decision released into space, still awaiting its answer.
Kristina Mladenovic – Overview
Kristina “Kiki” Mladenovic (born 14 May 1993 in Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, France) is a French professional tennis player, former world No. 10 in singles and former world No. 1 in doubles. One of the outstanding doubles players of her generation, she has won seven Grand Slam women's doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed-doubles titles. In singles she won the 2017 St. Petersburg title, reached the quarterfinals of both the US Open and Roland Garros and contested the 2017 Madrid final. Her career is notable for its unusual breadth: elite singles tennis, world No. 1 doubles, major championships with several partners, and major contributions to France's 2019 Fed Cup victory. In 2026 she returned emphatically to the highest level of doubles, winning Wimbledon with Guo Hanyu.
Early Life
Mladenovic was born in northern France into a family with a strong sporting background. Her father Dragan Mladenović was an international handball player and Olympic gold medalist with Yugoslavia, while her mother Dženita was a professional volleyball player.
Her parents had moved to France because of her father's handball career. Kristina consequently grew up in France and represents France internationally while retaining strong Serbian family roots.
Family
Mladenovic has a younger brother, Luka, who played football and later became involved in her tennis career. Luka has also worked as part of her coaching team.
The competitive sporting environment within the family had a substantial influence on Mladenovic's development and approach to professional athletics.
Beginning Tennis
Mladenovic began playing tennis at approximately seven or eight years of age after being introduced to the sport by her parents.
She developed through the French tennis system and soon emerged as one of the country's most promising junior players.
Junior Career
Mladenovic enjoyed an outstanding junior career and reached world No. 1 in the ITF junior rankings in June 2009.
Her combination of height, serving power, athleticism and all-court ability distinguished her from many contemporaries and suggested considerable potential in both singles and doubles.
Roland Garros Junior Champion – 2009
Mladenovic won the girls' singles title at Roland Garros in 2009 without dropping a set.
Winning her home junior Grand Slam was the defining achievement of her junior career and confirmed her position among the leading young players in world tennis.
Junior Wimbledon – 2009
Only weeks after winning Roland Garros, Mladenovic reached the girls' singles final at Wimbledon.
She finished runner-up to Noppawan Lertcheewakarn but ended the season established among the strongest juniors of her generation.
Professional Beginnings
Mladenovic began competing in professional events while still playing junior tournaments. She received opportunities at French WTA and Grand Slam events at a young age and gradually built her ranking through the ITF circuit.
Her early development was relatively gradual rather than an immediate transition from junior champion to WTA star.
First ITF Titles
Mladenovic won her first ITF singles titles in 2011, including championships in Sutton, Stockholm, Padova and Ankara.
These results pushed her toward the WTA Top 100 and enabled her to move increasingly from ITF tournaments into regular tour competition.
Top-100 Breakthrough
Mladenovic established herself inside the WTA Top 100 during 2012. She finished that season ranked world No. 76 in singles.
At the same time her doubles career was developing even more rapidly, foreshadowing the discipline in which she would eventually become world No. 1.
Taipei WTA 125 Champion – 2012
Mladenovic won the WTA 125 tournament in Taipei in 2012, one of the first important singles championships of her senior career.
The title helped establish her as a player capable of moving beyond ITF competition and succeeding immediately below the main WTA Tour level.
Grand Slam Singles Breakthrough
Mladenovic began recording Grand Slam main-draw victories regularly during the early 2010s. Her aggressive style was particularly effective when her first serve and forehand allowed her to control short points.
Unlike many singles specialists, she simultaneously maintained an extensive doubles schedule.
Rise in Doubles
Mladenovic's doubles ability became apparent very early. Her height, serve, reach, reflexes and natural comfort around the net made her particularly suited to the discipline.
She entered the doubles Top 20 during the early part of her career and soon began winning major WTA tournaments.
Mixed Doubles Breakthrough
Mixed doubles provided Mladenovic with her first senior Grand Slam championship.
