Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld is a German retired tennis player. Competing as a professional from 2003 until 2019, she won one singles title and 17 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She also won two Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles.
Career
2002–2006: Breakthrough
In 2002, she was the singles champion of both the Belgium and Frankfurt International Championships and a finalist at the Orange Bowl. In June 2003, she captured the prestigious French Open junior title, becoming the first player from Germany since 1957 to accomplish this feat. In July 2003, she continued her superb form and won the Apple and Eve Newsday Long Island Classic, held in Woodbury, New York. She was also an accomplished doubles player in juniors winning the French Open title and reaching the finals at Wimbledon. As a result of her tennis success in 2003, Grönefeld had achieved the junior world ranking of No. 1 in singles and doubles. She launched her professional career debut under the direction of the USA Academy and Rafael Font de Mora.Grönefeld made her professional breakthrough in 2005, rising 54 places throughout the year. She reached the third round of the Australian Open, French Open and the US Open and played three finals in WTA Tour events throughout the season, including at the Tier II event in Beijing, although failing to win any of them. She also rose into the top 10 in the world in doubles, cementing her position as one of the most promising young doubles players on the tour at the time.
In 2006, she represented Germany along with Nicolas Kiefer at the Hopman Cup. She went on to win her first title at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco and completed a career best showing at Roland Garros, by reaching the quarterfinals, where she lost to Justine Henin. Her ranking peaked at 14, and remained in the top 20 for much of the year, despite a significant drop in results in the latter half of the season, as the German failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals of most tournaments. She split with Font de Mora in September 2006 and began to work with Dirk Dier.
2007: Loss of form
Her run of bad form continued into 2007, and as of 19 June, Grönefeld had been eliminated in the first round of her last five tournaments. Grönefeld blamed her run of bad form on the situation with Font de Mora, suggesting that he was giving her opponents tactics on how to beat her. She also had a substantial weight gain over the past several months. Her ranking subsequently dipped below the top 100 for the first time since 2004. On 20 August 2007, Grönefeld announced that she would be taking a break from the tour, coming back in 2008.In August 2007, it was revealed that Font de Mora was planning to sue Grönefeld for lack of discipline during their partnership, stating: "She had to adhere to a standard of performance, a standard of training and a standard of diet. She absolutely let herself go and sabotaged her marketability and her performance on the court. You work for years and invest all this money into developing contracts and developing endorsements and then she just gets around the wrong people and does the wrong things and her performance affects everything." He also denied her allegations that he interfered with her matches.
2008–2009: Comeback
Grönefeld made her official comeback on 3 May 2008, at the $75,000 ITF event in Zagreb, Croatia. She was seeded 4th in the qualifying draw, winning three consecutive matches to reach the main draw. She then won the Smart Card Open Monet+ in Zlín, Czech Republic, for the first title of her comeback. Grönefeld went on to win another two ITF title over the following fortnight: a $10,000 event in Alkmaar, Netherlands, and a $25,000 event at Périgueux, France.Grönefeld took advantage of her feed-up wildcard into the Tier IV Gaz de France Grand Prix, reaching the quarterfinals with an upset win over Lucie Šafářová. She then played in Bad Gastein, where she was defeated in three tight sets in the second round by Pauline Parmentier.
Her good form allowed Grönefeld to win another $50,000 ITF event in Rimini at the beginning of August. She also reached the final of a $50,000 event in The Bronx, where she lost to Elena Bovina.
After winning her three qualification rounds, Grönefeld played at the 2008 US Open, and reached the fourth round of the main draw, only losing to Dinara Safina. Prior to her loss to Safina, Grönefeld had won six matches in a row without losing a single set, the highlights being her victory over Daniela Hantuchová in the first round and over Alizé Cornet in the third round, both top 20 players at the time.
After losing against Austrian runner-up Tamira Paszek in the first round in Bali, Grönefeld received a wildcard for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart but lost in the first round against Venus Williams. With her doubles partner, Patty Schnyder, Grönefeld, however, won the doubles competition against the top seeds Květa Peschke and Rennae Stubbs.
After winning the first two matches at the qualification for the Zurich Open, Grönefeld lost her third match against Petra Kvitová. With doubles partner Patty Schnyder she reached the finals.
