Tatiana Golovin

Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin 2007 in Luxembourg
Nickname:	Tati, Tats
Nation:	France
Birthday:	January 25, 1988
Size:	175 cm
1st professional season:	2002
Playing hand:	Right, two-handed backhand
Prize money:	$ 1,923,053
singles
Career record:	165: 93
Career title:	2 WTA, 0 ITF
Highest ranking:	12 (February 4, 2008)
Grand Slam record
Double
Career record:	21:32
Highest ranking:	91 (August 13, 2007)
Grand Slam record
Mixed
Grand Slam record
Sources: official player profiles at the ATP / WTA and ITF (see web links )

Tatiana Golovin (born January 25, 1988 in Moscow as Tatyana Golovina / Татьяна Головина) is a former French tennis player .

life and career

1988-2001: childhood

When Tatiana Golovin was eight months old, her father Gregori was hired to coach Lyon's ice hockey team . She moved with him, mother Ludmila and her sisters Oxana and Olga to Belfort , later she took French citizenship . Tatiana is said to have started playing tennis when she was three and a half years old. Because of her great talent, she got financial support from the Ligue de Franche-Comté, which above all brought better training conditions.

In 1995 she traveled to the United States with her father, where she became aware of coach legend Nick Bolletieri . In July 1996, she was at his academy in Bradenton added.

Golovin impressed in 1998 when she won the Reebok Challenge at the age of ten . The following year she won the famous Orange Bowl in her age group (eleven to twelve year olds). She trained in the USA a. a. at the Chris Evert Tennis Academy and also worked with Brad Gilbert . Golovin could hardly play in 2000 due to injury, but still won the French championships in Roland Garros .

In 2001 she made a good debut on the ITF Junior Tour , thanks in part to some wild cards . After two finals in Morocco, she won her first title in the Netherlands at her eighth tournament in July 2001, where she defeated Anna-Lena Grönefeld , among others .

2002–2003: Beginnings on the professional tour

In her first year at the ITF Women's Circuit , she received a wildcard for Cagnes-sur-Mer in both singles and doubles ; in singles she failed in round one, in doubles she reached the semi-finals with Camille Pin . A few months later she played her first match in the double main field of Roland Garros with her compatriot Marion Bartoli .

In 2003 she received wild cards for her first two WTA tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami . At the time she was number 375 in the world rankings. In Indian Wells she came into the second round after beating Gisela Dulko . In Miami she lost in the first round in three sets against number 39 in the world, Katarina Srebotnik . Then she also received wildcards for Strasbourg and Roland Garros, but she did not get beyond the first round.

2004: breakthrough

In 2004 Golovin made her breakthrough on the WTA Tour when she again benefited from wildcards at the beginning of the year. At the Australian Open , she made it to the round of 16. On the way there she hit u. a. the number 17 Anna Smaschnowa , before she clearly lost in the round of 16 against Lisa Raymond . Due to her good performance, she improved by over 200 places in the ranking. She reached the semi-finals in Paris when she defeated a top 10 player for the first time in her young career with Jelena Dementjewa . In mid-February she was already in the top 100 of the WTA world rankings .

In the months that followed, she continued to collect points. At the French Open she was eliminated from the singles in the first round, but in mixed she was able to triumph in front of a home crowd at Richard Gasquet's side against siblings Cara and Wayne Black in straight sets. In Birmingham she even played her first individual final on grass, but lost it in three sets against Maria Sharapova .

At Wimbledon , Golovin reached the round of 16, in which she had no chance against Serena Williams . She also made it to the round of 16 in doubles (alongside Mary Pierce ). Because of her good performance, she was nominated for the first time for the Fed Cup team ; she lost the already insignificant double with Pierce against Italy . It was followed by a quarter-finals in Montréal and at the US Open she reached the third round, in which she again failed to Serena Williams.

