Hanika was in the final of the French Open in 1981 , which she lost 2: 6, 4: 6 against Hana Mandlíková . She also reached the quarter-finals of the US Open four times and the Australian Open once . The highlight of her career was winning the Masters in 1982, when she surprisingly defeated the best player in the world at the time, Martina Navrátilová . Hanika, who had clearly lost the first set with 1: 6 and was behind in the second 1: 3, was able to win all other games of the second set and turn the match in her favor. In 1987 she reached the Masters with her first and only victory over Chris Evert the semifinals again, but lost there in two sets to Steffi Graf . From 1989 onwards, her injury breaks increased.
After the end of her active career in 1991, Hanika worked in the youth sector for some time before she completely retired from tennis.