Manuela Maleeva
Manuela Maleeva (born February 14, 1967) is Bulgaria’s all time best female tennis player. Maleeva played in the WTA tour, competing in singles, doubles and mixed doubles between 1982 and 1994.
Born in Sofia, Manuela is Yulia Berberyan and Georgi Maleev’s oldest child. Yulia Berberyan was the best Bulgarian tennis player in the 1960s. After she retired from professional tennis in the 1970s, Berberyan started on a coaching career. She was the coach of all of her three daughters, Manuela, Katerina and Magdalena, each of whom eventually became WTA top ten players.
In 1982 Manuela won the junior French Open. Later the same year she made her debut among the women and ended the year within the first 200 of the WTA rank list. In 1984 Manuela won a total of seven tournaments beating all stars in the women’s tennis except Martina Navratilova. After winning the tournament in Indianapolis the same year, Manuela became № 3 in the WTA rank list. Once in the top ten, Manuela Maleeva did not leave it for a period of ten whole years – until 1992.
Born in Sofia, Manuela is Yulia Berberyan and Georgi Maleev’s oldest child. Yulia Berberyan was the best Bulgarian tennis player in the 1960s. After she retired from professional tennis in the 1970s, Berberyan started on a coaching career. She was the coach of all of her three daughters, Manuela, Katerina and Magdalena, each of whom eventually became WTA top ten players.
In 1982 Manuela won the junior French Open. Later the same year she made her debut among the women and ended the year within the first 200 of the WTA rank list. In 1984 Manuela won a total of seven tournaments beating all stars in the women’s tennis except Martina Navratilova. After winning the tournament in Indianapolis the same year, Manuela became № 3 in the WTA rank list. Once in the top ten, Manuela Maleeva did not leave it for a period of ten whole years – until 1992.
In 1984, Manuela won her first and only Grand Slam title – in mixed doubles at the US Open together with Tom Gullikson from the USA. In 1988 she won a bronze medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics's singles in Seoul. In 1992 and 1993 she registered her all time best achievement in Grand Slam singles reaching the semi-finals of the US Open (in 1992 after beating her sister, Magdalena Maleeva, at the quarter-finals).
In 1994, Manuela retired from professional tennis. Throughout her 12-year carrier, she won a total of 19 WTA Tour singles titles, four in doubles and one in mixed doubles. She won the Hopman Cup in 1992 together with Jakob Hlasek and reached twice the semi-finals at Fed Cup in 1985 and 1987.
Manuela is married to Switzerland’s best tennis player from the 1980s, Francois Fragniere. They live near Geneva and have three children, two girls and a boy.
Tournaments won:
Singles
Winner (WTA Tour):
• 1994 - Osaka
• 1993 - Linz; Zurich
• 1992 - Bayonne
• 1991 - Linz; European Open; Bayonne
• 1989 - Indian Wells; European Open
• 1988 - Wichita; Phoenix
• 1987 - Mahwah; Charleston
• 1985 - Tokyo (Pan Pacific)
• 1984 - US Clay Courts; Tokyo (Pan Pacific); Italian Open; Tokyo (Lions Cup); Swiss Open.
Doubles
Winner:
• 1993 - Amelia Island (with Leila Meskhi)
• 1991 - Linz (with Rafaella Reggi)
• 1987 - Belgian Open (with Bettina Bunge)
• 1985 - US Clay Courts (with Katerina Maleeva)
Mixed doubles
Winner:
• 1984 - US Open (with Tom Gullikson)
In 1994, Manuela retired from professional tennis. Throughout her 12-year carrier, she won a total of 19 WTA Tour singles titles, four in doubles and one in mixed doubles. She won the Hopman Cup in 1992 together with Jakob Hlasek and reached twice the semi-finals at Fed Cup in 1985 and 1987.
Manuela is married to Switzerland’s best tennis player from the 1980s, Francois Fragniere. They live near Geneva and have three children, two girls and a boy.
Tournaments won:
Singles
Winner (WTA Tour):
• 1994 - Osaka
• 1993 - Linz; Zurich
• 1992 - Bayonne
• 1991 - Linz; European Open; Bayonne
• 1989 - Indian Wells; European Open
• 1988 - Wichita; Phoenix
• 1987 - Mahwah; Charleston
• 1985 - Tokyo (Pan Pacific)
• 1984 - US Clay Courts; Tokyo (Pan Pacific); Italian Open; Tokyo (Lions Cup); Swiss Open.
Doubles
Winner:
• 1993 - Amelia Island (with Leila Meskhi)
• 1991 - Linz (with Rafaella Reggi)
• 1987 - Belgian Open (with Bettina Bunge)
• 1985 - US Clay Courts (with Katerina Maleeva)
Mixed doubles
Winner:
• 1984 - US Open (with Tom Gullikson)
