_12.jpg) Brady at the2023 Washington Open | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | (1995-04-12)April 12, 1995 (age 30) |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Turned pro | 2014 |
| Plays | Right (two-handed backhand) |
| College | UCLA |
| Prize money | US$ 5,031,117 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 247–171 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 13 (February 22, 2021) |
| Current ranking | No. 618 (October 23, 2024) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2021) |
| French Open | 3R (2021) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2017,2018) |
| US Open | SF (2020) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2021) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 83–66 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 44 (August 19, 2019) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2019) |
| French Open | 3R (2018) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2019) |
| US Open | SF (2023) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2019) |
| US Open | 1R (2017) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | 0–1 |
| Last updated on: October 10, 2024. | |
Jennifer Elizabeth Brady (born April 12, 1995) is an American inactive professionaltennis player. She reached a career-high singlesWTA ranking of No. 13 on 22 February 2021, and a career-high doubles ranking of 44 on 19 August 2019. Brady has won oneWTA Tour singles title and one doubles title as well as four singles and five doubles titles on theITF Women's Circuit.
Brady first rose to prominence following her surprise run to the fourth round of the2017 Australian Open as a qualifier, registering victories overHeather Watson and 14th seedElena Vesnina. She also reached the fourth round of that year'sUS Open, defeatingBarbora Strýcová andMonica Niculescu before falling to then-world No. 1,Karolína Plíšková. Following struggles with injuries and an increased focus on doubles, including a semifinal showing at the2019 Australian Open, Brady returned to prominence in singles in 2020, where she recorded her first win over a world No. 1 by defeatingAshleigh Barty atBrisbane. She won her first WTA singles title at theTop Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky. Brady reached her firstmajor final at the2021 Australian Open, where she lost toNaomi Osaka.
Brady previously attended theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and made her debut for theBruins tennis team in 2013.[1] During her freshman year at UCLA, she helped her team win the 2014 Division 1 Women's Tennis National Championship in Athens, Georgia.[2] She completed her sophomore year of college before turning professional in 2014.
Brady made her Grand Slam debut at the2014 US Open, having received a wildcard withSamantha Crawford for the women's doubles main-draw.[3] Brady won four titles in singles and five in doubles on theITF Women's Circuit. She first played in the main draw of aWTA 125 tournament at theCarlsbad Classic in November 2015, reaching the semifinals. On theWTA Tour, she reached the quarterfinals of theGuangzhou International Open in September 2016, defeating qualifierAnastasia Pivovarova[citation needed] and sixth seedDanka Kovinić,[citation needed] before losing to third seedAna Konjuh.[4]
Brady reached the singles main-draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at theAustralian Open, after winning all three of herqualifying matches. In themain draw, she defeatedMaryna Zanevska,[5]Heather Watson[6] and 14th seedElena Vesnina.[7] Her run came to an end in the fourth round with a straight set loss toMirjana Lučić-Baroni.[8]
Due to her success at the Australian Open, Brady obtained a direct spot in the main-draw of the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments without playing qualifying. At theFrench Open, she lost her opening-round match to 13th seedKristina Mladenovic.[9] AtWimbledon, she defeated Danka Kovinić[10] then lost in the second round to eighth seedDominika Cibulková.[11] At theUS Open, she defeatedAndrea Petkovic,[12] 23rd seedBarbora Strýcová[13] andMonica Niculescu[14] to reach the fourth round, where she lost to top seedKarolína Plíšková.[15]
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In 2018, Brady had more success in doubles than singles. She reached the quarterfinals of theAustralian Open withVania King.[16] In March, she reached the final of the WTA 125Indian Wells Challenger with King, where they fell toTaylor Townsend andYanina Wickmayer in two sets.[17]