Partnering Canadian doubles specialist Daniel Nestor, she became one of the strongest mixed-doubles players on the major circuit.
Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Champion – 2013
Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor won the Wimbledon mixed-doubles championship in 2013.
It was Mladenovic's first senior Grand Slam title and demonstrated the exceptional effectiveness of her serve-and-net game in doubles.
Roland Garros Mixed Doubles Final – 2013
Mladenovic and Nestor also reached the mixed-doubles final at Roland Garros in 2013.
They finished runner-up, narrowly missing the opportunity to win consecutive major championships.
Australian Open Mixed Doubles Champion – 2014
Mladenovic and Nestor won another major mixed-doubles title at the 2014 Australian Open.
The victory gave Mladenovic two mixed-doubles Grand Slam championships before her twenty-first birthday.
Australian Open Mixed Doubles Final – 2015
Mladenovic and Nestor returned to the Australian Open mixed-doubles final in 2015.
They finished runner-up, giving Mladenovic another major final in a partnership that formed an important part of her early Grand Slam success.
Strasbourg Singles Final – 2015
Mladenovic reached her first WTA singles final at Strasbourg in 2015.
She lost the championship match to Samantha Stosur but the result represented an important breakthrough immediately before Roland Garros.
US Open Quarterfinal – 2015
Mladenovic produced her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal at the 2015 US Open.
Her run included victories over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ekaterina Makarova before Roberta Vinci defeated her in three sets in the quarterfinals.
Singles Top 30
The strong 2015 season carried Mladenovic into the world's Top 30. She finished the year ranked No. 29.
At this stage she was simultaneously a leading singles player and an established elite doubles competitor.
Partnership with Caroline Garcia
Mladenovic formed an outstanding all-French doubles partnership with Caroline Garcia. Their complementary strengths produced one of the most successful teams of the middle 2010s.
The partnership was particularly significant because both women were also important members of the French national team.
Roland Garros Doubles Champion – 2016
Mladenovic and Garcia won the 2016 Roland Garros women's doubles championship.
They defeated Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final, giving Mladenovic her first women's doubles Grand Slam title.
French Home Champions
The 2016 Roland Garros title had special significance because two French players captured their home Grand Slam together.
Mladenovic had already won the junior singles title in Paris seven years earlier, making Roland Garros particularly important throughout her career.
French Open Partnership Success
Mladenovic and Garcia won several major tournaments during 2016 and finished the season among the world's leading doubles teams.
Their success carried Mladenovic to a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 2 during the season.
2016 Fed Cup Final
Mladenovic played a central role as France reached the 2016 Fed Cup final against the Czech Republic.
She contested an extraordinary singles match against Karolína Plíšková lasting nearly four hours, eventually losing 16–14 in the deciding set.
The Czech Republic ultimately won the tie 3–2.
Singles Progress – 2016
Mladenovic reached WTA singles finals at 's-Hertogenbosch and Hong Kong during 2016.
Although she was still seeking her first tour-level singles championship, she had established herself as a regular Top-50 player.
Hopman Cup Champion – 2017
Mladenovic began 2017 by representing France alongside Richard Gasquet at the Hopman Cup in Perth.
The French pair won the championship, defeating the United States in the final.
St. Petersburg Champion – 2017
Mladenovic won the first and only WTA Tour singles title of her career at St. Petersburg in February 2017.
She defeated Yulia Putintseva in the final after an impressive tournament that included victories over several strong opponents.
Acapulco Final – 2017
Only weeks after her St. Petersburg championship, Mladenovic reached another singles final in Acapulco.
Lesia Tsurenko defeated her in the championship match, but Mladenovic's ranking continued to rise.
Stuttgart Final – 2017
Mladenovic produced another outstanding tournament at Stuttgart in April 2017.
Her run included a victory over Maria Sharapova in the semifinal before Laura Siegemund defeated her in a dramatic three-set final.
