German tennis player
Sabine Katharina Lisicki
(
German pronunciation:
[za?biːn?
l??z?ki]
; born 22 September 1989) is a German professional
tennis
player.
Lisicki turned professional in 2006, and her breakthrough came in 2009 when she reached the quarterfinals of the
Wimbledon Championships
, and also won her first title on the
WTA Tour
, at the
Family Circle Cup
. In March 2010, she suffered an ankle injury at the
Indian Wells Open
that kept her out of competition for five months and saw her fall out of the top 200. Lisicki rebounded in 2011 and won the
Birmingham Classic
, before entering the
Wimbledon Championships
as a
wildcard
and going on to reach the semifinals, where she lost to
Maria Sharapova
. In doing so she became only the second woman in
Wimbledon
history to make it to the semifinals while entering the tournament as a wildcard.
[1]
She followed that two months later by winning her third WTA tournament, the
Texas Open
. In 2012, she achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 12 and again reached the quarterfinals of
Wimbledon
. Again, in 2012 she suffered from another ankle injury that prevented her from having better results on tour. Lisicki reached the final of the
2013 Wimbledon Championships
, losing to
Marion Bartoli
. The following year, she had another quarterfinal at
Wimbledon
and won her first title in three years when she won the
Hong Kong Open
.
In doubles, Lisicki won the
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
in
2011
with
Samantha Stosur
and in
2013
with
Mona Barthel
and the
2014 Miami Open
with coach
Martina Hingis
. She also reached the doubles final at Wimbledon in
2011
with Stosur and came fourth in the
mixed-doubles
event at the
2012 London Olympics
with
Christopher Kas
.
Between 2014 and 2018, Lisicki held the world record for the
fastest serve
by a female tennis player. A 131.0 mph (210.8 km/h) serve was measured during her first-round encounter against
Ana Ivanovic
at the
2014 Stanford Classic
.
[2]
She also held the record for the
most aces in a singles match
, hitting 27 aces during her second-round encounter against
Belinda Bencic
at the
2015 Birmingham Classic
, until it was surpassed by
Kristyna Pli?kova
at the
2016 Australian Open
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Lisicki's parents emigrated to West Germany from Poland in 1979; her father, Dr. Richard Lisicki, is of German and Polish descent and her mother, Elisabeth, of Polish. They came to Germany as "
Aussiedler
", descended from German citizens who lived in the
former eastern territories of Germany
which had become
part of Poland
after World War II.
[3]
In a 2009 interview with the German newspaper
Die Welt
, her father put emphasis on Lisicki being German: "Sabine is a German ? not only because of her birth here [in Germany]."
[4]
Lisicki was born in
Troisdorf
, North Rhine-Westphalia, in 1989. Her father, who introduced her to the sport at the age of seven, has a doctorate in sport science and is her coach. Her mother is a painter specialising in ceramics.
Career
[
edit
]
Early years
[
edit
]
Since 2004, Lisicki has trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in
Bradenton, Florida
, where she is sponsored and managed by
IMG
. She is coached by her father, who studied sport science in
Wrocław
and
Cologne
.
[4]
Early in her career, Lisicki could not fly to tournaments because of a lack of funding. She had to be driven across Europe in a car by her parents so that she could attend tournaments. Lisicki said: "My parents did everything possible to let me play tennis. That's what I appreciated so much. My dad has worked from 8 in the morning til 9 in the evening to make it possible so I can play tennis. We had to cancel tournaments because we couldn't afford to go there."
[5]
In 2006, Lisicki competed at the
Sunfeast Open
in Kolkata, where she defeated Ragini Vimal in the first, but lost in the final qualifying round to
Sanaa Bhambri
.
She competed in her first WTA Tour main-draw match when she was given a wildcard to play at the
German Open
. She lost in the first round to
Mara Santangelo
, in three sets.
Lisicki had a successful year in 2007 on the
ITF Circuit
and climbed from world No. 497 to No. 198 in the
WTA rankings
. She won two titles, one in Jersey and the other in Toronto. She defeated top-seed
Katie O'Brien
at the
Vancouver Open
.
[6]
2008: Start of the journey
[
edit
]
At the
Australian Open
, her first Grand Slam tournament, she defeated the 16th-seeded player,
Dinara Safina
, as well as
Mariya Koryttseva
to reach the third round as a qualifier. She lost her third round match to
Caroline Wozniacki
. In the first round of the
Fed Cup
against the
United States
, Lisicki defeated
Lindsay Davenport
in straight sets.
Lisicki next reached the fourth round of the
Miami Open
, a
Tier I
event, where she defeated sixth seeded
Anna Chakvetadze
in straight sets, but was defeated in the next round by
Elena Dementieva
.
At
Wimbledon
, Lisicki lost in the first round to the 2007 runner-up, 11th seed
Marion Bartoli
.
In October, Lisicki reached her first WTA tournament final at the Tashkent Open, where she lost in three sets to fellow teenager
Sorana Cirstea
.
2009: Breakthrough year
[
edit
]
Lisicki started her year at the
Hopman Cup
in
Perth
where she advanced to the third round before losing to
Dominika Cibulkova
in straight sets. At the
Australian Open
, Lisicki defeated the 30th seed
Aleksandra Wozniak
in the opening round before losing to
Samantha Stosur
in straight sets. She then took part in
Germany
's 3?2 win over
Switzerland
in their
Fed Cup World Group II
tie, defeating
Timea Bacsinszky
but losing to
Patty Schnyder
.
At the
Cellular South Cup
in Memphis, Lisicki reached the semifinals, defeating third seed
Lucie ?afa?ova
on the way before losing to eventual winner
Victoria Azarenka
. Lisicki then took part in the first
Premier Mandatory
tournament of the year in North America. At the
Indian Wells Open
, she lost in the first round to
Elena Vesnina
. At the
Miami Open
, she lost in the second round to 26th seed
Iveta Bene?ova
.
During the clay-court season, Lisicki lost in the second round of the
Amelia Island Championships
in Ponte Vedra Beach to eventual finalist and fifth seed Aleksandra Wozniak. On the green clay at the
Charleston Open
in, Lisicki won her first WTA Tour title without dropping a set, defeating the fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki in the final. She had previously defeated second seeded Venus Williams in the third round and No. 6 seed Marion Bartoli in the semifinals. She then took part in Germany's
Fed Cup World Group play-off
win against
China
. She defeated world No. 16
Zheng Jie
in the first singles match, and partnered with
Anna-Lena Gronefeld
to win the decisive doubles match.
Lisicki advanced to the second round of the
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
in Stuttgart before losing to third-seeded
Jelena Jankovi?
in straight sets. She then advanced to the quarterfinals at the
Portugal Open
where she lost to compatriot Anna-Lena Gronefeld, retiring when 2?6 down. At the
French Open
, Lisicki lost to Lucie ?afa?ova in the first round.
On her first match on grass at the
Eastbourne International
, Lisicki lost to Samantha Stosur in the first round. In doubles, Lisicki and her partner
Ana Ivanovic
lost in the first round to
Cara Black
and
Liezel Huber
.
Lisicki played her first
Grand Slam
quarterfinal at
Wimbledon
, where she was beaten by world No. 1, Dinara Safina.
[7]
On her way to the quarterfinal, she had defeated Anna Chakvetadze in the first round,
Patricia Mayr
in the second, the 2009 French Open champion and fifth seed
Svetlana Kuznetsova
in the third round, and ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth.
Seeded 23rd, Lisicki advanced to the second round at the 2009 US Open, but lost to qualifier Anastasia Rodionova. On 3 September 2009, daytime, Rodionova's match point, Lisicki slipped while going to return a backhand and injured her left ankle.
