Agnieszka Radwańska

Agnieszka Radwańska

Radwańska at the 2014 Aegon International
Country  Poland
Residence Kraków, Poland
Born 6 March 1989
Kraków, Poland
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Turned pro 23 April 2005
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach(es) Robert Radwański (2005–2011)
Tomasz Wiktorowski (2011–)
Borna Bikic (2012-)
Martina Navratilova (2014–2015)
Prize money USD$ 17,682,386[2]
Singles
Career record 458–201 (69.5%)
Career titles 14 WTA, 2 ITF
Highest ranking No. 2 (9 July 2012)
Current ranking No. 9 (13 April 2015)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open SF (2014)
French Open QF (2013)
Wimbledon F (2012)
US Open 4R (2007, 2008, 2012, 2013)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals SF (2012, 2014)
Olympic Games 2R (2008)
Doubles
Career record 113–86 (56.78%)
Career titles 2 WTA, 2 ITF
Highest ranking No. 16 (10 October 2011)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open SF (2010)
French Open QF (2009, 2010)
Wimbledon 3R (2007, 2011, 2012)
US Open SF (2011)
Team competitions
Fed Cup 42–11
Hopman Cup W (2015)
Last updated on: 23 March 2015.

Agnieszka "Aga" Radwańska[3] [aɡˈɲɛʂka radˈvaɲska] (born 6 March 1989) is a Polish professional tennis player. Radwańska achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 2 in July 2012 and is currently ranked World No. 9 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Known for constructing points and making intelligent use of the court,[4] she has won fourteen career singles titles.

Radwańska holds a number of tennis accolades. She is the first Polish player in the Open Era to reach the singles final of a Grand Slam (the 2012 Wimbledon Championships), the first Pole to claim a WTA singles title (the 2007 Nordea Nordic Light Open), and was one half of the first Polish team to win the Hopman Cup tournament. In addition, she won the WTA Award for Most Impressive Newcomer in 2006.

Radwańska has been voted the WTA's most popular player for four consecutive years (2011–2014), the most of any woman, in polls held by WTATennis.com.[5] For her accomplishments in sport and for representing her country with distinction, in 2013 she was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by Polish President Bronisław Komorowski.

Personal life

Born in Kraków to Robert Radwański and Marta,[6] Radwańska began playing tennis at the age of four after her father introduced her to the sport. Her younger sister, Urszula, is also a tennis player. Radwańska has named Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis as inspirations. In 2009, Radwańska became a WTA ambassador for Habitat for Humanity. She has also studied tourism at universities in Kraków.[7][8]

Radwańska is a practicing Roman Catholic, and she took part in the Polish Catholic campaign "Nie wstydzę się Jezusa!" ("I'm not ashamed of Jesus!"). She released a video for the campaign in which she urged her fans to "not be ashamed of believing" and arranged her tennis balls so they would read "JEZUS" ("JESUS").[9] In the summer of 2013, she was disqualified from this campaign after posing nude for ESPN magazine's The Body Issue.[10]

According to Forbes in 2012 she was the ninth highest-earning female athlete in the world.[11]

Career

2005–2006: Junior career and early years

Radwańska won the junior singles title at Wimbledon in 2005, defeating Tamira Paszek. She went on to win the junior French Open title in 2006 with a victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.[7] She played her first WTA tournament at the 2006 J&S Cup (later known as the Warsaw Open) in Warsaw, defeating Anastasia Myskina in her opening match. She advanced to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Elena Dementieva in three sets.[12]

At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, she lost in the fourth round to Kim Clijsters. She went on to drop a second-round match to Tatiana Golovin at the US Open. At the Fortis Championships Luxembourg tournament, Radwańska lost in the semifinals to Francesca Schiavone after defeating former world no. 1 Venus Williams in the second round and Dementieva in the quarterfinals.[12]

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 (2 titles)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner2005WimbledonGrassAustria Tamira Paszek6–3, 6–4
Winner 2006 French Open Clay Russia Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6–4, 6–1

Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up 2006 French Open Clay Denmark Caroline Wozniacki Canada Sharon Fichman
Russia Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova		 7–6(7–4), 2–6, 1–6

2007–2008: First WTA title and breakthrough

Radwańska in action at the 2008 US Open.

