Aryna Sabalenka has put Belarusian tennis back at the top of the women’s circuit, but decades ago, one player stood as the true symbol of the country: Natasha Zvereva.
Born in Minsk, when it was still part of the Soviet Union, Zvereva became a standout both on and off the court, speaking out against her government long before the fall of the Berlin Wall and standing up for what she believed was fair.
On the court, Zvereva had a remarkable singles career—including a historic match against Steffi Graf—but it was in doubles where she truly cemented her legacy. She formed a legendary partnership with Gigi Fernandez and also won titles alongside other iconic players like Pam Shriver and Martina Hingis.
A Roland Garros final for the history books
Sports held a special place in the Soviet Union, and Natasha Zvereva quickly rose through the ranks to make her mark on the professional tennis circuit. Turning pro in 1988, she made an immediate impact by reaching the Roland Garros final that same year, where she faced one of the greatest players of all time, Steffi Graf. The match went down in history for its sheer dominance, with Graf defeating Zvereva 6-0, 6-0 in just 32 minutes.
A strong singles career
Despite that historic loss, Zvereva went on to build an impressive singles career that spanned from 1988 to 2002. She reached her career-high ranking in June 1989, climbing to No. 5 in the world.
Zvereva captured four WTA singles titles: Brisbane in 1990, Sydney later that same year, Chicago in 1994, and Eastbourne in 1999. Interestingly, she never won a clay-court tournament—the very surface where she first rose to prominence with her Roland Garros final appearance at just 17 years old.
Legendary doubles career
Alongside her singles success, Zvereva left an even bigger mark in doubles. She won an astounding 80 women’s doubles titles, in addition to several mixed doubles championships. Zvereva also earned an Olympic bronze medal in Barcelona in 1992, teaming with Leila Meskhi.
She reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles and claimed a total of 20 Grand Slam titles: 18 in women’s doubles—mostly alongside Gigi Fernandez, but also with Martina Hingis, Larisa Neiland, and Pam Shriver—and two in mixed doubles, one with Jim Pugh at the 1990 Australian Open and another with Rick Leach at the 1995 Australian Open.
Natasha Zvereva vs the Soviet Union
Born in Minsk—now the capital of Belarus, but then part of the Soviet Union—Zvereva turned professional in 1988. Just a year later, she publicly challenged a controversial Soviet policy that paid athletes a fixed monthly salary while keeping their prize money.
In 1989, after losing the Hilton Head final to Steffi Graf, legendary journalist Bud Collins handed Zvereva her runner-up check. Her response was blunt: “This is just a piece of paper,” a pointed remark highlighting that she would never see that money.
Hall of Fame induction and captaincy of Belarus
In 2010, Zvereva and longtime doubles partner Gigi Fernandez were inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. Speaking at the ceremony, Zvereva said, “I’m very proud to be the first player born in Belarus to be included in the Tennis Hall of Fame. I have to say, without Gigi’s mentality, we would never have made it here. I never imagined we could achieve something like this—I was just playing tennis”. Zvereva also served as captain of the Belarusian women’s team competing in the Billie Jean King Cup, further cementing her legacy both on and off the court.