Ashley Harkleroad
Encyclopedia
Ashley Harkleroad is an American tennis
player. Born in Rossville, Georgia
, Harkleroad reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 on June 9, 2003. Her career prize money to date is $1,022,094. Harkleroad was the first WTA
tennis player to pose naked for the American men's magazine Playboy
.
qualifying event in Miami, Florida
and her first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open
. In 2001, she returned to the same events while improving her status on the ITF Circuit. In 2002 she won her first tour matches, reaching the second round at San Diego, Hawaii
, and Bratislava
, where she made her first doubles semi-final with partner María Emilia Salerni
. She ended 2002 in the top 200 for the first time in her career.
Her breakthrough year was in 2003, when at Charleston
she defeated three top 20 players at the time (No. 16 Elena Bovina
, No. 19 Meghann Shaughnessy
, and No. 9 Daniela Hantuchová
), losing just 11 games along the way to reach her first tour semi-final before losing to Justine Henin-Hardenne
. She became the lowest-ranked semi-finalist (No. 101) in the event's history since unranked Jennifer Capriati
reached the finals in 1990.
After that performance, on April 14, 2003 she broke out from No. 101 to climb to a No. 56 ranking. Subsequently she reached the semi-finals again at Strasbourg
and scored her second Top 10 win and second over Daniela Hantuchová at Roland Garros
while reaching the 3rd round and for the second time winning past the first round at a grand slam. On June 9, 2003 she soared into the Top 50 at No. 39 and reached the final in doubles at the Japan Open
in Tokyo.
In 2004, she made her career first Tour final (at Auckland
) before losing to defending champion Eleni Daniilidou
. For most of the 2005 season, Harkleroad sat out due to various injuries and an illness in the family, but the time she was on court was spent on the ITF Women's circuit winning 2 titles. She did however reach a tour doubles final at Quebec City
.
, successfully qualifying for the main draw only to fall in the opening round. She failed to qualify at Sydney
before reaching the second round of the Australian Open
(as a qualifier) where she pushed world number 4 Maria Sharapova
in a tough match. On her way she upset a higher ranked opponent- Shuai Peng of China. This performance saw Harkleroad break back into the top 100 at number 83. Harkleroad ended 2006 at #86 in Singles and #55 in Doubles.
Harkleroad was selected for the USA in the Hopman Cup
after Venus Williams
withdrew. She and partner Mardy Fish
went 0–3 in the event. Harkleroad pushed Tatiana Golovin
to 3 sets before losing 3–6,6–4,3–6. Harkleroad lost 3–6,0–6 to Nadia Petrova
and 6–3,4–6,4–6 to Alicia Molik
. Harkleroad started out the main WTA season in Hobart
, Tasmania. She lost in the first round to Austrian Sybille Bammer
7–6(2),6–1. Bammer eventually defeated Serena Williams
in the quarterfinals. She lost to Daniela Hantuchová
in the third round of the Australian Open
7–6 (6),5–7,3–6. In the previous rounds, she beat Meng Yuan of China 6–3,6–0 and upset 17th seeded German Anna-Lena Grönefeld
6–2,6–2. Harkleroad struggled in the clay court season and finished at Roland Garros
in the second round losing to Venus Williams 1–6,6–7(8–10). Harkleroad was down 1–6, 1–5 before rebounding and holding set points. During this match, Williams hit the fastest recorded women's main draw serve, a record which Venus broke again in the U.S. Open on August 28, 2007. In the grass court season, Harkleroad's worst, Harkleroad played the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament for the second straight year as her Wimbledon
warm-up. In 2006, she lost in the final to Caroline Wozniacki
. This year, she defeated Wozniacki in the final to win the event. Harkleroad lost to Roberta Vinci
, a good grass-court player in the first round of Wimbledon. In the U.S. Open Series, Harkleroad failed to qualify at the Acura Classic but qualified in Los Angeles and reached the second round before falling to Roland Garros runner-up Ana Ivanović
4–6,2–6. At the U.S. Open (tennis)
, Harkleroad fell to Ioana Raluca Olaru
5–7,6–1,4–6. Harkleroad will be playing for the first time since the U.S. Open in San Francisco, where she won $50,000 at the ITF
challenger for the second consecutive year. Harkleroad ended the year by winning a $75,000 challenger in Pittsburgh and a $50,000 challenger in La Quinta back to back. She also ended the year ranked 76, her second highest year end to date. Harkleroad also won the doubles title in la Quinta with Christina Fusano
. Harkleroad finished with a 29–20 record in singles and a 13–11 record in doubles for the 2007 season.
before losing to home-crowd wild card Marina Erakovic
. Jetting to Hobart
, Harkleroad had a banner tournament. Staying in Australia, Harkleroad played in Hobart after winning three matches to qualify. She defeated three top-100 players before bowing out in the Semi-Finals to top seed Vera Zvonareva
. In the Australian Open, Harkleroad lost to 30th seed Virginie Razzano
.