[8]
She left the court in a wheelchair as Rodionova advanced to the third round. Lisicki later reported that an MRI showed no tears. The injury was a sprain, and Lisicki returned to her base in Florida for rehabilitation.
She returned to the tour at the
Pan Pacific Open
at the end of September, where she reached the second round before losing in three sets to seventh seed Jelena Jankovi?.
In October, she reached the final of the
Luxembourg Open
, but lost to Timea Bacsinszky. On her way to the final she beat Iveta Bene?ova,
Polona Hercog
, Patty Schnyder and Shahar Pe'er.
Lisicki qualified for the
Tournament of Champions
. She lost her first round-robin match to
Aravane Rezai
, but won her second round-robin match against
Melinda Czink
.
2010: Injuries and struggles
[
edit
]
Lisicki started the season by playing at the
Hopman Cup
for Germany. She won her singles ties against
Elena Dementieva
and
Laura Robson
but lost to
Yaroslava Shvedova
. Partnering with
Philipp Kohlschreiber
, they lost all their doubles matches, so Germany did not proceed to the finals.
As the 21st seed, Lisicki was defeated at the
Australian Open
in the second round by
Alberta Brianti
, in three sets. She then played the
Pattaya Open
in Bangkok where she was the second seed and lost her second-round match to home player
Tamarine Tanasugarn
.
At
Dubai
, she lost her second-round match against
Venus Williams
.
Her next two tournaments were at
Indian Wells
and
Miami
. In both tournaments, Lisicki retired in the second round because of an ankle injury. The injury sidelined her for five months, and she withdrew from tournaments at
Ponte Vedra
and
Charleston
. She also missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Lisicki had to learn how to walk again and faced suggestions that she should retire rather than risk further injury. She later said: "I always believed. Always. No matter what happened. I can still remember when the doctor told me that I have to be on crutches the next six weeks. That period made me such a much stronger person and player. I know anything is possible after learning how to walk again. I love the sport so much and I miss it when I cannot be out there on the court. It just gives me the belief to overcome anything."
[9]
[10]
Coming into the
US Open
ranked world No. 96, Lisicki advanced to the second round before losing to seventh seed and eventual finalist
Vera Zvonareva
.
After the US Open, she failed to qualify for the Luxembourg Open causing her ranking to fall to No. 179 in the WTA rankings.
[9]
2011: Return to form
[
edit
]
Lisicki started the season at the
Auckland Open
where she lost to
Yanina Wickmayer
in three sets in the second round. At
Melbourne
, Lisicki played the qualifying tournament and lost in the second round to
Vesna Manasieva
. After losing at the
Indian Wells Open
to Sorana Cirstea in the qualifying rounds in March, Lisicki fell down the rankings to No. 218.
[9]
She lifted her form and reached the third round at the
Miami Open
, where she was defeated by Maria Sharapova.
At the
Family Circle Cup
, Lisicki reached the third round, but lost to
Sania Mirza
in two sets. At the
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
, she lost in the quarterfinals against her compatriot
Julia Gorges
, eventual champion of the tournament. In doubles, Lisicki partnered with former world No. 1 doubles player Samantha Stosur to win her first ever career doubles title. At the
French Open
, Lisicki advanced to the second round against the number three seed, Vera Zvonareva. Lisicki had a match point at 5?2 of the third set, but she lost the point and eventually the match. Afterwards, she lay on the court, sobbing, and was taken off on a stretcher due to injury.
[11]
At the
Birmingham Classic
, Lisicki reached the final where she defeated
Daniela Hantuchova
to win her second WTA Tour title. At
Wimbledon
, she received a wildcard to enter the tournament, advancing to the semifinals of a major for the first time, and beating third seed and recent French Open champion
Li Na
in the second round. She was eliminated by Maria Sharapova in straight sets after leading the first set 3?0.
[12]
This was the first time in 12 years that a German woman (since
Steffi Graf
reached the Wimbledon finals in 1999) had reached the semifinal stage of a Grand Slam. Lisicki was the second wild-card entry to reach the women's semifinals in Wimbledon history.
[13]
In doubles, Lisicki partnered with Stosur and lost in the final.
[14]
At the
Silicon Valley Classic
, Lisicki beat fourth seed and doubles partner Samantha Stosur and fifth seed Agnieszka Radwa?ska, but fell to
Serena Williams
in the semifinals. At the
Cincinnati Open
, Lisicki lost to Shahar Pe'er in the first round. She then traveled to Dallas to compete in the inaugural
Texas Open
as the fifth seed. After advancing to the semifinals with an easy win over qualifier
Kateryna Bondarenko
, she crushed eighth seed
Irina-Camelia Begu
to advance to the final. Lisicki won her third title, defeating qualifier Aravane Rezai, having dropped no more than three games each match of the way to her victory. She moved to a new career-high rank of world No. 18, on 29 August. Seeded 22nd at the
US Open
, she easily advanced to the second round with a straight-sets win over
Alona Bondarenko
. She was scheduled to play Venus Williams in the second round, but Williams withdrew before it started due to her recent diagnosis of
Sjogren's syndrome
. Lisicki dispatched
Irina Falconi
to advance to the fourth round for the first time, before ultimately being defeated by second seed Vera Zvonareva. At the
China Open
Lisicki defeated
Zheng Saisai
in straight sets but withdrew from her second round match against
Kaia Kanepi
.
Lisicki was named the
WTA Comeback Player of the Year
in November.
[15]
2012: Continued success and injuries
[
edit
]
Lisicki's first tournament in 2012 was the
Auckland Open
where she was the No. 1 seed. In the first round, she defeated
Virginie Razzano
. In the second round, she defeated
Mona Barthel
. In the quarterfinal, she faced
Angelique Kerber
, the 2011 US Open semifinalist, and was losing 4?6, before retiring, due to a back injury, in the second set at a score of 3?4. In doubles, she entered with Chinese player
Peng Shuai
and they won their first round match against
Sara Errani
and
Roberta Vinci
. Both the Italians would go on to the
Australian Open
in four weeks time. In the second round, they pulled out due to the injury picked up by Lisicki in the quarterfinal of the singles tournament against Angelique Kerber.
Lisicki next entered the
Sydney International
where she was unseeded. Before the first round of the tournament began, she pulled out with her recent back injury and gave her place to lucky loser
Alexandra Dulgheru
.
Lisicki next competed in the Australian Open where she was the 14th seed. In the first round, she faced
Stefanie Vogele
and beat her in three sets. In the second round, she defeated Shahar Pe'er. In the third round, she beat 18th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
[16]
She was defeated by Maria Sharapova. Lisicki took the first set, winning six consecutive games after being down 0?3, but was unable to match Sharapova in the following two sets.
At the
2012 Fed Cup
, Lisicki played for Germany alongside Julia Gorges, Anna-Lena Gronefeld and Angelique Kerber. She started off the meeting between
Germany
and the
Czech Republic
by facing Iveta Bene?ova, a match in which she lost. In her second match, she faced Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and also lost. Germany lost the meeting by a score of 1?4.
Lisicki's next tournament was supposed to be the
Open GdF Suez
where she was to be the fifth seed. She pulled out before the tournament began with a viral illness.
Lisicki then competed at the
Qatar Ladies Open
where she was the ninth seed. In the first round she met compatriot Angelique Kerber and lost in three sets to continue a losing streak dating back to the fourth round of the Australian Open. In doubles, she was the fourth seed along with Russian
Maria Kirilenko
. They received a bye into the second round where they met
Andreja Klepa?
and
Alicja Rosolska
, beating them in a third set tie-break. In the third round they met fifth seeds
Nuria Llagostera Vives
and
Anastasia Rodionova
. They lost the first set 4?6, and in the second set, Llagostera Vives and Rodionova took an early 3?1 lead, but Lisicki and Kirilenko were able to even the score by winning the following two games. The two teams swapped a break of serve to bring the score to 4?4. The teams held serve and brought the set to a tiebreak. Lisicki and Kirilenko won 7?3 to level the score at one set each. They lost the third set, and with it, ultimately, the match.
