Veronika Kudermetova was born on April 24, 1997, in Kazan, Russia, to Eduard Kudermetov. Her father was a Russian national ice hockey champion, and her younger sister, Polina Kudermetova, is also a professional tennis player.
Kudermetova played her first matches on the WTA Tour in 2018 and finished that season ranked just outside the Top 100. She made further progress in 2019. Although there were no standout results that took the tennis world by storm, consistent performances saw Kudermetova end the year ranked inside the Top 50.
2020 was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This included the completion of the Billie Jean King Cup being delayed, with the Finals of the event taking place in 2021. However, it brought glory for Kudermetova and Team RTF, who won the competition.
She prevailed in all three of her doubles matches in the Finals to play a key role in the success. Kudermetova also won her first WTA singles title in 2021. This came on the clay courts of Charleston in April, where she defeated Danka Kovinic 6-4, 6-2.
She also made her first WTA final in January at the Abu Dhabi Open but lost 2-6, 2-6 to Aryna Sabalenka. 2022 brought progress at Grand Slams for Kudermetova. She reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2022 Roland Garros.
Kudermetova achieved this with triumphs against Zhu Lin, Aleksandra Krunic, Paula Badosa, and Madison Keys. Her compatriot Daria Kasatkina stopped her in the quarterfinal. In addition, Kudermetova made a first fourth-round appearance at the US Open in 2022.
The Russian was also the runner-up at three tournaments in Melbourne, Dubai, and Istanbul. Kudermetova’s Grand Slam results were disappointing in 2023, with just two wins and four losses. However, she had the best success of her career at the WTA 1000 level by progressing to the semifinals on clay in Rome and Madrid.
She lost at those events to Iga Swiatek and Anhelina Kalnina. The 2023 season also saw her win a second WTA title in Tokyo by prevailing 7-5, 6-1 against Jessica Pegula. Kudermetova continues to be a very solid player and hopes to break through at the Grand Slam level soon.
