The Open Era
Czechoslovakia · born Prague, 1965 · 1.88 m · seven Wimbledon doubles and mixed titles
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7
Wimbledon titles, doubles and mixed, 1987 to 1997
74
Navratilova win streak she ended, Kooyong 1984
69
Navratilova grass streak she ended, Eastbourne 1987
5
Wimbledon singles quarter-finals
1
World doubles ranking, first reached 1990
Born in Prague in 1965, Helena Sukova was the daughter of Vera Sukova, the 1962 Wimbledon singles finalist, and of Cyril Suk, president of the Czechoslovak federation. She reached No. 4 in singles in 1985 and No. 1 in doubles in 1990. She played four major singles finals and lost them all: the Australian Open in 1984 and 1989, and the US Open in 1986 and 1993. In doubles she won nine major titles and in mixed five, three of them with her brother Cyril. She won the Fed Cup with Czechoslovakia four times and took Olympic doubles silver in 1988 and 1996 with Jana Novotna. After retiring in 1998 she earned a doctorate in psychology, and she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2018.
| Wimbledon singles | Quarter-finals 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1993; 39 wins, 17 losses |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles | 4: 1987 with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch; 1989 and 1990 with Jana Novotna; 1996 with Martina Hingis |
| Wimbledon mixed | 3: 1994 with Todd Woodbridge; 1996 and 1997 with Cyril Suk |
| Australian Championships on grass | Singles final 1984, lost to Chris Evert 7-6, 1-6, 3-6. Doubles finals 1984 and 1985 with Kohde-Kilsch |
| Other grass singles titles | 3: Newport (1982); Brisbane (1984); Eastbourne (1987, beat Martina Navratilova 7-6, 6-3 in the final) |
| Wins to remember | 1984 Australian Open semi-final at Kooyong: beat Navratilova 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, ending her 74-match winning run |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Women's doubles | with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch |
| 1989 | Women's doubles | with Jana Novotná |
| 1990 | Women's doubles | with Jana Novotná |
| 1994 | Mixed doubles | with Todd Woodbridge |
| 1996 | Women's doubles | with Martina Hingis |
| 1996 | Mixed doubles | with Cyril Suk |
| 1997 | Mixed doubles | with Cyril Suk |
| National Panasonic Open | ||
| 1984 | Women's singles | |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1984 | Women's doubles New South Wales Open | with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1987 | 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 I lost a point, I'd just say, 'Let's try another one and forget that.' I wasn't nervous or anything."
The person behind the player.
Kooyong 1984 · Semi-final
Navratilova had won 74 matches in a row and needed the Australian title for a calendar Grand Slam. Sukova, 19 and ranked 12th, lost the first set 6-1, then led 3-0 in the third. Navratilova drew level at 4-4; Sukova broke for 6-5 and won on her sixth match point, in front of about 12,000 people.
Source: Sports IllustratedKooyong 1984 · Locker room
Before the decisive stages, Carling Bassett told her in the locker room: "Oh, if you can just beat her, Helena, you'll be my idol for life." Sukova had reworked her game with her coach Jan Kurz, reining in her forehand and strengthening her backhand.
Source: Sports IllustratedEastbourne 1987
At Eastbourne she beat both Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova at the same tournament, only the fourth player to do so. Her 7-6, 6-3 win over Navratilova in the final also ended Navratilova's run of 69 consecutive wins on grass.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1996
She was 31 and about eight inches taller than her partner, Martina Hingis, who was 15 years and 282 days old. They beat Meredith McGrath and Larisa Neiland 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, and Hingis became the youngest champion in Wimbledon history, three days younger than Lottie Dod in 1887.
Source: The Spokesman-ReviewWimbledon 1996
After the doubles final she still had two mixed rounds to play with her brother, Cyril Suk. In the mixed final they met Neiland again, with Mark Woodforde, and lost the first set in 18 minutes before winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. They retained the title the next year, and in 2006 played Wimbledon together again on a wild card.
Source: The Spokesman-ReviewAfter tennis
She once said that without tennis she would have liked to be a footballer or a doctor, and that she likes fast cars. After retiring she took a doctorate in psychology at Palacky University, works with athletes and other clients, and helped to re-establish the Czech International Lawn Tennis Club, which she has led as president.
Source: Sukova.orgFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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