- Zustand: ** self adhesive stamp, part of the sheet of tennis champions of Czechoslovakia
- Jahr: 2013-12-12
Vera Puzejová Sukova (13 June 1931 – 13 May 1982) was a tennis player from Czechoslovakia. She was the women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1962, losing to Karen Hantze Susman 6–4, 6–4.
Suková was a women's singles semifinalist at the French Championships in 1957 and 1963. She teamed with Jiri Javorsky to win the mixed doubles title at that tournament in 1957. They were the runners-up in 1961. According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Suková was ranked in the world top ten in 1957, 1962, and 1963, reaching a career high of World No. 5 in those rankings in 1962.[1]
Suková was the Czechoslovak national women's singles champion 11 times between 1952 and 1964. After retirement from tennis, Suková served as the coach of Czechoslovakia's national women's team. Under her guidance, the team won the Fed Cup in 1975.
Suková turned professional in 1981. Her career-high world rankings were fourth in singles and first in women's doubles.
Suková was a singles runner-up at the Australian Open twice (in 1984 and 1989) and at the US Open twice (in 1986 and 1993). Suková's most memorable Grand Slam singles win was against Martina Navratilova in a semifinal of the 1984 Australian Open, where she ended Navratilova's 74-match winning streak and her chance at winning a calendar year Grand Slam. Chris Evert defeated her in the final.
In 1987, she became the fourth player to defeat Navratilova and Evert in the same tournament at Eastbourne and she also stopped Navratilova's 69 grass-win streak.
Suková was very successful as a doubles player. She had a career Grand Slam in women's doubles, winning four titles at Wimbledon, two at the US Open, one at the Australian Open, and one at the French Open.
She won three mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon, one at the US Open, and one at the French Open. She also was a women's doubles silver medalist at the Olympic Games in 1988 and 1996 (both times partnering Jana Novotná).[2]
Suková helped Czechoslovakia win the Fed Cup four times, in 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1988. She also teamed with Miloslav Mečíř to win the inaugural Hopman Cup for Czechoslovakia in 1989.
Over the course of her career, Suková won 10 singles titles and 69 doubles titles.
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