Elizabeth Mandlik is an American tennis player and the daughter of tennis legend and 4-time Grand Slam winner Hana Mandlikova. The young athlete developed an interest in the game at an early age, and despite her desire for a different professional path, she grew to love tennis and decided to take it up with the assistance of her mother.
Here are some intriguing facts about her that we discovered.
Interesting Facts About Elizabeth Mandlik
1. Elizabeth Mandlik Is Currently 23 Years Old
Elizabeth Hana Mandlik was born on May 19, 2001, in Boca Raton, Florida, to former tennis player, Hana Mandlik and an unknown man.
Mandlik is not the only child of her mom. In fact, she has a sibling, a twin brother named, Mark Mandlik. She revealed that they have different mentalities and personalities. He always knew what he wanted to do but she didn’t until a while later.
However, the siblings are very close and maintain a well-knitted relationship even though they do not get to spend a lot of time together as they did before.
2. Mandlik Started Playing Tennis When She Was 7
She started playing tennis at the early age of 7. The tennis player revealed that her mother did not want to put her in tennis too early so that she doesn’t get tired of it too fast.
She started playing tennis, soccer, and gymnastics simultaneously to see which one she preferred more. Being a super competitive person, she chose tennis. However, at the time, it was just a fun thing for her. She played for an hour 3 days a week.
3. The Young Athlete Wanted To Become A Professional Skier
At the age of 13, the young Elizabeth took an interest in skiing. She went skiing every winter and thought because she enjoyed it and was good at it, she could make a career out of it.
So at 14, she told her mother she wanted to become a professional skier. Her mother on the other hand told her she was not going to relocate to a cold place just because she wanted to take skiing full-time. So skiing became more like a hobby she did any time she found the opportunity.
The athlete revealed that if she wasn’t a tennis player, she would have become a professional skier.
4. She Did Not Attend College
As earlier stated, Elizabeth has not always been sure of what she wanted to do with her life, unlike her twin brother who knew exactly what he wanted.
The American athlete revealed that her mother knew what her children were capable of. So she decided that Elizabeth would turn pro playing tennis, while Mark would attend college.
In her response to a question asked about whether or not going to college charted out her path as a pro player, she revealed that she never wanted to rush it. She wanted to take her time and let everything fall into place. Elizabeth added that she knew she could always go back to college and study to become anything she wanted to be.
5. The 23-Year-Old Made Her WTA Debut In 2019
Elizabeth Mandlik made her World Tennis Association debut in 2019, at the Luxembourg Open. She partnered with Katie Volynets in the doubles tournaments.
In 2022, she qualified for the main WTA draw and subsequently won her first tournament, defeating Alison Riske-Amritraj in straight sets. She also played against world number 4, Paula Badosa, where she lost in a final tiebreaker. This made her move up 60 positions, into the top 200 rankings.
Similarly, she made her major-main draw debut in the US Open Wildcard Challenge. She defeated Tamara Zidansek and reached the second round, where she lost to Ons Jabeur. Subsequently, she made her Australian Open debut in January 2023.
6. She is an Aggressive Player
The American athlete revealed that she is an aggressive type of player who keeps fighting. She added that she tries to move as much as she can and take the ball early.
The tennis player said that she pushes herself to go hard because she is not that tall and even though she is fast, she feels disadvantaged so she works twice as hard.
7. Her Mother Is A Hall Of Famer
Elizabeth’s mother, Hana Mandlikova is a four-time Grand Slam champion and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994.
Elizabeth revealed that she knew at a very young age that her mom would take her to her games because she didn’t have a father who would take care of them while she was away. The young athlete revealed that she would cry for a whole week.
She said she actually knew her mom was a big name at about 10 years of age when she was in the Grand Slam daycare with some other kids and they asked who her mom was.
8. Elizabeth’s Mother Is Her Support System
The tennis star revealed that her mother is her support system and she hopes to be like her someday. She believes her mother knows everything on the court and out of it, so it was very easy to talk to her about things that were bothering her.
Ellie added that her mom didn’t push her too hard because she had already instilled in her values that made her push herself. So if she said she didn’t want to train, her mother would not force her to do it against her wish. Sometimes her mother forces her to take a break. She said the best tennis advice her mother has given her is “Tough moments don’t last, but tough people do”
9. Her Twin Brother Also Plays Tennis
Hana Mandlikova has transferred her tennis genes not only to her daughter but also to her son. Talking about an apple not falling far from the tree.
Ellie’s twin brother is also a tennis player. He plays college tennis at Oklahoma University. She reveals that her brother hopes to turn pro too after graduating from college.
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10. Elizabeth Mandlik Is An Introvert
The American athlete revealed that she is an introvert who has a very small circle. Notwithstanding, she is very easy to get along with. She revealed that she does not have many friends and likes it when she stays to herself.
Elizabeth revealed that one of her closest friends is her twin brother, Mark, whom she loves hanging out and doing things with.
The young athlete and celebrity child might be under pressure from the tennis community to live up to her mother’s legacy. However, the relationship she shares with her mother proves that might be far from her reality. We hope that her career in tennis will be a long and fulfilling one in the long run.
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