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Natasha Zvereva
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Natalya "Natasha" Zvereva (; born 16 April 1971) is a retired tennis player from Belarus. Zvereva was the first major athlete in the Soviet Union to demand publicly that she be able to keep her tournament earnings. The team of Zvereva and Gigi Fernandez won more women's doubles titles and Grand Slam women's doubles championships than any other team since the team of Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. Navrtilova, speaking of the abilities of the two teams, said that she and Shriver were better, but "We were power.
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Encyclopedia
Natalya "Natasha" Zvereva (; born 16 April 1971) is a retired tennis player from Belarus. Zvereva was the first major athlete in the Soviet Union to demand publicly that she be able to keep her tournament earnings. The team of Zvereva and Gigi Fernandez won more women's doubles titles and Grand Slam women's doubles championships than any other team since the team of Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. Navrtilova, speaking of the abilities of the two teams, said that she and Shriver were better, but "We were power. They are finesse. It would have been close."
Zvereva is currently the captain of the Belarussian Fed Cup team.
Playing style
Zvereva used a baseline, counter-punching style centered around topspin and her double-handed backhand. She had great hands, used a variety of spins, and was willing to rush the net and volley. 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.
Career
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. Eighteen of them were Grand Slam doubles titles: 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 is one of only three women to have won at least four women's doubles titles at each Grand Slam tournament, the others being Martina Navratilova and Shriver.
In addition to her Grand Slam doubles titles, Zvereva teamed with Meskhi to win a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
Zvereva's best achievement in singles was in 1988 when, at age of 17, she beat second ranked Navratilova in the fourth round and sixth seeded Helena Suková in the quarterfinals en route to the final of the French Open. In the semifinals, Zvereva saved two match points against Nicole Bradtke before winning 6–3, 6–7, 7–5. In the final, she lost to Steffi Graf 6–0, 6–0, who 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 in the same Grand Slam singles tournament. At Wimbledon in 1998, Zvereva defeated the fourth seeded Graf in the third round 6–4, 7–5 and the sixth seeded Seles in a quarterfinal 7–6(4), 6–2. 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 during that period.
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 Weingartner 4–6, 6–3, 6–2. She played in the invitational doubles event in 2007.
Grand Slam singles final
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final | 1988 | French Open | Steffi Graf | 6–0, 6–0 |
Grand Slam women's doubles finals (31)
Wins (18)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final | 1989 | French Open(1) | | Steffi Graf
Gabriela Sabatini | 6–4, 6–4 | 1991 | Wimbledon(1) | | Gigi Fernández
Jana Novotná | 6–4, 3-6, 8-6 | 1991 | US Open(1) | Pam Shriver | Larisa Savchenko Neiland | 6–4, 4-6, 7-6(5) | 1992 | French Open (2) | | Conchita Martínez
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6–3, 6–2 | 1992 | Wimbledon (2) | | Larisa Savchenko Neiland | 6–4, 6–1 | 1992 | US Open (2) | | Larisa Savchenko Neiland | 7–6(4), 6–1 | 1993 | Australian Open (1) | | Elizabeth Smylie | 6–4, 6–3 | 1993 | French Open (3) | | Larisa Savchenko Neiland | 6–3, 7–5 | 1993 | Wimbledon (3) | | Larisa Savchenko Neiland | 6–4, 6–7(9), 6–4 | 1994 | Australian Open (2) | | Patty Fendick
Meredith McGrath | 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 | 1994 | French Open (4) | | Lindsay Davenport
Lisa Raymond | 6–2, 6–2 | 1994 | Wimbledon (4) | | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6–4, 6–1 | 1995 | French Open (5) | | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6–7(6), 6–4, 7–5 | 1995 | US Open (3) | | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy
Rennae Stubbs | 7–5, 6–3 | 1996 | US Open (4) | | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4 | 1997 | Australian Open (3) | | Lisa Raymond | 6–2, 6–2 | 1997 | French Open (6) | | Mary Joe Fernandez
Lisa Raymond | 6–2, 6–3 | 1997 | Wimbledon (5) | | Nicole Arendt
Manon Bollegraf | 7–6(4), 6–4 |
Runner-ups (13)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final | 1988 | Wimbledon (1) | | Steffi Graf
Gabriela Sabatini | 6–3, 1–6, 12-10 | 1989 | Wimbledon (2) | | Jana Novotná
Helena Suková | 6–1, 6-2 | 1990 | French Open (1) | | Helena Suková | 6–4, 7–5 | 1991 | French Open (2) | | Gigi Fernández
Jana Novotná | 6–4, 6-0 | 1995 | Australian Open (1) | | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6–3, 6–7(3), 6–4 | 1995 | Wimbledon (3) | | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 5–7, 7–5, 6–4 | 1996 | French Open (3) | | Lindsay Davenport
Mary Joe Fernandez | 6–2, 6–1 | 1997 | US Open (1) | | Jana Novotná | 6–3, 6–4 | 1998 | Australian Open (2) | | Martina Hingis
Mirjana Lucic | 6–4, 2–6, 6–3 | 1998 | French Open (4) | | Jana Novotná | 6–1, 7–6 | 1998 | Wimbledon(4) | | Jana Novotná | 6–3, 3–6, 8–6 | 1998 | US Open(2) | | Jana Novotná | 6–3, 6–3 | 1999 | Australian Open (3) | | Anna Kournikova | 7–5, 6–3 |
Grand Slam mixed doubles finals (4)
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final | 1990 | Australian Open(1) | Jim Pugh | Rick Leach | 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 | 1995 | Australian Open (2) | | Gigi Fernández
Cyril Suk | 7–6(4), 6–7(3), 6–4 |
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final | 1990 | US Open(1) | Jim Pugh | Elizabeth Smylie
Todd Woodbridge | 6–4, 6–2 | 1991 | Wimbledon(1) | | John Fitzgerald
Elizabeth Smylie | 7–6(4), 6–2 |
WTA Tour finals
Singles wins (4)
| Legend (Singles) | | Tier II (2) | | Tier III (1) | | Tier IV & V (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in Final | Score in Final | | 1. | 7 January 1990 | Brisbane, Australia | Hard | Rachel McQuillan | 6–4, 6–0 | | 2. | 14 January 1990 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Barbara Paulus | 4–6, 6–1, 6–3 | | 3. | 13 February 1994 | Ameritech Cup Chicago, Chicago | Carpet (I) | Chanda Rubin | 6–3, 7–5 | | 4. | 20 June 1999 | Eastbourne, United Kingdom | Grass | Nathalie Tauziat | 0–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
Singles runner-ups (15)
| Legend (Singles) | | Grand Slam (1) | | Tier I (3) | | Tier II (5) | | Tier III (1) | | Tier IV & V (2) | | Pre-Tier (3) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in Final | Score in Final | | 1. | 9 November 1986 | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | Carper (I) | Kathy Rinaldi | 6–4, 6–7(7), 6–0 | | 2. | 8 November 1987 | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | Carpet (I) | Sandra Cecchini | 0–6, 6–1, 6–3 | | 3. | 15 November 1987 | Ameritech Cup Chicago, Chicago | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova | 6–1, 6–2 | | 4. | 5 June 1988 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Steffi Graf | 6–0, 6–0 | | 5. | 19 June 1988 | Eastbourne, United Kingdom | Grass | | 6–2, 6–2 | | 6. | 21 August 1988 | Canadian Open, Montreal, Canada | Hard | Gabriela Sabatini | 6–1, 6–2 | | 7. | 6 November 1988 | Worchester, Massachusetts, U.S. | Carpet (I) | | 6–7(4), 6–4, 6–3 | | 8. | 9 April 1989 | Family Circle Cup, Hilton Head, South Carolina, U.S. | Clay | | 6–1, 6–1 | | 9. | 15 October 1989 | Moscow | Carpet (I) | Gretchen Magers | 6–3, 6–4 | | 10. | 16 June 1991 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | Grass | | 6–4, 7–6(6) | | 11. | 17 October 1993 | Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Filderstadt, Germany | Carpet (I) | Mary Pierce | 6–3, 6–3 | | 12. | 20 March 1994 | NASDAQ-100 Open, Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. | Hard | | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2 | | 13. | 3 April 1994 | Family Circle Cup, Hilton Head, South Carolina, U.S. | Clay | Conchita Martínez | 6–4, 6–0 | | 14. | 9 October 1994 | European Championships, Zürich, Switzerland | Carpet (I) | Magdalena Maleeva | 7–5, 3–6, 6–4 | | 15. | 5 March 1995 | Evert Cup, Indian Wells, California, U.S. | Hard | Mary Joe Fernandez | 6–4, 6–3 |
Doubles wins (80)
Grand Slam events in boldface.