Madrid Final – 2017
Mladenovic reached the largest singles final of her career at the 2017 Madrid Open.
She defeated players including Lauren Davis, Océane Dodin and Svetlana Kuznetsova before facing Simona Halep in the final.
Halep prevailed in three sets, but the result established Mladenovic among the leading players of the season.
Roland Garros Quarterfinal – 2017
Mladenovic arrived at Roland Garros in 2017 as one of the leading contenders.
Supported by an enthusiastic home crowd, she reached the singles quarterfinals before losing to Timea Bacsinszky.
Grand Slam Quarterfinals
Mladenovic's best Grand Slam singles results are two quarterfinal appearances:
US Open – 2015
Roland Garros – 2017
She never advanced to a Grand Slam singles semifinal.
Career-High Singles Ranking
Mladenovic reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 10 on 23 October 2017.
The achievement made her one of the leading French women's players of the period.
Difficult End to 2017
After an exceptional first half of 2017, Mladenovic suffered a dramatic loss of form during the second half of the season.
She endured a long sequence of consecutive defeats stretching from the summer into early 2018.
2018 Singles Recovery
Mladenovic ended her losing streak early in 2018 and returned to the St. Petersburg final.
She was unable to defend her championship, losing the final to Petra Kvitová, but the result showed that her singles game remained capable of producing high-level performances.
Partnership with Tímea Babos
Mladenovic formed an exceptionally successful doubles partnership with Hungarian Tímea Babos.
The pair combined powerful serving and baseline play with strong net instincts and became one of the dominant women's doubles teams of the late 2010s.
Australian Open Doubles Champion – 2018
Mladenovic and Babos won the 2018 Australian Open women's doubles championship.
They defeated Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final, giving Mladenovic her second women's doubles major.
WTA Finals Doubles Champion – 2018
Babos and Mladenovic concluded 2018 by winning the season-ending WTA Finals doubles championship.
The title confirmed their position among the world's leading teams.
Australian Open Doubles Final – 2019
Babos and Mladenovic returned to the Australian Open final in 2019 but finished runner-up.
The defeat was followed by another exceptional season that would ultimately carry Mladenovic to world No. 1.
Roland Garros Doubles Champion – 2019
Mladenovic and Babos won Roland Garros in 2019.
The championship was Mladenovic's third women's doubles Grand Slam title and her second at her home major.
Doubles World No. 1
Mladenovic became world No. 1 in doubles for the first time on 10 June 2019.
Reaching the top ranking represented the culmination of several years as one of the most accomplished doubles players on the tour.
WTA Finals Doubles Champion – 2019
Babos and Mladenovic successfully defended their WTA Finals championship in 2019.
They finished the season as the leading doubles team and were recognized by the ITF as women's doubles World Champions.
Fed Cup Champion – 2019
Mladenovic played a decisive role in France's victory over Australia in the 2019 Fed Cup final in Perth.
She produced one of the finest weekends of her career, winning both of her singles matches and contributing to the decisive doubles victory.
Victory over Ashleigh Barty
One of Mladenovic's most important national-team performances came against world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the 2019 Fed Cup final.
Mladenovic defeated Barty in three sets, keeping France alive in the tie and producing one of the signature singles victories of her career.
Decisive Fed Cup Doubles Match
With the 2019 final tied 2–2, Mladenovic partnered Caroline Garcia in the deciding doubles match.
The French pair defeated Ashleigh Barty and Samantha Stosur, securing France's first Fed Cup championship since 2003.
Australian Open Doubles Champion – 2020
Babos and Mladenovic won the 2020 Australian Open women's doubles championship.
They defeated Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strýcová in the final without dropping a set.
Roland Garros Doubles Champion – 2020
Later in 2020, Babos and Mladenovic won Roland Garros together for the second consecutive edition.
They defeated Alexa Guarachi and Desirae Krawczyk in the final, giving Mladenovic her fifth women's doubles Grand Slam championship.