Radwańska participated at the 2007 Australian Open, but she was upset by Ana Ivanovic in the second round. At the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open, Radwańska defeated her longtime idol,[8] Martina Hingis, in a three-set third-round match. She exited in the fourth round following a loss to Tathiana Garbin.[13]

In August 2007, Agnieszka Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA tour singles title, defeating Vera Dushevina in the final of the Nordea Nordic Light Open.[7] She went on to defeat defending champion Maria Sharapova in the third round of the US Open, before losing to Israeli Shahar Pe'er in the fourth round.[13]

Radwańska reached the quarterfinals of the 2008 Australian Open, upsetting World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round,[14] then following it up with a defeat of 14th seeded Nadia Petrova before eventually falling to Daniela Hantuchová.[15] At the Pattaya Women's Open in Thailand, Radwańska won her second WTA singles title, beating Jill Craybas in the final. At the Qatar Ladies Open, Radwańska reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova.[16] In May 2008, she won the İstanbul Cup on red clay with a victory over Elena Dementieva, earning her third WTA title. She then reached the fourth round of the French Open, but was defeated there by third-seed and eventual semi-finalist Jelena Janković.[17]

On grass, Radwańska won the International Women's Open in Eastbourne, defeating Nadia Petrova in the final. At Wimbledon, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round, then lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. At the Olympics in Beijing, Radwańska lost a second-round match to Francesca Schiavone. She went on to reach the fourth round of the US Open, losing to Venus Williams. She later went to the 2008 WTA Tour Championships as an alternate and replaced Ana Ivanovic after the latter withdrew. She defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets. Radwańska ended the year as the first Polish woman to surpass US $1 million in career prize money, as well as the first to be ranked World No. 10.[7][15]

2009–2010: Top 10 WTA ranking

Radwańska reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Medibank International Sydney, losing in three sets to eventual champion Elena Dementieva. She was defeated in the first round of the Australian Open by Kateryna Bondarenko.[18]

At the 2009 BNP Paribas Open, she defeated Samantha Stosur and Aleksandra Wozniak en route to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At the Sony Ericsson Open, she lost a three-set fourth-round match to Venus Williams. She reached the fourth round of the 2009 French Open, falling in three sets to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. She and Urszula also reached the quarterfinals in doubles. She went on to reach her second consecutive quarterfinal at Wimbledon, falling to Venus Williams.

She reached her first semifinal of the 2009 season in Tokyo, where she fell in three sets to eventual champion Maria Sharapova. She reached her first final of the year in China, losing in straight sets to Svetlana Kuznetsova.[18]

Radwańska and her doubles partner Maria Kirilenko reached the semifinals of the 2010 Australian Open, losing to the World No. 1 pairing of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in three sets.[19] In Indian Wells, Radwańska won her fifth straight match against Marion Bartoli, and went on to upset Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals before losing to Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. Radwańska entered the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was defeated in the quarterfinals by Venus Williams. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, she was defeated in the fourth round by Li Na, whom she had beaten at the same stage the previous year.[19]

Radwańska reached the final of the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open, falling to Svetlana Kuznetsova. Due to a stress fracture in her foot, Radwańska's 2010 season ended at the China Open, where she lost a three-set match to Angelique Kerber.[20] Radwańska subsequently finished 2010 outside the Top 10.

2011: Back-to-back titles in Tokyo and Beijing

Radwańska reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Kim Clijsters.[21] She went on to reach the fourth round in Indian Wells, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka, and the quarterfinals in Miami, losing to Vera Zvonareva. However, she won the Miami doubles title with Daniela Hantuchová, defeating Nadia Petrova and Liezel Huber. She went on to reach the fourth round of the 2011 French Open, losing to Maria Sharapova.

Radwanska won the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Radwańska suffered her earliest ever exit at Wimbledon, when she was defeated in the second round by Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovská. At the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, Radwańska advanced to the final and defeated rival Vera Zvonareva in straight sets. With the victory, she earned her first title since winning in Eastbourne in 2008. At the 2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto, she once again defeated Zvonareva in the third round, coming back from a 0–4 deficit in the second set. She went on to lose a three-set semifinal match against Samantha Stosur.[21]

After defeating her sister Urszula in the first round of the US Open, she was upset in the second round by eventual semifinalist Angelique Kerber.[21] She avenged this loss at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, defeating Kerber in three sets before advancing to the final, where she won her third straight match against Vera Zvonareva, earning her first Premier 5 title.

At the 2011 China Open, she defeated Zheng Jie, Sofia Arvidsson, Ana Ivanovic (who retired from their quarter-final match due to a back injury), and Flavia Pennetta in straight sets, before winning a three-set final against Andrea Petkovic. She qualified for her first season-ending championship at the WTA Championships in Istanbul, taking the 8th spot when Marion Bartoli was unable to win the title in Moscow.

