Personal

Cibulková was introduced to tennis at the age of eight in Piešťany. She was eleven when her family moved to Bratislava. She lists clay and hard as her favorite surfaces.

Her signature expression, "Pome," translates to "Let's go" or "Come on" in English. With the help of her friend Marion Bartoli, she began a clothing line featuring this statement in 2014.

She likes dogs and has two Yorkshire terriers which accompany her on tour.

Career

Early career

Early in her career, Cibulková predominantly competed on the ITF circuit, and managed to win two tournaments: the Amarante, Portugal event in 2005, and the Bratislava event in 2006.

2007: Grand Slam debut

Cibulková started her year with a win over Tara Iyer in the first round of the CANARA Bank Open, but lost to no. 4 seed Jelena Kostanić Tošić in the second round.

At the 2007 French Open she qualified and made her Grand Slam main draw debut, reaching the third round. In the second round she upset Martina Müller after beating Sun Tiantian. She eventually lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She also reached the third round in Amelia Island, beating Anabel Medina Garrigues but losing to her countrywoman Daniela Hantuchová and the quarterfinals of the ECM Prague Open, beating Gisela Dulko before falling to Victoria Azarenka.

Her best finish of the year came in September, when she exited at the semifinal stage at the Guangzhou International Women's Open in China. She lost to eventual champion Virginie Razzano.

2008: First WTA final

At the Australian Open, Cibulková lost in the first round to Flavia Pennetta. Playing for Slovakia in the first round of Fed Cup against the Czech Republic in Brno, Cibulková split her two singles matches as her country lost the tie 3-2.

At the Qatar Total Open, Cibulková reached her first ever Tier I quarterfinal, defeating former world no. 1 Venus Williams in the third round, before losing to Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals. In April, Cibulková reached the final of a WTA event for the first time. At the Tier II clay court Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, Cibulková lost in the final to Maria Sharapova. Cibulková was seeded 30th in singles at Wimbledon but lost in the first round to unseeded wildcard and eventual semifinalist Zheng Jie of China. At the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Cibulková defeated second-seeded Jelena Janković in the quarterfinals and Marion Bartoli in the semifinals, but lost to seventh-seeded Dinara Safina in the final.

2009: First French Open semifinal

At the 2009 Australian Open, Cibulková advanced to the fourth round and lost to Elena Dementieva. She began the clay season at the 2009 MPS Group Championships and 2009 Family Circle Cup, losing to Elena Vesnina and Elena Dementieva respectively.

At the French Open, she was seeded 20th. She defeated Alona Bondarenko, Kirsten Flipkens, Gisela Dulko, and Ágnes Szávay to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. She then defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets, but lost to Dinara Safina in the semifinal. In this successful phase of her career, she worked with tennis coach Vladimír Pláteník and fitness coach Maroš Molnár from Slovakia. Seeded 14th at Wimbledon, she beat Julie Coin and Urszula Radwańska, but lost to Elena Vesnina in the third round. She then competed at the 2009 Swedish Open where she lost to Gisela Dulko in the quarterfinals. She withdrew from the 2009 US Open and several of the following hard-court tournaments due to a rib injury.

2010: US Open quarterfinal

Cibulková started 2010 by reaching the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic where she lost to top seed Flavia Pennetta. At the Australian Open, where she was seeded 23rd, Cibulková was upset by Vania King in the first round.

At the 2010 Monterrey Open, Cibulková was the 4th seed. She came from a set down to beat no. 5 seed Ágnes Szávay in the quarterfinals. She fell to fellow Slovak and no. 2 seed Daniela Hantuchová in three sets. At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open she was upset by Sara Errani in the second round after receiving a bye.

She then played at the 2010 UNICEF Open, losing to Kirsten Flipkens in the quarterfinals. At Wimbledon, where she upset Lucie Šafářová and Ayumi Morita, she lost in the third round to world no. 1 Serena Williams. At the 2010 US Open, Cibulková advanced to her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal after defeating Stefanie Vögele, 2009 quarter-finalist Kateryna Bondarenko, Lourdes Domínguez Lino, and 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. She lost to the top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.

