Bethanie Mattek-Sands (néeBethanie Lynn Mattek; born March 23, 1985) is an American professionaltennis player. She has won nineGrand Slam titles and an Olympicgold medal, and is a formerworld No. 1 in doubles.[2][3] She held the top ranking for 32 consecutive weeks.
Mattek-Sands has also won five singles and three doubles titles on theITF Women's Circuit. Her best results in singles on the WTA Tour are reaching the fourth round of two major events (Wimbledon in 2008 and theFrench Open in 2013), the semifinals of the tournaments inCincinnati in 2005 andBirmingham in 2008, and the final of theBell Challenge in 2008 and 2010. She reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 30 in the world on July 11, 2011.[3]
In 1999, Mattek played her firstWTA Tour event inPhiladelphia where she received a wildcard into the qualifying. She lost in the first round of qualifying toNana Miyagi. It was the only tour match of the year for Mattek. Then in 2000, she received a wildcard into qualifying at theInternational Players Championships inKey Biscayne but lost in the first round toAnca Barna. Later in the year, she played in her firstmajor event at theUS Open. She was handed a wildcard into the qualifying, but she lost in the first round to Gisela Rivera.
In 2001, Mattek again received a wildcard into the qualifying at theMiami Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, but lost in the second round of qualifying toSandra Cacic. Mattek received direct entry into theITF eventBoynton Beach due to a wildcard. She defeated top-seededElena Likhovtseva in the first round andJennifer Hopkins in the second round, but lost in the quarterfinals againstÅsa Carlsson. As a result, her ranking rose up to world No. 343. Mattek received direct entry into theBausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, Florida, thanks to a wildcard. However, she lost to fellow AmericanJill Craybas in the first round. Mattek played another ITF event, theBronx Open, as a wildcard, but lost in the first round toSylvia Plischke. She played her first main draw as a wildcard at a Grand Slam tournament in theUS Open but lost to Australia'sAlicia Molik in the first round. Mattek ended the year ranked world No. 338.
2008: Wimbledon fourth round, first WTA Tour final and top 40 in singles, top 25 in doubles
In 2008, Mattek reached a then career-high singles ranking of No. 38 on November 3, 2008, and a then career-high ranking of No. 24 in doubles. At the major tournaments, she did not qualify for theAustralian Open, but reached second rounds of theFrench Open andUS Open. Her best performance was atWimbledon where she reached the fourth round, claiming her first top-10 win over 2007 Wimbledon runner-up,Marion Bartoli. She then lost in the round of 16 to fellow AmericanSerena Williams.
At theLA Championships, Mattek made it to the semifinals before losing to tenth-seededFlavia Pennetta. In November, she reached her first ever WTA tournament final at theBell Challenge in Canada, before losing to the top seededNadia Petrova.
Her good form continued into theHobart International, where she reached her third career WTA singles final, before losing toJarmila Groth.
At theAustralian Open, Mattek-Sands lost to qualifierArantxa Rus in the first round. She reached the quarterfinals of the women's doubles with partnerMeghann Shaughnessy, and made the semifinals of mixed doubles. Her next event was aFed Cup tie againstBelgium in Antwerp, where she lost toYanina Wickmayer in the opening rubber, and later toKim Clijsters.
At the indoor tournament inParis, she advanced to her second semifinal in her third WTA event of the season. She lost to eventual champion,Petra Kvitová. Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy then made it to the final of the doubles event without dropping a set and defeated the team of Dushevina/Makarova to win their first doubles title as a team. It was her ninth career WTA doubles title. After her success in Paris, Mattek-Sands rushed off to Dubai, where she suffered an opening round loss toPeng Shuai.
AtIndian Wells, she made it to the second round before losing to tenth seededShahar Pe'er. Pairing with Shaughnessy, the American duo made it to the doubles finals losing toSania Mirza andElena Vesnina. In her next tournament in Miami, Mattek-Sands lost in the second round to world No. 1,Caroline Wozniacki.