Brady began 2019 by reaching the semifinals in doubles of theAustralian Open withAlison Riske, before falling to the world No. 2 team ofTímea Babos andKristina Mladenovic.[18] In February, she made it to the third round of theDubai Championships where she defeated world No. 22,Jeļena Ostapenko[19] and No. 20,Caroline Garcia,[20] before falling to No. 4,Petra Kvitová, in three sets.[21] The following week, she reached the final of theIndian Wells Challenger, in which she fell toViktorija Golubic, in three sets.[22] To keep the hot streak going, the following week at theIndian Wells Open, she defeated world No. 19, Caroline Garcia,[23] before falling to No. 12,Ashleigh Barty, in the third round.[24]
Brady's next notable result of the year came during the grass-court swing at theNottingham Open when she reached semifinals, before falling to eventual champion Caroline Garcia, in three sets.[25] She also had a strong showing at the Premier MandatoryChina Open where she defeated fellow AmericansAmanda Anisimova[26] andMadison Keys,[27] before falling to US Open championBianca Andreescu in the third round.[28]
Brady began the season at theBrisbane International, where she made it through qualifying and went on to defeatMaria Sharapova,[29] before stunning world No. 1 and home favorite, Ash Barty, in the round of 16.[30] She lost in the quarterfinals to world No. 4,Petra Kvitová, in straight sets.[31] Brady lost in the first round at theAustralian Open toSimona Halep.[32] In doubles, she reached the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, but she andCaroline Dolehide fell to top seededHsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strýcová, in straight sets.[citation needed]
Brady made it through qualifying at theDubai Tennis Championships and then secured her second win over a top-10 opponent of her career when she defeated No. 6,Elina Svitolina, in the first round.[33] In the second, she facedMarkéta Vondroušová and rallied from a set and a double break down to win the match in three sets.[34] In the quarterfinals, she faced two timemajor champion and former world No. 1,Garbiñe Muguruza, defeating her in a three-setter to move on to her first Premier semifinal,[35] where she lost in two sets to eventual champion Simona Halep.[36]
Brady participated in the all-starCredit One Bank Invitational inDaniel Island, an exhibition event that served as the Charleston tournament after organizers reformatted the tournament following theCOVID-19 pandemic as aLaver Cup style event. She was drafted byBethanie Mattek-Sands to Team Peace, which won 26–22, going 4–0 with nine points (one win in the second day for one point, one win in the fourth day for two points, one win in the fifth day for three points, and one win in the sixth day for three points). She was the only undefeated player for the entire exhibition event.[citation needed]
Her first tournament following the resumption of the WTA Tour was theKentucky Open where she won her maiden WTA Tour singles title. She defeated Heather Watson,[37] sixth seedMagda Linette,[38]Marie Bouzková,[39]Coco Gauff[40] andJil Teichmann without dropping a set all tournament.[41][42] Following her victory, Brady's ranking rose to a career-high No. 40.[citation needed]
At theUS Open, Brady was seeded 28th despite being ranked 41st in the world due to the number of top-20 players who pulled out of the tournament.[citation needed] She defeatedAnna Blinkova,[43]CiCi Bellis[44] and Caroline Garcia[45] in straight sets, before defeating 2016 champion and former world No. 1,Angelique Kerber, to advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.[46] She then recorded another straight sets win over the 23rd seedYulia Putintseva[47] to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal, which she lost to Naomi Osaka in three sets.[48]
Brady started the season inAbu Dhabi. After winning the first set, she lost in the first round toTamara Zidanšek.[49] She also played doubles in the same tournament withGarbiñe Muguruza, they lost in the quarterfinals.[citation needed]
At theAustralian Open, Brady beatAliona Bolsova,[citation needed]Madison Brengle,[50]Kaja Juvan,[51]Donna Vekić,[52]Jessica Pegula[53] andKarolína Muchová[54] to reach her first major final in which she was defeated by Naomi Osaka, in straight sets.[55] As a result, she reached a career-high of world No. 13 in the singles rankings on 22 February 2021.[citation needed]
At her debut at theOlympics, Brady was the 11th and only American seed in the tournament. However, she was defeated by ItalianCamila Giorgi, in the first round, in straight sets.[56]
Brady's next tournament was the2021 Cincinnati Open. In the first round, she beatEkaterina Alexandrova in straight sets.[citation needed] In the second round, she suffered a knee injury after taking the first set fromJelena Ostapenko.[57] This injury would keep Brady out of tennis for two years.[58]