2011: First WTA title

Cibulková began the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2011 Brisbane International, where she lost to Petra Kvitová. She then entered the 2011 Medibank International Sydney, beating then-world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. She was defeated by Alisa Kleybanova in the third round. At Wimbledon, Cibulková repeated the upset from Sydney by beating Wozniacki in three sets, losing in the quarterfinals to Maria Sharapova. She won her first WTA title, the Kremlin Cup, edging Kaia Kanepi in three sets. Her win represents the first time a player has captured their maiden title at the Kremlin Cup.

2012

Seeded 17th in the Australian Open, Cibulková lost her second-round match to Gréta Arn. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Cibulková came close to beating then-world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka, leading her by a set and 5-2 before Azarenka prevailed. Cibulková then reached the finals of the Barcelona Open, losing to Sara Errani. At the French Open, Cibulková avenged her Miami loss to Azarenka, beating the world no. 1 in straight sets in the fourth round. She subsequently reached the quarterfinals for the second time, but lost to Samantha Stosur.

Her only Wimbledon warm up tournament was the 2012 UNICEF Open. She reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Nadia Petrova. She lost in the first round at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships to Klára Zakopalová. She defeated Marion Bartoli in straight sets to win the 2012 Mercury Insurance Open in Carlsbad, California, picking up the second title of her career. She reached the third round of the 2012 US Open, losing to Roberta Vinci.

2013

At the Sydney Apia International, she defeated top 10 players Petra Kvitová, Sara Errani, and Angelique Kerber en route to the final, which she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska, notably failing to win a single game. In the 2013 Australian Open she lost in the second round to Valeria Savinykh. At the 2013 Bank of the West Classic she won her third career WTA title, defeating Stefanie Vögele, Urszula Radwańska, Sorana Cîrstea, and Agnieszka Radwańska.

2014: First Grand Slam final and inconsistencies

Cibulková began her 2014 tennis season at the Brisbane International, where she dropped a quarter-final match to Serena Williams. At the Australian Open, she won her first three matches in straight sets, setting up her first hard-court meeting with Maria Sharapova, whom she defeated in three sets. She then defeated Simona Halep in the quarterfinal to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2009 French Open. Following her semifinal upset over Agnieszka Radwańska, Cibulková was featured on the January 24 cover of The Washington Post. She faced Li Na in her first Major final, losing the first set in a tie-break and the second set without winning a game.

In February, she played for Slovakia in a Fed Cup match against Germany. She lost both her matches, against Andrea Petkovic and Angelique Kerber. Slovakia was eliminated from the competition.

Cibulková won the Mexican Open in Acapulco with a victory over Christina McHale. She reached the quarterfinal round of the BNP Paribas Open, losing to Li Na. At the Sony Open in Miami, she defeated Agnieszka Radwańska in a three-set quarterfinal. With this victory, Cibulková entered the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career. She exited the tournament in the semifinals, losing to Li Na in three sets. She then reached the final of the BMW Malaysian Open, which she lost to Donna Vekić. After that final, Cibulková's struggles with form were noticeable, as she won just nine matches and lost fifteen till the end of season. At Grand Slams she reached the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon. She exited in the first round of the US Open, losing to CiCi Bellis in three sets.

2015: Achilles surgery

Cibulková began her 2015 year by playing at the 2015 Brisbane International where she was the 4th seed. In the 1st round, Cibulková lost to Madison Keys 7-5, 6-2. Next, Cibulková played at the 2015 Apia International Sydney where she was the 7th seed. She beat qualifier Kristina Mladenovic in the 1st round 6-2, 6-2 before losing in the 2nd round to Australian wildcard Jarmila Gajdošová 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. At the 2015 Australian Open, Cibulková was the 11th seed. She reached the quarterfinals by beating Kirsten Flipkens 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-0; 19th seed Alizé Cornet 7-5, 6-2; and 2012 and 2013 Australian Open Champion Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. In the quarterfinal match, Cibulková lost to World Number 1 and eventual champion Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 failing to defend her finalist points from last year.

After the Australian Open, Cibulková competed at the 2015 Diamond Games where she was the 6th seed. She reached the quarterfinals by beating qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-2 and qualifier Indy De Vroome 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. However, in the quarterfinals, Cibulková lost to 3rd seed and eventual champion Andrea Petkovic 7-6(2), 6-0. During that match, Cibulková struggled with a left Achilles Tendon injury. Cibulková underwent surgery for her left Achilles Tendon in February and missed the North American Hard Court season and all of the clay court season.

