Patty Schnyder (born December 14, 1978, Basel, Switzerland) is a Swiss tennis player. She turned professional in 1993.
In 1996, she made her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros. The following year, she defeated three top 10 players: Iva Majoli twice, Amanda Coetzer and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
In August 1998, she entered the WTA top 10.
On December 5, 2003, she married Rainer Hofmann, a German private investigator and information technology specialist who has coached her since 2003. Hofmann carries a fraud conviction relating to his business dealings with German national communications firm Deutsche Telekom, a crime for which he was put on probation.
Schnyder has won 10 singles titles, including a victory in Zurich (Tier I Event) over American Lindsay Davenport, and 4 doubles titles. Her first title on U.S. soil came in August, 2005, when she won at Cincinnati’s Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open. Schnyder is perhaps best known for defeating 4 consecutive Top 10 players, including Serena Williams and then-world #1 Jennifer Capriati, in 2002 at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, which is the largest women-only tennis event held in the United States.
Schnyder has struggled with consistancy until the start of 2004 when she unexpectedly has a solid run to the Semi-finals of the Australian Open and reached the semi-finals of two Tier I events Charleston and Zurich.
2005 was Schnyder’s best seasons on the tour to date, reaching a total of five tour finals winning two of them (Gold Coast and Cincinnati). She became runner up at the Tier I events Rome (to Amelie Mauresmo) and Zurich (to Lindsay Davenport). She also reached the final in Linz, falling to Nadia Petrova. She reached the career high of World Number 7 after the end of season WTA Tour Championships. 2006 proved to be a good season for Schnyder also, staying within the top ten and reaching the finals in Charleston (defeating top seed and defending champion Justine Henin Hardenne in the semis and also to end Henin’s 27 match winning streak on clay, lost to Petrova in the final) and in Stanford (falling to top seed and defending champion Kim Clijsters).
Trivia
Date of birth: December 10, 1978
Place of birth: Basel, Switzerland
Residence: Baech, Switzerland
Height: 5′6 1/4″ (1.68 m.)
Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Racquet: HEAD Liquidmetal Prestige
Status: Pro
Coach: Rainer Hofmann (her husband)
Career high singles: No.7 (November 14, 2005)
Career high doubles: No.15 (June 6, 2005)
Career prize money: $ 4,803,071
Career singles titles: 10 (2005 - Gold Coast, Cincinnati; 2002 - Zurich; 2001 - Pattaya City; 1999 - Gold Coast; 1998 - Hobart, Hannover, Madrid, Maria Lankowitz, Palermo;).
Career doubles titles: 4 (2004 - Paris (w/Schett); 2003 - Paris (w/Schett); 2002 - Antwerp (w/Maleeva); 1998 Hamburg (w/Schett).
Awards & Accomplishments:
Swiss Fed Cup Team 1996-98, 2000, 2002-2004
Swiss Olympic Team 1996, 2000
Sponsors: Head (Racquet), Adidas (Clothes)
Hobbies general: reading, watching DVDs, Photo Play Computergames
Other sports interests: skiing, billiards, golf, football
Pets: Two Cats (Mister and Gizmo)
Favourite Country: Australia
Favourite book: Biography of Nelson Mandela