10 questions about Tsvetana Pironkova – Wimbledon, motherhood, ‘Pironetic’
The Bulgarian has been one of the surprises of the US Open so far, beating Garbine Muguruza en route to the quarter-finals. Find out all you need to know about her.
Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, reacts during match against Alize Cornet, of France, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)/USO152/20251699743938//2009072121
How old is Tsvetana Pironkova?
Tsvetana Pironkova is 32 years old. She was born on September 13, 1987, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
What did Pironkova do at the 2020 US Open?
Pironkova reached the quarterfinals in her first tournament in over three years at the 2020 US Open. She had been out of the game to give birth to her son Alexander but when she returned she did not skip a beat. She upset Garbine Muguruza and Alize Cornet on her way to a quarterfinal clash with Serena Williams.
Who are her family?
Tsvetana Pironkova’s father is called Kiril, and her mother is called Radosveta. She has one brother, Encho, and a sister, Elisaveta. She is married to Mihail Mirchev, a former footballer, and they have a son named Alexander.
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Who is Pironkova’s coach?
Her father has been her long-term coach – and her brother has been her long-term hitting partner, and has accompanied her into the US Open bubble.
When did she start playing tennis?
Pironkova started playing tennis at the age of four, when her father introduced her to the sport. She played some junior tournaments, reaching a junior ranking of No 227 as a 14-year-old.
What are her career highlights?
Pironkova achieved a career-high ranking of No 31, which she reached on her birthday in 2010 – shortly after her run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. She also has one singles title, achieved in Sydney in 2014.
What is her career prize money?
Before she left the Tour in 2017, Tsvetana Pironkova had won a total of $4,497,095 prize money in her career.
Why was she absent from the Tour for three years?
Pironkova left tennis to give birth to her son and was not considering a return.
She explained at the US Open: “There was a time maybe for one-and-a-half, two years after I became a mom where I didn’t really picture coming back to the tour at all. I was, you know, happy with the moment, just wanted to live through everything, through this new exciting times in my life.
“But then I started thinking about tennis more and more. Also having this opportunity of the special ranking gives you more motivation, as well, because you’re not starting from scratch, as we can see. My first tournament is actually main draw in US Open. That is a huge opportunity.
“At one point I was like, I do not want to miss that opportunity, I’m going to start training, I’m going to do everything I can, and it’s going to be different this time because, first and before all, I kind of enjoy it because tennis is before all a game. It’s [an] interesting, exciting, and super cool game that you can have a lot of fun playing. That is what I’m trying to do.”
What other interests does she have?
She has her own clothing and lifestyle brand, Pironetic.
Is she active on social media?
Tsvetana Pironkova has an official Instagram account, with 83,500 followers. She also has an official Facebook account, which has 264,211 likes.
