Daniela Hantuchová

**Daniela Hantuchová** (born April 23, 1983) is a former Slovak professional tennis player. In May 2016, she was ranked World No. 170 in women's singles tennis and 179th in doubles. In 2008, she reached the Australian Open semi-finals. She has been ranked as 5th in the world for both women's singles and doubles. She played tennis for Slovakia in an international competition called the Fed Cup, and also in the Olympic Games.

She retired from professional tennis in July 2017. She has worked with coaches from the Sanchez-Casal Academy, namely Angel Gimenez and Eduardo Nicolas. Her Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour mentor, Martina Navratilova, was also her doubles partner in early 2004. Outside tennis, she has modeled clothes and has been in some television advertisements.

After her retirement, she became a tennis commentator. In 2018, she was a commentator for Amazon Prime's coverage of the 2018 US Open. In 2020, she started a podcast called "The Real DNA".

## Personal life
Hantuchová's parents are both scientists. Her father, Igor Hantucha, is a computer science professor. Her mother, Mariane Hantuchová, is a toxicologist. Daniela was taught to play tennis by her grandmother, Helena, when she was six years old. Helena used to be a Slovakian national champion. Even though Daniela practiced a lot at tennis, she studied hard at school as well. At the same time Hantuchová lost weight, and people became worried she was ill with anorexia. She said "I have proved that physically I don't have any problems."  

Hantuchová speaks three languages (German, Slovak, and English), and can play the piano. She has several hobbies, such as skiing and ice skating. She has been in several advertisements on television, such as the campaign for Sony with Ana Ivanović in July 2006.  Hantuchová has also been in Italian *Vogue* magazine, as a model.  Hantuchová lost in her first match in Australia to Russian player Anna Kournikova.  However, she won the mixed doubles tournament, playing with Czech player Leos Friedl.  Hantuchová  won her second WTA doubles competition by winning with Russian player Elena Bovina in Luxembourg.

In 2002, Hantuchová lost in the quarter-final of both the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open. However, playing with Zimbabwean Kevin Ullyett, she won the mixed doubles at the Australian Open.  She also came second in the doubles in Australia, playing with Spanish player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. She and Ullyett lost the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon in the same season. She did win her first singles WTA tournament, beating Swiss player Martina Hingis at the Masters tournament at Indian Wells in California.  She also won two more WTA doubles tournaments, in Florida and Connecticut in the United States. Both times she won with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.  

Sears coached Hantuchová again in 2004 and in 2005, where she won the mixed doubles at the French Open and the US Open. This means she had won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles tournaments. In June 2005, she and Japanese player Ai Sugiyama won a WTA tour doubles tournament in Birmingham, England. The same pair came second in the doubles final at the French Open. Hantuchová won her sixth WTA doubles title with Russian player Anastasia Myskina in Germany in October 2004.  She went on to win her eighth WTA doubles tournament in May 2006 in Rome, Italy, again with Ai Sugiyama.  She then won her third singles Tour title in October 2007, beating Swiss player Patty Schnyder in Linz in Austria.  Hantuchová lost in the semi-final of the 2008 Australian Open to Serbian player Ana Ivanović.  She also lost in the second round at Wimbledon in June 2008.  She helped Slovakia win the Fed Cup in 2002.  In 2004, she played for Slovakia in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

On July 6, 2017, Hantuchová announced that she was going to retire from playing tennis professionally.

## Career statistics
### Grand Slam tournaments
### Year-end championships
### Grand Slam doubles finals: 3 (3 runners-up)
### Mixed doubles finals: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
By winning the 2005 US Open title, Hantuchová completed the mixed doubles Career Grand Slam. She became only the fifth female player in history to achieve this.

## Achievements 
### Team achievements 
* 2000 – Eurotel Doubles champion
* 2002 – Fed Cup champion
* 2004 – Hopman Cup finalist
* 2004 – Athens Olympic Games
* 2005 – Hopman Cup champion

### Special achievements 
* 2001 – WTA Newcomer of the Year Award
* 2002 – WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Award

## Other websites 
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## References