Player data updated: 2026-10-30 04:33 UTC

Sylvia Hanika

GER Born Nov 30, 1959 173 cm / 5'8" Plays: Left-Handed, One-Handed Backhand WTA Tour years active: 1976–1990

Sylvia Hanika represented Germany on the WTA Tour and reached a career high of No. 5. TennisDB's records show a 415–239 record in recorded WTA main-draw singles results from 1976 through 1990 and 9 recorded singles titles. Weekly WTA ranking coverage before 1984 is incomplete outside audited No. 1 and year-end Top 10 anchors. Pre-2000 WTA match coverage is also incomplete.

Peak singles rank
5
Elo peak
2138 (97th percentile)
Singles record
415–239 (63.5%)
Singles titles
9
Prize money
$1,296,560

Records cover recorded main-draw singles results in TennisDB's WTA event archive, including credited walkovers; qualifying is shown separately below.

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WTA Matches full match log →

Sylvia Hanika's recent, live, and scheduled WTA matches
OpponentScoreResultH2HMatch DataDateRoundTournamentCategorySurface
Dianne Van Rensburg 3-6 6-3 3-6 L H2H Match data Aug 30, 1990* R64 US Open Grand Slam Hard
Bettina Fulco #106 6-3 1-6 6-4 W H2H Match data Aug 29, 1990* R128 US Open Grand Slam Hard
Anke Huber #118 6-4 6-7(6) 2-2 (ret.) L H2H Match data Aug 25, 1990* QF Schenectady Tier V → modern equivalent WTA 250 Hard
Liz Smylie #38 6-2 3-6 6-4 W H2H Match data Aug 24, 1990* R16 Schenectady Tier V → modern equivalent WTA 250 Hard
Cecilia Dahlman #69 6-3 6-3 W H2H Match data Aug 23, 1990* R32 Schenectady Tier V → modern equivalent WTA 250 Hard

Rivals all rivalries →

Sylvia Hanika's most-played WTA rivals
OpponentWLMLast PlayedH2H
Hana Mandlikova 7 11 18 Mar 28, 1987 H2H
Chris Evert 2 15 17 Oct 15, 1988 H2H
Martina Navratilova 2 14 16 Aug 19, 1988 H2H
Andrea Jaeger 2 10 12 Jan 8, 1983 H2H
Pam Shriver 3 8 11 Nov 14, 1988 H2H

Singles Titles (9)

Sylvia Hanika singles titles by season and category
SeasonAgeSingles titlesGS WTA 1000 including documented historical predecessor categories WTA 500 including documented historical predecessor categories WTA 250 including documented historical predecessor categories WTA FinalsTournaments
197818 1 — — — 1 — Bremen
197919 2 — — — 2 — Boblingen, Nuremberg
198020 1 — — — 1 — Unterhaching
198121 2 — — — 2 — Monaco, Seattle
198222 1 — — — — 1 WTA Finals
198424 1 — — — 1 — Brighton
198626 1 — — — 1 — Athens
Total 9 — — — 8 1

Asterisked totals include editions mapped from documented historical predecessor categories. Mapping details.

Olympic Singles Results (1)

Sylvia Hanika Olympic singles results
EditionEventResultWLLast MatchH2HMatch Data
1988 Seoul Olympics Round of 16 1 1 Gabriela Sabatini #4 def. Sylvia Hanika #18 1-6 6-4 6-2 H2H Match data

Career Results

Sylvia Hanika career results by season
SeasonAgeWLMWin %Start RankEnd Rank
19761621366.7%——
19771753862.5%——
19781827144165.9%——
19791926164261.9%——
19802040226264.5%——
19812161238472.6%—6
19822241236464.1%—10
19832347226968.1%—5
19842429204959.2%617
19852522163857.9%18—
19862614142850.0%2150
19872732195162.8%4914
19882844226666.7%1417
19892918143256.3%1741
1990307101741.2%41123
Career41523965463.5%——

