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Amanda CoetzerFormer professional tennis player from South Africa
Date of Birth: 22.10.1971
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Amanda Coetzer: The Little Assassin
Amanda Coetzer, a former professional tennis player from South Africa, began her career in 1988 and retired in 2004. She achieved her first major title in 1993 in Melbourne and her second in Tokyo, both in the same year. Coetzer broke into the top 20 world rankings in 1992 and remained there for the majority of the next 10 years. She gained a reputation for regularly defeating players with higher rankings, earning her the nickname "The Little Assassin" due to her small stature and ruthless victories. Amanda was born on October 22, 1971, in Hoopstad, South Africa. She started playing tennis at the age of 6 and spent most of her sporting career living in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where she trained under Gavin Hopper. Amanda married Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan. She stands at just 158 cm tall and weighs 54 kg, with a right-handed playing style and a two-handed backhand. Coetzer earned a total of $5,594,821 in prize money throughout her career.
Notable Victories
In the 1995 Canadian Open, Coetzer defeated three higher-ranked players, including Steffi Graf, the world's number one, Jana Novotná, and Mary Pierce, before falling to Monica Seles in the final. Her victory over Graf ended the German's winning streak of 32 matches. In the 1996 Australian Open, Coetzer became the first South African female tennis player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. She was defeated by German player Anke Huber in the semifinals. Coetzer's best season came in 1997 when she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year and defeated Steffi Graf in the fourth round. She then secured another victory over Graf in the quarterfinals in Berlin, with a humiliating score of 6-0, 6-1 in just 56 minutes. Coetzer also triumphed over Graf in the quarterfinals of the French Open, making her one of six players to defeat Graf three times in a year. This victory also placed her among the four players who defeated the legendary German more than once in Grand Slam tournaments. Coetzer lost in the French Open semifinals to the eventual champion, Iva Majoli. Later in the same year, she defeated Martina Hingis, who was ranked fourth in the world at the age of 16, in Leipzig. In that year, Coetzer won two singles titles in Budapest and Luxembourg.
Career Highlights
In 1998, Coetzer claimed her biggest career title by winning the Family Circle Cup in Hilton Head, defeating Irina Spirlea in the final. In 1999, she became the only player to defeat Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, and Lindsay Davenport while they held the top spot in the world rankings. In 2000, Coetzer partnered with Wayne Ferreira to win the Hopman Cup for South Africa in Perth, Australia. She also represented South Africa in the Fed Cup for six years and competed in the Olympic Games three times. In 2002, Coetzer received an invitation from the Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association to participate in the Hong Kong Ladies Challenge.
Retirement
Throughout her career, Coetzer won nine singles titles and nine doubles titles. Her final singles victory came in Acapulco in 2003. After retiring from professional tennis, she has remained involved in the sport as a coach and mentor to young players.