Dominant Babos-Mladenovic Partnership
Between 2018 and 2020, Babos and Mladenovic won four Grand Slam women's doubles titles and two WTA Finals championships together.
The partnership represents the most sustained period of elite doubles success in Mladenovic's career.
2021 Season
Mladenovic's singles ranking declined during 2021, although she remained capable of strong individual tournament results.
She reached quarterfinals in Lyon, Nottingham, Chicago and Portorož and finished the season ranked world No. 92.
Return with Caroline Garcia
Mladenovic reunited with Caroline Garcia for selected doubles tournaments, most significantly at Roland Garros in 2022.
The reunion produced another major championship six years after their first triumph together.
Roland Garros Doubles Champion – 2022
Garcia and Mladenovic won the 2022 Roland Garros women's doubles title.
They defeated Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the final, giving Mladenovic her sixth women's doubles Grand Slam championship.
Australian Open Mixed Doubles Champion – 2022
Mladenovic partnered Croatia's Ivan Dodig to win the 2022 Australian Open mixed-doubles title.
It was her third mixed-doubles major, following Wimbledon 2013 and the Australian Open in 2014.
Nine Grand Slam Titles by 2022
By the end of 2022 Mladenovic had accumulated nine senior Grand Slam championships: six in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles.
This record placed her among the most decorated active doubles players of her generation.
Singles Decline
After reaching world No. 10 in 2017, Mladenovic's singles ranking gradually declined. She finished 2018 at No. 44, 2019 at No. 40, 2020 at No. 49, 2021 at No. 92 and 2022 at No. 112.
From 2023 onward her singles schedule increasingly shifted toward ITF and WTA 125 competition.
2022 ITF Singles Titles
Mladenovic won two ITF singles championships during 2022.
The victories represented her first singles titles of any kind since her 2017 WTA championship in St. Petersburg.
2023 Season
Mladenovic reached two ITF singles finals during 2023, at W40 Porto and W60 Trnava.
Her singles ranking nevertheless fell outside the Top 200 by the end of the season.
2024 Singles Season
Mladenovic's strongest singles result of 2024 came at the WTA 125 tournament in Oeiras, where she reached the semifinals.
She finished the year ranked world No. 199.
2024 Doubles
Doubles remained considerably more successful than singles. Mladenovic won the Cali WTA 125 doubles championship and reached additional finals in Oeiras and Colina.
She ended 2024 ranked No. 26 in doubles.
2025 Season and Injury
Mladenovic's 2025 season was disrupted by physical problems and a substantially reduced schedule. Her singles ranking dropped sharply, while her doubles activity was also interrupted.
The setback made her subsequent 2026 return to major-championship success particularly notable.
2026 Comeback
Mladenovic returned to a full and highly successful doubles schedule in 2026. Partnering China's Guo Hanyu, she rapidly re-established herself among the strongest doubles players in the world.
The pair won Auckland early in the season and developed into one of the leading partnerships of the year.
Australian Open Mixed Doubles Final – 2026
Mladenovic partnered fellow French player Manuel Guinard in mixed doubles at the 2026 Australian Open.
They reached the final before losing a close championship match to defending champions Olivia Gadecki and John Peers 4–6, 6–3, 10–8.
Wimbledon Doubles Champion – 2026
Mladenovic and Guo Hanyu produced the major highlight of Mladenovic's 2026 comeback at Wimbledon.
They defeated Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani 6–3, 7–5 in the final to capture the women's doubles championship.
First Wimbledon Women's Doubles Title
The 2026 championship was particularly significant because it was Mladenovic's first Wimbledon title in women's doubles.
She had already won Wimbledon mixed doubles in 2013, meaning her two Wimbledon championships arrived thirteen years apart.
Seventh Women's Doubles Major
The Wimbledon victory gave Mladenovic her seventh Grand Slam women's doubles championship.
Her women's doubles major titles now span a decade, from Roland Garros 2016 through Wimbledon 2026.
