"My biggest dream is to win Wimbledon, the one Slam my mom never won" - Elizabeth Mandlik opens up about her mom Hana Mandlikova & more in Exclusive
Elizabeth Mandlik, from the United States, is one of several young American tennis players trying to make their mark on the women's professional tour. The 23-year-old broke into the top 100 for the first time in June last year. However, an injury lay-off at the start of 2024 sidelined her for three months and has seen her ranking slide down to No. 173 this week. That's not very unusual for a young player in the early stages of their career.
However, Mandlik is not your usual young pro trying to break into the top tier in women's tennis. She carries the pressures that comes with being the daughter of four-time Grand Slam singles champion and Tennis Hall of Famer, Hana Mandlikova. Having grown up around tennis, Mandlik took her time to decide whether she loved the sport enough to go all-in.
But once she did, at the age of 15, there was no turning back. As the U.S. summer hardcourt stretch gets underway leading up to the US Open next month, we caught up with Elizabeth Mandlik to talk about her relationship with the sport, her family and her ambitions amongst other things.
Exclusive Interview with Elizabeth Mandlik
Sportskeeda: Firstly, can you talk about your 2024 season so far. You have had some injuries and some time off as well. How do you assess the season so far?
Elizabeth Mandlik: 2024 has been a bit difficult for me because I suffered an injury in January and then I've been trying to get back into it. I was off for three months and then I had to change my backhand to get away from the pain from my wrist because it wasn't fully healed. I still had pain because of the area that it was in so I had to change my backhand. And then just about three weeks ago, I was able to fully go back to my old backhand and fully swing without any pain. So the last three weeks have been very, very positive.
Sportskeeda: At the beginning of the year, you had mentioned your goal was to be ranked in the top 100 consistently. After your injuries and the lay-off, have you set a specific time frame as to when you would like to achieve that?
Elizabeth Mandlik: Yes, I had the goals last year and then going into it this year to make that happen, but I kind of got stopped. So I would say definitely at the end of this year, that would be a big goal of mine. After this U.S. swing and the Asian or the South American tour to be in the top 100 would be great.
Sportskeeda: We have the US swing coming up. Being an American, can you talk about how much you enjoy this part of the season?
Elizabeth Mandlik: It's very special. I grew up playing on hardcourts. So I really like the hardcourt stretch and also the support from playing in the United States is a big advantage. Also the weather because I grew up in Florida, so it makes me more accustomed to the weather and not getting as tired as the others who come from different places that don't really have that humidity and stuff like that. So yes, I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Sportskeeda: The US Open is the next Grand Slam coming up. You reached the second round there in 2022. What's it like playing at the US Open as an American player?
Elizabeth Mandlik: It's great. I love the US Open. As an American, you definitely feel the support. You feel extra taken care of compared to the other Grand Slams obviously because you're playing at home. You feel a little bit different playing at home versus playing at the other Grand Slams. So it's a great feeling to have.
Sportskeeda: If I asked you to describe yourself as a player in a few sentences, what would you say?
Elizabeth Mandlik: I would say that I'm an aggressive player, more of taking-the-ball-early and attacking in that way and then when I get a chance, I try to change up the game. So more of taking the ball early and fighting for every point and trying to make the player lose confidence in themselves by me imposing my game and my presence on the court.
Sportskeeda: Who were your favorite players to watch when you were growing up and who do you like watch from the current generation of players?
Elizabeth Mandlik: When I was growing up, I didn't really watch too much tennis because it was already in my life a lot because of my mom, and then my brother also played. So I didn't really have a specific favorite player while growing up. I didn't really enjoy it that much when I was growing up. So I kind of just went on the court and then did my own thing after. But now I would definitely say Roger Federer is one of my favorite players.
Sportskeeda: I read in one of your interviews that you decided to be a professional tennis player at the age of 15. What changed at that age which led to this decision?
Elizabeth Mandlik: I think it took me a little longer, perhaps more than others, to really enjoy and love the sport. It was in my family a lot. So I really had figure out if I actually really love the sport or do I love it because it's in my family. And then also dealing with other pressures because of that. Then I think when I was 15, I realized that I actually really love tennis and I do have the talent for it. So that is kind of when I made that decision.
Sportskeeda: You spoke about your family. Your grandfather's also an Olympian runner and he passed away last year. If you could tell us about the impact he had on your life and how difficult was it to deal with the loss of a close family member?
Elizabeth Mandlik: It was very difficult. He was, and is, the rock of our family. He put sports into our family. He shaped my mom, who she is and what she has accomplished was all because of him and how hard he has worked. It was really difficult, especially for my mom too. But we have all the genetics from him and we know that and we're really appreciative of that.
