Russia have produced countless great tennis players over the years, both men and women, including names like Maria Sharapova, Maria Kirilenko, Anastasia Myskina, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
From the same generation as Sharapova came Yaroslava Shvedova, born on September 12, 1987, in Moscow, back when the Soviet Union was still standing. Shvedova developed a passion for tennis at a young age, delivering strong performances on the national stage that paved the way for her professional career.
Like many Russian players, her preferred surface was hard courts, especially indoors. She made her WTA debut in 2005 and captured her only singles title in 2007, though her greatest success would later arrive in doubles.
A strong singles career
After about a year and a half adjusting to the tour, Shvedova captured her lone WTA singles title in February 2007. She claimed the trophy in Bangalore, India, defeating Italy’s Mara Santangelo 6-4, 6-4 in the final. While her biggest achievements would later come in doubles, she continued competing at a solid level in singles.
Yaroslava Shvedova of Russia in action against Na Li of China. (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
In 2015, she reached another singles final in Bogota, though she fell short against Brazil’s Teliana Pereira. Shvedova achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 25 in 2012.
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Success in doubles
Alongside her singles career, Shvedova built an outstanding résumé in doubles. She captured 13 WTA titles in the discipline and climbed as high as World No. 3 in 2016. Her biggest triumphs came in 2010, when she partnered with American Vania King to win both Wimbledon and the US Open. In addition to her two Grand Slam titles, Shvedova also reached three other major finals, cementing her status as one of the top doubles players of her generation.
The match that made history
One of Shvedova’s most remarkable achievements came at Wimbledon in 2012, when she produced one of the rarest feats in tennis — a “Golden Set”. Facing Italy’s Sara Errani in the third round, the Kazakhstani won the opening set 6–0 without dropping a single point.
The flawless set lasted just 15 minutes and consisted of 24 consecutive points won by Shvedova. She went on to close out the match 6–0, 6–4, before falling in the next round to Serena Williams in three sets.
Four years without a win
By 2017, Shvedova’s career had begun to decline, marked by injuries, time away from the tour, and the challenges of balancing tennis with motherhood after giving birth to twins. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated her attempts to make a full return.
Her perseverance finally paid off at the 2021 WTA 1000 event in Rome. In the first round, she rallied past Martina Trevisan 0–6, 7–6, 7–6 to end a four-year drought without a main-draw victory on the WTA Tour. Just months later, in October of that same year, Shvedova announced her retirement, closing the book on a long and accomplished career.
Captain of Kazakhstan’s Billie Jean King Cup team
After retiring, Shvedova remained involved in the sport. From 2022 to 2023, she served as captain of Kazakhstan’s Billie Jean King Cup team, the premier women’s international competition. In that role, she guided top players such as Elena Rybakina and Yulia Putintseva.
Although born in Moscow, Shvedova chose to represent Kazakhstan beginning in 2008. Under that flag, she achieved the greatest successes of her career, including her two Grand Slam doubles titles.
