Alexandra Stevenson

Infobox Tennis player
playername = Alexandra Stevenson


Alexandra Stevenson at the Coleman Vision Tennis Championships in Albuquerque, 2007.
country= USA
residence = San Diego, California, U.S.| datebirth = birth date and age|1980|12|15
placebirth = La Jolla, California
height = height|m=1.85
shoe size: 11
weight = 156 lbs (71 kg)cite web |author=WTA |publisher = WTA |url=http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/players/playerprofiles/Playerbio.asp?PlayerID=230234 |title=Serena Williams Bio on WTA Tour website |accessdate=2008-04-01]
shoe size: 13
turnedpro = 1999
plays = Right; One-handed backhand
careerprizemoney = $1,320,076
singlesrecord = 210–219
singlestitles = 0
highestsinglesranking = No. 18 (October 28, 2002)
AustralianOpenresult = 2r (2003)
FrenchOpenresult = 1r (2000–2003)
Wimbledonresult = SF (1999)
USOpenresult = 1r (1998–2004)
doublesrecord = 30–59
doublestitles = 1
highestdoublesranking = No. 67 (July 7, 2003)

Alexandra Stevenson (born December 15, 1980 in La Jolla, California) is a professional tennis player from the United States.

In 1999, Stevenson, in her first appearance at Wimbledon, became the first woman qualifier in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals. In the fourth round, she saved one match point against Lisa Raymond in a 2–6, 7–6, 6–1 win. She then beat Jelena Dokic in three sets in the quarter-finals, before finally being knocked out in straight sets by the eventual champion, Lindsay Davenport. Stevenson joined Chris Evert and Anna Kournikova as the only women in recent times to reach the semi-finals on their Wimbledon debut.

Playing style

Stevenson is known for her offensive baseliner game, although she is also a skillful volleyer.

Her serve on average is one of the most powerful on the WTA tour. Stevenson is known for her powerful one-handed backhand, which is her stronger and more consistent side. Occasionally her forehand has been prone to break down in tough matches.

Early Career & Childhood

As a junior player, Stevenson won the US Open girls' doubles title in 1997. She was ranked the No. 5 junior in the US in 1996.

Stevenson has been coached by her mother, Samantha Stevenson. The identity of her father was not publicly known at the time she became professional in 1999. But it was soon revealed that her father was the former NBA star Julius Erving, who had a relationship with Samantha Stevenson in 1980, when Stevenson was a sports writer in Philadelphia and Erving was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Career Post Wimbledon Debut

Since her dramatic first year as a professional in 1999, 2002 has been Stevenson's most successful year on the tour. She finished runner-up in two top-level tournaments that year in Memphis and Linz. And she also won one tour doubles title at Leipzig, partnering Serena Williams.

Stevenson reached her career-high ranking at 18th on October 28, 2002.

Injury

Stevenson suffered an extensive labral tear in her right shoulder in January 2003. She had surgery on September 21, 2004.

In 2006, following 18 months of shoulder strengthening, Stevenson began a baseball pitcher-type rehabilitation to gain muscle endurance in her shoulder. This required a similar baseball rehab program of innings in and innings out which resulted in retirements during tournaments.

Stevenson played in the qualifying round at the 2006 Wimbledon, but after defeating Jelena Dokic, a player that she had played in 1999 in the Wimbledon quarters, when they were both qualifiers, she suffered a pectoral strain and fell in the second round of qualifiers. At the 2006 Cincinnati Women's Open, she also had a successful run in the qualifying round, but continued shoulder pain caused her to fall in the 4th and final round to Chin-Wei Chen 3–6, 6–3, 7–5. Shoulder issues stayed with Stevenson through the first half of 2007.

Stevenson has announced that her shoulder is strong and she plans to play the second half of 2007. Stevenson intends to play a full schedule on the WTA Tour in 2008.

Footnote

Stevenson is thought to the be the first player at Wimbledon to curtsy to the crowds in all directions after successfully completing her 1999 match against Jelena Dokic, claiming she was copying Andre Agassi, who had bowed to the crowd at the end of his matches. After this match, she regularly followed this procedure at the end of her matches.

ingles performance timeline

"To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the French Open in Paris, France, which ended on June 8, 2008."

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

- = tournament was either not held or not a Tier I event.

¹ If Fed Cup (0-1 overall) participation is included, her record stands at 213-220 overall.

References

External links

*wta|id=190125|name=Alexandra Stevenson
* [http://www.cnicholson.com/Clips/alexandra.htm Magazine article about Alexandra Stevenson]