First tennis player to win debut main-draw singles, doubles and mixed doubles tournaments

Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) joined the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Tour – the top level of female competition – in 1998 and, remarkably, won the first tournaments she entered in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Her run of success began at the Makarska International Championships in Croatia, partnering countrywoman Tina Križan to victory in the women’s doubles on 19 April 1998. The following year she turned pro and won the Estoril Open singles title in Lisbon, Portugal, on 11 April. Srebotnik completed a clean sweep of the formats at her maiden Grand Slam, winning the mixed doubles with South Africa’s Piet Norval at the French Open in Paris on 4 June.

Since the inception of the WTA Tour in 1973 and the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour in 1972, Srebotnik is the only player – male or female – to win the first main-draw tournaments entered in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Srebotnik and Križan’s defeated opponents were, respectively, Karin Kschwendt/Evgenia Kulikovskaya (7-6, 6-1) in Croatia, Rita Kuti-Kis (6-3, 6-1) in Portugal and Rick Leach/Larisa Neiland (6-3, 3-6, 6-3) in France. In the quarter-finals at Stade Roland Garros in 1999, Srebotnik and Norval beat No.3 seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Ai Sugiyama for arguably one of the best wins of their careers.

On 4 July 2011, after winning the doubles at Wimbledon with Květa Peschke, Srebotnik was ranked WTA No.1 in doubles and won more titles (7) that year than any other player on the tour – six doubles and one mixed doubles.

In all, she won 39 doubles titles between 1998 and 2018, including five Grand Slam mixed doubles (1999, 2006 and 2010 French Opens, 2003 US Open and 2011 Australian Open) and one Grand Slam doubles (2011 Wimbledon). Although she achieved her greatest success in doubles, she also won four WTA singles titles (1999-2005) and her singles CV includes match wins against former world No.1s Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, Amélie Mauresmo, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams.