_(14620629496)_(cropped).jpg) Black at the2014 Wimbledon Championships | |
| Country (sports) |  Zimbabwe |
|---|---|
| Residence | London, England |
| Born | (1979-02-17)17 February 1979 (age 46) Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Retired | 2015 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$7,730,800 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 312–241 |
| Career titles | 1WTA, 6ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 31 (15 March 1999) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2000,2001,2002,2004) |
| French Open | 4R (2001) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1998,2003,2005) |
| US Open | 2R (1998,2002,2004) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 2R (2004) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 750–305 |
| Career titles | 60 WTA, 11 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (17 October 2005) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2007) |
| French Open | F (2005) |
| Wimbledon | W (2004,2005,2007) |
| US Open | W (2008) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2007,2008,2014) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 88–48 |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2010) |
| French Open | W (2002) |
| Wimbledon | W (2004,2010) |
| US Open | W (2008) |
Cara Cavell Black (born 17 February 1979) is a Zimbabwean former professionaltennis player. Black was primarily a doubles specialist, winning 60WTA Tour and 11ITF doubles titles. A formerdoubles world No. 1, she won tenmajor titles. By winning the2010 Australian Open mixed doubles title, Black became the third woman in theOpen Era to complete thecareer Grand Slam in mixed doubles (afterMartina Navratilova andDaniela Hantuchová). Having also won one singles title on the WTA Tour, Black peaked at world No. 31 in the singles rankings in March 1999.[1]
Black was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) toDonald and Velia Black. Her father and older brothers,Wayne andByron Black, were all professional tennis players themselves. The siblings all competed mostly in doubles – Wayne was the2001 US Open and2005 Australian Open champion[2] and Byron was the1994 French Open winner.[3]
Black partnered with her brother Wayne to win the2002 French Open and2004 Wimbledon Championships mixed-doubles events. Black has also engaged in long-term partnerships withIrina Selyutina,Elena Likhovtseva,Rennae Stubbs,Liezel Huber, and most recentlySania Mirza.
In August 2005, Black announced that she would marry her longtime boyfriend, Australian mental and fitness trainerBrett Stephens.[4] The couple's son was born in 2012 following her break from tennis after Wimbledon 2011.[5]
Cara has won fiveGrand Slam women's doubles titles in her career:Wimbledon 2004, 2005, and 2007; Australian Open 2007; andUS Open 2008. She reached the2000 US Open doubles final withElena Likhovtseva. She has also won five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, two of them partnering with her brother Wayne: the2002 French Open and the2004 Wimbledon Championships (they reached the final of the2004 French Open and the semifinals of the2003 French Open and2003 US Open). She won three further titles in partnership withLeander Paes: the2008 US Open, the2010 Australian Open and the2010 Wimbledon Championships.
From 1996 through to 2000, Black's debut years, she won 8 ITF doubles titles, 1 WTA doubles title inAuckland, and 4 ITF singles titles.
Her only WTA singles title came atWaikoloa in 2002. She also won a big ITF doubles tournament inSanta Clara in 1999.In November 2005, Black was runner-up in the WTA Championships doubles title. AustralianSamantha Stosur and AmericanLisa Raymond defeated AustralianRennae Stubbs and Black 6–7 (5–7), 7–5, 6–4.[6]
In 2007, Black came back to partnerLiezel Huber. They won the2007 Australian Open[7] andWimbledon.[8] The team ended the year as the number one team, winning the year-end championships overKatarina Srebotnik andAi Sugiyama 5–7, 6–3, [10–8].[9]
Blackrepresented Zimbabwe at the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[10] She lost to 2nd seededJelena Janković from Serbia in the first round on 11 August 2008. She teamed up withLeander Paes from India for themixed doubles at theUS Open, triumphing overLiezel Huber andJamie Murray in the finals.
In 2009, she won five doubles titles leading to the year-end championships inDoha, Qatar.
Black started 2010 strongly by winning two tournaments leading up to theAustralian Open, coming to the slam with an unbeaten record. Black made it to the finals in both the women's doubles and mixed doubles. She and Huber lost the women's doubles final to Venus andSerena Williams in straight sets, 4–6, 3–6. However, she andLeander Paes won the mixed doubles in straight sets.[11] The victory marked Black's first mixed doubles victory at the Australian Open. The victory also completed a 'Career Grand Slam' in mixed doubles.
Black and Huber broke up as exclusive doubles partners in April 2010. Since then, Black has partnered withShahar Pe'er,Elena Vesnina,Yan Zi,Lisa Raymond,Daniela Hantuchová,Marina Erakovic, andAnastasia Rodionova. Even though she made the final ofWarsaw and won a small tournament inBirmingham, she mostly achieved modest results after the break-up. Partnering with Vesnina and Hantuchová respectively, she lost in the third round of theFrench Open andWimbledon. Partnering with Rodionova, she lost in the semifinals of the US Open to eventual championsVania King andYaroslava Shvedova. Black then missed all tournaments following the US Open and did not qualify for theWTA Championships for the first time since 1999. Black ended 2010 ranked 13th in doubles, the first time she finished a year outside the top 10 since 2000.
However, Black continued her successful partnership with Paes in 2010 as the pair won the mixed-doubles title at Wimbledon and reached the quarterfinals at the US Open.
Entering the2011 season, Black continued her partnership with AustralianAnastasia Rodionova where they reached the semifinal of theBrisbane International and lost in the first round ofSydney International.
During theAustralian Open, Black and Rodionova were seeded fifth and reached the quarterfinals where they lost to Huber andNadia Petrova. In mixed doubles, Black partnered with Leander Paes and they were seeded fourth. They were eliminated in the second round byChan Yung-jan andPaul Hanley in a tight straight sets loss, 6–7, 6–7. Despite Black being eliminated from both doubles and mixed doubles, Black was a sideline commentator for Seven, including the grand final for ladies doubles, and was present for former doubles partner Rennae Stubbs's speech.
Then, Black did not play until June, where she returned at theITF Nottingham. She paired-up with RussianArina Rodionova. She was eliminated in the first round. Her next tournament was theNottingham Challenge where she made it to the quarterfinals alongside BritishSarah Borwell. Then, at theEastbourne International, she and IsraeliShahar Pe'er were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Going into theWimbledon Championships, she lost in her third round match to eventual championsKvěta Peschke andKatarina Srebotnik. In mixed doubles, she lost in the quarterfinals with IndianLeander Paes againstDaniel Nestor andYung-Jan Chan.
Black did not compete on theWTA Tour during 2012, and began playing again in October on two $25k events in Australia withArina Rodionova. The pair won the title inTraralgon, defeatingAshleigh Barty andSally Peers in the final. However, Black and Rodionova lost to the same team in the finals ofBendigo the following week. She finished the year ranked outside the world's top 600.
During the 2013 season, Black had a significant comeback, as she returned to theWTA Tour at theAuckland Open, partneringAnastasia Rodionova in doubles. The pair managed to defeat the top three seeds to win the doubles title, Black's first WTA doubles title with Rodionova, and her first doubles title since 2010. Black and Rodionova lost in the 3rd round of theAustralian Open, and won only one match betweenIndian Wells andMiami, after which the two parted ways. During the clay court season, Black began playing alongsideMarina Erakovic, and they made an immediate impact, reaching the finals of the Premier Mandatory tournament inMadrid, as well as inStrasbourg. At theFrench Open, the pair reached the quarterfinals before losing to second seedsAndrea Hlaváčková andLucie Hradecká. Despite reaching the final of theBirmingham Classic, Black and Erakovic went out in the second round ofWimbledon. After losing their opening match inCincinnati, the pair reached the third round of theUS Open, losing toEkaterina Makarova andElena Vesnina of Russia.