Lisicki's next tournament was the
Dubai Championships
, where she was supposed to face fifth seed Agnieszka Radwa?ska in the first round. However, after second seed Petra Kvitova withdrew, she became the ninth seed and received Kvitova's bye into the second round. There she met Iveta Bene?ova, defeating her in two sets. In the quarterfinals, she was knocked out by Radwa?ska.
At
Indian Wells
as the 11th seed, she received a bye into the second round where she faced
Lourdes Dominguez Lino
, losing in two sets. In doubles with compatriot Julia Gorges, she beat
Raquel Kops-Jones
and
Abigail Spears
. The two Germans next faced
French Open
champions
Lucie Hradecka
and
Andrea Hlava?kova
, losing in straight sets.
Lisicki next went to
Miami
, where she was the 12th seed. She got a bye to the second round where she faced
Sofia Arvidsson
. Victorious, she then faced Peng Shuai in the third round. She won this match too and then faced Li Na in the fourth round. Li defeated Lisicki in three sets.
At the
Family Circle Cup
, Lisicki was the sixth seed. She received a bye into the second round. There she faced
lucky loser
Andrea Hlava?kova, winning in three. She faced qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova in the third round and won in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, she faced Serena Williams. Behind 1?4 to her opponent, Lisicki fell and injured her left ankle. She retired from the match in tears, sending Serena into the semis. In doubles, she paired with
Australian Open
women's doubles
champion Vera Zvonareva. They lost to top seeds Liezel Huber and
Lisa Raymond
.
As a result of the fall in her quarterfinal match, Lisicki was forced to the sideline at the
Fed Cup World Group Play-off
tie against
Australia
. She was also forced to pull out of the
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
, from which she was defending a quarterfinal spot in singles and the doubles title which she won with Sam Stosur. Lisicki also missed the
Madrid Open
, a
Premier Mandatory
tournament.
After nearly a month off the tour, Lisicki returned as the 12th seed at the
Italian Open
. She faced
Marina Erakovic
in the first round, where she lost. Traveling next to her home country for the
Internationaux de Strasbourg
, where she was the top seed, Lisicki again experienced a first round upset, losing to
Pauline Parmentier
.
Lisicki then traveled to Paris to play the
French Open
, where she was the 12th seed. On the red clay of
Roland Garros
, Lisicki lost to
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
.
Lisicki started her summer grass-court season by defending her title at
Eastbourne
. As the second seed, she received a bye into the second round, where she lost to
Urszula Radwa?ska
. This set Lisicki up with a five-match losing streak going into the
Wimbledon Championships
. In the first round, she beat unseeded
Petra Marti?
, breaking her losing streak and putting her into the second round, where she faced qualifier
Bojana Jovanovski
. Lisicki won the match in three sets to set up a third round tie with
Sloane Stephens
, where she again faced a tight match, pulling through in the third set. In the fourth round, she beat top seed Sharapova, to whom she had lost in the semifinals the previous year. This marked the third year that Lisicki had beaten the reigning French Open champion in Wimbledon, having also beaten Li Na in
2011
and Svetlana Kuznetsova in
2009
. In the subsequent quarterfinals, Lisicki once again met Angelique Kerber. Having lost the previous four meetings, Lisicki proceeded to lose the first set 3?6. Lisicki rallied in the second set to take it in a tiebreak; in this second set Lisicki saved two match points. Lisicki proved ultimately unable to take the match. At one point, she was serving for the match at 5?3, but Kerber went on the take the set and the match,
[17]
dropping Lisicki back down to a world ranking of 18.
Lisicki entered the
Southern California Open
as the fifth seed but pulled out with an abdominal injury. She went straight back to London to prepare for the
2012 Summer Olympics
. She entered
singles
where she was seeded 15, and in
mixed doubles
with
Christopher Kas
where they were unseeded. In the singles, she beat
Ons Jabeur
and Yaroslava Shvedova in the first and second round respectively. She lost to Maria Sharapova in the third round, after winning the first set and leading 4?2 in the second. In doubles, Lisicki and Kerber beat British pair
Laura Robson
and
Heather Watson
in the first round, after losing the first set whilst taking only eleven points and going 4?2 down in the second set. In the second round, they lost to Venus and Serena Williams. In mixed doubles, Lisicki and Kas beat second seeds
Bob Bryan
and Liezel Huber in the first round, and
Daniele Bracciali
and Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they lost to
Andy Murray
and Laura Robson. In the bronze medal match, they lost to third seeds
Mike Bryan
and Lisa Raymond.
Lisicki moved on to the
Rogers Cup
in Montreal. She was 15th seed in singles falling in her opening match to
Carla Suarez Navarro
. In doubles, she made it to the quarterfinals, partnering with Peng Shuai. They beat sixth seeds Iveta Bene?ova and
Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
, and
Natalie Grandin
and
Vladimira Uhli?ova
in the first and second rounds respectively. They were forced to pull out of the competition against top seeds Raymond and Huber as a result of Lisicki suffering an abdominal injury.
Lisicki entered the
US Open
as the 16th seed, but she was upset in the first round by Sorana Cirstea. In doubles, Lisicki again partnered with Peng Shuai. They beat Laura Robson and
Shahar Pe'er
in the first round, 12th seeds Anastasia Rodionova and
Galina Voskoboeva
in the second and sixth seeds
Elena Vesnina
and
Ekaterina Makarova
in the third. They lost to eventual finalists Hlava?kova and Hradecka in the quarterfinals.
Lisicki's next tournament was in Japan at the
Pan Pacific Open
. In singles, she started with a first-round loss against qualifier Heather Watson. In doubles, she partnered with world No. 3, Lisa Raymond. They faced
Monica Niculescu
and Alicja Rosolska, both of whom had recently lost in WTA doubles finals. Lisicki and Raymond won the match and defeated
Darija Jurak
and
Katalin Marosi
in the quarterfinals.
Lisicki next participated at the
China Open
, but she was defeated in the second round by the eventual champion
Victoria Azarenka
. She next moved to Linz where she lost in the first round to
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner
. Lisicki finished her season losing in the first round of the
Luxembourg Open
to
Kirsten Flipkens
of Belgium.
2013: First Grand Slam singles final
[
edit
]
Lisicki started 2013 with the
Brisbane International
. She beat Lucie ?afa?ova in the first round. She lost in the second round to world No. 1, Victoria Azarenka. She pulled out of the qualifying draw at
Sydney
with a virus.
Lisicki then competed at the
Australian Open
. In the first round she faced Caroline Wozniacki and was defeated. She also competed in the
mixed doubles
with
Frederik Nielsen
. They were knocked out in the first round by the home favorites and eventual champions,
Jarmila Gajdo?ova
and
Matthew Ebden
.
Lisicki then moved onto the
Pattaya Open
. In the first round she beat fellow German
Tatjana Malek
. She downed
Alexandra Panova
in the second round and came back from a set down in the quarterfinals to beat Marina Erakovic. In her first semifinal since 2011, she beat
Nina Bratchikova
. In the final, she lost to
Maria Kirilenko
in three sets.
Her next tournament was in
Memphis
. As the third seed, she beat qualifier
Madison Keys
in the first round and
Melinda Czink
in the second. In the quarterfinal, she beat eighth seed Kristina Mladenovic and beat seventh seed
Magdalena Rybarikova
in the semifinal. In Lisicki's second final of the year, she faced Marina Erakovic from New Zealand. Erakovic ran away with the first set and Lisicki retired from the final with illness (Erakovic's first WTA title).