Career Results by Surface

Sylvia Hanika career results by season and surface
SeasonAge HardClayGrassCarpetTotal
WLMWin %WLMWin %WLMWin %WLMWin % WLMWin %
197616 ————————————21366.7% 21366.7%
197717 ————22450.0%————31475.0% 53862.5%
197818 0110.0%54955.6%1051566.7%821080.0% 27144165.9%
197919 551050.0%1151668.8%32560.0%741163.6% 26164261.9%
198020 831172.7%1341776.5%551050.0%14102458.3% 40226264.5%
198121 1562171.4%1952479.2%0110.0%26103672.2% 61238472.6%
198222 44850.0%1061662.5%23540.0%25103571.4% 41236464.1%
198323 641060.0%841266.7%52771.4%28124070.0% 47226968.1%
198424 1061662.5%1171861.1%13425.0%741163.6% 29204959.2%
198525 1161764.7%741163.6%11250.0%35837.5% 22163857.9%
198626 12333.3%841266.7%12333.3%461040.0% 14142850.0%
198727 1141573.3%43757.1%641060.0%1181957.9% 32195162.7%
198828 1682466.7%2082871.4%43757.1%43757.1% 44226666.7%
198929 861457.1%841266.7%0110.0%23540.0% 18143256.2%
199030 45944.4%34742.9%————0110.0% 7101741.2%
Career—996015962.3%1296419366.8%38327054.3%1448022464.3%41523965463.5%

Career Results by Opponent Rank

Sylvia Hanika career results by season and opponent rank
SeasonAge 1-1011-3031-100100+Total
WLMWin %WLMWin %WLMWin %WLMWin % WLMWin %
198424 17812.5%41580.0%1372065.0%21366.7% 20163655.6%
198525 0880.0%11250.0%21366.7%00—— 3101323.1%
198626 0550.0%11250.0%43757.1%22450.0% 7111838.9%
198727 2101216.7%52771.4%1241675.0%12333.3% 20183852.6%
198828 013130.0%31475.0%2052580.0%32560.0% 26214755.3%
198929 0330.0%12333.3%1061662.5%52771.4% 16132955.2%
199030 0110.0%0220.0%44850.0%21366.7% 681442.9%
Career 347506.0%15102560.0%65309568.4%15102560.0% 989719550.3%

Opponent ranking data available for 195/654 (29.8%) of Sylvia Hanika's WTA main draw matches.

Advanced Stats

Sylvia Hanika advanced statistics by season
Season Age Elo P+ Serve+ Return+ PD TPW% Hard Elo Clay Elo Grass Elo Set Win % Set Margin Dec. Set Tiebreak Pressure+ Schedule
1976 16 1533 101.8 — — — — +88 — — 66.7% +0.50 — 1–1 — +0.64
1977 17 1584 118.4 — — — — +75 -25 — 55.6% +1.28 2–0 1–1 — +1.84
1978 18 1817 145.6 — — — — -62 -183 -96 62.6% +1.14 6–3 (67%) 4–2 (67%) 105.8 +0.65
1979 19 1951 158.3 — — — — -90 -104 -188 57.9% +0.65 8–5 (62%) 4–5 (44%) 106.6 -2.46
1980 20 2003 159.4 — — — — +15 -68 -218 61.3% +0.93 11–4 (73%) 4–5 (44%) 105.0 -6.31
1981 21 2085 166.5 — — — — -7 +24 — 68.4% +1.72 12–7 (63%) 1–5 (17%) 99.1 -8.73
1982 22 1946 157.2 — — — — +137 +62 -221 64.4% +1.18 8–7 (53%) 4–8 (33%) 94.3 -1.96
1983 23 1971 163.0 — — — — +82 +36 -191 63.4% +1.12 17–8 (68%) 6–8 (43%) 100.3 -1.30
1984 24 1880 145.2 — — — — +103 +50 -140 58.5% +0.42 10–4 (71%) 5–0 (100%) 105.7 -0.38
1985 25 1868 147.5 — — — — +28 +92 — 59.5% +0.67 4–3 (57%) 5–3 (63%) 99.6 -2.52
1986 26 1804 136.3 — — — — +9 +158 -98 51.6% -0.02 4–4 (50%) 3–2 (60%) 98.6 -0.59
1987 27 1920 155.2 — — — — +18 +3 -153 62.2% +0.91 7–10 (41%) 3–5 (38%) 96.5 -1.48
1988 28 1919 153.4 — — — — +53 +15 -188 61.6% +0.85 14–5 (74%) 5–4 (56%) 102.8 -1.02
1989 29 1806 132.5 — — — — +29 +122 — 52.9% +0.26 9–1 (90%) 4–4 (50%) 103.4 +0.41
1990 30 1703 116.6 — — — — +42 +152 — 50.0% -0.35 2–6 (25%) — — +0.81
Career 2138 160.0 — — — — +39 +22 -162 61.2% +0.90 114–67 (63%) 50–53 (49%) 100.0 -3.45

