Dominika Cibulková



Dominika Navara Cibulková (born 6 May 1989) is a professional Slovak tennis player currently ranked world No. 4 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Known for her quick and aggressive style of play, she has won eight WTA singles titles and two on the International Tennis Federation tour.

Cibulková has reached the quarterfinals or better of all four Grand Slam tournaments. One of the most notable achievements of her career to date was a finals appearance at the 2014 Australian Open, when she became the first female Slovak to reach the championship round of a Grand Slam. She also won the WTA Finals in 2016, becoming the fourth player (after Serena Williams in 2001, Maria Sharapova in 2004 and Petra Kvitová in 2011) to win the tournament on debut.

Personal life
Cibulková was introduced to tennis at the age of eight in Piešťany. She was eleven when her family moved to Bratislava. She lists clay and hard as her favorite surfaces.

Her signature expression, "Pome," translates to "Let's go" or "Come on" in English. With the help of her friend Marion Bartoli, she began a clothing line featuring this statement in 2014.

She likes dogs and has two Yorkshire terriers which accompany her on tour.

She married her fiancé Michal Navara on July 9, 2016.

Early career
Early in her career, Cibulková predominantly competed on the International Tennis Federation circuit, and managed to win two tournaments: the Amarante, Portugal event in 2005, and the Bratislava event in 2006.

2007: Grand Slam debut
Cibulková started her year with a win over Tara Iyer in the first round of the CANARA Bank Open, but lost to no. 4 seed Jelena Kostanić Tošić in the second round.

At the 2007 French Open she qualified and made her Grand Slam main draw debut, reaching the third round. In the second round she upset Martina Müller after beating Sun Tiantian. She eventually lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She also reached the third round in Amelia Island, beating Anabel Medina Garrigues but losing to her countrywoman Daniela Hantuchová and the quarterfinals of the ECM Prague Open, beating Gisela Dulko before falling to Victoria Azarenka.

Her best finish of the year came in September, when she exited at the semifinal stage at the Guangzhou International Women's Open in China. She lost to eventual champion Virginie Razzano.

2008: First WTA final
At the Australian Open, Cibulková lost in the first round to Flavia Pennetta. Playing for Slovakia in the first round of Fed Cup against the Czech Republic in Brno, Cibulková split her two singles matches as her country lost the tie 3–2.

At the Qatar Total Open, Cibulková reached her first ever Tier I quarterfinal, defeating former world no. 1 Venus Williams in the third round, before losing to Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals. In April, Cibulková reached the final of a WTA event for the first time. At the Tier II clay court Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, Cibulková lost in the final to Maria Sharapova. Cibulková was seeded 30th in singles at Wimbledon but lost in the first round to unseeded wildcard and eventual semifinalist Zheng Jie of China. At the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Cibulková defeated second-seeded Jelena Janković in the quarterfinals and Marion Bartoli in the semifinals, but lost to seventh-seeded Dinara Safina in the final.

2009: First French Open semifinal
At the 2009 Australian Open, Cibulková advanced to the fourth round and lost to Elena Dementieva. She began the clay season at the 2009 MPS Group Championships and 2009 Family Circle Cup, losing to Elena Vesnina and Elena Dementieva respectively.

At the French Open, she was seeded 20th. She defeated Alona Bondarenko, Kirsten Flipkens, Gisela Dulko, and Ágnes Szávay to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. She then defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets, but lost to Dinara Safina in the semifinal. In this successful phase of her career, she worked with tennis coach Vladimír Pláteník and fitness coach Maroš Molnár from Slovakia. Seeded 14th at Wimbledon, she beat Julie Coin and Urszula Radwańska, but lost to Elena Vesnina in the third round. She then competed at the 2009 Swedish Open where she lost to Gisela Dulko in the quarterfinals. She withdrew from the 2009 US Open and several of the following hard-court tournaments due to a rib injury.

2010: US Open quarterfinal
Cibulková started 2010 by reaching the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic where she lost to top seed Flavia Pennetta. At the Australian Open, where she was seeded 23rd, Cibulková was upset by Vania King in the first round.

At the 2010 Monterrey Open, Cibulková was the 4th seed. She came from a set down to beat no. 5 seed Ágnes Szávay in the quarterfinals. She fell to fellow Slovak and no. 2 seed Daniela Hantuchová in three sets. At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open she was upset by Sara Errani in the second round after receiving a bye.

