Helena Suková  | | Country | Czech Republic | | Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco | | Date of birth | February 23, 1965 (1965-02-23) (age 44) | | Place of birth | Prague, Czechoslovakia | | Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | | Weight | 68 kg (150 lb; 10.7 st) | | Turned pro | 1983 | | Retired | 1998 | | Plays | Right-handed | | Career prize money | US$ 6,391,245 | | Singles | | Career record | 614–307 | | Career titles | 10 | | Highest ranking | No. 4 (March 18, 1985) | | Grand Slam results | | Australian Open | F (1984, 1989) | | French Open | SF (1986) | | Wimbledon | QF (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993) | | US Open | F (1986, 1993) | | Doubles | | Career record | 752–220 | | Career titles | 69 | | Highest ranking | No. 1 (February 5, 1990) | | Grand Slam Doubles results | | Australian Open | W (1990, 1992) | | French Open | W (1990) | | Wimbledon | W (1987, 1989, 1990, 1996) | | US Open | W (1985, 1993) | | Major doubles tournaments | | WTA Championships | W (1992) | | Mixed Doubles | | Career record | | | Career titles | 5 | | Grand Slam mixed doubles results | | Australian Open | F (1994, 1998) | | French Open | W (1991) | | Wimbledon | W (1994, 1996, 1997) | | US Open | W (1993) | | Last updated on: September 18, 2009. | Helena Suková (born February 23, 1965, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. During her career, she won 14 Grand Slam titles, 9 of them in women's doubles and 5 of them in mixed doubles. She also was a four-time Grand Slam singles runner-up and won 10 singles titles and 69 doubles titles. [edit] Personal life Suková comes from a prominent Czech tennis family. Her mother, Věra Pužejová Suková, was a women's singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1962. Her father, Cyril Suk II, was president of the Czechoslovakian Tennis Federation. Her brother, Cyril Suk III, is a former professional player on the men's tour who teamed with Suková to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, at the French Open in 1991 and at Wimbledon in 1996 and 1997. [edit] Career Suková turned professional in 1981. Her career-high world rankings were fourth in singles and first in women's doubles. Suková was a singles runner-up at the Australian Open twice (in 1984 and 1989) and at the US Open twice (in 1986 and 1993). Suková's most memorable Grand Slam singles win was against Martina Navratilova in a semifinal of the 1984 Australian Open, where she ended Navratilova's 74-match winning streak and her chance at winning a calendar year Grand Slam. Chris Evert defeated her in the final. In 1987, she became the fourth player to defeat Navratilova and Evert in the same tournament at Eastbourne and she also stopped Navratilova's 69 grass-win streak. Suková was very successful as a doubles player. She had a career Grand Slam in women's doubles, winning four titles at Wimbledon, two at the US Open, one at the Australian Open, and one at the French Open. She won three mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon, one at the US Open, and one at the French Open. She also was a women's doubles silver medalist at the Olympic Games in 1988 and 1996 (both times partnering Jana Novotná). Suková helped Czechoslovakia win the Fed Cup four times, in 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1988. She also teamed with Miloslav Mečíř to win the inaugural Hopman Cup for Czechoslovakia in 1989. Over the course of her career, Suková won 10 singles titles and 69 doubles titles. Despite retiring from the professional tour in 1998, she was given a wild card into the 2006 Wimbledon mixed doubles tournament with her brother Cyril Suk. They lost their first round match. [edit] Post-retirement activity In 1999, Suková helped re-establish the International Lawn Tennis Club of the Czech Republic and became its president. From January 2001 until June 2008, she was a co-opted member of the executive committee of the Council of the International Clubs. From February 2001 until November 2008, she served on the presidium of the Czech Olympians' Club. In June 2007, Suková was appointed by The Czech Olympic Committee to the presidium of the Czech Fair Play Club. She is also a co-founder of the Kids and Junior Tennis Advancement Organization in the Czech Republic. [edit] Major finals [edit] Grand Slam finals [edit] Singles: 4 (0 titles, 4 runner-ups) [edit] Doubles: 14 (9 titles, 5 runner-ups) | Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final | | Runner-up | 1984 | Australian Open | Grass | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6–3, 6–4 | | Runner-up | 1985 | French Open | Clay | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 4–6, 6–2, 6–2 | | Winner | 1985 | US Open | Hard | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6–7(5), 6–2, 6–3 | | Runner-up | 1985 | Australian Open | Grass | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6–3, 