Amanda Coetzer is a former top-ranked South African professional tennis player, born on 22 October 1971 in Hoopstad, South Africa, to parents Nico Coetzer and Suska Coetzer. She began playing tennis at age six and turned professional in January 1988, retiring in June 2004 with a career record of 568–337 in singles. Standing at 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in), she played right-handed with a two-handed backhand and earned the nickname 'The Little Assassin' for her upset victories over higher-ranked opponents. During her career, she resided primarily in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and was coached initially by Gavin Hopper and later by Lori McNeil.

Tennis Career

Coetzer achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 3 on 3 November 1997 and finished in the WTA top 20 for ten consecutive years (1992–2001). She won 9 WTA singles titles: 1993 Melbourne Open and Tokyo; 1994 Prague; 1997 Budapest and Luxembourg; 1998 Charleston (Family Circle Cup); 2000 Antwerp; 2001 and 2003 Acapulco. She also secured 9 doubles titles, including reaching the 1993 US Open final with Inés Gorrochategui. Grand Slam highlights include semifinals at the Australian Open (1996, 1997) and French Open (1997), plus multiple quarterfinal appearances. She earned $5,594,821 in prize money, represented South Africa in the Fed Cup with a 31–13 record, and won the 2000 Hopman Cup.

Personal Life

Coetzer appeared as a photographer's model in the Canadian 'Sunshine Girl' feature. She is married to Israeli-American film producer Arnon Milchan and has two children: Shimon (born 2009) and Olivia (born 2011). Post-retirement, she has been involved in South African tennis, co-hosting the annual Amanda Coetzer Challenge tournament with her former school, Oranje Meisieskool in Bloemfontein.