Andrea Petkovic

In her 2011 debut, Bosnian born Andrea Petkovic has reached the finals at Brisbane, a tournament that featured many of the tour’s top players, including Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka as the tops seeds.  Andrea’s expanding fan base is not surprised.

Petkovic has been on the verge of a breakthrough ever since she joined the tour in 2006.  At 23, her time has arrived.  At 5’11” 152 lbs, the  long and slim Petkovic has the physical weapons and foot-speed necessary to compete at the top of the women’s tour.  A win in Brisbane will certainly unlock a wealth of confidence in the well-spoken, multi-lingual German.

There is nothing shy about Petkovic’s game.  She describes her game as similar to a diesel engine; sometimes slow to start but when it is rolling she is difficult to stop.  Players have begun to understand the danger in Petkovic’s powerful game.

In Brisbane, quarterfinal opponent and veteran of the tour, Marion Bartoli, validated Andrea’s big game.  After falling behind 0-4, the diesel fired up, and was virtually unstoppable.  Bartoli, who fell prey to a false sense of security, will not make the same mistake again.

Andrea’s career won lost record in singles is 214-136.  Her doubles record is 45-40.  Petkovic has won one WTA title.

The German is coached by Petar Popovic and trains at the renowned Waske-Schuttler-Akademie.  Andrea is most comfortable on clay and prefers her powerful forehand to her backhand.  Yet, it is the improvement in the two-handed backhand that will cause problems for other baseliners.

Petkovic was previously coached by her mother and father.  She speaks French, German, English and Serbian.

In 2010, Andrea recorded her first top 50 season.  She was a finalist and three time semi-finalist on the WTA tour and reached the 4th round of the U.S. Open.  In last season’s Australian Open, Andrea reached the second round.

As the 32 seed, she is a legitimate contender in Melbourne this year.  She has an excellent chance to advance beyond the fourth round and is a solid longshot play.  The key for Petkovic will be the consistency of her booming serve.  If she is in form, the sky is the limit for Germany’s best female entrant.