Roberta Vinci

Roberta Vinci

Roberta Vinci (born 18 February 1983) is an Italian former tennis player. She became famous around the world during the 2015 US Open. In a surprising match, she beat the top player, Serena Williams. This win stopped Williams from winning all four big tournaments in one year.

Vinci was especially good at doubles tennis. She won all the major tournaments and became the world’s number one player. She won many important titles with her partner Errani. These include the 2012 French Open, the 2012 US Open, the 2014 Australian Open, and 2014 Wimbledon. Together, they were the fifth pair in history to win all four major tournaments.

In addition to her doubles success, Vinci also played very well in singles. She reached the top ten in the world rankings in 2016, becoming the oldest woman ever to do so at the age of 33. She helped the Italian team win the Fed Cup three times, including a big win against the Belgian team in 2006.

After retiring from tennis in 2018, Vinci started playing padel. She did well in her first season and reached a world ranking of 66.

Early life

Roberta Vinci was born in Taranto. Her father, Angelo Vinci, was an accountant, and her mother, Luisa, stayed at home. She has an older brother named Francesco. Roberta started playing tennis when she was six years old. Today, she lives in Palermo.

Career

Roberta Vinci began her tennis career in 1999. That year, she won the French Open in girls' doubles with Flavia Pennetta. Her first big appearance was at the 2001 US Open, but she won her first WTA title in 2007 in Bogotá.

In 2009, Vinci played in many tournaments, like the Brisbane International and the Australian Open. She also played for Italy in the Fed Cup and helped the team win. She won her second title at the Barcelona Open and reached the third round at Wimbledon.

Vinci kept playing over the years. She reached the world No. 1 spot in doubles tennis and won all the major doubles tournaments. She also reached Grand Slam singles quarterfinals and finals. Her biggest achievement was reaching the final of the US Open in 2015. She stopped playing tennis in 2018 after the Italian Open and later joined the padel circuit in 2022.

Playing style

Roberta Vinci was very good at doubles tennis. She was fast and knew just where to stand on the court. She often used a special shot called the backhand slice, and she also had a strong forehand shot. People said her style was like another famous player, Steffi Graf.

Career statistics

Roberta Vinci was a talented Italian tennis player. She was best at doubles tennis and won all the major tournaments. Because of her success, she became the world’s number one doubles player.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (runner-up)

Roberta Vinci reached the final in singles once but did not win.

Doubles: 8 (5 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Roberta Vinci played in eight doubles finals. She won five of them and was the runner-up three times.

Grand Slam performance timelines

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Note: Vinci got a walkover in the 2015 US Open, after Eugenie Bouchard was hurt. This did not count as a win.

Doubles

Team competition

Roberta Vinci played for Italy in the Fed Cup. The Fed Cup is a big event where countries play tennis against each other.