Harkleroad debuted with the Fed Cup
team for the United States
just two weeks later. Facing Germany
, Harkleroad, Lindsay Davenport
, Laura Granville
, and Lisa Raymond
made up the United States team. Davenport was upset in a tie, giving the Germans a 1–0 lead. Harkleroad crushed Tatjana Malek
and Sabine Lisicki
, both in straight sets to help the U.S. win 4–1 and becoming the tie's hero.
She then reached the final of the $75,000 ITF event in Midland where she was defeated by compatriot Laura Granville
.
Her next tournament was the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells
. She upset Lucie Šafářová
and eighth seed Dinara Safina
. She then lost to Agnieszka Radwańska
in the fourth round in three sets 6–2 4–6 6–4. At the Sony Ericsson Open, she reached the third round after taking out the 23rd seed Virginie Razzano
impressively 6–4 6–4, but lost to Elena Vesnina
4–6 7–5 4–6. While at the Sony Ericsson Open, a large cyst on one of her ovaries burst and she was sent to the hospital. She made it through the ordeal but had to lose one of her ovaries.
At the 2008 French Open
, she lost 6–2 6–1 against tournament favorite Serena Williams
in the first round.
At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships
, she lost 6–4 6–3 against 2006 winner Amélie Mauresmo
in the first round.
After losing early in the U.S. Open Series, Harkleroad withdrew from the U.S. Open due to a pregnancy. She took an indefinite break from tennis as a result. She gave birth on March 30, 2009 to a boy.
, but decided to wait for the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida
. She used her special protection rank of 72 to enter the main draw. She played Alicia Molik
in the first round. She lost 6–1, 6–1 after only practicing like a player for a month. She also was accepted into the main draw of the 2010 Bank of the West Classic
at Stanford. She lost against defending champion Marion Bartoli
in the first round 6–1, 6–4. She competed in World Team Tennis
during the summer of 2010.
She is currently coached by Chuck Adams
and formerly coached by José Luis Clerc and Jay Berger. Her father, Danny, works in the printing industry and played college football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
. Her mother, Tammy, is a school teacher, and played college tennis at Freed-Hardeman University
in Henderson, Tennessee
. Harkleroad got the nickname 'Pebbles' while living in Flintstone, Georgia
, a small town that has one traffic light. She lists her tennis aspiration as becoming a Top 10 pro with an eye on No.1. Harkleroad married ATP pro Alex Bogomolov, Jr.
in December 2004 but they divorced in October 2006. She is married to former ATP pro Chuck Adams. During US Open coverage on the USA network on August 29, 2008, commentator John McEnroe
announced that Harkleroad was pregnant with Adams's child. She gave birth to a son, Charlie on March 30, 2009. On April 5, 2011, she gave birth to their second child, a daughter named Loretta.
on May 25, 2008 at the French Open, Harkleroad told reporters she would appear in the August 2008 issue of Playboy
, a decision she made while convalescing from ovarian cyst
surgery in March, 2008. In an on the air interview, broadcast during the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Harkleroad stated that Amanda Beard
's 2007 pictorial was partly an inspiration for her own, but that her own layout was more risqué by depicting full nudity and pubic hair, while Beard's did not. She appeared as the cover girl of the magazine, as well as in a four page full frontal nude pictorial, thus becoming the first professional tennis player to pose for Playboy.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
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. Born in Rossville, Georgia
Rossville, Georgia
Rossville is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The city of Rossville was named after Cherokee Indian Chief John Ross, who resided there until being forced to relocate with his people to Oklahoma in the Indian Removal. Chief John Ross' log cabin home is still located in the city and...
, Harkleroad reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 on June 9, 2003. Her career prize money to date is $1,022,094. Harkleroad was the first WTA
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 player to pose naked for the American men's magazine Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
.
