Biography | Bonnie Gadusek (born September 11, 1963 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a retired American professional tennis player.
Gadusek started a career in gymnastics, training for the 1980 Olympics, but fell from uneven parallel bars and landed on her neck, dislocating two vertebrae. While recovering from her injuries, she took up tennis as part of her therapy. She played in her first junior tournament wearing a brace. She was named Junior of the Year in 1980 and Player of the Year in 1981 by the Florida Tennis Association. She won the 1981 French Open girls singles championship.
Gadusek played on the WTA Tour from 1981 to 1987. She was named Rookie of the Year in 1982. She won 5 singles and 3 doubles titles before retiring. The right-hander reached her highest career ranking on July 9, 1984, when she became the World No. 8. Her best Grand Slam finish were two quarterfinals at the US Open, in 1982 and 1986. Gadusek had career wins over Billie Jean King, Andrea Jaeger, Sue Barker, Hana Mandlíková, Manuela Maleeva, Wendy Turnbull, Gabriela Sabatini, Dianne Fromholtz, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Helena Suková, Zina Garrison, Mary Joe Fernandez, Sylvia Hanika, Jo Durie, and Rosie Casals. During her career, she was coached by renowned Australian coach Harry Hopman. Gadusek was a member of the 1986 Wightman Cup Team. She helped coach the 1987 Wightman Cup Team. She retired with a 16995 win/loss record. |