- 1988 - Indianapolis (with Larisa Savchenko Neiland), Birmingham (with Savchenko Neiland)
- 1989 - French Open (with Savchenko Neiland), Chicago (with Savchenko Neiland), Amelia Island (with Savchenko Neiland), Birmingham (with Savchenko Neiland), Moscow (with Savchenko Neiland)
- 1990 - Birmingham (with Savchenko Neiland), Eastbourne (with Savchenko Neiland), Light n' Lively Doubles (with Savchenko Neiland)
- 1991 - Wimbledon (with Savchenko Neiland), US Open (with Pam Shriver), Boca Raton (with Savchenko Neiland), Hilton Head (with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch), German Open (wwith Savchenko Neiland), Eastbourne (with Savchenko Neiland), Canadian Open (with Savchenko Neiland), Los Angeles (with Savchenko Neiland), Brighton (with Shriver)
- 1992 - French Open (with Gigi Fernández), Wimbledon (with G. Fernández), US Open (with G. Fernández), Boca Raton (with Savchenko Neiland), Hilton Head (with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario), Amelia Island (with Sánchez Vicario), Zurich (with Helena Suková), Oakland (with G. Fernández), Philadelphia (with G. Fernández)
- 1993 - Australian Open (with G. Fernández), French Open (with G. Fernández), Wimbledon (with G. Fernández), Virginia Slims Championships (with G. Fernández), Delray Beach (with G. Fernández), Light n' Lively Doubles (with G. Fernández), Hilton Head (with G. Fernández), German Open (with G. Fernández), Eastbourne (with G. Fernández), Leipzig (with G. Fernández), Filderstadt (with G. Fernández)
- 1994 - Australian Open (with G. Fernández), French Open (with G. Fernández), Wimbledon (with G. Fernández), Virginia Slims Championships (with G. Fernández), Key Biscayne (with G. Fernández), Chicago (with G. Fernández), Italian Open (with G. Fernández), German Open (with G. Fernández), Eastbourne (with G. Fernández), Filderstadt (with G. Fernández), Philadelphia (with G. Fernández)
- 1995 - French Open (with G. Fernández), US Open (with G. Fernández), Tokyo (Pan Pacific) (with G. Fernández), Italian Open (with G. Fernández), San Diego (with G. Fernández), Los Angeles (with G. Fernández), Filderstadt (with G. Fernández)
- 1996 - US Open (with G. Fernández), Tokyo (Pan Pacific) (with G. Fernández), Los Angeles (with Lindsay Davenport)
- 1997 - Australian Open (with Martina Hingis), French Open (with G. Fernández), Wimbledon (with G. Fernández), Tokyo (Pan Pacific) (with Davenport), Indian Wells (with Davenport), Key Biscayne (with Sánchez Vicario), Strasbourg (with Suková), Moscow (with Sánchez Vicario)
- 1998 - Chase Championships (with Davenport), Indian Wells (with Davenport), German Open (with Davenport), Stanford (with Davenport), San Diego (with Davenport), Los Angeles (with Hingis), Filderstadt (with Davenport), Moscow (with Mary Pierce)
- 1999 - Tokyo (Pan Pacific) (with Davenport)
- 2000 - Hannover (with Asa Carlsson), Hamburg (with Anna Kournikova)
- 2002 - Madrid (with Martina Navratilova)
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | Career SR |
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| Australian Open | A | A | A | 2R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 1R | QF | 1R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | A | A | 0 / 11 | | French Open | 3R | F | 1R | 4R | 2R | QF | 4R | 4R | 1R | 3R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 4R | A | A | 0 / 14 | | Wimbledon | 4R | 4R | 3R | QF | 2R | QF | QF | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | SF | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | 0 / 15 | | US Open | 3R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 4R | 3R | QF | A | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 12 | | SR | 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 |
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.
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