Significant finals
Grand Slam finals
Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
Premier Mandatory / Premier 5 finals
Doubles: 10 (1 title, 9 runner-ups)
WTA career finals
Singles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | 2005 Volvo Women's Open| | Thailand Open, Pattaya City | Tier IV | Hard |  Conchita Martínez | 3–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | 2005 China Open – Women's Singles| | China Open, Beijing | Tier II | Hard |  Maria Kirilenko | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | 2005 Fortis Championships Luxembourg| | Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City | Tier II | Hard |  Kim Clijsters | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–3 | 2006 Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Women's Singles| | Mexican Open, Acapulco | Tier III | Clay |  Flavia Pennetta | 6–1, 4–6, 6–2 |
Doubles: 44 (17 titles, 27 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | 2004 Nordea Nordic Light Open| | Nordic Light Open, Stockholm, Sweden | Tier IV | Hard |  Emmanuelle Gagliardi |  Alicia Molik  Barbara Schett | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | 2004 Vancouver Women's Open – Doubles| | Vancouver Open, Canada | Tier V | Hard | Els Callens |  Bethanie Mattek-Sands Abigail Spears | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | 2004 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open – Doubles| | Cincinnati Masters, United States | Tier III | Hard | Emmanuelle Gagliardi |  Marlene Weingärtner Jill Craybas | 5–7, 6–7 |
| Loss | 0–4 | 2004 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Doubles| | Filderstadt Open, Germany | Tier II | Hard | Julia Schruff |  Cara Black Rennae Stubbs | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–4 | 2005 Volvo Women's Open| | Thailand Open, Pattaya City, Thailand | Tier IV | Hard |  Marion Bartoli |  Marta Domachowska  Silvija Talaja | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 2–4 | 2005 Rogers Cup – Doubles| | Canadian Open, Toronto, Canada | Tier I | Hard | Martina Navratilova | Conchita Martínez Virginia Ruano-Pascual | 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–4 | 2005 Wismilak International – Doubles| | Bali International, Indonesia | Tier III | Hard | Meghann Shaughnessy |  Yan Zi Zheng Jie | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 4–4 | 2006 Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Women's Doubles| | Mexican Open, Acapulco, Mexico | Tier III | Clay | Meghann Shaughnessy |  Shinobu Asagoe Émilie Loit | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 5–4 | 2006 Bank of the West Classic – Doubles| | Stanford Classic, United States | Tier II | Hard |  Shahar Pe'er | Maria Elena Camerin  Gisela Dulko | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 5–5 | 2006 Acura Classic – Doubles| | Southern California Open, San Diego, United States | Tier I | Hard | Meghann Shaughnessy | Cara Black Rennae Stubbs | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 5–6 | 2006 Rogers Cup – Doubles| | Canadian Open, Montreal, Canada | Tier I | Hard | Cara Black | Martina Navratilova Nadia Petrova | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 5–7 | 2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Doubles| | Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg | Tier II | Hard |  Liezel Huber |  Květa Peschke Francesca Schiavone | 6–2, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 6–7 | 2007 Medibank International – Women's Doubles| | Sydney International, Australia | Tier II | Hard | Meghann Shaughnessy | Marion Bartoli Meilen Tu | 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 7–7 | 2008 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Doubles| | Stuttgart Open, Germany | Tier II | Hard | Patty Schnyder | Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 7–8 | 2008 Zurich Open – Doubles| | Zurich Open, Switzerland | Tier II | Hard | Patty Schnyder | Cara Black Liezel Huber | 1–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 8–8 | 2008 Challenge Bell – Doubles| | Tournoi de Québec, Canada | Tier III | Carpet | Vania King | Jill Craybas  Tamarine Tanasugarn | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 9–8 | 2009 Brisbane International – Women's Doubles| | Brisbane International, Australia | International | Hard | Vania King | Klaudia Jans Alicja Rosolska | 3–6, 7–5, |
| Win | 10–8 | 2009 Generali Ladies Linz – Doubles| | Linz Open, Austria | International | Hard |  Katarina Srebotnik | Klaudia Jans Alicja Rosolska | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 10–9 | 2010 Monterrey Open – Doubles| | Monterrey Open, Mexico | International | Hard | Vania King | Iveta Benešová | 6–3, 4–6, |
| Win | 11–9 | 2010 e-Boks Danish Open – Doubles| | Danish Open, Copenhagen, Denmark | International | Hard | Julia Görges | Vitalia Diatchenko  Tatiana Poutchek | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 11–10 | 2011 Monterrey Open – Doubles| | Monterrey Open, Mexico | International | Hard | Vania King | Iveta Benešová Barbora Strýcová | 7–6, 2–6, |
| Loss | 11–11 | 2011 Generali Ladies Linz – Doubles| | Linz Open, Austria | International | Hard | Julia Görges |  Marina Erakovic Elena Vesnina | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Loss | 11–12 | 2012 Open GDF Suez – Doubles| | Open GDF Suez, Paris, France | Premier | Hard | Petra Martić | Liezel Huber Lisa Raymond | 6–7, 1–6 |
| Loss | 11–13 | 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Doubles| | Stuttgart Open, Germany | Premier | Clay | Julia Görges | Iveta Benešová Barbora Strýcová | 4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 11–14 | 2012 Gastein Ladies – Doubles| | Gastein Ladies, Bad Gastein, Austria | International | Clay | Petra Martić | Jill Craybas Julia Görges | 7–6, 4–6, |