Lisicki missed the
Indian Wells Open
with the same illness. She returned in time to play at the
Miami Open
but lost in the first round to
Simona Halep
.
Lisicki started her clay-court season on the green clay at the
Charleston Open
. Lisicki claimed the title here in
2009
. In the first round, she recorded her first ever double bagel (not losing any games) in beating
Anna Tatishvili
. In the second round, she lost from a set up against
Mallory Burdette
.
Her next tournament was on the red clay in
Katowice
, Poland. As the seventh seed, she lost in the first round to
Alexandra Cadan?u
of Romania. She then travelled to Stuttgart for Germany's
Fed Cup World Group Play-off
tie against
Serbia
. Angelique Kerber and Mona Barthel were picked for singles against Ana Ivanovic and Bojana Jovanovski. After the four singles matches, the score was tied at two all. Lisicki was picked to play the doubles rubber with Anna-Lena Gronefeld against
Vesna Dolonc
and
Aleksandra Kruni?
. The German pairing easily won to secure
Germany
its place in the 2014 Fed Cup World Group. Lisicki stayed in Stuttgart to compete at the
Porsche Grand Prix
. In
singles
, she beat qualifier Italian
Nastassja Burnett
. In the second round, she beat Jelena Jankovi?. She lost in the quarterfinals to qualifier Mattek-Sands. In
doubles
, she and compatriot Mona Barthel received a wildcard to play in the main draw. They were scheduled to play world number ones Vinci and Errani but they pulled out before the tournament began. Instead, they were drawn against alternates
Jill Craybas
and
Megan Moulton-Levy
. Lisicki and Barthel easily won, with the loss of just two games. They then faced Jelena Jankovi? and Mirjana Lu?i?-Baroni, a match in which they won in three sets. In the semifinals, they defeated Darija Jurak and
Katalin Marosi
, in straight sets. In the final, Lisicki got revenge for her singles loss by beating Mattek-Sands and her partner
Sania Mirza
. This was Lisicki's second WTA doubles title. She and Barthel became the first all-German pairing to lift the trophy in Stuttgart.
Lisicki continued her clay season in
Madrid
. In the first round, she beat Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden. In the second round, she defeated 15th seed
Dominika Cibulkova
. In the third round, she played world No. 2, Maria Sharapova. Sharapova ultimately won in straight sets, with Lisicki putting up a fight in the second set. From Madrid, Lisicki went to Rome to play at the
Italian Open
. In the first round, she defeated American qualifier Mallory Burdette, but lost to eighth seed Petra Kvitova in the second round.
Lisicki then went to Paris for the second
major
of the year. In
singles
, she was the 32nd seed. She defeated Sofia Arvidsson in the first round and pulled off a straight sets win against Spaniard
Maria Teresa Torro Flor
in the second round, reaching the third round of the French Open for the first time in her career. There she was defeated by fifth seed and defending finalist Sara Errani. In
doubles
, Lisicki partnered with Janette Husarova. They came from a set down to beat Bojana Jovanovski and
Eva Hrdinova
in the first round. In the second round, they upset fifteenth seeds
Chan Hao-ching
of Taipei and Darija Jurak of Croatia. They faced defending champions Errani and Vinci in the third round, losing in straight sets.
Lisicki started her grass court season by playing at the
Birmingham Classic
. As the fifth seed, she received a bye into the second round where she defeated
Kristyna Pli?kova
. In the third round, she beat Mirjana Lu?i?-Baroni. She lost to
Alison Riske
in the quarterfinals. In the final set, Lisicki was 4?5 down and serving at 15?0 when Riske shouted "come on!" during a rally before Lisicki had returned the ball. Lisicki was unhappy and wanted the umpire to make a hindrance call, which would have given her the point and put her 30?0 up. The umpire did not agree with her and neither did the tournament referee. Riske took the point and broke Lisicki to win the match.
[18]
[19]
At the
Wimbledon Championships
, Lisicki, seeded 23rd, beat
Francesca Schiavone
in the first round,
Elena Vesnina
and 14th seed Samantha Stosur in the second and third round. In the fourth round, she faced first seed and reigning Wimbledon, US Open, and French Open champion Serena Williams. Lisicki won in three sets, marking the fourth time in her last four participations that she knocked out the reigning French Open champion at Wimbledon. Williams had been on a 34-match winning streak coming into the match.
[20]
Lisicki defeated
Kaia Kanepi
of Estonia, reaching the Wimbledon semifinals for the second time in her career. She beat Agnieszka Radwa?ska in a three set semifinal in two hours and 18 minutes to advance to her first Grand Slam final, thereby becoming the first German woman to reach a major final since Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1999, and the first German player of either gender to reach a Grand Slam singles final since
Rainer Schuttler
at the 2003 Australian Open. However, she lost to Marion Bartoli, in straight sets.
Her next tournament was the
Western & Southern Open
, however she lost in her opening match in a tight three-setter against Jelena Jankovi?. She then played at
New Haven
, beating Kristina Mladenovic in the first round before losing to
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
in the second.
She then played the
US Open
as the 16th seed, where she defeated qualifier
Vera Dushevina
in the first round. She then won her second match against
Paula Ormaechea
before losing to Ekaterina Makarova in round three.
Lisicki missed most of the Asian swing, but competed at the
China Open
as the 13th seed. She advanced to the third round beating
Chanelle Scheepers
and Venus Williams, before losing to home favourite Li Na. She then played the
Osaka Open
, again beating Scheepers in the first round, but was forced to withdraw from the tournament with a left hip injury before her second-round match.
Lisicki ended her 2013 season on a high by reaching the semi-finals of the
Luxembourg Open
. She beat Donna Veki?,
Tereza Smitkova
and
Karin Knapp
in her opening three matches. She won the last set to love (6?0) in all three of these matches. In the semifinals, she succumbed to top seed and eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. She finished her year ranked as world No. 15.
2014: Illness and injuries, fastest-serve record and 4th WTA title
[
edit
]
It was confirmed in October 2013 that Lisicki would begin her 2014 season alongside Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka at the
Brisbane International
. She advanced to the second round with a win over Magdalena Rybarikova, but then withdrew from the tournament due to illness.
At the
Australian Open
, it was announced that Lisicki would bring in
Martina Hingis
as a coach. Seeded 15th, she began with a confident straight-sets victory over Mirjana Lu?i?-Baroni, but was upset in the second round by Monica Niculescu. At the
Pattaya Open
, Lisicki struggled to overcome Donna Veki? in the first round in three sets. After the match, she admitted that it had been almost impossible for her to serve effectively due to a right shoulder injury. She later withdrew from the tournament.
[21]
Lisicki then endured a poor run across the North American swing, losing in her first match in
Indian Wells
to Aleksandra Wozniak. In Indian Wells, Lisicki also competed in the
doubles draw
playing alongside coach Martina Hingis. After getting a wildcard into the main draw, they played seventh seeds
Ashleigh Barty
and
Casey Dellacqua
. At the
Miami Open
, she beat Nadia Petrova in her opening match. However, she was forced to pull out before her third-round match against Kirsten Flipkens citing a bad flu. Despite pulling out of the singles draw, Lisicki was able to take a few days off to recover before she and Hingis started their campaign for the title. In the first round, they claimed their first win together by beating sixth seeds Andrea Hlava?kova and Lucie ?afa?ova. In the second round, Lisicki and Hingis convincingly defeated wildcards Sorana Cirstea and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets. In their quarterfinal match, the pair pulled off an impressive comeback win beating
Anabel Medina Garrigues
and Yaroslava Shvedova despite losing the first set and facing match points against them in the second. In the semifinals, they played fifth seeds and Indian Wells finalists Cara Black and Sania Mirza and beat them in straight sets. In their first final in only their second tournament together, Lisicki and Hingis played second seeds Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova. Despite being the heavy favourites for the title, Vesnina and Makrarova would go on to lose the match in three sets. The win was Lisicki's third doubles title and her first off the indoor clay of
Stuttgart
and Hingis' 38th doubles title and first since 2007.