Brady wanted to return to professional tennis at theFrench Open, however, these plans were stopped by a foot injury.[59]
She had a successful return at the $100kGranby Championships in Canada where she defeatedKyōka Okamura in straight sets.[60] Brady then lost to the sixth seed,Himeno Sakatsume, in the second round.[61]
Brady made her return to theWTA Tour at theWashington Open using a protected ranking. She defeatedAnhelina Kalinina in the first round,[62] before losing to No. 17 ranked Madison Keys.[63] At theCanadian Open, Brady overcame Jeļena Ostapenko to make it into the second round,[64] where she lost to third seedElena Rybakina, both matches going to three sets.[65] Next she lost to Donna Vekić in the opening round at theCincinnati Open.[66]
At theUS Open, Brady defeated lucky loserKimberly Birrell[67] and 24th seedMagda Linette,[68] before losing toCaroline Wozniacki in the third round in three sets.[69] PartneringLuisa Stefani, she reached the semifinals in thedoubles, losing to 12th seedsLaura Siegemund andVera Zvonareva[70]
In October at theChina Open, Brady overcamePeyton Stearns in straight sets,[71] but then retired after just four games of her next match against Magda Linette due to injury.[72]
In January 2024, Brady announced she needed surgery on her right knee and expected to be out of competitive action for a lengthy period of time.[73][74]
After more than two years out of competitive action, Brady used herprotected ranking to enter the qualifying draw at the2026 Australian Open.[75] However, one week before the event was due to get underway, she withdrew for undisclosed reasons.[76]
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Brady is an aggressive player who possesses an all-court game. She is a strong server, with her first serve being recorded as high as 114 mph (184 km/h), allowing her to serve multiple aces per match. She also possesses an effective kick serve, that prevents opponents scoring free points on second serves. Her greatest weapon is her forehand, which is hit with heavy topspin, pushing her opponents far beyond the baseline, allowing her to accumulate a high number of winners with this shot. She also possesses an effective two-handed backhand, with which she can hit winners from any position on the court. Due to her doubles experience, she is an effective volleyer, possessing a complete repertoire of shots to perform at the net, and will frequently choose to approach the net to finish points. Due to her fitness, she possesses an effective defensive game, and is a strong player on return.
Brady has played one season withWorld TeamTennis starting in 2019, when she made her debut with theWashington Kastles. It was announced that she would be joining theOrange County Breakers during the 2020 WTT season (canceled due to the pandemic).[77]
Brady is endorsed by Flex Seal,[78]Asics for attire and byBabolat for racquets and uses the Babolat Pure Aero racquet.[citation needed]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Current through the2023 French Open.
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 4R | 1R | Q3 | 1R | F | A | A | 0 / 4 | 9–4 | 69% |
| French Open | A | A | Q3 | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 3R | A | A | 0 / 5 | 4–5 | 44% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | Q1 | 2R | 2R | 1R | NH | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | 40% |
| US Open | Q1 | Q1 | Q3 | 4R | 1R | 1R | SF | A | A | 3R | 0 / 5 | 10–5 | 67% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 7–4 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 5–3 | 8–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0 / 17 | 25–17 | 60% |
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Career total: 1 | ||
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Career total: 2 | ||
| Year-end ranking | 267 | 229 | 111 | 64 | 116 | 56 | 24 | 25 | – | $4,644,655 | |||
| Tournament | 2014 | ... | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | QF | SF | QF | 2R | A | A | 0 / 4 | 11–3 | |
| French Open | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 4 | 4–4 | |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | NH | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | |
| US Open | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | A | SF | 0 / 6 | 5–6 | |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 1–3 | 7–4 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0 / 17 | 22–16 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2021 | Australian Open | Hard |  Naomi Osaka | 4–6, 3–6 |
