Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic was born on March 10, 1997, in Flawil, Switzerland, to Slovak parents. Her connection to tennis began early, influenced by the success of Martina Hingis. Bencic started playing tennis at age two and by age four was training daily with her father. At five, her father sought guidance from Melanie Molitor, Hingis’ mother and coach, leading to Bencic training with Molitor once a week. At six, she further developed her skills during a six-month period at Nick Bollettieri’s academy in Florida, winning several under-10 tournaments. In 2004, at age seven, her family relocated to Wollerau so she could train daily at Molitor’s newly opened academy, where she continued her development through her teenage years. Her father, Ivan Benčič, a former professional hockey player, and her mother, Dana Benčič, a high-level handball player, played significant roles in her early career, with her father eventually leaving his job to travel and coach her full-time following an investment from family friend Marcel Niederer. This early and focused development trajectory laid the groundwork for her professional career.

Bencic achieved junior world No. 1 status, winning two junior major singles titles: the French Open and Wimbledon in 2013, becoming the first player since Amélie Mauresmo in 1996 to win both in the same year. She turned professional in 2012, making her WTA main-draw debut at the Luxembourg Open. Her professional ascent continued with a breakthrough at the 2014 US Open, where she became the youngest quarterfinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997. In 2015, she won her first two WTA Tour titles, including the Canadian Open, where she defeated four of the top six players, including Serena Williams and Simona Halep. This success led to her top-ten debut in 2016 at age 18. Despite injuries between 2016 and 2018 that saw her ranking drop, Bencic demonstrated significant resilience and returned to peak form.

Her comeback was marked by winning the Dubai Championships in 2019, securing her second Premier-5 title, reaching her first major semifinal at the US Open, and qualifying for her first WTA Finals, ultimately finishing the year in the top 10. For this achievement, she was awarded the WTA Comeback Player of the Year. The pinnacle of her career to date came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where she won a gold medal in singles and a silver medal in women’s doubles, marking her biggest career titles. She continued to win, securing two WTA titles in 2023 at the Adelaide International and Abu Dhabi Open, leading to her return to the top 10.