Lisicki looked to carry momentum from the Miami title by going to Charleston and playing at the
Family Circle Cup
. She entered the tournament as the fourth seed and received a bye in the first round of play. In the second round, she played Vania King and beat her in three sets. In the third round, she played compatriot
Andrea Petkovic
for the first time in her career. Lisicki lost to the eventual champion Petkovic, managing to score only one game in the whole match. Lisicki did not participate in Germany's Fed Cup semifinal victory over Australia, moving from the outdoor green clay of Charleston to the indoor red clay of Stuttgart. She lost in the opening round to ninth seed Ana Ivanovic.
[22]
Lisicki then competed at the
Madrid Open
where she was the 15th seed. She fell in the third round to Simona Halep in three sets. At
Rome
, she fell in her opening match to Samantha Stosur in straight sets. Lisicki reached the second round at
Roland Garros
where she retired against compatriot Mona Barthel after injuring her wrist.
In June, Lisicki split with coach Hingis, citing "different concepts" as the reason.
[23]
As the 19th seed at
Wimbledon
, she could not repeat her feat from the previous year, only managing to reach the quarterfinals where she lost to Simona Halep. Along the way, she defeated
Julia Glushko
, Karolina Pli?kova, Ivanovic and Shvedova, fighting through a shoulder injury against the Kazakh.
In July, Lisicki slipped down to 30 in the world rankings. In her first-round match at the
Stanford Classic
against Ivanovic, Lisicki set a world record serve for a female tennis player, clocked at 210.8 km/h (131.0 mph).
[2]
However, Lisicki lost the match in straight sets.
[2]
At the
Rogers Cup
in Montreal the following week, Lisicki defeated former world No. 5, Sara Errani, in the first round in straight sets. After coming from a set down to defeat
Madison Keys
in the next round, she lost to Agnieszka Radwa?ska in three sets. The following week in
Cincinnati
was almost a repeat. In the second round, Lisicki defeated Errani once more in a match that lasted three hours before being beaten by Radwa?ska, only managing to win two games. Lisicki, the 26th seed, reached the third round at the
US Open
where she lost to Maria Sharapova.
In September, Lisicki participated in
Hong Kong
as the top seed after receiving a wildcard. She defeated Monica Niculescu and
Grace Min
to reach the quarterfinals. Then, she defeated Zheng Saisai and Francesca Schiavone to reach her first final of 2014. She won her fourth WTA title by defeating Karolina Pli?kova, her first singles title in more than three years. Lisicki received a wildcard at the
Pan Pacific Open
but lost to Casey Dellacqua in the first round. At the
Wuhan Open
, she upset Lucie ?afa?ova in the first round before falling to Elina Svitolina in the second, despite leading 5?0 in the first set. At the
China Open
, she reached the third round for the second straight year by defeating
Xu Shilin
and
Eugenie Bouchard
. She then lost to Ivanovic in straight sets. Lisicki then played in
Linz
as the fifth seed. She accepted a wild card into the event. She lost to Karin Knapp in three sets in the first round. The following week, Lisicki was upset by
Denisa Allertova
in the second round at the
Luxembourg Open
having overcome Daniela Hantuchova in her opening match. Lisicki's last match of 2014 was at the
Fed Cup
where Germany faced Czech Republic. She was selected to play the doubles tie alongside Anna-Lena Gronefeld. They defeated the pair of Hlava?kova and Hradecka. Lisicki ended the year at No. 27.
2015: First Premier Mandatory semifinal and most aces record
[
edit
]
Lisicki had a rough start to the year, losing in the first rounds at the
Brisbane International
(champion in doubles with Hingis), the
Sydney International
and the
Australian Open
, losing to Shvedova, Suarez Navarro, and Mladenovic respectively. She finally picked up her first win of the year in
Dubai
beating Monica Niculescu before bowing out to Ana Ivanovic. Lisicki would then suffer more first round losses in
Doha
to
Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
and in
Kuala Lumpur
to eventual finalist Alexandra Dulgheru.
Lisicki rediscovered her form during the North American swing. At
Indian Wells
, she beat Roberta Vinci to record her first ever win at the tournament. She continued winning by beating Sara Errani and Caroline Garcia to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, she beat the defending champion Flavia Pennetta in a three set thriller, saving three match points to advance to the semifinals for the first time at a Premier Mandatory event. She lost to Jelena Jankovi? in the semifinals in three sets despite leading by a set and a break. Lisicki carried her good form over to
Miami
where she beat fellow countrywoman Julia Gorges, Ana Ivanovic, and Sara Errani to advance to her second Premier Mandatory quarterfinal in a row. She lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the quarterfinals in three sets.
Lisicki then played for Germany in the semifinals against Russia at the
Fed Cup
where she lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets despite having a match point in the second set. She also played in the doubles with Andrea Petkovic but the pair lost to Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina to give Russia the win and a place in the final.
Lisicki began on clay in
Stuttgart
and was handed her first career double bagel loss to
Zarina Diyas
in the first round. This followed with another first round exit at the
Madrid Open
to
CoCo Vandeweghe
. Lisicki then played at the
Internazionali BNL d'Italia
and picked up her first clay win by beating
Sloane Stephens
before losing to Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets. She then played at the
Nuremberg Cup
and lost in the second round to
Lara Arruabarrena
in three sets despite having a match point in the third set. Lisicki then played at the
French Open
as the 20th seed. She beat
Monica Puig
in the first round in straight sets. In the second round, after winning the first set, her opponent
Daria Gavrilova
retired, allowing Lisicki to advance to the third round, where she was defeated by eventual finalist, Lucie ?afa?ova in straight sets.
Lisicki started her grass-court season at
Birmingham
. In her second-round win over
Belinda Bencic
, Lisicki broke the record for the most aces in a singles match, hitting a total of 27 aces.
[24]
She then beat 2009 champion
Magdalena Rybarikova
and 2013 champion Daniela Hantuchova to advance to the semifinals. She lost to fellow countrywoman and eventual champion Angelique Kerber, in straight sets. Lisicki then played at
Wimbledon
as the 18th seed. She beat Jarmila Gajdo?ova and
Christina McHale
to advance to the third round. She lost to Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets ending a streak of making the quarterfinals or better which she had done in her five previous appearances.
Lisicki began her summer hardcourt season at
Stanford
where she lost to
Kimiko Date-Krumm
in the first round in three sets after being up a set and 4?1. Lisicki then played at the
Rogers Cup
, beating last year's finalist, Venus Williams and Barbora Strycova to advance to the third round where she lost to eventual champion, Belinda Bencic in three sets despite having a match point in the third set. She then played at the
Western & Southern Open
and lost in the first round to Caroline Garcia in three sets. Lisicki then played at the
US Open
as the 24th seed. She beat qualifier
Aliaksandra Sasnovich
and
Camila Giorgi
in the first two rounds. In the third round she beat Barbora Strycova in three tight sets, coming from 1?5 down in the third set to advance to the fourth round for the first time at the tournament since 2011. It was the final singles match ever played on the Grandstand court. She lost to Simona Halep in three sets, in a match that had a combined 105 unforced errors and 17 breaks of serve.
After the completion of the US Open, Lisicki reported that she would not compete for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
[25]
Lisicki ended the year at No. 32.
2016: Struggles, in and out of top 100
[
edit
]
Lisicki began her 2016 season at the
Hopman Cup
representing
Germany
with
Alexander Zverev
. They were eliminated in the group stage with a 1?2 record, with their only victory coming against France. Her next tournament was the
Sydney International
where she lost in the second round to eventual champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova.