Black began working withSania Mirza in September, with whom she ended up winning back to back Premier-5 tournaments in the far east. InTokyo, Black and Mirza defeated the top seeded team ofHsieh Su-wei andPeng Shuai in the semifinals before taking outChan Hao-ching andLiezel Huber. It was Black's first Premier 5 title since 2009, and her second of the season. This was immediately followed by a win at theChina Open, where en route to the final, they once again took out the top seeds of world number 1 teamSara Errani andRoberta Vinci in the semifinals, before defeatingVera Dushevina andArantxa Parra Santonja in the final. It was the first time since 2010 that Black had won back-to-back doubles titles, and it took her back up into the world's top 20, finishing the year ranked number 13 in the world.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2000 | US Open | Hard |  Elena Likhovtseva |  Julie Halard-Decugis Ai Sugiyama | 0–6, 6–1, 1–6 |
| Win | 2004 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Rennae Stubbs |  Liezel Huber Ai Sugiyama | 6–3, 7–6(7–5) |
| Loss | 2005 | French Open | Clay | Liezel Huber |  Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez | 6–4, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 2005 | Wimbledon | Grass | Liezel Huber | Svetlana KuznetsovaAmélie Mauresmo | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 2007 | Australian Open | Hard | Liezel Huber |  Chan Yung-janChuang Chia-jung | 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–1 |
| Win | 2007 | Wimbledon | Grass | Liezel Huber |  Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 2008 | US Open | Hard |  Liezel Huber | Lisa RaymondSamantha Stosur | 6–3, 7–6(10–8) |
| Loss | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Liezel Huber | Serena WilliamsVenus Williams | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 2010 | Australian Open | Hard | Liezel Huber | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 4–6, 3–6 |
By winning the 2010 Australian Open title, Black completed themixed doubles Career Grand Slam. She became the sixth female player in history to achieve this.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2002 | French Open | Clay | Wayne Black | Elena Bovina Mark Knowles | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2004 | French Open | Clay | Wayne Black | Tatiana GolovinRichard Gasquet | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2004 | Wimbledon | Grass | Wayne Black | Alicia MolikTodd Woodbridge | 3–6, 7–6(10–8), 6–4 |
| Win | 2008 | US Open | Hard |  Leander Paes | Liezel Huber Jamie Murray | 7–6(8–6), 6–4 |
| Loss | 2009 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes |  Anna-Lena Grönefeld Mark Knowles | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2009 | US Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Carly GullicksonTravis Parrot | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2010 | Australian Open | Hard | Leander Paes | Ekaterina Makarova Jaroslav Levinský | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 2010 | Wimbledon | Grass | Leander Paes | Lisa RaymondWesley Moodie | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Absent | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | QF | W | QF | QF | F | QF | A | 3R | QF | 1 / 15 | 31–14 | |||||
| French Open | Absent | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | SF | 3R | F | QF | SF | SF | SF | 3R | A | A | QF | QF | 0 / 14 | 38–14 | |||||
| Wimbledon | Absent | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | SF | 3R | W | W | SF | W | SF | SF | 3R | 3R | A | 2R | 2R | 3 / 16 | 43–13 | ||||
| US Open | Absent | 1R | 1R | F | SF | SF | SF | 3R | QF | QF | 2R | W | F | SF | A | A | 3R | SF | 1 / 15 | 46–14 | ||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 10–4 | 12–4 | 10–3 | 15–3 | 12–4 | 17–2 | 17–3 | 14–4 | 13–4 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 8–4 | 11–4 | 5 / 60 | 158–55 |
| Year-end championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Championships | Absent | QF | F | F | SF | F | F | F | W | W | F | A | A | A | A | W | 3 / 11 | 15–8 | ||||||
| Career statistics | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | No. | |
| Titles | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 71 | |
| Finals reached | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 124 | |
| Overall W–L | 1–1 | 6–1 | 9–2 | 16–7 | 19–7 | 18–19 | 28–26 | 32–21 | 52–18 | 46–19 | 48–24 | 45–15 | 59–18 | 43–19 | 69–14 | 66–14 | 49–16 | 41–16 | 9–7 | 7–1 | 38–17 | 49–21 | 750–303 | |
| Year-end ranking | – | – | 479 | 306 | 159 | 78 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 77 | 497 | 13 | 4 | No. 1 | |
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Career SR | Career win–loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | W | 2R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1 / 15 | 16–14 |
| French Open | A | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | W | SF | F | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | A | SF | 2R | A | 1 / 14 | 23–13 |
| Wimbledon | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 3R | W | 2R | SF | QF | 3R | F | W | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2 / 16 | 38–14 |
| US Open | A | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | SF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | W | F | QF | A | 1R | QF | A | 1 / 14 | 24–13 |
| Grand Slam MDR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 2 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 5 / 60 | N / A |
| Grand Slam W–L | 2–1 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 3–4 | 11–3 | 12–3 | 8–4 | 6–4 | 3–4 | 11–3 | 10–4 | 14–2 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | N / A | 101–54 |
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