1. Overview
Elena Tatarkova, also known as Олена TатарковаOlena TatarkovaUkrainian, is a former professional tennis player from Ukraine. Born on August 22, 1976, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, she achieved significant success primarily in doubles, winning four titles on the WTA Tour and 25 titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. Her most notable career achievement was reaching the final of the 1999 Wimbledon Championships in women's doubles with her partner Mariaan de Swardt. Tatarkova also reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 45 and a highest doubles ranking of No. 9, both in 1999. She is recognized for her pioneering role and record-holding achievements in the Fed Cup for Ukraine.
2. Personal life
Elena Tatarkova's personal life includes her early introduction to tennis, her family, and her current residence.
2.1. Birth and background
Elena Tatarkova was born on August 22, 1976, in Dushanbe, which was then part of the Tajik SSR in the Soviet Union. She began playing tennis at the age of 10, encouraged by her mother. She stands at 5.6 ft (1.7 m) tall and weighed 146 lb (66 kg) during her playing career.
2.2. Marriage and children
After retiring from professional tennis, Tatarkova married Timothy Feltham in September 2007. She is a mother to two sons: Stanley, born in April 2009, and Austin, born in February 2012. She resides in Kyiv, Ukraine.
3. Tennis career
Elena Tatarkova's tennis career spanned from her professional debut in 1993 to her retirement in 2006, marked by notable achievements in both singles and doubles, and significant contributions to the Ukrainian Fed Cup team.
3.1. Professional debut and early career
Tatarkova turned professional in May 1993. She quickly began to showcase her talent in the doubles circuit. In 1994, she made her debut for the Ukrainian Fed Cup team, representing her country in the international team competition. Her first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw for women's doubles was at the 1996 French Open. Two years later, she made her singles main draw debut at the 1998 Australian Open.
3.2. Singles career
Tatarkova's singles career saw her achieve a career-high ranking within the top 50 and make a notable run at a Grand Slam event.
3.2.1. Major singles achievements and career-high ranking
Her best performance in a Grand Slam singles event was reaching the third round of the 1998 French Open, where she was defeated by the third seed, Jana Novotná. This marked her career-best singles result at a major tournament. She achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 45 on January 18, 1999. Throughout her singles career, she accumulated a record of 300 wins against 237 losses.
3.2.2. ITF singles titles
Elena Tatarkova won four singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. Her victories include:
- 1993 ITF Jūrmala, Latvia (Hard)
- 1998 ITF Bushey, United Kingdom (Carpet, indoor)
- 2000 Open Saint-Gaudens, France (Clay)
- 2003 Batumi Ladies Open, Georgia (Hard)
3.3. Doubles career
Tatarkova's doubles career was particularly successful, highlighted by multiple WTA Tour titles and a Grand Slam final appearance.
3.3.1. WTA Tour titles and runner-up finishes
Tatarkova won four doubles titles on the WTA Tour and reached eight other finals.
Her WTA Tour doubles titles are:
- 1999 Hobart International, Australia, with Mariaan de Swardt (defeated Alexia Dechaume-Balleret and Émilie Loit)
- 2002 Memphis International, United States, with Ai Sugiyama (defeated Melissa Middleton and Brie Rippner)
- 2003 Budapest Grand Prix, Hungary, with Petra Mandula (defeated Conchita Martínez Granados and Tatiana Perebiynis)
- 2003 Nordic Light Open, Finland, with Eugenia Kulikovskaya (defeated Tatiana Perebiynis and Silvija Talaja)
Her eight runner-up finishes on the WTA Tour include:
- 1998 Stanford Classic, United States, with Larisa Savchenko (lost to Lindsay Davenport and Natalia Zvereva)
- 1998 Los Angeles Classic, United States, with Tamarine Tanasugarn (lost to Martina Hingis and Natalia Zvereva)
- 1998 Zurich Open, Switzerland, with Mariaan de Swardt (lost to Venus Williams and Serena Williams)
- 1998 Luxembourg Open, with Larisa Savchenko (lost to Elena Likhovtseva and Ai Sugiyama)
- 1999 Wimbledon Championships, United Kingdom, with Mariaan de Swardt (lost to Lindsay Davenport and Corina Morariu)
- 2000 Oklahoma Cup, United States, with Tamarine Tanasugarn (lost to Corina Morariu and Kimberly Po)
- 2003 Casablanca Grand Prix, Morocco, with Henrieta Nagyová (lost to Gisela Dulko and Maria-Emilia Salerni)
- 2003 Luxembourg Open, with Marlene Weingärtner (lost to Maria Sharapova and Tamarine Tanasugarn)
3.3.2. Grand Slam doubles performance
Tatarkova's most significant achievement in doubles was reaching the final of the 1999 Wimbledon Championships with her South African partner Mariaan de Swardt. In the semifinals, they defeated the top-seeded pair of Jana Novotná and Natasha Zvereva with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. This made Tatarkova the first Ukrainian woman to reach a Wimbledon final. However, they were defeated in the final by the American duo of Lindsay Davenport and Corina Morariu, 4-6, 4-6. Davenport went on to win both the singles and doubles titles at that tournament. Following their loss in the first round of the 1999 US Open to the French pair of Julie Halard-Decugis and Amélie Mauresmo, Tatarkova and de Swardt ended their partnership.
