Sylvia Hanika

Infobox Tennis player
playername = Sylvia Hanika


nickname =
country = GER [Before the German reunification, she played for West Germany]
residence = La Manga, Spain
datebirth = birth date and age|mf=yes|1959|11|30
placebirth = Munich, West Germany
height = height|m=1.73
weight = convert|68.0|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro = 1977
retired = 1990
plays = Left-handed
careerprizemoney = $1,296,560
singlesrecord = 378–223
singlestitles = 6
highestsinglesranking = No. 5 (September 12, 1983)
AustralianOpenresult = QF (1983)
FrenchOpenresult = F (1981)
Wimbledonresult = 4R (1982, 1987)
USOpenresult = QF (1979, 1981, 1983, 1984)
doublesrecord = 47–48
doublestitles = 1
highestdoublesranking =
updated =

Sylvia Hanika (born November 30, 1959 in Munich, West Germany) is a former professional tennis player from Germany. She is best remembered for finishing runner-up at the French Open in 1981, and for winning the Avon Championships in 1982. She was ranked as high as No. 5 in the world and played left handed.

Career

Hanika turned professional in 1977. Her first professional title was the German Indoor championships in 1978.

In 1981, Hanika reached the women's singles final at the French Open, where she was defeated 6–2, 6–4 by Hana Mandlíková.

The crowning achievement of Hanika's career came in 1982, when she defeated World No. 2 Martina Navrátilová 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the final of the Avon Series Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Garden was also the site of Hanika's last big singles win: a 6–4 6–4 defeat of #3 Chris Evert in the first round of the Virginia Slims Championships in 1987.

Hanika won her final top-level singles title in Athens in 1986. She retired from the tour in 1990, having won six professional singles titles and one doubles title.

Between serves she was known to bounce the ball more than anyone tennis commentator and historian Bud Collins remembers: ". . . as many as into the 30s. If she faulted on the first, it was awful, another 30 or so bounces." ["Strange Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Players" by Christopher Clarey, June 21, 2008 in "The New York Times".]

Grand Slam singles finals

Runner-up (1)

WTA Tour

ingles titles (6)

* 1978 - German Indoors

* 1979 - German Indoors

* 1981 - Seattle, Washington, U.S.

* 1982 - Avon Championships

* 1984 - Brighton, United Kingdom

* 1986 - Athens, Greece

Doubles titles (1)

* 1988 - Adelaide, Australia (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch)

ee also

* Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final

References

External links

*wta|id=80012|name=Sylvia Hanika
*ITF female profile|number=20003309
*FedCupplayerlink|id=20003309