[26]
Seeded 30th at the
Australian Open
, she was defeated in the second round by Denisa Allertova.
[27]
In
Doha
, Lisicki lost in the first round to Monica Niculescu.
[28]
Seeded third at the
Malaysian Open
, she reached the quarterfinals where she was defeated by
Naomi Broady
.
[29]
Seeded 29th at
Indian Wells
, she lost in the second round to
Johanna Larsson
. Seeded 29th in
Miami
, she was defeated in the second round by
Irina-Camelia Begu
, despite having a 5?0 lead and one match point in the third set.
[30]
Seeded 15th at the
Charleston Open
, which was formerly called the Family Circle Cup, Lisicki lost in the second round to
Yulia Putintseva
.
[31]
At the
Porsche Grand Prix
, she was defeated in the first round by
Timea Babos
.
[32]
Competing in
Madrid
, she lost in the second round to eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro.
[33]
At the
Italian Open
, she was ousted in the first round by
Daria Gavrilova
.
[34]
At the
Nuremberg Cup
, Lisicki avenged her loss to Lara Arruabarrena the previous year before losing to Varvara Lepchenko in straight sets. At the
French Open
, Lisicki lost to qualifier
Veronica Cepede Royg
in the first round in straight sets.
Lisicki started her grass season at the
Mallorca Open
. She beat Kristina Mladenovic before losing to Mariana Duque in three sets. Lisicki then played at
Wimbledon
. She easily beat recent French Open quarterfinalist
Shelby Rogers
in straight sets and in the second round she beat 14th seed Sam Stosur in straight sets. She then fell to Yaroslava Shvedova in the third round.
Lisicki started her hardcourt season at
Washington, D.C.
, where she defeated
Kristina Ku?ova
before losing to Kristina Mladenovic, also in straight sets. At the
Canadian Open qualifying
, after receiving a walkover in the first round, she fell to Magda Linette. This loss saw her fall out of the top 100. She couldn't qualify for the
2016 Summer Olympics
. She played at the
Cincinnati Open
qualifying stage and knocked out
Anastasija Sevastova
in round one, but was defeated by Zheng Saisai in round two. At the
US Open
, Lisicki lost to Yulia Putintseva in the first round, but in doubles, she and
Alla Kudryavtseva
defeated
Varatchaya Wongteanchai
/
Yang Zhaoxuan
and second seed
Chan Hao-ching
/
Chan Yung-jan
in the first two rounds, but then fell to 13th seed
Andreja Klepa?
/
Katarina Srebotnik
.
At the
Japan Open
, Lisicki lost to Johanna Larsson. Then at the
Guangzhou Open
, she safely reached the quarterfinals by beating Kwan Yau Ng and Peng Shuai, but finally lost to Jelena Jankovi?. At the
Wuhan Open
, Lisicki was defeated by Ekaterina Makarova and at the
China Open
, Lisicki beat Lu?i?-Baroni but lost to Svitolina. She received a wildcard in both the Wuhan Open and China Open and after this, Lisicki was back in the top 100 again.
At the
Luxembourg Open
, she beat
Viktorija Golubic
but lost to second seed Caroline Wozniacki. Lisicki next played at the
Hawaii Open
and beat
Julia Boserup
and Veronica Cepede Royg, but retired injured in the third set of her quarterfinal against
Jacqueline Cako
. Lisicki ended the year at No. 93.
2017: Restart
[
edit
]
Lisicki was supposed to participate at the
Kooyong Classic
; however, she withdrew due to a shoulder injury, which also kept her out of the
Australian Open
.
[35]
Lisicki returned to the courts in June at the
Mallorca Open
.
[36]
She reached the quarterfinals beating fifth seed
Kiki Bertens
and
Shelby Rogers
. She ended up losing to eventual finalist Julia Gorges.
[37]
At
Wimbledon
, she was defeated in the first round by 27th seed
Ana Konjuh
.
[38]
Lisicki made it to the quarterfinals at the
Washington Open
eliminating qualifier
Valentini Grammatikopoulou
and
Aryna Sabalenka
. She ended up losing to fifth seed
Oceane Dodin
.
[39]
At the
US Open
, she was defeated in the first round by 27th seed
Zhang Shuai
.
[40]
In October, Lisicki competed at the
Luxembourg Open
. She lost in the second round to lucky loser Naomi Broady.
[41]
Her final tournament of the year was at the
Open de Limoges
. She reached the semifinal where she retired during the second set against
Antonia Lottner
.
Lisicki ended the year ranked 268.
2018: Injury struggles
[
edit
]
Skipping the Australian Open, Lisicki played at the
Taiwan Open
, which was her first tournament after a break caused by a knee injury. She reached her first semifinal since 2015, losing to
Kateryna Kozlova
.
[42]
In
Doha
, she was defeated in the first round of qualifying by
Marketa Vondrou?ova
. At the
Hungarian Open
, she lost her second-round match to lucky loser
Viktoria Ku?mova
. She was defeated in the first round of qualifying at
Indian Wells
and
Miami
by
Sofia Kenin
and Andrea Petkovic.
2019: Continued struggles, rankings drop
[
edit
]
In her first
Australian Open
appearance since 2016, Lisicki lost in the first qualifying round to
Isabelle Wallace
. That was her third straight first-round qualifying loss at a major event. She next lost in the first round of
Hua Hin
to
Garbine Muguruza
. She lost in the first qualifying round to
Zarina Diyas
at
Dubai
, and lost in the first round of
Charleston
to
Sofia Kenin
. She lost in the first round of
Bogota
to the eventual champion
Amanda Anisimova
, and lost in the first qualifying round at
Stuttgart
to
Isabella Shinikova
. She then lost in the first qualifying round of
Rabat
to
Bibiane Schoofs
, and lost in the first round of
Nuremberg
to
Ajla Tomljanovi?
.
She failed to qualify for the ITF tournament in
Surbiton
, and also failed to qualify for the tournament in
Rosmalen
, losing in the first qualifying round to
Greet Minnen
. She next lost in the second qualifying round of
Mallorca
to
Kaja Juvan
, despite defeating compatriot Mona Barthel in the first qualifying round. She received a wildcard for the
Wimbledon qualifying
, where she lost in the final round to
Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove
, after defeating Timea Babos and
Ankita Raina
. Despite failing to qualify for the main draw, this was her best showing since her first-round finish at the
2017 US Open
. Her final event of the year was the WTA 125
Karlsruhe Open
, where she was defeated in the first round by
Jasmine Paolini
. She ended the year ranked No. 335.
2020: Severe injury
[
edit
]
Her first event of the year was the WTA 125
Prague Open
, where she reached the fourth round, defeating
Samantha Murray Sharan
,
Stephanie Wagner
, and
Chihiro Muramatsu
, before losing to
Francesca Jones
. Lisicki participated in her first WTA event of the year at
Linz
, where she defeated
Bibiane Schoofs
in the first qualifying round before falling to
Tereza Martincova
. In doubles, at the same event with
Jodie Burrage
, she retired from her first-round match against
Ulrikke Eikeri
and
Yana Sizikova
, whilst the pair led 6?5 in the first set. Lisicki fell on court, and tore her
anterior cruciate ligament
, and announced later that she had received surgery for the injury.
[43]
She ended the year ranked No. 622.
2022: Comeback and first WTA Tour win since 2018
[
edit
]
In May, eighteen months after surgery, Lisicki made her return to professional tennis in the qualifying draw of the
FineMark Pro Championship
, a $100k event played on clay courts. She won her first match against
Ena Shibahara
, a top ten ranked doubles player. In the final round of qualifying, she easily lost to
Gabriela Lee
, who went on to win the tournament. Lisicki then played a $25k clay tournament in
Sarasota
. She beat Anastasia Nefedova in the first round, and then beat fourth seed
Sofia Shapatava
in the second. In the quarterfinal, she played seventh seed
Ashlyn Krueger
but withdrew from the match when trailing by a set.
