TENNIS PLAYERS from Belarus

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Belarusian Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous Belarusian Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Belarusian Tennis Players.

1. Natasha Zvereva (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 47.76, Natasha Zvereva is the most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 39 different languages on wikipedia.

Natalya "Natasha" Maratovna Zvereva (born 16 April 1971) is a former professional tennis player from Belarus. She was the first major athlete in the Soviet Union to demand publicly that she should be able to keep her tournament earnings. Zvereva and her main doubles partner Gigi Fernández are the most successful women's doubles team (measured by WTA Tour and major titles) since Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. On 12 July 2010, Zvereva was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame alongside Fernández.

2. Victoria Azarenka (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 47.06, Victoria Azarenka is the 2nd most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 65 different languages.

Victoria Fiodaraŭna Azarenka (born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Azarenka is a former world No. 1 in singles, having claimed the top ranking for the first time on 30 January 2012. She was the year-end No. 1 in 2012 and has held the top ranking for a combined total of 51 weeks. Azarenka has won 21 WTA Tour singles titles, including two Major singles titles at the 2012 and 2013 Australian Opens, becoming the first Belarusian player, male or female, to win a major singles title. Azarenka is also a three-time major finalist at the US Open, finishing runner-up to Serena Williams in both 2012 and 2013 and to Naomi Osaka in 2020. In singles, she has won six Premier Mandatory tournaments (including the Sunshine Double in 2016), four Premier 5 tournaments, and the singles bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She was the runner-up at the 2011 WTA Finals to Petra Kvitová, reached four other major singles semifinals (Australian Open in 2023, Wimbledon in 2011 and 2012, and the French Open in 2013), and had nine other major quarterfinal appearances. She finished with a year-end top 10 singles ranking from 2009 to 2013. Azarenka has won 10 WTA Tour doubles titles (including one WTA 1000, two Premier Mandatory, and two Premier 5 titles), reached four major finals in women's doubles, and reached a career-high ranking of No. 7 in the world on 7 July 2008. She has won three mixed doubles titles — two being major titles at the 2007 US Open with compatriot Max Mirnyi and the 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan, and the third being the Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics with Mirnyi.

3. Aryna Sabalenka (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 44.68, Aryna Sabalenka is the 3rd most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current world No. 1 in singles and former world No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka has won three major singles titles at the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens and the 2024 US Open, and two major doubles titles, at the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, both partnering with Elise Mertens. She has won 23 career titles, 17 in singles and 6 in doubles. Sabalenka came to prominence in 2017 when, together with Aliaksandra Sasnovich, they led the Belarus Fed Cup team to a runner-up finish despite both of them being ranked outside the top 75 at the time. She finished 2018 and 2019 ranked No. 11 in the world in singles. Following two major singles semifinal appearances in 2021, Sabalenka peaked at the world No. 2 ranking but struggled to maintain that success in 2022 consistently. In 2023, she won her first major singles title at the Australian Open, reached the semifinals at all four major tournaments (also finishing runner-up at the US Open), and obtained the world No. 1 ranking, being named the ITF World Champion for the season. Sabalenka also began playing doubles regularly in 2019. With Mertens as her partner, she completed the Sunshine Double by winning the two Premier Mandatory tournaments in March, the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open. After the US Open doubles title later in the year, she also qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time. With the 2021 Australian Open doubles title, she became the world No. 1 in the discipline. Sabalenka has a very aggressive style of play, often accumulating high numbers of winners and unforced errors. With her height, she also has a very powerful serve.

4. Max Mirnyi (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 43.45, Max Mirnyi is the 4th most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Maksim Mikalaevich "Max" Mirnyi (born 6 July 1977) is a Belarusian former professional tennis player. Mirnyi became a doubles specialist following his singles career, in which he reached a career-high of World No. 18 (August 2003) and finished in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years despite only winning one ATP singles title (2003 Rotterdam Open). He represented Belarus in Davis Cup competition from April 1994, where he holds a record of 47 wins and 27 losses in 35 ties played. He reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in June 2003 and won ten Grand Slam titles: Men's doubles in the 2000 and 2002 US Open and the 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2012 French Open; and mixed doubles in the 1998, 2007, and 2013 U.S. Opens and 1998 Wimbledon. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Mirnyi carried the flag of Belarus at the Opening Ceremony on 27 July 2012, and won the gold medal in the mixed doubles with Victoria Azarenka on 5 August 2012. His nickname is "The Beast of Belarus"

5. Anna Smashnova (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 35.89, Anna Smashnova is the 5th most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Anna Aleksandrovna Smashnova (Hebrew: אנה סמשנובה, Russian: Анна Александровна Смашнова; born July 16, 1976) is a Soviet-born Israeli former tennis player. She retired from professional tour after Wimbledon 2007. Smashnova reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 15 in 2003. She reached 13 finals, and won 12 of them. In addition, she won a junior Grand Slam title, the 1991 French Open girls' singles championship.

6. Vladimir Voltchkov (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 34.81, Vladimir Voltchkov is the 6th most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Vladimir Nikolayevich Voltchkov (Belarusian: Уладзімір Мікалаевіч Валчкоў, Uładzimir Mikałajevič Vałčkoŭ; Владимир Николаевич Волчков; born April 7, 1978) is a Belarusian former professional tennis player. Voltchkov reached the semifinals at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships, where, as a qualifier, he lost to Pete Sampras in straight sets. He represented Belarus in both the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games in 2000, also won the Wimbledon juniors competition in 1996. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 25.

7. Olga Govortsova (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 34.73, Olga Govortsova is the 7th most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Olga Alekseyevna Govortsova (Belarusian: Вольга Аляксееўна Гаварцова (Volha Alyakseyeuna Havartsova); Ольга Алексеевна Говорцова; born 23 August 1988) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. On 23 June 2008, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 35. On 29 August 2011, she peaked at No. 24 in the doubles rankings.

8. Aliaksandra Sasnovich (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 33.51, Aliaksandra Sasnovich is the 8th most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Aliaksandra Aliaksandraŭna Sasnovich (born 22 March 1994) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She achieved her best singles ranking of world No. 29 on 19 September 2022, and peaked at No. 39 in the WTA doubles rankings on 23 August 2021. She has won eleven singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She has reached a major semifinal in doubles, at the 2019 US Open, together with Viktória Hrunčáková (then Kužmová).

9. Aliaksandr Bury (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 32.26, Aliaksandr Bury is the 9th most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Aliaksandr Ivanavich Bury (Belarusian: Аляксандр Іванавіч Буры; Russian: Александр Иванович Бурый; also spelt Alexander Bury), (born 14 September 1987) is a Belarusian inactive professional tennis player who competed mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures, both in singles and doubles. He has won one doubles title at ATP World Tour with Denis Istomin. Bury reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 366 on 10 February 2014, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 59, on 19 October 2015. Bury has represented Belarus at Davis Cup, where he has a win–loss record of 8–5.

10. Anastasiya Yakimova (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 32.24, Anastasiya Yakimova is the 10th most famous Belarusian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarusian: Настасся Аляксееўна Якімава; Russian: Анастасия Алексеевна Екимова; born 1 November 1986) is a former tennis player from Belarus. She made it to the third round of the 2007 Australian Open, defeating Ai Sugiyama, a seeded player, on the way in the second round. The last tournament on the ITF Women's Circuit she played in August 2017, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.