Going into the 2011 WTA Tour Championships, Radwańska was labeled by the media as one of the hottest players on tour.[22][23] She dropped a three-set opening match to Caroline Wozniacki. She then won her fourth straight match against Vera Zvonareva, coming back from a 3–5 deficit in the third set and saving three match points. To advance to the semifinals, she needed to win at least one set against Petra Kvitová, but eventually lost in straight sets. She ended the year ranked 8th with a 46–18 record, and was named WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player.[21]

2012: World No. 2 and first Major final

During the first four months of 2012, Radwańska won two singles titles and amassed a record of 28–5, defeating all opponents but then-World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.[24]

Following losses to Azarenka in the Apia International, the Australian Open, and the Qatar Total Open, she won her first title of the season at the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Julia Görges in straight sets. After advancing to the quarterfinals in Indian Wells, she reached a new ranking of World No. 4. Her second title came at the Sony Ericsson Open, where she defeated Venus Williams in the quarterfinals and Marion Bartoli in the semifinals, advancing to a championship match against Maria Sharapova. Radwańska won the championship without losing a set throughout the tournament.[25]

Her fifth loss of the season, and fifth to Azarenka, came in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.[25] She then entered the Mutua Madrid Open, where she lost to Azarenka in the semifinals, securing the World No. 3 ranking.[26] At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, she lost her opening-round match to Petra Cetkovská, marking her first loss of the year to someone other than Azarenka. In the final of the Brussels Open, Radwańska defeated Simona Halep in straight sets, winning her third WTA title of the year and tenth in her career. At the French Open, she defeated Venus Williams in the second round, but then fell in the third round to Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Radwańska in the final of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships

Radwańska reached her first career Grand Slam final at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Maria Kirilenko in the quarterfinals and Angelique Kerber in the semifinals, losing the championship match to Serena Williams in three sets. By advancing to the final, she became the first Polish player in the Open Era to reach the championship round of a Grand Slam singles tournament, and attained a new ranking of World No. 2.[25][27] Radwańska was the flag bearer for Poland in the 2012 Summer Olympics.[28] She lost in the opening round to Julia Görges.[29]

Radwańska competing at the 2012 London Olympics, just a few weeks after having reached the Wimbledon final at the same venue.

During the summer hard court season Radwańska was twice one match away from becoming the World No. 1. She would lose to Li Na on both occasions, in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Rogers Cup and the 2012 Western & Southern Open. Radwańska was defeated in the fourth round of the 2012 US Open by Roberta Vinci. She again reached the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, losing in three sets to Nadia Petrova. She exited the China Open following a quarterfinal loss to Li Na. Radwańska won her opening round robin match at the WTA Championships, defeating the defending champion Petra Kvitová in straight sets. She then lost a three-set match to Maria Sharapova. She advanced to the semifinals with a victory over Sara Errani, which marked the longest three-set match in the history of the tournament,[30] but exited following a loss to Serena Williams. She then defeated Williams in straight sets during an exhibition in Toronto.[25][31] At the conclusion of the season, Radwańska won WTA Awards for Fan Favorite Facebook Profile and Fan Favorite Video, and was again named Fan Favorite Singles Player.[32]

2013: WTA Shot of the Year

Radwańska began her season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she defeated Yanina Wickmayer in the final to win the 11th singles title of her career. She won her second straight tournament of 2013 at the Apia International, where she defeated Dominika Cibulková without losing a game.[33] Radwańska reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, exiting the tournament following a loss to Li Na. She went on to play the Qatar Total Open where she was eliminated in the semifinals by then-World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, the eventual champion. She also reached the quarterfinals in Dubai, where she lost to Petra Kvitová.[33] In the BNP Paribas Open, she lost in the fourth round to Maria Kirilenko.

She then entered the Sony Open as the defending champion. During her quarterfinal win against Kirsten Flipkens, Radwańska won a point with a spinning backhand volley, which was voted the shot of the year on the WTA's website.[34] She exited the tournament with a loss to Serena Williams in the semifinals. After early losses in her clay court season, she advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time, where she lost to fifth seed Sara Errani. She beat Li Na in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon but lost her semifinal match to Sabine Lisicki. She was later awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski.[35]

Her next tournament was the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, where she has received a bye into the second round and beat Francesca Schiavone for a place in the quarterfinals. She then beat Varvara Lepchenko, as well as Jamie Hampton, losing to Dominika Cibulková in the final. In September, Radwańska defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win the KDB Korea Open, her third singles title of 2013. She was eliminated from the WTA Championships in the round robin stage, exiting with a loss to Angelique Kerber.[33] At the conclusion of the season, Radwańska was voted WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player for the third consecutive year.[5]

2014: Canadian Open title, out of top 5

Radwańska during her semi-final match at the 2014 BNP Paribas Katowice Open.