Lisicki began her grass-court season at the
Surbiton Trophy
. To qualify, she beat
Naiktha Bains
and
Marcela Zacarias
both in straight sets. In the main draw, she lost to
Kateryna Baindl
. She then received wildcards to compete in the
German Open
in Berlin. In the
singles draw
, she beat
Asia Muhammad
in the first round of qualifying, before losing to
Daria Saville
in the final round. In the
doubles draw
, she partnered
Bianca Andreescu
as a wildcard pair. They beat
Yang Zhaoxuan
and
Xu Yifan
in the first round and the third seeds Muhammad and Shibahara in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they lost to the top seeds,
Storm Sanders
and
Kate?ina Siniakova
.
Lisicki won her first main draw match on the WTA Tour since 2018 as a wildcard at the
Bad Homburg Open
, defeating her compatriot
Tamara Korpatsch
.
[44]
[45]
[46]
She then beat Belgian
Greet Minnen
in the second round, before losing to the eventual champion
Caroline Garcia
in the quarterfinals.
[47]
With this result, she re-entered the top 500 in the WTA world rankings.
Lisicki's next tournament was the
Hamburg Open
, where she received a wildcard to play in the qualifying tournament. In the qualifying draw, she defeated twelfth seed
Stefanie Vogele
and first seed
Kateryna Baindl
. In the first round of the main draw, she lost to
Aleksandra Kruni?
.
Lisicki did not play again until November, when she was awarded a wildcard into the main draw of the
Calgary Challenger
. In the first two rounds, she beat qualifiers
Carmen Corley
and Martyna Ostrzygalo in straight sets, respectively. In the quarterfinals, she lost to eventual champion
Robin Montgomery
in two tiebreak sets.
[48]
She then accepted a wildcard into the
Andorra Open
, where she defeated sixth seed
Sara Errani
in the first round,
[49]
but lost to
Alycia Parks
in the quarter-finals.
2023: First title since 2014
[
edit
]
Lisicki won her first title in nine years at the
Calgary Challenger
, a W60 tournament.
[50]
[51]
Playing style
[
edit
]
"Lisicki is a big, strong, hard-hitting player who reminds me of a boxer throwing punches from every single direction. The problem is some of the punches land in the right spot and some don't. But she's got great power, a strong serve, she works very hard and has a big-match mentality you can't always teach."
Nick Bollettieri
[52]
A baseliner, Lisicki hits "heavy balls" with topspin and pace.
[53]
She has a strong forehand and backhand, hitting balls with power, depth and angles.
[54]
She is nicknamed "Boom Boom" for her "huge serve and thumping groundstrokes".
[5]
[55]
[56]
Germany Fed Cup team
Captain
Barbara Rittner
has compared her to
Steffi Graf
, saying that she can "impose her game" and "plays with the same force" as Graf.
[4]
Serve
[
edit
]
Lisicki's serve is among the most powerful on the WTA Tour, having been described variously as a "cannon" and a "howitzer".
[57]
She is known to hit serves at speeds of over 120 mph,
[58]
[59]
and at the
2014 Bank of the West Classic
she broke the WTA fastest serve record with a speed of 131 mph, a record previously held by
Venus Williams
at 129 mph.
[2]
Her serve is often regarded as her main weapon and with it, for the year up to November 2013, she was ranked fifth in the WTA for first service points won, 70.7%, and fifth for service games won, 73.7%.
[60]
She was ranked second in the aces count in 2013, only behind Serena Williams, and was ranked fifth in 2014. Lisicki also held the record for the
most aces in a singles match
. She broke the record of 24, held jointly by
Serena Williams
and
Kaia Kanepi
, by hitting 27 aces during her second-round encounter against
Belinda Bencic
at the
2015 Aegon Classic
on 17 June 2015.
[24]
[61]
Lisicki, however, can be hindered by her weak and inconsistent second serve, which is usually only around 70 to 80 mph, and an occasionally high double-fault counts.
[62]
Surfaces
[
edit
]
Lisicki's favourite surface is grass and she has had the most success on that surface. She used to "hate" playing on grass because she is allergic to it and had a five-match losing streak on grass in 2009. She is now on medication for her allergy and "loves" playing on it.
[10]
[63]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Lisicki lives in
Bradenton, Florida
, USA, and owns a Yorkshire Terrier named Happy. She is fluent in German, English and Polish. Her off-court interests include reading, music, and athletics. Lisicki is a fan of the
Germany national football team
and of
Bundesliga
club
Bayern Munich
.
[64]
She is
gluten
-intolerant.
[65]
Lisicki was previously in a relationship with German comedian
Oliver Pocher
, whom she dated for almost three years. The couple split in 2016.
[66]
On 8 March 2024 Lisicki announced on Instagram that she and her fiance were expecting a baby.
[67]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Grand Slam performance timelines
[
edit
]
Key
W
|
F
|
SF
|
QF
|
#R
|
RR
|
Q#
|
DNQ
|
A
|
NH
|
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W?L) win?loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
Singles
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Grand Slam tournament finals
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Singles: 1 (runner-up)
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Doubles: 1 (runner-up)
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References
[
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- ^
"Tennis-Wimbledon women show life beyond Williams"
. Reuters. 28 June 2011.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Sabine Lisicki hits fastest serve in women's tennis"
. BBC Sport. 30 July 2014
. Retrieved
31 July
2014
.
- ^
"Sabine Lisicki ist auf dem Weg nach oben"
.
Berliner Morgenpost
(in German). 18 April 2009
. Retrieved
8 July
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
Winterfeldt, Jorg (19 April 2009).
"Ein bisschen Steffi Graf"
.
Die Welt
(in German)
. Retrieved
5 July
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Elliott, Helene (5 July 2013).
"Marion Bartoli, Sabine 'Boom Boom' Lisicki set for Wimbledon final"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
5 July
2013
.
- ^
"Discontented top women's seed out; Katie O'Brien seen off by Germany's hard-hitting Sabine Lisicki, 17",
The Province
, 3 August 2007, p. A51.
- ^
Newbery, Piers (30 June 2009).
"Safina sets up Venus semi-final"
. BBC Sport
. Retrieved
30 June
2009
.
- ^
"Sabine Lisicki injured at 2009 US Open"
.
Archived
from the original on 21 December 2021 – via
YouTube
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Lisicki eyes dream end to Wimbledon fairytale"
.
The Times of India
. 5 July 2013
. Retrieved
5 July
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Sabine Lisicki, smiling German with allergy to grass"
.
The Times of India
. 5 July 2013
. Retrieved
5 July
2013
.
- ^
Chase, Chris.
"After blowing 5?2 lead in final set, Lisicki taken off on stretcher"
. sports.yahoo.com, 25 May 2011, retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^
"Archived copy"
.
TSN
. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2015
. Retrieved
30 June
2011
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
"Maria Sharapova to face Sabine Lisicki"
. sports.espn.go.com, 28 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^
Herman, Martyn (2 July 2011).
"Peschke makes it double joy for Czechs"
. Reuters
. Retrieved
4 July
2011
.
- ^
"Petra Kvitova named WTA player of year"
. ESPN. 14 November 2011
. Retrieved
4 December
2011
.
- ^
"Australian Women Open"
. Yahoo! Eurosport. Archived from
the original
on 28 August 2013
. Retrieved
21 January
2012
.
- ^
"Wimbledon 2012: how it happened"
.
The Telegraph
. 4 July 2012.
- ^
"Sabine Lisicki cries foul after loss to Alison Riske in Birmingham"
.
Tennis.si.com
. 15 June 2013
. Retrieved
17 June
2013
.