| Loss | 11–15 | 2012 Toray Pan Pacific Open – Doubles| | Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo, Japan | Premier 5 | Hard | Květa Peschke | Raquel Kops-Jones Abigail Spears | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 12–15 | 2012 Generali Ladies Linz – Doubles| | Linz Open, Austria | International | Hard | Květa Peschke | Julia Görges Barbora Strýcová | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 12–16 | 2013 Brisbane International – Women's Doubles| | Brisbane International, Australia | Premier | Hard | Květa Peschke | Bethanie Mattek-Sands  Sania Mirza | 6–4, 4–6, |
| Win | 13–16 | 2013 Brussels Open – Doubles| | Brussels Open, Belgium | Premier | Clay | Květa Peschke |  Gabriela Dabrowski Shahar Pe'er | 6–0, 6–3 |
| Loss | 13–17 | 2013 Nürnberger Versicherungscup – Doubles| | Nuremberg Cup, Germany | International | Clay | Květa Peschke |  Raluca Olaru Valeria Solovyeva | 6–2, 6–7, |
| Loss | 13–18 | 2013 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles| | Canadian Open, Toronto, Canada | Premier 5 | Hard | Květa Peschke |  Jelena Janković Katarina Srebotnik | 7–5, 2–6, |
| Loss | 13–19 | 2013 Western & Southern Open – Women's Doubles| | Cincinnati Masters, United States | Premier 5 | Hard | Květa Peschke |  Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai | 6–2, 3–6, |
| Win | 14–19 | 2014 Open GDF Suez – Doubles| | Open GDF Suez, Paris, France | Premier | Hard | Květa Peschke |  Tímea Babos Kristina Mladenovic | 6–7, 6–4, |
| Loss | 14–20 | 2016 Generali Ladies Linz – Doubles| | Linz Open, Austria | International | Hard | Květa Peschke |  Kiki Bertens  Johanna Larsson | 6–4, 2–6, |
| Win | 15–20 | 2017 J&T Banka Prague Open – Doubles| | Prague Open, Czech Republic | International | Clay | Květa Peschke | Lucie Hradecka Katerina Siniakova | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Loss | 15–21 | 2017 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles| | Canadian Open, Toronto, Canada | Premier 5 | Hard | Květa Peschke | Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina | 0–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 16–21 | 2018 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Doubles| | Stuttgart Open, Germany | Premier | Clay | Raquel Atawo | Nicole Melichar Květa Peschke | 6–4, 6–7, |
| Loss | 16–22 | 2018 Upper Austria Ladies Linz – Doubles| | Linz Open, Austria | International | Hard | Raquel Atawo | Kirsten Flipkens Johanna Larsson | 6–4, 4–6, |
| Loss | 16–23 | 2019 Qatar Total Open – Doubles| | Qatar Ladies Open, Doha, Qatar | Premier | Hard | Demi Schuurs | Chan Hao-ching Latisha Chan | 1–6, 6–3, |
| Win | 17–23 | 2019 Volvo Car Open – Doubles| | Charleston Open, United States | Premier | Clay | Alicja Rosolska | Irina Khromacheva Veronika Kudermetova | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 17–24 | 2019 Italian Open – Women's Doubles| | Italian Open, Rome, Italy | Premier 5 | Clay | Demi Schuurs |  Victoria Azarenka Ashleigh Barty | 6–4, 0–6, |
| Loss | 17–25 | 2019 Birmingham Classic – Doubles| | Birmingham Classic, United Kingdom | Premier | Grass | Demi Schuurs | Hsieh Su-wei Barbora Strýcová | 4–6, 7–6, |
| Loss | 17–26 | 2019 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles| | Canadian Open, Toronto, Canada | Premier 5 | Hard | Demi Schuurs | Barbora Krejčíková Kateřina Siniaková | 5–7, 0–6 |
| Loss | 17–27 | 2019 Western & Southern Open – Women's Doubles| | Cincinnati Masters, United States | Premier 5 | Hard | Demi Schuurs | Lucie Hradecká Andreja Klepač | 4–6, 1–6 |
WTA 125K series finals
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
ITF finals
Singles (12–2)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 4 August 2002 | Bad Saulgau, Germany | Clay | Ivana Zupa | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2. | 26 January 2003 | Hull, United Kingdom | Hard | Tessy van de Ven | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 3. | 15 June 2003 | Hamilton, Canada | Clay | Bei'er Ko | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | 13 July 2003 | Vancouver, Canada | Hard |  Vilmarie Castellvi | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 5. | 20 July 2003 | Oyster Bay, United States | Hard | Bethanie Mattek-Sands | 6–3, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 2 May 2004 | Cagnes-sur-Mer, France | Clay | Séverine Beltrame | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 7. | 26 July 2004 | Modena, Italy | Clay |  Selima Sfar | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 8. | 7 September 2004 | Denain, France | Clay |  Dally Randriantefy | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 9. | 15 June 2008 | Zlín, Czech Republic | Clay | Jelena Kostanić Tošić | 6–3, 4–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 10. | 22 June 2008 | Alkmaar, Netherlands | Clay | Marlot Meddens | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 11. | 29 June 2008 | Périgueux, France | Clay | Florence Haring | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 12. | 3 August 2008 | Rimini, Italy | Clay | Lourdes Domínguez Lino | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 13. | 17 August 2008 | The Bronx, United States | Hard | Elena Bovina | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 14. | 23 April 2011 | Tessenderlo, Belgium | Clay | Alison Van Uytvanck | 6–3, 7–5 |
Doubles (6–1)
Performance timelines
Singles
Doubles
Current through the 2019 WTA Finals.- only WTA Tour and Olympics results
Mixed doubles