Andrea Petkovic was born on September 9, 1987, in Tuzla, SFR Yugoslavia, to Serbian father Zoran and Bosniak mother Amira. She relocated with her parents to Germany when she was six years old and was able to finish high school because her parents never pressured her to play tennis professionally.
After turning professional in 2006, Petkovic’s first Grand Slam victories came in 2007 at the Roland Garros and US Open. These were against Jarmila Wolfe and Audra Marie Cohen. Those were her most significant moments until the end of 2008.
Petkovic then had a breakthrough at the Austrian Open in July 2009. She progressed to the final with triumphs against Sandra Klosel, Iveta Benesova, Anna-Lena Gronefeld, and Yaroslava Shvedova. Petkovic then claimed her maiden WTA title with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Ioana Raluca Olaru.
2010 saw Petkovic make her first Grand Slam fourth-round appearance at the US Open. She defeated Nadia Petrova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands and received a walkover against Peng Shuai before losing to Vera Zvonareva. Petkovic was also the runner-up at the Libema Open in June 2010.
2011 was a very successful year for Petkovic. The German made an impressive three Grand Slam quarterfinals in the same season at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. Her run at the Australian Open included a victory against five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.
Petkovic also reached the sole WTA 1000 final of her career in 2011. This came at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing, where she beat future Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli on her way to the final. Petkovic narrowly missed out on the title after a 5-7, 6-0, 4-6 loss to Agnieszka Radwanska in the final.
Her successful 2011 season saw her end the year inside the Top 10 after also winning the title at the Internationaux de Strasbourg and being the runner-up at the Brisbane International at the start of the season. Petkovic’s momentum was stopped when she tore her ankle ligaments, which derailed her 2012 season, and she finished the year outside the Top 100.
However, she recovered very strongly in 2013, with two runner-up finishes taking her back inside the Top 50. 2014 was the best season of Petkovic’s career. The German made her sole Grand Slam semifinal appearance at the 2014 French Open. She fought through to that stage by winning three of her matches in a deciding set.
Petkovic’s hopes of a maiden Grand Slam final were ended by losing 2-6, 6-7 to Simona Halep. The 2014 Tournament of Champions (later the WTA Elite Trophy) was the scene of Petkovic’s biggest title. After getting through the group stage, Petkovic beat future two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza in the semifinal before overcoming Flavia Pennetta 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
After winning her sixth title in Antwerp in 2015, a less successful few years followed for Petkovic. She did not make another final until the Hamburg European Open in July 2021, where she fell to Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
The following month, Petkovic ended her six-year wait for another title at the Cluj-Napoca Open. She demolished Mayar Sherif 6-1, 6-1 in the final. This proved to be her last title on the WTA Tour.
Petkovic retired after a first-round loss to Belinda Bencic at the 2022 US Open. She now works as a commentator and an analyst, with the German being very popular among fans for her insightful thoughts during the matches that she is commentating on.
