Before Grigor Dimitrov reached World No. 3, another Bulgarian had already achieved that milestone: Manuela Maleeva. In fact, her younger sisters, Katerina (World No. 6) and Magdalena (World No. 4), also accomplished the incredible feat of breaking into the Top 10 during the 1990s. Years before Serena and Venus Williams became a dominant force in tennis, the Maleeva sisters were the most successful siblings in the sport. Their story is one of perseverance, as they overcame numerous obstacles growing up to reach the elite level.
Their story actually begins with their mother, Yulia Berberian-Maleeva. Born in 1940 to an Armenian family, Yulia was an accomplished tennis player who won nine singles national championships in Bulgaria, as well as four Balkan Games titles (1966 in Zagreb, 1968 in Sofia, 1972 in Bucharest, and 1974 in Ankara), according to DB4Tennis.
Under the communist regime in Bulgaria, Yulia faced significant challenges in pursuing an international career due to travel restrictions. Still, she represented the country in the 1968 Federation Cup. Two years earlier, in 1966, she married Georgi Maleev, a young engineer and basketball player. Together, they had three daughters, and Yulia later decided to coach them. However, the conditions for their training were far from ideal.
Manuela (born in 1967), Katerina (1969), and Magdalena (1975) grew up during Bulgaria’s communist regime. “Without facilities to practice, good shoes for running on a court, or more than one wooden racket, the Maleeva sisters still grew up to be one of tennis’ great success stories,” reads a 1991 article by United Press International (UPI). “When you think that in Bulgaria sometimes there are 10 people in two rooms, we were lucky,” Magdalena told the agency.
Magdalena Maleeva during the 2005 Wimbledon (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
As teenagers, the sisters witnessed Bulgaria’s government transition from communism to more moderate socialism, easing some restrictions. This shift allowed them to pursue professional careers in the WTA, achieving unexpected success despite ongoing challenges.
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No support from the Bulgarian Federation
In a 1991 UPI interview, the sisters recounted the difficulties they faced training in Bulgaria. To use the Tennis Hall in Sofia, requesting basic necessities like lighting or heating often led to arguments. They also claimed the Bulgarian Tennis Federation provided no support, pocketing much of their earnings instead.
“We have a federation that hardly works, people who hardly work,” Manuela told the agency. The sisters had to fund their careers independently, including travel, with help from their grandparents. Their Armenian grandparents emigrated to New York City in 1966 after receiving permission from the regime to leave Bulgaria as political refugees. At the time, Yulia was the only family member who chose to return to Sofia.
Katerina Maleeva in 1988 (Getty Images/Bob Martin)
“The Federation hardly had enough money to buy tickets for us to the Federation Cup (in England),” Magdalena said. “And the only reason they did was because we were representing Bulgaria. We always represent Bulgaria—we are Bulgarian—but they don’t pay for anything else.”
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Rise to the Top 10: the only sibling trio to achieve it
Despite the lack of support, the Maleeva sisters played a pivotal role in elevating women’s tennis in Bulgaria. Together, they won 40 WTA singles titles and made history as the only trio of sisters to reach the Top 10. Manuela and Katerina also reached the semifinals of the Fed Cup.
Among the three, Manuela enjoyed the most success. She won 19 singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3 in February 1995. She remained in the WTA Top 10 for eight consecutive years (1984–1992) and secured Bulgaria’s only Olympic tennis medal, earning bronze at the 1988 Seoul Games. At that time, there was no bronze medal playoff, and she shared the honor with Gabriela Sabatini.
Manuela also reached at least the quarterfinals in all Grand Slam tournaments—a feat Katerina matched. Magdalena, meanwhile, made the quarterfinals of the US Open in 1992 but lost to Manuela, who reached the semifinals that year and repeated the feat in 1993. Manuela also claimed a Grand Slam title in mixed doubles, winning the 1984 US Open with Tom Gullikson.
Manuela Maleeva at the 1992 US Open (Getty Images/Simon Brutty)
However, when Magdalena was a junior she was widely recognized as the best female junior player in the world after winning titles at the Australian, French and U.S. Opens in 1990.
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Life after tennis: Bulgarian icons and activists
In 1987, Manuela married Swiss tennis coach François Fragniere, whom she divorced in 2003, and from then on, began competing as Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere. She represented Switzerland from 1990 until her retirement in 1994. Katerina retired in 1997, while Magdalena, the youngest, retired in 2005 after a 16-year career. Post-tennis, the sisters have been involved in various causes, including activism against climate change. All three are also mothers.
The family maintains its connection to the sport through the Maleeva Tennis Club in Sofia, which includes a tennis academy. “Our first goal at the Tennis Academy is to make tennis accessible to many kids—not necessarily for competition, but to help them discover and enjoy the sport,” Manuela told Vavel in 2020.
The Maleeva family exemplifies dedication, resilience, and consistency. While they didn’t win the biggest titles on tour, they were the premier sister act in tennis before the rise of Serena and Venus Williams. “If we were Americans, we would have been the best,” Manuela once told The New Yorker. Perhaps she was right.
