Samantha Stosur

Fast Facts

Sport: Tennis
Event: Women's singles and doubles
Olympic History: Athen 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020
Highlights: 2011 US Open Champion, Three time Grand Slam Women’s Doubles Champion, Two time Mixed Doubles Grand Slam Champion
Coach: Rennae Stubbs
Year Born: 1984
State Born: QLD

About Sam

With over two decades in professional tennis to her name, Sam Stosur will enter Tokyo 2020 as the most experienced member of the Australian tennis team. After joining the WTA Circuit at 15-years-old, the now 37-year-old has 9 singles and 26 doubles titles under her belt. 

Sam began playing tennis at eight-years-old after her family moved to Adelaide, often taking to the courts with her older brother. At fourteen, she was recruited to the Queensland Academy of Sport after representing Australia the previous year at the World Youth Cup in Indonesia. Soon after, she joined the Australian Institute of Sport to participate in their tennis program. 

One of Australia’s most accomplished tennis players in the Open Era, Stosur has played over 1000 singles and 650 doubles matches in the 22 years she has been on the professional tennis circuit. Sam achieved the doubles world number one ranking for the first time in 2006, and held it for 61 straight weeks. 

Sam won her first and only singles Grand Slam title in 2011, defeating Serena Williams in straight sets to record her maiden major title. It was only her second singles grand slam final, after losing the final at Roland Garros in the year prior. In the same year, she reached a career high singles ranking of world number four. 

While struggling to find consistency in her singles games in recent years, Sam has had incredible success in the doubles discipline of the sport. She holds three women’s doubles grand slam titles, including the US, French and Australian Open. She holds another three mixed doubles grand slam titles, consisting of one Australian Open title and two Wimbledon Championships. 

Well-versed in Australian representation, Sam has been a member of the Australian Fed Cup team longer than any other player, having played the tournament for sixteen consecutive years. She has also represented Australia at four Olympic Games, with an appearance in Tokyo making her a five-time Olympian. 

At the Games, she has produced a best result of an appearance in the quarterfinals of the doubles events, which she achieved in both London and Rio. At the 2016 Games, Sam produced another best result in the form of a third round appearance, where she was defeated by German Angelique Kerber. Notably, her rivalry with Serena Williams began in the second round of the Beijing Olympic Games, where she was defeated in straight sets. 

Sam recently claimed the runner up trophy alongside fellow Aussie Matthew Ebden at the 2021 Australian Open in the mixed doubles event. They had not dropped a set in the tournament until they faced the champions Barbora Krejcikova and Rajeev Ram. 

Stosur made her fifth Olympic appearance at the delayed Tokyo 2020 games. Playing in both the women's singles and doubles disciplines alongside teammate Ellen Perez. 

In the women's singles event, Sam would face a difficult opening match against Kazakhstan's Rybakina. She would, unfortunately, be beaten in straight sets, taking solace in the fact it was at the hands of the eventual gold medalist. 

She would find more success alongside Perez in the women's doubles, defeating Latvian pair Ostapenko and Sevastova in their opening game. Continuing their success with a second-round straight-set victory over Romanian pair Niculescu and Olaru. The pair would, unfortunately, fall in the quarter-finals of the games, falling to Swiss pair Bencic and Golubic.