Radwańska began the 2014 season by representing Poland at the Hopman Cup, where she competed alongside her compatriot, Grzegorz Panfil. The pair advanced to the final where Radwańska defeated Alizé Cornet in their singles match. However, she and Panfil lost to Cornet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the deciding mixed doubles match.[36]

Following the Hopman Cup, Radwańska failed to defend her title at the Apia International in Sydney, losing to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the second round.[37] Radwańska defeated Victoria Azarenka to reach her first Australian Open semifinal, but lost to Dominika Cibulková.[38] Radwańska also reached the semifinal of the Qatar Total Open in Doha, losing to eventual champion Simona Halep. She avenged her loss Halep in the semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open, reaching the final for the first time in her career.[39] Partly due to a knee injury, Radwańska was defeated by Flavia Pennetta.[40] She was in tears while apologizing to the crowd afterward, saying she was unable to run.[41] She then advanced to the quarterfinals in Miami, where she lost in three sets to Dominika Cibulková.[38]

In April, Radwańska played in the BNP Paribas Katowice Open, about 47 miles from her home town in Krakow.[42] Following victories over Kristyna Pliskova, Francesca Schiavone, and Yvonne Meusburger, she lost a three-set semifinal to Alize Cornet. Radwańska, who was playing in a WTA Tour event in Poland for the first time in seven years, stated: "I'm really excited. I still have vivid memories of my first ever WTA main draw event at the Premier event in Warsaw in 2006. As a 17-year-old girl, I managed to beat 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina in the first round. I couldn't imagine a better debut. So my tennis career really began in my home country and I'm thankful for this opportunity."[43]

She reached the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open, losing both matches to Maria Sharapova. At the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome, she lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Jankovic.[38] Following early exits at the French Open and Aegon International, she advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon, but lost to Ekaterina Makarova.

At the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Radwańska defeated Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Sabine Lisicki, Victoria Azarenka and Ekaterina Makarova to reach the final, where she defeated Venus Williams to win her first title of the season and the first Canadian Open of her career. Following her win at Rogers Cup she competed at the Western & Southern Open, where she defeated Kurumi Nara and Sabine Lisicki before losing in the quarterfinals to Caroline Wozniacki. In September, Radwańska played at the 2014 Kia Korea Open, where she defeated Polona Hercog and Chanelle Scheepers. She then faced Varvara Lepchenko in the quarterfinals but could not avenge her loss to Lepchenko at Stanford earlier, losing in three sets again.

At the WTA Finals, she was drawn into the White Group alongside Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitová, and Caroline Wozniacki. She defeated Petra Kvitová in her opening round robin group match but lost close matches to Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki. Despite her 1-2 record, she placed second in her group and advanced to the semifinals, losing to Simona Halep.[44] She ended the year ranked World No. 6.

Following the season's conclusion, Radwańska again defeated one of her childhood idols, Martina Hingis, in a one-set match as part of a team event at the Champions Tennis League in India. Hingis then defeated Radwańska in their next meeting at the event.[45][46]

Throughout 2014, Radwańska won the WTA accolade for Shot of the Month on four occasions, won Shot of the Year for an overhead backhand in Montreal, and, for the fourth consecutive season, won the WTA Award for Fan Favorite Player.[5][47] She expressed gratitude toward fans and called the win an "honor."[48]

2015: Struggles with form

At the end of the 2014 season, Radwańska hired Martina Navratilova as part of her coaching team, with the specific goal of winning a Grand Slam title.[49][50] She started 2015 by teaming with Jerzy Janowicz to win the Hopman Cup, Poland's first title in the event. The victory included Radwańska's first win over Serena Williams in a singles match.[51] Radwańska competed in Sydney, where she defeated Alize Cornet but lost to Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round. She reached the fourth round of Australian Open, where she lost to Venus Williams for the first time since 2010, in three sets.[52]

In February, Radwańska played in Dubai and Doha, where she marked good wins over Caroline Garcia and Flavia Pennetta, but lost for the second time in a year to Muguruza and Venus Williams, respectively. She then progressed to Indian Wells where she lost in the third round to Heather Watson. After that, she competed in 2015 Miami Open, where she lost to Carla Suárez Navarro in the fourth round.

In April Radwańska participated for the second time in her career at 2015 Katowice Open in Poland, where she defeated Yanina Wickmayer, An-Sophie Mestach, Klara Koukalova before losing to Camila Giorgi in the semifinals. She next appeared in Women's Stuttgart Open where she lost to Sara Errani in the first round.

