On court

• Started playing tennis aged eight when a friend gave her a racquet for Christmas
• Practiced with her brother, Daniel, who upon realising she had talent, convinced their parents, Dianne and Tony, to pay for coaching
• Went on her first tour aged 13, competing in the World Youth Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia
• Made her Fed Cup debut in 2003; Australian Olympic team debut in 2004
• Reached the No.1 ranking in doubles in February 2006 having claimed a series of titles – including US Open 2005 – with Lisa Raymond
• Contracted Lyme disease in 2007 and, having spent 61 consecutive weeks ranked as the No.1 doubles player in the world, was forced to end her season prematurely. Missed eight months.
• Claimed her maiden WTA title in Osaka in 2009
• Became the first player in a decade to beat Justine Henin and Serena Williams at the same Grand Slam event – ending Henins’s 27-match winning streak in Paris – en route to her first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in 2010.
• Won her first major title at US Open 2011, beating Serena Williams 6-2 6-3 in the final
• In 2013, won the Carlsbad and Osaka trophies, making it the first time she had ever won multiple WTA titles in a single season
• Defended a WTA title for the first time in her career in 2014, when she captured the Osaka crown, marking her third victory at the Japanese event
• In 2016 advanced to the Roland Garros semifinals for the fourth time
• Since October 2008, was Australia’s No.1-ranked female for an incredible 452 straight weeks before Daria Gavrilova took over in June 2017.

Off court

• Sporting hero is surfer Layne Beachley.
• When she’s not playing tennis, Sam enjoys spending time at the beach and relaxing.
• Her favourite sports team is the Gold Coast Titans.

Year-end singles ranking history

Titles/Finals

Titles

2017 Strasbourg

2015 Strasbourg, Bad Gastein

2014 Osaka

2013 Carlsbad, Osaka

2011 US Open

2010 Charleston

2009 Osaka

2001 Ibaraki ITF, Osaka ITF, Kyoto ITF, Cairns ITF

Finals

2016 Prague

2013 Moscow, WTA Tournament of Champions

2012 Doha, Moscow

2011 Rome, Toronto, Osaka

2010 Stuttgart, Roland Garros

2009 Los Angeles

2008 Seoul

2006 Prague

2005 Gold Coast, Sydney

2002 Rockhampton ITF

2001 Australia ITF, Kugayama ITF