Another quarter-final in Luxembourg was followed by the Fed Cup final in Moscow. In the semifinals against Spain it was used for the first time in individual; she won both matches (against Anabel Medina Garrigues and Marta Marrero ) in straight sets and made a decisive contribution to the fact that France could contest the final against hosts Russia . There she was initially just under number 3 in the world, Anastassija Myskina ; the second match against Svetlana Kuznetsova (No. 5) she won impressively - but the French lost 3-2.

Golovin improved this year by 318 places and at the end of the year found himself at position 27 in the world rankings. As a result, she was named Newcomer of the Year by the WTA.

2005: Established on the professional tour

The year 2005 started well again and Golovin reached the semifinals of Gold Coast in the first tournament . At the Australian Open, however, she had to say goodbye to Abigail Spears (No. 96) in round two . In Paris, as in the previous year, she reached the semifinals, which she lost to Dinara Safina in three sets. Some mixed results followed.

In Charleston , she played on the green ashes for the first time and immediately reached the semifinals, in which she was only barely defeated by Justine Henin . On the way there she beat Venus Williams (No. 8) and Nadja Petrowa (No. 12) , among others . Otherwise the preparation for Roland Garros was not very pleasant. Nevertheless, she was able to reach the third round there as number 20 in the world. In Birmingham she came very far again, but lost again in the semi-finals to Maria Sharapova. In Wimbledon, however, she lost to Aljona Bondarenko (No. 90) in three sets.

The preparation for the US Open was also not very successful. In Flushing Meadows she only made it to the third round, in which she was left behind in three sets against her Fed Cup colleague Nathalie Dechy . Towards the end of the year, Golovin was able to celebrate a few respectable successes again. Playing in Asia for the first time, she reached the semifinals in Seoul and a week later even the final in Tokyo . There she had to give up in a close match against number 21 in the world, Nicole Vaidišová , in the middle of the second set because of a blister on her foot. In the last tournament of the season in Linz she reached the quarter-finals again. She finished the year number 24 in the world rankings.

2006: First Grand Slam quarter-finals

In 2006, Golovin was trained by Tarik Benhabiles . She got off to a good start into the season when she reached the quarter-finals in singles in Gold Coast and even reached the semi- finals in doubles alongside Martina Hingis . The Australian Open was over for her in round one against Mara Santangelo (No. 73 in the world). Your trip to Tokyo ended in debacle; in the first round she went down against her compatriot Bartoli 3: 6, 0: 6. In contrast, she reached the semi-finals for the third time in Paris when she participated for the third time, where she had to bow to number 2 in the world, Amélie Mauresmo , in a close match of three. Golovin caused a sensation in Miami, where she reached the semi-finals of a Tier I event for the first time. The game against Sharapova (No. 4 in the world) turned out to be a nightmare; In the close match, she bent over so unhappily in the middle of the third set that she had to pause for almost two months.

She celebrated her comeback - far too early - in Roland Garros, where she said goodbye again after losing to Jie Zheng in the first round . Golovin took another one month hiatus and returned to the pitch at Wimbledon. But even here she didn't get far. Having already in the first round with much trouble Mariana Diaz-Oliva (the world 93.) had and only with 9: 7 won in the third set came in the second round that off against the number 136, Nicole Pratt , from Australia.

After the sobering months, she entered the Fed Cup for the first time since 2004. Without them, France had clearly lost to Italy in the first round, so that it was against the Czech Republic against relegation from the world group. Golovin was the decisive player in the end. She lost the first single just under 9:11 in the third set against Nicole Vaidišová, but she won the second against Lucie Šafářová and the decisive double together with Séverine Brémond . The US Open Series were then rather mixed with the exception of their semi-finals in Stanford .

But at the US Open, she was finally able to convince again in a Grand Slam tournament . She made it to the quarter-finals for the first time and eliminated Nadja Petrowa and Anna Tschakwetadze on the way . Only in the quarter-finals was it over against the later title winner Sharapova, she lost the match 6: 7, 6: 7. Golovin was able to keep her good form until the end of the year. In Filderstadt she reached the final, which she just lost against Petrowa. In Zurich she caught up with the bad luck with an injury when she twisted her right foot again in the second lap and had to end the season. Despite the long break after Miami, she finished the year in 22nd place.