6–4 | | Winner | 1987 | Wimbledon | Grass | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | Betsy Nagelsen Elizabeth Sayers Smylie | 7–5, 7–5 | | Runner-up | 1988 | French Open | Clay | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6–2, 7–5 | | Winner | 1989 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Jana Novotná | Larisa Savchenko Neiland Natalia Zvereva | 6–1, 6–2 | | Winner | 1990 | Australian Open | Hard | Jana Novotná | Patty Fendick Mary Joe Fernandez | 7–6(5), 7–6(6) | | Winner | 1990 | French Open | Clay | Jana Novotná | Larisa Savchenko Neiland Natasha Zvereva | 6–4, 7–5 | | Winner | 1990 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Jana Novotná | Kathy Jordan Elizabeth Sayers Smylie | 6–4, 6–0 | | Runner-up | 1990 | US Open | Hard | Jana Novotná | Gigi Fernández Martina Navratilova | 6–2, 6–4 | | Winner | 1992 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | Mary Joe Fernandez Zina Garrison | 6–4, 7–6(3) | | Winner | 1993 | US Open (2) | Hard | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | Amanda Coetzer Inés Gorrochategui | 6–4, 6–2 | | Winner | 1996 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Martina Hingis | Meredith McGrath Larisa Savchenko Neiland | 5–7, 7–5, 6–1 | [edit] Mixed doubles: 8 (5 titles, 3 runner-ups) | Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final | | Winner | 1991 | French Open | Clay | Cyril Suk | Caroline Vis Paul Haarhuis | 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 | | Runner-up | 1992 | US Open | Hard | Tom Nijssen | Nicole Provis Mark Woodforde | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 | | Winner | 1993 | US Open | Hard | Todd Woodbridge | Martina Navratilova Mark Woodforde | 6–3, 7–6 | | Runner-up | 1994 | Australian Open | Hard | Todd Woodbridge | Larisa Savchenko Neiland Andrei Olhovskiy | 7–5, 6–7, 6–2 | | Winner | 1994 | Wimbledon | Grass | Todd Woodbridge | Lori McNeil T.J. Middleton | 3–6, 7–5, 6–3 | | Winner | 1996 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Cyril Suk | Larisa Savchenko Neiland Mark Woodforde | 1–6, 6–3, 6–2 | | Winner | 1997 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Cyril Suk | Larisa Savchenko Neiland Andrei Olhovskiy | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 | | Runner-up | 1998 | Australian Open | Hard | Cyril Suk | Venus Williams Justin Gimelstob | 6–2, 6–1 | [edit] Year-End Championships finals [edit] Singles: 1 final (0 titles, 1 runner-up) [edit] Doubles: 5 finals (1 title, 4 runner-ups) [edit] Titles (79) [edit] Singles (10) | Legend | | Legend | | Grand Slam (0) | | WTA Championships (0) | | Tier I (0) | | Tier II (0) | | Tier III (1) | | Tier IV & V (3) | | VS (6) | | | Titles by Surface | | Hard (4) | | Clay (0) | | Grass (2) | | Carpet (4) | | | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final | | 1. | 17 January 1982 | Newport, USA | Carpet (I) | Pat Medrado | 6–2, 6–7, 6–0 | | 2. | 18 November 1984 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | Elizabeth Sayers Smylie | 6–4, 6–4 | | 3. | 10 August 1986 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Pam Shriver | 6–2, 7–5 | | 4. | 5 October 1986 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Carpet (I) | Catherine Tanvier | 6–2, 7–5 | | 5. | 4 April 1987 | Piscataway, USA | Carpet (I) | Lori McNeil | 6–0, 6–3 | | 6. | 20 June 1987 | Eastbourne, UK | Grass | Martina Navratilova | 7–6, 6–3 | | 7. | 8 January 1989 | Brisbane, Australia | Hard | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | 7–6, 7–6 | | 8. | 6 January 1991 | Brisbane, Australia | Hard | Akiko Kijimuta | 6–4, 6–3 | | 9. | 9 February 1992 | Osaka, Japan | Carpet (I) | Laura Arraya Gildemiester | 6–2, 4–6, 6–1 | | 10. | 15 November 1992 | Indianapolis, USA | Hard (I) | Linda Harvey Wild | 6–4, 6–3 | [edit] Doubles (69) Grand slam events in boldface. - 1984: Marco Island (with Hana Mandlíková)
- 1984: Rome (with Iva Budařová)
- 1984: Filderstadt (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1984: Sydney (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1984: Tokyo Pan Pacific (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1985: Berlin (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1985: Lugano (with Bonnie Gadusek)
- 1985: Los Angeles (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1985: US Open (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1985: Tokyo Pan Pacific (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1986: Boca Raton (with Pam Shriver)
- 1986: Dallas (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1986: Amelia Island (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1986: Berlin (with Steffi Graf)
- 1986: Hilversum (with Kathy Jordan)
- 1986: Brighton (with Steffi Graf)