Shortly after Radwańska's first round loss at Stuttgart Open, Martina Navratilova stated that she was too busy to continue in her part-time role as Agnieszka Radwańska's consulting coach. Navratilova added, "I think I underestimated the time it would take to make this a proper and good situation for both Agnieszka and me. I have quite a busy family life now as well as my TV work and other business commitments, which all combined make it impossible to dedicate the amount of time necessary to do a great job. Tomasz Wiktorowski, Agnieszka's full-time coach, certainly knows what he is doing and he will be able to continue to build on some of the adjustments we were trying to make. I really enjoyed working with Aga and her whole team and I wish her all the best for the rest of the season." Radwańska responded, "I just wanted to thank Martina for her time and efforts over these last few months. It was a great experience to work with one of the all-time greats. However, we both agreed that as Martina could not commit 100% to the project then it was not going to work as a long-term partnership." [53]

Fed Cup participation

Radwańska has participated in the Fed Cup from 2006 to the present. All in all, she has played a total of 48 Fed Cup matches with 41 wins and 7 losses.[54] For her achievements she was presented with two Fed Cup Heart Awards. "I think it’s great to play Fed Cup," said Radwańska, "I’ve been playing for the last couple of years and I really think it helped my team to go up and, you know, I’m very happy about it and I’m always ready to play".[55]

As member of Poland Fed Cup team Radwańska participated in 2014 Fed Cup World Group Play-offs. In Barcelona she led Poland to a 3–2 win over Spain, which allowed Poland to advance to 2015 Fed Cup World Group for the first time in over twenty years.[56]

Rivalries

Radwańska vs. Zvonareva

Radwańska and Zvonareva following the 2011 Pan Pacific Open final.

Radwańska has a rivalry with Russian player Vera Zvonareva,[57][58] which began in 2007. Radwańska leads the series 4–2.[59]

Throughout their meetings, Radwańska has proven able to match Zvonareva's pace and movements around the court.[60] Zvonareva is considered the more powerful of the two, while Radwańska has been noted as more focused at times,[23][60] utilizing what Sports Illustrated's Courtney Nguyen dubbed "selective aggression" during the pair's 2011 matches.[61]

Their first match occurred during the 2007 Kremlin Cup, with Zvonareva winning in straight sets. The two did not play again until the 2011 season, when Radwańska won four of their five matches—including the finals of the Mercury Insurance Open and the Pan Pacific Open. Their final meeting of 2011 was an acclaimed match at the WTA Championships.[62][63] Trailing 3–5 in the third set, Radwańska saved three match points and went on to win in three sets. The victory marked her fourth straight win against Zvonareva, whom she described as "very consistent and always tough to beat."[64]

Radwańska vs. Li

Radwańska and Li Na[65] first played in 2009. Li lead the series 6–5. Radwańska won the majority of their matches on grass and their only meeting on clay. Li lead the rivalry on hard courts.[66] After their first four matches in 2009 and 2010 the head-to-head was even at 2–2. This included a victory each at the Wimbledon Championships; Radwańska winning in 2009 and Li in 2010. In 2012 Radwańska and Li met 4 times, with Li taking 3 victories. Li lost their meeting in the Stuttgart quarter-final in three sets, but dominated in Montréal, Cincinnati and Beijing. Li prevented Radwańska from taking the world No. 1 ranking off the incumbent Victoria Azarenka. In 2013 both won the first tournament they entered. They were both undefeated when they met each other in the semi-finals of their second tournament of the year at Sydney. Radwańska beat Li and eventually won the tournament. At the 2013 Australian Open, Li became the first player to defeat Radwańska that season, with a victory in the quarter-finals. That same year they met again at Wimbledon in the quarterfinals, with Radwańska winning in three sets.[67]

Radwańska vs. Ivanovic

Radwańska and Ana Ivanovic[68] had their first professional meeting in 2006. Radwańska leads the series 7–3. The majority of their matches have been played on hard courts. Radwańska leads their match-ups on clay.[69]

Ivanovic won first three matches of the rivalry, including 2007 Australian Open. In that matches, it was all in Ivanovic's favour, despite losing two sets in that matches, but winning five of her six sets with score of 6–2. However, something noticeably turned around after match in 2008 Rome. Radwanska won that match in tight three sets and then she won a total of seven matches in a row including that, and all of last six were in straight sets. In 2013 they played at two Majors, with Radwanska winning with same score of 6–2, 6–4.

Radwanska vs. Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka currently leads the series 12–5.

Radwanska and Azarenka started playing against each other early after their junior days. First meeting was at 2006 Wimbledon, just a month after Radwanska won junior French Open. Radwanska won that meeting in straight sets. Till the 2012 head to head was 5–3 in Azarenka's favour. But in 2012 they played constantly, and Azarenka dominated. Radwanska was 32–0 against other players in 2012, but 0–6 against Azarenka before her first loss to other player. Most significant match of them was at Australian Open. Only time they played in 2013, Azarenka won. But in 2014, Radwanska turned around things when she beat two-time defending Australian Open champion and second seed Azarenka in quarterfinals. Next time they played at 2014 Rogers Cup, there were no problems for Radwanska, who would go on to win the title.

