History of Belinda Bencic in Timeline

Belinda Bencic is a Swiss professional tennis player who reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 in February 2020. She has won ten WTA singles titles and two doubles titles. Notably, Bencic won a gold medal in singles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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Full Timeline

1968: Father's Family Emigrates to Switzerland

In 1968, Ivan Benčič's family emigrated to Switzerland to escape the Warsaw Pact invasion by the Soviet Union.

1994: Martina Hingis' Junior Grand Slam Titles

In 1994, Martina Hingis was the first Swiss girl to win a junior Grand Slam singles title, winning the French Open and Wimbledon that year.

1996: Amélie Mauresmo's Feat

In 1996, Amélie Mauresmo won the girls' singles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

March 1997: Belinda Bencic Born

On March 10, 1997, Belinda Bencic was born. She is a Swiss professional tennis player.

1997: Hingis Quarterfinalist

In 1997, Martina Hingis was the youngest quarterfinalist at the US Open.

2004: Family Moves to Wollerau

In 2004, when Bencic was seven years old, her family moved to Wollerau, where Melanie Molitor opened her academy, so that Belinda could train there every day.

2009: Teenager in Top 10

In 2009, Caroline Wozniacki was the most recent teenager in the top 10 of the WTA rankings prior to Bencic in 2016.

2010: ITF Junior Circuit Debut

In 2010, at the age of 13, Belinda Bencic began competing on the ITF Junior Circuit, reaching the final in her debut event at the Grade 5 Luzern Junior Competition in Switzerland.

March 2011: First Professional Tournament

In March 2011, shortly after turning 14, Bencic entered her first professional tournament on the ITF Women's Circuit in Fällanden, Switzerland, reaching the quarterfinals.

2011: Endorsement by Adidas

From 2011, Belinda Bencic was endorsed by Adidas for clothing and footwear.

2012: Fed Cup Debut

In 2012, at the age of 14, Bencic debuted for the Switzerland Fed Cup team, partnering with Amra Sadiković in two doubles matches. They lost to Australia and defeated Belarus.

2012: Junior Achievements

In early 2012, Bencic won two high-level Grade 1 events and debuted in junior Grand Slams, finishing as a doubles runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open.

May 2013: Return to Junior Tour and Winning Streak

In May 2013, Bencic returned to the junior tour, winning her first five tournaments of the year and starting a 39-match win streak in singles.

2013: ITF and WTA Tour Progress

In 2013, Bencic progressed through ITF tiers and won her first WTA main draw match at the Pan Pacific Open against Daria Gavrilova as a wild card. She finished the year ranked No. 184.

2013: Junior Major Singles Titles

In 2013, Bencic, a former junior world No. 1, secured two junior major singles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.

2014: Grand Slam Debut and US Open Quarterfinal

In 2014, Bencic debuted at the Australian Open, reached the US Open quarterfinals (youngest since Hingis in 1997), and finished as runner-up at the Tianjin Open. She was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.

2014: US Open Quarterfinalist

In 2014, Bencic made a breakthrough at the US Open, becoming the youngest quarterfinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997.

2014: First Live Rubbers in Fed Cup

In 2014, Bencic played her first live rubbers in Fed Cup as Switzerland competed in World Group II. She won both of her singles matches against France but Switzerland lost the tie. In the World Group II play-off round two months later, Bencic contributed to a 4-1 win over Brazil.

2015: Endorsement Deal with Yonex

In 2015, Belinda Bencic signed a 'top-to-toe' endorsement deal with Yonex, being supplied with clothing and footwear by the company, along with her racquets.

2015: First Half Struggles and Grass Court Success

In 2015, Bencic struggled in the first half of the year, but then turned her year around with the Rosmalen Championships and Eastbourne International wins. She also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.

2015: First WTA Tour Titles

In 2015, Bencic won her first two WTA Tour titles, including the Canadian Open where she defeated four of the top six players in the world.

June 2016: Return to Top 10

In June 2016, Bencic's performance at the US Open led her back into the top 10 rankings for the first time since June 2016.

2016: Start of Injury Struggles

From 2016, Bencic struggled with injuries, causing her ranking to drop outside the top 300.