She then played at the 2010 UNICEF Open, losing to Kirsten Flipkens in the quarterfinals. At Wimbledon, where she upset Lucie Šafářová and Ayumi Morita, she lost in the third round to world no. 1 Serena Williams. At the 2010 US Open, Cibulková advanced to her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal after defeating Stefanie Vögele, 2009 quarter-finalist Kateryna Bondarenko, Lourdes Domínguez Lino, and 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. She lost to the top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.

2011: First WTA title
Cibulková began the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2011 Brisbane International, where she lost to Petra Kvitová. She then entered the 2011 Medibank International Sydney, beating then-world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. She was defeated by Alisa Kleybanova in the third round. At Wimbledon, Cibulková repeated the upset from Sydney by beating Wozniacki in three sets, losing in the quarterfinals to Maria Sharapova. She won her first WTA title, the Kremlin Cup, edging Kaia Kanepi in three sets. Her win represents the first time a player has captured their maiden title at the Kremlin Cup.

2012
Seeded 17th in the Australian Open, Cibulková lost her second-round match to Gréta Arn. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Cibulková came close to beating then-world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka, leading her by a set and 5–2 before Azarenka prevailed. Cibulková then reached the finals of the Barcelona Open, losing to Sara Errani. At the French Open, Cibulková avenged her Miami loss to Azarenka, beating the world no. 1 in straight sets in the fourth round. She subsequently reached the quarterfinals for the second time, but lost to Samantha Stosur.

Her only Wimbledon warm up tournament was the 2012 UNICEF Open. She reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Nadia Petrova. She lost in the first round at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships to Klára Zakopalová. She defeated Marion Bartoli in straight sets to win the 2012 Mercury Insurance Open in Carlsbad, California, picking up the second title of her career. She reached the third round of the 2012 US Open, losing to Roberta Vinci.

2013
At the Sydney Apia International, she defeated top 10 players Petra Kvitová, Sara Errani, and Angelique Kerber en route to the final, which she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska, notably failing to win a single game. In the 2013 Australian Open she lost in the second round to Valeria Savinykh. At the 2013 Bank of the West Classic she won her third career WTA title, defeating Stefanie Vögele, Urszula Radwańska, Sorana Cîrstea, and Agnieszka Radwańska.

She reached the quarterfinals at the Rogers Cup and in Linz before losing to Li Na and Ana Ivanovic respectively.

2014: First Grand Slam final and inconsistencies
Cibulková began her 2014 tennis season at the Brisbane International, where she dropped a quarter-final match to Serena Williams. At the Australian Open, she won her first three matches in straight sets, setting up her first hard-court meeting with Maria Sharapova, whom she defeated in three sets. She then defeated Simona Halep in the quarterfinal to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2009 French Open. Following her semifinal upset over Agnieszka Radwańska, Cibulková was featured on the January 24 cover of The Washington Post. She faced Li Na in her first Grand Slam final, losing the first set in a tie-break and the second set without winning a game.

In February, she played for Slovakia in a Fed Cup match against Germany. She lost both her matches, against Andrea Petkovic and Angelique Kerber. Slovakia was eliminated from the competition.

Cibulková won the Mexican Open in Acapulco with a victory over Christina McHale. She reached the quarterfinal round of the BNP Paribas Open, losing to Li Na. At the Sony Open in Miami, she defeated Agnieszka Radwańska in a three-set quarterfinal. With this victory, Cibulková entered the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career. She exited the tournament in the semifinals, losing to Li Na in three sets. She then reached the final of the BMW Malaysian Open, which she lost to Donna Vekić. After that final, Cibulková's struggles with form were noticeable, as she won just nine matches and lost fifteen till the end of season. At Grand Slams she reached the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon. She exited in the first round of the US Open, losing to CiCi Bellis in three sets.

2015: Achilles surgery
Cibulková began her season at the 2015 Brisbane International, but lost in the first round to Madison Keys. At the 2015 Australian Open, Cibulková was the 11th seed. She reached the quarterfinals by beating Kirsten Flipkens, Tsvetana Pironkova, Alizé Cornet and Victoria Azarenka. In the quarterfinal match, Cibulková lost to then-world no. 1 and eventual champion Serena Williams.

After the Australian Open, Cibulková competed at the 2015 Diamond Games. She reached the quarterfinals by beating qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko and qualifier Indy De Vroome. However, in the quarterfinals, Cibulková lost to eventual champion Andrea Petkovic. During that match, Cibulková struggled with a left Achilles Tendon injury. Cibulková underwent surgery for her left Achilles Tendon in February and missed the North American hard-court season and all of the clay-court season.

Cibulková returned for the grass-court season at the 2015 Aegon International, losing to Tsvetana Pironkova in the third round. At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Cibulková lost in the 1st round to compatriot Daniela Hantuchová.

