Four years ago American player Vania King thought seriously about giving up tennis. After she turned professional in 2006 she stopped playing with her father and started with professional coaches Tarik Benhabiles and Erwann Leridant.
| Birthdate: | 3-February-1989 |
|---|---|
| Birthplace: | Monterey Park, California |
| Height: | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Plays: | Right-Handed |
| Turned Pro: | 5-July-2006 |
She finished the year with her highest ever ranking Number 50 in the world so in 2007 she put a lot of pressure on herself as she felt she should have a higher ranking. She saw all her friends going to university and having fun while she was traveling and not happy as she was losing a lot and it was no fun.
She wondered if it was all worth it but now she is glad she chose to play tennis as she has discovered it is a great life, she just could not see it at the time.
Her family moved to America in 1982 and she was born on February 3rd, 1989 in Monterey Park, California. She is the youngest of four children and her brother Philip King was 4-times All American Winner at Duke University and he won the US Junior Championships twice.
In 2006 Vania won her only WTA Singles title at PTT Bangkok Open, a Tier III tournament with $200,000 in total prize money.
King is far better at doubles than she is at singles, She has won ten doubles titles including two Grand Slams, and is currently ranked World Number 4 in doubles and 85 in the world in singles. Partnering with Yaroslava Shvedova they won both the Wimbledon Championships and US Open Women’s Doubles in 2010.
At Wimbledon, they beat Russians Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva in the final and at the US Open Final they knocked out Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova.
Besides being a tennis player King is an excellent singer. In 2006 she sang America the Beautiful live and acapella in the Arthur Ashe Stadium just before Andre Agassi’s match against Marcos Baghdatis in the US Open.
She also sang the National Anthem before the Dodgers game in Los Angeles in 2009.
Her first tennis memory is playing with her sisters Mindy and Ivani at the back of the court while her brother was hitting with her brother when she was 4-years-old.
King lost in the first round of the Australian Open this year but she reached the second round of the singles before she lost to top seed and world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
King has been called up to replace the injured Venus Williams for the American Federation Cup team when they played their quarter-final against Belgium in Antwerp in February and she was the highest-ranked player in the team.
Her favorite thing about being a professional tennis player is traveling and experiencing other cultures, the worst thing is the flights. She relaxes by singing, playing video games, and shopping and she also does Tai Chi with her father.
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