At the start of the year, the Billie Jean Cup took place in São Paulo. The tennis team event sold out tickets and the Ibirapuera arena witnessed a packed house, with everyone excited to see the Brazilians playing in their hometown.
Since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, tennis has been gaining more and more attention in Brazil. The Olympic bronze medal in women’s doubles and Bia Haddad’s recent titles has boosted the popularity nationwide.
With the growing passion for the sport, it’s important to recognize not only the present stars of Brazilian women’s tennis, but also the past legends and rising talents we have. Thinking about that, here is a list of eight tennis players you need to know more about!
1. Maria Esther Bueno
In 1958, before the Open Era began, Maria Esther Bueno became not only the first Brazilian, but also the first south-american, player to lift a Grand Slam trophy after winning her Wimbledon doubles title. In 1960, she achieved another major accomplishment by winning all four majors doubles titles in the same year.
Throughout her career, she reached the finals of all grand slams and became a 3-time Wimbledon singles champion and a 4-time US Open singles champion. Including her doubles titles, Maria is a 19-time Grand Slam Champion.
2. Patrícia Medrado
Between 1974 and 1985, Patrícia Medrado was Brazil’s top player, achieving a career-high ranking of 48th in the world. At the 1975 Pan American Games, she won the silver medal for Brazil. In doubles, she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1982 and was ranked 9th in the world in 1987.
Beyond the tennis courts, she was also an advocate in the fight for equal pay between men and women. In 1980, she promoted a boycott in the Brazilian Championship when she discovered the men’s winner would receive 5 times more than the women’s champion.
3. Bia Haddad Maia
Beatriz Haddad Maia is currently the highest-ranked latina on the WTA tour, being inside the Top-20. During the summer olympics earlier this year, Bia equalled Brazil’s best result in women’s singles and reached the second round of the tournament. In September, Bia became the first Brazilian to make the US Open quarterfinals since Maria Esther Bueno.
During 2024, Bia had some major highlights, but her biggest achievement was in 2023, when she defeated Ons Jabeur and secured a spot in the semifinal of Roland Garros. Following this career milestone, she broke into the Top-10, the first Brazilian female to do so since the open era ranking system was established in 1975. Throughout her career, she has also reached the final of a WTA 1000 event, the second highest-level tournament on tour, and won a WTA 500 title and two WTA 250 trophies.
4. Laura Pigossi
In Tokyo 2020, Laura Pigossi won Brazil’s first-ever Olympic medal in tennis, marking her name in the history of the sport. She played women’s double with Luisa Stefani and they got a last minute entry for the championship, but it’s safe to say it ended up better than anyone expected. In 2023, Laura teamed up with Luisa again and the duo won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago.
5. Luisa Stefani
The first Brazilian woman to be ranked inside the WTA top 10 in doubles, Luisa Stafani is an olympic medalist, a pan american gold medalist, a Grand Slam champion and WTA 1000 winner. In 2023, she won the Australian Open when she partnered with Rafael Matos in the mixed doubles, making her the first brazilian woman to win a grand slam since Maria Esther Bueno. Stafani also has three WTA 1000 titles with different partnerships.
6. Carolina Meligeni
If her last name sounds familiar to you, it’s because she is the niece of Fernando Meligeni, former top-20 tennis player, and sister to Felipe Meligeni. Since 2016, Carol has represented Brazil in the Billie Jean King Cup several times, being an important player for the team. Currently, she is focused on improving her rankings to be able to play the qualifying of grand slams again.
7 & 8. Future Stars: Victoria Barros and Naná Silva
Victoria Barros is only 14 years old, but she is already considered a future star in tennis. If she keeps on the right track, she might be. Earlier this year, she was training with the Billie Jean King Cup team in April, learning from the more experienced girls
In 2023, she moved out of Brazil to live in France in order to play in Patrick Mouratoglou‘s academy. The former coach of Serena Williams has given high praise to the girl on social media.
Naná Silva is a young talent to keep an eye on. At just 14 years old, she is currently the youngest player in the WTA rankings after she earned her first points. Just like Victoria, she was also with the BJK Cup team earlier this year. In April, she was the champion of the Roland-Garros Junior Series, a tournament that grants the winner a wildcard for the Roland-Garros Junior Grand Slam.
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The article above was edited by Fernanda Miki Tsukase.
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