At the 2015 Connecticut Open, Cibulková reached the quarterfinals by beating Tsvetana Pironkova and Kristina Mladenovic before losing to eventual finalist Lucie Šafářová. At the 2015 US Open, Cibulková upset former world no. 1 and 2008 French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic in the first round. In the 2nd round, Cibulková beat American qualifier Jessica Pegula. In the third round, Cibulková lost to Eugenie Bouchard in a tight three-set match.

At the 2015 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Cibulková reached the semifinals by beating Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, Carla Suárez Navarro, and defending champion Ana Ivanovic. In the semifinals, Cibulková fell to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska. Cibulková's final tournament of the year was at the 2015 Kremlin Cup, where she lost in the second round to Carla Suárez Navarro.

2016: Resurgence, WTA Finals champion
Cibulková started her 2016 year at the 2016 Brisbane International. In the first round, Cibulková beat Yanina Wickmayer in three sets followed by a second round loss to eight seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets. Next, Cibulková played at the 2016 Hobart International where she was the third seed. She reached the semifinals by beating Johanna Konta, Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell and qualifier Kiki Bertens. In the semifinals, Cibulková lost to Eugenie Bouchard in a three-set match. At the 2016 Australian Open, Cibulková lost in the first round to 28th seed Kristina Mladenovic in two sets thus failing to defend her quarterfinal points from 2015.

In February, she played one match for Slovakia in the Fed Cup tie against Australia. She won her match against Kimberly Birrell, but Slovakia lost to Australia 2–3.

Cibulková reached the final in Acapulco, where she lost to the 2nd seed Sloane Stephens. She later played in Indian Wells, where she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska in the second round, despite leading 5–3 and having a match point in the third set.

Cibulková won the Katowice Open by defeating Camila Giorgi in the final. This was her first WTA title of the season. She then reached the final of the Madrid Open, but was runner-up to Simona Halep.

At the rain-drenched French Open that year, in muddy and heavy conditions, she reached the third round before falling to Carla Suarez Navarro. Cibulková won her first grass-court title at the WTA's Eastbourne International, defeating Karolína Plíšková in the final. She then reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships where she was defeated by Elena Vesnina.

Following early exits in the US Open and the Pan Pacific Open, she reached the final in Wuhan, opposite Petra Kvitová, but finished as runner up. Nevertheless, this strong performance in the tournament, including having to play two matches on the same day at one point, saw her reach a career-high of No. 8 in the rankings.

Cibulková then entered the Generali Ladies Linz, which she won with a straight-sets victory over Viktorija Golubic, earning her third WTA title of the year and seventh overall. It also ensured that she qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore for the first time in her career. After dropping a three-set match to Angelique Kerber, and a second match to Madison Keys, Cibulková defeated Simona Halep in straight sets to advance to the semifinals. She then defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets, advancing to the championship round. She beat world No. 1 Angelique Kerber in straight sets to claim the WTA Finals title in her first appearance at the tournament. She ended the year with four titles and a career-high ranking of world No. 5.

2017
Cibulková reached the third round of the Australian Open, losing to Ekaterina Makarova in three sets. She then reached the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Open, but lost to Yulia Putintseva. She advanced to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open following a three-set victory over Kristýna Plíšková, but lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets. Nevertheless, this result saw her rise to a new career high of No 4 in the WTA rankings. In Miami, she reached the last 16 before losing to Lucie Safarova.

She was due to play in Stuttgart but withdrew at the last minute, citing a wrist injury sustained in practice.

Playing style
In 2014, Steve Tignor of Tennis.com labeled Cibulková "a threat to everyone". In describing her style, he later stated that "any player, from top pros to rank amateurs, can learn a thing or two from how Cibulková approaches the game," citing aggression, positive body language, and a quick pace between points.

Self-described as a player with "a lot of energy", Cibulková employs an aggressive style that is largely founded on speed and power. She is recognized for her exceptional racquet-head speed, which enables her to produce deep groundstrokes with her forehand and powerful shots with her backhand. She is also known for approaching the net and finishing points with swing volleys. Her aggressive shots have been noted for their ability to force errors or produce winners during extended rallies.

When a point ends, Cibulková "refocuses right away," using the pace to pressure opponents or avoid negativity. She typically employs a high ball toss and a hard serve.

On defense, she often attacks second serves with quick forehands, and hits prompt returns while taking the ball on the rise. Occasionally, she will break a prolonged rally by mixing in a drop shot. Her lower-body strength creates quickness around the court, enabling her to reach and return shots.

Singles performance timeline
Current through 2017 French Open