Tournament Results by Category

Grand Slams

Sylvia Hanika Grand Slams results by season
SeasonAge AORGWUSO W-L
Win %
197818 —R64R64R128 0–3 (0%)
197919 —R64R32QF 6–3 (67%)
198020 R16R16R64R32 4–4 (50%)
198121 —FR128QF 9–3 (75%)
198222 —R64R16— 2–2 (50%)
198323 QFR32R32QF 11–4 (73%)
198424 R32R32R128QF 7–4 (64%)
198525 —R16R64R32 6–3 (67%)
198626 —R128R128R64 1–3 (25%)
198727 R16R16R16R16 12–4 (75%)
198828 R16R16R32R32 10–4 (71%)
198929 R128R16R128R32 5–4 (56%)
199030 —R64—R64 2–2 (50%)
W-L 11–6
(65%)
24–13
(65%)
12–12
(50%)
28–12
(70%)
75–43
(64%)

WTA 1000

Sylvia Hanika WTA 1000 results by season
SeasonAge BERKEY W-L
Win %
199030 R64R64 0–2 (0%)
W-L 0–1
(0%)
0–1
(0%)
0–2
(0%)

WTA 500

Sylvia Hanika WTA 500 results by season
SeasonAge ADEBRIDLBHAMNAPWASAMEBERBOCCANPORCHALOSMANORLSYDSYD W-L
Win %
197717 ———————QF————————— 2–1 (67%)
197818 R16—————————R16————QF— 6–3 (67%)
197919 ———————QF——R32R16————— 3–3 (50%)
198020 ——————————QF—————SF 5–2 (71%)
198121 —————————QFSF—SF———— 8–3 (73%)
198222 —————SF—SF—R32SF—F———— 13–5 (72%)
198323 —————F—QF—R16R32QF————— 9–5 (64%)
198424 ————R16—QFR16—R32R16QF——QF—— 9–7 (56%)
198525 ——R128———R16——R16R32——R16R16—— 5–6 (45%)
198626 —————R32———R64R32R32————— 1–4 (20%)
198727 —————QF———R64R32—————R64 2–4 (33%)
198828 —QF———R16—SF—R16QFQF————R32 13–7 (65%)
198929 ———————QF—QFR16—————— 6–3 (67%)
199030 ———R16—R32——R32————R64——— 3–4 (43%)
W-L 2–1
(67%)
2–1
(67%)
0–1
(0%)
2–1
(67%)
1–1
(50%)
10–6
(62%)
3–2
(60%)
15–7
(68%)
1–1
(50%)
10–9
(53%)
13–12
(52%)
9–5
(64%)
7–2
(78%)
2–2
(50%)
2–2
(50%)
3–1
(75%)
3–3
(50%)
85–57
(60%)