After Miami, Mattek-Sands was off to Charleston for the start of the clay-court season, where she was beaten in the second round by Elena Vesnina. In doubles, Mattek-Sands/Shaughnessy made the finals of Charleston, but were once again defeated by the team of Vesnina/Mirza. Mattek-Sands next entered a small clay event in Estoril where she was the fifth-seeded player in singles, but was then upset in the first round byMonica Niculescu.
At theMadrid Open, she caused an upset in the first round when she defeated former French Open championAna Ivanovic, after coming back from a first-set loss at love. She eventually made it to the quarterfinals, before losing toLi Na in three sets.
Mattek-Sands faced Flavia Pennetta in her opening-round match in Rome. She defeated Pennetta in three sets, but lost toJarmila Gajdošová in the second round.
Mattek-Sands played in theFrench Open and made it to the third round, which was her best result at this major in her career thus far, before losing to the higher-seeded as well as her good friend,Jelena Janković.
AtWimbledon, Mattek-Sands (then ranked 30th)[5] was upset in the first round against then ranked 133rd[6]Misaki Doi from Japan. Despite the loss, Mattek-Sands reached a career-high ranking of world No. 30 for the first time, on 11 July 2011.
She then had to withdraw from her heavily scheduled U.S. hardcourt series events due to a shoulder injury. She did try to play at theUS Open, but lost toPolona Hercog in the first round. In the women's doubles competition, she acquired a new partner due to the retirement of Meghann Shaughnessy. She teamed up with Jarmila Gajdošová, and they reached the third round where they lost to the team of Huber/Raymond.
Mattek-Sands started her year representing the U.S. in the 2012 Hopman Cup withMardy Fish. She came up short in her singles matches against Wimbledon champion,Petra Kvitová of the Czech Republic and Denmark's world No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, but beat Bulgaria'sTsvetana Pironkova in the third tie. After an early exit from the Hopman Cup, she played singles at the Hobart International, where she was a finalist, and doubles with partner Gajdošová. In singles, she lost in the second round toSorana Cîrstea, and in doubles, she reached the semifinals, before having to retire due to a neck injury.
At theAustralian Open, Mattek-Sands lost toAgnieszka Radwańska in the first round. In the doubles competition, she reached the third round with Jarmila Gajdošová, before losing to the Indian/Russian pairing of Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina. In the mixed doubles competition, she and Romanian partner,Horia Tecău finally had their breakthrough moment, defeating title favorites, Bhuphati/Mirza in the semifinals. They then went on to win the title by defeating the team of Elena Vesnina andLeander Paes in the final.[7]
Mattek-Sands made it through the qualifying draw at theParis Indoors. In the main draw, she made it to the second round, before losing to Roberta Vinci in three sets.
Mattek-Sands started to play on the doubles circuit with Sania Mirza, with whom she had had success in the past. In only their second tournament as a team in 2012, the Indian-American duo won the Premier-level event in Brussels, Belgium. However, they could not hold on to the good form as they were upset in the first round atRoland Garros. They made it to the third round ofWimbledon, but were eliminated by the Williams sisters.
After reaching the quarterfinal of the Lexington Challenger, Mattek-Sands failed to win another main-draw match in singles. However, with Mirza in doubles, she reached the quarterfinals ofMontreal and the third round of theUS Open, playing eventual champions Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci to three sets.
Mattek-Sands received a wild card to play in Kuala Lumpur, and justified it, as she reached the final ranked at No. 197. She lost toKarolína Plíšková, despite winning first set. At home event inCharleston, she brushed aside fellow American and that year's Australian Open semifinalistSloane Stephens, before losing toMadison Keys in third round. At Premier event inStuttgart, Bethanie reached the semifinals as qualifier, stunning No. 7 Sara Errani and Sabine Lisicki in the second round and quarterfinals, respectively. There she lost to Li Na.
