Kristina Mladenovic

Kristina Mladenovic Bio

Kristina “Kiki” Mladenovic (born 14 May 1993) is a French professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in doubles. Her career-high singles ranking is world No. 10, achieved in October 2017. She is a nine-time Grand Slam champion, recognized for both her women’s doubles and mixed doubles success on the WTA Tour. Mladenovic has won 30 career doubles titles, including two WTA Finals crowns, and has also captured one WTA singles title.

Standing 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) tall and playing right-handed with a two-handed backhand, Mladenovic is known for her powerful serve, aggressive forehand, and increasingly confident net game. She represents France in international team competition and has been a key contributor to the country’s Fed Cup and Billie Jean King Cup efforts. Off the court, she is sponsored by Adidas for apparel and Wilson for rackets.

Early Life and Background

Kristina Mladenovic was born on 14 May 1993 in Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, in the Nord department of France. Her father, Dragan Mladenović, is a former Serbian and Yugoslav handball player, and her mother, Dženita Helić, is a Serbian former volleyball player. The family moved to France in 1992 when Dragan was signed by Dunkerque HGL, and all members later became French citizens. Mladenovic has a brother named Luka, and the household’s strong sporting tradition helped shape her early athletic development.

Growing up in northern France, Mladenovic was introduced to tennis at a young age and quickly demonstrated an aptitude for the sport. Her height and natural power became advantages as she progressed through age-group competition, and by her early teens she was already competing in high-level junior events across Europe. The combination of supportive parents with international sporting backgrounds and her own physical gifts laid a strong foundation for her professional career.

Path to Tennis

Mladenovic began playing junior tournaments in May 2006, and her talent surfaced quickly. In 2007, she won the European Under-14 singles championship, signaling her potential on the international stage. Her biggest junior triumph came at the 2009 French Open girls’ singles, where she defeated Daria Gavrilova of Russia in straight sets in the final. She also reached both the singles and doubles finals at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, and on 8 June 2009 she attained the world No. 1 junior ranking.

While still a teenager, Mladenovic started competing on the ITF Women’s Circuit in September 2007. She made her WTA Tour debut attempt at Open Gaz de France and turned professional in 2009, receiving a wildcard into the Australian Open, where she faced 14th seed Patty Schnyder. In 2011, she captured her first senior titles at $25k events in Sutton and Stockholm, and partnered Nicolas Mahut at the Hopman Cup, giving her valuable experience at the WTA level and on the international team stage.

Kristina Mladenovic Career

Early Career (2009–2011)

Mladenovic’s earliest WTA Tour experiences were a mix of challenges and breakthroughs. After her Australian Open debut in 2009, she qualified for the Prague Open and continued to gain exposure to higher-level competition. Her first WTA Tour-level singles win came at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, where she rallied from 2–5 in the final set to beat Stefanie Vögele in a tiebreak, a result that announced her competitive temperament on the professional circuit.

In 2011, she represented France at the Hopman Cup alongside Nicolas Mahut, posting wins over Francesca Schiavone and Laura Robson in singles. She also lifted her first senior titles at back-to-back $25k events in Sutton and Stockholm, defeating Mona Barthel and Arantxa Rus in the respective finals. These results helped her build confidence and ranking points heading into the next phase of her career.

WTA Tour Breakthrough (2012–2015)

The 2012 season marked Mladenovic’s first significant breakthrough on the WTA Tour. She claimed her first WTA doubles title at the Rogers Cup in Montreal with Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and reached her first WTA Tour singles semifinal at the Bell Classic in Québec, results that pushed her into the top 100 of the WTA rankings. She also won the first-ever WTA 125 event, the Taipei Ladies Open, claiming both the singles and doubles crowns.

In 2013, Mladenovic won her first Grand Slam title, capturing the mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Daniel Nestor. The following year, she and Nestor lifted the mixed doubles trophy at the Australian Open, and she reached her first Grand Slam women’s doubles final at Wimbledon with Tímea Babos. By 2015, she had broken into the WTA top 50 in singles, reached her first WTA Tour singles final at Strasbourg, and advanced to her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal at the US Open, where she lost to eventual finalist Roberta Vinci. These years established her as a versatile, doubles-minded threat while she continued developing her singles game.

Doubles Dominance and Mixed Doubles Success (2016–2019)

The 2016 season brought Mladenovic her first Grand Slam women’s doubles title, as she and Caroline Garcia won the French Open, becoming the first all-French pair to win the Roland Garros women’s doubles title since Gail Chanfreau and Françoise Dürr in 1971. She and Garcia were named the doubles ITF World Champions of 2016 and earned the WTA Award for Best Doubles Team of the Year, finishing the season tied at No. 2 in the WTA doubles rankings.

In singles, Mladenovic won her first WTA Tour title at the 2017 St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy, defeating Yulia Putintseva in the final and becoming the first French woman to win a WTA Premier singles title since Marion Bartoli in 2011. She reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 10 in October 2017. She added a second women’s doubles Grand Slam title at the 2018 Australian Open with Tímea Babos, and in 2019 she and Babos won the French Open, a result that lifted Mladenovic to the world No. 1 doubles ranking for the first time. She also helped France win the 2019 Fed Cup, going undefeated in the final against Australia with wins over Ajla Tomljanović, Ashleigh Barty, and a decisive doubles victory alongside Garcia.