WTA 250

Sylvia Hanika WTA 250 results by season
SeasonAge ATLBADBARCINDALEASGENGSTHAMHOUKITMCITASTOTKYAIXAMEATHBIRBOBBOCBOSBRABREBRICHICHICHRDEEDETEASHARHILKANKEYLASLUGMAHMANMINMONMONNASNUROAKORLPALPERPHOPRIRICSANSCHSEASTUSYDTAMUNTWICWORZUR W-L
Win %
197616 ———————————————————————SF————————————————————————————————————— 2–1 (67%)
197717 ————————R32——————————————F————————————————————————————————————— 3–2 (60%)
197818 —F———R64—QFSF—F————————————WQF——F——————————————————————————R16—————— 21–8 (72%)
197919 R32————R32————F—F——————W————SF————————————R32—R32———W—RR——R32———————————— 17–10 (63%)
198020 R32——R32R16R32—F—R32SF——SF————————F—SFQFR32——————R16—SF—SF———————————————QF———W——— 31–16 (66%)
198121 ———F——————F—————QF————SF——QFQF——SF————QF——SFR16——W—QF——QF————QF——W——SF———— 42–14 (75%)
198222 ———QFR32R64————QFSF——BR———R32——R32———SF——R16———————QFR16——————SF——QF—————QF——QF———— 22–16 (58%)
198323 ————QF————F——————QF————F———R16———QF—F——————R32—————F—QF————————RR————— 25–12 (68%)
198424 —————R64————————R32—————————W—————QF—————R16R16SF—————R32———————————————R32 13–8 (62%)
198525 ————R16———————————————————R32———————————SFR16———SF———————QF——————————— 11–6 (65%)
198626 ————————————————R64WR32—————————————SF———R16———————R32————R16—————————R64— 12–7 (63%)
198727 ————R32—R32—————R64—————R32—————QF————————————F———————————QF—F——————QF—R16 16–10 (62%)
198828 ——QF—————R16———QF——F————————QF————————————QF——————R16———————————QF—F—— 20–9 (69%)
198929 ——QF—————R16———————————R32———R32—————————R64——QF——————————————————————R16 7–7 (50%)
199030 —————————R16——————————————————————————————————————————QF———————— 2–2 (50%)
W-L 0–2
(0%)
1–1
(50%)
4–2
(67%)
6–3
(67%)
4–5
(44%)
2–5
(29%)
1–1
(50%)
3–2
(60%)
5–4
(56%)
4–3
(57%)
13–5
(72%)
3–1
(75%)
6–3
(67%)
3–1
(75%)
1–2
(33%)
4–1
(80%)
4–3
(57%)
5–0
(100%)
1–3
(25%)
4–0
(100%)
0–1
(0%)
7–3
(70%)
1–1
(50%)
10–2
(83%)
19–8
(70%)
8–4
(67%)
0–1
(0%)
5–1
(83%)
4–2
(67%)
2–1
(67%)
2–1
(67%)
4–1
(80%)
3–1
(75%)
3–2
(60%)
1–1
(50%)
3–1
(75%)
11–5
(69%)
18–9
(67%)
3–2
(60%)
0–1
(0%)
4–0
(100%)
3–1
(75%)
1–1
(50%)
1–0
(100%)
8–5
(62%)
2–3
(40%)
1–1
(50%)
2–1
(67%)
0–1
(0%)
5–3
(62%)
2–1
(67%)
4–1
(80%)
2–1
(67%)
9–2
(82%)
1–1
(50%)
1–2
(33%)
7–3
(70%)
5–0
(100%)
6–2
(75%)
0–1
(0%)
2–3
(40%)
244–128
(66%)

WTA Finals

Sylvia Hanika WTA Finals results by season
SeasonAge WTA W-L
Win %
198121 BR 2–3 (40%)
198222 W 4–0 (100%)
198323 SF 2–1 (67%)
198424 R16 0–1 (0%)
198525 R16 0–1 (0%)
198727 SF 2–1 (67%)
198828 R16 0–1 (0%)
W-L 10–8
(56%)
10–8
(56%)

Results show the best round reached per tournament and season.

WTA Ranking History full ranking history →

Career high
5
Career-high date
—
First Top 100
Jan 2, 1984
First Top 50
Jan 2, 1984
First Top 20
Jan 2, 1984
First Top 10
Jan 2, 1984

Ranking History Matrix

Sylvia Hanika ranking history by month and season
SeasonAgeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
198424101113141719191918131717
198525————————————
198626232228313949527162525050
198727512522181920161515151414
198828141918161414161718171717
198929171621273231353030334141
199030383436374656517486125123123
199131127128140142184217220—————

Data coverage: Weekly WTA ranking snapshots are unavailable before 1984. Audited official No. 1 change dates and year-end Top 10 ranks are included, but weekly counts and ranks outside those anchors remain incomplete. Pre-2000 WTA match coverage is also incomplete; recorded win-loss totals, surface splits and head-to-head counts may understate actual results.