At theFrench Open, Mattek-Sands won against the sixth seeded Li Na in the second round, beating her in three sets. Mattek-Sands was placed 61 places lower than Li, the 2011 champion, in the WTA rankings. She subsequently reached the fourth round, where she lost toMaria Kirilenko. This was her best showing at this Grand Slam in singles in her career.
After a successful clay-court season, she didn't continue in that style, losing in the first or second rounds at all tournaments. AtWimbledon, she lost in round one toAngelique Kerber and toEkaterina Makarova in the second round ofUS Open.
AtSydney International, she qualified for tournament and then beatEugenie Bouchard and No. 5, Agnieszka Radwańska. Both defeated players would go on to reach semifinals of the first Grand Slam event of the season, which made Mattek-Sands' wins bigger. But during her quarterfinal match against Madison Keys, she retired in the first set due to lumbar spine injury.
AtAustralian Open, she wasn't happy with draw, as she was the first opponent of third seed Maria Sharapova, losing in two sets. At thePattaya Open, Mattek-Sands lost in the first round to Karolína Plíšková. In Doha, she beat again Bouchard, before losing to Monica Niculescu.
After losing in first round ofMiami, Bethanie underwent hip surgery.[9] She came back on court in September, when she played inWuhan and lost in qualifying. She qualified for theChina Open, but lost in the first round to another qualifier,Mona Barthel, in three sets. Her season was finished, after playing two more events without success.
2015: Australian & French Open doubles and mixed doubles champion
In 2016, Mattek-Sands had success in both doubles and mixed doubles.
At theAustralian Open, she was unable to defend her title with Lucie Šafářová because of a bacterial infection. Mattek-Sands competed with Sabine Lisicki instead, and lost in the second round.
In March, she competed in theIndian Wells Open women's doubles event. She competed with fellow AmericanCoCo Vandeweghe. Mattek-Sands and Vandeweghe claimed the title, defeatingJulia Görges and Karolína Plíšková. Next, inMiami, Mattek-Sands (partnering with Šafářová, her regular partner again) reached the final, in which she and Šafářová won againstTímea Babos andYaroslava Shvedova. These were Mattek-Sands' second and third Premier-Mandatory/Premier-5 titles, respectively.
Her success with Šafářová was reignited at theUS Open, when the pair won the title againstCaroline Garcia andKristina Mladenovic, the No. 1 seeds. This was Mattek-Sands' third major title with Šafářová, and third overall (in women's doubles).
In September 2016, hacked documents from theWorld Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revealed that Mattek-Sands had twice applied for atherapeutic-use exemption forhydrocortisone andDHEA. Both times the request was granted by theInternational Tennis Federation before being revoked by WADA, but an application for exemption for hydrocortisone alone was eventually approved.[10] Mattek-Sands has refused to comment on the exemption.[11]
Mattek-Sands and Šafářová had an excellent finish during the Asian leg, the final leg of the WTA Tour. The pair competed at theWuhan Open, their first Premier-Mandatory/ Premier-5 tournament since May. They ended up winning the title, defeating the doubles world No. 1 and defending champion, Sania Mirza, andBarbora Strýcová. Their winning streak continued over inBeijing, where Mattek-Sands and Šafářová claimed the title again Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. These were their fourth and fifth Premier-Mandatory/Premier-5 titles together, respectively, and their fourth and fifth titles of 2016. These victories also allowed Mattek-Sands and Šafářová to qualify for the2016 WTA Finals. They were the fourth team to do so.
At the WTA Finals, Mattek-Sands and Šafářová defeated Tímea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova in the quarterfinals, and their rivals Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the semifinals. Had the pair won in the final, Mattek-Sands would have become the WTA doubles year-end No. 1. However, the American-Czech team was defeated by Makarova and Vesnina.
2017: World No. 1 doubles ranking, and second Australian and French Open title
Mattek-Sands played at theBrisbane International with Sania Mirza, the defending champion, in doubles. The duo defeated Makarova and Vesnina in the final, with Mattek-Sands succeeding Mirza as the new world No. 1 in doubles.
