Daniela Hantuchova was one of the most popular players in the last 20 years.

She was tall, graceful, and tactical. She had great touch at the net which led to even greater success in doubles. Although she had a fantastic career, with a career-high of #5 in singles and doubles to go along with 7 titles in singles and 9 in doubles, it was at Indian Wells where she shone the brightest.

Hantuchova raised the Indian Wells crown twice in her career, in 2002 and in 2007. Both those years saw Hantuchova finish the year ranked in the top 10 in the world. In 2002 she was an improbable champion. She came in as the number 18th seed and shocked world number two Martina Hingis in the final. This would be Hantuchova’s first WTA tour win. This momentous win helped Hantuchova build a fantastic 2002, seeing her finish as a quarterfinalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open and the 2003 Australian Open. This string of success at the big tournaments would not continue for Hantuchova though, and she would begin to struggle with consistency on tour between 2003 and 2006.

In 2007 things changed for Hantuchova once again. The catalyst for her success was once again Indian Wells. Coming in as the 14th seed, and five years removed from her 2002 victory, Hantuchova proved she was not a one-trick pony. Improbably, she once again tore through the field to lift her second Indian Wells crown, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets in the final.

Hantuchova would go on to retire after the 2016 season. Her success on the court will always be associated with her two hard-fought Indian Wells wins though. Two big-time wins at a big-time tournament that many consider as the Fifth Slam.

These days Hantuchova is just as popular off the tennis court, acting as not just a tennis announcer but still holding numerous endorsements and taking the time to document her lifestyle on Instagram for her 190,000 followers.

Like always, don’t forget to jump on to the TennisPAL app to stay up to date on tennis news, find groups of friends to play with, and get a virtual coach to help with your tennis game.