2007: The first titles

At the turn of the year she played the Hopman Cup with Jérôme Haehnel for the first time in Perth, Australia . The two narrowly missed the final for France as second in their group behind Russia. At the Australian Open ran it better than in previous years, but in the third round came despite two match points against Shahar Peer the corner. In Paris she reached the quarter-finals (narrowly out against world number one Justine Henin), in Antwerp in the semi-finals (out against Kim Clijsters ) and in Indian Wells in the quarter-finals, in which she was eliminated against the number 46 in the world, Sybille Bammer . In Miami, against Anna Tschakwetadze, it was already in the third round.

Golovin was able to crown the spring with her first individual tournament victory on the WTA Tour. On the green ashes in Amelia Island , she eliminated Venus Williams and feared opponent Ana Ivanović on the way to the final . In the final, she overran the number 7 in the world, Nadja Petrowa, 6: 1, 6: 2. She was on the right track in Charleston as well, but in the quarter-finals against Dinara Safina (No. 12) she injured her ankle again and had to give up.

Her first-round match against Japan in the Fed Cup, just a week after leaving Charleston, turned out to be a big mistake. She won her two singles with ease, but her injury got worse and she had to take a longer break (as in 2006). For the first time she could not compete at Roland Garros, but it was in Paris for the " UNESCO - ambassador for gender equality" appointed - a great honor for Tatiana Golovin.

In terms of sport, she then celebrated her comeback at Wimbledon. In the second round, however, it was over against youngster Tamira Paszek . She suffered a bitter defeat in the Fed Cup semi-final against Italy. She led against Francesca Schiavone 5: 2 in the third set, but lost the match 5: 7.

In mid-July she surprised with her collaboration with tennis legend Mats Wilander , who trained her until the end of the year (albeit not regularly). At first there were heavy defeats against Sania Mirza and Maria Sharapova in Stanford and San Diego . In Los Angeles, she had to give up in the first round due to knee problems. In Toronto, however, she found her strength back and fought her way to the semi-finals. After a successful revenge against Schiavone and a hard-fought victory against Swetlana Kuznetsova, the end came against Jelena Jankovic .

In the first round of the US Open, however, Golovin was eliminated in three sets against the American Ahsha Rolle (No. 109 in the world). She registered for a short time in Portorož, Slovenia , and won her second title that year; in the final she defeated local hero Katarina Srebotnik after a weak first set with 2: 6, 6: 4, 6: 4. She continued the series; after reaching the quarter-finals in Luxembourg, she reached the finals in Stuttgart and Zurich. Both times she was subject to world number one Justine Henin. In Linz she injured her right knee in the first lap, so the season ended with an injury break, as in the previous year. Her great autumn was rewarded with 13th place in the world rankings. In November, Golovin separated from Mats Wilander, who could not travel with her as much. Instead, she hired the Dutchman Glen Schaap , who had already worked with Nadja Petrowa and Dinara Safina, as a coach .

2008–2009: illness and end of career

The most difficult year of her career was 2008. As in the previous year, she started at the Hopman Cup, where she and Arnaud Clément narrowly missed the final behind Serbia. At the tournament in Sydney she lost to Jelena Jankovic in the second round. At the Australian Open she survived the first round against compatriot Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro with difficulty before losing to Aravane Rezaï .

A back injury sustained in Australia forced Golovin to take another break; Diagnosis: sprain of a disc. After an appearance in Memphis , where she had no chance in round one against Bethanie Mattek , she underwent further examinations. A six centimeter long cyst was discovered in her hip, which required an operation and prevented her, among other things, from defending her title in Amelia Island.