Two years later, Tatarkova reached the semifinals of the 2001 French Open in women's doubles, partnering with Justine Henin. This was their only tournament together. They secured a comeback victory in the quarterfinals against Nathalie Tauziat and Kimberly Po-Messerli, winning 3-6, 7-5, 11-9. However, their run ended in the semifinals with a decisive 2-6, 0-6 loss to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez.
3.3.3. ITF doubles titles
Elena Tatarkova won a remarkable 25 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.
3.4. Fed Cup and Olympic participation
Elena Tatarkova represented Ukraine in the Fed Cup from 1994 until 2004. She holds several all-time records for the Ukrainian team, including most total wins (27 wins, 11 losses), most singles wins (17 wins, 7 losses), and most doubles wins (10 wins, 4 losses). She also participated in the women's doubles event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
3.5. Playing style
Tatarkova was known for her left-handed playing style, utilizing a two-handed backhand. She primarily played from the baseline, making her backhand stroke a significant weapon in her game.
4. Career statistics and records
Elena Tatarkova's professional tennis career is marked by consistent performance across both singles and doubles.
4.1. Overall statistics
Throughout her career, Tatarkova accumulated an overall record of 602 wins and 413 losses across singles and doubles matches. Her career prize money totaled 861.97 K USD.
- Singles record: 300 wins, 237 losses
- Doubles record: 302 wins, 176 losses
4.2. Highest rankings
Tatarkova achieved her career-high singles ranking of No. 45 on January 18, 1999. In doubles, she reached her highest ranking of No. 9 on July 5, 1999.
4.3. Grand Slam performance timelines
4.3.1. Singles
| Tournament | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | Win-loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | LQ | A | A | 1R | 1R | LQ | A | 1R | LQ | LQ | 0-3 |
| French Open | A | A | LQ | LQ | 3R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 2-2 |
| Wimbledon | LQ | A | A | LQ | 2R | 2R | A | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | 2-3 |
| US Open | A | A | LQ | LQ | 1R | 1R | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 0-2 |
| Win-loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-10 |
| Year-end ranking | 221 | 192 | 196 | 136 | 47 | 120 | 256 | 213 | 166 | 126 | 260 |
4.3.2. Doubles
| Tournament | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | Win-loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | 3R | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 5-6 |
| French Open | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | 1R | 1R | 6-8 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | F | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 9-7 |
| US Open | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3-7 |
| Win-loss | 0-1 | 1-2 | 4-4 | 7-4 | 1-2 | 4-3 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 0-4 | 23-28 |
| Year-end ranking | 171 | 91 | 22 | 19 | 77 | 38 | 61 | 47 | 95 |
5. Major achievements and notable wins
Elena Tatarkova's career is highlighted by her Grand Slam final appearance and victories over top-ranked opponents.
5.1. Grand Slam doubles runner-up
Tatarkova reached the final of the 1999 Wimbledon Championships in women's doubles, partnering with Mariaan de Swardt. They were defeated by the American pair of Lindsay Davenport and Corina Morariu with a score of 4-6, 4-6.
5.2. WTA Tour doubles titles
Elena Tatarkova secured four WTA Tour doubles titles during her professional career:
- 1999 Hobart International with Mariaan de Swardt
- 2002 Memphis International with Ai Sugiyama
- 2003 Budapest Grand Prix with Petra Mandula
- 2003 Nordic Light Open with Eugenia Kulikovskaya
5.3. Wins against top-10 ranked players
Tatarkova recorded at least one victory against a player ranked within the top 10 of the WTA rankings at the time of their match:
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | Elena Tatarkova Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | |||||||
| 1. | Irina Spîrlea | No. 9 | San Diego Open, US | Hard | 2R | 6-2, 6-2 | No. 63 |
6. Legacy and impact
Elena Tatarkova's career left a lasting mark on Ukrainian tennis, particularly through her consistent performance and record-breaking achievements in team competitions.
6.1. Impact on Ukrainian tennis
Tatarkova is a significant figure in Ukrainian tennis history, notably for her contributions to the Fed Cup team. She holds the all-time record for Ukraine in total match wins (27), singles wins (17), and doubles wins (10) in the competition. Her achievement of reaching the 1999 Wimbledon women's doubles final made her the first Ukrainian woman to reach a Grand Slam final in that discipline, solidifying her status as a pioneering player for her country.