Janette Husarova Slovak professional tennis player, doubles specialist Date of Birth: 04.06.1974 Country: Slovakia

1. Biography of Zhanetta Husarova
2. Early Career
3. Transition to WTA Tour
4. Career Highlights
5. Best Year: 2002
6. Later Career

Biography of Zhanetta Husarova

Zhanetta Husarova is a Slovak professional tennis player, specializing in doubles. She has won 25 WTA tournaments and 16 ITF tournaments in doubles. Husarova was a finalist at the US Open and the winner of the WTA Tour Championships in 2002. She was also a member of the Slovakian team that won the Fed Cup in 2002.

Early Career

Husarova began playing in professional tennis tournaments at the age of 16 and mainly participated in ITF tournaments until 1994. Her debut season was particularly successful, winning five ITF doubles tournaments. In the following two years, she reached several finals and won one singles title and three doubles titles. In 1994, she was invited to represent Slovakia in the Fed Cup and played five matches.

Transition to WTA Tour

In 1995, Husarova divided her time between ITF tournaments in singles and more prestigious WTA tournaments in doubles. By 1996, she had mostly transitioned to the WTA Tour and won her first two doubles titles in the summer. However, her next season was derailed by an injury, tearing a ligament in her right leg during the first round of the Australian Open. She was ranked 73rd at the time but had to miss the next seven months and returned to the court in September.

Career Highlights

By 1998, Husarova had fully recovered and returned to the Slovakian team. She won a WTA tournament in Bogota in February and another ITF singles title in Brazil in November. In the following season, she reached two doubles finals and won another ITF singles title. In 2000, she won one of the two finals she reached in Warsaw and was selected to compete in the Olympic Games in Sydney, partnering with Karina Habsudova. However, they were eliminated in the second round by the fifth-seeded pair. Husarova struggled in singles, often having to go through qualifiers and falling in the early rounds, which affected her doubles results. However, in 2001, she improved her ranking and achieved victories against strong opponents. She won four doubles titles, three of them with Tatiana Garbin, and reached the semifinals of the French Open mixed doubles with Petr Pala.

Best Year: 2002

2002 was the best year of Husarova's career. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, defeating the 24th seed along the way and losing to Kim Clijsters, who was ranked fifth at the time. In doubles, she reached the final in Paris and then won two tournaments, including the German Open, a Tier I event. She also helped the Slovakian team win the Fed Cup by securing the decisive doubles victory with Daniela Hantuchova. In the second half of the year, she won three doubles tournaments, including the Kremlin Cup, another Tier I event, and reached the final of the US Open. She partnered with Elena Dementieva and qualified for the WTA Tour Championships, where they won the title. Husarova also played a crucial role in Slovakia's Fed Cup victories over Italy and Spain.

Later Career

In the following years, Husarova focused on doubles and achieved several quarterfinal appearances at Grand Slam tournaments in women's doubles. She also reached the semifinals of the mixed doubles event at the 2003 US Open. In 2005, she won her third Tier I doubles title with Elena Likhovtseva. Towards the end of her professional career, Husarova reduced her participation in singles competitions and focused on exhibitions and club tournaments. She occasionally played in ITF events and made a comeback in 2011, reaching multiple doubles finals and winning three titles. She also reached the semifinals of a WTA tournament in Luxembourg with Simona Halep. In early 2012, Husarova won two more ITF titles with Katalin Marosi and clinched her fourth career WTA title at the Budapest Grand Prix with Magdalena Rybarikova. However, her results declined in the second half of the year, and she struggled to advance beyond the first round in tournaments. Husarova did not fulfill her aspirations of representing Slovakia at the Olympic Games in London. By the end of 2009, she started to wind down her professional career but continued to play in various exhibition and club matches.