Radwańska vs. V. Williams

Venus Williams leads the series 7-4. Williams leads Radwańska 5-3 on hard courts, 1-0 on grass, and they are tied 1-1 on clay. They have played each another at all four of the Grand Slams with Venus leading 3-1. Radwańska leads their head-to head in finals 1-0.

Radwańska surprised Williams in 2006 to win their first meeting 6-3, 6-0 at the Luxembourg Open, but Williams rebounded by winning their next five (including at the 2008 US Open and the 2009 Wimbledon Championships). Radwańska then won three matches and six sets in a row against Williams (all after Williams had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease known as Sjögren's syndrome). The last of these matches occurred at the 2014 Rogers Cup in their first meeting in a final. Williams rebounded in 2015 by beating Radwańska in the fourth round of the Australian Open and in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open, both matches going to a deciding set.

Playing style and equipment

Radwańska hitting a crouching forehand.

In 2012, Tom Perrotta of The Wall Street Journal called Radwańska "the most tactically sound, subtle tennis player in the world."[70]

Radwańska's game is founded on variety, mobility, and a tendency to anticipate her opponent's actions.[71][72] She often uses this style to construct rallies—either opening the court up for a winner, or prompting a surprised opponent to hit a misplaced return.[4][70] Her primary weapons include a mixture of slices and lobs, along with her ability to hit the ball at a variety of angles.[60][73] She also makes use of a disguised drop shot, often swung with the same motion as a normal stroke during a rally.[74] She is also noted for her crouching shots, during which she quickly drops in place to return or redirect a low ball, along with her use of an overhead backhand while on defense.[60][74]

Radwańska hitting a tweener shot.

One of Radwańska's main weaknesses is her lack of power in her serve and return. Her serve, especially her second serve, is generally slow and vulnerable to attack. Her shots sometimes lack penetration on the court, posing little threat to power hitters.[75][76] "I don't think I can ever serve 200 kilometers per hour, it's just not my body," Radwańska said. "I have to do something else. I was just born to play like this. I have so many ideas. In your mind it's like, 'OK, I go down the line, then crosscourt, maybe drop shot.' But you have just one second, or even not one second, it just has to be automatic." Radwańska merely exhales when she strikes the ball, rather than loudly grunting like many of her peers. She bounces the ball no more than four times before serving. She says she can play with any racket and likes to use one for an entire match, unlike most players, who routinely grab frames with fresh strings.[77]

Tennis commentators, including former pro Wojciech Fibak, have compared her playing style to that of Martina Hingis, with Fibak describing her as "a natural mover who understands the geometry of the court".[78] Radwańska has cited Hingis as an inspiration.[8] She and Hingis had their lone career meeting in 2007, with Radwańska winning in three sets.[79]

Radwańska uses Babolat Pure Drive Lite racquets, and is sponsored by Lotto apparel.[7]

Coaches

Radwańska began her tennis career with her father, Robert Radwański, as her coach. She stated, "My dad was traveling with me all my life and we practiced together for 17 years, almost actually 18. So it's pretty long time." [80]

In 2011, Radwańska began working with Fed Cup coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who replaced her father. Borna Bikic, a veteran coach on the WTA Tour, briefly joined them in 2012.[81]

Radwańska hired Martina Navrátilová as part of her team at the conclusion of the 2014 season. In April of 2015 they parted ways after Martina Navratilova stated that she was too busy to continue in her part-time role as Agnieszka Radwańska's consulting coach.[82]

Sponsors

After years of expressing her love for the American restaurant chain Cheesecake Factory, Radwańska became the restaurant’s first sports endorsement in 2014. Radwańska began to wear the Cheesecake Factory’s logo on her visor at the start of the 2014 BNP Paribas Open. Additionally, she will continue to wear the company logo during all of her matches played in the U.S.[83]

On January 1st 2014 Radwańska became a global ambassador for the luxury watch manufacturer Rado. She signed a three-year deal with the watch company, becoming the third tennis player to join Rado after Julia Georges and Andy Murray. The deal will see her wear the Rado HyperChrome Automatic Chronograph in white high-tech ceramic, described by Rado as a 'sporty yet elegant watch, a perfect match for the player known for her stylish play on court and her glamorous appearance off court'.[84]

Radwańska also has a partnership agreement with Lexus. As a result of this sponsorship Lexus logo appears on Agnieszka’s court dress in all the Grand Slam tournaments, the Masters tournament and in selected tournaments rank Premier and Premier Mandatory. Additionally, Radwańska is currently driving the latest Lexus model – LS flagship limousine.[85]

Radwańska also has sponsorship agreements with Babolat, Lotto Sport Italia, Vanquis Bank, Amica, Dayli and Play.[3]

