Bethanie Lynn Mattek-Sands (born March 23, 1985, in Rochester, Minnesota) is an American professional tennis player who competes on the WTA Tour. She lives in Miami, Florida but trains in Phoenix, Arizona. Mattek has won five singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Circuit, and her best results on the WTA Tour to date are reaching the semifinals of the tournaments in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2005 and Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2008 and the finals of the Bell Challenge in 2008 and 2010. In doubles, she has won four WTA Tour titles. Mattek also plays for the New York Sportimes for World Team Tennis.
Mattek hasachieved extensive publicity as a result of her eccentric fashion sense on the court. Notable outfits include leopard print outfits at the 2004 US Open and 2007 US Open, a striped cowboy hat that garnered her a fine at the 2005 US Open, a "soccer theme" at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships that included £10 football socks, chandelier earrings, a tube top worn over a strappy vest top, tiny running shorts and a headband, pink knee-high socks at the 2006 JPMorgan Chase Open , and a loosely draped beige top, with a crocheted waist and split sleeves that resembled a toga and beige knee-high socks at the 2006 US Open . She has since toned down her tennis outfits, but still wears knee-high socks.
The solid-serving American has won seven Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles titles. Last year, she and Petrova upset the Williams sisters, and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open. Mattek-Sands is ranked number 14 in the world in doubles, and 129 in singles. She reached a career-high ranking of 37 last year, and is now working her way back up the rankings.
Mattek-Sands is currently preparing for a Fed Cup semifinal competition between the USA and Russia in Birmingham, Alabama April 24 and 25. In the USA's quarterfinal match against France, she won both of her matches, defeating Alize Cornet in singles, and--with partner Liezel Huber-- beating Cornet and Stephanie Cohen-Aloro in the doubles rubber.
This will be the first time that the 25-year-old Mattek-Sands has played Fed Cup matches before a home crowd. In February of last year, the USA played host to Argentina in the Fed Cup quarterfinals in Surprise, Arizona, not far from Mattek-Sands' home in Phoenix. Unfortunately, though, Mattek-Sands was recovering from a hip injury and had to sit in the stands and cheer for her team instead of playing matches. The injury put her out of action for a couple of months.
he American player sounded enthusiastic when she talked about the USA Fed Cup team. She will be joined in Birmingham by Liezel Huber, Melanie Oudin and a fourth player who has yet to be named by captain Mary Joe Fernandez. The members of the USA team get along well and encourage one another, Mattek-Sands told me, and there is a genuine sense of teamwork among them.
