Brutally honest, Vera Zvonareva’s personal website describes the “row of failures” that knocked her out of the top 10 to a lowly ranking of 42nd in 2005. By 2010, however, the 26-year-old had gone on to reach the finals of the U.S. Open and Wimbledon and had risen to No. 2 in the world all while pursuing a degree in international economic relations in Moscow. “I want to have knowledge outside of tennis. I think it’s important to develop yourself as a player and as a person,” she says. “The more opportunities I give myself will hopefully make it easier to make a choice of what I want to do after my tennis career.” She’s also creating opportunities for others. Since 2008, Zvonareva has been involved in fundraising and campaigning to help children with Rett syndrome, a rare and debilitating disease that stunts growth and causes seizures, particularly among girls.
30 Legends of Women’s Tennis: Past, Present and Future
Rebel, survivor, pinup, sweetheart, pit bull, rock chick, ice queen: female tennis players sure seem to get labeled a lot. And while that kind of media sizzle makes tournaments like Wimbledon a hot ticket, it doesn't begin to sum up the resilience and power of the sport's biggest stars. Find out what drives the greatest players of the past 40 years, from Billie Jean King to Li Na
Vera Zvonareva
Full List
Wimbledon Women
- Li Na
- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
- Andrea Petkovic
- Petra Kvitova
- Caroline Wozniacki
- Yanina Wickmayer
- Victoria Azarenka
- Agnieszka Radwanska
- Bethanie Mattek-Sands
- Ana Ivanovic
- Samantha Stosur
- Vera Zvonareva
- Maria Sharapova
- Kim Clijsters
- Justine Henin
- Serena Williams
- Venus Williams
- Martina Hingis
- Monica Seles
- Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario
- Gabriela Sabatini
- Steffi Graf
- Tracy Austin
- Martina Navratilova
- Chris Evert
- Evonne Goolagong
- Virginia Wade
- Rosie Casals
- Margaret Court
- Billie Jean King