Sportskeeda: Talking about your mom, Hana Mandlikova. The extra attention or pressure that might come with that, when you travel to tournaments or when you play matches, is that difficult to deal with at this stage?
Elizabeth Mandlik: I think as I get higher in the rankings, I'm sure it will come much more. I really haven't experienced that, how people will react or or how many questions the press will ask me about her and stuff like that. But I'm sure it will come a lot.
The pressure part, that's what I was speaking about when I was about 15, 16. That's when I really realized that this is my story, not her story. So I kind of put that pressure off by myself. And also she never really puts much pressure on me based on her past achievements.
Sportskeeda: Obviously it would be very helpful to have somebody like that by your side, who has been at the top level of the game to give you guidance and support. How does that positively influence your career and our tennis?
Elizabeth Mandlik: It's great. She really understands what I go through in the highs and the lows and just supports me. And she's not just a regular tennis parent. She's accomplished a lot and she knows exactly how it feels and what to say at what moment. I think it's very helpful also just always knowing that she's always there no matter what, because she's obviously my mom. So it's not like a coach type of situation. It's more that I'm lucky to have her as my mom.
Sportskeeda: You mentioned you didn't watch a lot of tennis while growing up. In recent years, have you gone back and watched some of your mom’s matches online?
Elizabeth Mandlik: Definitely. I’ve seen some of her matches on YouTube. Sometimes, we are watching a match on Tennis Channel, and something comes up in the commentary or a stat comes up and they bring up my mom's name. Then we go back on YouTube and actually look at that.
Sportskeeda: I also read that you have a twin brother. How does it feel to be a twin and are you very close to your brother?
Elizabeth Mandlik: My brother has a very different personality than me. He's very different. He just kind of goes with the flow and he does what he wants. He's a happy kid, like he just really loves to live life. When we were growing up, he was into tennis as well and we played matches all the time. And the fights that we had were unbelievable, because he would cheat and I would cheat. However, he made me a better player early, because I always had to compete against him. So I thank him for that. But we really battled hard.
Sportskeeda: A lot of people have spoken about how difficult is it for somone to make a living out of tennis when they're not ranked inside the top 100. As someone who is trying to get back into the top 100, can you tell us about your thoughts on this subject?
Elizabeth Mandlik: It's extremely difficult. I'm sure that if you ask anybody that's been sitting there or gone through some sort of setback, and you can't really break that top 100, it becomes very mental. And it's very difficult, because also the money is involved.
If you're a good player, if you're close to the top 100, and obviosuly you have a great team around you, because that's why you have gotten that far. But to keep that team, to keep everything while not being in the top 100 is nearly impossible due to the money. You have to be mentally very strong to really make that jump.
Sportskeeda: Speaking about the importance of a team, can you tell us who all are a part of your team?
Elizbaeth Mandlik: I have my coach, Emilio Sebastian Eguez Paz, my family, my brother, they're the most important aspects of my team and my mom. They always support me every day.
Sportskeeda: Being on the road for so many weeks, does it get lonely at times? And do you find it easy to make friends on the tour?
Elizabeth Mandlik: It's definitely difficult to make friendships on the tour. I think it also depends if you're extroverted or introverted. But if you put the effort, you'll find some friends. It's also very difficult because everybody these days has their own team. So you really have to find those one or two girls who like you. In the past, my mom told me that all the players were friends with each other. Nobody really had that big team. So it was easier back then. But nowadays, I think it can get extremely lonely for some players.
Sportskeeda: When you're not playing tennis or training, how do you like to unwind off the court?
Elizabeth Mandlik: I live in Florida so I definitely like going to the beach and just hanging around. And I love to go visit my brother. He's working now. So I go visit him. He's in Texas. And he has a good group of friends there and his girlfriend and we all really get along. So on my time off, I definitely try and go visit my brother as much as possible.
Sportskeeda: What is your like your biggest ambition in the sport and why?
Elizabeth Mandlik: For me, it would be winning Wimbledon. That's my biggest goal, biggest dream. Because it's the one Grand Slam that my mom never won. So it's kind of like really important to me to do that.
Sportskeeda: If you had to build your favorite player, from which player would you pick up the following shots?
Elizabeth Mandlik: Sure lets go for it.
Forehand: Juan Martin del Potro.
Backhand: Roger Federer
Serve: Serena Williams
Volleys: Federer
Drop shots: Ons Jabeur
Mental toughness: Novak Djokovic
Court movement and coverage: Rafael Nadal