Jelena Pandžic
Encyclopedia
Jelena Pandžić is a professional tennis player from Croatia
.
who personally coached her for a time. In his autobiography 'My Aces, My Faults', published in 1996, Bollettieri writes about seeing Jelena play for the first time at a tournament in the south of France, writing, "She played like she was from another planet."
. She lost in the first round to Melinda Czink
.
In May 2008, with a ranking of 189, she was able to enter the qualifying rounds of the French Open. With wins over Eva Hrdinová
, Julie Coin
and Monica Niculescu
, Pandžić managed to qualify for the main draw of a grand slam for the first time in her career. She then won her first round match against Séverine Brémond
in three sets but was beaten heavily 6-2 6-0 in the second round by Agnieszka Radwańska
, the 14th seed.
As well as the WTA and ITF tour events, Pandžić also plays for professional teams in both Germany and the USA. She is currently part of the St. Louis Aces
team for the 2008 World TeamTennis
league, alongside Anna Kournikova
and Andy Roddick
.
The end of 2008, saw Pandžić losing repeatedly in first rounds, and this continued through January 2009, when she disclosed she has been playing with a calf injury for some time, and was not sure if she will be able to continue playing professional tennis.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Tennis career
She began playing tennis aged 7 and as a junior she was considered a hot prospect for the future, being ranked as the world number one in the under 14 age bracket. In the mid-nineties she was spotted by Nick BollettieriNick Bollettieri
Nicholas James Bollettieri is an American tennis coach who is credited with developing many world-class champions, including Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Mary Pierce. Recently, he has worked with 2006 U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova, Jelena Janković, Nicole Vaidišová and Sabine...
who personally coached her for a time. In his autobiography 'My Aces, My Faults', published in 1996, Bollettieri writes about seeing Jelena play for the first time at a tournament in the south of France, writing, "She played like she was from another planet."
1999 - 2002
Pandžić's first senior tournament on the ITF circuit was in April 1999 where she qualified and reached the quarter finals of the Makarska $10000 tournament. By 2002 she had made some progress up the rankings, winning three ITF singles titles, but had not yet fulfilled her initial promise. Her highest ranking was 374, achieved in October 2002.2003 - 2006
In 2003 Pandžić only played one game of tennis before a car crash put her out of action. Over the next few years she did not play in any professional ranking tournaments. Instead, she attended university in the USA and played on the college tennis circuit, representing Fresno Pacific UniversityFresno Pacific University
Fresno Pacific University also known as FPU is an accredited Christian university located in Fresno, California, United States. It was founded in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first bachelor of arts degree in 1965...
2007
In May 2007, Pandžić once more began playing on the professional circuit and this time she began to put together an impressive string of results. Despite beginning with no ranking and having to qualify for the lowest tier of events, she reached a year-end ranking of 255, having won 4 of the 13 tournaments she entered.2008 - 2009
Although she began 2008 with three first-round losses, Pandžić continued her climb up the rankings. Her first appearance in the main draw of a WTA event came when she qualified for the ECM Prague OpenECM Prague Open
The Strabag Prague Open is a tennis tournament held in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic . Held since 1992 but interrupted between 1999 and 2005, this WTA Tour event is a WTA International Tournaments and is played on outdoor clay courts...
. She lost in the first round to Melinda Czink
Melinda Czink
Melinda Czink is a Hungarian professional female tennis player. On September 21, 2009 Czink reached her career-high singles ranking of World No. 37....
.
In May 2008, with a ranking of 189, she was able to enter the qualifying rounds of the French Open. With wins over Eva Hrdinová
Eva Hrdinová
Eva Hrdinová is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. Hrdinova is now the tallest player on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour standing at 1.91m. This beats the previous record of Akgul Amanmuradova, who stands just one centimetre shorter.Hrdinová's highest singles ranking yet has been...
, Julie Coin
Julie Coin
Julie Coin is a professional French tennis player. Coin recorded the largest victory of her career by defeating the world's #1 ranked female singles player, and #1 seed, Ana Ivanović at the 2008 US Open. Her career high singles ranking is World No. 60, achieved on 27 July 2009. Her career high...
and Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu is a Romanian tennis player. As of October 24, 2011 she is ranked No. 29 at the WTA Tour Singles Ranking. Her highest WTA ranking is currently her present ranking in singles, reached on 24 Oct 2011, and No. 24 in doubles, reached on June 7, 2010.Niculescu was born in Slatina,...
, Pandžić managed to qualify for the main draw of a grand slam for the first time in her career. She then won her first round match against Séverine Brémond
Séverine 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...
in three sets but was beaten heavily 6-2 6-0 in the second round by 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...
, the 14th seed.
As well as the WTA and ITF tour events, Pandžić also plays for professional teams in both Germany and the USA. She is currently part of the St. Louis Aces
St. Louis Aces
The St. Louis Aces are a professional tennis team in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. They entered the World TeamTennis League in 1994, and won their only WTT Championship title two years later. The Aces play their home matches at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park...
team for the 2008 World TeamTennis
World TeamTennis
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...
league, alongside Anna Kournikova
Anna Kournikova
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova is a Russian retired professional tennis player. Her beauty and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide, despite the fact that she never won a WTA singles title. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name...
and Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
.
The end of 2008, saw Pandžić losing repeatedly in first rounds, and this continued through January 2009, when she disclosed she has been playing with a calf injury for some time, and was not sure if she will be able to continue playing professional tennis.