The Open Era
Czechoslovakia and Australia · born Prague, 1962 · right-handed · twice Australian champion on grass
All playersBack to the rankings
2
Australian titles on grass, 1980 and 1987
2
Wimbledon singles finals, 1981 and 1986
7
Grass singles titles, 1979 to 1987
56
Navratilova's winning run, ended in Melbourne 1987
34-6
Federation Cup singles record for Czechoslovakia
Born in Prague on 19 February 1962, the daughter of the Olympic sprinter Vilém Mandlík, Mandlíková became the first girls' world No. 1 when the ITF began junior rankings in 1978. She won four major singles titles: the Australian in 1980 and 1987, the French in 1981 and the US Open in 1985, when she beat Chris Evert in the semi-final and Martina Navratilova in the final. She reached the final of all four majors, rose to world No. 3 in 1984, won 27 singles titles and led Czechoslovakia to three straight Federation Cups from 1983 to 1985. She took Australian citizenship in 1988, retired in 1990 at 28 and later coached Jana Novotná to the 1998 Wimbledon title.
| Major singles titles | 2: Australian (1980, 1987) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 2: Wimbledon 1981, Wimbledon 1986 |
| Other grass singles titles | 5: Adelaide 2 (1979, 1980); Brisbane (1986); Melbourne (1979); NSW Championships (1979) |
| Other grass doubles titles | 3: Adelaide (1979); Brisbane (1986); NSW Championships (1985) |
| Wimbledon singles | Finalist 1981 and 1986; semi-final 1984; fourth round 1979, 1980, 1983 and 1989 |
| Wimbledon finals | 1981: lost to Chris Evert 6-2, 6-2, after beating Martina Navratilova in the semi-final. 1986: lost to Navratilova 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 |
| Australian finals | 1980: beat Wendy Turnbull 6-0, 7-5, aged 18. 1987: beat Navratilova 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) at Kooyong in the last Australian Open on grass |
| Wimbledon doubles | Finalist 1986 with Wendy Turnbull, lost to Navratilova and Pam Shriver 6-1, 6-3; semi-final 1985 |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Women's singles† New South Wales Open | |
| 1985 | Women's doubles New South Wales Open | with Wendy Turnbull |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1980 | Women's singles Australian Open | |
| 1987 | Women's singles Australian Open | |
| Brisbane Women's Classic | ||
| 1987 | Women's doubles | with Wendy Turnbull |
| 1987 | Women's singles | |
| Toyota Classic (Melbourne) | ||
| 1979 | Women's singles† | |
| National Panasonic Open | ||
| 1980 | Women's singles† | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"When she climbed into the box and hugged me first, it really meant that she did it."
The person behind the player.
Melbourne 1956 and 1980
Her father, Vilém Mandlík, ran the 200 metres for Czechoslovakia at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne and reached the semi-finals. His daughter did better in the same city: she won the Melbourne grass title in 1979 and the Australian Open there in 1980 and 1987, and took Australian citizenship in 1988.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1981 · Semi-final
At a vital point in the final set against Navratilova she was foot-faulted on a second serve. When she asked the new line judge which foot, he said her back foot. "I don't have a back foot," she replied. The Christian Science Monitor noted that the judge was right: she dragged her right foot over the line as she served. She won the set 6-1.
Source: The Christian Science MonitorWimbledon 1981
The Christian Science Monitor praised the 19-year-old's poise in her semi-final and suggested that John McEnroe, whose temper had been on show that fortnight, could learn from her. Her parents travelled from Prague to watch her play Chris Evert in the final, which she lost 6-2, 6-2.
Source: The Christian Science MonitorKooyong 1987
Bud Collins called her a streak breaker. She ended Evert's 72-match run on clay at the 1981 French Open, a 54-match run by Navratilova in Oakland and Steffi Graf's 23 straight wins at the 1986 French Open. In the last Australian Open on grass she stopped Navratilova again, after 56 wins, 7-5, 7-6.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameFlorida 1987
Preparing with the Czechoslovak Federation Cup team, she met the young Jana Novotná, who complained about the morning runs. "Get your ass up and let's go," Mandlíková told her. When Novotná complained again at lunch by the pool, "I just got up and pushed her into the pool." Two years later she became Novotná's coach.
Source: Tennis.comWimbledon 1993
Novotná lost the 1993 Wimbledon final from a winning position, and her coach took it harder than she did. Mandlíková said Novotná was devastated for two days. "I was devastated for a month." She called the 1998 title that followed the most satisfying moment of her coaching career.
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