2016: Fed Cup Semifinal Appearance

In 2016, Bencic led Switzerland to the Fed Cup first round victory against Germany, winning both singles matches and the decisive doubles rubber. Switzerland made it to the semifinals.

2017: Fed Cup Semifinal Appearance

In 2017, Bencic split her two singles matches as Switzerland advanced past France 4-1 in Fed Cup. She was named to the team for the semifinal round against Belarus, but was dealing with a wrist injury at the time and did not play in any of the live rubbers.

2017: Wrist Surgery and Comeback

In 2017, Bencic underwent wrist surgery, returned in September, won the Neva Cup, and secured three tournament wins in Asia to end the year at No. 74 in the world.

2018: Hopman Cup Victory

In 2018, Belinda Bencic and Roger Federer won the Hopman Cup, winning all nine of their round robin rubbers and defeating the German team of Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev in the final after winning the decisive mixed doubles rubber in straight sets.

2018: Relationship with Martin Hromkovič

In 2018, Belinda Bencic began dating fitness trainer and former Inter Bratislava footballer Martin Hromkovič from Slovakia.

2018: Fed Cup Elimination

In 2018, Switzerland was eliminated from the Fed Cup by the Czech Republic in the first round. Bencic lost both of her singles matches. She was unavailable for the play-off round due to injury.

2018: Coaching Changes and Luxembourg Open Final

In 2018, Vladimír Pláteník coached Belinda Bencic from Wimbledon in July until mid-October, after which her father returned as her main coach. In their first tournament back together, Bencic reached the final at the Luxembourg Open.

2018: Endorsement by Nike

In 2018, upon her return to professional tennis after a long injury layoff, Belinda Bencic became endorsed by Nike for clothing and footwear.

2018: Injury Struggles Continue

Through 2018, Bencic continued to struggle with injuries, causing her ranking to drop outside the top 300.

2019: First Mother to Enter Top 10 Since 2019

Bencic became the first mother to enter top 10 since 2019.

2019: Best Season To Date

In 2019, Bencic had her best season to date, winning the Dubai Championships, reaching the US Open semifinal, qualifying for the WTA Finals, and finishing in the top 10, earning the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award.

February 2020: Career-High Singles Ranking

In February 2020, Belinda Bencic achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 4.

2021: Olympic Gold and Silver Medals

In 2021, Belinda Bencic won the Women's Singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, defeating Markéta Vondroušová in the final. She also won the Olympic silver medal in doubles alongside Viktorija Golubic, becoming only the fifth player to reach two finals at the same Olympic event since tennis returned at the Games in 1988.

2021: Tokyo Olympics Gold Medal

In 2021, Bencic won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and a silver medal in women's doubles.

July 2022: Brand Ambassador for Alpian

In July 2022, Belinda Bencic became a brand ambassador and honorary Chief Inspiration Officer for the Swiss digital private bank, Alpian.

2022: Billie Jean King Cup Victory

In 2022, Bencic and team Switzerland won the Billie Jean King Cup, defeating Canada and Italy in Group A and then the Czech Republic in the semifinal. In the final, Switzerland won both singles matches against Australia to become the 2022 champions.

April 2023: Coaching Split with Dmitry Tursunov

In April 2023, Belinda Bencic's coaching relationship with Russian tennis player Dmitry Tursunov came to an end.

September 2023: Maternity Leave

In September 2023, Bencic started maternity leave from the tour.

2023: Switch to Asics

In 2023, Belinda Bencic switched to Asics for clothing and footwear.

April 2024: Marriage and Birth of Daughter Bella

In April 2024, Belinda Bencic married Martin Hromkovič in St. Gallen, and their daughter Bella was born that same month. She adopted her married surname Hromkovicova in private life.

2024: Return to Tour

In 2024, Bencic returned to the tour after maternity leave.

2026: Switzerland Reached United Cup Final

In 2026, Bencic represented Switzerland at the United Cup, winning her first eight matches in singles and mixed doubles to lead Switzerland to the final. In the final against Poland, she beat Iga Świątek in singles but lost the deciding mixed doubles match. She was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament and returned to the top 10 for the first time since her maternity leave.