- ^
"WTA Aegon Classic: Sabine Lisicki angry with umpire after Edgbaston exit"
. Sky Sports. 16 June 2013
. Retrieved
17 June
2013
.
- ^
"Lisicki ends Serena's 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon"
.
Tennis.com
.
- ^
"Yahoo Singapore Sports"
.
Yahoo! Sports Singapore
.
- ^
"Ivanovic brushes aside Lisicki"
.
Women's Tennis Association
. 23 April 2014
. Retrieved
28 April
2014
.
- ^
"Sabine Lisicki drops doubles partner Martina Hingis as coach just before Wimbledon"
.
The Sydney Morning Herald
. 21 June 2014
. Retrieved
3 July
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"New WTA Record: Lisicki Hits 27 Aces"
. 17 June 2015.
- ^
"Knee Injury Sidelines Lisicki Until 2016"
.
WTA Tennis
. 28 September 2015. Archived from
the original
on 23 October 2015.
- ^
"Halep makes winning comeback after Brisbane withdrawal"
. beinsports.com. 12 January 2016
. Retrieved
1 August
2021
.
- ^
Paul Aguilar, Bryann (20 January 2016).
"Australian Open: Denisa Allertova Upsets Sabine Lisicki in Three Sets"
. vavel.com
. Retrieved
1 August
2021
.
- ^
Lupu, Victor (22 February 2016).
"Qatar Total Open: Monica Niculescu Defeats Sabine Lisicki To Qualify to the Second Round"
.
Romania Journal
. Retrieved
16 April
2020
.
- ^
"Naomi Broady beats Sabine Lisicki to reach Malaysian Open semi-finals"
.
The Guardian
. London. 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
2 August
2021
.
- ^
"Zverev fails, Lisicki breaks in, Kerber in round three"
. kicker.de. 26 March 2016
. Retrieved
2 August
2021
.
- ^
"Kazakhstani Putintseva stuns Lisicki in three sets in Charleston"
. inform.kz. 7 April 2016
. Retrieved
2 August
2021
.
- ^
"Stepanek advances in Barcelona"
.
Dawn
. Pakistan. 20 April 2016
. Retrieved
2 August
2021
.
- ^
Addicott, Adam (3 May 2016).
"Carla Suarez Navarro Shines in Madrid As Health Concerns Mount"
. ubitennis.net
. Retrieved
2 August
2021
.
- ^
Banerjee, Sudeshna (11 May 2016).
"Rome Masters: Easy win for Serena Williams in second round; Stan Wawrinka made to work hard"
. sportskeeda.com
. Retrieved
2 August
2021
.
- ^
"German tennis ace Sabine Lisicki out of Australian Open due to injury"
.
Newshub
. 7 January 2017
. Retrieved
19 August
2021
.
- ^
SHAH, SANKET (26 May 2017).
"Sabine Lisicki to return to tour at the Mallorca open"
. tennisworldusa.org
. Retrieved
21 August
2021
.
- ^
Trollope, Matt (23 June 2017).
"Bellis scorches forehand en route to Mallorca semis"
. tennismash.com
. Retrieved
21 August
2021
.
- ^
"Azarenka shines in grand slam return"
. beinsports.com. 3 July 2017
. Retrieved
22 August
2021
.
- ^
"Petkovic, Goerges set up all-German semi"
. sportskeeda.com. 5 August 2017
. Retrieved
22 August
2021
.
- ^
"Sharapova wins again at US Open; No. 4 Zverev, No. 8 Tsonga out"
. shine.cn. 31 August 2017
. Retrieved
22 August
2021
.
- ^
"Naomi Broady rallies to beat Sabine Lisicki in Luxembourg"
. eurosport.com. 18 October 2017
. Retrieved
22 August
2021
.
- ^
"Babos, Kozlova advance to Taipei City final"
. wtatennis.com. 3 February 2018
. Retrieved
22 August
2021
.
- ^
"Sabine Lisicki on Twitter"
. 11 November 2020
. Retrieved
11 November
2020
.
- ^
"WTA Homburg: Kerber and Lisicki in the round of 16"
.
tennisnet.com
. 21 June 2022.
- ^
"Tennis, WTA ? Bad Homburg Open 2022: Sabine Lisicki upends Korpatsch"
. 21 June 2022.
- ^
"Kerber completes win, Lisicki marks comeback at Bad Homburg"
.
Associated Press
. 21 June 2022.
- ^
"WTA Bad Homburg: Sabine Lisicki eliminated in the quarterfinals"
.
tennisnet.com
. 23 June 2022.
- ^
"Gabriel Diallo Reaches the Semifinals of the Calgary National Bank Challenger"
.
Tennis Canada
. 12 November 2022.
- ^
"Credit Andorra Open: Lisicki into last 16"
.
Tennis Majors
. 29 November 2022.
- ^
"Neun Jahre nach Hongkong: Lisicki gewinnt Turnier in Calgary"
.
Kicker
(in German). 13 November 2023.
- ^
"Canadian phenom Liam Draxl 'pumped' to net Calgary Challenger victory"
.
Calgary Sun
. 12 November 2023.
- ^
Pagliaro, Richard (10 February 2011).
"Gear Talk: Q&A with Sabine Lisicki"
.
tennis.com
. Retrieved
16 June
2013
.
- ^
Crowe, Yusef (6 July 2012).
"PLAYER PROGRAM: SABINE LISICKI"
.
TeamFeNom
. Archived from
the original
on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
16 June
2013
.
- ^
Meier, Florian (20 July 2011).
"In-depth analysis of Sabine Lisicki's game"
.
Women's Tennis Blog
. Retrieved
16 June
2013
.
- ^
Steinberg, Jacob (1 July 2012).
"Wimbledon 2012: Maria Sharapova not taking any chances against Lisicki"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
16 June
2013
.
- ^
Loos, Ted (1 July 2012).
"Power Serve: Sabine Lisicki Returns to the U.S. Open"
.
Vogue
. Archived from
the original
on 27 February 2014
. Retrieved
16 June
2013
.
- ^
Nagpal, Abhimanyu (1 July 2013).
"Wimbledon 2013: Serena Williams vs Sabine Lisicki Match Preview"
.
Tennis Earth
. Archived from
the original
on 2 April 2015
. Retrieved
1 July
2013
.
- ^
White, Jim (1 July 2013).
"Wimbledon 2013: top seed and defending champion Serena Williams toppled by Sabine Lisicki"
.
The Telegraph
. Retrieved
1 July
2013
.
- ^
Mirza, Razwan (22 June 2013).
"Wimbledon: Sky Sports' tennis expert Raz Mirza talks to Sabine Lisicki"
. Sky Sports
. Retrieved
1 July
2013
.
- ^
WTA Championships (24 June 2013).
"WTA Tour Matchfacts"
(PDF)
. Retrieved
1 July
2013
.
- ^
"Sabine Lisicki sets world record for aces at Aegon Classic"
. BBC News. 17 June 2015
. Retrieved
30 June
2015
.
- ^
"WTA Tour Matchfacts"
(PDF)
.
WTA Championships
. 24 June 2013
. Retrieved
1 July
2013
.
- ^
Hodgkinson, Mark (2 July 2012).
"Sabine Lisicki interview: I used to hate grass"
.
TheTennisSpace
. Retrieved
16 June
2013
.
- ^
"Lisicki: "Bayern have to be the odds-on favourites"
"
.
- ^
"Some tennis stars say gluten-free is best for them"
. Reuters. 26 May 2011
. Retrieved
6 July
2013
.
- ^
"Oliver Pocher und Sabine Lisicki haben sich getrennt"
.
FOCUS Online
(in German)
. Retrieved
20 January
2020
.
- ^
https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/sabine-lisicki-promises-one-more-comeback-after-announcing-pregnancy
External links
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