Cibulková returned for the grass court season at the 2015 Aegon International. In the 1st round, she beat British wildcard Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-3. In the 2nd round, Cibulková upset 3rd seed and recent French Open finalist Lucie Šafářová 7-6(7), 6-4. In the 3rd round, Cibulková lost to Grass Court Specialist Tsvetana Pironkova 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1. At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Cibulková lost in the 1st round to compatriot and former World Number 5 Daniela Hantuchová 7-5, 6-0.

After Wimbledon, Cibulková played at the 2015 İstanbul Cup where she lost in the 1st round to 5th seed Camila Giorgi 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(4). At the 2015 Baku Cup, Cibulková was the 3rd seed, but she lost in the 1st round to eventual champion Margarita Gasparyan 6-3, 7-5.

Cibulková started her US Open Series at the 2015 Rogers Cup. In the 1st round, she got her 1st win over Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-4. In the 2nd round, Cibulková lost for the 1st time to Alizé Cornet 6-3, 6-2. Next, she played at the 2015 Western & Southern Open where she lost in the 1st round to Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-2. At the 2015 Connecticut Open, Cibulková reached the quarterfinals by beating Tsvetana Pironkova 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 6-3 and Kristina Mladenovic 2-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 before losing to 4th seed and eventual finalist Lucie Šafářová 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5. At the 2015 US Open, Cibulková upset 7th seed, former World Number 1, and 2008 French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic in the 1st round 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. In the 2nd round, Cibulková beat American qualifier Jessica Pegula 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. In the 3rd round, Cibulková lost to 25th seed Eugenie Bouchard in a tight 3 set match 7-6(11), 4-6, 6-3.

At the 2015 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Cibulková reached the semifinals by beating Mirjana Lučić-Baroni 6-4, 1-0 ret.; 6th seed Carla Suárez Navarro 6-4, 6-4; and 2nd seed and defending champion Ana Ivanovic 7-6(5), 6-3. In the semifinals, Cibulková fell to 7th seed and eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska 6-4, 6-1. At the 2015 Wuhan Open, Cibulková lost in the 1st round to Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-4.

At the 2015 China Open, Cibulková beat former World Number 1 Jelena Janković in the 1st round 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 but she lost in the 2nd round to 10th seed Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4. Cibulková's final tournament of the year was at the 2015 Kremlin Cup. In the 1st round, she beat Russian wildcard Elena Vesnina 7-5, 6-1. In the 2nd round, Cibulková lost for the 1st time to 5th seed Carla Suárez Navarro 6-4, 7-5.

Cibulková ended 2015 ranked 38.

2016: 1st WTA Title since 2014

Cibulková started her 2016 year at the 2016 Brisbane International. In the first round, Cibulková beat Yanina Wickmayer in three sets followed by a second round loss to eight seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets. Next, Cibulková played at the 2016 Hobart International where she was the third seed. She reached the semifinals by beating Johanna Konta, Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell and qualifier Kiki Bertens. In the semifinals, Cibulková lost to Eugenie Bouchard in a three-set match. At the 2016 Australian Open, Cibulková lost in the first round to 28th seed Kristina Mladenovic in two sets thus failing to defend her quarterfinal points from 2015.

In February, she played one match for Slovakia in the Fed Cup tie against Australia. She won her match against Kimberly Birrell, but Slovakia lost to Australia 2-3.

Cibulková reached final in Acapulco, where she lost to the 2nd seed Sloane Stephens. In the first round she double bageled Lourdes Domínguez Lino.

In Monterrey, Cibulková lost in the first round to Anett Kontaveit. She then played in Indian Wells, where she defeated the qualifier Kateřina Siniaková in the first round. In the second round she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska, despite leading 5-3 and having a match point in the third set. She then competed in Miami, but lost in the second round to Garbine Muguruza.

Cibulková won the Katowice Open by defeating Camila Giorgi 6-4, 6-0 in the final. This was her first WTA title of the season. She then reached the final of the Madrid Open, but came runner-up to Simona Halep who beat her 6-2, 6-4.

Playing style

In 2014, Steve Tignor of Tennis.com labeled Cibulková "a threat to everyone".

Self-described as a player with "a lot of energy", Cibulková employs an aggressive style that is largely founded on speed and power. She is recognized for her exceptional racquet-head speed, which enables her to produce deep groundstrokes with her forehand and powerful shots with her backhand. She is also known for approaching the net and finishing points with swing volleys. Her aggressive shots have been noted for their ability to force errors or produce winners during extended rallies.