Similar Players

Other WTA players with comparable peak level, era, career record, and career scale.

Sylvia Hanika's most statistically similar WTA players
Player Country Peak ranking Peak Elo M W L Win % Prize money Titles GS W1000 Years Rivalries Match log
Dianne Fromholtz AUS #5 2,184 749 466 283 62.2% $1,145,377 22 0 0 1971–1990 Rivalries Match log
Jo Durie GBR #5 2,102 574 311 263 54.2% $1,224,016 9 0 0 1975–1995 Rivalries Match log
Kathy Jordan USA #5 2,094 404 249 155 61.6% $1,592,111 2 0 0 1978–1990 Rivalries Match log
Claudia Kohde Kilsch GER #4 2,158 635 401 234 63.1% $2,227,116 12 0 0 1977–1992 Rivalries Match log
Rosie Casals USA #6 2,213 917 594 323 64.8% $1,364,955 12 0 0 1968–1991 Rivalries Match log
Sue Barker GBR #5 2,267 599 381 218 63.6% $878,701 22 1 0 1970–1984 Rivalries Match log
Bettina Bunge GER #7 2,121 476 294 182 61.8% $1,126,424 5 0 0 1978–1989 Rivalries Match log
Helena Sukova CZE #4 2,219 881 581 300 65.9% $6,391,245 9 0 0 1981–1998 Rivalries Match log
Barbara Potter USA #8 2,098 494 303 191 61.3% $1,376,580 5 0 0 1978–1989 Rivalries Match log
Katerina Maleeva BUL #6 2,067 513 326 187 63.5% $2,220,371 11 0 0 1984–1996 Rivalries Match log
Natasha Zvereva BLR #5 2,074 629 393 236 62.5% $7,792,503 4 0 0 1986–2002 Rivalries Match log
Zina Garrison USA #4 2,146 854 584 270 68.4% $4,590,816 15 0 0 1980–1996 Rivalries Match log

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Sylvia Hanika born?
Sylvia Hanika was born on November 30, 1959.
Which country did Sylvia Hanika represent?
Sylvia Hanika represented Germany in TennisDB's WTA records.
How tall is Sylvia Hanika?
Sylvia Hanika is 173 cm / 5'8".
Does Sylvia Hanika use a one-handed or two-handed backhand?
Sylvia Hanika uses a one-handed backhand.
Is Sylvia Hanika left-handed or right-handed?
Sylvia Hanika plays left-handed.
How many Grand Slam singles titles has Sylvia Hanika won?
No Grand Slam singles titles are recorded for Sylvia Hanika in TennisDB's covered main-draw results.
How many WTA 1000 titles has Sylvia Hanika won?
TennisDB does not group any of Sylvia Hanika's titles under the modern WTA 1000 category.
How many WTA titles has Sylvia Hanika won?
TennisDB records 9 WTA singles titles for Sylvia Hanika across all categories. The most recent was Athens in 1986.
What is Sylvia Hanika's highest WTA ranking?
Sylvia Hanika's career-high WTA singles ranking is world No. 5.
What is Sylvia Hanika's career win-loss record?
Sylvia Hanika has 415 wins and 239 losses (63.5%) in recorded WTA main-draw singles results from 1976 through 1990.
How much career prize money has Sylvia Hanika earned?
Sylvia Hanika has earned at least $1,296,560 in career prize money from professional tennis.
Which seasons of Sylvia Hanika's career appear in TennisDB?
Sylvia Hanika appears in TennisDB's WTA main-tour match records from 1976 through 1990.
On which surface does Sylvia Hanika have the highest recorded win rate?
Among surfaces with at least 20 recorded matches, Sylvia Hanika's highest WTA main-draw win rate is on clay: 66.8% (129–64).
Who has Sylvia Hanika faced most often?
Sylvia Hanika's most frequent opponent is Hana Mandlikova, with a head-to-head record of 7–11 across 18 meetings.