At theAustralian Open, Mattek-Sands competed with Šafářová. The pair won their second Australian Open doubles title in three years, and their second straight Grand Slam tournament, defeatingAndrea Hlaváčková and Peng Shuai in the final, in three sets.
Playing Sorana Cîrstea in the second round of theWimbledon singles, Mattek-Sands was running to the net at the beginning of the third set when she collapsed in agony, clutching at her right knee. She shouted out a large number of expletives for which she later apologized. She was treated on the court before being rushed to a local hospital with an "acute knee injury" which was later revealed to be a dislocated kneecap and rupturedpatellar ligament, for which surgery was required.[12] Mattek-Sands had suffered a torn medial collateral ligament on the same knee in September 2013.[13]
2018–19: Comeback and two US Open mixed-doubles titles
In March 2018, Mattek-Sands returned to compete at the2018 Miami Open in singles as a wildcard and in doubles. At theFrench Open, she reached the second round withLatisha Chan, and atWimbledon, she reached quarterfinals with Lucie Šafářová.She also reached quarterfinals in theUS Open mixed doubles and won the title, partnering ScotsmanJamie Murray in their first entry as a pair; it was her eighth Grand Slam doubles title overall and Murray's sixth (including the same tournament the previous year).[14] The pair defended their title at the2019 US Open.
Seeded 14th at the2021 French Open, Mattek-Sands partnered with previous year's singles champion,Iga Świątek. The pair, who were playing just their third event together, reached the final[16] in which they were defeated by Czech duoBarbora Krejčíková andKateřina Siniaková in straight sets.
2022–24: Hiatus, comeback, Miami champion & 30th doubles title
After a whole year off since October 2021, she came back for the last WTA 1000 in 2022 as a wildcard pair withViktoria Azarenka at the inauguralGuadalajara Open.
In March 2024, partneringSofia Kenin, she won her secondMiami title and seventh overall at the WTA 1000 level, having entered the tournament as alternates. It was her second doubles title at this level with Kenin, third overall as a team and 30th in her career.[18]
At the2024 Prague Open in July, she reached the final with Lucie Šafářová where they lost to top seeds Krejčíková and Siniaková.[19][20]
Mattek has achieved extensive publicity as a result of her eccentric fashion sense on the court. Notable outfits include leopard print outfits at the2004 US Open and2007 US Open, a striped cowboy hat that garnered her a fine at the2005 US Open, a "soccer theme" at the2006 Wimbledon Championships that included £10 football socks, chandelierearrings, atube top worn over a strappy vest top, tiny running shorts and aheadband,[21] pink knee-high socks at the 2006JPMorgan Chase Open,[22] and a loosely draped beige top, with a crocheted waist and split sleeves that resembled a toga and beige knee-high socks at the2006 US Open.[23][24][25]During the 2011 pre-Wimbledon party in London, Mattek-Sands wore a fluorescent green dress, by designer Alex Noble, that featured tennis balls as components and a Mohican-style hat.[26]
Mattek grew up in Minnesota and Wisconsin.[27] On November 29, 2008, she married insurance executive Justin Sands inNaples, Florida. Since then she has used the name Mattek-Sands professionally.[28] She lives inPhoenix, Arizona.
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (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.
Only main-draw results on WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.
Mattek-Sands has played three seasons withWorld TeamTennis, making her debut in 2000 with theHartford FoxForce, later playing a season with theSacramento Capitals in 2006, and theNew York Sportimes in 2008. Mattek-Sands joined theChicago Smash for their inaugural season during the 2020 WTT season atThe Greenbrier. The team advanced to the final as the second seed with a win over theOrlando Storm in the semifinals, but ultimately fell in the Championship match to theNew York Empire in a Supertiebreaker. Mattek-Sands was named the 2020 WTT MVP due to her doubles play throughout the season.[29]