Tenth Senior Grand Slam Title
Combining women's doubles and mixed doubles, Wimbledon 2026 represented the tenth senior Grand Slam championship of Mladenovic's career.
Her total consists of seven women's doubles titles and three mixed-doubles titles.
2026 Doubles Ranking
Mladenovic returned close to the doubles Top 10 during 2026. In August she is ranked approximately world No. 11, having begun the season much lower following her injury-affected 2025 campaign.
Her Wimbledon championship provided a major portion of that ranking recovery.
2026 Singles Status
Singles has become a secondary part of Mladenovic's career. Her ranking during 2026 has been outside the Top 800, compared with a career high of No. 10.
Her current competitive focus is therefore overwhelmingly on doubles rather than attempting a return to elite singles competition.
Grand Slam Women's Doubles Titles
Roland Garros – 2016, with Caroline Garcia
Australian Open – 2018, with Tímea Babos
Roland Garros – 2019, with Tímea Babos
Australian Open – 2020, with Tímea Babos
Roland Garros – 2020, with Tímea Babos
Roland Garros – 2022, with Caroline Garcia
Wimbledon – 2026, with Guo Hanyu
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Titles
Wimbledon – 2013, with Daniel Nestor
Australian Open – 2014, with Daniel Nestor
Australian Open – 2022, with Ivan Dodig
Other Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Finals
Mladenovic also finished runner-up in mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2013, the Australian Open in 2015 and the Australian Open in 2026.
Her mixed-doubles record therefore extends across more than thirteen years of major competition.
Grand Slam Singles Record
Mladenovic's best singles results at the four majors are:
Australian Open – Third round (2016, 2021)
Roland Garros – Quarterfinal (2017)
Wimbledon – Third round (2015, 2018)
US Open – Quarterfinal (2015)
US Open 2015
The 2015 US Open was Mladenovic's first major singles breakthrough. She reached the quarterfinals and demonstrated that her aggressive first-strike game could be highly effective on faster hard courts.
She finished the tournament with her reputation substantially enhanced and soon established herself firmly within the Top 30.
Roland Garros 2017
Mladenovic's quarterfinal run at Roland Garros in 2017 was the high point of her singles career at her home major.
The emotionally intense tournament was played before strongly supportive French crowds and occurred during the finest singles season of her career.
WTA Singles Title
Mladenovic won one WTA Tour singles championship:
St. Petersburg – 2017
She additionally reached seven other WTA singles finals.
WTA Singles Finals
Mladenovic's principal WTA singles finals include Strasbourg in 2015; 's-Hertogenbosch and Hong Kong in 2016; St. Petersburg, Acapulco, Stuttgart and Madrid in 2017; and St. Petersburg again in 2018.
Her record in WTA singles finals is one championship and seven runner-up finishes.
WTA 1000 Singles Career
Mladenovic's finest WTA 1000 singles performance was reaching the Madrid final in 2017.
Across her career she recorded approximately forty match victories at tournaments now classified as WTA 1000 events.
Doubles Titles
Mladenovic has won more than thirty WTA Tour doubles championships with a variety of partners.
Her success extends from ordinary tour events through WTA 1000 tournaments, the WTA Finals and Grand Slam championships.
WTA Finals Doubles
Mladenovic won consecutive WTA Finals doubles championships with Tímea Babos in 2018 and 2019.
Those titles formed part of the partnership's period of dominance and helped establish both women among the premier doubles specialists of their generation.
Playing Style
Mladenovic is a right-handed player with a two-handed backhand. At 1.84 m (6 ft), she possesses the height and reach required for an effective first serve and commanding net play.
Her tennis is more varied than that of a conventional modern baseliner, incorporating slices, drop shots, volleys and frequent changes of pace.
Serve
The first serve is one of Mladenovic's principal weapons. Her height enables her to generate both pace and angle, producing aces and short returns that can be attacked immediately.