Career
Harkleroad turned pro on June 12, 2000, and was quickly billed as the next American tennis star. Her debut was at the ITF tournament in Largo, Florida, in 1999. The following year she played her first WTAWomen'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...
qualifying event in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and her first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
. In 2001, she returned to the same events while improving her status on the ITF Circuit. In 2002 she won her first tour matches, reaching the second round at San Diego, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, where she made her first doubles semi-final with partner María Emilia Salerni
María Emilia Salerni
María Emilia Salerni , known as Pitu Salerni, was an Argentine professional tennis player from the city of Rafaela, province of Santa Fe....
. She ended 2002 in the top 200 for the first time in her career.
Her breakthrough year was in 2003, when at Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
she defeated three top 20 players at the time (No. 16 Elena Bovina
Elena Bovina
Elena Olegovna Bovina is a Russian professional female tennis player. On April 4, 2005 Bovina reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 14....
, No. 19 Meghann Shaughnessy
Meghann Shaughnessy
Meghann Shaughnessy is an American professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of #11 in 2001, and has won six WTA Tour singles titles...
, and No. 9 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...
), losing just 11 games along the way to reach her first tour semi-final before losing to Justine Henin-Hardenne
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Justine Henin , formerly known as Justine Henin-Hardenne , is a retired professional Belgian tennis player and former World No. 1....
. She became the lowest-ranked semi-finalist (No. 101) in the event's history since unranked Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Marie Capriati is a former world number one ranked professional tennis player, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 14 when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca...
reached the finals in 1990.
After that performance, on April 14, 2003 she broke out from No. 101 to climb to a No. 56 ranking. Subsequently she reached the semi-finals again at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and scored her second Top 10 win and second over Daniela Hantuchová at Roland Garros
French Open (tennis)
The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are...
while reaching the 3rd round and for the second time winning past the first round at a grand slam. On June 9, 2003 she soared into the Top 50 at No. 39 and reached the final in doubles at the Japan Open
Japan Open Tennis Championships
The Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships is a tennis tournament held in Ariake Tennis Forest Park with its center court Ariake Coliseum, located in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. The championship includes both men's and women's, as well as singles and doubles competitions...
in Tokyo.
In 2004, she made her career first Tour final (at Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
) before losing to defending champion Eleni Daniilidou
Eleni Daniilidou
Eleni Daniilidou is a Greek tennis player born in Chania, on the island of Crete.As of 2011, she has won five WTA singles titles and three doubles titles. In 2003, she reached the Australian Open mixed doubles final. Her highest singles ranking has been 14th...
. For most of the 2005 season, Harkleroad sat out due to various injuries and an illness in the family, but the time she was on court was spent on the ITF Women's circuit winning 2 titles. She did however reach a tour doubles final at Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
2006
Harkleroad played her second main tour event since 2005 at AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, successfully qualifying for the main draw only to fall in the opening round. She failed to qualify at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
before reaching the second round of 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...
(as a qualifier) where she pushed world number 4 Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
in a tough match. On her way she upset a higher ranked opponent- Shuai Peng of China. This performance saw Harkleroad break back into the top 100 at number 83. Harkleroad ended 2006 at #86 in Singles and #55 in Doubles.
2007
Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis...
after Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
withdrew. She and partner Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
went 0–3 in the event. Harkleroad pushed Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin is an inactive French professional tennis player. She is best known for her explosive forehand, which was said to be one of the best at the time. She notably won the 2004 French Open mixed doubles event with Richard Gasquet, and reached the singles quarterfinal at the 2006 U.S....
to 3 sets before losing 3–6,6–4,3–6. Harkleroad lost 3–6,0–6 to Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
and 6–3,4–6,4–6 to Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik is a Australian professional female tennis player. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the...
. Harkleroad started out the main WTA season in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania. She lost in the first round to Austrian Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer is a former professional female tennis player from Austria. Her career high ranking is No. 19, achieved on 17 December 2007....
7–6(2),6–1. Bammer eventually defeated 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 the quarterfinals. She lost to 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...
in the third round of 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...
7–6 (6),5–7,3–6. In the previous rounds, she beat Meng Yuan of China 6–3,6–0 and upset 17th seeded German Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld is a professional tennis player from Germany. She turned professional in April 2003.As of September 2011, Grönefeld is the No. 12 tennis player from Germany. She was coached and trained by Rafael Font de Mora in Scottsdale, Arizona until 2006...