- 1986: Chicago (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1987: Tokyo Bridgestone Doubles (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1987: Berlin (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1987: Wimbledon (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1987: Brighton (with Kathy Jordan)
- 1987: Chicago (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1988: San Antonio (with Lori McNeil)
- 1988: Tokyo Pan Pacific (with Pam Shriver)
- 1988: Montreal (with Jana Novotná)
- 1988: Mahwah (with Jana Novotná)
- 1989: Brisbane (with Jana Novotná)
- 1989: Boca Raton (with Jana Novotná)
- 1989: Key Biscayne (with Jana Novotná)
- 1989: Wimbledon (with Jana Novotná)
- 1989: Zurich (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: Brisbane (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: Sydney (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: Australian Open (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: Indian Wells (with Jana Novotná)
| - 1990: Boca Raton (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: Key Biscayne (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: French Open (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: Wimbledon (with Jana Novotná)
- 1990: Brighton (with Nathalie Tauziat)
- 1990: Worcester (with Gigi Fernández)
- 1991: Sydney (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1991: Tarpon Springs (with Gigi Fernández)
- 1991: Amelia Island (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1992: Sydney (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1992: Australian Open (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1992: Tokyo Pan Pacific (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1992: Osaka (with Rennae Stubbs)
- 1992: Rome (with Monica Seles)
- 1992: Manhattan Beach (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1992: Zurich (with Natasha Zvereva)
- 1992: Filderstadt (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1992: Virginia Slims Championships (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1993: Tokyo Pan Pacific (with Martina Navratilova)
- 1993: Indian Wells (with Rennae Stubbs)
- 1993: Lucerne (with Mary Joe Fernandez)
- 1993: Stratton Mountain (with Elizabeth Smylie)
- 1993: San Diego (with Gigi Fernández)
- 1993: Manhattan Beach (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1993: US Open (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1993: Essen (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario)
- 1995: Oakland (with Lori McNeil)
- 1995: Philadelphia (with Lori McNeil)
- 1996: Wimbledon (with Martina Hingis)
- 1996: Karlovy Vary (with Karina Habšudová)
- 1996: Zurich (with Martina Hingis)
- 1997: Strasbourg (with Natasha Zvereva)
- 1997: Luxembourg (with Larisa Neiland)
- 1998: Sydney (with Martina Hingis)
| [edit] Singles runner-ups (21) Grand slam events in boldface. - 1982: Austin (lost to Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)
- 1982: Indianapolis US Clay Courts (lost to Virginia Ruzici)
- 1984: Boston (lost to Hana Mandlíková)
- 1984: Australian Open (lost to Chris Evert)
- 1985: Virginia Slims Championships (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1985: Eastbourne (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1986: Princeton (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1986: Eastbourne (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1986: US Open (lost to Martina Navratilova)
- 1986: Zurich (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1987: Boca Raton (lost to Steffi Graf)
| - 1988: Sydney (lost to Pam Shriver)
- 1988: Tokyo Pan Pacific (lost to Pam Shriver)
- 1988: Berlin (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1989: Australian Open (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1990: Indian Wells (lost to Martina Navratlova)
- 1990: Birmingham (lost to Zina Garrison)
- 1990: Brighton (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1993: US Open (lost to Steffi Graf)
- 1994: Brighton (lost to Jana Novotná)
- 1996: s-Hertogenbosch (lost to Anke Huber)
| [edit] Grand Slam singles performance timeline | Tournament | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | Career SR | | Australian Open | 3R | 1R | 3R | F | QF | NH | 4R | 4R | F | SF | 3R | 3R | A | 3R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 16 | | French Open | A | 2R | 4R | 1R | 2R | SF | 4R | QF | 2R | A | 2R | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | 0 / 13 | | Wimbledon | A | A | A | 4R | QF | QF | QF | QF | 4R | 4R | 1R | 3R | QF | 4R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 0 / 15 | | US Open | A | 1R | 3R | QF | QF | F | SF | 4R | QF | 4R | 3R | 4R | F | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | A | 0 / 15 | | SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 59 | NH = tournament not held. A = did not participate in the tournament. SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played. [edit] References [edit] External links
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