 |
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
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Natasha Zvereva in Grand Slam Tournaments | |
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