At her singles peak, strong serving performances were essential to her victories over elite opponents.
Second Serve
The second serve has also been one of the more vulnerable areas of Mladenovic's singles game.
Periods of double faults and loss of confidence on serve contributed significantly to the extreme fluctuations in form that characterized portions of her singles career.
Forehand
Mladenovic's forehand is capable of substantial power and is particularly effective when she has time to establish an attacking position.
She can use the stroke both to finish points from the baseline and to create opportunities to move forward.
Backhand
Her two-handed backhand is generally more compact than her forehand and provides stability during baseline exchanges.
Mladenovic also possesses an effective backhand slice, allowing her to change rhythm and keep the ball low on grass and faster surfaces.
Net Game
Net play is one of Mladenovic's greatest strengths and a major reason for her extraordinary doubles success.
She combines reach with soft hands, quick reactions and an instinctive understanding of positioning. These qualities distinguish her from players who approach doubles primarily as an extension of baseline singles tennis.
Return Game
Mladenovic's return can be highly aggressive, particularly against second serves. In doubles she frequently uses the return to create immediate pressure for her partner at the net.
Her return performances have contributed to victories over many of the strongest serving players of her era.
Grass-Court Preference
Mladenovic has identified grass as her favorite surface.
The surface suits her first serve, reach, slice and natural willingness to move toward the net. Her 2013 mixed-doubles and 2026 women's doubles Wimbledon championships underline that suitability.
Doubles Intelligence
Mladenovic's greatest tennis quality may be her instinctive understanding of doubles geometry. She reads opponents well, anticipates passing lanes and knows when to cross at the net.
This tactical awareness has allowed her to succeed with several very different partners rather than depending on a single long-term combination.
Partnership with Tímea Babos
The partnership with Babos was the most successful of Mladenovic's career. Together they won four women's doubles Grand Slam championships and two WTA Finals titles.
Their friendship and complementary games helped make them one of the dominant teams of the late 2010s.
Partnership with Caroline Garcia
Garcia and Mladenovic won Roland Garros together in 2016 and again in 2022.
The partnership also played an important role in French national-team tennis, including the decisive doubles match of the 2019 Fed Cup final.
Partnership with Guo Hanyu
Mladenovic's partnership with China's Guo Hanyu became one of the major stories of her 2026 season.
The pair won Auckland and then Wimbledon, where they defeated second seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in the championship match.
Fed Cup / Billie Jean King Cup
Mladenovic has been one of France's most important national-team players of her generation.
Her contributions have included both singles and doubles, with her versatility making her particularly valuable in ties requiring a decisive doubles match.
2019 Fed Cup Legacy
The 2019 championship represents the greatest national-team achievement of Mladenovic's career.
Her singles victory over world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and subsequent doubles victory alongside Garcia were decisive in France's 3–2 triumph over Australia.
Olympic Games
Mladenovic has represented France at multiple Olympic Games in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Despite her exceptional Grand Slam doubles record, Olympic success has proved elusive and she has not won an Olympic medal.
Hopman Cup
Mladenovic won the Hopman Cup for France in 2017 alongside Richard Gasquet.
The championship further illustrates her effectiveness in team formats and mixed competition.
Languages and Interests
Mladenovic is multilingual and speaks French, English, Serbian, Italian and Spanish, as well as some Russian.
Away from tennis she has expressed an interest in volleyball and beach volleyball, reflecting the sporting background of her family.
Career Prize Money
Mladenovic has earned more than US$14 million in official career prize money.
Her unusually long career and exceptional doubles résumé have enabled her to remain successful at the highest level well beyond the period of her singles peak.