On defense, she often attacks second serves with quick forehands, and hits prompt returns while taking the ball on the rise. Occasionally, she will break a prolonged rally by mixing in a drop shot. Her lower body strength creates quickness around the court, enabling her to reach and return shots.

Career statistics

Main article: Dominika Cibulková career statistics

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	2014	Australian Open	Hard	Li Na	6-7(3-7), 0-6

WTA career finals

Singles: 14 (5 titles, 9 runners-up)

Winner — Legend Grand Slam tournaments (0-1) WTA Tour Championships (0-0) Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0-2) Tier II / Premier (3-2) Tier III, IV & V / International (2-4)

Titles by Surface Hard (5-6) Grass (0-0) Clay (0-3) Carpet (0-0)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1.	13 April 2008	Amelia Island Championships, Amelia Island, US	Clay	Maria Sharapova	6-7(7-9), 3-6
Runner-up	2.	3 August 2008	Canadian Open, Montreal, Canada	Hard	Dinara Safina	2-6, 1-6
Runner-up	3.	16 October 2011	Linz Open, Linz, Austria	Hard (i)	Petra Kvitová	4-6, 1-6
Winner	1.	23 October 2011	Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia	Hard (i)	Kaia Kanepi	3-6, 7-6(7-1), 7-5
Runner-up	4.	15 April 2012	Barcelona Ladies Open, Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Sara Errani	2-6, 2-6
Winner	2.	22 July 2012	Southern California Open, Carlsbad, United States	Hard	Marion Bartoli	6-1, 7-5
Runner-up	5.	11 January 2013	Sydney International, Sydney, Australia	Hard	Agnieszka Radwańska	0-6, 0-6
Winner	3.	29 July 2013	Stanford Classic, Stanford, United States	Hard	Agnieszka Radwańska	3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Runner-up	6.	25 January 2014	Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia	Hard	Li Na	6-7(3-7), 0-6
Winner	4.	1 March 2014	Mexican Open, Acapulco, Mexico	Hard	Christina McHale	7-6(7-3), 4-6, 6-4
Runner-up	7.	20 April 2014	Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Hard	Donna Vekić	7-5, 5-7, 6-7(4-7)
Runner-up	8.	27 February 2016	Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico	Hard	Sloane Stephens	4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5-7)
Winner	5.	10 April 2016	Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland	Hard (i)	Camila Giorgi	6-4, 6-0
Runner-up	9.	7 May 2016	Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain	Clay	Simona Halep	2-6, 4-6

Doubles: 2 (2 runners-up)

Winner — Legend Grand Slam tournaments (0-0) WTA Tour Championships (0-0) Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0-0) Tier II / Premier (0-0) Tier III, IV & V / International (0-2)

Titles by Surface Hard (0-0) Grass (0-2) Clay (0-0) Carpet (0-0)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1.	17 June 2011	Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands	Grass	Flavia Pennetta	Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová Klára Zakopalová	6-1, 4-6,
Runner-up	2.	21 June 2013	Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands	Grass	Arantxa Parra Santonja	Irina-Camelia Begu Anabel Medina Garrigues	6-4, 6-7(3-7),

Team competitions: 1 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner/Team	Opponents	Score
Winner	1.	9 January 2009	Hopman Cup, Perth, Australia	Hard (i)	Dominik Hrbatý	Dinara Safina Marat Safin	2-0

Singles performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

R#

RR

Q#

A

P

Z#

PO

G

F-S

SF-B

NMS

NH

(W) Won tournament; reached (F) final, (SF) semifinal, (QF) quarterfinal; (R#) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a (RR) round-robin stage; reached a (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent from tournament; played in a (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; won a (G) gold, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament; or (NH) tournament not held. To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	SR	W-L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open			Q1	1R	4R	1R	3R	2R	2R	F	QF	1R	0 / 9	17-9
French Open			3R	3R	SF	3R	1R	QF	2R	3R			0 / 8	18-8
Wimbledon			Q1	1R	3R	3R	QF	1R	3R	3R	1R		0 / 8	12-8
US Open			2R	3R		QF	2R	3R	1R	1R	3R		0 / 8	12-8
Win-Loss	0-0	0-0	3-2	4-4	10-3	8-4	7-4	7-4	4-4	10-4	6-3	0-1	0 / 32	59-33

[ Source: Wikipedia ]