Career
Neiland turned professional in 1983. In 1984, Neiland reached the third round of the French Open as a qualifier, which was her best singles result at the French Open. She won her first singles title in Chicago in January 1984, where she only lost a set.
In 1988, Neiland reached her first grand slam doubles final with Natasha Zvereva. They lost 10–12 in the final set to Gabriela Sabatini and Steffi Graf, who, in that same year won all four grand slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal. In 1989, also with Zvereva, Larisa won her first doubles grand slam over Graf and Sabatini in straight sets.
In 1991, Neiland captured the Wimbledon title with Zvereva. In 1992, she lost in the U.S. Open final to Jana Novotná and Helena Suková. She won her first mixed doubles title at Wimbledon, as well, when she and Cyril Suk teamed and won over Dutch duo Jacco Eltingh and Miriam Oremans. That year, she reached the number one doubles ranking. Neiland then reached her next five doubles runner-ups with Novotná. Each and every final played with Novotna was lost, the first being the U.S. Open in 1991 and losing to Pam Shriver and Zvereva.
Her final grand slam doubles final appearance came in 1996 at Wimbledon. Neiland played in 2000 but retired after losing at Wimbledon. She lost in the first round, when she and her partner Lina Krasnoroutskaya lost to Ai Sugiyama and Julie Halard, the eventual runner-ups, in straight sets, 6–4, 6–3.
She currently coaches Svetlana Kuznetsova and is a part of the Russian Fed Cup coaching team.
Read more about this topic: Larisa Neiland
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“He was at a starting point which makes many a man’s career a fine subject for betting, if there were any gentlemen given to that amusement who could appreciate the complicated probabilities of an arduous purpose, with all the possible thwartings and furtherings of circumstance, all the niceties of inward balance, by which a man swings and makes his point or else is carried headlong.”
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