Kathy Rinaldi
Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel (born March 24, 1967) is a former professional American tennis player, who retired in September 1997. In her career, she won three singles and two doubles titles on the WTA Tour, and reached the semifinals of the 1985 Wimbledon Championships.
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| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Palm City, Florida |
| Born | March 24, 1967 Stuart, Florida |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Turned pro | 1980 |
| Retired | September 1997 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,353,737 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 277–217 (56.1%) |
| Career titles | 3 WTA, 0 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (May 26, 1986) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (1984) |
| French Open | QF (1981, 1986) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1985) |
| US Open | 4R (1982) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 200–184 (52.1%) |
| Career titles | 2 WTA, 2 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 13 (February 8, 1993) |
Career
Rinaldi reached her highest career ranking on May 26, 1986, when she was ranked world No. 7. The recipient of WTA Most Impressive Newcomer Award in 1981 and WTA Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1989, she had career wins over top players such as Steffi Graf, Jana Novotná, Sue Barker, Pam Shriver, Hana Mandlíková, Wendy Turnbull, Manuela Maleeva, Dianne Fromholtz, Helena Suková, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Zina Garrison, Sylvia Hanika, Kathy Jordan, Jo Durie, and Natasha Zvereva.
Rinaldi was the youngest player to win a match at Wimbledon (14 years, 91 days) in 1981, a record that stood until 1990. After the 1987 French Open, she suffered a freak injury in Monte Carlo, slipping on stairs, and in trying to catch herself, fracturing her right thumb. This injury sidelined her for rest of the year. She was a member of the US Wightman Cup Team in 1983, 1985, and 1986.
Fed Cup
In December 2016, Rinaldi was appointed as the captain of the United States Fed Cup team, succeeding Mary Joe Fernandez.[1][2] In her first year as Fed Cup captain, the U.S. won the 2017 Fed Cup.
Family
Rinaldi married Brad Stunkel, her high school sweetheart, on December 11, 1993, and adopted his surname. She gave birth to a son, Bradley Benton Stunkel Jr., on February 8, 1995. The family currently resides in Palm City, Florida.
Awards and recognitions
WTA career finals
Singles: 7 (3–4)
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| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | October 18, 1981 | Kyoto | Hard | Julie Harrington |
6–1, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 1. | May 24, 1982 | Berlin | Clay |  Bettina Bunge |
2–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | July 26, 1982 | San Diego | Hard | Tracy Austin |
6–7(5–7), 3–6 |
| Winner | 2. | August 18, 1985 | Mahwah | Hard | Steffi Graf |
6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 3. | September 22, 1985 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Bonnie Gadusek |
1–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | May 11, 1986 | Houston | Clay | Chris Evert-Lloyd |
4–6, 6–2, 4–6 |
| Winner | 3. | November 16, 1986 | Little Rock | Carpet (i) |  Natasha Zvereva |
6–4, 6–7(7–9), 6–0 |
Doubles: 12 (2–10)
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|
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | March 31, 1991 | San Antonio | Hard | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Jill Hetherington |
Patty Fendick .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Monica Seles |
6–7(2–7), 2–6 |
| Winner | 1. | April 21, 1991 | Houston | Clay | Jill Hetherington |
Patty Fendick Mary Joe Fernández |
6–1, 2–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2. | August 4, 1991 | San Diego | Hard | Jill Hetherington |
Gigi Fernández  Nathalie Tauziat |
6–4, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | October 6, 1991 | Leipzig | Carpet (i) | Jill Hetherington |
 Manon Bollegraf Isabelle Demongeot |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | February 2, 1992 | Auckland | Hard | Jill Hetherington |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Rosalyn Fairbank  Raffaella Reggi |
6–1, 1–6, 5–7 |
| Runner-up | 4. | March 1, 1992 | Indian Wells | Hard | Jill Hetherington |
Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Stephanie Rehe |
3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | March 22, 1992 | Key Biscayne | Hard | Jill Hetherington |
 Larisa Neiland  Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
5–7, 7–5, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 6. | April 19, 1992 | Houston | Clay | Jill Hetherington |
Patty Fendick Gigi Fernández |
5–7, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | November 1, 1992 | San Juan | Hard | Gigi Fernández |
Amanda Coetzer Elna Reinach |
2–6, 6–4, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | February 7, 1993 | Auckland | Hard | Jill Hetherington |
Isabelle Demongeot Elna Reinach |
2–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 9. | March 21, 1993 | Key Biscayne | Hard | Jill Hetherington |
Larisa Neiland  Jana Novotná |
2–6, 5–7 |
| Runner-up | 10. | May 23, 1993 | Strasbourg | Clay | Jill Hetherington |
Shaun Stafford  Andrea Temesvári |
7–6(7–5), 3–6, 4–6 |
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | Career W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | 1R | 3R | A | NH | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | 3–6 |
| French Open | QF | 4R | 4R | 3R | 3R | QF | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | A | A | A | 24–13 |
| Wimbledon | 2R | 3R | 4R | 1R | SF | 1R | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | A | 1R | 13–12 |
| US Open | 1R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 9–14 |
| Win–loss | 5–3 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 5–4 | 7–3 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 49–45 |
| Year-end ranking | 33 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 26 | 88 | 52 | 69 | 105 | 111 | 83 | NR | NR | 225 |
References
- Ashley Marshall (December 8, 2016). "Rinaldi to lead U.S. Fed Cup team in expanded captaincy role". www.usta.com. United States Tennis Association (USTA).
- Sandra Harwitt (December 9, 2016). "Rinaldi appointed USA Fed Cup captain". www.fedcup.com. International Tennis Federation (ITF).