Career Highlights
Full name: Kristina Mladenovic
Nickname: Kiki
Born: 14 May 1993, Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, France
Nationality: French
Height: 1.84 m (6 ft)
Plays: Right-handed, two-handed backhand
Started playing tennis: Age 7–8
Preferred surface: Grass
Junior world ranking: No. 1
Roland Garros junior singles champion: 2009
Career-high singles ranking: No. 10 (23 October 2017)
Career-high doubles ranking: No. 1 (10 June 2019)
WTA singles titles: 1
WTA singles finals: 8
Best Australian Open singles result: Third round (2016, 2021)
Best Roland Garros singles result: Quarterfinal (2017)
Best Wimbledon singles result: Third round (2015, 2018)
Best US Open singles result: Quarterfinal (2015)
Grand Slam women's doubles titles: 7
Grand Slam mixed-doubles titles: 3
Total senior Grand Slam titles: 10
WTA Finals doubles champion: 2018, 2019
Fed Cup champion: 2019
Hopman Cup champion: 2017
Career prize money: More than US$14 million
2024 singles year-end ranking: No. 199
2024 doubles year-end ranking: No. 26
2025 singles year-end ranking: No. 634
2025 doubles year-end ranking: No. 53
2026 Wimbledon women's doubles champion: with Guo Hanyu
2026 Australian Open mixed doubles: Finalist
August 2026 doubles ranking: Approximately No. 11
Current status: Active, primarily as an elite doubles player
Career Trajectory
Mladenovic's career has followed two markedly different paths. In singles she progressed from junior world No. 1 through the ITF circuit and into the WTA elite, reaching her peak during the first half of 2017. That season brought her first WTA title, finals in Stuttgart and Madrid, a Roland Garros quarterfinal and ultimately a career-high ranking of world No. 10.
Her singles career subsequently became increasingly inconsistent. A severe loss of form beginning in 2017 was followed by intermittent recoveries, but she never returned permanently to the Top 20. By the early 2020s her singles ranking had fallen outside the Top 100 and eventually outside the Top 200.
Doubles followed an entirely different trajectory. Beginning with major mixed-doubles success alongside Daniel Nestor, Mladenovic developed into one of the world's finest women's doubles players. She won Roland Garros with Caroline Garcia, four majors with Tímea Babos, reached world No. 1 and won consecutive WTA Finals championships.
Even after her singles career declined, doubles continued providing major success. She reunited with Garcia to win Roland Garros in 2022, captured another Australian Open mixed title with Ivan Dodig and, after an injury-disrupted period, returned to win Wimbledon women's doubles with Guo Hanyu in 2026.
Legacy
Mladenovic's historical position is defined principally by doubles. Seven women's doubles Grand Slam championships, three mixed-doubles majors, two WTA Finals titles and a period at world No. 1 place her among the outstanding doubles players of the modern era.
Her career nevertheless cannot be reduced entirely to doubles. Reaching world No. 10 in singles, contesting a WTA 1000 final and reaching Grand Slam quarterfinals in Paris and New York demonstrate that at her peak she was also a genuine elite singles player.
Her importance to French tennis is equally substantial. Winning Roland Garros three times in women's doubles, becoming junior champion in Paris, and playing the decisive role in France's 2019 Fed Cup triumph have made her one of the most significant French players of her generation.
Assessment
Kristina Mladenovic possesses one of the most unusual career profiles in contemporary women's tennis. Her singles career reached an extremely high but relatively brief peak, while her doubles career developed into sustained world-class excellence lasting well over a decade.
Her technical qualities explain the contrast. A powerful serve, exceptional reach, excellent volleys, tactical imagination and comfort around the net are particularly valuable in doubles, where weaknesses in rally consistency or second-serve reliability are less damaging than in singles.
The 2026 Wimbledon championship adds an important late-career chapter. Thirteen years after winning her first senior major at Wimbledon and a decade after her first women's doubles Grand Slam title, Mladenovic again became a major champion. With ten senior Grand Slam titles across women's and mixed doubles, a former No. 1 doubles ranking, a Top-10 singles career and a Fed Cup championship, she has assembled one of the broadest competitive résumés of any French player of her era.
all texts by ChatGPT