Roberta Vinci

Roberta Vinci (born 18 February 1983) is an Italian former tennis player. She became well-known around the world during the 2015 US Open, where she beat the top player, Serena Williams, in a very surprising match. This win stopped Williams from winning all four big tournaments in one year, which would have been a very rare achievement.

Vinci was especially good at doubles tennis, where she won all the major tournaments and became the world’s number one player. She won many important titles with her partner Errani, including the 2012 French Open, the 2012 US Open, the 2014 Australian Open, and 2014 Wimbledon. Together, they were the fifth pair in history to win all four major tournaments.

In addition to her doubles success, Vinci also played very well in singles. She reached the top ten in the world rankings in 2016, becoming the oldest woman ever to do so at the age of 33. She helped the Italian team win the Fed Cup three times, including a big win against the Belgian team in 2006.

After retiring from tennis in 2018, Vinci started playing padel and did well in her first season, reaching a world ranking of 66.

Early life

Roberta Vinci was born in Taranto. Her father, Angelo Vinci, was an accountant, and her mother, Luisa, stayed at home. She has an older brother named Francesco. Roberta started playing tennis when she was six years old. Today, she lives in Palermo.

Career

Roberta Vinci began her professional tennis career in 1999. That same year, she won the French Open in girls' doubles with Flavia Pennetta. Her first Grand Slam appearance was at the 2001 US Open, though she didn’t win her first WTA title until 2007 in Bogotá.

Roberta Vinci in Budapest

In 2009, Vinci played in several tournaments, including the Brisbane International and the Australian Open. She also competed for Italy in the Fed Cup, helping the team to victory. She won her second career title at the Barcelona Open and reached the third round at Wimbledon.

Vinci continued to compete in many tournaments over the years, reaching significant milestones such as the world No. 1 position in doubles tennis and winning all major tournaments in doubles, earning her the title of Career Grand Slam champion. Her career included reaching Grand Slam singles quarterfinals and finals, with her most notable achievement being reaching the final of the US Open in 2015. She retired from professional tennis in 2018 after the Italian Open and later joined the professional padel circuit in 2022.

Playing style

Roberta Vinci was especially good at doubles tennis. She was known for her quick movements and great sense of where to stand on the court. She often used a special shot called the backhand slice, and she also had a strong forehand shot. People compared her playing style to another famous tennis player, Steffi Graf.

Career statistics

Roberta Vinci was a talented Italian tennis player. She played her best in doubles tennis, where she won all the major tournaments. Because of her great success, she reached the top spot as the world’s number one doubles player.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (runner-up)

Doubles: 8 (5 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2015	US Open	Hard	Flavia Pennetta	6–7^(4–7), 2–6

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2012	Australian Open	Hard	Sara Errani	Svetlana Kuznetsova Vera Zvonareva	5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Win	2012	French Open	Clay	Sara Errani	Maria Kirilenko Nadia Petrova	4–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	2012	US Open	Hard	Sara Errani	Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká	6–4, 6–2
Win	2013	Australian Open	Hard	Sara Errani	Ashleigh Barty Casey Dellacqua	6–2, 3–6, 6–2
Loss	2013	French Open	Clay	Sara Errani	Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina	5–7, 2–6
Win	2014	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Sara Errani	Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina	6–4, 3–6, 7–5
Loss	2014	French Open	Clay	Sara Errani	Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai	4–6, 1–6
Win	2014	Wimbledon	Grass	Sara Errani	Tímea Babos Kristina Mladenovic	6–1, 6–3

Grand Slam performance timelines

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Note: Vinci received a walkover in the 2015 US Open, after Eugenie Bouchard sustained concussion. This did not count a win.

Doubles

Key
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	DNQ	A	NH

Tournament	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	W–L
Australian Open	A	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q1	3R	1R	1R	1R	3R	1R	2R	3R	1R	2R	3R	1R	Q1	10–12
French Open	A	Q2	Q2	1R	1R	1R	1R	Q1	1R	2R	3R	1R	4R	1R	1R	1R	1R	A	6–13
Wimbledon	A	1R	Q3	Q3	3R	A	2R	Q2	3R	2R	3R	4R	4R	1R	1R	3R	1R	A	16–12
US Open	1R	Q1	A	1R	1R	1R	1R	2R	1R	1R	3R	QF	QF	3R	F	QF	1R	A	23–15
Win–loss	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–2	2–3	2–3	1–4	1–2	2–4	4–4	6–4	8–4	12–4	2–4	6–4	8–4	0–4	0–0	55–52

Tournament	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	W–L
Australian Open	A	3R	1R	QF	1R	1R	2R	2R	2R	2R	1R	F	W	W	3R	3R	A	30–13
French Open	QF	QF	1R	SF	1R	3R	1R	1R	1R	2R	3R	W	F	F	3R	A	A	33–14
Wimbledon	A	3R	1R	3R	1R	A	1R	A	1R	3R	3R	QF	3R	W	3R	1R	A	21–12
US Open	SF	1R	A	1R	3R	2R	1R	A	1R	1R	QF	W	QF	2R	3R	A	A	22–12
Win–loss	7–2	7–4	0–3	9–4	2–4	3–3	1–4	1–2	1–4	4–4	7–4	20–2	16–3	18–2	8–4	2–2	0–0	106–51

Team competition

Roberta Vinci played for Italy in the Fed Cup in (/wiki/2006_Fed_Cup), (/wiki/2009_Fed_Cup), (/wiki/2010_Fed_Cup), and 2013. The Fed Cup is a big team event where countries compete against each other in tennis.