On January 6th 2015 Radwańska signed a personal endorsement deal with financial management and HR software company Workday, Inc. The Pleasanton, California-based company announced the deal on its Twitter feed and Radwańska sported the Workday logo on her dress as she beat Great Britain's Heather Watson in a Hopman Cup match in Australia. Aga becomes Workday's third athlete endorser, joining golfers Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar. The deal was brokered by Radwanska's agents at Lagardere Unlimited.[86]

Charitable work

Since 2009, Radwańska and her sister Urszula have taken devoted time during the off-season to Szlachetna Paczka ("Noble Box"). The charity has its volunteers go door-to-door throughout the year compiling a database of families in need, asking them what would help ease the pressures of the holidays. Then, for a three-week period from mid-November to early December, donors are given a list to take with them to the supermarket, where they fill a shopping cart with the food, clothing and more to donate to them.[87]

Additionally, she and Urszula offer their support to Habitat for Humanity and its project in Warsaw. As Habitat for Humanity ambassador Radwańska stated, "It's an honor to be a part of such a fantastic cause and be involved with Habitat for Humanity, helping underprivileged families across the world. I have great respect for all the volunteers and those working hard everyday against poverty housing."[88]

Career statistics

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF R# RR LQ (Q#) A P Z# PO SF-B F-S G NMS NH

Won tournament; or reached Final; Semifinal; Quarter-final; Round 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a Round Robin stage; lost in Qualification Round; absent from tournament event; played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off; won a bronze, silver (F or S) or gold medal at the Olympics; a downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament (Not a Masters Series); or a tournament that was Not Held in a given year.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.

Tournament2006200720082009201020112012201320142015SRW–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open A 2R QF 1R 3R QF QF QF SF 4R 0 / 9 27–9
French Open A 1R 4R 4R 2R 4R 3R QF 3R 0 / 8 18–8
Wimbledon 4R 3R QF QF 4R 2R F SF 4R 0 / 9 31–9
US Open 2R 4R 4R 2R 2R 2R 4R 4R 2R 0 / 9 17–9
Win–Loss 4–2 6–4 14–4 8–4 7–4 9–4 15–4 16–4 11–4 3–1 0 / 35 93–35

Doubles performance timeline

Tournament200720082009201020112012SRW–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open 1R 1R 2R SF 3R 3R 0 / 6 9–6
French Open 3R 1R QF QF 1R 2R 0 / 6 9–6
Wimbledon 3R 2R 1R 2R 3R 3R 0 / 6 8–6
US Open 2R 1R 1R 3R SF A 0 / 5 7–5
Win–Loss 5–4 1–4 4–4 10–4 8–4 5–3 0 / 23 33–23

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up2012WimbledonGrassUnited States Serena Williams 1–6, 7–5, 2–6

Awards

2006
2011
2012
  • WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player[5]
  • WTA Fan Favourite Video[32]
  • WTA Fan Favourite Fanpage on Facebook[32]
2013
  • WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player[5]
  • WTA Fan Favorite Shot of the Year[34]
2014
  • Fed Cup Heart Award
  • WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player
  • WTA Fan Favorite Shot of the Year
2015
  • Hopman Cup