Continued Success and Recent Seasons (2020–2024)

Mladenovic and Babos added two more Grand Slam women’s doubles titles in 2020, winning the Australian Open and the French Open. In 2021, she reached the Italian Open doubles final with Markéta Vondroušová, a result that returned her to the world No. 1 doubles ranking, though she ended her season early citing physical and mental struggles.

In 2022, Mladenovic won the Australian Open mixed doubles with Ivan Dodig for her eighth Grand Slam title, and she and Caroline Garcia won her fourth French Open women’s doubles title. She added two more doubles titles that year, at the Jasmin Open with Kateřina Siniaková and the Korea Open with Yanina Wickmayer. In 2023 and 2024, she received singles wildcards at the French Open and reached her third US Open women’s doubles final in 2024 with Zhang Shuai, falling to Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko. She also won the 2024 Cali Open WTA 125 doubles title with Veronika Erjavec, continuing to add to her trophy collection.

Driving Style and Strengths

Mladenovic plays an all-court game built around her powerful forehand, solid two-handed backhand, and a serve that regularly produces aces thanks to her 1.84 m frame and a first serve that can reach 116 mph. Her doubles success has sharpened her net game, and she now approaches more frequently in singles, using volleys, slices, and drop shots to vary the pace of rallies. Her movement is strong for her height, though her second serve and mental composure under pressure remain areas of vulnerability.

Notable Events and Milestones

Among her signature achievements, Mladenovic’s 2016 French Open doubles title with Caroline Garcia ended a 45-year wait for an all-French women’s doubles champion at Roland Garros. Her 2017 St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy victory marked her first WTA Tour singles title, and her run to world No. 1 in doubles in June 2019 represented the peak of her doubles career. She has also been a key contributor to France’s 2017 Hopman Cup and 2019 Fed Cup title-winning teams.

Kristina Mladenovic Career Wins

Across her career, Kristina Mladenovic has built a strong and varied trophy cabinet, anchored by her doubles success. She has captured 30 career WTA doubles titles, including nine Grand Slam titles across women’s and mixed doubles, and has added three mixed doubles Grand Slams. In singles, she has lifted one WTA Tour title and reached seven further finals, with a career-high ranking of world No. 10.

Grand Slam and WTA Highlights

Mladenovic’s most celebrated Grand Slam moment came at the 2016 French Open, where she and Caroline Garcia became the first all-French pair to win the women’s doubles title since 1971. She added further major doubles crowns with Tímea Babos at the 2018 and 2020 Australian Opens and the 2019 and 2020 French Opens, and reclaimed the French Open doubles title with Garcia in 2022. In mixed doubles, she won Wimbledon 2013 and the Australian Open in 2014 and 2022 with partners Daniel Nestor and Ivan Dodig, respectively.

Her most recent Grand Slam title came at the 2022 Australian Open mixed doubles. She has reached the WTA Finals doubles final on multiple occasions, winning the season-ending championship in 2018 and 2019. Her career doubles record stands at 470–209, while in singles she holds a 447–432 record and reached a career-high No. 10 in October 2017.

Other Wins and Performances

Beyond her Grand Slam success, Mladenovic has won WTA 1000-level doubles titles and lifted trophies at regular WTA events, including the Jasmin Open and Korea Open in 2022 and the 2024 Cali Open WTA 125. She helped France win the Hopman Cup in 2017 alongside Richard Gasquet and was part of the French team that captured the 2019 Fed Cup, winning all three of her rubbers in the final against Australia, including a victory over world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty.

Kristina Mladenovic Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Mladenovic was raised in a deeply athletic household shaped by her parents’ achievements in team sports. Her father, Dragan Mladenović, played handball at a high level for Serbia and Yugoslavia, while her mother, Dženita Helić, was a Serbian volleyball player. The family relocated from Serbia to northern France in 1992, eventually settling in Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, where Kristina was born the following year.

Personal Life

Mladenovic has a brother named Luka. She dated Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem from the middle of 2017 until the couple split in November 2019. She is currently based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where she trains and lives while competing on the WTA Tour.

2025 Season Performance

Heading into the 2025 season, Kristina Mladenovic continues to focus on the doubles circuit, where her experience and net skills remain valuable assets. As a former world No. 1 in doubles and a nine-time Grand Slam champion across women’s and mixed doubles, she is expected to be a threat at the major events, particularly on clay at the French Open, where she has enjoyed her most consistent success. Her partnership selections and tournament scheduling will be key factors in her push to return to the upper tier of the doubles rankings.

With 30 career doubles titles already to her name and a continued presence in the WTA’s doubles elite, Mladenovic’s goals in 2025 likely include adding to her Grand Slam tally and pushing back toward the top 10 in doubles. Her experience in high-pressure team events, highlighted by her 2019 Fed Cup heroics, also positions her as a key figure in France’s Billie Jean King Cup campaign for the year.

While her singles ranking has been a lower priority in recent seasons, Mladenovic remains a dangerous opponent in any format. Her combination of height, serve power, and doubles expertise means she can be a difference-maker in mixed doubles and team competitions, areas where her career achievements continue to grow with each passing season.