6–2,6–2. Harkleroad struggled in the clay court season and finished at Roland Garros
French Open (tennis)
The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are...
in the second round losing to Venus Williams 1–6,6–7(8–10). Harkleroad was down 1–6, 1–5 before rebounding and holding set points. During this match, Williams hit the fastest recorded women's main draw serve, a record which Venus broke again in the U.S. Open on August 28, 2007. In the grass court season, Harkleroad's worst, Harkleroad played the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament for the second straight year as her Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
warm-up. In 2006, she lost in the final to Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks...
. This year, she defeated Wozniacki in the final to win the event. Harkleroad lost to Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci is an Italian tennis player. As of 29 August 2011, Vinci is ranked World No. 20, on the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won thirteen WTA Tour titles, six in singles and seven in doubles....
, a good grass-court player in the first round of Wimbledon. In the U.S. Open Series, Harkleroad failed to qualify at the Acura Classic but qualified in Los Angeles and reached the second round before falling to Roland Garros runner-up Ana Ivanović
Ana Ivanovic
Ana Ivanović is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of November 7, 2011, she is ranked 22th on the WTA rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open...
4–6,2–6. At the U.S. Open (tennis)
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
, Harkleroad fell to Ioana Raluca Olaru
Ioana Raluca Olaru
Ioana Raluca Olaru is a Romanian tennis player. As of 2 August 2010, she is ranked World No. 158 in singles and No. 104 in doubles. The winner of nine singles and six doubles ITF Circuit titles, Olaru reached one WTA Tour singles final, at the 2009 Gastein Ladies, losing to Andrea Petkovic 6–2, 6–3...
5–7,6–1,4–6. Harkleroad will be playing for the first time since the U.S. Open in San Francisco, where she won $50,000 at the ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
challenger for the second consecutive year. Harkleroad ended the year by winning a $75,000 challenger in Pittsburgh and a $50,000 challenger in La Quinta back to back. She also ended the year ranked 76, her second highest year end to date. Harkleroad also won the doubles title in la Quinta with Christina Fusano
Christina Fusano
Christina Fusano is an American professional tennis player from Plymouth, California. She attended Ponderosa High School in El Dorado, California, where she was an all-league volleyball and basketball player...
. Harkleroad finished with a 29–20 record in singles and a 13–11 record in doubles for the 2007 season.
2008
Starting the year off as usual in Auckland, Harkleroad reached the second round, defeating 8th seed Émilie LoitEmilie Loit
Émilie Loit is a retired French professional female tennis player. She was born in Cherbourg, France.She rose to fame when she played against American superstar Serena Williams before losing 6–3, 6–7, 5–7 in a tough first round 2003 Australian Open match.In her career Loit has won three career...
before losing to home-crowd wild card Marina Erakovic
Marina Erakovic
Marina Erakovic is a New Zealand professional tennis player of Croatian background. Her career high in Women's Tennis Association doubles ranking is World No. 43, achieved on 27 October 2008, and in singles it is No. 49, achieved on 7 July 2008. As of 21 November 2011, she is World No...
. Jetting to Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Harkleroad had a banner tournament. Staying in Australia, Harkleroad played in Hobart after winning three matches to qualify. She defeated three top-100 players before bowing out in the Semi-Finals to top seed Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
. In the Australian Open, Harkleroad lost to 30th seed Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano , is a French professional tennis player and the current French No. 4. Razzano, who was born in Dijon, has won two WTA singles titles, both in 2007 in Guangzhou and Tokyo. Razzano reached her career high ranking of World No. 16 on September 14, 2009. As of May 2011, she is ranked...
.
Harkleroad debuted with the Fed Cup
Fed Cup
Fed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
team for the United States
United States Fed Cup team
The United States Fed Cup team is the most successful national team in Fed Cup competition. The team has won 17 titles and finished second a further 9 times, out of 44 participations.-History:...
just two weeks later. Facing Germany
Germany Fed Cup team
The Germany Fed Cup team represents Germany in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by Deutscher Tennis Bund. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Tatjana Malek* Julia Görges* Andrea Petkovic* Anna-Lena Grönefeld...
, Harkleroad, 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...
, Laura Granville
Laura Granville
Laura Granville is an American professional tennis player. During the two years she spent at Stanford University, she set the record for most consecutive singles victories with 58. As of November 17, 2008, she is ranked World No...