See also

References

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  2. ↑ "Agnieszka Radwanska Career Statistics". wtatennis.com. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Agnieszka Radwanska". agaradwanska. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sengupta, Jaydip (16 February 2012). "Agnieszka Radwanska: The fan favourite". Gulf News. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "WTA Awrads". wtatennis.com. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  6. ↑ http://www.wtatennis.com/players/player/11530/title/agnieszka-radwanska
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 "WTA Profile". wtatennis.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Bodo, Pete (31 March 2012). "Born This Way". tennis.com. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Radwańska lepsza niż dyplomacja Tuska". Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Tennis star dropped by Catholic youth group after ESPN Body Issue pics". USA Today. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  11. ↑ Badenhausen, Kurt. "The World's Highest-Paid Female Athletes". Forbes.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "2006 Results". tennis.com. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "2007 Results". ESPN. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  14. ↑ Second seed Kuznetsova upset – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Abc.net.au (19 January 2008). Retrieved on 10 March 2013.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "2008 Results". ESPN. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  16. ↑ Ivanovic strains ankle ligaments, out of Qatar Open – Tennis – ESPN. Sports.espn.go.com (21 February 2008). Retrieved on 10 March 2013.
  17. ↑ BBC SPORT | Tennis | Ivanovic and Jankovic go through. BBC News (1 June 2008). Retrieved on 10 March 2013.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "2009 Results". ESPN. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "2010 Results". ESPN. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  20. ↑ Tennis – Yahoo! Eurosport. Uk.eurosport.yahoo.com. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 "2011 Results". ESPN. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  22. ↑ Bodo, Peter (October 2011). "Peter Bodo Blog Archive". ESPN. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Sharma, Suhani (27 October 2011). "Radwanska outclasses Zvonareva in a thriller, keeps SF hopes alive in Istanbul". tennisearth.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  24. ↑ "Azarenka to meet Sharapova in Stuttgart finale". Fox News Channel. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 "2012 Results". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  26. ↑ "Radwanska Moves On, Lepchenko Up Next". wtatennis.com. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  27. ↑ "Radwanska the first Pole in Slam final in Open Era". Sports Illustrated. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  28. ↑ "Radwanska carried the Polish flag". MSN. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
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  30. ↑ Tignor, Steve (26 October 2012). "Istanbul: Radwanska d. Errani". tennis.com. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  31. ↑ "Roddick Defeats Raonic At Face-Off Exhibition Tennis Match". The Sports Network. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 "WTA Player Awards: The Fan Favorites And More". wtatennis.com. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 "2013 Results". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Fan Favorite Award Winners: Part II". Sports Illustrated. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  35. ↑ "Sukces w kraju bez trawy. Janowicz, Kubot i Radwanska z Krzyzami Zaslugi" (in Polish). 8 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  36. ↑ "France prevails in thriller over Poland at Hopman Cup final". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  37. ↑ "Radwanska out as Mattek-Sands juggernaut rolls on". apiainternational.com.au. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 "2014 Results". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  39. ↑ "Radwanska Advances to Final". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  40. ↑ "Pennetta Crowned New Women's Champion". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  41. ↑ http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/10618586/flavia-pennetta-routs-agnieszka-radwanska-win-indian-wells
  42. ↑ http://www.bnpparibaskatowiceopen.com/en/pages/48/players-of-2014
  43. ↑ "WTA Katowice Open: Agnieszka Radwanska up and running at home event". Sky Sports.
  44. ↑ http://www.straitstimes.com/news/sport/tennis/story/tennis-simona-halep-clinches-place-final-wta-finals-victory-over-agnieszka-r
  45. ↑ Antony, A (19 November 2014). "Pune Marathas pulls off a great escape". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  46. ↑ "Martina Hingis edges Agnieszka Radwanska in Women's Singles in CLT". tennisworldusa.org. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  47. ↑ "Radwańska: WTA Shot of the Year". wtatennis.com. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  48. ↑ "Aga Radwańska Voted As The Fan Favorite Singles Player Of The Year". news4world.com. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  49. ↑ "Aga Radwańska will cooperate with Martina Navrátilová". bbc.com. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  50. ↑ "Martina Navratilova to coach Agnieszka Radwanska in 2015". CNN. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  51. ↑ Roopanarine, Les (10 January 2015). "Serena Williams beaten by Agnieszka Radwanska as Poland win Hopman Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  52. ↑ "Venus beats Radwańska in Aussie fourth round". Tennis.com. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  53. ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/25/tennis/martina-navratilova-radwanska-tennis/
  54. ↑ http://www.przegladsportowy.pl/tenis,agnieszka-radwanska-uczy-nas-patriotyzmu,artykul,462516,1,289.html
  55. ↑ http://www.fedcup.com/175930?channel=fedcupnews
  56. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/radwanska-leads-poland-fed-cup-win-spain-23398475
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  58. ↑ "Stosur & Zvonareva reach last four at WTA Championships". BBC. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  59. ↑ "Head to Head with Zvonareva". tennis.com. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
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  72. ↑ Tandon, Kamakshi (22 January 2014). "Plenty to watch in women's semis". ESPN. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
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  77. ↑ "The Subtlest Player at Wimbledon". The Wall Street Journal.
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  81. ↑ "Radwanska hires Dokic's former coach". tennis.com. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  82. ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/25/tennis/martina-navratilova-radwanska-tennis/
  83. ↑ http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Radwanska-Signs-Endorsement-Deal-with-Cheesecake-Factory-articolo16509.html
  84. ↑ http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/rado_and_radwanska_team_up_for_2014
  85. ↑ http://newsroom.toyota.eu/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=7214D0B86E84A9463D63C1474339F20D?&id=3137&mid=1
  86. ↑ http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/aga_radwanska_signs_workday_endorsement
  87. ↑ http://www.agaradwanska.com/news/262,agas-charitable-spirit.html
  88. ↑ http://www.habitat.org/stories_multimedia/volunteer_stories/poland_may_tennis_players.aspx

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Agnieszka Radwańska.
Awards
Preceded by
India Sania Mirza		 WTA Newcomer of the Year
2006 		Succeeded by
Hungary Ágnes Szávay
Preceded by
Russia Maria Sharapova		 WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year
2011 – 2014 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Olympic Games
Preceded by
Marek Twardowski		 Flagbearer for  Poland
London 2012 		Succeeded by
Incumbent