Alina Jidkova
Encyclopedia
Alina Vladimirovna Jidkova (born January 18, 1977 in Moscow
, Soviet Union
), soubriquet Alinka, is a former Women's Tennis Association
tennis
player.
Jidkova's father, Vladimir, is an engineer
; mother, Lina, is a school teacher; brother, Dmitriy, owns a construction business. Her most memorable tennis
experience was playing Lindsay Davenport
for the first time at the Australian Open
and beating Serena Williams
in 2004 in Linz
. She has career victories over Serena Williams
, Jelena Janković
, Mary Pierce
, Chanda Rubin
, Samantha Stosur
, Daniela Hantuchová
, Amanda Coetzer
, and many other big names in women's tennis.
Jidkova underwent knee surgery on 3 April 2001 for torn meniscus suffered during practice after Miami, returning to action in late April.
Jidkova resides in Boca Raton, Florida
, U.S.
, and is married to entrepreneur Sascha Ghods. The two married on December 18, 2010, in a ceremony in Vienna, Austria.
She retired from professional tennis at the end of the 2010 season and now coaches Galina Voskoboeva
, former Russian player who now plays for Kazakhstan.
She is one of 259 women, so far, to earn more than $1,000,000 in prize money just from playing tennis.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
), soubriquet Alinka, is a former Women's Tennis Association
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player.
Jidkova's father, Vladimir, is an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
; mother, Lina, is a school teacher; brother, Dmitriy, owns a construction business. Her most memorable tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
experience was playing Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Ann Davenport is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years...
for the first time at the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
and beating Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
in 2004 in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
. She has career victories over Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
, Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
, Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce is a French-American tennis professional playing on the Women's Tennis Association tour. She is a citizen of France, Canada, and the United States but plays for France in team competitions and the Olympics.Pierce has won four Grand Slam titles, two in singles and two in doubles...
, Chanda Rubin
Chanda Rubin
Chanda Rubin is an American tennis player. Winning seven WTA Tour singles titles, she reached her highest ranking World No. 6 on April 8, 1996, after reaching semifinals at the 1996 Australian Open. Rubin is also former World No...
, Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
, Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
, Amanda Coetzer
Amanda Coetzer
Amanda Coetzer is a former professional tennis player from South Africa.Coetzer turned professional in 1988 and retired in 2004...
, and many other big names in women's tennis.
Jidkova underwent knee surgery on 3 April 2001 for torn meniscus suffered during practice after Miami, returning to action in late April.
Jidkova resides in Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is married to entrepreneur Sascha Ghods. The two married on December 18, 2010, in a ceremony in Vienna, Austria.
She retired from professional tennis at the end of the 2010 season and now coaches Galina Voskoboeva
Galina Voskoboeva
Galina Olegovna Voskoboeva is a professional Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player. She reached her career-high singles rank of World No. 56 on October 10, 2011. Her career high in doubles is 31st, set at January 29, 2007.-Early life:...
, former Russian player who now plays for Kazakhstan.
She is one of 259 women, so far, to earn more than $1,000,000 in prize money just from playing tennis.
Notable achievements
- 1996 - Won first ITF Circuit doubles title
- 1997 - Won first pro singles title at ITF/Culiacan-MEX
- 1998 - Won ITF/Coatzacoalcos-MEX
- 1999 - Won ITF/Miami-USA and won ITF/Peachtree City-USA
- 2001 - Won ITF/Pittsburgh-USA
- 2002 - Won $50,000 ITF/Louisville 2-USA, reaching career-first Tour SF at Memphis (d. world No. 17 Coetzer for first Top 20 win)
- 2004 - LinzLinzLinz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
Round 2, won against Serena WilliamsSerena WilliamsSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... - 2005 - Won women's doubles at AcapulcoAcapulcoAcapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
(with Tatiana PerebiynisTatiana PerebiynisTetyana Yurevna Perebiynis , born on December 15, 1982 is a Top 100 female professional tennis player born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, where she lives. She is an only child. She reached the Wimbledon junior girls' singles final in 2000, and won the Wimbledon juniors doubles final that year...
)