“"That's kind of my thing now – you've done it before, you can do it again. Who knows what you'll achieve if you just keep showing up and giving yourself a chance?"”
— Storm Hunter, 7 Jul 2024
» Storm Hunter: “I just need to give myself a chance again”
On court
- idol growing up was Andre Agassi: “I first started [to play tennis] because he was one of the first tennis matches I ever watched and after watching him I wanted to be a pro tennis player.”
- also likes Rafael Nadal: “I’m a lefty too so I love to watch him play and he is so mentally tough so I aspire to be like him.”
- realised at age 15 or 16 that she was good enough to follow a professional career
- named in the Australian Fed Cup team for the first time in January 2014
- singles finalist in the 2011 Optus 18s Australian Championships, going down to Ashleigh Barty; teamed up with Brooke Rischbieth to make the doubles semifinals
- pushed world No.3 Daria Gavrilova to three tough sets in her first Australian Open junior championships in 2010; from this, realised her potential to become a professional tennis player
- aspires to be like former Australian pro and world No.8 Alicia Molik; believes if she works hard she has every chance to reach such heights
- toughest opponent she’s faced is Belgian Kirsten Flipkens
- wishes she could replay her Hobart International second-round match against Flipkens, where she fell in a third-set tiebreak
- dream tennis scenario would be to beat the world No.1 in a night match at Rod Laver Arena
- ultimate professional goal is to win a Grand Slam – especially the Australian Open – and to win a Fed Cup
- sitting in her entourage at an Australian Open match at Rod Laver Arena would be her family, her team, and hopefully Billy Slater or Sally Fitzgibbons
- qualified at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career at Roland Garros 2021
- advanced to Wimbledon ladies’ doubles semifinals in 2021 with American Caroline Dolehide, where they lost to Russians Elena Vesnina and Veronika Kudermetova after holding three match points
- represented Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, reaching doubles quarterfinals alongside Ash Barty
- made top-20 debut in doubles in January 2022
- broke into the world’s top-10 in doubles in October 2022, after winning first WTA 1000 title alongside Brazil’s Luisa Stefani at Guadalajara
- made the Wimbledon ladies’ doubles final alongside Belgium’s Elise Mertens in 2023
- rose to world No.2 in doubles in September 2023, making her the highest-ranked Australian female in 16 years
- became the third Australian woman to achieve a No.1 ranking in doubles in November 2023
- made the third round in singles at Australian Open 2024 as a qualifier. She was the first Aussie qualifier to progress that far in 39 years
- missed most of the 2024 season after rupturing Achilles during a training session at a Billie Jean King Cup tie in Brisbane in April
Off court
- if she wasn’t a tennis player she would be a high school teacher
- fan of the Fremantle Dockers in the AFL and Melbourne Storm in the NRL
- loves to surf
- nicknamed “Storminator”
- best piece of advice received is to control what you can control
- her perfect day would involve going on a surfing round trip down south to Margaret River with family and friends
- had she not been a tennis player, she would have been a professional surfer or school teacher
- married partner Loughlin Hunter in November 2022
Year-end singles ranking history
2023 | 172 |
2022 | 237 |
2021 | 129 |
2020 | 282 |
2019 | 428 |
2018 | – |
2017 | 676 |
2016 | 293 |
2015 | 371 |
2014 | 323 |
2013 | 242 |
2012 | 721 |
2011 | 725 |
Storm Hunter in the news
Thompson’s chance to achieve 45-year first at Wimbledon 2024
13 July, 2024
Jordan Thompson is aiming to become the seventh different Australian to win a Grand Slam men's doubles title in the past three years.
Read moreJordan Thompson is aiming to become the seventh different Australian to win a Grand Slam men's doubles title in the past three years.
Storm Hunter: “I just need to give myself a chance again”
7 July, 2024
Speaking on The Sit-Down podcast, Australian star Storm Sanders gave a progress report on her Achilles injury and her steps toward a comeback.
Read moreSpeaking on The Sit-Down podcast, Australian star Storm Sanders gave a progress report on her Achilles injury and her steps toward a comeback.
‘Training tips’ from Aussie pros for AO Holiday Programs presented by Weet-Bix™️
2 July, 2024
Daria Saville and other top Aussies share their top training tips with our AO Holiday Programs presented by Weet-Bix.
Read moreDaria Saville and other top Aussies share their top training tips with our AO Holiday Programs presented by Weet-Bix.
Ranking movers: De Minaur climbs to a career-high world No.7
17 June, 2024
Alex de Minaur celebrates a new milestone this week, becoming the highest-ranked Australian male singles player in more than 18 years.
Read moreAlex de Minaur celebrates a new milestone this week, becoming the highest-ranked Australian male singles player in more than 18 years.