Golovin made her comeback at the end of April in Cagnes-sur-Mer, where she played her first ITF tournament in 2002. After the long break, she struggled against the number 414 in the world, Aurélie Védy , in the second round. There she lost to Estonian Maret Ani (129th in the world). At the Tier I tournament in Berlin , the end came in round one against Caroline Wozniacki . She had permanent back pain during both tournaments. After another break, she had to cancel the Grand Slam tournaments in Paris and Wimbledon.

Finally, in August, she went to Beijing to attend the Olympic Games . But one day before the tennis tournament started, she had to cancel due to recurring pain. She couldn't play the US Open either. After further cancellations, she ended the season in mid-September with a meager record of only three wins in eight matches. In October, she resumed training with Loïc Courteau , the former coach of Amélie Mauresmo, on a trial basis. But the pain forced her to postpone her comeback indefinitely in mid-November. Thereupon the French media reported that Golovin had to end her career for good. But she denied this with the words: "My career is not over." She finished the year at position 251 in the world rankings.

Golovin planned a comeback again and again, but because of the chronic back problems that make walking difficult for her, she believes a return to professional sport is now impossible, according to an initially optimistic assessment.

She has not played a professional match since August 2008 and has not been in the world rankings since 2010.

successes

singles

Tournament victories

No.	date	competition	category	Topping	Final opponent	Result
1.	April 8, 2007	Amelia Island	WTA Tier II	sand	Nadia Petrova	6: 2, 6: 1
2.	September 22, 2007	Portorož	WTA Tier IV	Hard court	Katarina Srebotnik	2: 6, 6: 4, 6: 4

Final participation

No.	date	competition	category	Topping	Tournament winner	Result
1.	June 13, 2004	Birmingham	WTA Tier III	race	Maria Sharapova	6: 4, 2: 6, 1: 6
2.	October 9, 2005	Tokyo	WTA Tier III	Hard court	Nicole Vaidišová	6: 7 4 , 2: 3 problem
3.	October 8, 2006	Stuttgart	WTA Tier II	Hard court (hall)	Nadia Petrova	3: 6, 6: 7 4
4th	October 7, 2007	Stuttgart	WTA Tier II	Hard court (hall)	Justine Henin	6: 2, 2: 6, 1: 6
5.	October 21, 2007	Zurich	WTA Tier I	Hard court (hall)	Justine Henin	4: 6, 4: 6

Mixed

No.	date	competition	category	Topping	partner	Final opponent	Result
1.	June 6, 2004	French Open	Grand Slam	sand	Richard Gasquet	Cara Black Wayne Black	6: 3, 6: 4

Others

• Golovin resides in Paris and has one in Miami, Florida.
• She is currently in a relationship with the French national soccer player Samir Nasri .
• In 2004 she was named Newcomer of the Year by the WTA.
• Tatiana Golovin has been a UNESCO ambassador for gender equality since summer 2007 .
• In February 2009 she appeared together with her colleagues Marija Kirilenko and Daniela Hantuchová in the Swimsuit Issue of the US magazine Sports Illustrated .

Performing in Grand Slam tournaments

singles

competition	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	Balance sheet	Career
Australian Open	-	-	AF	2	1	3	2	7: 5	AF
French Open	-	1	1	3	1	-	-	2: 4	3
Wimbledon	-	-	AF	1	2	2	-	5: 4	AF
US Open	-	-	3	3	VF	1	-	8: 4	VF

Double

competition	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	Balance sheet	Career
Australian Open	-	-	-	-	2	1	-	1: 2	2
French Open	1	1	-	1	-	-	-	0: 3	1
Wimbledon	-	-	AF	-	-	-	-	2: 1	AF
US Open	-	-	-	1	2	-	-	1: 2	2

Web links

Commons : Tatiana Golovin  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• WTA profile Tatiana Golovin (English)
• ITF profile Tatiana Golovin (English)
• Fed Cup stats by Tatiana Golovin (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.golovin-attitude.com/en/?p=186 ( Memento from November 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Tatiana Golovin: "Leaving tennis created a big hole" , tennisnet.com , November 28, 2011, accessed on June 28, 2013
3. ↑ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article1412906.ece