, and Lisa Raymond
Lisa Raymond
Lisa Raymond is an American professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. On June 12, 2000, she reached the world number one ranking in doubles...
made up the United States team. Davenport was upset in a tie, giving the Germans a 1–0 lead. Harkleroad crushed Tatjana Malek
Tatjana Malek
Tatjana Malek is a professional German tennis player. She achieved her highest singles ranking of World No. 64 on 14 September 2009. Her highest doubles ranking of World No. 73 came on 3 May 2010. Malek has won 8 ITF singles titles and 7 ITF doubles title but no WTA tour singles or doubles titles...
and Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki is a German professional tennis player of Polish background.Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career and one doubles tournament . She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships...
, both in straight sets to help the U.S. win 4–1 and becoming the tie's hero.
She then reached the final of the $75,000 ITF event in Midland where she was defeated by compatriot Laura Granville
Laura Granville
Laura Granville is an American professional tennis player. During the two years she spent at Stanford University, she set the record for most consecutive singles victories with 58. As of November 17, 2008, she is ranked World No...
.
Her next tournament was the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....
. She upset Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafárová
Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route...
and eighth seed Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
. She then lost to Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
in the fourth round in three sets 6–2 4–6 6–4. At the Sony Ericsson Open, she reached the third round after taking out the 23rd seed Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano , is a French professional tennis player and the current French No. 4. Razzano, who was born in Dijon, has won two WTA singles titles, both in 2007 in Guangzhou and Tokyo. Razzano reached her career high ranking of World No. 16 on September 14, 2009. As of May 2011, she is ranked...
impressively 6–4 6–4, but lost to Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
4–6 7–5 4–6. While at the Sony Ericsson Open, a large cyst on one of her ovaries burst and she was sent to the hospital. She made it through the ordeal but had to lose one of her ovaries.
At the 2008 French Open
2008 French Open
The 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 107th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 25 through June 8, 2008....
, she lost 6–2 6–1 against tournament favorite 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 the first round.
At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships
2008 Wimbledon Championships
The 2008 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 122nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam event of the year...
, she lost 6–4 6–3 against 2006 winner Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....
in the first round.
After losing early in the U.S. Open Series, Harkleroad withdrew from the U.S. Open due to a pregnancy. She took an indefinite break from tennis as a result. She gave birth on March 30, 2009 to a boy.
2010 comeback
Harkleroad planned on originally coming back at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CaliforniaIndian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....
, but decided to wait for the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. She used her special protection rank of 72 to enter the main draw. She played Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik is a Australian professional female tennis player. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the...
in the first round. She lost 6–1, 6–1 after only practicing like a player for a month. She also was accepted into the main draw of the 2010 Bank of the West Classic
2010 Bank of the West Classic
The 2010 Bank of the West Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 39th edition of the Bank of the West Classic, and is a part of the WTA Premier tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour. It took place at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, California, United States, from...
at Stanford. She lost against defending champion Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
in the first round 6–1, 6–4. She competed in World Team Tennis
World Team Tennis
World TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
during the summer of 2010.
Personal
Harkleroad started playing tennis at age four.ITF Tennis – Womens Circuit – Player BiographyShe is currently coached by Chuck Adams
Chuck Adams
Chuck Adams , is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 34 in 1995.-Titles :-Runner-ups :-External links:...
and formerly coached by José Luis Clerc and Jay Berger. Her father, Danny, works in the printing industry and played college football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
. Her mother, Tammy, is a school teacher, and played college tennis at Freed-Hardeman University
Freed-Hardeman University
Freed-Hardeman University is a primarily undergraduate university in Henderson, Tennessee. The university is located within a short distance of the town's central area. The university traces its heritage to the members of the Churches of Christ who helped build it...
in Henderson, Tennessee
Henderson, Tennessee
Henderson is an incorporated city in Chester County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,670 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chester County...
. Harkleroad got the nickname 'Pebbles' while living in Flintstone, Georgia
Flintstone, Georgia
Flintstone is an unincorporated community in Walker County, Georgia, United States. Located in northwestern Georgia, Flintstone lies approximately 120 miles northwest of Atlanta, 135 miles southwest of Nashville, Tennessee, and 150 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama...
, a small town that has one traffic light. She lists her tennis aspiration as becoming a Top 10 pro with an eye on No.1. Harkleroad married ATP pro Alex Bogomolov, Jr.
Alex Bogomolov, Jr.
