Nicole Pratt

Australian tennis player Nicole Pratt had a promising start to her career, winning three Grand Slam girls’ titles as a junior. Her first came in 1989 at the French Open when Pratt and Taiwan’s Wang Shi-Ting won the girls’ doubles title. One year later she and Australian Kristin Godridge won the same event at the US Open, before Pratt became the girls’ singles champion at the Australian Open in 1991. After turning professional she achieved a career-best singles ranking of #35 in the world in June 2002 and a doubles ranking of #18 in the world in September 2001. Pratt was also ranked the number-one female player in Australia in January 2001.

Despite the impressive start to her career Pratt only won on WTA singles title as a professional, when she beat Mariya Kirilenko to win the Bangalore Open in 2004. She had better success in the doubles, however, winning nine titles from 2000 to 2007. Her best performance at a Grand Slam came at the 2002 US Open where she reached the doubles semi-finals with the Russian player Nadiya Petrova. Pratt was also a two-time Olympian, competing at her home Olympics in Sydney in 2000 and the 2004 Games in Athina.