Victoria Azarenka
Strong Is Beautiful
Maria Sharapova

Karolina Sprem

Cro
Residence: Varazdin, Croatia
DOB: October 25, 1984
Birthplace: Varazdin, Croatia
Height: 5' 9" (1.74 m)
Weight: 134 lbs. (61 kg)
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Status: Pro (2001)
JANUARY - Fell in Brisbane and Sydney qualifying; fell 1r at Australian Open (l. to Scheepers).

FEBRUARY - Withdrew from Monterrey w/head injury.

MARCH - Did not play.
2000 - Made first appearance in WTA qualifying at Bol (as WC); also played on ITF Circuit in Croatia.

2001 - Continued to play on ITF Circuit.

2002 - Played first WTA main draw at Bol, falling 1r (as WC); fell in qualifying once; won two singles titles and one doubles title on ITF Circuit.

2003 - First Top 100 season; opened with four straight singles titles on ITF Circuit (28-match win streak); fell 1r in second WTA main draw at Bol (as WC), then reached first two WTA finals at Strasbourg (l. to Farina Elia) and Vienna (l. to Suárez); made Top 100 debut on May 26 (after Strasbourg; rose from No.163 to No.99); SF at Helsinki (l. to Smashnova); made Grand Slam debuts at Wimbledon (reaching 2r) and US Open (falling 1r); finished season with one more singles title on ITF Circuit.

2004 - First Top 20 season; SF three times, at Canberra (l. to Suárez), Antwerp (l. to Farina Elia) and Berlin (l. to V.Williams); QF three times, at Miami, Wimbledon (first Grand Slam QF; l. to Davenport) and Montréal; reached 3r twice (incl. Olympics) and 2r nine times; fell 1r six times (incl. other three majors); made Top 50 debut on January 19 (after Canberra; rose from No.56 to No.49) and Top 20 debut on July 5 (after Wimbledon; rose from No.30 to No.20), then reached career-high No.17 on October 11 (after Filderstadt).

2005 - Another Top 100 season; runner-up at Kolkata (l. to Myskina in final); QF at Strasbourg; reached 4r twice (incl. Australian Open) and 2r five times (incl. Roland Garros); fell 1r 14 times (incl. other two majors) and in qualifying once.

2006 - Another Top 100 season; QF at Istanbul; reached 3r three times (incl. Roland Garros, Wimbledon) and 2r four times (incl. Australian Open); fell 1r eight times (incl. US Open) and in qualifying three times.

2007 - Played first five months of season, winning back-to-back matches once in reaching 3r at Amelia Island; withdrew from Roland Garros and Birmingham w/wrist injury; underwent right elbow surgery in May and would miss 10 months to recover.

2008 - SF at Budapest (l. to Klepac); reached 3r at Amelia Island (first WTA main draw back from 10-month lay-off; l. to Davenport); reached 2r twice; fell 1r three times (incl. Roland Garros) and in qualifying twice (incl. US Open).

2009 - Another Top 100 season; reached 2r three times; fell 1r five times, incl. Australian Open (as qualifier, l. to Pironkova), Roland Garros (l. to Dokic in 3s) and Wimbledon (l. to qualifier Kulikova in 3s); fell in qualifying six times (incl. US Open); won three singles titles on ITF Circuit.

2010 - Sixth Top 100 season; QF at Memphis; reached 2r six times (incl. Australian Open, Wimbledon and Birmingham - l. to Lucic 63 57 76(3) after holding 2mp at 6-5 third set); fell 1r five times (incl. other two majors) and in qualifying seven times; withdrew from Strasbourg and Portoroz w/illness, retired in Palermo 1r w/breathing difficulties and withdrew from Québec City and Tashkent w/injury.
SINGLES
Winner: 2009 - ITF/Biberach-GER, ITF/Torhout-BEL, ITF/Mestre-ITA; 2003 - ITF/Grenoble-FRA, ITF/Southampton-GBR, ITF/Redbridge-GBR, ITF/Castellon-ESP, ITF/Poitiers-FRA; 2002 - ITF/Courmayeur-ITA, ITF/Bergamo-ITA.
Finalist (3): 2005 - Kolkata; 2003 - Strasbourg, Vienna.

DOUBLES
Winner: 2002 - ITF/Zagreb-CRO (w/Jugic-Salkic).

ADDITIONAL
Croatian Fed Cup Team, 2001-06; Croatian Olympic Team, 2004.
Coached by Ricardo Sanchez ... Father's name is Gabro; mother's name is Bozena; has one sister, Gordana; dog's name is Ella ... Baseliner whose best shots are serve, backhand; likes all surfaces ... Began playing at age 9 when introduced to tennis by father ... Speaks Croatian, English ... Favorite types of music are R&B, dance ... Favorite foods are fish, pasta; favorite drink is orange juice ... Other interests include horseback riding, listening to music ... Favorite places to visit are Miami, Paris, Rome ... Most memorable moment is beginning to play tennis again after May 2007 elbow operation ... Self-described as hard-working; likes to smile a lot ... Favorite tournament is Wimbledon.