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bogomolov, most known as Alex Bogomolov Jr. , nicknamed Bogie, is a Russian professional tennis player.-Tennis career:...
in December 2004 but they divorced in October 2006. She is married to former ATP pro Chuck Adams. During US Open coverage on the USA network on August 29, 2008, commentator John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
announced that Harkleroad was pregnant with Adams's child. She gave birth to a son, Charlie on March 30, 2009. On April 5, 2011, she gave birth to their second child, a daughter named Loretta.
US Playboy's first professional tennis player
After losing a tennis match to Serena WilliamsSerena 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...
on May 25, 2008 at the French Open, Harkleroad told reporters she would appear in the August 2008 issue of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, a decision she made while convalescing from ovarian cyst
Ovarian cyst
An ovarian cyst is any collection of fluid, surrounded by a very thin wall, within an ovary. Any ovarian follicle that is larger than about two centimeters is termed an ovarian cyst. An ovarian cyst can be as small as a pea, or larger than an orange....
surgery in March, 2008. In an on the air interview, broadcast during the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Harkleroad stated that Amanda Beard
Amanda Beard
Amanda Ray Beard is an American swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist . She is a former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke ....
's 2007 pictorial was partly an inspiration for her own, but that her own layout was more risqué by depicting full nudity and pubic hair, while Beard's did not. She appeared as the cover girl of the magazine, as well as in a four page full frontal nude pictorial, thus becoming the first professional tennis player to pose for Playboy.
Singles wins (0 WTA, 8 ITF)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| WTA Championships |
| Tier I (0) |
| Tier II (0) |
| Tier III (0) |
| Tier IV & V (0) |
| ITF Tour (8) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | July 7, 2002 | ITF International Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913... / Los Gatos, California Los Gatos, California The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains... , United States |
Hard |  Tzipi Obziler |
6–2,6–2 |
| 2. | August 18, 2002 | ITF / Bronx, New York, United States | Hard |  Ľubomíra KurhajcováLubomíra Kurhajcová Ľubomíra Kurhajcová is a Slovak female professional tennis player. She reached her career high singles ranking of No. 59 on May 24, 2004... |
6–1, 6–3 |
| 3. | July 17, 2005 | ITF / Louisville, Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... , United States |
Hard |  Séverine BrémondSéverine Bremond Séverine Beltrame is a professional female tennis player from France and the last active player of the notorious "generation 1979" which provided elite tennis players Amélie Mauresmo, Nathalie Dechy, Anne-Gaëlle Sidot and Emilie Loit.-Matches:In 2005, Beltrame was selected by the team leader... |
4–6,7–5,6–0 |
| 4. | August 7, 2005 | ITF / Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... , United States |
Hard |  Olga PoutchkovaOlga Poutchkova Olga Alekseyevna Puchkova is a Russian professional tennis player and model. As a junior she played for Belarus, and is sometimes listed as Belarusian as a professional.... |
6–2,6–1 |
| 5. | October 15, 2006 | ITF / San Francisco, California San Francisco, California San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland... , United States |
Hard |  Clarisa FernándezClarisa Fernandez Clarisa Fernández is a retired Argentine tennis player who is best known for her semi-final appearance at the 2002 French Open, the first Argentine since Sabatini in 1992 to reach that stage. Fernández was ranked 87th in the world at the time of her shocking result... |
6–2,6–3 |
| 6. | October 14, 2007 | ITF / San Francisco, California San Francisco, California San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland... , United States |
Hard |  Sunitha RaoSunitha Rao Sunitha Manohar Rao is a former American professional tennis player of Indian background. She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rao has 8 career titles on the ITF Women's Circuit and has reached many finals in singles.-Early life:... |
6–1,6–2 |
| 4–6,6–4,6–3 | |||||
| 8. | November 18, 2007 | ITF / La Quinta, United States | Hard |  Stéphanie DuboisStéphanie Dubois Stéphanie Dubois is a Canadian professional tennis player. She turned professional in 2004 and she achieved a career-best ranking of No. 95 in the world on May 26, 2008.-2004–present:... |
6–3,7–6(8–6) |
Grand Slam Singles Timeline
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Career Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
A | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3–4 |
| French Open | A | A | 3R | 2R | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | 5–5 |
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
A | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1–6 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
1R | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 1–6 |
| Yearly Record | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 0–3 | 10–21 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
Grand Slam Doubles Timeline
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Career Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
A | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | QF | 1R | 3–4 |
| French Open | A | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 3–4 |
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
A | A | 1R | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2–4 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
1R | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | – | 5–6 |
| Yearly Record | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 4–3 | 4–4 | 3–3 | 13–18 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.